This week is a very special week as it contains the total lunar eclipse which will occur on the evening of Friday July 27 and/or early Saturday July 28 as it is only visible at night time. This is because the Moon is what is being eclipsed and since the Moon is full it only rises after sunset. Before we dive further into exploring this eclipse, let’s discuss what an eclipse is and how it comes to be.
Gravitational Fields, Ketu & Rahu
All planets have a gravitational field that reaches out in a two-dimensional plane from their center where they hold their subordinate satellites. The Sun’s gravitational plane holds all the planets whereas each individual planet’s gravitational plane holds its moons. However, the gravitational plane of the planet isn’t necessarily in sync exactly with that of the Sun. The Earth’s gravitational plane varies from that of the Sun by about 5 degrees. With two gravitational planes, they cross in two spots, creating two different intersections. As the Moon orbits around the Earth, it only becomes eclipsed by or eclipses the Sun when the Moon and Sun are crossing through these two points of gravitational plane junctions simultaneously, either in the same or in opposing junctions.
These two junction points are known in Vedic Astrology as Ketu and Rahu who are described as “shadowy” planets because they are invisible until the luminous planets Sun and Moon pass through these vortexes of gravitational energy and eclipses happen. Even though these planets are only visible during eclipses, they in fact always exist as these two planes are always intersecting somewhere in space, hence their shadowy nature.
These two planets represent a certain paradox of life because they are inherently one unit, yet they represent opposite forces. To briefly summarize Ketu and Rahu from a mythological perspective, they are said to once have been one entity that got split into two parts. Ketu is said to be the body without the head with Rahu being the head without the body.
Ketu is about introversion and restriction. Ketu is all about feeling the pressure of one’s limitations and is like the unstable energy of feeling boxed in or trapped yet wanting to get out. A good metaphorical example of the energy of Ketu would be a volcanic eruption or an explosion.
Rahu on the other hand is all about extroversion and constantly moving ahead; however, it is a very compulsive and ungrounded energy. Being as Rahu has no body it is like having no information about where they are or of having no experience in that region but just plowing ahead regardless. This is also why Rahu represents confusion and illusion as it moves through previously unexplored and unfamiliar areas.
Effects of Eclipses in General
With all this swirling energy becoming activated, these can be times when there is a lot of confusion, frustration, and sudden changes. These can be times of illusion where one might think that things are a certain way, but it gets revealed that it wasn’t the case at all. It can also represent times of thinking you know what is happening and feeling comfortable with where you are but get pulled into a situation where you are out of your element. It can be times of revolution in a certain sense where old structures get torn down and replaced by something new that stemmed from years of oppression.
From a world view perspective, these can be times where we see some catastrophic incidents occur. There can be volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, and all manner of natural disasters as well as outbreaks of disease and other manmade conflicts. There can be uprisings and overturning of governments or just political unrest of some form or another.
On an individual basis it can work out similarly to the nature of these worldwide events. It can be times where one’s bottled up frustrations come out. It can be times of being overly impulsive or even of getting lost. It can indicate times of being suddenly put in very strange and unfamiliar territory or circumstances that one never expected. However, it can also represent times of intense personal discovery and growth or of finally finding a new solution by thinking outside the box.
It is said in Vedic Astrology to not begin any new undertakings during this lunar cycle, from the previous new moon to the next. It is because during this time of potential illusion and sudden change there can be unforeseen issues come up with something that one begins during this period that they weren’t expecting that could completely derail their endeavors.
The Particulars of this Lunar Eclipse
As a lunar eclipse would suggest, it is the Moon that is getting eclipsed. This means we have Rahu with the Sun and Ketu with the Moon. Whereas Sun and Rahu are in Leo, we have Ketu and Moon in Aquarius. What’s special about this eclipse is that Mars is conjunct both Moon and Ketu at almost the exact degree.
With the technical aspects being laid out, let’s now explore how this may play out. Please keep in mind, however, that this is not an exhaustive list of how things can manifest but just a few possibilities.
This can be a time of work struggles and more specifically with ego-related issues. This can be a time where an organization, or even the leader thereof, may place more emphasis on the importance of the larger structure of the organization and take away from the importance of the work force and what their needs are. This can also work out on an individual level where one is going to an extreme in trying to establish their own identity where it may overshadow their coworkers or it can be about one feeling they are more important than everyone else.
This can also play out in a manner where one either encounters or is revisiting circumstances where they feel like the actions they wish to initiate are being inhibited by their greater responsibilities that they have to take care of first. Perhaps these responsibilities are really being put to the forefront of one’s life to such a degree that causes this inhibition. Frustration and regret can then form because their will is being suppressed. These responsibilities can be things that one has to take care of but can also be things that are put on it by some type of authority figure.
On a larger world level, this can be a time where governments are dealing with civil unrest and a conflict between what the people want to do and how the government is set up. This perhaps could be an uncorking of built up aggression, but I would tend to think that this would actually more so play out as more open oppression happening where a government/hierarchical structure is working to silence their critics. We could perhaps also see more volcanic eruptions happening in Hawaii or perhaps we will see that the pressure is actually building up and not able to escape at this time which could signal a larger eruption in the future.
How Can We Deal With This Energy?
With everything I mentioned about the workplace and ego struggles, it is important to really check in with the reality of the situation before taking any extreme action. Let’s say your issue is that you are demanding a raise from your boss because you believe you are important to the workplace—and maybe more important than your colleagues. Before going to your boss, you will want to look at things from an outside perspective and really assess your role in a realistic fashion. Like, will the company be able to function without your efforts and are you replaceable? The true answer to this is more than likely yes. A warm glass of milk to go with a heaping tablespoon of humility is my recommendation.
If what you are experiencing is the suppression type effects of this energy, then I recommend spending some time making an appreciation list of the things that you are grateful for that you actually do have. List the things that you have achieved in the past that have gotten you to this place and try to find the happiness with where you are. A tall glass of patience with a dash of optimism would be your beverage of choice.
In any case, this is a time to slow down and appreciate life for what it is and watch all the craziness happening in the world around you. Get a lawn chair out in your front yard (like for watching fireworks) and behold some epic ego meltdowns. Just try not to get too close!
