We have a Solar Eclipse coming soon! As I've told you before, no eclipse of itself is "bad," nor do we have anything to fear. We cannot lose what belongs to us; but there are good times to clear out the old to make space for the new that is not yet here. Take time to play and cultivate a sense of humor, and we'll get through this "fork in the road of destiny."

Though I gave some of this a while back, it bears re-posting since many fear eclipse effects, even though they shouldn’t. While this Solar Eclipse will of course lead to many endings, it also marks a time when many have hit their turning point related to duties, limits, power, and responsibility. This marks the beginning of a time when many will mobilize toward greater freedom by finishing up old business as prelude to new adventures around the corner.

There is a lot of superstition about Eclipses, mostly focusing on "dreadful" or difficult elements that often seem to accompany them. However, while all eclipses take something away and/or shut something down, an Eclipse can have beneficial effects if we just know "when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em, when to walk away, and when to run."

Eclipses are both dreaded and misunderstood recurring phenomena. Solar Eclipse effects usually last for several years, while Lunar Eclipse effects usually last for a few months. And not all eclipses are equal in strength or duration, making some stronger and longer than others.

The coming Annular Solar Eclipse falls at 1 Cancer at 11:41 pm PDT June 20, 7:41 am BST June 21 just 8 hours after the Solstice. The total penumbral phase is 5 hours 48 minutes, indicating an influence lasting about 5 years and 9 months.

The umbral phase, where the eclipse will be most intense, lasts 3 hours 45 minutes, showing the heart of the eclipse effects lasting 3 years and 9 months. However, the “local circumstances at greatest eclipse” is only 38 seconds, so this is long for all of us, and VERY intense for a very short period of time for those who can see it! As the magnitude is fairly strong it’s powerful, and it will be most felt where it’s visible in Asia, the Middle East, southeastern Europe, and northeast Africa. specifically a path involving Ethiopia, Yemen, Oman, Pakistan, Kashmir, Tibet, the heart of China., and Taiwan.

As I mentioned in a previous article, 2019 was another year where we had three Solar Eclipses. The one in January was Partial, the one in July was Total, and the December one was Annular. Like the July Eclipse, this December Eclipse is long and strong, so we are in a long term period of some very powerful Eclipses! (It’s of note that this year we get FOUR Lunar Eclipses! One in January, one in June, one in July, and one in November. Wow!)

Today we'll continue our discussion about eclipses in general and a little about this one. In following articles I'll elaborate on the astrophysics of the phenomenon, who is most affected by this Eclipse, symbols, aspects, patterns, and what we can expect from this Annular Solar Eclipse at 1 Cancer.

I've composed quite a few articles on past eclipses in the archives that bear re-visiting, since the Solar Eclipses of 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 were or are still manifesting effects since then, if traditional Eclipse lore is to be believed. Links to Solar Eclipses from 2011 to now are at the bottom of this article. 2012 and 2013 Eclipses were very bright and most were very long, showing the past several years were still impacted by those long-ago events.

How Do Eclipses Work?

Remember that eclipses are “Cosmic Recyclers,” removing what is over and done in our lives. While eclipses shut down some elements in the area of life (house) in which they fall, this is needed for growth, since we must bring some things to an end if we are to embrace newer, better ways of doing our Being. Take a look back at what ended in your life at various points, and then look to previous Solar Eclipses to find keys to when and why those things had to be shut down.

Historically, there is a lot of fear and trepidation connected to Eclipses, which is an unfortunate leftover from previous centuries when Eclipses were believed to augur the fall of empires, dynasties, and powerful people anywhere the Eclipse shadow fell. The doom and gloom associated with eclipses which happened centuries ago often marked major changes in governments and nations. Of course, it could also have been a situation where the changes were in motion, and the eclipse just happened to come at a “perfect time” for those changes.

Traditionally, eclipses and many other celestial events were considered very bad or evil things. Of course, we now know that no Astrological event need be "bad," or have "evil" effects, regardless of whether we're using Vedic, Chinese, Western, or any other approach to defining "All-That-Is." Though a circumstance may seem to have "bad" omens for the future, we can always transcend any negativity and turn the future to beneficent possibilities if we find the right point of view. No matter where an Eclipse falls, we can turn it to good.

Favorable ways to use Eclipse energies can be seen by the aspects in eclipse charts as they impact our natal and progressed planets. And because time is an unbroken continuum, we can anticipate what is ending and let it go with grace and a sense of surrendering to a greater life in the becoming. The voids arising after an eclipse opens the door to countless greater opportunities.

The choices we make at crucial astrological junctures bring pleasurable or painful circumstances, depending on what we need to learn. These choices are directly related to how evolved our planetary responses are. As I explain in my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend each planet has a duality of function. It is up to us to determine whether our Moon, Sun, Mercury or any other natal planet involved in eclipses, "bad" aspects, and configurations manifests productively or non-productively.

