Solar Eclipse 2024 – an astrological/psychological view

 

Image courtesy of NASA

In the days leading up to the 2024 eclipse, which will cover much of the USA, I’ve been pondering on how the physical eclipse – when the Sun is obscured by the Moon, from our viewpoint on Earth, along and either side of the line of totality – could be looked at from an astrological/psychological point of view.

The Sun represents the individual’s sense of self in the natal chart. The Sun is symbolic of the mind and the will, of the ability to make decisions, to take the lead, to assert oneself, to be an individual, to choose and yes – to shine and stand out in some way.The Moon represents the individual’s feelings, their emotions, the need to be loved, to have those emotional needs met, and the inner child, who might be impish or fun-loving or scared, shy and vulnerable.

If – and only if – we’re travelling along the path of personal growth and self-understanding, we’ll already be reasonably aware of our own strengths and vulnerabilities – all good Sun and Moon stuff. So shifting away from the incredible experience of physically seeing and feeling a total eclipse, and viewing it astrologically, how might it be experienced in real, everyday life when our Sun/light/sense of self is eclipsed, clouded, hidden and darkened by our Moon/feeling, sensitive/needy self?

When something happens in life where our feelings totally take over and block out our more rational mind, does our thinking go haywire? Do we have a knee-jerk emotional, irrational response, perhaps tapping into a previous traumatic event and triggering reactions similar to those we had then? If his happens, our sense of self – the Sun – takes a knock as we temporarily forget that we are OK just as we are, and that we’ve come a long way.

If this happens, it’s a personal eclipse and, unlike the real physical eclipse, it can happen any time. In a total eclipse, the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun’s light for a short period of time. But it’s a temporary thing, and the transient experience of darkness and chill passes….as these effects can when we’re plunged into a personal life event “eclipse”.

With a real solar total eclipse, viewed from a location on Earth, there’s always plenty of notice of the event as excitement and anticipation build up ahead of the event. It’s predictable, whereas on a personal level, it may be less so if something or someone comes along, bringing experiences which swamp our sense of self and our rational mind. We forget that we can choose, can use our will (be it good will, strong will, or skilful will) to temper our emotions and ride out this temporary, personal eclipse.

Sun and the Mind

We gain a sense of self of the mind through the Sun, which, in the chart, represents our autonomous self - awareness. With its Cardinal quality, the Sun is our drive to be assertive, go-ahead and initiatory. The Sun is the sense of self we gain through our ability to make decisions and use the mind. It’s our capacity to choose, our capacity to make conscious choices and ultimately take responsibility for ourselves.

Whichever role you cast it in, it represents how we direct and use our will based on the decisions we make. It leads the way, and the rest of the planets, our psychological drives, follow. The Sun signifies our strength and power and this is involved when we discriminate and judge, when we think, form ideas and tap into our innate creativity. 

 The Sun, the sense of self and the will   

Closely linked with the Sun is the use of the will. We can draw on

 · our strong will which gives us determination and the capacity to keep going

 · our skilful will which endows us with sound common sense and the ability to be flexible and adaptive as we work towards our goals, and

 · and our good will which enables us to include others and to work selflessly for their benefit as well as our own.

The use of the will helps us to be goal-oriented and better able to go after what we want to achieve.

When we’re seeking to achieve the goals we set ourselves, it’s useful to remember that energy follows thought. Using the Sun/mind, we form our ideas and go on to make these real, to make them manifest. Doing so, we can be truly creative.

Our capacity to use our will, to be aware that energy follows thought and to find practical grounding in our everyday lives for our ideas and creativity can be developed and should be encouraged. It can help us strengthen the Sun and gain a greater, more centred self-confidence, and ride out the temporary effects of a personal “eclipse”.

Coming of Age

Coming of age is usually thought of as a rite of passage of some kind, such as being old enough to vote or going though a cultural ceremony marking the onset of adulthood. The transition from being a child or teenager to being an adult is generally regarded, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, as "the time when that person legally becomes an adult and is old enough to vote, the time when someone matures emotionally, or in some other way."

I've highlighted those words as there are so many variables in the life experiences of individuals that a real coming of age is a moveable feast, and something that can happen whatever age we are. Astrologically, the first Saturn return (the time when Saturn completes one circuit of the Sun) is generally regarded as a significant growing up point. As Saturn takes 29 years to return to the same place it was at when we were born, age 29/30 often brings with it a big "growing up" jolt. Something happens which forces us to change, grow, and mature.

