A solar eclipse follows a lunar eclipse like night follows day, and this month’s solar eclipse in Gemini follows last month’s ‘Blood Moon’. This solar eclipse is an ‘annular’ – or partial – solar eclipse known as a ‘Ring of Fire’ eclipse because the edge of the Sun is visible around the Moon’s shadow. All eclipses are big astrological events and solar eclipses are especially so. In the hierarchy of astrological influences, a solar eclipse is at the top of the list.
We have some big news stories in the heavens at present so this solar eclipse has some big noises to overcome. With Mercury retrograde in Gemini, Saturn retrograde in Aquarius and that Saturn-Uranus Square looming over us for the whole year, my immediate feeling is that this solar eclipse is here to knock a few heads together. Stuff happens when a solar eclipse is in town. So in this post, I’m going to look at what the solar eclipse in Gemini is telling us – and when a solar eclipse speaks it’s a good idea to listen.
What is a Solar Eclipse?
First the technical stuff. A solar eclipse occurs when the Earth is in the Moon’s shadow which blocks out the Sun’s light during a new moon. So, a solar eclipse is a new moon – but not all new moons are solar eclipses. For a solar eclipse to occur, the Earth, Sun and Moon have to be in alignment. You would think that they are in alignment every new moon – but not so. The orbital planes of the Earth around the Sun and the Moon around the Earth need to align on the ecliptic plane – and that happens only a few times a year – and in certain conditions.
As with many things, it’s all in the timing. The Moon crosses the ecliptic at the Moon’s Nodes twice per draconic month (approximately every 27 days) and a new moon occurs once in every synodic month (approx. every 29 days). So, for a solar eclipse to occur, those events need to coincide. This can only happen during ‘eclipse seasons’ which can result in between two and five solar eclipses each year – most of which will be partial, as there can be no more than two total solar eclipses a year. This solar eclipse in Gemini is a partial eclipse.
What Does a Solar Eclipse Mean?
In ancient times a solar eclipse, darkening the sky during daylight hours, was considered an ill omen. However, astrology has moved on , and now we look at solar eclipses as extremely significant events that often mark a shift between one state of being and another – in other words, they can draw the line between the past and the future. So, solar eclipses may signify important new beginnings – and, of course, the events that trigger those fresh starts.
So, when we look at this solar eclipse in Gemini in detail, we would associate the eclipse with new beginnings and events that reflect the sign of the eclipse. With Gemini, the focus is on information and communication. Things come to light when there is a solar eclipse. For example, an event may be information that has previously been hidden suddenly appearing in the public domain, or it may be a more personal and internalised moment of realisation.
Of course, such things are often connected as events trigger responses. However, with a solar eclipse such events represent a turning point in life – and sometimes in history too – which is why solar eclipses were so feared. It’s not that the events themselves are necessarily bad – it’s knowing that change is coming. We often fear change rather more than we embrace it. Let’s take a look at the chart and see what this solar eclipse in Gemini may have in store for us.
Solar Eclipse in Gemini: The Chart
When we look at the chart we can see some important themes begin to develop. The eclipse is conjunct Mercury retrograde in Gemini so we may need to look closely at information during this time as all may not be as it seems. There is also a trine aspect to Saturn retrograde in Aquarius and this connects the eclipse to the tense standoff between Saturn and Uranus that is causing such instability right now. However it’s the square aspect to Neptune that grabs me most of all as ‘information’ and ‘deception’ are clearly at odds with each other…
Solar Eclipse in Gemini: The Aspects
Let’s take a closer look at the aspects. The strong ‘Mutable’ and ‘Air’ emphasis in the chart suggests that events may lead us to reappraise the things we see and hear, the information we consume and the way we communicate – both at a personal and societal level. This requires flexibility and mental adaptability, but the problem may be that those qualities are in short supply right now. With two aspected planets in important retrograde periods, there is the feeling the lid may be blown off something – the question is what?
Solar Eclipse in Gemini Conjunct Mercury Retrograde
Mercury retrograde in Gemini is currently making us look at things in a different light. Everything from filing late tax returns, overlooked payments, allegations of fraud and corruption, ‘the big lie’ and any number of plans and proposals changed at the last minute are a real feature of this particular Mercury retrograde – and that seems to be applying on a large and small scale. However, in conjunction with the solar eclipse in Gemini, there’s a real push to change things because the tipping point may have been reached.
