Astronomy is the scientific study of astronomical objects and phenomena without regard to the astrological speculation of these phenomena.

Astrology can be defined as the study of the positions of celestial bodies in the belief that their movements either directly influence life on Earth or correspond somehow to events experienced on a human scale.

The Solar Eclipse of August 1, 2008 - Long Range Transfiguration, Tears of Joyby Robert Wilkinson

The coming Solar Eclipse will have a very significant impact on us all. All eclipses shut something down, taking away elements of our lives no longer "true" for us. Leo is the sign of personal love, creativity, self-dramatization, and our heart-felt pleasures. Thus a form of these will be shut down, with the void sure to attract new forms of expressing this energy. Wherever this eclipse falls in our charts is where we can expect long term endings, but also relief, transfiguration, and the joy of knowing we've made it through the night.

This total Solar Eclipse occurs at 3:13 am PDT, 6:13 am EDT on August 1, 2008. It puts early Cancer rising in Southern California, mid-Cancer in British Columbia, early Leo rising in Miami, and mid-Leo rising in NYC. London and Amsterdam have mid-Libra rising, Tallinn late Libra, Istanbul early Scorpio, Baghdad mid-Scorpio, and Johannesburg late Scorpio rising. New Delhi has mid-Sag rising, Trivandrum has late Sag rising, and Bangkok has mid-Capricorn rising. Perth has mid-Aquarius rising, Melbourne has mid-Pisces rising, and Maui has mid-Taurus on the Ascendant.

In eclipse lore, where the Eclipse is visible will be where the greatest effects can be expected, lasting the number of years that the eclipse is long in minutes. This total eclipse of the Sun is visible from a narrow corridor that traverses half the Earth.

The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in Canada and extends across northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia, and China. These countries will feel the Eclipse Effects most strongly over the next couple of years. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes northeastern North America, most of Europe and Asia.

A Solar Eclipse is a New Moon that has a longer effect than most New Moons. This eclipse will last from 43 seconds to about 2 1/2 minutes, depending on where you are, and so it will have a profound effect on us for the next 9-30 months. The NASA site lists the "Central Duration" as 2 min 27 seconds, resulting in an Eclipse Effect time span of about 30 months maximum.

This New Moon has no significant forming aspects except a triseptile to Jupiter and a novile to Mars. So I would consider this an important lunation in bringing forth a new public spiritual impulse in all of us taking the forms of cooperation, or friendly competition.

It marks a fork in the road of destiny in how we relate the Cancer-Leo affairs of our lives to our Sagittarius-Pisces affairs, and we'll all be called to some collective-cooperative expansion. We shall experience life's goodness in areas of regeneration, with mid-October, late November, early December, and mid-January 2009 of particular importance due to transits triggering the eclipse effects.

Since this Eclipse occurs in Leo, it is the next step in the series of Eclipses in the Leo-Aquarius axis. We experienced the first one last February. You can find out more about that very important eclipse that kicked off the Chinese New Year of the Earth Rat in the related article, which I've linked at the bottom of this page.

There was a huge stellium in Aquarius in that February 2008 eclipse indicating a major concentration of energies in whatever house we have Aquarius active. It called us all to a higher expression which I outlined in Spiritual Astrology in January-February 2008 Pt. 2.

A brief look at what was said there:


Saturn is important since it's the worldly ruler of the Eclipse, with Uranus the Spiritual ruler of the Eclipse. These two are in wide opposition, showing a polarization between the two energies that will yield realizations as well as polarizations. Saturn is retrograde, thus still receding from its coming opposition with Uranus in Pisces beginning in August 2008. This is giving us all a reprieve for a few months from this polarizing energy between the forces of service and deception on a global level, and between the progressive dreamers and those who would enslave the future in an avalanche of details, worries, and criticisms.

We can use Saturn to express the Uranus in Pisces energies of rebirth within a collective setup, but will have to find a practical use for the times where we must wait wisely. Overall, it seems that we can make tremendous material progress as a result of this eclipse coming. A final note is that the Eclipse Venus is the degree of January's New Moon, so we should be capturing pleasing forms of protection and power over the next few weeks, as well as in years to come.


The Eclipse novile to Mars sets up spiritual realizations over the next 9-30 months every time a planet transits 9-10 degrees of Aries, Leo, and Sag, 19-20 degrees of Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, and 29-30 degrees of Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. So besides Jupiter triggering its own influence when it again traverses its eclipse degree in mid-October, you can expect major understandings and realizations when it crosses 19-20 Capricorn in November. It sure seems like this Autumn will be a major fork in the road of our spiritual understanding!

Other significant forming aspects of this Eclipse not involving the Sun or Moon include Mercury quincunx Jupiter and sesquisquare Pluto, Venus in close opposition to Neptune trine Pluto, Mars opposition Uranus triseptile Neptune, and Jupiter trine Saturn.

Taken together, these show we will have to "retire" from some things at the end of a quest while showing courage as we rehearse patterns to come, and the coming months will again bring a "supreme realization of a life ambition" for those who have practiced their excellence and stayed open to more information. Take nothing for granted, skillfully display your enthusiasms, and find ways to exploit human maladjustments in terms of their larger significance.

Of note is that in our Gemini and Virgo areas we'll experience inner growth and through contemplation we can find serenity and peace of mind, while our Taurus and Libra areas will require more self-control and self-sufficiency than before now, as well as Spiritual strength and knowledge in facing consequences of past actions.

Aries and Scorpio areas in our charts will challenge our ability to be cooperative, encouraging, and cultivate group consciousness within a sustaining social setup. Sag and Pisces areas will require more tenderness and care, regeneration, and wise administration, while Capricorn and Aquarius areas need self disciplined initiative in demonstrating some skill to cultivate the superior elements in our Being. All of these challenges will come forth between now and early 2012 as skills to be used during our process of transfiguration.

This eclipse is a SeeSaw Jones Pattern. This shows the need to stay centered and not get marginalized, and triangulation is the means to resolve polarizations and oppositions. Due to the abnormally wide empty span between Uranus and the Lunation, remember to find the right balance in circumstances that are out of balance.

Other than the mutual reception between Uranus and Neptune, the Sun is the final dispositor of all the planets in the sky. This can help us integrate and illuminate all the areas of our life through the power of the Sun in its own sign.

Saturn and Mercury are the next strongest planets, again indicating that as we retire from old dramas we can focus our energies on self-directed disciplines of creative self-expression. And of course Jupiter is still harmonizing the oppositional tensions between the Virgo planets with Uranus, showing that as we figure out what we care about and what needs to be nurtured, awarenesses important for future practical effectiveness will come forth. Thus the forming oppositional tension between Saturn and Uranus can be focused in harmonized understandings helping us target new needs and new lifestyles.

From the revamped (and somewhat hard to navigate!) NASA Eclipse site, a link to "Eclipse Predictions" which has nothing to do with astrology, but rather when it impacts various points on Earth and for how long.

A reminder - we are still very much under the influence of past Eclipses, both Solar and Lunar. For your renewed consideration, some past articles that can explain the quality and length of their influence.