Eclipses in Astrology
Eclipses have had special significance in many religions and astrologies since ancient times. An eclipse involves the Sun, Moon, and the two nodes of the Moon: Rahu & Ketu
A Sun eclipse occurs when the moon comes in between the Earth and the Sun in such a way that light is blocked to the Earth. A lunar eclipse ( Moon eclipse) occurs when the Earth comes in between the moon and the sun in such a way that light from the Moon is blocked.
Sun eclipse is known as Surya Grahan in vedic astrology and a Moon eclipse is known as a Chandra Grahan. These eclipses usually come in pairs and we have around 4 each year. Starting with a full moon and followed by the new moon. Eclipses have had mystical significance all around the world, and it is said that there are special forces or powers of the universe that are activated at the time of an eclipse. It is practice for many religions to hold prayers or ceremonies at these times to take advantage of these special cosmic energies in play. However auspicious events are not carried out at these times such as weddings, moving into new home and so on. Since eclipse represents darkness.
Significance of eclipses in birth chart
When eclipses occur they bring about change in our lives, where that change happens, can be seen by looking at where the transit Rahu and Ketu are sitting in your birthchart for that year. For example at the time of writing, Rahu & Ketu are transiting Gemini/Sagittarius respectively, so wherever these signs are in your birthchart, that is the area that will be affected in your life. If you are a Sagittarius, it is likely your confidence, personality and general direction in life will be impacted, aswell as your relationships, as it is happening in your 1st-7th axis.
Eclipses bring about change and show us areas that we are going to have problems in at that time, and it subconsciously changes us and our paths to adapt to those changes in order for us to move ahead. We usually find these changes hard, and this brings out new learnings in us, for the best. It is also said that people who are born with an eclipsed chart have some pending karma to work through from previous births, and that area of life is represented by where their Rahu –Ketu axis is in their birthchart.
Transit Lunar Eclipses or Chandra Grahan affects us emotionally, as it involves the moon. The affects emotionally can be felt up to two weeks before the eclipse and a month after atleast – there are more complicated rules on exactly how long the impact lasts on each individual person and can be anywhere from 6months – couple of years – but the instant impact can be felt within a few weeks of the eclipse. Since moon is our emotions and mind, we can feel upset for no apparent reason, or anxious, depressed, withdrawn. When the moon is with planets that are fiery such as mars, you can experience anger, and explosions of temper with those that are around you, family, spouse, work colleagues.
Transit Sun eclipses or Surya Grahan make you question the path you are following, at a more practical level, are you in the right job, are you doing the right things at home, are you looking after your physical well being. Just because eclipses shake things up negatively around the time they occur, it doesn’t mean we have to be scared of them. The results of them after, can be positive, they can bring necessary changes for the better. New ways of life that are needed.
Do’s and Don’t’s of Eclipses according to Vedic Astrology
There are many rituals associated with eclipses in different cultures as I mentioned at the beginning. However according to vedic astrology there are a few things that should be done or should be avoided at the time of the eclipse to mitigate some of the effects of the disturbance in cosmic energies.
There are certain things that should be done at the time of the eclipse – these include
• charity donations
• Jaap/meditation/prayers/mantras
• putting strand of grass in food items such as milk , yogurt, atta during time of eclipse
There are also certain things that should be avoided, these include:
• eating or drinking at time of eclipse – especially non veg/alcohol
• impure activities
• preparing food during time of main grahan (eclipse)
• For pregnant woment there is further guidance such that they should not look at the eclipse directly, and refrain from using knives. They are particularly susceptible to the vibes and cosmic energy at the time and should preferably stay indoors until the main eclipse time has passed.
Eclipses can be extremely emotional times for people and can cause anger/frustration/disappointment. tempers can flare high and generally cause irrational behaviours. So be aware of the energies and use this time for positive change.
