The Astrological Atmosphere

August 2008 Astrology Report

By Linda Clave

August 1. Total Eclipse of the Sun

The path of this eclipse can be seen on the NASA web model: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE2008/TSE2008.html

There are many ways to look at the effects of an eclipse but most important is the inner work each of us has to do and the collective effect of that work both on the planet and humanity. We are in a very intense period with a future demanding new paradigms for keeping the planet and ourselves whole. It is my goal in this letter to inform you of ways you may respond to the coming times inwardly as well as outwardly. I am including material that brings us to an ever-increasing awareness that we are one. Peter Champoux will give us information on energy leys, which unite us through Earth alignments. Peter Kubaska will give us the cosmic rays for Leo opening the inner working of the plan for our evolution as souls. Fellow astrologer, Dietrech Pessin, will share her extensive research into eclipses, tying past and future eclipses to the story we are now experiencing.

Starting with Dietrech:

Dietrech Pessin is a full time career astrologer in the greater Boston area. Her weekly radio report can be heard every Saturday at 9:45 a.m. on WZBC 90.3 FM radio. The show can also be streamed via the internet or played from Dietrech�s website at http://www.lunar-shadows.com. She is the author of a ground-breaking book, Lunar Shadows, the third edition of which will be released this fall.
Join Dietrech�s astrology group in Watertown, MA. Call ahead at 617 924-0929.

�This is one of the most exciting eclipse charts since August 1999. The total solar eclipse at 9� Leo 32' on August 1, 2008 will be visible in Siberia over the Altai Mountains and most directly in the city of Novosibirsk in Siberia. It will be seen in China, Mongolia, North America, Northern Canada and Greenland.

It is no mistake that China is host to the summer Olympics, as global events cluster around the path of the shadow of a solar eclipse. The last few years the solar eclipse path has been seen near the north and south poles, heating up these regions.

This eclipse occurs at the south node of the Moon at 9� Leo 32' and is a member of the 10-South Saros cycle. The Saros cycle has approximately a 1,300 year lifespan. This Saros cycle began on March 10, 1179 at the South Pole and ends in April 13, 2423. Bernadette Brady, in her book, The Eagle and the Lark, interprets this Saros Series 10-South eclipse as "breaking out of a very negative situation where no hope can be seen to a more positive space containing many options." She interprets that there is urgency to applying solutions that are shown as a result of the impact of this eclipse. Another positive note from Brady is that "a worry that may have been affecting a person will suddenly clear." Interestingly, the Sabian Symbol description for this degree is "early morning dew." Both of these notes are encouraging when a positive shift is so necessary for a struggling economy, stressed agriculture and our ecosystem.

Cycles come in handy when trying to make sense of how an eclipse will affect you. A shorter eclipse cycle gives us solid reference points for when this energy was last here. By remembering what happened the last time, you might find similar topics in your life now that have matured. There is a group of solar eclipses that occur near the same date and zodiacal degree, which repeats every nineteen years, called the Metonic cycle. This is different from the Saros series, which produces dozens of eclipses in its life and all at different signs and degrees throughout.

This solar eclipse on August 1 begins a new Metonic cycle group near 10� Leo at the south node of the Moon, and will repeat three times every nineteen years until the group ends on August 2, 2065.

The last Metonic cycle group near 10� Leo ended recently on July 31, 2000. That group occurred at the north node of the Moon and was the last of five solar eclipses near the same date in 1924, 1943, 1962 and 1981. It is not hard to remember the candidates for the US Presidential election in the summer of 2000. The economy was at its peak during that time and people were buying property with opportunities for mortgages for any budget. The Clinton administration was leaving the White House with a national surplus and a balanced budget.

There are more fun dates to play with. Check out the dates of the lunar eclipses also related to this Metonic cycle group as well. The first occurred 9.5 years ago when the north node of the Moon traveled over the degree of this 10� Leo eclipse point on January 31, 1999. The exact location of that lunar eclipse was 11� Leo 20'. During that time Bill Clinton was relieved when his long impeachment ordeal ended. Later that year he was talking about his wife�s future run for the presidency.

The next lunar eclipse related to this summer�s solar eclipse will occur on January 31, 2018. Lunar eclipses reignite the purpose of a solar eclipse, bringing to the forefront related matters. It can be a time of conclusions and endings.

