Winter in parts of the northern hemisphere has been quite a doozy for so many who will be especially glad to welcome spring this year. It comes on March 20, which will also be the beginning of autumn in the southern hemisphere. We also have a SUPER-New Moon / solar eclipse involving the South Node / Ketu occurring March 20, 2015, from 07:41 UTC to 11:50 UTC, with the maximum point occurring at 9:45 AM UTC. It will be total solar eclipse in Norway and the Faroe Islands, and a partial solar eclipse in Europe, northern and eastern Asia, and northern and western Africa. The spring equinox occurs later the same day at 22:45 UTC. The new Moon in sidereal Pisces always marks the beginning of the Vedic lunar new year. This day is also the beginning of India’s heavenly Divine Mother festival known as “Vasant Navratri (Navaratri),” or the “Nine Nights of Mother Divine,” when the highest aspect of Shakti, the Divine Feminine power, walks among us to bless us with healing, prosperity, and the promise of rebirth.

It is not common to have a SuperNew Moon / solar eclipse, the Vedic lunar new year, and spring equinox all occurring simultaneously, and this seems to indicate great changes and some “interesting” transitions ahead. Eclipses happen twice a year when the Sun and Moon (the “Lights”) line up in a particular fashion with the lunar nodes, Rahu and Ketu (the “Demon Shadows”). Thus, eclipses emblematically represent a time of outer darkness when we can greatly benefit from going within to find our deepest strength and truth. My friend, astrologer Haizen Paige writes, “The cutting off of the light in an eclipse signals the withdrawal of light from the earth and consequently some area of our consciousness and external life. When there is no light, a situation dies, and then there is a new beginning that takes place.” Simply put, eclipses tend to stir our karmic pots, triggering change and evolution.

An eclipse, whether visible or not, has a profound electromagnetic effect on the entire world and its inhabitants. Many astrologers also believe that the areas where an eclipse is visible will be impacted the most. According to Sage Varahamahira, if the solar eclipse occurs at the end of the pakña (two-week period or fortnight) after the lunar eclipse, then the next six months will see a great deal of unrest in the world. This is what happened last fall 2014 in the eclipses, when the lunar eclipse occurred two weeks before the solar. The reverse will be happening this time, as the lunar will occur two weeks after the solar eclipse, which is believed to bring some relatively peaceful conditions during the coming next six months.

An eclipse metaphorically shines a spotlight on a certain area of the zodiac. If it aspects planets or sensitive points in the astrological chart of an individual, country, or other entity, the matters relating to that planet or area of the horoscope will be activated or highlighted for approximately the next six months (until the next series of eclipses). Because the new Moon blocks the Sun’s light during a solar eclipse, this often indicates a drop in our energy levels before and around the solar eclipse. Solar eclipses often point to personal or professional issues that may be draining our life force, so this means that the months, weeks, and especially days around a solar eclipse can be a good time for letting go and making any necessary changes. The March 20 solar eclipse involves Ketu, which reveals the possibility of the end or release of something to make room for new beginnings to follow.

The Rahu lunar eclipse of April 4 will be visible across most of North America, South America, Asia, and parts of Australia. Maximum eclipse will occur for about five minutes at 12 Noon UTC, with the full eclipse span lasting around three-and-a-half hours on both sides of Noon UTC. Lunar eclipses tend to reflect relationship and domestic changes, and as the eclipsed Moon and sky often turn a reddish color in lunar eclipses, they may point to emotional intensity (again, depending on where the eclipse links up to one’s own natal chart). This eclipse cycle occurring in the sidereal Pisces-Virgo axis (Pisces solar eclipse and Virgo lunar eclipse) indicates the possibility for inner and outer transformation (Pisces) and healing (Virgo), both individually and collectively. In my consultations, I am focusing on how these eclipses are specifically affecting my clients’ lives now and in the coming year.

If you can meditate, pray, chant, receive healing work, perform puja, or do any kind of contemplative practice during a solar and lunar eclipse, the positive results will be intensely magnified. In this coming cycle, the several days before and after March 20 will be an especially sensitive time, very good for inner practices but not so good for initiating important life events related to personal and professional matters. For the latter, if you can wait, it may be best to postpone major decisions and actions until after we have passed the total lunar eclipse of April 4, and perhaps also after the end of the current retrograde cycle of Jupiter (planet of dharma/purpose and grace). Jupiter will go direct April 8. Many Vedic astrologers are already posting their analysis of the various lunar new year charts set for different countries, and I also hope to be writing more about this at a later date. Until then, Happy Spring, and lots of gratitude, love, and light to you.