While Eclipses do tend to shut down some elements in the area of life (house) in which they fall, this is not necessarily a bad thing, since we must bring some things to an end if we are to embrace newer, better ways of doing our Being. While the future effects of an Eclipse may be powerful, in that they last over a long period, it is useful to see that they only eliminate what we no longer need.

Some things are removed quickly, others are removed gradually, over time. Some Eclipses are VERY beneficial in that they create a void for us that we can fill appropriately, according to our evolved awareness and intention. Favorable ways to use Eclipse energies can be seen by the aspects in eclipse charts as they impact our natal and progressed planets.

Key Factors in This Cancer Eclipse

This Annular Solar Eclipse in Cancer over time will lead us through a period of realignment and new allegiances in an effort to stabilize something. This Eclipse will show us “sometimes one is enriched through unfortunate events which turn out to our benefit.” That's why it's good to have a sense of perspective and humor, and take time to play with our personalities, coaxing out the primal innocence which lives life with a light heart. This marks a time when old habits will be removed, old self-indulgences will crash, and new directions will be taken wherever we have 1 Cancer in our chart.

As this Eclipse involves Cancer energies, we continue to be in an extraordinarily transformation period of active organization or reorganization. This continues the very heavy “self-gathering” influence related to what has ended over the past year, and continues to remove much that is related to the July 2019 Solar Eclipse at 11 Cancer and the Christmas 2019 Solar Eclipse at 5 Capricorn.

Since last July, many things have been shut down in our Cancer sector, creating space for new forms of individual self-expression. We are now in a long period allowing us to externalize something related to our higher purpose as a result of our losses and what’s taken away. This will be a very powerful and dynamic eclipse because of the aspects which promise a radical turning point in our long term dedication to a greater group work, with adjustments and sacrifices front and center. This Eclipse will have an action-oriented focus requiring we “lower one flag and raise a new one” so we can enter the next chapter of Life unencumbered by old baggage.

All Eclipses radically transform areas affected by the planetary positions, so look to where you have 1 Cancer to see what will be shut down. That life area will yield a new way of looking at everything associated with the early Cancer sector of our lives. With the Moon as the ruler of the Eclipse, it is one of three final dispositors in the chart, which we’ll discuss in a future article.

Though there are always endings associated with any Eclipse, these open the space we need to align with Spirit in natural and productive ways. Take a new look to see what really matters and what you do and do not want to bring with you into the new world you're already living.

We've all blasted off into new realms in the past few years, and “escaped from a narrow destiny” in 2016-2017. That led to the “tag team” retrogrades of 2018, giving us opportunities to grow because of allowing our daily lives to be transformed by the teachings we hold as venerable since 2014.

Since Spring 2018 we’ve taken final exams showing the degree we’ve overcome fear, and pulled back from many things and people so we could plan anew. Throughout 2018 we revisited parts of our past to weave or reweave “the power of our spiritual ancestry,” learning to practice our “genetic wisdom” in new forms, with new ways of viewing Truth and our future possibilities.

The January 2019 Solar Eclipse, though weak, helped us sprout seeds of power that were fulfilled in 2019. This effect will continue through 2020. The July 2019 Solar Eclipse has been helping us find a sense of humor by seeing the illusion of the ego with its “pomposities.” As the “Tension of Opposites” involved the Cancer/Capricorn axis with forming oppositions to Saturn and then Pluto, we’ve been purifying our intention, sense of service, what we are and are not responsible for, and accepting new forms of emotional or social rebirth which feed our feelings.

This one shows us how willing we are to adapt to new needs, new relationships, and new life habits. With this one we begin to see stability and security by moving in a new direction, with cooperative collective pioneering group endeavors front and center in the future! We are promised a new life direction, new relationships, new concerns, and new ways of living our daily existence these next few years, with the ability to see that we’ve outgrown the old allegiances. Those who are cultivating spiritual intuition will find this an extraordinarily favorable period of social rebirth, with new standards to be admired and old truths to be left behind.

See you soon with more on this 2020 Annular Solar Eclipse in Cancer!

If you want to learn more about potential effects which may follow a Lunar and Solar Eclipse, please check out The Solar and Lunar Eclipse - Is Any Eclipse Destined to Have Bad Effects?

Past Solar Eclipses

These were all active for 2 to 5 years.

For more about the November 2011 Sagittarius Solar Eclipse with links to the 2011 Gemini Solar Eclipse, please check out The Solar Eclipse at 3 Sagittarius November 24-25, 2011 Pt. 3 - Signs, Sabian Symbols, and What It All Means. (You can follow the internal links in this article to the previous articles about this specific Eclipse.)

