The unusual celestial phenomena of summer 2018 (the 3 eclipses, humongous Mars etc.)!

As most of you know, we are currently under the spell of the notorious "Capricorn climax". Of a kind of "massive planetary turbulence" that is getting ever more stronger and that will influence our world even more intensely in the next two years (2019 - 2020)! Apart though from this "Capricorn climax", which is setting the general tone of our times, we are additionally experiencing this summer some unusual celestial phenomena that are showering Earth with extra cosmic "energies"!


One of these phenomena is planet Mars that in the last few weeks has (visibly) become huge in our skies, UNUSUALLY BIG in respect to its average look! There is nothing abnormal or metaphysical there. Due to its eccentric course, sometimes Mars comes much closer to Earth and looks bigger than usual. Quite rarely though it gets as close and it appears as big as now! It happened back in 2003, when the red planet came as close to Earth as it has never been in the last 60.000 years! And now we are experiencing the red planet's second closest approach to Earth, in our times! You may see below an image comparing Mars' relative magnitude on January 1st, 2018 (on the left) in respect to the one of July 31st, 2018 (on the right), when according to the astronomers it will reach its maximum magnitude:

Undoubtedly Mars is the predominant body in our skies this summer, appearing like a reddish, flaming spot on the firmament! It is so bright that it is even surpassing giant Jupiter in brightness! Back in the summer of 2003 (when Mars was equally bright) Europe was scorched by unprecedented heatwaves and temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, causing hundreds of deaths! This summer we are already experiencing similar high temperatures in northern Europe, Canada, Japan etc.

The second unusual phenomenon that I would like to mention has probably gone unnoticed by the astrological community but I personally consider it important: planet Pluto that is now "aligning" for the first time after 87 whole years with the plane of our Solar System (you may see below Pluto's "oblique" orbit in purple)!

Pluto (which as you see above is moving eccentrically in respect to the rest of our Solar System) is about to intersect in a few days (on July 12, as some astronomers claim) the "plane" of our Solar System (where our Earth and more or less the rest of the  planets are sitting on). This cosmic "intersection" will occur now, for the first time after 87 whole years, at Pluto's South Node (look at the caption "Pluto in 2018", on the image above). From that date on, the "god of the underworld" will begin to move below the level of the Ecliptic. The last time Pluto's orbit intersected the plane of our Solar System was in 1931 - while its next orbital intersection will occur in 161 years (in 2179 CE).

In addition, this summer we are about to experience a triad of eclipses (which are particularly significant to my own country, Greece. Thus, I will mainly focus my study here on how Greece will be influenced by the current eclipses)!


                                    The triad of the summer eclipses!

The relatively rare "triad" of the upcoming summer eclipses seems to be crucial for Greece. The last time a similar set of eclipses (solar - lunar - solar) occurred was in 2011, when a massive wave of demonstrations of the so called "indignant" citizens was shaking Athens! Other periods during which similar "summer triads" of eclipses occurred in the recent past were the year 2000 (when the Greeks experienced the precipitous fall of the their Stock Exchange, when the Greece - EEC Monetary Union took place, when the ferry boat "Express Samaina" was tragically sinked). Further back in the past, the year 1982 (when PASOK, a socialist party, won for the first time ever the Greek elections and when Athens was living the aftermath of the deadly "Alkyonides" earthquake).

Another similar triad of eclipses had occurred in 1971, at the height of the totalitarianism of the military junta that was ruling back then Greece (with thousands of people sent by the regime to prison or exile). The "cradle of democracy" was totally isolated then from the rest of the world, as most countries were condemning the regime of the colonels, denying any kind of formal exchange with Greece. And there is another element connecting us to 1971: that was the immediately previous time that planet Mars was retrograding in the sign of Aquarius (exactly as it is currently doing).


                                        The Partial Solar Eclipse of July 13th        

Let's start with the Solar Eclipse that will occur next Friday, July 13 (see its chart below, set for the coordinates of Athens, Greece). It is taking place at the 20th degree of Cancer and it is tightly opposing (in a perfect, "partile" aspect) the deeply transformative and even fatal we may say planet Pluto! That's something we should take in serious consideration! 

In addition, this eclipse will occur under a "Super-Moon" condition (meaning that the Moon during the eclipse will be located in one of its closest points to Earth, in its elliptic orbit around it). So, this "Super-Moon" is somehow adding stamina to the entire eclipse!
 

Regarding Greece, this Solar Eclipse is triggering the axis of the First and Seventh Houses (in the eclipse's chart). Moreover, the "Lights" (Sun - Moon) of the eclipse are opposing the Sun of Greece (located at 22 degrees Capricorn, in its "national horoscope")! 

If you look at the chart of the eclipse and notice the blue lines (that stand for "harmonic planetary aspects") you will realize that a loose "star of David"pattern is formed in it! This particular pattern is interconnecting planets that are either in signs of Earth or of Water, in feminine signs that is! In fact, at the time of the eclipse, the only planets located in masculine signs are Mercury in Leo and Mars in Aquarius! Undoubtedly the feminine energy will play a leading role now! And since this loose "star of  David" formation is somehow opening up invisible "cosmic gates", interconnecting different places and situations, we should be both prudent now and ready to seize any opportunity unexpectedly presented to us (when major "cosmic trines" - like the ones prevailing in this Eclipse - are formed the flow of the energies becomes smoother and prolific). 

