The Solar Eclipse in Aries (30th April 2022)

I have been thinking a fair bit about the quality of light and darkness. We inadvertently promote religious binaries between light and dark. While Mr. Light is the good guy who tells the truth (though the sun IS our soul -- our atmakaraka), Mr. Dark is the bad egg, friendly with creepy underworld peeps, who hunt at the waterhole in the night. But reality is more complicated. Mr. Light also conceals big-time, while Mr. Dark reveals much of what Mr. Light conceals. Many things become invisible and obliterated by too much light, and planets too close to the sun (5 degrees on either side) become combust -- visible only in the evening sky till the duration of their combustion.

The eclipse on the 30th of April 2022 (visible mostly in the Antarctica region) had the moon (or Rahu, the north node of the moon) cover up to 64% of the sun. Astrologers call this a partial eclipse (anshik suryagrahan). Partial is a misnomer here, since 45% light reveals different things than does 50% or 75%. Every half a degree of light makes a difference. So 'partial' has no real meaning. Think of Albert Einstein and the solar eclipse in May 1919 that allowed him to 'see' the sun's corona and other planets. Now the 30th April eclipse was in Aries, in Bharani nakshatra that is ruled by Venus. So, the question is: did anyone suddenly 'see' anything new? Did we receive a small/ big piece of sudden information? Did this discovery of that one missing piece transform the elaborate jigsaw we were putting together, allowing us to 'see' it for the first time, as how it was all along: a bit lopsided? Or maybe we already knew this inside, but refused to admit it? And now we cannot un-see it. In any case, before we undo and redo, we need to process this new info, understand where that piece fits, and what it means (if at all) -- maybe it belongs to another jigsaw puzzle from last year after all! For many of us, holding this sudden piece of wanted/ unwanted info, gives rise to a feeling of helplessness. And this helplessness is caused by the awful condition of Mars (especially, if you have a Mars-dominant personal chart).

Saturn, the great Oz in Aquarius currently casts a jaundiced eye over Aries. Aries is Mars's favorite house (mooltrikona), where Saturn is debilitated. Saturn hates Mars and Aries with gusto, with added Tabasco sauce venom. He is presently also conjoins Mars in Aquarius (Saturn's own mooltrikona co-lorded by Rahu). Mars is weak in Saturn's mooltrikona. Meanwhile Rahu, co-lording Aquarius with Saturn, has just obliterated more than half of the Sun with a resounding YeeHaw, just as the sun tentatively reached exaltation in Aries. Mars is now entirely cornered, and imprisoned by Saturn, pummeled sick by the Tabasco poured unrelenting onto Aries -- where the Sun is now a sitting duck. Rahu has, hence, just given us all a sudden jolt-y taste of Saturn's venom -- allowing the Tabasco to seep through wherever Aries falls in your personal chart. This revelation big or small feels cruel and helpless right now. But not all is lost. Remember, Venus the planetary lord of Bharani nakshatra? Who is exalted and conjunct with Jupiter in Pisces? Though the small piece of info we are suddenly privy to, is real enough, it is important to remember, that it is not the entire truth. Let us not overestimate the importance of Mr. Dark either. Let's have faith instead. Let's watch, wait, and mull it over. Repeat in a loop ad-nauseam, till things become clearer. Soon, war-ravaged Mars will tumble into the arms of Jupiter in Pisces (mid-May). Jupiter is Mars's friend (param mitra), and Pisces is just about to be transformed into a war clinic where Jupiter will tend to Mars's wounds. By June beginning, Saturn will turn retrograde, lose interest in Mars, and return to Capricorn (another one of his previous houses) to wrap up old, unfinished business there (more on that later). Mars will soon be free, and resuscitated by Jupiter's care, will blaze into Aries -- his own mooltrikona (more on that later). The only caveat here is, he will encounter Rahu over there in Aries, the provocateur and manipulator par-excellence, who may push Mars into undertaking unnecessary battles.

Frankly, Jupiter is feeling this tremendous heat too -- holding on to what is his own house (daddy-o in basement, enjoying jazz, retro sports shows, grandfather chair, and swilling whisky), trapped between two awful neighbors, who are almost tearing his friend Mars apart. Indian astrologers call this the paap-kartari-yoga -- a death-like pincer grip that produces loneliness, unlawful avarice, and anger. Things feel a bit insurmountable for some of us currently -- as we are hardly able to disconnect ourselves from the drama that the sudden piece of information produces. But it is not insurmountable. By mid-May, after the lunar eclipse is over, that little piece of info we just discovered, will either gain more context and momentum, or fade away into insignificance.

A note to self: it may be important, NOT to elicit fresh or additional information until the lunar eclipse is over. The moon waxes giving us confidence. But just as it reaches full strength at 2 degrees in Scorpio (Vishakha nakshatra ruled by Jupiter), the earth's shadow (south lunar node, or Ketu) obliterates it from the sun. While lunar eclipses are a treat to watch in the night sky, if not cloudy (I have watched a fair few in Germany), Ketu can be a pretty sudden and radical guy. I am not too fond of his intensity (more on Ketu and the Ketu eclipse later). It would perhaps be important to gain strength without too much optimism, watching what unfolds carefully, being strategic, being accepting and philosophical about whatever comes, and being prepared. Let the information flow in as unhurriedly as possible. Hurrying it up with an urgency to understand the bigger truth, arrive at the larger picture, or reach closure, will prove premature now. It will only lead to more confusion and anxiety. Patience, precious! I hope the day can still be saved by a very narrow margin for some of us. Keep optimistic, cling to daddy-o Jupiter (under whose lordship the lunar eclipse takes place), and remain vigilant (more on Vishakha later)! Follow your heart, says Vishakha, whose image is the bifurcating tree branch. Take that other road if you really want it, but know that people will also follow their hearts. You will have to be democratic and accept that justice has been served, at least for now. Ketu is not to be trifled with! But it is finally he, who will finally complete the cycle of knowledge!