Solar Eclipses

We have received two inquiries of late with respect to the Craft and solar eclipses.

So far as I am aware, there is no lore in the Craft concerning solar eclipses. Moreover, they occur at New Moon, which is not generally a time when Witches meet. In addition, if a Witch happens to be studied in astrology, she will realize it is hardly a time of celebration. If you wish to investigate the generally malefic effect of solar eclipses in astrological terms---a matter that has been a subject of study amongst astrologers for over 2000 years---you can read the relevant sections in the TERTABIBLOS of Claudius Ptolemy of Alexandria:

http://theosnet.net/dzyan/miscpubs/Tetrabiblos.pdf

or ASTROLOGIA MUNDA of William Ramesey:

https://classicalastrologer.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/ramesey_birchfield_1.pdf

You will also occasionally find late 19th century and early 20th century surveys of traditional astrology that have chapters on Eclipses (or Eclipses and Comets), which will collect the teachings and testimonies of ancient authors on the subject.

Ptolemy states that a solar eclipse may have beneficial effects, but I think that was largely a theoretical thought. My reasoning is that I have never seen nor heard of a delineation of an eclipse that had beneficial effect. Most of the ancient and medieval authors considered them presumptively malefic. That makes more sense to me given how the old astrologers viewed the nature of light.

On the Stellar Rays (attributed to Abu Yusuf Al-Kindi) is worth looking into if one is interested in the nature of light in the astrological or cosmological context. Al-Kindi also wrote a TREATISE ON THE JUDGMENT OF ECLIPSES, but I do not think it is readily available.

Of course, these days, you will find all sorts of self-proclaimed witches and astrologers on social media offering various thoughts about the nature and meaning of eclipses in various contexts. Please keep in mind that people are often trying to build "brands" and become "influencers" so that they can monetize their ideas. That, needless to say, is not the Way of the Wise. Our enemies used to burn us. Now fakes drown us in nonsense and irrelevancies.

In any event, if you wish to know the specific meaning of the upcoming solar eclipse, there are two ways open to you: (1) direct divine revelation, which, of course, is something you cannot reliably control; or (2) astrological analysis, for which you will need, at a minimum, the charts for the last Grand Conjunction, for the Revolution of the Year for the World, for your city's or town's founding (or the chart for the last Grand Conjunction at that latitude and longitude), and for the perfection of the eclipse at that location. Once you see those charts, you can decide if you would like to look at other charts before pronouncing judgment. I know that's a lot, but eclipses are a branch of mundane astrology. That's the jewel in the crown of the Heavenly Art, and your teacher will not teach it to you until you have mastered the branches below it.

*** Blessed be to those who serve the Great Mother and the Horned Father.

* Copyright to Coven Rochester