Eclipse Frenzy: New Moon in Leo and the Total Solar American Eclipse

Here we find ourselves, on this planet, on this day and in the midst of this solar eclipse frenzy. We seem to be the only species charging about like ants on acid, in stark and complete opposition to what happens in the natural world as an eclipse approaches. It is a time of stilling: everything falls quiet, animals and birds alike stop moving and shrieking and cheeping, time stands still in a gauzy purple haze. But this is the American eclipse, right? So the bigger! better! faster! more! principle is applying as we are saturated with viewing how to's, astronomical fact and astrological "folklore" and a slew of memes to mark the occasion.Tis true that this is the doozy we have been building towards, partner of the Aquarian lunar eclipse and final humdinger in this mad season. It has been dubbed the ‘American Eclipse’ for practical reasons - the best viewing will be found there as it lies smack bang in the shadow of the eclipse - but I feel that this may also herald the beginning of the decline and demise of the U.S. superpower as we know it currently. Certainly this eclipse has the power and the purpose of shaking things up on the world stage as much as our homes and hearts.Eclipses ripple: from one pair their effect stretches back to the pair before and nods sagely to the pair that will follow. Our last set of eclipses occurred in February 2017. Beyond that, they are repeated in the same astrological houses on the nodal axis approximately every eighteen years. The last set of eclipses that occurred on the Leo / Aquarius plane were from August 1998 until July 2000. This current dynamic duo are part of an eclipse cycle which began in August 2016 and continues until January 2019; to some extent we are still at the beginning of this unfolding story.The new moon occurs at 28 degrees Leo is on Monday 21st or Tuesday 22nd August, depending where you find yourself this mad season. Look up (with goggles!) in L.A. at 11.30 am (Monday) | New York at 2.30 pm (Monday) | London at 7.30 pm (Monday) | Sydney at 4.30 am (Tuesday).This new moon is rare for a number of reasons, not least of which is the total solar eclipse. Because it is the second new moon in Leo as they bookend lion(ess) season, it is known as a black moon. This imbues the moon with significant firepower and links it to the events, wishes or spells cast and rippling since late July on the first new moon in Leo. Given the forces at play then – and the period of tumultuous change and sudden tangents we will have traversed between them – let us look first at the major players shadow dancing with the Bright Lady in Leo.Mars has been steadily regaining his firepower since his cazimi in late July, when he charged into the heart of the sun and was reborn anew. This has imbued Mars with fresh hankering and rebooted his warrior vibe. Mars in Leo does not take any shit. At all. He does however provide vim and vigour in spades and ups the firepower (as if we needed greater flame) of this new moon. This is what powers the slingshot and the actions we will now take as we survey the new horizon - or sail clear over it. It is here that the potential lies for tumultuous conflict, raised tempers and outlandish action. Magnified by a tetchy world stage, this is the worry for most anyone poring over charts and plotting world events on them. Hold your line and your focus, be assertive rather than aggressive and in short, don't start a war.Our North Node has been aching for us to Get With The Program and surrender to our destiny, as we chose it, this life. How about now? Ideally the peace made with your past on the Aquarian full moon eclipse two weeks prior will have allowed the integration of the old Self: what you have learned in every respect and how you choose to walk forward unencumbered now. This cannot be understated for its crucial impact on how you soar from this new moon. Expect clues to your big bold future littered all about you. With retrograde goggles, we are more likely to notice the ripples in the matrix (thank you Neptune and Uranus).Uranus is in a sweet trine aspect from over in Aries, where as we know his retrograde is providing a significant boon. That said, his very presence at all in this eclipse is a harbinger of sudden unanticipated change, the kind that quakes throughout our lives. We may well feel struck by his lightning and blasted by the events unfolding around us. The key to managing change – whether cultivated or unwelcome – is to look at the differences wrought and adjust: smoothly, serenely and sensibly. Saturn too in his retrograde garb steps up to form another trine and if we have done the work he asked (demanded) of us – especially during the period between eclipses as we rolled with the punches and kept our noses to grindstone – we will be rewarded.What makes this eclipse particularly interesting and sets it outside the conventional astrological wisdom applied to new moons and black moons and eclipses, is Mercury retrograding through Virgo. Interesting side effects aside, this period of revision and reworking means that our fervent black moon intentions will need to be tweaked and twiddled with in the months - and perhaps years - to come. This isn't the kind of new moon that plays small and it only wants to play long.We know that eclipses ripple. In ancient astrology it was said that the ripple effect is magnified by the amount of time the sun is blocked. In this case the world will haze for about three minutes – which means that our world will feel the effects of this eclipse for about three years. Yes. Three. Years. This fact alone makes it incredibly important that you harness these potent energies for your greater good. Avoid at all costs any muggles, stress lords or known offenders that may disrupt your focus or derail your rollercoaster. When our personal revolution hits Defcon Five, there is no time for misguided sentiment or putting the happiness or sanity of others before your own.Eclipses are notorious for presenting us with beginnings and endings, often simultaneously. With the impact of the position of the North and South nodes, we are being unconditionally aligned with our soul’s purpose and our raison d’etre – whether we feel ready, willing or able. It cannot be understated how powerful this eclipse is in our big and small worlds. The power it has to shape and shift our lives is remarkable and I have no doubt that it will be viewed as a tipping point on both the world stage and within each of us personally. Time to adjust our behaviour accordingly, so that history may be kind to us.See you on the flipside. Words © Kerrie Basha | Images as credited