Carol Ann Ciocco

724.396.6694 

 

From the perspective of experiential and Shamanic Astrology, there are no more important cycles for ceremonial and magical work than those of lunar and solar eclipses. - Daniel Giamario, Founder of the Shamanic Astrology Mystery School

On August 1, 2008 we will experience a Total Solar Eclipse/New Moon at 9 degrees 32 minutes of Leo at 6:13am EDT. A Total Solar Eclipse (TSE) is unnerving to the human psyche. For a period of time, in broad daylight we experience the night. The Sun is blotted out by the Moon and in the path of Totality (which varies depending on the path of the eclipse) the lights go out, the skies go dark - and we can see other, fainter light coming from stars we wouldn't ordinarily see. 
 
The Sun represents daylight, the conscious mind, our identity in the world, and the archetypal 'Light' side of our polarity planet. The Moon represents the night-time, the unconscious and subconscious mind, the inner psyche - and what might lurk there repressed - i.e. the Moon represents the archetypal 'Dark' side our polarity planet. When the Moon covers the Sun, our conscious minds become nervous as our unconscious 'demons' become more exposed in territory where they are normally hidden from view. The ego shivers.
 
In ancient times, before it was fully understood by our ancestors that the sun and moon cross paths this way with predictability, eclipses were seen as one of the most dreaded celestial events. Conquerors even used eclipses to their advantage against unknowing indigenous cultures. In 1504, while stranded on Jamaica, Christopher Columbus "predicted" a lunar eclipse on February 29th of that year. This prediction was based on celestial tables that he had brought with him, thereby intimidating the island's natives into continuing to provision him and his men. 
 
However, not all ancient cultures were caught unawares of the timing of eclipses. The earliest recorded lunar eclipse occurred on March 19, 721 BC, as described in Ptolemy's Almagest, based on Babylonian sources. It is said that the ancient Babylonians had eclipse tables spanning over a 500,000 year period. Traditional thinking said that when the shadow of an eclipse fell on a nation or people, it would have dire consequences for the future of that nation. Historically, more than not this is accurate. For instance, the maximum number of eclipses possible in one year is five; and five eclipses in one year will occur only every three centuries. In 1935, we had five eclipses in one year. Many feel that these eclipses were the harbingers of WWII. The ancients also thought that the number of minutes an eclipse lasts over a nation shows the number of years it would suffer affliction.

 

The Total Solar Eclipse in particular was known as the Sun-eating Dragon, the Spirit of the Dead, and the Eye of God. It was seen as a harbinger of spectacular events, good and evil - terrible famines, bumper harvests, wars, the birth and death of kings.
 
A more modern (and less spooky) interpretation is that a Solar Eclipse shuts down some aspect of your life so that other parts can flourish in the future. Something is 'eclipsed' in your psyche (and thus in your life) so that another healthier expression can emerge. Keep in mind that Total Solar Eclipses continue to have effect for years to come. Under an eclipse we can consciously choose to allow a part of us to be eclipsed, to have old obstacles blotted out.
 
"Intuition (the Moon) - wordless and irrational - overpowers your creative center and power (the Sun). The result is a bit like a short-circuit of your internal wiring. The fundamental laws of the universe no longer apply. The Sun browns out, like a faulty wire that dims your kitchen light when you turn on the garbage disposal. The birds turn quiet. The world is shrouded in an apprehensive silence that you can almost hear. At the solar eclipse, something is trying to get your attention. Like the Moon, rising up in front of the Sun as if to say, 'Just hold it a second - you're missing something!' Ask yourself: What part of your ego is running around unchecked?  What is the part of you that you're trying to disown? April Elliot Kent, http:www.BigSkyAstrology.com
 
If you think of the astrological system as a computer, eclipses are those moments when the divine disk drive writes new code to the magnetic surface of life. There is, at the same time, the possibility to erase certain ideas and influences for good. - Eric Francis http://PlanetWavesWeekly.com/ 
 
"When eclipses occur, it's time to get over what's been, to move on, to shake off, to restart. Often relationships end dramatically and suddenly at the time of an eclipse because we've been clinging on to something which we should have had the sense to let go of ages earlier. It's often said that what ends at the time of an eclipse will never restart. This sounds harsh and a little bit scary but the reason comes back to the same deal: what happens around the eclipse is meant to be. It can take days, weeks, months and even years to see it, but it does eventually become clear. - Yasmind Boland, http://www.moonology.com
 
Strangely, few people are born during eclipses. And "more deaths are known to occur during eclipse periods than at other times. It can be a particularly powerful portal for many to cross over. Eclipses are doorways, quantum choice points. What we hold in our thought and intention at these times reverberates throughout time, space and all dimensions." - Allison Rae, http://www.starpriestess.com
 
Sets of eclipses and their respective themes have a pattern which repeats about every nineteen years. In addition, there are many cycles of eclipses - some recurring relatively frequently, some taking decades, even centuries to recur. 
 
