“How to Navigate the Shift?” This is perhaps the most ambitious post title that I have ever created in the more than eight years of keeping up with this occasional blog. If you are a writer, then you know, there’s always the regret of not having written more. However, if you are a writer like me, then you know that there’s a strong pressure to be highly accurate and to make clear statements with regard to the subject at hand, especially when it involves a topic like astrology. Couple this with the difficulty of maintaining a set blog schedule and here we are with what we’ve got. For me, writing is a gift that I have to fight for; the time, space, energy and inspiration to do it. And it’s worth it!
Having said that, the primary goal of this blog has always been to educate and to inform the public on whatever kind of astrology that I have the time to write about. So, I do my best in the jumping around that I do, staying on point but the eclectic in me just can’t resist sometimes. I sincerely hope that you can follow along and if not, then I do ask that you will trust me enough to fill out the contact form on this site and get clarification from me personally. I believe that this is one of the more serious and important articles that I have written.
In this post, I’ll end each section by briefly touching on the birthdays most associated with the upcoming eclipses: a June 5th penumbral lunar eclipse, followed by a June 21st annular eclipse, which is then followed by yet another July 5th penumbral lunar eclipse–all within 30 days of each other. This is not so terribly unusual to have three eclipses in a row, however, the analysis of the eclipses, coupled with some focus on planetary retrogrades, will lend some insight into the energy of this time. Context is the key and of course and I have to keep an eye on the mundane and global side of things, especially in light of the ongoing SARS-CoV-II pandemic.
If you are having one of these lunar or solar eclipses on your birthday or touching one or more personal points in your chart, then please know that the birthdays provided are simply points of information and consideration for you to think about. If you’re interested in going further, it’s up to you to do the research, ask for help, etc. Also, know that panicking about these things are counterproductive. As an astrologer who takes note of many important celestial events, I know about this kind of anxiety all too well and it’s difficult to listen to my own advice sometimes. (It’s OK for an astrologer to consult another astrologer…) Here is a brief overview on how the astrological effects of eclipses might impact your life.
The topic that’s the primary focus, the upcoming solar and lunar eclipses, are now having a world wide effect, as they always do when nearby in time. The theory that I’m mostly working with, which is simultaneously a very old and very new astrological theory (VA theory), posits that the finer and finer angular relationships between the planets, i.e., vibrations and harmonics, tell us something profound about the chart of the exact moment of upcoming astrological events like eclipses. Many ancient astrologers suggest that the astrological effects of eclipses have a lasting effect. One way to see this is that eclipse energy seems to “burn in” and stay around for a while, which is similar to how a CD is written to with laser optics. Eclipses can be quite profound and exceptional, so I will do what I can in attempting to break down some of this and make it accessible. With so much information gleaned by employing VA theory (Vibrational Astrology) there’s a sense of information overload, but it’s a good overload. (The mundane effects of eclipses have not been fully worked out as of yet with the current VA theory).
The first eclipse under discussion is a lunar one at 15 degrees and 34 minutes of Sagittarius (15 Sag 34). One may think of a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius as critical, emotional soul exploration. The chart of this eclipse immediately stands out as the transiting Moon is closely forming a T-square with the Sun and Mars. Mars is at 15 Pis 52, also at the Sun/Moon midpoint with just an 18 minute orb, giving us a sense of desperately wanting to accomplish something right now with what we’ve already learned and the emotional crisis that goes along with that. (Mars transits the eclipse degree by square just the day before, heightening the buildup to the moment of the eclipse, while Mercury stationed retrograde.) Saturn is at the Moon/Mars midpoint, closely semi-squaring both bodies with just just a 43 minute orb.
From this we get an idea about important work, that there’s work waiting to be done and that someone has to do it. In fact, this idea is so pronounced that in the 8th vibration chart, the Sun, Moon, Mars and Saturn are all conjoined within a 7 degree orb, which is another way of saying that the orb is very close and within 52 minutes and 30 seconds or within .875 of a single degree of exactness. In addition to all of this, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Neptune form an isosceles trapezoid, a.k.a. “planetary picture” with only a 1 min orb! This pattern suggests a very strong, pervasive urge for all of us to get back to meaningful work, to perhaps find that our new way of life and being has an important spiritual significance and that we must find emotionally fulfilling work. A south node lunar eclipse suggests that we are being highly compelled to simultaneously let go of the old and embrace the new, which is difficult and frightening. Deep inside of all of this is the yearning to dance again and to truly move in the moment (in the 64th vibration chart, Pluto is at the Venus/Uranus midpoint with a 1 min orb).
