The August Solar Eclipse – All that Glitters isn’t Gold
There is something critical about the eclipse!
Though the eclipse is at 20 degrees of Leo, it’s said to be in it’s 21 degree. 21 Leo is a critical degree. The critical degrees are derived from the division of the sky by lunar mansions. It seems like a random number, but it’s a critical degree, and it intensifies the energy of the eclipse!
It’s a south node eclipse, which is always a little more karmic. The south node is also at the critical degree of 29 Leo, making a mini grand trine with Chiron at the critical degree of 0 Taurus and Mars at 0 Cancer.
Hope I didn’t lose you… but through a variety of techniques… these are the astrological critical degrees – highlighting the ones affecting us now:
Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn): 13° and 26°
Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius): 9° and 21°
Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces): 4° and 17°
0 and 29 of any degree
So let’s break this down. Leo is the sign of courage, creativity, and leadership—the sign of the sovereign: kings and queens, emperors and empresses, gods and goddesses. Leo loves fun, attention, and enjoyment—but its shadow is excess – too much fun… like gambling or extreme sports. It is associated with the ego and self-expression. When aligned, Leo radiates confidence and creative vitality; when out of alignment, it can become self-absorbed, entitled, narcissistic, or filled with hubris.
This eclipse is conjunct the Asteroids Isis and Osiris. Isis and Osiris are the great Egyptian couple, and this brings in their story.
In many ways, the story of Osiris is a story about the journey and growth of the ego. The story goes that Osiris was king, and he had a brother named Set who was jealous of him. Set secretly measured Osiris, designed a beautiful, ornate box and at a party challenged everyone that whoever could fit in the box perfectly could keep the box. Of course, it was secretly made to fit Osiris’s measurements, and when Osiris went into the box, the door of it was shut and sealed, and he was sent down the river to die. Isis found him and revived him, making Set furious. To make sure Osiris was really dead, this time Set cut his body into 14 pieces and scattered them throughout the land. Isis again went looking for Osiris and gathered all but one piece, which she could not find. It was his phallus. She revived him, fashioned a phallus out of magic. Osiris stayed alive long enough for Horus to be conceived and born.
The story has many layers, but one is related to the ego, individuation and leadership – a very Leo thing to be sure! Leaders are often in leadership positions because of an internal drive for recognition and power. It’s only a spiritually advanced Leo who has integrated the energy of the opposite pole – Aquarius who leads from the heart and is for the people. The goal of the Leo energy is therefore to separate their ego from external validation – from the applause of the theatre, from the praise of constituents, from the worship of his (or her) throne. Leo’s goal of becoming a heart-centred leader requires deep inner work. In the myth, Osiris jumped into the box tempted by the glitter, in order to fit – in order to be special – and that ultimately leads to his demise and his fall from grace. Leo is ruled by the Sun, and its element is Gold… and it’s important to note at this eclipse that all that glitters is not gold. That beautiful elaborate golden box may be an ego trap!
Osiris then embarks on an underworld journey. Osiris in the underworld represents the journey through the shadows. In ancient times, and even up until medieval times, this journey was imagined as a passage through the seven spheres; each sphere representing a shadow and a lesson for the soul’s growth and ultimate transcendence.
Asteroid Isis is also with the eclipse, and she represents healing fragmentation and restoring wholeness. She is the divine mother, connected to love, magic and devotion. Her presence reminds us of the reliance of the masculine and the feminine on each other in the process of healing. With these two together at the Leo eclipse, we are asked to call on courage, inner sovereignty, masculine and feminine balance and creativity (with a touch of magic).
The Sabian Symbol for the eclipse is Intoxicated domestic birds fly around in dizzy attempts. For that, I leave you with this beautiful story read by Ann Bening. The Birds Who Flew Beyond Time is a children’s book – a modern retelling of the Sufi classic, The Conference of the Birds, by Farid ud-Din Attar. Does each valley represent the shadow of one of the seven planets, one of the seven spheres?
Story Summary:
In *The Birds Who Flew Beyond Time*, the birds must traverse **seven valleys**, each guarded by an invisible monster. These valleys represent the **destructive powers of the wounded psyche**, which are rigid and deadly in their uncomprehending pain (3:01). The journey serves as a metaphor for the human experience, requiring the transformation of these destructive elements before the soul can truly act on behalf of life (3:12).
**The Seven Valleys:**
1. **Valley of Doubt** (22:28): Represented by a thick, stagnant fog that tries to convince the birds they are not good enough or strong enough to succeed (23:38). Moon?
2. **Valley of False Dreams** (26:43): A place of false dreams and intoxicating distractions that lure the birds into a deep sleep, causing them to forget their true purpose (27:15). Mercury?
3. **Valley of Envy** (28:47): Where the monster ensnares the birds in invisible nets created by their own desires to be like others, rather than being true to themselves (29:26). Venus
4. **Valley of Hate** (31:07): A landscape of fire and molten lava that challenges the birds’ ability to overcome past trauma and the cycle of war (31:40). Mars?
5. **Valley of Power** (33:03): Characterized by a cold, empty landscape where the monster offers control and dominance to distract from the quest (33:43). Sun?
6. **Valley of Cruelty** (35:34): Where the birds must confront their own capacity for harm, facing the manifestations of their past violent actions (35:43). Jupiter?
7. **Valley of Despair** (38:27): The final and most difficult trial, where the monster uses the birds’ own voices to convince them that the quest is useless and that nothing lies beyond the darkness (39:41). Saturn?
Video by Ann Baring
Happy Solar Eclipse in Leo!