When an Eclipse Hits the Astrological

Houses
What sorts of life changes or revelations will you
experience?
There can be a jittery buzz of anticipation in the days leading up to a Solar Eclipse.
Something meaningful is percolating up from places where the Sun don't shine, and the
blocking out of a constant light source is a symbolic block of familiar ways of being and
perceiving.

The lunar eclipse also holds sway. Like the Moon card in the Tarot, it's a time of chaos or
confusion, discovery or rediscovery.

What is there to be absorbed, revealed or remembered?

The solar and lunar eclipses are sometimes disruptive shake-ups, leading to major life events
or more subtle inner changes. What's neat to note is that eclipses run through the Zodiac every
19 years, in what's called the Saros Cycle. When the eclipse occurs, try to remember what
happened to you 19 years ago. Is that core theme playing out again?

Double Act

It's useful to look at Zodiac signs, as well as the transiting houses of the eclipse, as a two-act
production also. Since Zodiac signs correspond to a house, their symbolic themes are similar.
Here are some notes to get you started, by looking at where the eclipses land in your own
chart.

Eclipses go in reverse of the natural Zodiac (Aries to Pisces). You can track themes to become
more aware of each eclipse cycle.

First and Seventh Houses (or Aries-Libra)

An eclipse in the first house strongly involves a sense of self.

You may experience a desire to firm up your stance by claiming "I am" with self-defining acts
or plans. In more extreme cases, it might mean the end to an entanglement that's muddled
your sense of self. Or perhaps merging lives with another with accompanying fears of losing
the self. A challenge here is to balance personal initiation and identity with meaningful
relationships in your life.

Eclipses in the seventh house also affect relationships that weigh heavily on the self. There
can be upheavals in these big relationships, ranging from emotional shocks, deepening
intimacy, or breaking up. A relationship can be wholly absorbing until you realize you've lost
your own defining edges. Some might awaken to the naked truth about what's been lost or
gained by being in cahoots with a close friend, lover, or business associate. Who am I in this
relationship? Who will I become?

Overall, themes of an eclipse in the first or seventh house include identity crisis, self-hood,
and relationships. This could mean going into a partnership or marriage or having periods of
solo retreats.

Sixth or Twelfth House (or Virgo-Pisces)

When there is an eclipse in the sixth house, you are more sensitive to the body either
spiritually or physically. This may be a time of accidents, life-threatening illness, or spiritual
healing, which can shake you out of a deadening routine and put your life in perspective. By
asking yourself questions such as "Is my job missing something?" or "Can I achieve a great
connection or purpose?" you will strive for more soulful work and a more engaged life. These
changes can either be subtle or in-your-face.

Eclipses in the twelfth house emphasize tending to the soul. You may experience soul
messages through vivid dreams or seemingly otherworldly happenings. One outcome of
eclipses here is to become aware of something previously veiled. That could include
behaviors that you show in the workplace or relationships that have been unconsciously
playing out. A breakthrough can be humbling at first and then lead to being more real and
physically present in your life.

In general, sixth of twelfth house eclipses with make you question the minutia and the infinite
in your life's direction.

Fifth and Eleventh House (or Leo-Aquarius)

An eclipse in your fifth house will highlight what makes you unique. It could be a wake-up
call to seize the day with your creative gifts. You may creatively express yourself alone or in
collaboration.

You may experience acknowledging the need for recognition and setting out on a path to that
uses your talents. Perhaps this means turning what you love into your life's work or taking a
gamble with your heart.

Eclipses in the eleventh house have to do with extended friend networks -- colleagues and
collaborators, near and far. Your attention is on these wider circles, with possible endings of
some alliances or keeping up-to-date with others. You might meet odd characters, or reveal
your own strange inclinations or fascination. The genius is unleashed, and you experience
more freedom to say and do what you like.

Fifth and eleventh house eclipses will urge you to make a name for yourself, bring your
attention to social networks, cause up and downs in friendships, and even lead to a shift with
your child.

Fourth and Tenth House (Cancer/Capricorn)

Eclipses in the fourth house bring attention to home life. The forces that shaped your
emotional body loom large, perhaps triggered by an event. A crisis here could bring you back
to your roots, through tragedy or a sense of responsibility. 

An eclipse in the tenth house rouses dynamics of authority -- claiming it or giving it away.
Often times, sources of authority come from family members, so relationships with parents or
kids may be affected. During this time, events may happen that challenge you to overcome
emotional legacies that keep you from symbolically climbing that mountain. 

Overall, eclipses that engage the fourth and tenth house have something to do with home (be
it going back or creating a new home), parenting, emotional roots, and ancestral legacies.

Third and Ninth House (Or Gemini/Sagittarius)

Eclipses in the third house jolt the nervous system and affects the networks you're plugged
into. Something meaningful happens in the local neighborhood, or siblings, school mates, and
extended family could play a larger role in your life. An eclipse could also activate an urge to
go back to school or be trained in a new field.

An eclipse in the ninth house lures you out of the known and into the edge of your personal
frontier. A path opens, and with a trust in the universe, you signal you're ready to grow
beyond known borders. This can involve travel, a sabbatical, or time as an exchange student.
Your philosophy is altered, or you begin a course of study, not knowing how it'll change you.

Themes of third and ninth house eclipses include student/teacher relationships, a quest for
consciousness and knowledge, apprenticeships, gaining credentials, and travel.

Second and Eighth House (or Taurus-Scorpio)

An eclipse in the second house hits on material realities -- money, what you own or owe, what
you've built (symbolically) with your own two hands. A crisis here could shake you at your
base. Perhaps your finances and possessions that you see as what makes you, you are
destabilized. It could set off an ordeal, where you're tested to stick with a soul's calling
through hardships. There can be inner wrestling with how much to invest, and what's most
important to achieve.

Eclipses in the eighth house are intense, and bring on soul-searching.

Some might become aware of the heavy energetic price of debt or toxic entanglements. A
catharsis might be due in order to summon emotional courage and transform your darkest
fears into productive action. Being close to death is a possibility, with all the reflection the
ultimate life passage brings. Other possibilities are banishing intensity around sex, meeting
your or another person's dark side, or leaving a controlling situation.

Overall, eclipses in the second and eighth house involve developing or squandering natural
talents, realizing your values, selling your soul, fertility, and death