Thoughts on eclipses.

by Michael Harwood

The study of Astrology can begin with a study of eclipses. The significance of eclipses is, in my view, central to the unfolding of the divine plan. The study of the zodiac, the ecliptic reference system, is a study of the personality of God. From this viewpoint all of what we label 'fate' or 'destiny' can be considered to be determined by the circumstances of eclipses, their timing, position, relationship to other eclipses, and their geometric relationship to the rest of the solar system and to the rest of the universe.

During a Solar Eclipse events can be considered to be 'set up'. At the most central point of an eclipse of the Sun' a new 'seed message' is released within the biosphere of the Earth. (A similar but less powerful effect occurs at the moment of Mew Moon.) The meaning and substance of the new message ripples out forward and backwards in time forming shaping and influencing all events and processes at all levels. Everything that occurs at personal, national, and global realities have at their source the astrological seed message which emanated from the divine announcement of solar eclipses.

During an eclipse of the moon fate or karma can be considered to reach a crescendo and a climax. At the central point of a lunar eclipse an all encompassing point of fulfilment of fate is reached. The 'note' sounded at this time pervades all matter and energy and radiates forwards and backwards in time, shaping, unravelling and reravelling, all events and experiences at all levels and in all kingdoms, in nature. (Again a similar and less powerful effect occurs at each full Moon). The divinity of all this phenomena is the central theme in this viewpoint.

The idea that Eclipses influence events in both directions in real time, forwards and backwards, is not new but it is profound. At any time in a human lifetime and in the unfoldinding of the histories of the nations and peoples of the world, we are 'under the influence' of a number of eclipses. The eclipses immediately before us and behind us now, here, today, may have the greatest personal immediate effect. The eclipses closest in time on either side of our our own nativity, can, by employing the astrological ' day for a year' axiom of the 'secondary progression system', be understood to relate to the deeper unfolding of our own life story.

In the world we are never further than about ninety days, forwards or backwards in time, from an eclipse of some sort. Using 'a day for a year' we can conclude that most of us of average human life expectancy can also expect for our life story to be deeply effected at some point by an eclipse which occurred near our own birth.

Turning our attention now to longer time-period cycles, we are at any point in time, at some distinct phase of the astronomical eclipse cycle known as the SAROS CYCLE. If indeed eclipses are the mechanism of release and absorption of cosmic 'seed messages' and 'fulfilment of fate', then how much greater and holy are the messages associated with each Saros cycle. Each long term Saros cycle has its own long term message, a fractal of which is released and 'absorbed' at each eclipse in the series. I think that the purpose of the eclipse and the Saros 'process' may be one of the delivery of long term 'Messages from God'. The nature and meaning of each message, of each Saros Cycle, might be found in the astrological examination of the moment of maximum eclipse, at the time of, the first (and last) eclipse in each series. As in all cyclic manifestations, there is in each Saros, a point of origin, a waxing, a point of fulfilment, a waning, and quarter or 'crisis' points. Solar eclipses begin as slight and short penumbral eclipses at either the North or South Pole. After several centuries the Saros cycle 'goes partial', later on in the series it' goes annular', later on it 'goes total'. To be continued.......