What do you have planned for this Friday, 20 March 2015? You ashtangis out there know it’s a moon day, so no usual practice. But did you know that this is no ordinary moon day? A lot more is going on as well, so pay attention. This kind of synchronicity does not happen often.
New moon occurs at exactly 9.39 am GMT, though its effect remains potent for a couple of days before and after.
It’ll be a super moon, which means the moon will be as close as possible to the earth. That proximity intensifies the power of the moon to bring about whatever karma it indicates in your chart. But even more important, this new moon will also create a total solar eclipse, which means that the moon will pass directly between the earth and the sun, obscuring sunlight for a couple of hours in the morning. Incredibly, it is also the Vernal Equinox, that special day when light is balanced across the earth. All this is happening at the same time, so pay attention!
Though the total solar eclipse will only be visible in the Arctic region, in Ireland we’ll see around 90%. This is significant. The last time we saw as much was in 1999. The next opportunity will be 2026. (Remember it is dangerous to look directly at the sun, even during an eclipse. It can cause blindness, so don’t chance it. Here are some of the ways you can view the eclipse, weather permitting of course.)
Cloud cover could very likely spoil the dramatic effect. But even so, the eclipse is still happening. Gloom and shadow will darken the sky, and the ensuing darkness will shroud our consciousness. Sunlight sustains all life on our planet. It is the source of life. Not only does it generate our food, but it makes possible our powers of perception. Luminous and fiery in the sky, it represents the light of divinity, the ultimate reality that transcends the cosmos.
The ancient rishis and sages revered the Sun as the outer form of the inner reality, the light of pure consciousness. 
It is all there in Surya. Why do you think we begin our yoga practice with Surya Namaskar? Why in India is the rising sun greeted with the Gayatri Mantra, that majestic hymn to Savitur (another name for the Sun) who is also and at the same time the Ultimate Reality that transcends both time and space?
In Jyotish (which by the way means light) luminosity indicates beneficence. It heralds auspicious outcomes, whereas darkness obscures, bringing ambiguity, uncertainty and challenge. Spiritual realisation is called enlightenment. It lifts the veil of avidya (a + vidya = not seeing or spiritual ignorance/darkness). The metaphor of light and dark runs deep.
Jyotish recognizes the eclipses as shadow times. They heighten delusion, uncertainty, confusion and chaos. They portend sudden change, accidents or strange happenings. Always at an eclipse, the Moon lines up with the nodes of the moon, Rahu and Ketu. The nodes are likened to serpents. Their movement is circuitous; they amplify and distort.
This new moon, the Sun and the Moon conjoin in Pisces with Ketu, the south node of the moon. Mars will also be present in Pisces, adding his fire and dynamism to the already powerful pitta energy of the Sun and Ketu. This explosive configuration of four planets could erupt in unexpected ways. At an eclipse, the nodes reign supreme. With the light of both the Sun and the Moon obscured at this solar eclipse, serpent power momentarily overtakes the light of the luminaries, Sun and Moon. Rahu, the north node of the moon, will be exactly opposite this configuration in the sign of Virgo. So his energy combines with the already volatile mix mentioned above.
Look at your Vedic chart and see where the Pisces-Virgo axis falls in your chart.
Do you have any planets in these constellations? Which houses does it represent for you? This will tell you how the energy of the eclipse could impact in your own life. Depending on your chart, the eclipses may bring only subtle background disturbances that you will hardly recognize. For some–where many malefic factors are compounded–they could be cataclysmic.
The eclipse will be visible from Ireland (again, weather permitting!) from around 8.30 to 10.30 am, with the peak happening right around the time of the new moon. But the inauspicious energy of an eclipse extends beyond those parameters. It is wise to honour this powerful energy with caution on the day before and after the eclipse as well.
No you don’t need to hide under your bed. But it is best not to plan anything important where a specific outcome is desired. Best not to travel, best to avoid any risky activities. Best to intensify sadhana (spiritual practice) with special prayers and pujas.
Remember too the other great event of 20 March, the Vernal Equinox. These days happen only twice a year, and most people hardly pay any notice. The equinoxes are two very special days in the solar calendar. 
On these days, the earth is not tilting towards or away from the sun, so the southern and northern hemispheres receive light equally and the duration of daylight is the same nearly everywhere on the planet. It is an auspicious time of harmony and balance, a moment of suspension in what is otherwise a continual movement of either increasing light or increasing darkness.
For us in the northern hemisphere it marks the beginning of the lightest quadrant of the year. From the Vernal Equinox to the Summer Solstice, light over powers darkness and continues to increase. In India, the northward path of the Sun, from January to July, is called Uttarayana, the pathway of the gods. The quadrant that begins with the Vernal Equinox marks the most auspicious time of Uttarayana. The season of greatest luminosity, of growth and expansion begins this Friday, 20 March. It is something to celebrate.
Generally, the energy of this time of the year uplifts. But restraint is in order during the eclipse patterns (or according to planetary transit patterns particular to your unique chart). Eclipses come in pairs, so after this total solar eclipse on 20 March, there will be a partial lunar eclipse on 4 April.
Think about your plans for this Friday. Eclipses, Moon Days, Equinoxes . . . these are all times of liminality, of transition, poise or shadow. 
Spiritual practice is protective, and it is most efficacious at these times. (That is why dawn and dusk, the liminal times of the day, are most auspicious for our yoga practice.) March 20 is a day to honour, particularly in the morning. Leave off the strong asana, but get on that mat anyway, practise japa, practise meditation. Or leave the mat behind and get yourself out into nature . . . the beach, the woods, even a park where you can connect with the energy of growing things. (Just don’t climb steep mountains or swim alone in the sea!)
Whatever you decide to do, turn your attention towards Surya around 9.39. Intention is powerful. Remember that your life is totally dependent upon his light. Remember too his greater light, the light of pure consciousness. It is the light that subsumes us all.
The Gayatri Mantra will focus your awareness, aligning it with the momentum of this most perennial and efficacious hymn to the divine. Here it is for you to chant, out loud or in your heart:
Om bhur bhuvah svah
Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo devasya dhimahi
Dhiyo yo nah prachodayat
(Om . . . earth, midheaven, heaven . . . Almighty Supreme Sun impel us with your divine brilliance so we may attain a noble understanding of reality.)
Om Shanti
