We are approaching the first eclipses of 2015. The Solar Eclipse will take place on March 20th at approximately 4:30 a.m., EDT.  The Lunar Eclipse will take  place on  April 4th  at approximately
5:38, a.m., EDT.

The Solar Eclipse, in my opinion, can be the more difficult one (especially on a personal level)
because it is the New Moon which means that the Sun blocks light from the Moon and can be a time of lower energy.  The Lunar Eclipse can feel better because it is the Full Moon eclipse, and the Moon is  strong.  On a world-wide level, though, the Lunar Eclipse can usher in dramatic events and, for highly emotional people, this time period can be difficult.

In general, eclipse energy can be felt about four weeks before the actual eclipse, and the events prior to the eclipses are often more trying than the actual eclipses. This year the Solar Eclipse takes place in the sign of Pisces with Ketu in conjunction with the Sun, Moon and Mars. As of this writing, Ketu has been in conjunction with Mars and Venus which can account for some of the heaviness of energy and challenge in relationships that is being experienced at this time.

The two nodes  of the  Moon – Ketu, the  South Node, and Rahu, the  North Node, are known as “Chaya Grahas”  or “Shadow  Planets.”  They are known as “shadows” because they are not actually planets but are the points on the ecliptic path which mark the eclipses of the Sun and Moon. In Jyotish, the Nodal Points are considered to be important influences in a person’s life. Ketu  is very  outer-worldly  and will  be  prominent  in  the  charts of  spiritual  seekers, mystics, artists,  scientists,  engineers,  and  musicians.  As the ruler of the endocrine system and those people who walk a different  path, Ketu often plays a role in  those with brain illness as well as those who  work  to  heal  other  people.  Often Ketu can be difficult  to deal  with because his influence  is to  bring  people in  touch  with  the essence of  their  being  and,  often  it  takes  a blocking  of  mundane  fortunes to   bring  someone  to  an  awareness  of his  spirituality.  Ketu, unlike Saturn, doesn’t delay  as much as  he denies one’s  desires until those desires  match up
with the inner  truth of  the reality  of existence.  Once there is  a match-up between spirituality
and ego, Ketu can bring magic into one’s life.

When Ketu has a strong hand in the transits, it  can feel as  if someone  turned out the lights.Because Ketu works by blocking the rays of the other planets, time periods like this can feel as if we are walking through mud. At the moment, Ketu is blocking the energies of Mars and Venus which can bring about frustration as the physical energy can be low, goals can seem murky, and relationships can feel heavy. It’s not a fun and breezy time period.

Like all planetary time periods, this is temporary and Ketu, like all planetary influences, is good for something. Ketu supports introspection, meditation, artistic expression, new approaches to good health, and resting  as we end  winter and look towards spring. It is not necessary to fight this influence – all  of us need  time to slow down and contemplate our lives, and this is a good time for doing so.

Ketu does not operate alone, and the influence of Rahu is always in the picture. Rahu loves the material world and has a strong influence on our desire nature. Rahu’s reputation as the being who stole the life-giving elixir known as Amrit from the higher gods in an attempt at immortality can give the illusion that if there is enough money, enough drugs, enough stuff, or enough power, one can beat the challenges of human life. It makes sense that Ketu exists to try and balance out the desire nature – but, when the Nodes gain the upper hand, the push and pull between these influences can be difficult to handle.

At the moment, the influence of the Nodes is playing out in the signs of Virgo and Pisces. Virgo is the sign of health and has a specific influence over the nervous and intestinal systems. Rahu being in this  sign can  point strongly  to the need  to not  overdo food,  alcohol, or  drugs in an attempt to quiet  the  fire of  desires.   As long as Rahu is  in t he  sign of  Virgo, excesses will play out  in  health matters.  Currently, Ketu  is  conjunct  Venus  and  Mars  which points to a slowness in  digestion (Mars)  as well as the  body not being able to handle sugar (Venus) very well right now. Mars also rules the blood and Venus the circulation,so Ketu can block the normal flow of the blood through the body.  It is important to not ignore viruses at this time since they can settle deeper into the blood.

The  next few  weeks are going to  continue in  much  the same  pattern as you are experiencing right now.  It is easier to work with, not against, this energy.  Watch the food intake, be creative, enjoy music, breathe deeply, read uplifting books, meditate, swim, walk in nature…whatever makes you feel more at peace and less involved in the current illusions of the world.

The Lunar Eclipse of April 4th has a different type of energy, and I will post on that soon.