Using Astrology and Eclipses to Reassess Difficult Past Events
by Jude Cowell
Sometimes as we look back on our lives at sobering or difficult events, we find that the use of Astrology can aid us in gaining a better or more realistic perspective on them and our role during that period of time. Such is the case with an unfortunate period and event in my own life, the story of which may help demonstrate how one's Prenatal Solar Eclipse (PE) brings insight. In this case, my Prenatal Solar Eclipse manifested upon a malevolent degree while simultaneously conjoining two fixed stars associated with misfortune and tragedy. The astrological details can describe particular factors in the events of which we are most often not the master.
Not to bum you out, of course, but to illustrate that the time-tested admonition to Know Thyself--which can helpfully include knowing or studying one's natal horoscope--is useful for providing clarity on people and events in retrospect--events which were painful to 'make sense of' at the time become clearer using the lens of Astrology and the background influences of Solar (and Lunar) Eclipses which describe the 'cosmic weather' of the time.
First, here is an image of the 4 South Solar Eclipse which occurred @19Sco45 on November 12, 1966 set for my hometown of Athens, Georgia (where the initial events took place). Besides being the first repetition since my birth of my PE, the 4 South, this is also the Prenatal Solar Eclipse prior to the annual Kentucky Derby of May 6, 1967, Louisville, KY:
Themes of 4 South (4S) are: a sense of fatedness in relationship events that are beyond personal control; strong emotions concerning relationships or money are blocked or checked leading to much frustration; avoid rash action until things settle down. (paraphrasing Predictive Astrology, B. Brady). As far as I know, the following events only concerned relationships, not money. And sadly, rash action was not avoided as you'll see.
Here are the background events and characters:
The setting is Athens, Georgia Summer 1966 and the tale opens during a street festival of music where a 16-year-old girl meets a young college fellow a few years her senior. Chit chat occurs, mutual interest stirs, phone calls soon begin, and an invitation to a fraternity dance is accepted which results in the fellow (we'll call him 'JR') gallantly informing the teenager that she's too young for him to date. This is true, I know, because I was that girl.
But another character soon enters the picture: the teenage girl's school friend who had begun to be known for having a wild imagination (let's call her 'DH' for short). Now as it turns out, the imagination of DH ran toward the romantic side and this came into play one afternoon after school when the two girls were together at DH's house. What I had only just discovered was that JR and a couple of his fraternity brothers had rented a house just around the corner from DH's house which set up a disturbing situation because DH would not be denied that afternoon--she and I had to visit said house and 'hang out' with the guys.
What eventually occurred I'm not certain because I soon called my Dad to come pick me up but as I was to soon learn, DH refused to go home and in fact, her parents didn't know where she was until the evening--at some point they called me to find out where she was so of course they had to be told. Few of the exact details were ever known to me but the result was that JR was charged by the father of DH with statutory rape, charges which were soon dropped once DH admitted that no such event or attack had occurred (except in her rich imagination, apparently).
Karma Awaits Her Cue
The real tragedy arrives when the frat brothers of JR proceeded to tease him unmercifully for days about the 'DH situation' and what had happened that week until he and a friend decided to leave a day or so early for their annual road trip to the Kentucky Derby which was held that year on May 6th. Sadly, there was a torrential thunderstorm underway but leaving early must have seemed a good idea to JR to escape the 'scandal' (without merit as it was) and head for fun in Louisville. My information on what happened was supplied by one of JR's frat brothers whom I had previously met, a kind young man, who came to my house after the accident to return a book I had loaned JR (In His Own Write by John Lennon) and who told me of the frightful accident, bad road conditions, and the hours of suffering JR endured due to internal injuries which lead to his death.
Even now, the word devastated can hardly describe my feelings over the untimely death of JR, a very kind young man whose family and friends surely miss him still. No, we were not and should not have been 'an item' but the addition of DH's fantasies into the picture somehow cast all subsequent events in an even more tragic light.
