By Vanessa Guazzelli
Eclipse seasons are times for realigning the threads of destiny – both personally and collectively.
They happen twice per year, each usually having two eclipses, one being solar, on new moon, and another lunar, on full moon. Hence the usual duration of a season is of two weeks – occasionally, it can last a whole month, when a third eclipse occurs.
The pair of weeks preceding as well as the pair of weeks immediately after the exact eclipse season are sure strongly connected to it. Albeit, the period in between eclipses of the same season works as an opening of a peculiar dimension, a dimension of the atypical, the strange or “the uncanny” – in the sense of the German word unheimlich, as Sigmund Freud observed it.
Heimlich in German means homely, familiar – more often than not, it is an adjective referring to a comfortable, even cozy condition; or simply indicating familiarity, intimacy, privacy – and, therefore, also secret or occult.
Adding to heimlich the prefix ‘un’ makes the word unheimlich its opposite: unhomely, unfamiliar, uncomfortable to the extent of sinister, scary, eerie, spooky, uncanny, strange – and, therefore, mysterious, occult.
There you go: both heimlich and unheimlich can mean occult. Freud’s investigation not only of the word but of how human psyche operates, brings to light how that which triggers a sense of peculiar strangeness to us can, in fact, point to something rather deeply familiar to us.
Looking into the multiple nuances of the meaning of uncanny (unheimlich) Freud states: “…the word secret (heimlich) also shows one use in which it uncannily coincides with its opposite. The secret then becomes uncanny (unheimlich)… We are generally reminded that this word secret is not unambiguous, but rather belongs to two circles of ideas which, without being contradictory, are quite alien to each other… that of the familiar, comfortable and that of the hidden, concealed.”
He highlights a passage in Gutzkow: “We call it uncanny (unheimlich), you call it secret (heimlich).”
And, in reference to Schelling, he adds: “Everything is uncanny that should remain a secret, that should remain hidden and that has emerged.”
So the sense of strangeness – I choose this word for it seems to me to better address the spectrum and richness of the phenomenon – triggered in us can be stirring up something rather deeply, secretly familiar.
Daughter of the Dragon – Anna May Wong
Eclipses and their seasons, as well as the Lunar Nodes which are the markers of eclipses (they are precisely the points marking where the orbits of the Sun and the Moon meet) have that sort of strangeness to them. They link periods of time beyond a human lifetime, connecting to the deeply familiar and strange or unknown at the same time: the ancestral – specially the South Node, indicative of the past and previous patterns. The North Node, on the other end of the nodal axis, brings to light the purpose, direction, destiny.
A sense of fate lurks around eclipses since immemorial times, when humans faced those scary, uncanny moments in which the Sun or the Moon would suddenly ‘disappear’, as if eaten or bitten by a dragon! Hence the names “dragon’s head” (North Lunar Node) and “dragon’s tail” (South Lunar Node).
Ronaldo Rogério de Freitas Mourão, a Brazilian astronomer, used to say that science began with eclipses, for humans started practicing science when, instead of being overtaken by atavic fears in face of such events, we began observing them and registering the happenings, which could then be analyzed, the patterns were perceived, and predictions could be made on when the eclipses would occur.
Drawing from Kitab- ı Cihannüma- 360 Yıllık Bir Öykü, The Book of Cihannuma A 360 Year old Story, Boyut Yayınları (Islamic and Ottoman Astrology Fb page)
So, eclipses are of such nature – they bring both: the atavic dimension of facing strangeness and, with it, the revelation of things deeply familiar, intimate or ancestral; and the very possibility of going beyond, liberating us from ingrained patterns and references.
Eclipse seasons are those times of the year for detangling and realigning the threads of destiny. What was lived during the previous 6 months is perceived at this more atavic, core level, as the karmic records are updated.
They also mark some of the core issues of the moment in time, especially in reference for the next 6 months, until the next eclipse season, but somewhat related to the broader period of approximately 1, 5 year of the eclipses happening in that same axis of zodiac signs where the Lunar Nodes are transiting.
The eclipse’s astrological chart in itself is already informative, as in what it highlights – or rather eclipses. Something might be indeed eclipsed, as in put off, or be brought to light, brought to our attention.
The whereabouts they occur in a chart – of a person, country, institution… – is to be observed, especially when marking a specific planet or astrological point.
More often than not, eclipsed points are to be considered with caution, for there might be challenges related to that area or theme indicated by that placement. Nonetheless, good things can also happen in the context of eclipses. They do tend to be strong and significant however, demanding proper care as well.
Eclipses might be quite useful to unplug from something or from a pattern and cross into new ground.
The places on Earth covered by the eclipse’s shadow – and therefore where it should be possible to see the eclipse – are considered to be possibly the most affected or highlighted by the eclipse.
They occur often, 4 eclipses per year, sometimes more. Some weigh more than others, depending on the sum of these various details. On a personal level, an eclipse’s exact conjunction to a natal planet or point, for instance, will definitely not go unnoticed; whilst other eclipses won’t touch anything in particular in the person’s chart, being mild and not have a more personal impact.
Time wise, the Saros series of an eclipse can be looked into for investigating relations to other periods when eclipses of that same series have occurred (or will occur). A Saros series, lasting over a millennium, can be highly interesting for investigating mundane astrology and worldly affairs.
For personal ancestral investigations, Saros series can surely also be enlightening.
The astrological chart of the very first eclipse of a Saros series is considered to be telling of that specific series as a whole.
As you can see, many are the layers to interpreting an eclipse. Strange, both mysterious and re-enlightening by nature, eclipses are points of passage.
Dagestani lady – Dagestan, Russia
As well as meeting points.
The Lunar Nodes mark where the Moon’s orbit meets the ecliptic (path of the Sun), where the luminaries (Sun and Moon) align with Earth, situating connections and realigning the threads of destiny.