By Melanie Farmer
Eclipses influence both political events and personal growth, with their effects rolling out over about six months.
It’s rare to have consecutive eclipses impact the U.S., as we experienced in 2023 and 2024, and even over the past 10 years. Astrologers refer to these periods as “eclipse season” or “operating in the shadow of the eclipses.”
We are seeing an accumulation of effects with the upcoming September eclipses, tied to the Rahu Mahadasha cycle the U.S. is currently experiencing. Rahu represents the head of the serpent consuming the sun, and suggests The U.S. has been in a continuous “Shadow of the Eclipses” season; the country entered this Rahu cycle in August 2016 and it concludes in 2035.
X Marks the Spot in Texas
The October 14, 2023 solar eclipse, with Moon-Sun-Mercury in Virgo, foreshadowed current political and natural disasters, as well as what can be expected for the upcoming September 21,2025 eclipse.
In sidereal astrology, the U.S. natal chart has a Scorpio ascendant, with Virgo in the 11th house, and Neptune and Saturn in Virgo. Virgo is an earth sign that represents purity and health. It is indicative of groups, communal activities, and broader societal visions. Also, humanitarian efforts, charities, political groups, and any association formed for a mutual goal.
On July 4, 2025, Neptune (a water planet) conjoined Saturn turned retrograde in the U.S. chart’s 5th house (indicator of children) ruled by Pisces, a water sign. On that same day, destructive and deadly flooding took place in the Hill Country region of Texas. During the flooding, water levels along the Guadalupe River rose rapidly. There were at least 135 fatalities, 27 from Camp Mystic, a Christian girl’s summer camp.
Saturn turned retrograde on July 13, 2025, while conjoined with retrograding Neptune in 5th house Pisces. Retrograding planets indicate going backward. A return movement to pick up on what was missed the last time around the wheel. It’s about unfinished business that must be resolved and remedied.
Neptune is illusion, escapism, and dissolving boundaries, while Saturn anchors in hard truth, and holding firm boundaries. Neptune is mystical and an indicator of the collective unconscious, but also deception, disillusionment, and addiction. Neptune blurs boundaries between reality and fantasy, while Saturn, king of karma, slaps us with truth we try to avoid.
For example, media exposure of the Epstein Files escalated after July 7, when the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation released a memo stating that no additional files related to the investigation would be made public.
Saturn’s retrograde on July 13, increased the stubborn resistance to the DOJ and FBI memo, calling for more truthful information, exposing lies and contradictions. To understand where we are at, it’s important to note that the last time Neptune conjoined Saturn in Virgo in the 11th house was 165 years ago, in 1860, when the U.S. was on the brink of civil war.
Texas Gerrymandering and Bleeding Kansas
On July 21, 2025, Texas Governor Abbott convened a special legislative session to redraw state district lines after Donald Trump requested changes to secure five additional Republican seats.
Recently, Missouri announced a similar plan to redistrict. Redrawing and redistricting have been employed previously to affect voting outcomes, such as between 1854 and 1859, as new territories were admitted to the union and slave states and free states sought congressional representation.
As per the Constitution, two senators represent each state, regardless of population. In the 1800s, this structure disproportionately benefited the South, which had a much smaller free white population than the North. At that time, the U.S. had 11 free and 11 slave states. To maintain the balance of senators in Congress, in 1820 “The Missouri Compromise” admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.
In the House of Representatives, there was “The Three-Fifths Compromise.” This constitutional clause counted three-fifths of the South’s slaves for the purposes of representation, giving southern states more leverage and legislative power than their free population alone would have provided. But the free state’s populations grew more rapidly, and by the time of the Missouri Compromise, free state representatives outnumbered slave state representatives 105 to 81.
The Missouri Compromise was overturned in 1854 by the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which let settlers in those territories to determine, through popular sovereignty, whether slavery would be permitted. This led to the “Bleeding Kansas” border war along the Kansas-Missouri state line, a period of intense and violent conflict between pro- and anti-slavery factions. Pro-slavery gangs crossed the Missouri state line to stuff ballet boxes, burn towns, and murder Kansas farmers and citizens. Abolitionist John Brown and his followers killed five pro-slavery settlers along Pottawatomie Creek. Pro- and anti-slavery factions established competing governments in Kansas.
This lesser-known bit of American Civil War history highlights the country’s deep moral divide over slavery, which could not be peacefully resolved, and the path to civil conflict. By 1860, tensions over slavery and states rights were intense, and states began to secede from the Union.
Other Astrological Influences on Current Events
The day of the April 8, 2025 solar eclipse, with Venus-Neptune-Rahu-Sun-Moon in Pisces, was marked by significant volatility in the U.S. stock market; this sharp decline and subsequent recovery were prompted by the announcement of additional tariffs on China by Donald Trump. U.S. imports have slowed, causing the economy to struggle and small businesses to suffer.
These consequences are ongoing and will coincide with a lunar eclipse on September 7, 2025. This eclipse will have an impact on all voters and individuals exercising their constitutional rights, and will highlight concerns over imports and wealth inequality.
Pluto return for the U.S. happens every 248 years, last time in 1777. In 1776, the U.S. adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, a pivotal moment when the 13 colonies declared their separation from Great Britain. This landmark document proclaimed the colonies inherent rights and established the foundation for American freedom and independence.
We will also have a solar eclipse on September 21, 2025, with Ketu-Sun-Mercury in Leo. The Death of the Solar King refers to the idea that solar eclipses can signal the fall or end of a leader. The upcoming solar eclipse on September 21, 2025 is particularly significant due to the timing of Trump’s first six months in office.
