Total Solar Eclipse
February 26, 1998
In a previous article, I advised you to write down the dates of
the five eclipses that will occur during 1998. The first of these
eclipses will be a total solar eclipse and will occur this week,
on Thursday, February 26, 1998. The time of the eclipse will be
12:26 p.m. EST, 11:26 a.m. CST, 10:26 a.m. MST, and 9:26 a.m. PST.
In astrological terms, this eclipse arises from a conjunction of
the Sun and Moon, which is a New Moon, at 7 degrees and 55 minutes
of Pisces.
At a minimum, the astrologer should consider the solar eclipse
as a New Moon. Years from now, a careless astrologer, looking at
a computer?generated horoscope may notice only the conjunction of
the Sun and the Moon, never recognizing that an eclipse occurred.
No serious astrological error occurs with such an omission, but
some of the additional astrological power of the eclipse will be
missed.
If you have a natal planet at or near 7 Pisces 55, or its opposite
at 7 Virgo 55, you are already aware that something is changing.
This eclipse is square transiting Pluto at 8 Sagittarius 01, and
you may think that you are feeling only the transit of Pluto. However,
astrologers have long noticed that the effects of an eclipse manifest
up to three months before the exact date, and last for about a year
after the exact date. For those experiencing that phenomenon, the
astrological interpretation of an eclipse conjunct or opposite a
natal planet is in the nature of that natal planet.
The mundane interpretation of eclipses has been made simpler by
the advent of the Astro*Carto*Graphy technique as taught by Jim
Lewis. Something of importance will occur at a place where the eclipse
itself or another planet in the chart of the eclipse is conjunct
one of the angles. I use Astro*Carto*Graphy software to guide me
to an approximate position on Earth where something of significance
can be expected. Once I identify a city, I erect a chart for that
city for the time of the eclipse to confirm my findings.
For example, at the moment of the eclipse, Uranus will be on the
Midheaven for all locations having a longitude of about 105 degrees
west. In the United States, this longitude includes the vicinity
of Denver, Colorado; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Carlsbad, New Mexico; Santa
Fe, New Mexico, and numerous other cities that we do not notice
until something significant occurs. When the planet at the Midheaven
is Uranus, we can anticipate something unexpected, shocking, unusual,
surprising, or electrifying. The chart for Denver at the moment
of the eclipse shows a Midheaven of 10 Aquarius 25 with Uranus at
10 Aquarius 21. Close, isn't it? Therefore, I shall not be surprised
if something surprising occurs there during the next few months.
Other planets of interest to residents of the United States and
the longitudes and nearby cities where these planets will be angular
at the moment of the eclipse include the following:
Starting at the West Coast, at the moment of the eclipse, we find
Venus on the Midheaven of charts drawn for locations having a longitude
of about 121 degrees. There are no major cities in the United States
at this longitude. If you live close to this longitude, you are
aware of El Nino, earthquakes, fires, and all other forces of nature.
Venus will be at 25 Capricorn 53.
At the moment of the eclipse, we find Neptune on the Midheaven
of charts drawn for locations having a longitude of about 115 degrees.
The best known city at this longitude is Las Vegas, Nevada. Neptune
will be at 01 Aquarius 01.
Uranus, at 10 Aquarius 21 has already been discussed at 105 degrees
west longitude.
At the moment of the eclipse, we find Jupiter on the Midheaven
of charts drawn for locations having a longitude of about 80 West
23. Some of the cities near this longitude are Charlotte, North
Carolina; Roanoke, Virginia; and Miami, Florida. Jupiter will be
at 5 Pisces 20.
At the moment of the eclipse, we find the Sun and Moon on the Midheaven
of charts drawn for locations having a longitude of about 78 West
18. Some of the cities near this longitude are Altoona, Pennsylvania;
Batavia, New York; Buffalo, New York; Washington, D.C.; Raleigh,
North Carolina; and Wilmington, North Carolina. The Sun and Moon
conjunction will be at 7 Pisces 55.
At the moment of the eclipse, we find Mercury on the Midheaven
of charts drawn for locations having a longitude of about 74 West
7. The huge metropolitan region encompassing Newark, New Jersey
through New York City fits this general longitude. Mercury will
be at 11 Pisces 41.
Mars, at 25 Pisces 22, Saturn at 17 Aries 51, and Pluto at 8 Sagittarius
will not be at the Midheaven of any chart drawn for a city in the
continental United States. They may play a role elsewhere.
Unfortunately, since the effects of an eclipse may occur many months
after the moment of the eclipse, it will be difficult to associate
an unexpected event with the eclipse. This is one of the problems
that astrologers have when explaining astrology to the general public.
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