Leo Solar Eclipse on August 21, 2017--Masculine Drive Versus Feminine Reflection

Leo represents the individual and this Leo Solar Eclipse has us striking out on our own or at least finding authentic people to associate or to call as our friends. A Triple Conjunction in Leo (the Moon, the Sun, and Mars), along with a Grand Fire Trine that involves the Triple Conjunction in flowing aspect with Uranus in Aries and Saturn in Sagittarius capture our attention. 

And several planets in retrograde motion top that off along with another Cardinal T-Cross (actually, it's the same one we experienced with the Aquarius Lunar Eclipse involving Pluto, Jupiter, and Venus/Ceres.

I'm picking up mixed energy with this eclipse chart. On one hand, we're getting a huge outburst of masculine energies coming from Mars, the Sun, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto. But on the other hand, we have many planets asking us to go inward since they are in retrograde motion--this includes, Pluto, Mercury, Saturn (for another four days after this eclipse), Chiron (an asteroid), and Uranus. The good news with Uranus RX is that we life settles down despite this eclipse energy.

However, we don't have the yod here that was in the Lunar Eclipse chart. And we don't have the mystical rectangle or the abundance of flowing aspects with the Water and Earth elements. We have Fire which asks us to act bold and brazen. We have too much arrogance and impulsive actions--meaning we are less likely to think before we act with the Sun conjunct Mars in Leo. We do have a sextile with Neptune and Pluto which helps us to at least get in touch with our subconscious urges.

Now, the loose Grand Fire Trine that we saw in the Lunar Eclipse chart is now tight and now, we have a Triple Conjunction with Mars, the Sun, and the Moon joined by the North Node in Leo. Leo is the ruler of the Sun and so it is doubly strong here. We don't have any planets in Aquarius to temper the Leo energy so many people are stuck on the "Me" train. People's egos and abilities are overinflated thanks to the Triple Conjunction forming a Grand Fire Trine with Uranus in Aries and Saturn in Sagittarius. Saturn is stationary getting ready to push forward. But when Saturn does anything, it's like that cranky old man who backs up traffic because he moves too slowly.

This means that the Aries energy wants to get the job done already, whatever that job entails. Saturn acts like a roadblock to progress and the mellow Leo energy just wants to gaze in the mirror or take a bunch of selfies and post them on social media. People want their 15-minutes of fame or some other public validation. We want to know that we exist and have an impact on others. This means that many people will either gloat or fall into the trap of self-pity. But don't take any of this energy personally because that would be a huge mistake. I know that Leo feels personal but really is not about us. Eclipses make people act with broader strokes and they come across as selfish too.

The bright side of Leo is that we have a heart. Leos can be generous and even act out of kindness with no strings attached. When we help others we help ourselves feel better. But make sure that your way of helping is not linked to codependency or a smugness of "Looking at me helping all those losers." And stay away from only helping others to look good in the hearts of others. This is an ego trap. Leo rules the heart and the ego and Jupiter in Libra tell us to strike a balance.

I've already talked about the Cardinal T-Cross in the Lunar Eclipse article. Please refer to that article for more details. I do want to mention the message of Mercury (the messenger) and the servant asteroid Vesta (named after the Vestal Virgins) in Virgo. Now, Mercury loves transiting in Gemini and Virgo because those signs co-rule Mercury. But when Mercury is in Virgo the message is about serving the world through our talents, gifts, and work ethics. And here we have the asteroid Vesta in Virgo connected to Mercury. This was also in the Lunar Eclipse chart.

Look up the Vestal Virgins online to see what significance this plays for you. The Vestal Virgins were recruited as young girls (children) and trained to watch over the vestal fires of ancient Rome. They also performed rituals and had many duties to perform to serve the Greater Good. They were also vulnerable to becoming scapegoats and if found guilty for putting out the fire or causing it to blow out, the punishment was severe (death). So, we look at areas of our lives where we serve and feel scapegoated or that we are living out a metaphorical death sentence. We communicate what we feel is unfair in our lives and we don't easily go along with playing the role of the sacrificed.

Because we are looking at a Solar Eclipse in the Sign of the Sun, Leo, we could also see an increase in forest and other types of fire. Fire, in general, plays a role and we must be careful in not playing with fire or we could truly get burned. This fire even comes up in the form of overinflated egos. I have an image of someone who calls herself an author but she's only writing her first novel. This person is pretending like she has a New York Times Best-Seller. And while it's good to visualize the outcome you wish to manifest, there are steps in the process to success and we can't declare ourselves a winner of a race until we cross that finish line.

So, keep these words in mind during this Solar Eclipse because egos are most likely going to get out of hand. People are rather touchy. Don't take this world personally. There's so much more behind the curtain where the wizard turns the knobs. We could just be dealing with a room of tricked mirrors and other distortions. It's time to face the facts, at least for the duration of this Solar Eclipse and its shadow period. If you want, take a selfie and post it on social media. But at some point, this gets old and people want you to show up as a humanitarian with a mission.

Sign up for a personal card or astrology reading. I offer several types of readings via Skype or in-person or by email. We can even do a reading on the Solar or Lunar eclipse.