Medicine Garden - All About Eclipses by Carol Willis

ALL ABOUT ECLIPSES
by Carol Willis, MA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Introduction
  Solar Eclipses
  Transiting Solar eclipses
  Lunar Eclipses
  Transiting lunar eclipses
  Pre-Natal Eclipses as interpreted by McCoy and Spiller
  Willis Commentary on McCoy and Spiller
  Pre-Natal Solar Eclipse (PNSE)
  Pre-Natal Lunar Eclipse (PNLE)
  Summary of Willis interpretation of pre-natal eclipses
  Post-Natal Eclipses

Introduction

This article will set forth my perspective on eclipses, their uses and interpretation. Transiting, pre-natal, and post-natal eclipses will be covered.

Additionally, my views on pre-natal solar and lunar eclipses will be compared and contrasted with those of Karen McCoy and Jan Spiller, authors of the popular book Spiritual Astrology.

Solar Eclipses

A solar eclipse occurs on a new moon, when the Moon is between the earth and the Sun, thus obscuring or eclipsing the Sun from our vantage point of standing on earth.

My interpretation for the solar eclipse generally is esoteric or involving deeper meaning for the soul as it stands in relation to its environment. The Sun is the center of our solar system, and is thus a stable orientation point in our solar system. The Sun symbolizes a principle of intelligibility, as all things revolve around and make sense in terms of the Sun in our solar system. The Sun is a symbol of normal rationality and order, Apollonian ideals from ancient Greece. Therefore when the Sun is obscured or eclipsed by the Moon, the normal order of things may be less available, to some degree superceded or eclipsed for a while by the instinctual, emotional, and more chaotic energies of the Moon. The lunar energies and emotional excitement run high for several days surrounding a solar eclipse, especially in the week previous to the exact eclipse. Anything goes, and probably will. It's no wonder then that the ancients considered solar eclipses to be "fateful," usually in a destructive way.

Transiting Solar Eclipses

I find a transiting solar eclipse to be generally destructive to some degree, sometimes severely. I largely note the HOUSE into which it falls in a natal chart, noting also other planetary factors closely conjunct it, and perhaps other hard aspects to
the natal chart. I do not use the sign of a transiting solar
eclipse placed into the natal chart.

The window of time for a transiting solar eclipse is 1 week before the eclipse, the day of the eclipse itself, and the week following, then dropping off in intensity for the next 6 months until the time of the next solar eclipse. Long term consequences may continue for years following that, again highlighting the "fateful" aspect of solar eclipses.

Note: Solar eclipses are dangerous to view with the naked eye.

Lunar Eclipses

A lunar eclipse occurs on a full moon, when the earth is between the Sun and the Moon. If you are standing on earth and viewing the Moon, the Sun will be behind you. What you see in a lunar eclipse is the shadow of earth covering the Moon.

Note: because you're not looking toward the Sun, viewing a lunar eclipse is benign on the eyes.

The difference in effect on physical eyes - dangerous in a solar eclipse, benign in a lunar eclipse - reflects our larger perception and experience around a transiting eclipse.

Transiting Lunar Eclipses

I call the transiting lunar eclipses "the dreaming eclipses," as we are likely to be caught up in a heightened state of dreaming awareness and altered states of consciousness. The esoteric aspect of the lunar eclipses involves the dreaming nature of consciousness, the spiritual-psychic state of aboriginal "dreamtime." The general time around a lunar eclipse can be a time of soaring spirits, heart's desires unfurled, and wishes fulfilled. It's important to allow time for uninterrupted dreaming and reverie around the time of the lunar eclipse. For some persons, this may mean more solitude, more unscheduled time, or going to bed earlier, to create the context for more dreaming consciousness. This is my general interpretation for everyone on the transiting lunar eclipse. I do not put transiting lunar eclipses into the natal chart nor further interpret them individually. I believe in allowing the general enhanced dreaming nature of these times to unfold in bliss without intervention.

Pre-Natal Eclipses as Interpreted by McCoy and Spiller

In Part II of their book Spiritual Astrology, Karen McCoy and Jan Spiller set forth their approach to the pre-natal eclipses as "key to life path and destiny." McCoy orients the reader to pre-natal eclipses as follows:

"The solar eclipse represents the aspects of the collective higher consciousness that you have to offer your fellow beings. The sign and house of the eclipse will tell you in what area of your life and in what mode of expression the abilities are most accessible to you. The lunar eclipse pattern will show you what is needed to continue the growth of your soul, and the house and sign will show how and where these lessons can best be acquired.

It is at these points that growth is stimulated and character is built. The level of awareness the soul has when entering this plane will determine whether it will seek the lessons of its lunar eclipse with compassion and understanding or with resentment." (pg. 164).

