The Total Solar Eclipse on August 21st, 2017
There is a lot of coverage in the media about the upcoming total solar eclipse on August 21st. This brief posting will give you a brief glimpse of the astrological indications that are not as well known.
Eclipses are generally considered to be negative indicators of what is to come. But they also are excellent times spiritually. After all, an eclipse is Nature’s way of turning off the lights which is a pretty big clue that it might be a good idea to meditate, introspect, or even just clean up the house!
The impact of an eclipse on a country is more pronounced when that eclipse is visible across an entire country as it will be for this upcoming one. The last time this sort of visibility happened in the United States was June 8, 1918. The United States was already in World War 1 which ended in November of 1918. But the Spanish Flu was starting to break out in Spring of 1918 and became extremely virulent by the end of summer of 1918. The Spanish Flu is considered to be one of the most deadly events of the human race. It was a worldwide problem, a pandemic. It is estimated that about one third of the people on earth were infected with this virus that killed 50 million people.
If we look at the chart of the United States, we see that the 1918 eclipse occurred in the 6th bhāva of the United States. This is the area that is concerned with health issues, conflict and struggle. This upcoming eclipse occurs in the 9th bhāva which is more about dharma (loosely, what is appropriate to do), travel, International relations, money, religion, matters of law & justice, legal departments, and publishing. There are already events in motion that are indicating what is to come in these areas. But I think this eclipse will also have a worldwide impact just as the 1918 eclipse did.
Although everyone is affected to some extent by an eclipse, the impact will be either small or large depending on each of our individual charts. The effects begin about a month prior to eclipse and last until about 6 months after the eclipse. In the case of Donald Trump, he will be affected more strongly than average by this eclipse because he is the President and because the eclipse occurs around 4-5° of Leo and his lagna (foundation of the chart) is around 6-7° of Leo.
Both the eclipse and President Trump’s lagna both occur in the nakṣatra (Vedic constellation) of Maghā which is symbolized by a throne room or a palanquin. This eclipse does not look like it is going to help make America great again. I think many things may be pointing to the United States going in the other direction (Adharma, the opposite of dharma) for a while thus causing problems and suffering.
Each nakṣatra of the 27 has a connection with some aspect of the Divine. In the case of Maghā nakṣatra, that Divinity is called Pitṛ This Sanskṛt word indicates ancestors, parents, grandparents, those to whom we owe a debt of gratitude. And so, if you want to do something to help yourself as well as the world a bit, besides meditation (& cleaning up your house!!) you can chant the mantra below to the ancestors. You can also hold in your heart gratitude for all you’ve been given not the least of which is a human body.
I wish to credit James Kelleher, my friend and teacher, for his work on the chart of the United States that I am using and for his many years of teaching this Divine Science. Without his insights and support, I could never have written what you see above.
ॐ पितृभ्यो नमः
(Om Pitṛbhyo Namaḥ)
Om! Reverence to the ancestors!
Note on pronunciation: although not exactly so, the ṛ character above sounds a little like the ri in the word ripple
Below is some explanation of pronunciation and actual chanting of the mantra with emphasis on the word Pitṛbhyo: