Rewiring for Authentic Power
The August 2026 Eclipse Window
The Crown, the Veil, and the Threshold
The Lion’s Gate Portal of August 8th, 8/8 is coming up and I was recently asked to give a talk about the upcoming eclipses for the Houston Astrological Society. Part of me is skeptical of Lion’s Gate astrology hype like, “What’s the big woop about Lion’s Gate?” We always carry with us the ability to manifest, why should any particular numerological day like 8-8 be any more magical for manifesting than any other date on the calendar? My logical mind wants a more concrete explanation, even though I have heard that ancient Egyptians placed great importance on the star Sirius and its rising, a part of me still flips anti- woo-woo with this one.
I agreed to talk about the eclipses. But, I try to remain open minded. I found the following article by a fellow Substacker that felt worth my time on the subject of the Lion’s Gate, so you can check that out and see if you agree.
Whether you feel inclined to place importance of the Lion’s Gate or not, this upcoming eclipse window has some striking features. The first I want to point out is that there are two major planetary bookends that occur near the beginning and end of the window. The second thing I want to share are the historical connections related to the Saros cycles for these two eclipses. Let’s start with the planetary bookends.
Solar Eclipse and Venus’ Pivot
With this eclipse we have two kites, the two oppositions are Venus Opposing Neptune and Jupiter/Mercury opposing Pluto. (With one additional planet at 5 Sag you would have a Star of David.) So the first planetary bookend happens with Venus. Just a few days after the August 12th solar eclipse, Venus reaches a stable speed and on August 15th she reaches her maximum eastern elongation, at around 8-9 Libra, Then Venus starts to pivot. (When Venus reaches this point in her cycle, she appears to change direction and starts to sink lower in the evening sky towards the western horizon and she begins making her descent until eventually she crosses into the western side of the sun and by October re-emerges in the eastern horizon, becoming a visible morning star again in mid-November. ) So, we have just a few days into the eclipse window this important turning point in Venus’ cycle. Other times in the past when Venus pivoted during an eclipse window were August 1999, August 2007, and August 2015. So we could look for themes across those eclipses for a better picture about Venus’ influence during an eclipse window.
The Historical DNA of the Solar Eclipse: Decoding Saros Series 126
This eclipse is the first total solar eclipse visible in Europe in 27 years. There have been others visible which were partial, but not total. There will be another visible total eclipse in 2027 with an even longer duration of six minutes, and it is one of three in a row visible for Europe. This year’s eclipse will be visible in Spain, which features the LION on its flag, thus LEO. Spain also won the World Cup this year and now will have visibility of this eclipse along with Iceland and Greenland. It is part of Saros 126, the 48th in the series of 72 eclipses, and which originated Mar 10, in the year 1179, it spans 1280 years and concludes May 3, 2459.
While mundane astrology is not my usual daily lens or comfort zone, I went scoping around for some historical parallels to our current times. We could view these eclipses as a catalyst for big reveals, or leadership pivots, on the world stage as the sign of Leo highlights themes of leadership, creative expression, matters concerning authority figures, entertainment, and the public spotlight.
The History Connection
Back in 1179 when this eclipse series began, Barbarossa (Red Beard) was consolidating power inside of Germany, and turned on his own cousin. The Papacy was rival to his ambitions, and when the POPE at the time called together his council of 300 bishops it secured the church’s independence, shutting down secular interference in the church. During the same time, in the near east, Saladin was dismantling Crusade fortifications. While in 1179, France crowned a 14-year old king Philip II, who would transform the French crown. So, the opening eclipse in these series of eclipses happened within the context of those big historical, political changes.
With Saros 126 rooted in such an era defined by changing powers of emperors, popes, and kings fighting over sovereignty, pride, legacy, and public dominance, it fits the archetype of a Leo eclipse. This family of eclipses carries the DNA of “grand leadership showdowns,” high-stakes exposure of the ego, and the dramatic shifting of crowns on the world stage. I think it is also striking that our current Pope and the US President have had such outward disagreements.
Sabian Symbols for the Venus Pivot
Let’s take the Sabian for that degree of Libra, which is nearly 9 Libra. The Sabian Symbol for 9/10 Libra is:
A CANOE IS APPROACHING SAFETY THROUGH DANGEROUS WATERS.
