Archive for February, 2017

New Moon in Pisces / Annular Solar Eclipse — February 26, 2017, 14:58 UT

Sunday, February 26th, 2017

There are three kinds of solar eclipses: total, annular and partial. The New Moon at 8+ degrees of Pisces is an annular solar eclipse.

A solar eclipse can only happen at the time of a New Moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction with either of the lunar nodes. The Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, obscuring the disc of the Sun. An annular eclipse occurs, when the Moon is at its furthest point from the Earth and appears smaller than the Sun, letting a bright ring burn around the dark Moon.

The New Moon always marks the beginning of a new cycle. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, and this is the last New Moon of the current astrological year. Eclipses can be described as transition points that give us a chance to pause and adjust the direction where we are going.

This solar eclipse is a member of a Saros series number 19 South. Each Saros series starts as a tiny eclipse at either the North or south Pole and will finish at the opposite Pole. A complete cycle will last for well over 1000 years and produce an eclipse every 18 years. The word “saros” means repetition.

One way to try to delineate the meaning of any particular solar eclipse is to look at the first chart of the Saros series in question. The Saros series 19 South started on April 16, 1512 at the South Pole. The Sun and the Moon were at 5+ degrees of Taurus, and there was a Venus-Jupiter conjunction in Pisces. Venus is the ruler of Taurus and it is exalted in Pisces. Uranus was on the midpoint of the New Moon and Jupiter. Astrologer Bernadette Brady has described this 19 South series like this:

“This is a family of eclipses that brings with it the element of the pleasant surprise. Sudden happiness, a joyful event, the lucky break, the lucky win. The events which will be occurring can be believed and can positively change the person’s life.”

The Sabian symbol for the initial eclipse degree Taurus 6 is “A bridge being built across a gorge.” The degree is close to the discovery degree of Chiron, which is Taurus 4, “The rainbow’s pot of gold”. The image of a bridge, opening up and leading to something new and good, is strong.

In the eclipse chart of today there is also the surprise element present, and it is more fierce than in the initial eclipse chart. In Aries the tight triple conjunction of Mars, Uranus and Eris is opposed by Jupiter. An eclipse in Pisces can be gentle though. Furthermore, Neptune is in conjunction with the Sun and the Moon, and Neptune tends to dissolve things.

Neptune is also famous for blurring things. If you feel lost in the fog, focus on the image of the burning ring of fire around the Moon, and let it help you back on the right tracks.

Full Moon in Leo / Penumbral Lunar Eclipse — February 11, 2017, 00:33 UT

Saturday, February 11th, 2017

The Full Moon in Leo was also a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. The Moon was in conjunction with the double body 79360 Sila-Nunam, which was discovered twenty years ago, on Feb. 3, 1997.

For more information about Sila-Nunam please see http://sphinx.planetwaves.net/blog/?p=1718

A new wave band Talking Heads released their album Remain in Light in 1980. The band was formed by David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison. The album was produced by Brian Eno, who also was one of the additional musicians on the record. All tracks were written by David Byrne, Brian Eno, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, and Tina Weymouth.

Both David Byrne (born May 14, 1952) and Brian Eno (born May 15, 1948) have a conjunction of the Sun and Sila-Nunam in their birth charts. Tina Weymouth (born Nov. 22, 1950) has her Sun opposite Sila-Nunam.

Can we sense a breath of Sila-Nunam in this music?