The conjunction of Chiron to this total Solar Eclipse, essentially a perfect conjunction between Sun, Moon and the wounded healer, takes the centre-stage. This very powerful lunation invites us to go deep, very deep, as deep as our deepest wound, and in so doing initiate or revitalize a process of personal and cosmic healing.
This eclipse concerns very much that which has been unexpressed, and which lingers within our unconscious as a debilitating sense of defeat.
On a superficial level there is, on the one hand, a conflict between Aries's need to be fast, direct and completely concerned with its own urge to survive, while on the other, Chiron and Mercury (turned retrograde a few days before the eclipse) invite us to slow down and sit with our pain in an atmosphere of delicate intimacy.
But Aries's main concern as a Cardinal Fire sign is to form itself as something solid and concrete, something that owns an identity within itself, independently of the gaze of the other (Aries is still unaware of the 'other'). Aries is not about 'making an impression', nor is it about 'being impressed' by outside factors. It is about expressing its self in the instinctive pursuit of creating its self.
In the action of expression there is creation.
So the personal and human problem that Chiron's exact conjunction to the eclipse is about to put before us has very much to do with those impressions that have been baked into us – by karma, trauma, and conditioning – that put into question our very right to exist, both as the very specific individuals that we are, and as a specie. Chiron is the wounded healer, the astrological representation of the Christ being, and therefore carries within it the impulse of salvation (rescue) as well as the eschatological (the return at the 'end of time').
This theme of return is brought forth by the movement of Mercury. The god of communication will travel inwardly and is already on its way to conjunct Moon, Chiron and Sun in the days to come. He will stop his retrograde motion in conjunction to the north node, making it very clear that the inward turn – which we are to perform during this passage of eclipses and their aftermath – is a matter of seeing our destiny more clearly than ever.
With his light and swift touch the winged messenger brings into the present an echo of Chiron's retrograde motion which began in July 2023, halfway through the eclipse season of that year. Whatever came to the surface during that time in our lives is calling for a second round of attention and spiritual healing. Aiding us in this process is the Sun's annual conjunction to Sirius, which takes place in July under the sign of Cancer. Another Cardinal sign, Cancer will channel the great power of Sirius into our ability to nurture our self, that same self which we are called to create through simple self-expression.
It is legitimate to pose the question;
“But isn't the spiritual path a matter of dissolving the ego rather than nurturing it?”
When faced with this question one has to ask a second question;
“What self is going to be dissolved if no self exists in the first place?”
So the “I am not” through which love can live cannot be possible without the “I am,” for if you don't build you have nothing to give. This dilemma that afflicts serious spiritual seekers at one point or another is represented astrologically in the transition between Pisces and Aries, where the most activity takes place on this chart. Even though subliminally for some and more explicitly for others, this question of the integration between our material and spiritual being figures as the central subtle theme of this eclipse.
Chiron invites us to appreciate our deepest wound so that it can be transformed into a window to completeness.
Notice during this eclipse any zones of discomfort in the body, as they are clues to the nature of our pain, and to our personal brand of self-destruction. Notice recurring thoughts, not to take them at face value (Mercury retro can be tricky), but taking your time to uncover the underlying pattern/s that string them together.
In conclusion, just as the creation of the self comes through expression, so does self-destruction come about through self-limiting, self-censoring, and other impediments, which are all in the end colleagues of self-hatred. This is both an individual neurosis and one that afflicts the human specie.
The clear focus of activity at the transition-point between Pisces and Aries indicates the raw continuity of the individual and the collective, and teaches us that our individuality as natural beings is an expression of the cosmic unum. As we nurture our individuality we are also preparing the gift we shall offer to the universe when our time comes to an end.
The square aspect formed by Neptune and Venus to Varda confirms beyond shadow of doubt that this eclipse season is specifically concerned with the heart chakra, and therefore the birth of a higher form of love and courage.
Since “love begins at home” let's focus on our potential, rather than our fears.