Important birthdays for the June 5th, 2020 Sagittarius lunar eclipse are:
- Lunar eclipse conjoins your natal Sagittarius Sun sign degree when your birthday is around December 6th, 7th and 8th
- Lunar eclipse opposes your natal Gemini Sun sign degree when your birthday is around June 4th, 5th and 6th
- Lunar eclipse squares your natal Virgo and Pisces Sun sign degree when your birthday is around September 6th, 7th and 8th or March 4th, 5th and 6th
The next eclipse is the annular solar eclipse at 0 Cancer 21 which occurs in the early morning hours on June 21st, 2020. Many astrologers recognize the very beginning of the cardinal signs as critical degrees or as World Points, etc. You may also be aware of how the seasons transition and so this day is the first day of Summer for the Northern Hemisphere. But the combination of an annular eclipse (annular means “ring”) and a world point is signaling a critical shift for many of us. Why? Because this eclipse signals a change in how we all live in our tribe, family and the protective shell that we call home. Cancer represents a desire to construct an effective, nurturing domicile against all that is external and threatening, which is usually one’s home. The next primary player in all of this, the planet Saturn, is at 0 Aquarius 40 in this chart, forming a close quincunx to the eclipse and is just 11 mins away from the upcoming Jupiter/Saturn 0 Aquarius 29 conjunction. This conjunction occurs exactly six months later on December 21st, 2020, the day of the winter solstice (0 degrees Capricorn)!
This is significant because of the added importance of a solar eclipse on the day of the summer solstice and how this eclipse precedes The Great Conjunction (Jupiter/Saturn conjunction) and Great Mutation (element shift form earth to air) of the upcoming Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in the first degree of Aquarius, an air sign, again on the first day of winter as stated above. This Jupiter/Saturn cycle on December 21st, 2020 signals a fundamental shift in how we all function and live within a global context for the next 200 years. According to long-time astrologer Raymond Merriman, we will experience Jupiter/Saturn conjunctions in air element signs only from now through the year 2159, followed by a 20 year cycle in Scorpio as an interruption. After this, the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction will revert back to the air element for the next two cycles. I will not go into the details on what this might mean in this article but suffice to say, this is a huge astrological event that the July 21st 0 degree Cancer solar eclipse ties into.
Let’s get into the meaning of the 0 Cancer solar eclipse. Again, the planet Saturn is playing a dynamic role as the eclipse aspects Saturn with a quincunx or 3 times 4 pattern, which represents a combination of harmony and ease with tension and pressure. The quincunx and the semi-sextile are powerful aspects exclusive to the 12th vibration/harmonic, or 3 x 4 as stated above. Many astrologers that study the quincunx get a sense that there’s something to be worked out, some balance that needs to be found and some adjustment that is constantly being made. There are health considerations often times as health is a symptom of the primary energy of push and pull. The question is, how will the changing global structure of a Jupiter/Saturn great conjunction in a new element impact the world collective reality in the way that we all experience “Home?” Another question, what is the “health” of your home situation and how will you balance and change with the times within the context of a global changing structure? Will we all have to redefine what we think of as home? I think that this 0 Cancer solar eclipse will raise this as a crisis point within the collective and in light of the pandemic situation. Along with high unemployment, many of us are in a dicey situation when it comes to rent and mortgages, whatever side of the fence we happen to be on. By the time the north node transited the 0 Cancer 21 eclipse point on April 24th, 2020, just one month ago, this point of housing security must have been abundantly clear. What this is showing is that we are on the cusp of a major housing and financial crisis and change point as evidenced by the many billions of tax-payer funded stimulus funds recently generated into the global economy.
There’s quiet hope and a beautiful optimism hidden within all of this seriousness, though, with a Sun/Moon/Jupiter/Uranus conjunction in the 7th vibration with Venus tying in by opposing the group. With the opposition, we find that people are excitedly working together behind the scenes: training, teaching, coaching, either one on one or in small groups. In the 17th vibration, the stories of optimism, reaching out, listening and getting engaged are powerful with a Sun/Moon/Mercury/Venus/Jupiter/Chiron forming a “half” Star of David pattern, just over 1 degree in orb, how can that be beat? The empathy abounds with this combination and the flow of life is strong and supportive when we reach out to others, listen and give a helping hand. Dancing, parties, liveliness, music and getting out and about are even more highlighted in this eclipse chart with the same Venus/Uranus/Pluto midpoint theme as mentioned in the previous June lunar eclipse section. This energy is precipitating farther down and repeating from the 16th vibration into the 32nd and 64th with a 2, 4 and 8 minute orb respectively, which are nearly exact. How can you activate it? Do something (8) with others (2) that is beautiful (Venus) in the instant now moment (Uranus) that is compulsive and from deep within (Pluto). The VA research shows that this combination manifests as music, rock n’ roll, partying, letting it out and cutting loose, etc. I hope that this gives a sense that things will return to a sense of normalcy very soon. We could all use a fun break.
