Welcome to Summer 2018 Eclipse Season: a triple dose of solar & lunar hide and seek, happening during a heavy summer retrograde season. Normally, eclipses come in pairs, but occasionally we get three in a row and this is one such occasion. Using our handy 2018 LunaSol Calendar in the snapshot above, we read the eclipses from right to left. Here's the play by play:
A Wee Sliver Down Under
The first eclipse takes place on Thursday, July 12th at 11:01 pm (EDT) while the new moon is at 20 degrees of Cancer, but the eclipse itself is actually only visible in Australia at local time July 13th 3:01 am. It's only a partial eclipse but is very close to being a Super Moon. (In the photo above, the dotted teal line next to the moon phases charts out lunar proximity to Earth. When it zags inward toward the center, that means the moon is closer to earth than when it zigs outward, where it is furthest from Earth in its orbit. This impacts human inflammation as I explain here.)
Astrologer Alice Bolen, of Letters of Woo, forecasts:
From Monarch Astrology:"Something old and worn out is about to be replaced with something new, and perhaps we’ll be facing the die off symptoms associated with a parasite or two that has glommed onto us and isn’t into that whole symbiosis thing....Despite how hectic the next few months can feel ... there is a totally beautiful grand earth trine forming between Venus in Virgo, Saturn in Capricorn, and Uranus in Taurus in the early degrees. Venus-Uranus and Venus-Saturn are two of my favourite planetary combinations, and here we are with the benefit of both! With the impending Sun-Pluto opposition which happens at the same time as this solar eclipse, we can be feeling the need to be seen for the essential, deeper qualities of ourselves that we have to offer. Of course, this can take a dark bent where Pluto is at play, but Venus-Uranus-Saturn offers a beautiful stabilizing force to hone our expression and enjoyment of the finer things in life, and inject our own unique sense of personality into it in a practical, very down-to-earth way too."
Read the full forecast here.
"We have our first of two eclipses this month and the Sun opposes Pluto in Capricorn. Venus in Virgo enters a grand earth trine with Saturn in Capricorn and Uranus in Taurus. This grand earth trine is like a Feng Shui dynamic – aligning the physical, material realm in a more intelligent way to create energetic circuitry that enhances your life. Whether it is your living space that you play with or some other organization project that is even a little less material like your digital life or how you organize your day or your thoughts, a lot of flow and support for long-term goals can be opened up this week just by getting neater in some key ways. Amidst the accompanying transits of this week and Eclipse Season, a lot of change is in the air so consider what you are letting go of, and what you are making space for.
Pragmatism and magic align, because when you are organizing your life in some way you are directing and specifying currents of energy, potentials which you turn into concrete manifestations. Whether we intend to do this or not, we are always directing energy with our choices and thoughts. Fine-tuning this process to add more artistry or intention is a practice we continue to get better at as we go onward. This week is a special window for ease and innovation to occur in the way we channel energy through our modes of organizing, so take note of opportunities opening up in your field perhaps in the form of life-hacks, useful insights, or healthy changes you feel ready to integrate." Read the full forecast here.
Pink Moon Is On Its Way
The next one is a truly rare and spectacular event. This total lunar eclipse is also a Micro Blood Moon (the fact that it is Micro means there will be a reddish hue during the eclipse) during a full moon at 4 degrees Aquarius on July 27th, 4:20 pm (EDT). Totality will last a whopping 103 minutes, making it the longest eclipse of the 21st century! It is fully visible in Africa, Middle East, India at appx 8:20pm locally and partially visible from Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. (Sorry North America: no show for you.)
To make matters even more interesting, this aligns with the peak of the Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. (See that shooting star symbol right next to the eclipse? That's your cosmic clue on our LunaSol calendar). The light of the Full Moon normally obscures the shooting star show but with such a long and total eclipse happening, this is worth making some popcorn to catch shooting stars as they dance around a Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse. Mars will also be traveling in retrograde motion right next to the moon (opposite the sun), adding his red-tinted spark to the show. But, quick heads up - Mercury turns retrograde the day before, so plan accordingly.
Reminds me of the lullaby lyrics of Nick Drakes Pink Moon:
I saw it written and I saw it say
Pink moon is on its way
And none of you stand so tall
Pink moon gonna get ye all
Astrologer Maurice Fernandez forecasts:
"Everything is intensified and accelerated during this time, and this can mean that many things we have been waiting for can occur. Add rapid moving Mars in Aquarius to the mix—There is no more waiting, it is happening! But be careful what you wish for… The change of job you have been yearning for or the new project you always dreamt to start can indeed be activated during this time. From one week to the next, your life may look quite different. This is a time where the strongest rebellious urges can emerge and we will not tolerate any feeling of limitation or inauthenticity. We need to be careful not to act out too abruptly and later regret our swift decisions, but otherwise, this can be a breaking point when we decide to separate because we want things to be different.
Donald Trump was born on an exact Lunar Eclipse which belongs to the Saros Series 129. Synchronistically, the upcoming July 27 Total Lunar Eclipse is also part of the 129 Series. The last times that occurred, 18 and 36 years ago he went through dramatic changes in his life, both crises and opportunities: 1981-1982 Building of New York Trump Tower + Loss of brother + Birth of daughter Ivanka; 1999-2000 Divorce from 2nd wife Marla + Loss of father + 1st Presidential Campaign."
Read the entire forecast plus a compilation of other esteemed astrologers in the Career Astrologer, a quarterly publication.
Leo Lights Up The Sky
The final summer eclipse is... holy moly..... my birthday, August 11th, at dawn (EDT), coinciding with the peak of the annual Perseids meteor shower. This partial solar eclipse & Super Moon happens when the new moon is at 18 degrees Leo, visible from North and East Europe and Asia and furthest northeast of North America. Given that this is a new moon, the very showy meteor shower should have excellent visibility and astronomers anticipate this being the best shower of all of 2018. I know I'll be celebrating my 40th solar return at the beach watching shooting stars whizz past, contemplating the big changes this eclipse will likely bring for me. I'll pass on peeking into astrologer predictions for this event, preferring to soak the messages in the day of instead. But you can send me a big birthday boost when you pre-order 2019 astrology calendars - scroll down for photos!
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