![Photo by Wing-Chi Poon (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5710195837013b18ee712c68/1518203587028-4VKGP1NOZQJ9LNMQ229I/1024px-High_above_the_Cloud_the_Sun_Stays_the_Same.jpg)
Photo by Wing-Chi Poon (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse @ 27 degrees Aquarius 08'
February 15
1:05 PM Los Angeles
4:05 PM New York
10:05 PM London
February 16
1:05 AM Dubai
3:05 AM Beijing
6:05 AM Sydney
9:05 AM Auckland
Following a dynamic total Lunar Eclipse in tropical Leo two weeks ago, this Aquarian Solar Eclipse takes us to the other end of the spectrum. Unlike the fiery and passionate heat of Leo, Aquarius is cool, calm, collected, and sometimes eccentric. As an air sign, the Aquarian archetype highlights thought and social dimensions. Further compounding the mental nature of this eclipse (as opposed to the emotional impact of the Leo Lunar Eclipse), the planet Mercury closely conjoins the eclipsed Sun within some striking distance of the lunar south node.
This first pair of eclipses in 2018 takes us back to the changes that occurred during the eclipses of August 2017. Hitting the same Leo/Aquarius axis, these eclipses open a portal to the past to accelerate us toward the future. A Solar Eclipse is a magnified New Moon. It represents a powerful new beginning. As a south nodal eclipse, there's an element of release, surrender, and letting go.
With the involvement of Mercury, this eclipse invites us to take notice of thinking patterns and perceptions that have outlived their usefulness in our lives. The south node emphasizes the shadow dimensions of Aquarius, which can recede into a cold, distant, and dispassionate approach to life. An overemphasis on objectifying everything, such as our actions, the flow of events, or even nature itself, can turn reality into a mechanical and meaningless morass of purposeless activity.
Life feels overwhelming when faced with things outside of your control. Understanding yourself is key to finding your power and place in the world. While you can't control fate or the chaos of life, your destiny belongs to you, something you can always strive for to gain command of your life path.
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Saturn's traditional rulership of Aquarius tends to infuse life with drudgery and banality when not kept in check. Jupiter's upper square to this eclipse brings about an inundation of optimism, hope, and positivity. Blessing the eclipse and Mercury, Jupiter symbolizes an affirmative shift in how we view our lives and what's possible for our future. And yet, still, the challenge of passing through any eclipse is the death of something to make space for new life.
In it's most challenging face, this eclipse could symbolize the painful demise of an antiquated idea about how reality works. Jupiter's square from Scorpio offers a more authentically oriented framework from which to perceive things from here on out. But it can also incite overly optimistic leaps leading to poorly thought out plans of action. Mercury and Aquarius should maintain a more rational grip, but make sure that you're making a realistic assessment of your choices around this eclipse.
Uranus, the modern ruler of Aquarius, forms a sextile to this eclipse as well--offering an exciting path to liberation and alternative perspectives. The mind has a terrible habit of limiting the scope of the soul's ability to shape its destiny. The lunar north node in Leo suggests an embrace of creative spontaneity. In the days following this eclipse, Mercury is fully engulfed by the Sun via its superior conjunction on Feb. 17/18, symbolizing further transformation of thoughts, perceptions, and theories and the emergence of significant news, data, and information.
If you've lost touch with the magical and creative face of the universe, trust this eclipse to reawaken it. If you've allowed your mind to take control, overloading your nervous system with doubt, confusion, worry, and stress--let this eclipse and Mercury/Sun conjunction dissolve it and infuse your awareness again with mystery and wonder. A clustering of planets in Pisces the next few weeks promises a playful dance with the numinous.