In general, there are two sets of eclipses per year. Each set has a lunar (associated with the full moon) eclipse and a solar (associated with the new moon) eclipse. Each set (with the eclipses occurring two weeks apart) is like a Vortex of possibility and change. And the two sets (occurring about 6 months apart) are like a pair of parentheses with a 'profound statement' about our development inbetween. This is the second eclipse vortex of 2008. The first set was in February 2008; so the themes that emerged in your life at that time will culminate or expand under the eclipses of August.

 

Check out these Eclipse websites:

 

The August 1st TSE is a South Node Eclipse. This means that the Moon is conjunct the South Node - the point that represents our collective past, the repository of all our past deeds, whether karmic or dharmic. Under a South Node Eclipse, the Moon is receptive to the Sun and is enabled to release new feelings and emotions accumulated and examined during the previous North Node eclipse. The decks are cleared for the next step. Keep in mind that the South Node can bring back both unsettled karmas and rewards for accomplishments from the past.
 
The solar eclipse of February 7, 2008 was the first of a set of Aquarius/Leo eclipses, ushering in a theme (revolutionary change to the collective through right leadership and creative self-expression) that will prevail until August of 2009. This theme will be in place for a year and a half, but the February 7th eclipse itself had an effect that lasts until now (August 1, 2008) when its effect is replaced by this fresh solar eclipse.
 
Solar eclipses, like all new moons, are essentially interior events. Something has ended and deep within something new has been seeded. Solar eclipses are more physical than emotional, and so are usually attended by physical events which wake us up and show us our shadow. (Lunar eclipses are more emotional in nature.) So under this TSE we can expect physical forms (of all kinds) to change. Because this eclipse is TOTAL the effects will be more potent. Jamie Kahl, www.pandoraastrology.com 
 
This eclipse will be seen in its Totality over China (exactly one week before the Olympics open on 08-08-08 in China) with darkness falling over the Great Wall of China and the ancient Silk Route. As I'm sure you are aware, China is a huge player on the world scene, now more than ever, and this eclipse will energize happenings in that massive giant for years to come. This eclipse will also be seen over Russia and Mongolia in Totality. And Canada will experience its first Total Solar Eclipse since 1979, but it will barely be visible there. Oh and this eclipse will be seen in Partial Totality over the Arctic North, that much focused-upon place of global warming worries.
 
The next Total Solar Eclipse visible here on Earth is July 22, 2009 and it will be seen in its Totality over India and China, and over the Pacific Ocean.
 
The next Total Solar Eclipse that will be seen in its Totality over the United States (from Oregon to South Carolina) will be on August 21, 2017. The most recent one seen over North America in Totality (also in the Pacific Northwest) was on February 26, 1979 (This eclipse was also seen over Canada and Greenland). Before that the last Total Solar Eclipse seen over the United States and Canada was on June 30, 1954
 
The two-week period between a Solar and Lunar eclipse seems to be an especially unstable, emotionally sensitive, even frenetic time. I call this time between eclipses a VORTEX or tornado of change. It contains tremendous possibility to leap into new ways of being in our lives. It is a zero-point of potential - a time out of time - with unknown wild-card outcomes and permutations of reality waiting to be seized. This month that time period stretches from August 1st to August 16th. And this eclipse vortex is especially interesting because at the EXACT midpoint (the First Quarter Moon of August 8th) we have a Gregorian-Calendar date of numerological significance - 08-08-08, a portal in and of itself. Thus we have three portals and a vortex this month. I think that beats a Royal Flush! Stay tuned to future newsletters for more info on the vortex/time between eclipses and on the triple 8's.

212 degrees

http://www.212movie.com/

 

Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to "jump at the sun." We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground. - Zora Neale Hurston
 
To set the tone for our understanding of this Eclipse, let's have a look at the symbols associated with it. I'll clue you in: all of the symbols are unanimously positive! So we know that in the long run, the ultimate outcome of the powerful energies of change within the August 2008 Eclipse Vortex will be auspicious and even harmonic.
 