This summer a different lunar eclipse occurs on August 16, 2008, at 24� Aquarius 21'. It is not related to the current solar eclipse but has its roots in a solar eclipse back in February 1999. You may look to that time for related matters that may be pressing in some form during this summer.

The solar eclipse August 1, 2008 has many interesting configurations that influence this time. The asteroids are highly emphasized in the eclipse chart as well as Mars. This year, Mars was the first planet to cross this eclipse point on May 26, 2008 (aside from Saturn which crossed this eclipse degree on October 8, 2005 and again on January 6, 2006.) The nodes of the Moon will retrigger this eclipse for a two-week period surrounding each of the following dates: December 27, 2008 and January 27, 2009.

Mars, as the current indicator of leading events, is giving Saturn�s mission a fire under its pot. And Saturn truly has a clear mission this year when it opposes Uranus on November 4, 2008, Election Day here in the US. The nature of a Saturn and Uranus opposition is to upset the apple cart and rearrange the status quo. The two planets represent the most ancient energies. Saturn is the ruler of time itself and governs our structure and its stability. Saturn is the father principal. Uranus rules sudden abrupt change. Uranus will shake things up to make way for new roads to progress. Outworn ideas, establishments and restrictions will not be unmoved as Uranus' rattle causes shifting plates. The opposition between the pair shows an acknowledgment of opposing ideas and conditions. There can be a rebellion to force matters into an open area. Remember the sit-ins and protests against the war and about racial equality in the 60s. Those issues could not be ignored. That energy is back again and in the same signs.

Mars was the first to reach the eclipse degree on a precarious day, May 26, 2008, when Mercury (the messenger) and Neptune (ruler of wet confusion) were at their stationary degrees about to turn retrograde (reversals). Hillary Clinton�s campaign was washed up when Mars (the race) reached the 10� degree of the Leo eclipse and the race went to the Leo, Barack Obama. (Hillary is a Scorpio.)

On the day of the eclipse, Mars will be at 18� Virgo, as if it is holding the space for the Saturn and Uranus opposition which will occur at 18� Virgo/Pisces. This is identical to the Saturn and Uranus opposition on February 24, 1966, but back then the planets were reversed. It took nearly two years for Saturn and Uranus to end their opposition on January 6, 1967 that began in April of 1965. The country was in shambles after President Kennedy was killed and his brother Bobby Kennedy was cut down while running for president on the heels of the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968. A prediction from President John F. Kennedy is recalled that there would be a black president in 40 years. Perhaps his predictions won�t be far off.

Ceres (the nurturer and caregiver) in Cancer (the family, home and stomach) is very active in this eclipse as it forms three aspects: trine Uranus in Pisces, and quincunx Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius. Ceres is dead serious about her concerns as the goddess of the harvest. Her mythological character was coined as the grieving mother. She lost her only daughter, Persephone, to the god of the underworld, Pluto. Her grief shut down her primary purpose of feeding the world. All the crops withered and the entire population nearly starved to death before Jupiter intervened and begged Pluto to release Persephone. They struck a deal that allowed Persephone to return above ground to her mother for six months out of the year. Gratefully, the earth was restored to its plentiful state. Ceres' energy has not been this obvious as we sacrifice our food for fuel.

The New Moon at 10� Leo is challenged by an opposition to the powerful midpoint of Uranus and Pluto. It brings to mind again the 60s when Uranus and Pluto were within one degree of a conjunction from September 1965 to August 1966. This configuration sets up a deep transformational vibration that resonates with people anxious for change. The eclipse begins a 27-month period when one�s perspective is pressured to change. Once again old ways of thinking are not supported in this future-motivated time. It is an emotionally restless period that is constantly seeking the truth that will incite change and break through new ways to implement freedom from past restraints. There will be no doubt that the engines are fired for a new era. The Eclipse point is also in aspect to the Mars/Pluto midpoint. This indicates it is time to cut a new fabric for life and to utilize personal power. This aspect indicates superhuman energy. The temptation is to overwork.

If you are an artist of any type, this is your eclipse. Plan a show for mid-August and gather support from interested parties. The money is available for those with a clear set of goals and a motivated vision. Children are inspired or are an inspiration during this time. The child within yourself is transformed.

Diagram of solar eclipse (not to scale).

