Instead we explain how it works to our children, view it with protective devices to preserve our eyesight and know exactly how long it will last. Our scientists have measured its duration down to the millisecond.
Nevertheless, if you have ever stood outside and watched a solar eclipse, I think you will agree with me that it remains an event of tremendous power. Slowly, the sun turns dark, but it is a strange, uncanny darkness. The great ruler of the day is still high in the sky, but momentarily overshadowed by the ruler of the night. The universe seems to turn inside out for a few brief moments. What does it mean?
Astrology tells us that a solar eclipse is a time to get in touch with our deepest intuitions. As the moon blocks the sun, it also blocks the normal solar vibrations that flood our mind. During this time, the earth is in shadow. This is a time when we can look into the subconscious, and when that which has been hidden or repressed will come into the light.
With the light of the sun blocked, a brief doorway in time is opened for the earth to receive deeper energies from the galaxies beyond our solar system. Specifically, the earth receives a powerful dose of energy from whatever sign the sun and moon are in when the eclipse occurs.
One of the interesting ways astrologers apply this concept to your personal chart is by looking at your prenatal solar eclipse for clues to your path to self-fulfillment.
What is a prenatal eclipse? Quite simply, solar eclipses occur on a regular cycle approximately every six months. So there was a solar eclipse sometime during the period when you were in your mother's womb. This is called your prenatal eclipse. It is almost like a special gift from the universe - an extraordinary understanding about the energies of the sign where the eclipse fell. But with every gift, there is also responsibility.
To find out where your prenatal solar eclipse falls in your chart, you can look in an ephemeris, looking back from your date of birth to find the solar eclipse that occurred before you were born. A lot of the astrological software available nowadays will also calculate the prenatal solar eclipse. Or you can ask an astrologer to find it for you.