In the context of Age Progression and LifeClock, at that particular age we will have - between the ages of 24 and 30 - gone through the psychological phase of testing out life experiences, maybe "playing the field". Between ages 30 and 36 there's more emphasis on coping with and establishing our existence.

A summary of the psychological phases, as described by Bruno and Louise Huber, is set out in my co-authored new book The Second Time Around:

1. Formation of ego, sense of "I"
2. Creation of personal life, importance of possessions
3. Learning/education
4. Moving on from parental home
5. Testing out life experiences
6. Establishing existence/working alongside others
7. Learning about self in relationships/partnerships
8. Mid-life crisis, change, transformation
9. Forming personal life philosophy
10. Self-realisation, individuality
11. Finding like-minded people, chosen relationships
12. Withdrawal, finding solitude, accepting old age/becoming an Elder

A pychological and emotional coming of age can happen at any time on the LifeClock. We can experience something as an adult which triggers memories and feelings we've suppressed, and which now demand attention. It's like an echo from the past, and having the courage and willingness to work through old and sometimes painful stuff from our earlier years - maybe from childhood, maybe as an adult - can be a real coming of age process as through it we grow and develop more self-awareness.

Such an experence offers the opportunity to let go of something that's been bugging us for years, but was never really resolved. Then we can move on, no longer stuck with the baggage of a particular situation at, say, age 3,15, 24, 36, 57.... or whenever it happened.

If we are on an upward spiral as we journey through life's physical and psychological stages, letting go and moving on from being stuck and held back by the past can take place at any time. It's useful to remember that we can come of age at any stage of life. The development of self-awareness and spiritual growth is an on-going process.

"The Life Clock can indicate where we are in life and how we can make the best of current influences in the light of problems past, present and future" - a quote from Bruno & Louise's book LifeClock.

Never "too old"

 "I'm too old for that". If you've ever said that, or had someone tell you that you were "too old" for something, I hope your inner rebel came out and disagreed!

 

It's the kind of thing people say when encouraged to do something new or outrageously different, go somewhere new, dress in an uncharacteristic way, or behave in a manner which might be out of their normal range or comfort zone.......you get the gist. It's an "Act your age" thing. It's about risk - doing something different - and age appropriateness, along with the expectations of others in your immediate circle, or in the social setting you find yourself in.

What has this to do with astrological psychology and Age Progression? In truth, quite a lot. It depends on where you are, what "time" it is on your individual LifeClock and what psychological life phase you're moving through.

A couple of recent real life examples come to mind. The first is of the two 14 year-old girls I talked to about Hallowe'en last year, asking if they were going to dress up and go trick or treating. At 14, both are, by Age Point, astrologically in the 3rd house/area of life experience. Between the ages of 12 and 18, the focus is on puberty and growing up, and peer groups and friends take precedence over family; it's important to conform, fit in and be connected to current trends and events, especially at this stage of life when young people are feeling their way and finding the peer group where they belong. My expectations were that they could, by this age, be past the Hallowe'en ritual, but I was wrong. 

Being into their teenage years, fashion, make up etc. they were going for it big time. One of them said she was going to dress as Super Mario even though she was nearly 15. The other one dressed herself glamourously as a witch with a dark draped costume over black leggings, topped off with a large witches hat. Both wanted to be in on the fun of dressing up and were going trick and treating with friends. Rather than be "too old" to dress up and enjoy the annual trick and treating sugar-fest, they were actively embracing the opportunity to - in this case - act their age.

A few days later I watched a film made in 2015 of a meeting between the Dalai Lama and Archibishop Desmond Tutu. It was simply entitled "Joy" and watching it gave me 45 minutes of pure happiness and joy seeing these two men, both in their 80s at the time of filming, laughing and expressing their joy in life. Like two small boys they held hands, hugged, giggled, and shared insights and views on life and their respective faiths, all interspersed with much laughter, gentle teasing, love and respect for each other.

The Age Point of both men, when this film was made, was in the 2nd house, relating to ages 6 -12 years, where collected treasures and possessions are important and the child soaks up new information. Both men had been there before and this time, as seniors and Elders, they were revisiting this area of life experience, but for the second time around. With maturity, wisdom and life experience to draw upon, they were at home and comfortable being exactly who and what they were. Rather than possessively hanging on to things, they had been able to let go of all expectations regarding what they "should" be like and were at ease being just themselves, in the moment. They had no need to hold on to anything and "act their age", because they were doing so from a higher turn of the spiral, backed up by wisdom accrued along the way.