The diagram shows the alignment of the Sun, Moon and Earth during a solar eclipse. The dark gray region to the right of the Moon is the umbra, where the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon. The small area where the umbra touches the Earth�s surface is where a total eclipse can be seen. The larger light gray area is the penumbra, in which only a partial eclipse can be seen.

The Moon's orbit around the Earth is inclined at an angle of just over 5 degrees to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun (the ecliptic). Because of this, at the time of a new moon, the Moon will usually pass above or below the Sun. A solar eclipse can occur only when the new moon occurs close to one of the points (known as nodes) where the Moon�s orbit crosses the ecliptic.

As noted above, the Moon's orbit is also elliptical. The Moon's distance from the Earth can vary by about 6% from its average value. Therefore, the Moon's apparent size varies with its distance from the Earth, and it is this effect that leads to the difference between total and annular eclipses. The distance of the Earth from the Sun also varies during the year, but this is a smaller effect. On average, the Moon appears to be slightly smaller than the Sun, so the majority (about 60%) of central eclipses are annular. It is only when the Moon is closer to the Earth than average (near its perigee) that a total eclipse occurs.

The Moon orbits the Earth in approximately 27.3 days, relative to a fixed frame of reference. This is known as the sidereal month. However, during one sidereal month, the Earth has revolved part way around the Sun, making the average time between one new moon and the next longer than the sidereal month: it is approximately 29.5 days. This is known as the synodic month, and corresponds to what is commonly called the lunar month.

A Total eclipse in the umbra.
B Annular eclipse in the antumbra.
C Partial eclipse in the penumbra

The Moon crosses from south to north of the ecliptic at its ascending node, and vice versa at its descending node. However, the nodes of the Moon's orbit are gradually moving in a retrograde motion, due to the action of the Sun's gravity on the Moon's motion, and they make a complete circuit every 18.6 years. This means that the time between each passage of the Moon through the ascending node is slightly shorter than the sidereal month. This period is called the draconic month.

Finally, the Moon's perigee is moving forwards in its orbit, and makes a complete circuit in about 9 years. The time between one perigee and the next is known as the anomalistic month.

The Moon's orbit intersects with the ecliptic at the two nodes that are 180 degrees apart. Therefore, the new moon occurs close to the nodes at two periods of the year approximately six months apart, and there will always be at least one solar eclipse during these periods. Sometimes the new moon occurs close enough to a node during two consecutive months. This means that in any given year, there will always be at least two solar eclipses, and there can be as many as five. However, some are visible only as partial eclipses, because the umbra passes above Earth's north or south pole, and others are central only in remote regions of the Arctic or Antarctic.

Source: http://www.total-eclipse-2008.com/eclipse/geometry.php

Energy leys are a key to our connection with the Earth. My friend and colleague, Peter Champoux, is a seasoned geomancer and author of Gaia Matrix. Please check this link to his web site: http://www.geometryofplace.com/ley.html

From his web info: "Landscape Alignments have been variously described as ley lines, dragon paths, and song lines depending on the culture and location. The practice of geomancy concerns itself with directing or deflecting these currents of earth energy that affect our lives, both positively and geopathically."

And my friend, esoteric astrologer Peter Kubaska, writes about LEO:

August 5. Opportunity knocks to finish old relationships for both parties with Venus at 29� Leo making a trine to retrograde at Pluto 28� Sagittarius 48.

August 6. Venus now enters Virgo and remains there through August 30. In Virgo, Venus is in a more reticent and analytical place, in strong contrast to bold and demonstrative Venus in Leo. This is the time the artists steps back from their work to check out what they have painted or written. Take time to edit before releasing your projects.

August 7. This is an intense confrontation between Mars at 22� Virgo in opposition to retrograde Uranus in Pisces�a volatile combination. Avoid allowing to escalate that which you don�t want to boil over! Especially on the highway, be extra patient.

(I teach dowsing August 6 and 7 at Basic School, followed by the American Society of Dowsers Convention in Vermont, where I will be practicing tong ren with astrology at lunch time, August 8 to 12. http://www.dowsers.org/cons.htm )

August 9. Mercury at 28� Leo makes a parting trine to retrograde Pluto at 28� Sagittarius. Closing arguments have a great impact in personal or legal matters. Time to put the finishing touch on your creations.

August 10. Mercury enters its home in Virgo until August 28. This is Mercury at its analytical best, sharp as tack. With Saturn, Mars and Venus also in Virgo there is great work to be accomplished.

