A Wild Ride
What do Jennifer Aniston, Prince Charles and J.K. Rowling have in common? They were all married near the date of an eclipse, an important event in astrology. Eclipses get a bad rap in astrological lore. They’re said to bring emotional instability, trouble, discontent and even disaster. Ancient Babylonian cuneiform tablets fairly shout warnings of the death of kings and the destruction of temples under their auspices. Sixth century B.C. Chinese classics see the phenomenon as “ugly” and “abnormal.” Bible commentators have linked not only the death of Christ, but also the great flood to eclipses. Shakespeare had both Gloucester in King Lear and Othello attribute their domestic mishaps to the influence of the dreaded eclipse. Nancy Reagan’s astrologer persuaded the President to delay announcing his second term candidacy ‘til January of 1984: there were two eclipses the previous December.
Clearly, most of us regularly survive about one total solar eclipse a year, but catastrophic astrological prophecies continue. One can understand why: for all our scientific understanding, there’s still something spooky about the Sun being darkened and the temperature dropping in the middle of the day, or the Moon turning blood red – a bit of primeval chaos in the midst of the information age.
It’s best to avoid eclipses for your wedding date if you can. In fact, you should plan to avoid ten days before to at least three days after an eclipse for best results. Eclipses can augur high emotions, over-sensitivity, insecure domestic situations, and even the possibility of separations.
Both of Prince Charles’ weddings were near eclipses, and often eclipses can make for high profile or much-publicized weddings. Charles married Princess Diana on July 29, 1981, two days before a total solar eclipse. Their marriage was fraught with much unhappiness, his infidelity and her depression, before it ended in divorce and her tragic death. Charles married Camilla Parker-Bowles on April 9, 2005, one day after a total solar eclipse. This was another highly publicized union, and though the couple seem happy, they have a complicated past and the relationship must be complex.
Partial eclipses may be somewhat less potent than total ones, but they should still be looked out for. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston married two days before a partial solar eclipse, on July 29, 2000. By Hollywood standards, their marriage was long lasting, about five years. But we can see the high publicity influence of the eclipse in their relationship – they were fodder for celebrity magazines for years, even after their break-up. According to Hollywood.com Aniston reportedly felt “fear, mistrust, doubt and insecurities” during the marriage – typical eclipse-like emotions. And people are still talking about them.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling married Dr. Neil Murray in a private ceremony four days before a partial lunar eclipse, on December 26, 2001. It was the second marriage for both, and so far they seem to have done fine, with a son born in March of 2003. (Rowling’s first marriage, on October 16, 1992, was also in the shadow of an eclipse.)
If you plan to be married near an eclipse, you’ll need to control your emotions and feelings. Try to be practical and rational, and don’t get carried away with sensitivity. All couples deal with some difficulties in life: make an effort to take things in stride and don’t exaggerate your problems. Don’t allow yourself to make too much of frustrations with the home, family or in-laws. Focus on the positive and celebrate what you share.
Some couples simply prefer a high-adventure, somewhat unpredictable and emotionally charged lifestyle. If this sounds like you, you have nothing to fear from an eclipse – it will give you all you crave and more! But if you’re focused on security and stability and you’re planning a wedding, you should try to avoid dates from ten days before to three days after the eclipses.