For many Children of the Sun, the years 2017-18 might have been among the most life-altering in recent memory. Those changes, however, may not have registered with you. They could have flown right over your crown.
Not only did Leos experience the spiritual lessons of a “fateful” nodal return in their sign from May 2017 through November 2018, but both years featured a succession of eclipses with a direct impact on Leo. As eclipses always involve the Sun (Leo’s Ruling Planet), Children of the Sun are wise to pay heed to them.
From the eclipses of 2017 – on Feb. 10, Aug. 7 and Aug. 21 (the Great American eclipse)—to those of 2018, on Jan. 31, Feb. 15, July 27 and Aug. 11 – you may have sensed unsettled feelings in your partnerships. You may have even sensed that you were being manipulated or controlled by others close to you, but when you tried to prove it, you could find no evidence. You could see how other people were dealing with similar relationship challenges but felt you were immune to being a victim of gaslighting.
This is because eclipses, especially those in our own sign, create a blind spot or shadow. We find ourselves in the dark about certain things and often are not told “the emperor has no clothes” when it would have been nice to know it! Eclipses make it difficult to see very far down the road, and therefore we can’t gauge what is occurring sometimes until months and even years have passed. So, we tread carefully and feel our way through these periods of time.
Your relationship may have been feeling like one big question mark. You stay together because it is the path of least resistance, not necessarily because you see a future for yourself as a couple. Leos love being in love and all the grand gestures that go with it, but what is that for at the end of the day? Believe it or not, to be fulfilled, most Leos seek a line of succession, a “royal heir,” and that’s where your focus wants to be right now: on children.
The attention you lavish upon children may have the net effect of leaving your partner out in the cold. Maybe that wasn’t your intention, but it could explain why your partner seemed so much more critical and/or demanding of you in the past year and a half.
The good news is that the total lunar eclipse on Jan. 20, 2019, is the final one in Leo for the foreseeable future. This eclipse will bring a resolution (in due time) to partnership concerns, especially those tied to children. Perhaps you and your partner want to go your separate ways but are reluctant to do so as children are involved. Or you want to have a child but your partner does not. Or, children from previous relationships are stirring the pot with your current relationship. By all accounts, these concerns should resolve favorably in the coming year.
Why? Because in early December 2018, Jupiter, the planet of higher purpose, entered its own fire sign of Sagittarius. As Jupiter is in the sign that it rules, the planet of good fortune will trine your Leo Sun at some point in the year ahead, bringing blessings, restoring your faith and opening doors into the realm of children, creativity and fun. It’s as if Walt Disney himself has returned from the Great Beyond to give you a personally guided tour of Disneyland.
So, take all the rides you can and enjoy the “happiest place on earth.” It’s good that you have Jupiter brightening up your life through most of 2019! You’ll feel especially strong and supported from March 21 thru April 20 when the Sun moves through yet another fire sign, that being Aries. Unfortunately, after April 20, you might experience a slight let-down, as Jupiter is in retrograde motion until later in August. It’s not like all the good times have ended but more like Walt has left the building or some of your favorite rides are closed for renovation.
That’s when you might have to deal with one persistent fly in the ointment – that being your work ethic. Saturn entered Capricorn in late 2017 affecting your solar house of work, health and service. Since that time, you’ve likely been shouldering extra loads in the workplace to the point that, as 2019 kicks off, you may be wondering if you can continue to meet your boss’s demands.
And the answer is yes, you can, assuming you are willing to risk your health or be seen in video gone viral having a public melt-down. While you only have one eclipse remaining in the Leo eclipse cycle, the rest of the 2019 eclipses (there are usually four or five annually) are tied to work, health and service. Starting on Jan. 5 and once again on July 2 and Dec. 25, you’ll experience three solar eclipses that could trigger shocks in those areas. It could take another 12 months to determine whether or not those shocks to the system were beneficial.
There is the daily grind, which admittedly is difficult right now, and then there’s your professional reputation and standing in the community, which is about to be “lit up.” For that, you can thank Uranus, the planet of upheaval and revolution. In 2018, for a brief six-month period, Uranus entered the sign of Taurus at the top of your solar chart, giving you a taste of things to come. Due to a retrograde in late 2018, you got some relief when Uranus traveled back into Aries. However, on March 7, Uranus returns to Taurus, where it will remain until 2026. This means that going forward, your career and reputation may be subject to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune – some of it positive and some, distressing. You may be offered unexpected promotions, assignments and opportunities as an agent of disruption in traditional industries. Conversely, you could serve at the mercy of such an iconoclast.
The net effect of any Uranus transit, especially one that falls on an angle as yours does, is for you to realize that “resistance is futile.” As such, embrace the future, embrace new ways of doing things, embrace uncertainty. Perhaps because, as a fixed sign, you feel the threat of change in the air, you may be inclined to keep your nose to the grindstone, hoping you can just work (or volunteer) your way through the transit (note: You can’t).
A lunar eclipse on July 16 might have you ducking for cover at your job or volunteer projects, when someone close to you surprises you with a demand or obligation requiring you to become a candle-burning-at-both-ends workhorse. You may feel you have no choice because your boss is calling the shots and probably will be, assuming you stay with your current job, until 2020.
This will come to a head on July 30 (and again on Oct. 28) when the Sun forms a square with Uranus. Things might feel like they are at a breaking point with your career, fueled by the demands of the workplace. If the job opportunity does end, consider how to bounce back while seeking out a healthier work environment. If it doesn’t end, then you can stay the course and await other opportunities to make changes in the coming years.
Between Uranus at your solar midheaven and the slow motion of Saturn (and flurry of eclipses) in your solar sixth house, the question being asked is how much work is healthy? What are you trying to prove to others, especially your boss? What will it take for you (or your boss) to be satisfied with your performance? And at what price?
While it’s a challenging work year, there is an almost equal measure of happiness to be savored in family life. The period from July 23 to Aug. 23 is your special time of year, with the Sun in your sign. It’s a time when you’re happy and in control. A Mercury retrograde in your sign from July 8 through 31 lets you savor the nostalgia of childhood via a family gathering, or perhaps a prodigal child returns to your life.
Not only that, but on Aug. 12, Jupiter’s retrograde ends, getting you back on track to broaden your horizons, fortify your faith and boost your optimism through time spent with children, creative endeavors, watching/playing sports and even trying your hand at the blackjack table. If ever there were a lucky time in those areas, it’s now.
Through Dec. 3, Jupiter keeps your spirits buoyed and reminds you to take time out for fun. Finding a work-life balance can only happen when you have a life, and Jupiter is helping you discover what “life” is all about.
By year’s end, you should be able to decipher the inexplicable issues that muddied your relationships. If you’ve stayed with your partner, you are stronger and more committed as a couple, capable of doing great things together. If you parted ways, you’ll gain strength to stand on your own and create an opening for a healthier relationship waiting in the wings. You’ll end the year on a creative high note made possible by learning to rein in your inner workaholic while cultivating an appreciation for childlike fun. Meanwhile you’ll want to check back here to find out what adventures await in 2020.
By Jerre Wroble
