When concepts linger around in my noggin, that usually tells me I need to write about them.

There was something about the knowledge that there was a solar eclipse on the very day of my accident on November 23, 1965 that stuck with me, almost frightened me if you will as I waited, quasi-bated breath and all, for last week’s November 25th partial solar eclipse.  What did it mean, if it meant anything at all?

And that’s where solipsism came in.  While I think my friend Todd was trying to dissuade me from my own thoughts, our random philosophical discussion of the long-forgotten (to me, at least) concept of solipsism only served to encourage my need to write about the stars once again.  The stars and solipsism — a thick pot of stew that I couldn’t get my mind to move away from.

As  Todd explained, solipsism says that my own subjective reality is a fine guide point.  That is, if I wanted to worry about a solar eclipse — was it coming back to haunt me? —  it certainly wouldn’t bother him.   I had forgotten this ole theory from Philosophy 101 and he kindly reminded me that it meant there is no objective reality.  There is a longer and more philosophically complex explanation but trust me, I’m saving you from it.

To his way of thinking, knowing that everyone has a different point of view, makes it easier to understand and accept the universe.  So if I wanted to wax on about the stars (again), he could easily accept it and most likely ignore it, letting me or anyone else wallow in our own subjective reality.

Armed with that odd confidence, I still wanted to see what I could discover about solar eclipses.

If you can believe it, NASA actually maintains a list of solar eclipses of historical interest (http://eclpse.fsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEhistory.html) so I wasn’t completely batty to wonder about these things.

The Babylonians were the first to discover that eclipses belong to a larger pattern with a beginning, middle and end. Each eclipse belongs to a series of eclipses and each series has its own unique characteristics.  A solar eclipse signifies a fresh start which can also bring about radical change, like a new chapter beginning in your life — which was certainly true of my “accident eclipse”.  The effects of a solar eclipse appear in the outward expression of our circumstances and can present us with very exciting and joyous developments. What develops due to a solar eclipse will be visible to you and others in your life. On the other hand, if a solar eclipse afflicts planets in your birth chart, the message of the eclipse could present a challenge that to overcome before something new develops. To be best of my understanding, my “accident eclipse” occurred in a key part of my birth chart.

The eclipse that happened the day of my accident is actually part of a series of eclipses called the Saros Cycle, repeating every 18 years and 11 days. The series started with partial solar eclipse on August 13, 1208. It contains annular eclipses from March 17, 1569 through March 12, 2146, hybrid on March 23, 2164 and April 3, 2183 and total eclipses from April 14, 2200 through June 19, 2308. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on September 25, 2470.

And what does itbeing in a Saros Cycle mean?

• Those same Babylonian astrologers found it was very important to study an eclipse in the context of the Saros Family that contains it. The entire cycle has a “personality” all its own that colors each individual chart. This Saros personality is based on the first eclipse in the Saros Family (a birth chart for the entire cycle, so to speak) and each eclipse in the Family is helping to advance this initial chart to the next level. This may help explain why all eclipses are not created equal — there are about 80 different Families in action, each with a different pedigree.
• When looking at an upcoming eclipse, check out its Saros buddy from 18+ years ago. Family members in a Saros are connected and carry some of the same energy threads. Checking your “Saros return” every 18 years can provide illuminating information about long-term cycles in your life.

On www.astrologywithin.com, I learned that solar eclipses have some “rules”:

• Astrology defines the lasting effects of an eclipse by its duration. The general rules for the duration of a solar eclipse is that the energy affects your circumstances one year for every hour of the eclipses duration, up to 3 ½ years.  The eclipse in my case lasted only minutes so its effect would have been less than a year.
• Another rule is that eclipses last from one solar eclipse until the next.
• While eclipse energy is often felt within a month on either side of the eclipse day, there are hot spots they may trigger events related to the eclipse. Those hot spots are when the sun squares the eclipse degree about 90 days later, although you may hear something a within a few days on either side of that date.
• You should expect the message of an eclipse to show itself within one month of the eclipse, or taking up to six months to complete if an eclipse touches your chart in a personal way. You should also be aware that the eclipse may affect that area of your life indefinitely — which in my case it did, but in a way I now view as positively.
• Not everyone is influenced by every eclipse, but we all experience eclipses at different times in our lives. The universe gives each of us fresh starts and challenges even when we don’t recognize the need for change.

After reading this, I felt encouraged — hopeful even.  In my solipsistic view, I guess I would say the long and short of it is that “S(&*(  happens” and it happens to everyone.  There may be a cycle of eclipses that lasts over centuries but it seems the good comes with the um, challenging.  Sounds a lot like life to me however anyone may slice it.

But it wasn’t until I stumbled on a website called “Janet’s Planets (www.janetszodiac.com)” that I finally felt relieved, that I hadn’t stumbled on to an evil or fated astrological cycle.

All of you Sadge’s (Note:  I am a Sagittarius) out there will have the Solar Eclipse of Nov 25 right on top of your Sun.  This can be a good thing.  This is the time to get rewarded for your achievements.  This eclipse will give you the confidence to go after your hearts desire.   Sadge is one of the most optimistic of signs.  The ruler of Sadge is Jupiter, the big, fat, happy planet.  When I get stuck in my dark, little, Saturn tunnel, Sadge comes along and opens up vistas and possibilities I never thought of before. Their view of the world is boundless. 

If I don’t have a Sadge around to do this for me, then I read my favorite Sadge of all time and let her describe what it’s like to be high on life. 

I taste a liquor never brewed,
From tankards scooped in pearl;
Not all the vats upon the Rhine
Yield such an alcohol!

Inebriate of air am I,
And debauchee of dew,
Reeling, through endless summer days,
From inns of molten blue.

When landlords turn the drunken bee
Out of the foxglove’s door,
When butterflies renounce their drams,
I shall but drink the more!

Till seraphs swing their snowy hats,
And saints to windows run,
To see the little tippler
Leaning against the sun

Emily Dickinson

……………………………………………………………………….

I’m glad I did a little astrological rambling.  It left me only a little confused.

Related articles

• Solar Eclipse Darkens Sun Over Southern Hemisphere (space.com)
• Not many will view Friday’s partial solar eclipse (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Solar eclipse makes Black Friday a bit darker (photoblog.msnbc.msn.com)
• From Space Weather – We’ve just had a solar eclipse! (jhaines6.wordpress.com)