The Christmas Eclipse and Other Invisibilities

By M. Kelley Hunter

The cosmic cycles provide a holiday treat this Christmas. Don’t expect a shining star in the East, though, only a partial eclipse of the Sun. Occurring at 12:22 p.m. EST over North and Central America, the effects will be very subtle. A partial eclipse of the Sun is nowhere near as dramatic as a total eclipse. There is little noticeable change in daylight. Still, an eclipse of any sort is noteworthy and mythic, rather like an exclamation point of the year. And it makes this Christmas a little more special.

An eclipse is an enhanced New Moon that occurs near the point where the path of the Moon crosses the path of the Sun, in alignment with the Earth. A New Moon signals the beginning or seeding period of the lunar cycle each month. The eclipse underlines the importance of this particular New Moon in the overall cycle of the year. This New Moon is in Capricorn, a pragmatic earth sign, addresses our immediate experience and how we structure in our reality. The eclipse suggests some shift in this reality.

The planetary pattern of this eclipse has some unusual features, most notably involving Mercury, which is exactly conjunct (joined with) the New Moon. It is in "superior" conjunction, behind the Sun from our point of view. Mercury, the trickster god, is playing hide and seek. A very close conjunction is called "combust," an aptly fiery phrase which means that the energy of that planet is lost in the light of the Sun and therefore weaker, according to classical usage. And when the planet is exactly conjunct, as in this case, it is called "cazimi," a word coined by the Magi, as Arabic astronomer-astrologers were called. It is as if Mercury, the Messenger of the Gods, is reborn in the heart of the Sun as it travels to the far side of the Sun, and receives new cosmic information. (Did you see the Star Trek movie with the whales, in which they went around the Sun and time-traveled backwards, re-making history?) Mythically Mercury is the one god who can come and go into all realms. In this case, perhaps it goes through a kind of black hole created by the shadow of the eclipse and disappears into another reality for a brief moment. What messages will it bring back? How will this impact our lives?

Mercury symbolizes the cognitive function, which is key to our experience of reality. How we think and what words we use to describe our experience largely condition our reality. This is the power of the Word. Even in science, underlying assumptions and preconceptions are made that shape scientific interpretation of reality. What is "real" in a world of whirling electrons that shape-shift from particles to waves, flashing in and out of "reality" like sunlight on the water. (Or, in other words, who really won the election?) This eclipse suggests that our experience of reality is going through a subtle change that may challenge our assumptions. Eclipses come in pairs and this New Moon eclipse is followed by a total eclipse of the Full Moon on January 9. We had our turn to see a total lunar eclipse last year; this first eclipse of 2001 favors the Eastern hemisphere. Though invisible to us, we will feel its effects, as the eclipsed Moon in Cancer gives birth to continuing altered realities. This really IS the new millennium now.

Now, if you want to see a holiday star, Venus is a good choice. We’ll continue to see that shining star in the West after sunset well into the spring. But I must tell you, for the December 25 eclipse, Venus has an invisible companion. With a telescope, you can see the Uranus, the "oddball" planet, right alongside Venus. This planetary combination, in the sign of Aquarius, enjoys a surprise, likes change, and is all about brotherly/sisterly love and community spirit. Any way that awakens open-hearted love is welcome.

One way that I witnessed recently was a ceremony in Boulder, Colorado. For ten days four Tibetan monks from an ancient Buddhist lineage had been creating a sand mandala, an intricate work of art made with powdered marble and colored sand. An offering ceremony with prayers to the Medicine Buddha was made and then the mandala was swept up and put in vessels. A procession, heralded with flags, conch horn and incense, proceeded several blocks to Boulder Creek. After more prayers, the head monk poured the sand into the water. It was a lovely fall day, with golden aspens shimmering in the light breeze. I took a mental photograph of the monk, in his maroon and gold robes and gold crested ceremonial hat, standing on a rock in the creek, ducks swimming nearby. As he poured the rainbow sand out of the silver urn, it radiated in ripples gilded by the sun, as if he were standing in a circle of light. He was like a living Aquarius, the Water Bearer, pouring blessings. The sand was received by the water spirits, who would disperse the blessings of the Medicine Buddha along the flow of Boulder Creek. I brought a bit of the sand back to give to the Caribbean sea. Holidays are any day that we make special. Best wishes for happy holidays and a joyous New Year.

Internationally-known astrologer Kelley Hunter is a resident of St. John,

US Virgin Islands, where she leads star gazing nights and is studying for

her Ph.D. in world cosmologies. To be on her e-mail list for occasional

articles or for an astrology consultation, write her at

kellhunter@earthlink.net.

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