We shouldn't forget though that eclipses often create instability and fickleness. Thus, on the one hand, we will be given now opportunities to raise and evolve! On the other hand though, any eventual downhills will become very slippery now and if we behave hastily or superficially we may experience a major fall - or even catastrophic events! 

Since this eclipse is "falling" in the "First House" (of the chart set for Athens) it becomes critical to Greece, as it is apparently challenging its own identity! It has somehow to do with its very existence and independence. Apparently, some major challenges are undermining now the vital potential of Greece and its "personality" and "identity" seem to be in jeopardy! It is urgent therefore for this country to confront any challenges, to dynamically stand out - casting away any eventual elements restraining it - and display its full potential and stature!

The overwhelmingly "cancerian" element of this eclipse (for the geographic co-ordinates of Greece) and the diametrically opposing to its "Lights" planet Pluto are constituting in my opinion an absolutely critical conjuncture, which is profoundly affecting the roots and the very hearths of the Greeks! These elements might trigger some kind of "uprooting" and an overall "identity crisis"! Undoubtedly, the Greeks need to be united and very vigilant now! They should act dynamically in order to overcome adversities and claim back their "hearths", their history and tradition!

Moreover, the presence of Pluto in the "Seventh House" of the eclipse will probably bring some turbulence over the diplomatic relations of Greece. Things may become intense among this country and foreign powers that until recently were allied to it and that may become hostile now!


                                         The Lunar Eclipse of  July 27th

On July 27, the second eclipse will occur. It will be a Lunar one (see its chart below). We are talking here about a powerful lunar eclipse that will last longer than any other lunar eclipse in the entire 21st century (for almost 4 whole hours an ominous reddish Moon will be transiting through the shadow of Earth)!

It is an eclipse that will occur on a critical axis (on the very first degrees of Leo and Aquarius) that is directly linked to the Sun in Greece's "post-junta" chart (on the very first degrees of Leo). In addition, this axis is strongly influencing the chart of the (leonine) Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras!

The outlook of this eclipse seems quite explosive, as the Moon will be forming then a conjunction with the fiery and bellicose planet Mars (visibly aggrandized in our days) and a square aspect with the subversive planet Uranus!


                                   The annular Solar Eclipse of August 11th

The third (and last) eclipse of this summer's triad is the annular Solar one that will occur on August 11th (see its chart below. It is cast for the coordinates of Athens, Greece). This particular eclipse is somehow echoing the "apocalyptic" eclipse of August 11th, 1999, which preceded the deadly earthquake of Athens (it will occur at exactly the same degree - Leo's 18th - and will bear the very same Ascendant: Scorpio!) I'm not implying here that there will definitely be a major earthquake again. I am merely emphasizing the fact that this eclipse has a special symbolic meaning for the people of Greece. It may not literally cause an earthquake, but it may trigger some kind of "earthquake scale events" in this Mediterranean country.

We may realize how important this eclipse is to Greece by simply noticing the fact that its "Lights" (Sun - Moon) are located almost at the highest point of the chart, in the Tenth House! This is a crucial element, somehow stating that Greece is about to stand out in some way, it might distinguish itself publicly (or it might get exposed)! But we cannot be sure when exactly, because the effects of a Solar Eclipse might extend to several months before and after the very date of the eclipse! In any case, major shifts will take place now in relation to the "backbone" of Greece, to the infrastructures of this country, to its "administrative trunk" and its government!

Eclipses signal the ending of old cycles and the beginning of new ones. They emit torrential "energies", speeding up procedures that would otherwise take much longer to complete. Therefore, we may soon see radical changes in the Greek government or major developments regarding the international "image" of Greece.

Similar conclusions are stemming out from the fact that the Ascendant of the eclipse's chart is the deeply transforming and fatal Scorpio. The planet that rules Scorpio is Pluto, which is currently intersecting the plane of our Solar System. Furthermore, Pluto is forming now a quincunx aspect (150 degrees) with the "Lights" of the eclipse (Sun - Moon). This aspect speaks of an intense backdrop, of some critical but invisible processes taking now place behind the "scenes". There is a need now for a profound adjustment in our lives, for a radical overhaul of our everyday reality.

Moreover, planet Mercury is in conjunction with the "Lights" of the eclipse, triggering a climate of instability, mutation and change. Mercury will bring to the fore issues of interconnection and coordination, issues related to travel, communications and trade. It will affect institutions and organizations having to do with younger people and teenagers in particular.

On an astronomical level now, the solar eclipse of August 11th, 2018 belongs to the "Saros" series number 155. That's a rather "fresh" Saros series, having its starting point in 1928. That specific year was a landmark to modern Greek history. Prime Minister Venizelos secured back then some major war compensations from Germany, thanks to which he financed a series of gargantuan public works that radically transformed Greece! On the other hand, in 1928 Greece was territorially "amputated", as it was forced to concede two of its major islands (Imvros and Tenedos) to Turkey.

Since this eclipse is taking place in a Fire sign like Leo (an extremely "ardent" one) and is combined with the overwhelming presence of planet Mars in our skies (with Mars currently appearing blazingly reddish and humongous) the August 11th eclipse is likely to trigger unusually high temperatures, prolonged heatwaves or unprecedented wildfires.

Thomas Gazis
Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis