In Te Pito te Henua there is a sacred ceremonial location called Orongo. At Orongo sits a large almost perfectly round stone and four other stones surrounding it that are said to be aligned with the solstices and equinoxes. If you were scientifically inclined you might pull out your compass, but the locals would advise you of its futility…. your compass will spin and point you in the wrong direction. Here the land, the locals, the culture and the traditions hold more power than science. Long ago at this location stood another important stone. One made of hard basalt rock. Beautifully carved with ornate markings of birds, lines and circles, this stone was highly significant to the locals – it held their ancestor’s spirit (mana). The Rapa Nui called these stones Moai. And where this particular beautifully carved Maoi stood at the ceremonial location of Orongo is now empty. In 1868 it was taken. On one of their colonial voyages exploring and conquering the world, the English arrived on the island, searched for the stone, dug it up and took this most valued Moai to England. There, they gave it to Queen Victoria as a gift. Its name is Hoa Hakananai’a which means “stollen one”.
The New Moon Solar eclipse on October 2, 2024, is happening at Libra at 10° and will bring up the themes of, fairness, Justice, and balance. It will focus on negotiations, mediation and peacekeeping. Libra is the sign of relationships, And if these more favourable positions cannot be found, it may bring war. Eclipses are times of sudden changes and a new moon eclipse often brings with it changes that mark the beginning of a new cycle.
This eclipse on October 2 is a south node eclipse meaning that it will bring up the past. The eclipse itself will darken over the Pacific Ocean with the best views from southern Argentina, Chile and Te Pito te Henua, which you may know as Easter Island.
Bernadette Brady in her book The Eagle and the Lark, interprets eclipses based on the originating eclipse, and this eclipse she interprets to be involved with loss. If we look into all of the aspects of the story of Hoa Hakananai’a and the island of Te Pito te Henua we can get a feel for the energy of this eclipse… loss can be both good and bad!
The eclipse is conjunct the dwarf planet MakeMake, which can help us feel a good loss. Makemake, is the creator god of the Rapa Nui, the people of Te Pito te Henua. MakeMake taught them fishing and agriculture; in astrology, MakeMake is often connected with environmentalism. Many astrologers may say this environmental energy is because the islanders cut down all of the trees, which is true. And they will mistakenly believe that this led to the island’s downfall, which it didn’t. It was likely that it was Makemake who taught them the elaborate system of rock gardening, also called Lithic mulching, that the trees were cut down to establish. It was this form of farming on this tiny island out in the middle of nowhere that established farming that helped to release needed minerals into the soil, conserving and improving soil fertility and regulating temperatures. This sustainable form of farming allowed them to grow food for survival on an island with no rivers. In addition, the Moai were built, placed and marked fresh underground water. The loss of trees, and the wise use of the resources that existed, counter to our judgmental thinking, brought life and subsistence, allowing the inhabitants to thrive for hundreds of years. The downfall of the inhabitants of Easter Island and the Rapa Nui culture was not the Rapa Nui or any of their practices, It was the colonialists who brought disease, stole their land and destroyed their culture.
In English, Te Pito te Henua means the navel of the world. Spiritually, a navel is associated with emotions, digestion, and the overall well-being of the body. It is from this place that we were nourished by our mothers while in the womb. The navel of the earth, therefore, can be said to be the central location of the earth’s nourishment, affecting the emotions, digestion and overall well-being of the earth. Every loss meant a gain. But as mentioned at the beginning not all loss bad and not all are good. The loss of Hoa Hakananai’a was not only a loss of an ancestor but also likely a loss of a divinely coordinated system of support for the islanders.
This eclipse is not just about bringing balance and justice to land, culture, relationships and the environment. It is also about balancing our thinking. This is because the eclipse is also conjunct Mercury. To balance our thinking, it helps to release shame, guilt, or on the other hand, self-righteousness. If your ancestors were the colonialist. Let it go. If you were the harmed party. Let it go. Letting go can also feel like a loss. It’s oddly delicious to hold on to self-righteousness and even more oddly delicious to hold on to guilt. But these are two polarities that will never bring balance. To transmute this energy, use the sacred apology or a humility prayer.
The eclipse is also conjunct asteroid Astraea. Astraea is the goddess of Justice. She was said to be the last of the immortals to withdraw from Earth before it declined into chaos. She was turned into the constellation of Virgo. When she returns it will signal the beginning of a new epoch – a golden age characterized by peace, harmony and prosperity. Astrologically Astraea is about integration and wholeness. She is a divine order and can symbolize a restoration to an ideal. Astraea encourages us to work on ourselves before presenting and entering into negotiations, mediations or relationship discussions. She encourages us to first find a balance within.
The challenge will be that the solar eclipse is also squaring Mars in Cancer and Ceres in Capricorn. Mars in Cancer will make us feel like defending and protecting the things we care about, while Ceres in Capricorn feels nurtured by structure and responsibility. Both of them making squares to the eclipse will make us feel quick-tempered, intolerant and ready to fight for our causes. We might push hard for others to take responsibility, reminding them that if they cared they would. However, we can over-shoot the mark and cause resistance or even war thereby defeating our own purposes.
The ruler of the eclipse is Venus in Scorpio bringing an intensity to this eclipse. We want to trust and experience deep authenticity with others and in our relationships. The eclipse is asking us on a deep level to prepare our hearts for such a relationship; both in our personal lives and in the world a large.
The Sabian symbol is a “professor peering over his classes.” This symbol reminds us that will will need to look over and beyond what we think we know to see and engage with those in front of us. We are reminded that it’s often those who need to learn who teach, and that relationship is more than being right, it’s about engaging with and seeing others’ points of view.
Happy Solar Eclipse in Libra.