FIRE. We love it for many reasons: lighting up what needs to be lit = clarity. Ever heard of a ritual called Ajna Agni? Just imagine a pretty little fire burning in your third eye area and have whatever you need cleansed run right through it. This is a perfect exercise for the upcoming total solar eclipse, happening at 28 degrees fiery Leo 53 minutes this August 21, 11:30 AM Pacific Time – first time in 99 years that America has received such an intensive eclipse!
Traditionally new moons are not for cleansing, but eclipses are—by way of breaking habitual patterns to set new intentions. If lives are full of false personalities (our personality or others'), then that stuff needs burning off into the ether, to make room for the authentic goods. This eclipse brings with it a hardcore dose of reality, a reboot, an opportunity for a completely fresh start. So…
Get your Nomex hoods on, brothers and sisters; we're all going to ride that solar wave, and it's important we carefully choose our board style (broom style?), because that run will flavor the next six months and more with its maturing vibe. Akaw!
The following are just snippets of info for each SUN, MOON, or RISING sign, so take it with a wide angle lens—there are other hella beautiful aspects going on that are out of the scope of this article—to see how this total solar eclipse will affect your conditions.
Dear readers, we'd love to hear your comments and how the eclipse manifests in your lives; cosmic hugs to us all!
Photo by Thomas Roberts
With Uranus retrograde in your sign trining this new-phase eclipse, Aries, you have a whole new evolutionary impulse to individuate. Ask yourself where you are in your soul's evolution:
1) questioning your conformity to the status quo;
2) acceptance of and flying your freak flag;
3) hoofing it alone into the beautiful world of wonder;
4) integrating your non-conformist, unique self back into society;
5) maintaining balance with your individuality while navigating consensus reality.
Aries SUN MOON or RISING, you can utilize this eclipse to catapult your authentic self into a more comfortable and less shocking manifestation of the above stages. It's a hugely powerful time, tap in and love the metamorphosis!
Taurus 21 April – 21 May
Photo by Brigitte Tohm
Earthy kindness. That's what we're aiming for, TAURUS SUN, MOON and RISING… With your sign squaring this solar eclipse there might be a lesson in action, that is, taking action in some area in your life; exactly where in your life depends on the houses we find this energy in, but most of us have an idea where we've been slacking. Think back to a project you had thoughts to start but didn't because you had other priorities. Well, NOW is the time to plant the first step and focus on it with your loving Venus ruler. Why? Because you have eclipse fire turbo-boosting your sign and it's going to need an outlet! So there's that...
Pay attention to the little things that make life beautiful. Two flowers, one vase. Those lush velvets waiting for winter. A fancy choker during the day!
Fan those flames! If your SUN, MOON, or ASCENDANT is in late degrees of Gemini, this will be a time for social magic. For practitioners, get ye to the coven, for laypeople, get ye to your SCRABBLE team ;)
If any planets land in earlier degrees, I'd suggest at-home communication. Catch up on those correspondences because your ruling planet, Mercury, just went retrograde and it's time for retracing steps, you know the ones you missed! Old friends could call out of the blue or that job you applied for ages ago might suddenly come through.
Writing is a good bet for Geminis this month, or finishing that book – make the time!
Photo by Jakob Owens
Total Solar Eclipse energy next door to your sign in the zodiac can give further creative energy to a newly integrated sense of self. You'll be thankful for that objective self-observation phase, however difficult it might have been! Any progress that you SUN, MOON, or ASCENDANT Cancers have made in the last six months will be given a dynamic solidity now, so pay particular attention to your emotional world slipping into excess, keep it grounded. These are fabulously magical energies to work your intuition – get the tarot cards out or whatever medium in which you scry (and scry, baby, scry…).
Automatic writing of the filtered information might surprise you and those around you.
Photo by Alice Donovan Rouse
Every Leo is famous for something; I know one who makes the best cheesecake ever! With this humdinger of an eclipse in your sign, not to mention the conjuncting North Node of the Moon and Mars, your identity needs to find its famous place and create its masterpiece. For the actual artists, stop with the paying contracts and get into that piece of art you know is inside of you. For all the other artists (living is also an art!), gravitate toward your shiny space, do what you do best and give it to others on a golden platter, this is the time to shine!
By balancing this eclipse roar with your Aquarius polarity point, anything with a humanitarian slant to it will be especially successful.
Photo by rawpixel.com
The eclipse next door will encourage completing projects you started some time ago. They are better than good enough! Especially with Mercury retrograde sitting in your sign, it is absolutely the best use of this energy at this time. There might be a few electricity glitches or computer freezes going on, lost keys, thoughts on repeat… this too shall pass.