Important birthdays for the June 21st, 2020 Cancer Solar Eclipse are:
- Solar eclipse conjoins your natal Gemini/Cancer Sun sign degree when your birthday is around June 20th, 21st, 22nd
- Solar eclipse opposes your natal Sagittarius/Capricorn Sun sign degree when your birthday is around December 20th, 21st, 22nd
- Solar eclipse squares your natal Pisces/Aries or Virgo/Libra Sun sign degree when your birthday is around March 19th, 20th, 21st or September 21st, 22nd, 23rd
Finally, the third eclipse in this group will occur on July 5th, 2020. This is a penumbral lunar eclipse at 13 Capricorn 38 and like the Sagittarius lunar eclipse preceding it one month earlier, this is another south node eclipse expressing the theme of letting go and releasing (not VA theory). One possibility is that an emotional crisis is set off by what we clearly see (Capricorn) from the past (Moon). Mars will transit this degree by square on July 22nd just 17 days later. The south node transited this degree on September 30th, 2019.
What’s interesting here is that Sun/Moon/Venus/Jupiter/Chiron are forming hard patterns in the 16th, 32nd and 64th harmonics, culminating in a grand cross in the 64th harmonic spreading under 1 and a half degrees, which is very, very close in orb when we’re discussing a vibration this high. I see this as an expansive, beautiful healing and rebuilding in action. Uranus ties into this pattern as well forming high vibration 16ths with Chiron and Sun/Moon, showing an element of spontaneity and freshness. With this, we lose Mercury out of this planetary group and we gain Uranus, moving from empathy and listening (17th vibration) from the Cancer solar eclipse to making those interactions happen in the physical world and drawing out solutions from the information gained through listening. Essentially, what we’re seeing is a type of quick evolution with all of these aspects happening from one lunation to the next, transitioning from the 17th to the higher octaves of the 8th vibration which signal action and movement with others (16) combined with the pressure (32) and deep desire and motivation (64) to do something about the situations that we are facing. The same logic applies to the Venus/Uranus/Pluto midpoint structures that repeat from the June 5th lunar eclipse to the next solar eclipse on June 21st as written earlier.
Important birthdays for the July 5th, 2020 Capricorn Lunar Eclipse are:
- Lunar eclipse conjoins your natal Capricorn Sun sign degree when your birthday is around January 2nd, 3rd, 4th
- Lunar eclipse opposes your natal Cancer Sun sign degree when your birthday is around July 4th, 5th, 6th
- Lunar eclipse squares your natal Aries or Libra Sun sign degree when your birthday is around April 1st, 2nd, 3rd or October 5th, 6th, 7th
Before I forget, I have to touch on the all of the retrograde activity going on in the midst of the upcoming eclipses. To start, Saturn, Venus and Jupiter stationed retrograde all within less than four days from each other starting on May 10th, 2020. Next, Mercury will station retrograde on June 17th, followed by Neptune on June 22nd followed by Venus stationing direct on the 25th, this time with three planetary stations all within 8 days of each other. After this, Chiron stations retrograde on July 11th while Mercury stations direct on July 12th, 2020. To repeat, the eclipses are on June 5th, June 21st and July 5th so what we have is a kind of confluence of retrograde activity around three eclipses, which is very powerful. What I have found is that there is a kind of energy drain and an inertia around anytime where there’s 3 or more planets changing direction around the same time. When this happens, whether retrograde or direct, the planet is “stopped” in the sky. These are key times and when coupled with eclipses, again, we may want to listen and pay attention.
What’s most important here, to me, is the station retrograde of Mercury on June 17th followed by the station direct of Venus on June 25th as both of these “bracket” the all important 0 degree Cancer eclipse on June 21st. This means that people are changing their minds and values around this highly energized time. Communications will be highlighted and perhaps what you really want on many areas of life will undergo a review. How we communicate and what’s important to convey are critical at these times, however I can see how it will be difficult to get clear in the midst of such chaos and turbulence in the world. The silver lining is the evolution and positive change that will happen as a result of staying with your life process throughout these times. Be kind to others and be your own best friend as we are all in for a bumpy ride this summer as we pull out of this pandemic. Hang on, help each other and do what you can to cultivate some fun into your life and those around you!
Thaddeus