Pre-Natal Solar Eclipse (PNSE)

Spiller and McCoy elaborate on the pre-natal solar eclipse:

"The sign of the solar eclipse shows a universal destiny. ...The solar eclipse energy is what you are here to clarify for the collective whole. Where your solar eclipse is concerned, you must share as you have promised on your covenant with the universe.
Your only choice lies in whether to share your gift in a positive or negative way. You can go about your life willingly sharing this gift with your fellow beings, or you can teach the lesson by having such negative traits that those around you learn what not to do from your behavior and personality. If you do choose to teach these lessons in a negative manner, you are creating an imbalance within your life that causes your own lessons to be learned with more difficulty than necessary. You promised that you would share the energy of the solar eclipse in order to earn the right to come onto this plane and learn the lessons represented by your lunar eclipse." (pg. 168)

"The sign of your [pre-natal] solar eclipse determines what your responsibility is to the collective whole, the energy you have promised to share with your fellow beings. It's a gift that the universe gave you so you could teach others..." (pg. 169).

Pre-Natal Lunar Eclipse (PNLE)

Regarding the pre-natal lunar eclipse, Spiller and McCoy write:

"The lunar eclipse is what you need for your own growth pattern: what you have come to learn, where you hurt, where you need completion. And as you master these lesson,s the entire planet learns them, and part of the universal balance is attained....The sign of your lunar eclipse indicates those qualities you need to integrate for personal balance, the lessons you have chosen to learn in this lifetime." (pg. 168-169)

Spiller further note 3 levels of expression in both pre-natal eclipses:

"Unconscious expression... bucking the tides of growth and choosing not to integrate your lessons... swimming upstream... taking yourself out of the natural flow.

"Conscious expression...approach life consciously, listen to your inner voice and follow the flow of life, seeking your lessons in a gentler way. By being aware and conscious, growth comes more easily.

"Transpersonal expression...when you have elected to transcend the ego and function in a way that serves the highest good. Personal growth and maturity lead to a sense of greater ease in life" (pg. 169-170).

Willis Commentary on McCoy and Spiller

Spiller and McCoy's claims regarding the pre-natal solar and lunar eclipses are some of the largest and most inclusive claims that can be made in the field of astrology. Some would consider the claims simply too grandiose to be seriously considered on their own terms. Rather than write the claims off a priori, I'll say that the claims made by Spiller and McCoy deserve close examination and experimentation to see whether all, some, or none of the claims can be reasonably and practically embraced.

We need to look not only at whether the claims are true at least some of the time; whether they are not only true but also clearly relate to life purpse; also at whether astrologers are comfortable predicting on the basis of these claims; and further still whether astrologers want to use any or all of Spiller and McCoy's specific interpretations. Then there is the matter of how much weight to give an eclipse interpretation in relation to the rest of the chart and life, especially in reading for a young adult just starting out in life. However, since I can only speak for myself, I will narrow the scope of predictive comfort level down to one, and let others make their own examinations as per usual.

After reviewing the Spiller and McCoy text, including solar and lunar eclipse delineations through the signs, and examining a number of natal charts and lives of persons I know well, I draw the following conclusions:

The focus on teaching pre-natal solar eclipse (PNSE) and learning pre-natal lunar eclipse (PNLE) is a tidy theory and psychologically compelling for students of life, however I find it simplistic in that the theory will not always be suited to the interpretive task and individual at hand. It may be suited to some individuals, however, and could be pressed into service if applicable. I would not want to use that theory as a formula, even if the theory were further qualified intuitively. There is no substitute for a direct look at the individual and seeing what does, and does not, apply to him. Later below I will propose a radically different view of the PNLE.

I agree with Spiller and McCoy somewhat on interpreting the pre-natal SOLAR eclipse (PNSE), though my claim is not as strong as theirs. I would say, rather, that the PNSE by sign and house will OFTEN GIVE AN IMPORTANT CLUE REGARDING A PERSON'S LIFE PURPOSE, which in turn needs to be considered in the larger context of the life and natal chart. A corrollary of that is that not all astrological clues to life purpose are found in eclipses, but may be found elsewhere in the chart as well. Further, if a person had NO eclipse or other indicators, or only minor indicators, toward a certain type of life purpose, that would NOT preclude him from having and fulfilling such a purpose. My preference in interpretation would be for simplicity of focus or theme, a "sounding of the note" that will naturally unfold in its own form and detail as the person goes through life.