August 13. Venus conjoins Saturn at 9� Virgo. Rewards for efforts expended can be substantial. But this is a tough duo for romance. Not a good time to make demands unless you are sure and well prepared.

August 15. The Sun in Leo is in opposition to Neptune in Aquarius, just one day before the Lunar Eclipse. Mercury in Virgo is conjunct Saturn. Take it easy and don't allow yourself to feel unworthy. Look to your inner guidance for assurance.

August 16. The North Lunar Eclipse at 24� Aquarius 21 with 10� Capricorn 20 rising over Washington, DC. Retrograde Jupiter at 13� Capricorn is on the Ascendant trine Venus at 13� Virgo. This is a bright note for getting work out to the market. The Eighth House represents partnership money or invested capital, the capital in banking, and the stock market or credit institutions. Here the economy is highlighted with an opposition between the Moon conjunct Neptune in Aquarius in the Second House and the Eighth House stellium: the Sun at 24� Leo, Saturn at 9� Virgo, Mercury at 11� Virgo, Venus at 13� Virgo and Mars at 28� Virgo. This combination of energies in an eclipse can flush out old patterns and take on in-depth investigations of the whole process of these markets and the energy crisis. The investigations are likely to probe into misleading information that lead to mismanagement, driven by Mars making a square to retrograde Pluto in the Twelfth House. Retrograde Uranus is also in the Second House adding potential shake-ups down the line.
(For those of you with a New Age inclination check out this web site, THE FINAL STEPS OF PREPARATION, by Patricia Diane Cota-Robles http://www.eraofpeace.org)

August 17. Mars at 28� Virgo exactly squares Pluto at 28� Sagittarius. This is more energy release work from the eclipse finishing up old patterns that held you back. Getting insightful bodywork would be a big help.

August 19. Warrior Mars enters Libra, Venus�s house, until the day of the election November 4, when it returns to its home in Scorpio. Libra loves beauty, harmony and social grace, so a velvet glove over the iron fist does a lot better than raw aggression and arguments.

August 21. Mercury and Venus are conjunct at 18 Virgo, traveling together adding refinement and sensitivity to creative works.

August 22. The Sun enters Virgo, the mutable Earth Sign. Busy bee activities dominate in preparation for harvesting and canning the fruits and grains for the winter and collecting the seeds for the future. Bees are creatures associated with Virgo for their crucial industrious work of pollinating plants. With the influence of Saturn transiting in Virgo, the busy bee work takes on a more serious tone. As you may know, our bees are disappearing due to degraded environmental factors and human manipulation of their hives. (Interesting fact: honey discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs was found to be still edible!) Honey has so many healing properties. Sorting is an important skill associated with Mercury-ruled Virgo; here Mercury breaks down material for digestion and assimilation of not only food, but input of any kind on any level. Virgo remains a key sign as long as Saturn is transiting Virgo (until October 30, 2009). Emphasis will be on our health and the work we engage in, as the whole style and purpose of the work is being reviewed. The state of our health institutions and social protection of workers and their pensions are all issues for this election cycle. On November 4, Saturn in Virgo opposes retrograde Uranus in Pisces. This election could be very upsetting.

August 23. Mercury and Venus at 21� Virgo oppose retrograde Uranus at 21 Pisces. Lots of creative possibilities, so think outside of the box and you will come up with a breakthrough.

August 27. Mercury squares retrograde Pluto before entering Libra. Work out the final words in any agreement. You may uncover factors that were hidden earlier. Finish up work on any project that has been delayed.

August 28. Mercury enters Cardinal Air Sign Libra for a long stay (for the fast-moving messenger). Mercury stations and turns retrograde September 24 at 22� Libra 50 until it stations direct October 16 at 7� Libra 36. Libra has such charm and social grace, but Mercury in Libra will sit on the fence weighing decisions, and while retrograde, will need even more time to get into balance. Then Mercury enters Scorpio on Election Day, November 4.

August 29. Venus at 28� Virgo also makes a parting square to Pluto. This is a good time to wrap up feelings triggered during the eclipses. It's also a good time to make that final edit on creative works.

August 30. Venus enters her home base in Libra, bringing grace, beauty and social skills to the fall season�a great time to make contacts, arrange meetings, parties and weddings. Do so before Venus enters Scorpio September 24, the same day that Mercury turns retrograde.

LINDA CLAVE

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