First we have the Moon Mansions: Fortuna, the bluebird of good luck and life-expanding creative abilities; and The Lotus (Mansion 8) which is viewed in India as one of the most favorable of all possible moon positions. The Lotus is a Mansion of nurturance, nourishment, abundance, emotional closeness and community. Can't get any better than that:)
 
In addition, the Angelic Degree of this Eclipse is 'The Angels of the Mystic Path.' This degree is associated with the crown chakra, i.e. the Lotus, just as mentioned above. This offer us greater opportunity to become One with the Universal Mind through the crown chakra, the Lotus at the top of our head which connects us to God. 
 

And finally, the Sabian Symbol for both the Moon and Sun at 10 degrees Leo is, "Early morning dew sparkles as sunlight floods the field." This symbol shows very positive new beginning energies: the dawning of a new day; a changing of the guard; the joy after passing through the dark night of the soul; nearing the end of a struggle. Rudhyar writes that this is a symbol of TRANSFIGURATION. And I believe this is the penultimate symbol of this Total Solar Eclipse (see below for more information).
 
These symbols taken together show us that this eclipse - as ungrounding, electrically-charged, erratic, jarring and even potentially destructive as it is - is very fortunate in its outcome. It brings a jolting opening of the crown chakra Lotus of Wisdom to those willing to receive it. This is a bolt of energy that can help bring us out of darkness - if we can endure the Hyper Truths that will flood in when we are Blinded by the Light (see below for more info on this)

 

 

This eclipse has a bunch of planets and a nodal point in Leo. We have the Moon eclipsing the Sun at 10 Leo of course. And we also have Mercury (mind and communication), the South Node (point of the past/karma) and Venus (our Lady Friend) - all in Leo. In the U.S. chart, the Sun and Moon are hidden in the 12th house of that Great Sea known as the Collective Unconscious. Mercury is very closely positioned on the Ascendant (the point of things rising or dawning in a chart). And Venus/South Node join Mercury in the 1st house of identity and beginnings.
 
So, the eclipse itself is karmic, and yet we see a new beginning in the way we think, the way we process the past and the way we express the feminine in our culture.
 
Here the Leo themes of Leadership which were explored in depth at the Regulus Leadership Convention of July will be put to the test. (Click here to read my newsletter on this subject) The issues will be jolted with a new source of energy and the potential for brave new forms of leading from the heart. Old structures and forms can crumble under such Aquarian Lightning Bolts, and some will. Depending on how deep we searched our hearts and souls in July concerning our leadership roles and how we can better express our heart's desires through our governing bodies. To that extent will we be able to contain the infusion of Aquarian energy and/or crumble like the structure depicted in the Tarot card known as 'The Tower.' http://www.learntarot.com/maj16.htm   
 
Leo is also about pure Creative Self-Expression and the willingness and courage to radiate self-esteem to all around us, not fearing that we will be harmed for removing the bushel from our Light. Creativity for the sheer joy of it, creativity as an ecstatic dance and a joyous expression of our shining Light - a spontaneous and often child-like expression of creativity and self-knowing rooted in the heart. This is the energy of Leo. Joy is so special a thing, so vivid - her love for the earth returns, her heart lightens. - Denise Levertov
 
To get to the heart of your own personal creative expression, ask yourself these questions: "What is your unique form of creativity? What is the shadow-side of that creativity? Are there areas you have allowed to stagnate? Where are you avoiding expressing yourself? Or conversely, have you become so proud of your creative expression that you are arrogant, self-centered or acting out of a continual bid for attention?" - Jamie Kahl

 

http://www.kumbayamovie.com:80/ 
 
Under this eclipse, we are asked to find creative ways of solving our problems, both personally and collectively. What natural, plentiful and shining energies/resources are we neglecting to notice, energies that could fuel and accelerate our paths of evolution toward harmony and wholeness? Leo is associated with the Sun, and the most obvious example here for the collective is the development of Solar Power. For us personally, are we developing our own Solar Plexus chakra - the chakra at our core - where we channel our personal power and effectiveness in the world? How are we harnessing the little Sun (the shining pilot-light of Spirit) within us?