Does the solar eclipse suggest that ‘enough is enough’? That’s a real possibility. It’s impossible to consider this solar eclipse in Gemini in anything other than the context in which it occurs. Mercury rules Gemini – and Mercury is the trickster – so in a world where words and meaning have become duplicitous and divorced from actions and responsibilities, is there a point at which people say ‘enough’? What kind of event, or speech , or lie could cause such a reaction? Think about the pandemic restrictions for instance. Or promises made and not kept. Or double standards.
The solar eclipse conjunct Mercury retrograde may show a few things up for what they are – and this could trigger a turning point. People tend to endure such things for only so long. Whether it’s a personal decision based on the things you have learned – or the lessons you have been taught – or whether it’s on a much grander scale that affects us all (such as a demand for more honesty in public life, for example) the combination of two important astrological events could prove to be a game changer.
Solar Eclipse in Gemini Square Neptune
The reference to ‘honesty in public life’ brings me to the square aspect to Neptune. I wrote about Neptune’s transit in Pisces recently, and the potential for lies and deception or delusion in particular. The transit of Neptune through Pisces has been associated with a number of things, from the pandemic to ‘the big lie’ and, without going over old ground, we can safely say it’s a transit that has sown more confusion that the world has seen for a long time.
The square to Neptune from the solar eclipse in Gemini shows that Neptune’s issues are looming large in both the collective consciousness – and in our own lives too. A square aspect is a dynamic aspect – so it’s one that demands action even when it involves the notoriously passive Neptune. We may have a turning point, for example, where the pandemic is concerned – hopefully in the positive sense – and of course an event like that affects us collectively and individually. Perhaps there will be an announcement or major decision. And we will need to consider our own responses carefully when that occurs.
When this solar eclipse in Gemini aspects Neptune in Pisces, it’s important because both planets are strong in their own signs. It’s an aspect that demands clarity, largely because clarity has been in short supply. Mercury retrograde in the mix simply emphasises what I said earlier – the eclipse shows where we need to re-evaluate how and why we have arrived at this point. However, there is also a real danger of even more lies and obfuscation with this aspect – and that’s something we need to be aware of too.
Solar Eclipse in Gemini Trine Saturn
Saturn is astrological code for ‘reality check’, and has recently turned retrograde in Aquarius. When Saturn turns retrograde, it’s often possible to obtain some much needed clarity as Saturn retrograde offers us a period where we can reconsider our actions and ideas – and with the solar eclipse in Gemini, it’s our ideas and words that are under review. So, this is an aspect that makes it easy to look closer at the mixed messages we’ve been getting in the recent past – and hold the purveyors of those messages to account. Saturn is the ‘Lord of karma” after all.
So, when the solar eclipse in Gemini makes an ‘easy’ contact to retrograde Saturn we may find that people are held to account. It’s time for serious thinking – and serious arguments. It’s also time to evaluate new ideas and new information to see if it means what we think it means. Words have consequences and when the solar eclipse in Gemini trines Saturn, the consequences of things said and done are what we need to be concerned with.
This may be particularly so when we factor in the Saturn-Uranus square. Although Uranus is not directly connected to the solar eclipse in Gemini, the Saturn-Uranus transiting square is the ‘background noise’ in the heavens for this year. If you’ve noticed the tensions going on in the world (and there are a few…) then it probably hasn’t escaped your attention that tensions tend to come to a head, sooner or later. The solar eclipse may mean that ‘sooner’ has just become more likely. Or has it? Saturn has a habit of delaying things, so it may be safer to say that a day of reckoning is inevitable rather than close at hand.
How the Solar Eclipse in Gemini Affects You
So, who is likely to be affected by the solar eclipse in Gemini? In many ways we will all be affected by it – even if it’s indirectly . However, even a partial solar eclipse is one of astrology’s most powerful events and those of us with important planets or points in Gemini, the Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) or the Air signs (Gemini, Aquarius, Libra) will feel the reverberations from this particular solar eclipse the most.
This may seem a little unfair as it will tend to affect a similar cohort as last month’s lunar eclipse. However, if you were affected by the lunar eclipse, the solar eclipse may offer you some respite. As it represents a break with the past, the solar eclipse in Gemini may give you the opportunity to get your head around new conditions, new enterprises or any of the major changes in your life triggered by the lunar eclipse.
Nothing happens in isolation, so use this time to reflect on your own plans and ideas, observe what ‘s going on in the world and maybe take things a little more seriously than you used to. The message of this solar eclipse seems to be this. Beware of taking words at face value and always read the small print. A little healthy scepticism goes a long way when you hear about things that are either too good to be true, or seem to promise you the earth. if you want to be able to trust your judgment, you need to know the facts, not the sales pitch. And that’s the truth.
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© Sara Shipman 2021
Picture Credit: Image by Joseph Woodall from Pixabay