Both had found their personal style in life. Both had inner peace, expressed love, acceptance and kindness towards others, together with a strong spirtual outlook on life.This second circuit of the circle enables us, in later years, to revisit the energies, optimism and outlook of our younger selves, but on a higher turn of the spiral as we move away from being what others expect of us and towards who and what we truly are.

The Second Time Around, the title of my co-authored book with Barry Hopewell, covers Age Point experiences of real people who, like me, are on the second circuit of the LifeClock.

What time is your Lifeclock?

Age Progression, LifeClock, call it what you will - my experience of it is exactly what my tutor told me 37 years ago when I started studying the Huber Method of Astrological Psychology.

He said it was "gilt edged", and quite simply, it is. And you can use this technique with or without referring to a birth chart.

The chart belongs to actor Tom Hanks, born 9th July 1956 at 11.17 in Corncord, California. Hanks is 67. His Age Point is in the 12th house/area of the chart and his LifeClock time is easing towards the start and end of the 72 year cycle. Realistically he's probably being a lot more selective in any acting roles he takes on, but interestingly is currently involved in the production of a new film, "Here", which involves the use of AI.The story covers the events of a single room with its inhabitants spanning from the past well into the future. Hanks is clearly not giving up yet!

Below is the LifeClock diagram, showing how the Age Point relates to the 12 astrological houses/areas of life experience from birth to age 72 (it begins a second circuit once the individual reaches 72, where there is often a huge surge of energy as we make a fresh start). The hand of the clock always moves in an anti-clockwise direction. It's shown here at age 40.

 

When the Age Point reaches the 12th house and is between ages 66 and 72 (again, use the diagram to navigate by), we no longer need to strive to prove anything to anyone. This can be very liberating. But some high profile people will choose to continue working into this phase, for example politicians, artists, writers, musicians, scientists and spitritual leaders.

A couple more examples. If you're somewhere between 30 and 36, the Age Point and your lifetime "o'clock" will be in the 6th house, where your main focus, if you're in paid or voluntary work, will be on the more serious matters of being successful, keeping your head above water and getting along with your work colleagues. You'll probably be forming realistic views about what you can and can't achieve professionally or work-wise.

Between age 36 and 42, the focus shifts to relationships and partners. At this psychological stage, the ability to make contact with others is at maximum strength and this is often a time of life when we realise there is more potential in life for us than we'd ever dreamed of.

All this, and much more, is covered in my book Age Progression - Understanding Life's Journey Click on the link to fine out more.

 

 

 

Doorways

Doors. Portals. Gateways. It doesn’t matter which name you use as they all symbolise a threshold which, when crossed, will take us into a new and different physical place or state of mind. Psychologically, doors can represent the threshold between past and future, between what has gone before and what is yet to come. Doorways, what they represent and what might be beyond them, can be exciting, forbidding, intriguing, scary, interesting, fascinating and stimulating.

Using the natal chart, the on-going movement of the Age Point around it works like a LifeClock, constantly offering opportunities for us to open doors to new psychological life phases and ways of being; the journey is progressive and at each stage there is something new to learn and experience about ourselves and the world we inhabit.

There are the doors which lead us from one House, or area of life experience, of the chart to the next. These doors are probably rather large and impressive as they mark the end of one psychological life phase and the beginning of the next. Being right on the cusp of a House, these doors can be flung wide open to the world in a big way - we have to go through them and we may as well enjoy the view as we do so. Then there are the doors which we pass through as the Age Point changes Sign. Perhaps these doorways are even painted the colour of the element of that Sign, giving hints about what kind of energy might be around. Jazzy, full-on red, sensitive green, soothing blue or contact-seeking yellow?

Joseph Campbell, the author of many books on mythology said, “When you follow your bliss….doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors; and where there wouldn’t be a door for anyone else”. 

His words could be related directly to the movement of the Age Point through the metaphorical doors I’ve been speaking about. Of course, these doors are uniquely your doors and uniquely my doors - they are experienced differently for every one of us. And if we follow our bliss we must do so willingly, knowing that whatever life phase we are travelling through is transient….and that at its end there will always be another door, leading us to a new beginning.