Allow yourself to jot down notes for the new creative seeds planting themselves in your life, but take the time to end those braids that need closure; depending on where your houses sit, the finishing up could be in the physical, emotional, or intellectual centers of life. No beard beads, please!
Photo by Joshua Ness
Venus had this trick she did whenever things got revved up on Mt. Olympus: she involved herself with the mortals, usually helping them in some way that seemed a little unorthodox at first. Libra is all about understanding the delicate balance of self and other, and with this eclipse, you SUN, MOON, or ASCENDANT Librans basically have an IV-drip of opportunity to face the facts about your role in relationships: objective love is the key.
Be the filter and lend your beauty far and wide on the 17th; Mars might feel combative at first, but see the bold energies through and stay at-the-ready to be at one with the flow!
Photo by Yaroslav Maltsev
Get Plutonic. What does that mean? Destruction for regeneration: weed the garden and plant that packet of seeds that's been in your fridge for six months; weld; orgasm; study formal psychology.
With the total solar eclipse squaring your sign you're going to feel that familiar pull of needing to DO something to express your inner knowledge, but it could go both ways, that is, if your inner knowledge comes from the familiar place of confrontation, then you'll really want to take that out on making a collage or getting in the garden rather than directing it at someone you love by mistake.
Mars will help you remember your authentic higher self for the good of all – use it wisely.
Photo by Ben Rosett
More fire! The SUN, MOON, or ASCENDANT Sagittarians will have a similar energy boost as the other fire signs, giving you the confidence to meet that Saturn retrograde in your sign once and for all with the maturity that Saturn so craves. Take care of your responsibilities first and there is nothing stopping you from accomplishing any goal you've already started or will start at this time (nothing too big mind you). With Saturn and other retrograde planets putting the squeeze on such an adventurous sign, the look-before-you-leap roadster needs to be put on a low cruise control for optimal benefits.
With a little careful detailing coming from your polarity Gemini energy, you can ride this eclipse literally for years to come!
Photo by Tim Easley
The inconjuncting eclipse to your SUN, MOON, or RISING Capricorn means you might experience some revelation when it comes to purposeful inner self-criticism. With Pluto retrograde in your sign you've already had plenty of opportunities to see the transformation of habits or patterns that no longer serve you, correct? Excellent and good riddance. Now you have the fuel to further those transformative energies by taking a hard, cool look at where you feel the need to build creative gates. Once these gates are complete, you open them and walk through to the butterfly self that is emerging from the chrysalis.
SO happy for you Caps… this is the beginning of something wonderful.
Photo by Sidney Perry
Total Solar Eclipse occurring in Leo, your polarity sign: what to expect? Absolutely genius integration, that's what. Whatever became clear to you during the partial lunar eclipse on August 7 will now be integrated as an intimate part of your life, that is, it will take on a new and deeper meaning, and you might find yourself asking how you have lived all this time without it! Of course, it depends in which house this energy lies but you know where the newness is, just invite it in for a heart-to-heart; this integration will affect your relationship to yourself and other, be it animal vegetable or mineral.
This creative change in your understanding of equality will touch your whole life and the lives of others. Ace.
Photo by Giulia Bertelli
This total solar eclipse calls for your soul's evolution. Mixing with Neptune and Chiron—both retrograde in your sign—it is gifting the Pisces SUN, MOON, or ASCENDANT with the opportunity to release long-lived illusions and create time slots for inquiry. Allow the past full moon partial lunar eclipse on August 7th to guide you into what area this inquiry needs to be made, and then meditate on the information you receive back. It's time for any vague life direction to become ever-clearer. Otherwise evasive concepts will allow you to put your finger on them at this time.
The first step to letting what you once thought necessary go is identifying that these things are in fact NOT necessary, and they no longer serve your best interests. Greased Lightning!
Written by Sherrill Layton
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Fan of the dilly-dally? Our relationship game is on the starting block for this Total Solar Eclipse in Aries. It’s up to you to surrender to your true love nature to heal a sense of identity OR keep the mask on until the next eclipse season. Let the Nesters unite! You’re not alone, as our collective psyche as a species is going to have this axis eclipsed. Think war & peace, sport & rest, Mars & Venus, Aries & Libra.
What’s under review for this total solar eclipse? The potential balance of our true cardinal fire nature (Aries) coupled with our diplomatic and conditioned peace-at-all-costs (Libra) is up for an overhaul review (oh, is that all…). Why is it more pronounced for us this time around? Because the North Node of the Moon s currently transiting Aries and the collective has Pluto’s ingress to Aquarius supporting evolution at this time: freedom to be. Can’t put it any simpler!
Susan Breden
August 19, 2017
Love the article!