October Eclipses

It’s eclipse season!

October is a big month for eclipses. And although I personally approach these times of year with some trepidation, I know that others find it exciting, and most people find it interesting.

The first will be a solar eclipse on the 14th, which is the very last day of this lunar month. The next will be two weeks later—a lunar eclipse on the full Moon.

A solar eclipse always occurs on an empty Moon (when the Sun and Moon are together) and a lunar eclipse on a full Moon (when the Sun and Moon are opposite one another in the sky). And they always occur in pairs, every 6 months. It is a nice rythmn to be aware of because these eclipse times are times when big adventures and new undertakings are best avoided. I would not recommended planning travel or vacations around these times as things are likely to go awry.

They are great times for inner work (solar eclipses) and collective spiritual work (in the case of lunar eclipses), however.

Ten days before and after a solar eclipse are sensitive, and should especially be avoided for starting any projects of significance or doing anything else that might be sensitive like surgeries, etc. Three days before and after a lunar eclipse is the window of sensitivity, and best avoided for anything important.

The time before an eclipse is especially inauspicious, and endeavors begun here are said to be doomed to failure. Things that are instigated after an eclipse, however, can see great success. Keep in mind that in this case after the solar eclipse is still before the lunar eclipse, so best to wait until the whole cycle is complete for starting things.

This month we’ll focus on the solar eclipse, next month I’ll get into the lunar eclipse.

Any eclipse will have more of an impact in the places where it’s visible. In the case of the solar eclipse, it will be visible in some parts of the Western U.S, Mexico and Central America. It is noteworthy that after that solar eclipse of August 2017 whose path cut the U.S. in half coincided (and in some ways precipitated) a lot of political division in the country. Historically this has been the case with eclipses in other locations and political upheaval, natural disasters, etc. And these effects can often be seen in advance of the eclipse itself.

Vedic Astrology does not recommend looking directly at eclipses or even being out of doors during the time of eclipses. It is thought that if you do this you absorb the shadow energy which is present due to the nodal influence on the luminary. Eclipses are caused by the conjunction of the luminaries with the nodes, so the shadow that is going to be visible on the Sun this month, in some locations, is actually the face of Ketu. And this is not something you want to be exposing yourself to since overall the influence is negative.

During the time of the actual eclipse best practices are to be inside, doing your mantras, fasting, meditation, etc.

Solar eclipses tend to have a sharper edge than lunar eclipses. With a solar eclipse, the Sun is weakened, so misuse or misunderstanding of power and authority, sense of self, identity and control issues can come up.

The unique feature of this particular set of eclipses is that the nodes will be beginning their change of signs amidst the eclipse of the luminaries, which essentially infuses the sky with what I would call a somewhat rambunctious nodal flavor for this period of time.