On 8 April 2024, I watched NASA’s live feed as the total solar eclipse tracked its way across the US and thousands of Americans were able to experience a sense of togetherness and community in the shadow of this awe-inspiring event.
It brought back memories of 11 August 1999, when I was in Cornwall to witness the last total solar eclipse to cross the UK. I knew it was a once in a lifetime experience – the next one to be visible from these islands won’t take place until 23 September 2090, when I’ll be long gone. But there’s some comfort in knowing that a total solar eclipse will happen on that day – the cosmic clock will keep turning, no matter what humans do to the planet.
So, what was going on for me back in 1999?
I’m 42 years old. I’m still a journalist – assistant editor at The Sunday Telegraph Magazine, to be exact. It’s a good job, well paid – but I’m not enjoying it. I’ve painted myself into a corner and don’t know how to get out of it. I’m not writing anymore – I’m editing and managing the magazine’s production and budget. I’m not doing anything creative.
I’m in Plymouth to attend an astrology summer school and experience the eclipse with a group of fellow students. The event is significant in itself but with the eclipse degree at 18 Leo, it’s falling directly opposite the Sun in my birth chart, so I believe it will impact me personally for some months – and maybe even years – to come.
On the morning of the 11th, we gather in nervous anticipation down at Plymouth Hoe. A circle has been placed on the grass, divided into 12 segments to represent the houses of the birth chart. We’re invited to sit in the segment that corresponds to the placement of the eclipse in our own chart. I sit on the line that divides the 11th and 12th houses, wondering what it all means.
As totality approaches at 11am, a strange chill descends, the light dims to an eerie grey and a group of seagulls begin to circle overhead, confused and disoriented by the sudden darkness. It is otherworldly, as if we have been transported to another dimension.
I’m sitting with two friends – two Barbaras. We can’t see the eclipse itself – it’s too cloudy for that – but we can feel it and sense it. When the moment of totality arrives, I feel overwhelmed and burst into tears. The older Barbara cradles me in her arms, like virgin and child. Two minutes later, it’s all over. I’m struggling to put into words how I feel but I know in my soul that it has been a profound experience. Astrology has taught me that solar eclipses are all about new beginnings, a crisis or a turning point… but I have no idea how this will manifest in my life, and I’m a bit scared…
Twenty five years later, I can look back and reflect on the impact that particular eclipse had on my life. Early in 2000, I decided to quit my job at the Telegraph to go freelance. Having made that decision, I went to work as a sub-editor at the Sunday Express for two days a week to enable me to focus on writing a memoir. That turned into a monumental task – it took me five years, on and off, to complete – but it was a huge turning point. It took me away from deadening managerial work back to life-giving creative work – the work I was born to do: writing.
That memoir remains unpublished but it laid the groundwork for the book that has now been published, In Your Own Words. And one of the significant words I’ve written about in that book is… astrology.
Back in 1999, there were no websites, podcasts and YouTube videos teaching astrology. I wish I’d had access to this interpretation back then, about the meaning of an eclipse aspecting my natal Sun: ‘Each of us is born to be the hero of our own life story; but often, timidity or false modesty persuades us to hand over that role to others. When eclipses aspect your natal Sun, you are thrust into the starring role, or must fight to reclaim it.’ Now, I know that not everyone finds astrology believable – but you even if you dismiss it, you could say that my knowledge of the astrological impact of eclipses led to me making a positive change in my life.
It might have taken me a quarter of a century but at last I’ve reclaimed a starring role in my own life story. Eclipsed? Not me. Not now. Never again…
I have a hunch I’ve read this before but I love this story. And I’ve been meaning to tell you that not only did I read and really enjoy In Your Own Words but it inspired me to start journaling again. Each morning I pick a word that comes into my head that has some importance to me and write about it; not thinking too much but just letting the words flow. So a heartfelt thank you for that x