PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE IN EUROPE

So, the lunar eclipse is over. Is it really?

It is, for the hordes of observers who made pictures of the deformed Moon to post them on facebook. But it’s not over for a diligent astrologer who knows that every eclipse sets things in motion. It doesn’t end when it ends. It’s a process.

This partial lunar eclipse was/is particularly strongly in south-eastern parts of Europe where it stretched itself along the horizontal axis, with the Moon on the east. In other words, Moon was exactly rising in those parts at the time of the eclipse (see astrolocality map), and the closeness of an eclipsed celestial body to one of the sensitive Earth-related celestial points makes an eclipse particularly strongly felt in those regions of our planet.

As every eclipse, also this one could be felt days in advance. Since the Sun was conjunct Mars, the weather was extremely hot. Temperatures soared to like 40 and more (Celsius). I live in Slovenia and I can tell you it was hellish, and even Austrians who live north from us were struck by extreme heat. Not to speak of Italians, Spaniards and Croatians, and the masses of people who are there on vacation – it’s the peak holiday season. But then, a day before the eclipse, with the Moon nearly full, there were storms with hail, strong winds and huge temperature drops. It was a typical lunar eclipse “drama”.

Although the effects of lunar eclipses are often felt up to several months later (or even more in case of total eclipses), this one was very quick in its effects. Several moderately strong but shallow earthquakes shook Rijeka, a costal Croatian town, and Island Krk, on 8th and 9th August (see map). Earthquakes are extremely rare in those parts. As I was browsing through the forums, I noticed that even laics draw parallels with the eclipse. The time frame was just to narrow not to have noticed it!

Now, what follows? With Mars closing its conjunction with the eclipse’s Sun (and an opposition to the eclipsed Moon, of course), there’s certainly more to follow. Mars is the planet of heat, fires, accidents, aggression. The conjunction will take place on August 13. People with planets and angles on 15th of fixed signs (Aquarius, Leo, Taurus, Scorpio) should take heed and be careful. Unfortunately, most people don’t have their personal astrologers. But I’m convinced that there’ll be an increased number of accidents on that date.

Mars will transit the ascending degree of the region of today’s and yesterday’s Croatian earthquakes tomorrow. Could there be another earthquake tomorrow, maybe even a stronger one? I can’t know but it would not surprise me.

August 13 is, incidentally, also the day when Mercury turns retrograde. Traffic is one area where extreme care should be taken, and – as the eclipsed Moon is in Aquarius – there could be cyber attacks worldwide, or an increased number of electricity and storm-related problems.

Two more dates need mentioning in the period before the ensuing solar eclipse, those being August 16/17 when the Sun conjuncts the lunar node (possibility of important political affairs or crucial decisions taking place), and (after the solar eclipse) August 27 when Mars crosses the lunar node and Jupiter closes its sextile with Saturn. This date, at least, promises to be constructive.