Dani's companion article "The Numenous". Natty’s companion piece “Eclipse season as rhythmic disruption” . Ali A. Olomi offers insight on the Medieval interpretation of the Sun. In this piece Olomi reminds us that the Sun also has a malefic nature. He references Abu Ma’shar’s take on the Sun: With both luminaries at 20° 1’ of Leo, the Sun is in its Domicile. These dog days of Summer whisper themes of Courage, Conviction, and Character even as we struggle to hold our position. Austin Coppock teaches that the third Decan of Leo is called “A Crown of Laurels”, and references the 7 of Wands in tarot. Mars is the Decan ruler. We also find Aries at the 12th Part, and Aries is where Leo is exalted. Aries is where Saturn and Neptune are retrograde. This is a South Node eclipse. We reference Joli Knott. Austin Coppock remarks that the Sun’s “nature transcends the confines of the identity…”, and advises that “something bigger than the ego must be invoked.”(p. 134, 36 Faces). The 7 of Wands card depicts an image of a man, staving off would-be supplanters, from an elevated position. “Eclipse” is from the Greek word meaning “Abandonment”. The Greeks hypothesized that the gods were angered, and abandoned Earth. The Chippewa from North America would shoot arrows at the sky to rekindle the fire of the Sun that had gone out. By far and large, the Sun being swallowed/devoured was the most pervasive belief of Ancient Civilizations. The Ancient Chinese believed that a celestial dragon had swallowed the Sun, and would bang drums to chase the dragon away. In his work “The Idea of the Holy”, Rudolph Otto talks about “The Numenous” - something “Other”. This Other something is mysterious, and awe-inspiring, "arousing spiritual emotion”. Otto speaks of that experience, the feeling of being submerged, and overwhelmed by power. He explores the psychological response that experiencing “The Numenous” evokes, and divides the experience into two aspects. The “Mysterium Tremendous”, is the element of awe-fullness, being overpowered - activated. He also speaks of the “Mysterium Fascinan”, experiencing something immeasurable, and the subsequent alteration, in its wake. The feeling of angst or yearning; being drawn in. I can remember the feeling. A sublime experience that’s intense, and almost too much - but also hypnotic. Carl Jung speaks of the way we give meaning to things, in the “Collective Unconscious”, where he talks about how we inherit paradigms that shape the way we see everything. These ideals and images give meaning to who we are, what we see, how we perceive it. We inherit these systems of thinking; about ourselves and society, and our experience of the world through storytelling. Through stories that we are told, and that we perceive in various ways. These stories explore our roles, and they’re called “Archetypes”. Through Archetypes, we figure out where we fit in the story, and which stories represent us. We assign everything around these templates embedded in our psyche. What’s significant about this theory, especially in regards to the South Node, is the opportunity to consider the roles we embody, and the power we have to reframe the stories we’ve inherited. Ultimately, when it comes to an eclipse, we have all the science to know exactly what’s happening. We know that the moon is coming between us and the Sun, in a solar eclipse. We know that we are coming in between the Sun and the Moon, in a lunar eclipse - and yet there’s still that element of wanting to shoot arrows at the sky. Oftentimes, discovery gives way to more questions, and in this case, the question is whether we have an inherited reaction to eclipses, or whether it’s simply the power and wonder of our Luminaries. The Numenous we encounter, when we see these orbs of light eclipse one another, has a humbling effect. One that is apropos to the symbolism we find in this auspicious moment.