For more about the May 2012 Gemini Annular Solar Eclipse, here’s The Solar Eclipse at 1 Gemini May 20-21 2012 Pt. 3 (You can follow the internal links in this article to the previous articles about this specific Eclipse.)

For more about the 2012 Scorpio Total Solar Eclipse, here’s The Total Solar Eclipse at 22 Scorpio Nov 13-14, 2012 Pt. 3 - Signs, Sabian Symbols, and What It All Means. (You can follow the internal links in this article to the previous articles about this specific Eclipse.)

For more about the 2013 Taurus Solar Eclipse, here’s The May 2013 Solar Eclipse in Taurus Pt. 3 – How Will This Lunation Affect Us? (As with the previous links, follow the internal links in this one to the previous articles about this Eclipse)

For more about the 2013 Scorpio Solar Eclipse, here’s A Hybrid Solar Eclipse New Moon in Scorpio Pt. 2 – What’s Happening in November 2013 as well as 2014-2015-2016. (link to pt. 1 at the bottom of that article. Pt. 3 has the Sabian Symbols.)

For more about the 2014 Taurus Solar Eclipse, here's The New Moon Solar Eclipse in Taurus Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in May 2014 (Part 3 elaborates on the Sabian Symbols and other factors.)

For more about the 2014 Scorpio Solar Eclipse, here's The October 2014 Solar Eclipse in Scorpio Pt. 3 – Signs, Sabian Symbols, and What It all Means (Links to other articles on the Eclipse at the bottom of this post.).

For more about the March 2015 Total Solar Eclipse at 30 Pisces, here’s The Total Solar Eclipse at 30 Pisces Pt. 3 (You can follow the internal links in this article to the previous articles about this specific Eclipse.)

These are still active at this time.

For more about the September 2015 Partial Solar Eclipse at 21 Virgo, here’s The Partial Solar Eclipse at 21 Virgo Pt. 3 (though there are no links to previous articles in that Eclipse series, you can find them in the articles posted in the week before this link).

For more about the March 2016 Total Solar Eclipse at 19 Pisces, here’s The Total Solar Eclipse at 19 Pisces Pt. 2 (though there are no links to any other articles in that series, you can find them just before and just after this one.)

For more about the September 2016 Annular Solar Eclipse at 10 Virgo, here’s The Annular Solar Eclipse at 10 Virgo Pt. 2 (though there are links to previous articles in that series, you will have to go to part 3 to find the Sabian symbols, Jones pattern, aspects and more.)

For more about the February 2017 Annular Solar Eclipse at 9 Pisces, here’s The Annular Solar Eclipse on February 26, 2017 at 9 Pisces Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in February-March 2017 (and through 2022!) (You’ll have to go to parts 1 and 3 to find out the Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

For more about the August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse at 29 Leo, here’s The Total Solar Eclipse of August 2017 at 29 Leo Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in August-September 2017 (and through 2022!) (You’ll have to go to parts 1 and 3 to find out the Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

For more about the February 2018 Partial Solar Eclipse at 28 Aquarius, here’s The Partial Solar Eclipse of February 2018 at 28 Aquarius Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in February-March 2018 (and through 2022!) (You’ll have to go to parts 1 and 3 to find out the Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

For more about the July 2018 Partial Solar Eclipse at 21 Cancer, here’s The Partial Solar Eclipse of July 2018 at 21 Cancer Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in July-August 2018 (and through 2020!) (Again, go to parts 1 and 3 to find out the Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

For more about the August 2018 Partial Solar Eclipse at 19 Leo, here’s The Partial Solar Eclipse of August 2018 at 19 Leo Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in August-September 2018 (and through February 2022!) (Parts 1 and 3 have Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

For more about the January 2019 Partial Solar Eclipse at 16 Capricorn, here’s The Partial Solar Eclipse of January 2019 at 16 Capricorn Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in January 2019 (and into 2023!) (Parts 1 and 3 have Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

For more about the July 2019 Total Solar Eclipse at 11 Cancer, here’s The Total Solar Eclipse of July 2019 at 11 Cancer Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in July 2019 (and through Spring 2024!) (Parts 1 and 3 have Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

For more about the December 2019 Annular Solar Eclipse at 5 Capricorn, here’s The Annular Solar Eclipse of December 2019 at 5 Capricorn Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in January 2020 (and through 2025!) (Parts 1 and 3 have Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

In answer to questions about why I don’t include the Lunar Eclipses from years past in this section, it’s because their effects are usually only for a few months, and so they’ve completed their work long before many long lasting Solar Eclipses. If you’re interested, you will always find what I wrote a couple of weeks before or after the Solar Eclipses, depending on when the Lunar Eclipses fell in those years. They’re all in the archives.

See you soon with part 1 of the 3 part series on this Annular Solar Eclipse Solstice New Moon!