 

 

The bunched-up Leo planets look to me like a bonfire of creativity, light and radiance: the Light of the Soul at which we warm ourselves within our communities. Directly opposing this bonfire we have Neptune (Spirituality and Oneness), Chiron (Healing energies) and the North Node (destiny or cutting-edge future energies) all in the radical, revolutionary sign of Aquarius. You may remember the meeting at the Dragon's Head Pub that I described in a previous newsletter? Well, these guys are still hanging out at that particular tavern! And now they are directly opposite the Leo bonfire of this eclipse. Coincidence? I think not:)
 
So, as the bonfire light of the Sun is doused by the silvery light of the Moon at the moment of the Total Eclipse, a scorching electric Aquarian Lightning Bolt activates new thinking patterns, new forms of radiant self-expression based in the heart, and new agendas for blossoming of the Divine Feminine. The Divine Feminine needs new forms desperately, especially in the form of leaders and decision-makers within our institutions and communities. Even that masculine representative himself, Mars, is opposite the Aquarian Revolutionary planet Uranus under this eclipse, showing us that Spirit is challenging the old ways of using and expressing warrior aggressive masculine energy as an exclusive power-source on this planet.
 
The Lightning Bolt comes from the cutting-edge of spirituality and healing, inspiring new methods for turning centuries of woundedness into medicine for a severely broken culture. This Aquarian infusion of Spirit, Healing and Destiny allows our minds to be 'blown open' to a whole new paradigm. 
 
The Rune SOWELU is a very powerful archetypal symbol of the Lightning Bolt coming in at this eclipse. The keywords of this Rune are Wholeness, Completion and Perfection. It is associated with the Element of Fire and the Sun. "The energy of Sowelu is utter and vibrant wholeness. You are like the image of the rune - one arm stretched toward the sky and the other toward the earth. You complete the "circuit" between the limitless love of the Divine and the solid, nurturing, grounding force of the earth. These forces meet and merge within you, filling you with energy like a lightning rod during a storm. An image that captures the feeling of Sowelu for me is that of an Aztec priest greeting the sun from the top of the Pyramid of the Sun in the ancient city of Teotihuacan. The gratitude he must have felt as the sun rose yet again to give heat, light, and life; the wholeness he must have felt as the warm rays fell on his face and body. Pulling this rune indicates a victory is on the horizon - one that will support wholeness on all levels." 

 
Here we have an Activation from the Celestial (Aquarius) into the Lotus (Crown Chakra) and the Heart Chakra (Leo). Sparks will fly! And the potential for 'downloads' from Spirit are increased a-thousand-fold. Indeed we may even be uncomfortable with the jarring and ubiquitous 'incoming' from the celestial realms (Jupiter inconjunct Uranus). We can possibly experience lots of sudden downloads and epiphanies under this eclipse. When life-long thinking patterns change quickly, we can feel as if we have lost our moorings. If you're not used to this sort of 'incoming,' it could be unnerving to say the least! See below for some info on Grounding out these energies into our physical bodies and the forms of our lives.

 

 

We live in times of extreme change, the crease period between world ages. The Earth is shifting. Paradigms are shifting. The transition is in full swing, and accelerating. - Allison Rae

 

We can undergo a Transfiguration under this Eclipse if we so choose. Transfiguration is an actual change of physical form - changes to our bodies and to things in the material, tangible world of 3D. (As mentioned above, changes in the physical are associated with Solar Eclipses; whereas Lunar Eclipses bring changes of a more emotional nature).
 
The best known example of Transfiguration in the Western world is this passage from the Bible: "Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There He was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus." Mark 9:2-9. 
 
Jesus becomes radiant, a nice example of the Leo energies. Then he is trans-formed as if by an Aquarian Lightning Bolt: "The word "transfigured" is a very interesting word. The Greek word is "metamorpho" and it means to transform, literally or figuratively to metamorphose, or to change. The word is a verb that means to change into another form. It also means to change the outside to match the inside. The prefix "meta" means to change and the "morphe" means form. In the case of the transfiguration of Jesus Christ it means to match the outside with the reality of the inside. To change the outward so that it matches the inward reality. Jesus' divine nature was "veiled" (Hebrews 10:20) in human form and the transfiguration is a glimpse of his ultimate glory. Therefore, the transfiguration of Jesus Christ displayed the Shekinah glory of God incarnate in Human form." 
 
We are here to get in touch with that same inner reality, that same Truth - that we are Holy Children of God, and a piece of Heaven (the radical Celestial) incarnated in physical form.
 
Under this eclipse, and indeed this entire month during the Eclipse Vortex, tremendous Breakthroughs can occur. Longstanding obstacles can be removed and one can move quickly closer to the goal of radiant transfiguration.

The Buddha was once asked, "Are you a God?" "No," he replied. "Are you a Saint?" He answered, "No." Well then "what are you?" -- Awake.