The esoterics underlying my above interpretation of the PNSE are that the transiting solar eclipse is exciting but also threatening to people at large as it briefly obscures normal reason and order to some degree. Then along come the children of that time, and they will be the HEROES of their day. Children are heroes as soon as they're born, as their very presence in the world changes things. Their holy innocence and vulnerability change things. Their spiritual/soul presence changes things, not only in the family but also in the world at large. As these children grow into adulthood, more of their purpose begins to manifest into form, shows itself in a myriad of ways, and continues to unfold and show itself over the course of a lifetime. This is one of the ways that God/Spirit intervenes and reconciles itself with the world, in terms of the presence, consciousness, and purposefulness (dharma) of each new wave of children as they go though life offering their special contributions.

While there can be downside risk or undesirable expression of a PNSE, I would rather just "sound the note" and orient a person's attention to the positive. An astrological consultation cannot do everything, and unless there is a specific and obvious life problem to address, or I am otherwise prompted to comment, I depend on a person's desire to study and apply himself in the areas of spirituality, religion, and/or ethics in order to obviate or prevent undesirable expression of the PNSE.

I did not care for Spiller and McCoy's interpretations of the pre-natal solar eclipses by sign as written in the book. I did not relate well to the sign interpretation given for my own PNSE, nor that of other charts I looked at. Again I would prefer more focus and simplicity, which are very powerful if the right note is sounded. I want to put my own interpretations on a PNSE, and would apply some intuition to make it applicable to the individual, as in any delineation.

In reading through Spiller and McCoy's pre-natal LUNAR eclipse (PNLE) interpretations, my sense was that there was nothing specific to the individual in those sign interpretations. Rather, my sense was that EVERYONE needs ALL of the constructive qualities of ALL 12 signs as written in Spiller and McCoy's lunar eclipses text, IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED A VIABLE ADULT. By "viable adult," I refer to the kind of person you'd be willing to hire, marry, would want for a friend, teacher, boss, mentor, neighbor, consultant, or that you'd prefer to have in your life for any purpose. And if a person didn't have these qualities, then they would be considered unreliable, even dangerous, not someone you'd especially care to have close to you or would see as a possibility for your future. No qualities cited in Spiller and McCoy's PNLE signs text can really be left out of a basic development. I see elements from all 12 signs that even the brightest and most caring individual may be challenged to learn in life. So to narrow the focus to one sign (and house?) and say this is the learning to take place is simplistic and a misdirector of attention, when the learning and development focus needs to be on a much broader building in of virtues and life-skills, represented in all of the signs taken together, for everyone.

I hereby propose an alternate interpretation for the PNLE, somewhat along the lines of transiting lunar eclipses, which occur at a full moon, and consistent with some of the most positive qualities represented by the Moon. In interpreting the PNLE, I want to acknowledge and validate a person's dreaming nature generally, which is related to the spiritual impulses and loves that seem to rise up from the heart. I want to acknowledge and validate something of a person's essential DREAM, DESIRE, and FULFILLMENT in the area indicated by the sign and house of the PNLE, simply and intuitively interpreted. I see these as a reflection of "the dreaming aspect of God's nature", and soul's desire for experience, which will have its fulfillment in due time, especially at the level of essence and experience, and sometimes in worldly form as well. The seed of the fulfillment is already there in the person's own true nature - what he wants, values, and loves at an essence level is already an aspect of himself, so he will tend to embody and express these qualities in his life. Thus he creates his world. The PNLE carries the general dreaming nature of a lunar eclipse(s), which occured while the child was still in the womb, so in some ways I see a PNLE as one initiating energy of the CONTINUOUS AND CREATIVE DREAM that weaves its way throughout life. This is not only an esoteric interpretation of the PNLE that resonates deeply, but dream-desire-fulfillment is also the most practical interpretation of the PNLE that I have considered to date.

Summary of Willis Interpretation of Pre-Natal Eclipses

Pre-natal Solar Eclipse (PNSE): may give an important clue to life purpose, needs to be interpreted intuitively in the larger context of the individual life and the natal chart.

Pre-natal Lunar Eclipse (PNLE): dream, desire for life experience, and fulfillment, especially at the level of essence, sometimes also in form. Again, a need to interpret intuitively for the individual.

I would caution against too much detail in the interpretation of pre-natal eclipses. The appropriate essence can be simply stated. Sound the note, and let life unfold naturally from there.

Post-natal Eclipses

If an eclipse follows one's birthdate within a week or so, the birth took place within in the eclipse window, within in the building energies catapulting toward the eclipse. Therefore, such a post-natal eclipse can be noted and interpreted as well, and may be more meaningful than the pre-natal eclipses that took place some 6 months prior to birth, or equally meaningful to that person.

Carol Willis, MA
cbwillis@lightlink.com
December 10, 2004
Revised Dec 19, 2004

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