I cannot help but think of 1.) The Odyssey, 2.) the ships at the straight of Hormuz. But for all of us, there is an inkling that we will approach a time where we can take a breath. I also cannot help but wonder if the naval power which the USA held for a long while has been noticeably, if not permanently altered through the ego expression of one individual in particular.
If we take Venus at 8 Libra, and ignore the 50+ minutes, giving us a Sabian of 9, then the symbol is THREE OLD MASTERS HANGING IN AN ART GALLERY, sometimes they seem to speak to each other.” This symbol carries heavy themes of timeless culture, lineage, artistic mastery, and connecting with a deeper legacy or ancestral wisdom across time. Now let’s take a look at the closing Lunar Eclipse two weeks later and the planetary punctuation of Mercury.
The Pisces Lunar Eclipse & Mercury Cazimi
The Lunar Eclipse on August 28/27 will be visible throughout the Americas. But just before the closing, we have the Mercury Cazimi acting as the planetary endcap to this eclipse window. The Lunar eclipse occurs at 4° 55’ Virgo-Pisces, while the Mercury Cazimi occurs just before it at 4° 26’.
4 degrees is just an all around “special point” this year when you add this to all of the Barbault basket points of outer planets at 4 degrees. But this adds the EARTH ELEMENT.
DNA of the Lunar Eclipse: Decoding Saros Series 138
This Virgo/Pisces Lunar Eclipse is part of Saros series 138, which began in October 1521.
At that time we had Magellan’s circumnavigation by sea and the beginning of man’s growing dominance over the ocean and the political battles for dominance of the seas and the colonial gaining of territories. We had the dawn of the Protestant Reformation, and Henry VIII was titled the “Defender of the Faith” right before his massive break with the church in Rome. We had Cortes and the conquest over the Aztecs. It illustrates how systems might appear solid at first, right up until a certain invisible undercurrent dissolves those systems and a new power dynamic takes root, as in the case of Henry VIII. (Could the Aztecs have ever imagined what was going to happen to their illustrious empire?)
This seems to make Saros 138 a signature for a long-term gestation period, where we may be waiting for those invisible undercurrents to dissolve the foundation out from beneath. The battle over the Strait of Hormuz may be much more convoluted than we can even currently imagine right now with much bigger consequences.
Sabian Symbols for the Lunar Eclipse & Mercury Cazimi
The SABIAN SYMBOL of the Moon at 4/5 Pisces is A CHURCH BAZAAR, and it speaks of finding the communal or spiritual common values or experiencing collective support through human cooperation. I imagine that is the only way the average Aztec family managed to survive through the conquest of the Spanish. People coming together.
SABIAN SYMBOL of Sun and Mercury at 4-5 Virgo is A Man Becoming Aware of Nature Spirits and Normally Unseen Spiritual Energies. The data-driven mind wakes up to invisible undercurrents, psychic realities, or paradigm shifts that numbers and logic alone can’t entirely explain.
Conclusion
Not to be a Negative Nancy, but I would say the overriding theme of the upcoming eclipse season might be, “Rewiring for Authentic Power.” We could consider it like a software upgrade; but like many upgrades, there can be software crashes, malfunctions, and disorientation to go along with that new calibration.
Whether we look back to the foundational DNA of Saros 126 and the high-stakes showdowns of emperors and kings, or the invisible undercurrents of Saros 138 dissolving the old foundations of power by sea, like the Spanish overtaking the Aztecs, these eclipses ask us to look past the surface. Just as a canoe approaches safety through dangerous waters, or the old masters in an art gallery speak quietly across time, this window invites us to step out from under the heavy theater of ego and lineage. There are currents above and currents below and everything in between that we cannot see. But if we cannot rise above all of that, we won’t hear our own heartbeat, let alone its authentic song.
I am sure I am not alone in wanting humanity to find its way to a saner decrease in the war for, and dependence on oil worldwide. Everyone already knows of oil’s catastrophic environmental consequences for the health of all life. As we begin to see what has normally remained unseen, perhaps get reminded that the sooner we break away from inauthentic power and energy, the better for all concerned. It has already taken too long for this rewiring upgrade. Instead of rewiring, maybe we should just go wireless.
May we find our way there safely and speedily towards greater and greater wholeness.
If you liked this, please share it with others. I will be giving a talk on this subject this August 8th to the Houston Astrological Society on the subject of this eclipse.
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