A Total Solar Eclipse in its Totality can literally blind you if you look at it directly. In fact, serious precautions must be taken when viewing a Total Solar Eclipse - one of the greatest natural yet freaky and awe-inspiring show on earth. (Since I'm guessing most of you won't be visiting China, Russia, Mongolia, or the Arctic Circle to see this eclipse in Totality, I won't share those precautions here:) The symbolism of the dangerously blinding aspect of Total Solar Eclipses is very significant, however.
 
From Daniel Giamario, founder of Shamanic Astrology: "In Shamanic Astrology, when we speak of a planet going into the Underworld, we are saying that the planet is so close to the Sun that it is actually Blinded by the Light of the Sun. I'm reminded of a favorite political commentator who said that sometimes if you go so far right, you end up meeting someone who's made a left turn. There's a way that the far right and the left come together. Well, there's a place where the extreme Celestial (Light) and the extreme Underworld (Dark) meet as well. This place is where a planet is Blinded by the Light. How different is that than total darkness? They are the same thing."
 
If any of you are fans of the Matrix movies, this reminds me of the last scene in the last movie (3rd movie of a trilogy) where the hero Neo finally meets and 'sees' with his 3rd eye (because he has gone blind in his physical eyes) his nemesis: the Machines. What he 'sees' is that the Machines are pure Light. The movie ends on that note, making an exceedingly powerful statement about the nature of reality on a Polarity Planet. As we've talked about before in this newsletter: it's all about the merging of opposites. Light and Dark meeting in the middle and - much to our surprise - they are One and the same thing. Under this revolutionary Aquarian-Leo eclipse you might just possibly wrap your heart and your mind around this mind-blowing concept. 
 
We are denied the ability to look directly at a Solar Eclipse, at the peril of literally losing our sight in 3D as Neo did in the Matrix. However, when (like Neo) we look at this eclipse with our 'inner sight' - the sight of our 3rd eye - we are Blinded by the Light on an internal level and for the first time ever we have the capacity to truly See.

Watch this Video: Life = Risk

 

It must be obvious by now that this Eclipse holds tremendous power for massive downloads of information from Spirit. However, we need to be able to ground these powerful energies in order to manage them properly! Fortunately we DO have some earth energies to help us out. The most primary are the energies of Saturn and Mars in Virgo, located at the perfect position in this chart to act as a Grounding Rod for the Lightning Bolt. Saturn can help us create a viable container for holding and structuring these high-voltage energies of change; and Mars can help us to channel the energies into physical expression, such as working out, running, jogging and other healthy forms of physical release (i.e. road rage is NOT an option as a pressure valve!)
 
"Meditation is helpful. Fire gazing can also help clear the mind of distractions. Epsom salt baths aid the release of emotional and physical toxins. Smudging with sage can dispel astral phantasms that distort understanding. Beating drums or pots and pans breaks up psychic congestion. Dance movement releases tensions. Meditation and stretching exercise bring emotional and mental equilibrium." - Steve Nelson
 
Also, August 1st, the same day as the eclipse, just happens to be the 'cross-quarter' point of the earth-based calendar - the exact half-way point between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox. This brings in some beautiful earth energy, reminding us that the cycles of earth and sun connect us with the ground under our feet and the nurturance of our Mother, the Earth.
 
And finally - and very helpful - on August 2nd we have the first Venus-Moon conjunction since Venus emerged from the Underworld on July 15th. Until now, she has been recovering from her 90-day sojourn through shadowy territory and now she is fully energized and back on track. She moves through the First Gate on August 2nd. The First Gate is THE ROOT CHAKRA, the quintessential place of Grounding.
 
In other words - only one day after the super-charged fiery, radical and electric Total Eclipse - Venus returns through the FIRST GATE - The Gate of Manifestation - associated with the Root Chakra (and in the sign of Leo). This was the last gate she passed through on her way into the Underworld (back in April 2008). Here she retrieves her royal robe or Garment of Ladyship and reclaims the healthy potency of her own Life-Force expression. Because this conjunction is in the sign of Leo, Venus now realizes that living from the Heart of herself, the Heart of God and the Heart of Earth is the true way to express Life-Force energy. (Note: For more information on the current Venus cycle, go to www.angelgatherings.com and scroll down to the Venus PDF file)
 
So - Ground yourself, gaze into the Fire, shine your Light, and Grab a Hold of the Bolt on your way to Transfiguration!