The Tragic Light Becomes Harsher
On Monday after the accident and with a heavy heart, I dragged myself to school only to find Miss DH sporting an 'engagement ring' that her wonderful 'fiancee' had given her before he was killed over the weekend in a terrible car accident. Naturally you can imagine the sympathetic expressions her story garnered! But her dramatic brazenness completely stunned me, and in my grief (and knowing her true involvement in the matter) I clammed up and am not certain now whether I ever mentioned the real events to anyone or not--not until this very post, that is. If I did talk of it people may not have believed me for after all, her story was told first and was much more dramatic.
The 4 South Solar Eclipse of 1966: Chart-Ruler Jupiter Applies to Nothing
So looking at the eclipse horoscope, a few factors pop out such as the violent Saturn-Uranus opposition pointing to the Ascendant (18Sag51) which happens to bring up my natal Venus and my natal 4th house of Endings. And considering the events surrounding the Kentucky Derby the next May (1967), we might think to include the brutal, loss-filled pair of Saturn-Pluto opposing one another (as they did on the morning of September 11, 2001) which also points toward my natal Venus, planet of relationships. Danger, separation, and alienation go here, while the usually benevolent, protective planet Jupiter, here in the 8th house of Death, isn't helping matters unless he's making things worse through expanded egos and heart conditions via romantic, self-dramatizing Leo.
Yes, karma runs all through the chart in various ways for Jupiter conjoins the Vertex (3Leo35), a point of encounter with destiny which may sometimes be a final destiny (mea culpa, the VX is not marked on the chart).
Rising is gossiping Mercury, planet of travel and young people, which is retrograde and suggests to me that JR and friend were returning to the Derby as they'd done before--but also hints at the possible disruption of a car trip, or car trouble--here, in the 12th house of Hospitals, Self-Undoing (leaving on a trip when a bad storm was due), and Karma (reaping what's been sown). Even one of the health asteroids, Hygeia, joins in @18Scorpio+ conjunct the eclipse.
And of course, a major factor is the fatal 9th house Mars-Uranus = Pluto midpoint picture penned on the chart, plus, the stars of tragedy and misfortune, Serpentis and North Scale. Fixed stars can 'act through' eclipses or be activated by them--and yes, my 4 South Prenatal Eclipse Series admittedly tends to bring difficult conditions into my life. In addition, the malevolent degree of 19 Scorpio was triggered in 1966 by the 4S eclipse and we might consider that *Nicholas DeVore gives 19 Scorpio as "an evil degree" and "the crucial point in the war between the Ego and the Supreme Will" which may or may not have applied to the subsequent events I describe.
Therefore, how much ego was involved via any of the participants I'll let you decide if you wish. But here we find me-first Mars plus, Pluto as ruler and co-ruler of Scorpio, shocking and disruptive Uranus (so often behind accidents and separation), and the fact that Scorpio solar eclipses always contain an undercurrent of karma and fate within them. Much karmic progress can be made if Scorpio energies and influences are well handled and thus discharged as root causes of karmic problems are identified and improved upon. Otherwise, the baser qualities of Scorpio such as cruelty, jealousy, and hatred will take over the life which will only lead to more karmic debts (Lineman).
Young Dreams of Romance
Also intimately involved, as you see, are love-addled Venus at a critical degree in sexy Scorpio (20 degr) near (or, Lord of) the eclipse closely conjunct urge-to-merge Neptune, planet of fantasy, dreams, illusion, deception, delusion, glamour, and romance. This suggests to me that misdirected love impulses were thankfully diverted for too-young yours truly (thanks to JR) but were unfortunately sought or expanded by a certain young fantasist whose bad choices set in motion a tragic chain of events.
My sincere hope is that, at our advanced ages, DH has dealt with her Scorpionic and Venusian-Neptunian tendencies as we all must do and has years ago begun to use her vivid imagination for various creative enterprises that are a credit to her and to her loved ones.
Reference: *The Encyclopedia of Astrology, Nicholas DeVore.
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