speed of saturn #1

happy eclipse season

This contains an excerpt from my unfinished essay Black Rebellion, White Supremacy: The (Counter) Revolutionary History of Eclipses in Leo/Aquarius with some longer notes about the briefly mentioned Zanj Rebellion and tomorrow’s eclipse.

There are not a lot of pictures in this one. Sorry. Just text and charts. I would like to make it clear that I learned about this chart from Ali A. Olomi’s video “The Astrology of Protests” which was released via his Patreon in April 2024. However, the delineations below are my own and contextually placed with work centering the legacy of African/Black resistance against enslavement during both the Arab and European Transatlantic slave trades.

Black Rebellion, White Supremacy: The (Counter) Revolutionary History of Eclipses in Leo/Aquarius

Introduction

Through observations of prominent moments of Black political resistance, there were reoccurring themes of eclipses as omens or astrological signatures for/during the carrying out acts of resistance against colonizers, enslavers, and the State. Among most contemporary astrologers we are cautioned against “manifesting” with eclipses. Every eclipse season, social media is plastered with warnings against the power and unpredictable nature of eclipses that one should keep in mind before enacting magic, ritual or other actions with them. In a sense, these are cautions against “electing” events with these high-octane lunations. And these advisories have existed for millenia, appearing in the work of ancient astrologers like Vettius Valens and Rhetorius.

Despite cautions of ancient texts, there is evidence of the intentional use of eclipses for electional astrology. And this can be found within the Islamicate Medieval astrological tradition. Beyond it being a the first ever documented revolt of enslaved Africans (source), the Zanj Rebellion, is indicative of a turning point in which slave labor began to shift into a colonially imposed enslavement that we see in chattel slavery of the Atlantic Slave Trade in later centuries. The deliberate use of astrology to plan and execute the slave rebellion slated to launch during a Lunar Eclipse in Pisces potentially with assistance from astrologer Abu’Mashar. (Olomi, 2024). While this rebellion which spanned 15 years, what started with victory among the rebels, would ultimately fail.

The instances of Black resistance coinciding with eclipses in the 19th and 20th century are both intentional and coincidental. Nonetheless, they are curious moments and culminate around important moments in the history of the liberation struggles of Black Americans; as well as continued manifestations of the fall out of the racial capitalism enacted by chattel slavery and continued disenfranchisement of Black Americans post-abolition.

We will focus on Nat Turner’s Rebellion, and the San Quentin Prison Rebellion, and an interesting connection to the Unite the Right Rally in the wake of the “Great American Eclipse” back in 2017. All of which are along the Leo-Aquarius axis. Using the methodology of astrologers like Abu Ma’shar and Ptolemy, we will analyze the sign of the eclipse and ascendant, the lunar mansion, indicating which matters are impacted by the eclipses.

Why Shouldn’t We Elect With Eclipses?

One of the defining features of the nodes, especially alongside the luminaries, is the erratic, extreme and often unpredictable nature of their manifestation. Even within Valens perspective, the influence of the nodes is deemed malefic and the entirety of the sign the node occupies is said to be weakened. While planets aspecting the node via sign- or degree- based aspects, especially conjunctions, squares, and oppositions are afflicted by the presence of the nodes. And he states in Anthologies, Book I:

“...beware of starting anything: do not sail, do not marry, do not have meetings, do not begin anything, do not plant, do not introduce; in short, do not do anything — What has been started will be judged insecure or prone to come to a bad end; it will be something regrettable, incomplete, subject to penalties, grievous, and not lasting…Not even benefics which happen to be in these places do anything entirely good. “

Rhetorius also carries this sentiment, but differentiates that ascending and descending nodes have differing impacts on the native/querent or others surrounding them depending on their proximity to one or the other. Such as the Sun and father, or Moon and mother. While there being minor exceptions around benefics potentially bringing good when in conjunction with the North Node and malefics being diminished by the South Node. We also find this delineation echoed in the Medieval Islamicate tradition, with Al Qabisi echoing that benefics conjunct the North Node increase its benefic quality and bring forth more good. In his research, Ali A. Olomi has noted that across the Medieval Islamicate tradition the North Node was considered benefic and the South, malefic. So there are a variety of competing perspectives across the Hellenistic and Medieval astrological traditions.

Notably, the Combahee River Raid as previously analyzed by Thea Anderson in Harriet Tubman as a Magical, Mercurial Figure: An Astrological Analysis of the Combahee River Raid, also took place in the wake of a Lunar Eclipse. This raid was a successful and strategized attempt to free enslaved Black people, and can be treated as a “found” election. The eclipse features the Sun at the 10 degrees Gemini and Moon at 10 degrees Sagittarius. The raid chart, almost 12 hours after the exact degree of the eclipse. Typically, the “eclipse” encapsulates all moments after the exact lunation and for the entire time that the Moon remains in the sign that was eclipsed.

While enough charts have not been examined together to distinguish notable differences between eclipse elections (found or otherwise) to determine what nuances may predetermine a different outcome, this essay draws into question how cautions have bode true within a particular eclipse cycle. And we can begin to ask ourselves if it is a fool’s errand to attempt to harness the power of eclipses and will them towards revolutionary acts or resistance; or if herein lies something more complicated worth exploring around eclipses and the seat of power.

- End of essay excerpt -

One of the reasons I have decided to spend more time with the Zanj Rebellion, is how close by degree tomorrow’s eclipse is with this lunation from 1,154 years ago. It is very rare that the sky mirrors, even partially, almost to the degree. And while there are some notable differences in rulership and co-present planets, it is special nonetheless and worth an extended aside. The defined start of the 15 year rebellion, is known as the Siege of Basra. Below is the chart, alongside this weekend’s eclipse chart.

As you can see both charts feature the nodes not in the same degree exactly, they are within less than a degree of each other, but the same bounds/terms and decans. The Jupiter-ruled North Node in the bounds of Mercury and the Mercury-ruled South Node in the bounds of Jupiter. They are emplaced in decans/faces of Jupiter and Venus, respectively. The Sun and Moon in the respective charts reflect a similar pattern. The Suns occupy the bounds and terms of Venus and the Moons occupy the bounds and terms of Jupiter. Needless to say, they are virtually in the same place. If we want to split hairs, the largest tangible difference in the delineation of degrees is the dodecatamoria; with the nodes of both charts in the same dodecatermoria, but the luminaries occupying different dodecatermoria in each chart. Unlike the examples in the full essay, there is a lot of benefic protection and co-presence that cradles both of these eclipses. However, a singular malefic in each poses a potential problem, in addition to the general malefic nature of eclipses which I describe in detail in the essay. The Sun and Moon are both ruled by dignified planets, namely those that are either domicile and/or exalted.

The Moon is the people, and Lunar eclipses as reflected in Nat Turner’s Rebellion, the Combahee River Raid, and many other eclipses of great importance reflect that these are moments when the people move the tide. And what I can say of both of these, but especially of our coming eclipse it is a matter of taking the reins and making decisive action towards something. Even if we are fueled by an excessive or even unfounded optimism or sense of belief we are being moved.

The popular imagination inspires a call or demand for some sort of external mediation in the tangible world. Popular imagination is a word I just learned in a course I’m taking entitled Black Rage. It is the collective’s amalgamation of beliefs, images and stories that inform how culture, history, people and events are envisioned. We spoke about Black rage in the popular imagination as being revenge seeking, animalistic, and barbaric. Largely an accusation lauded at recently “freed” enslaved Black people and even presently weaponized in moments where rightful outrage about racialized violence reaches a fever pitch. So my caveat is, there is a very dangerous popular imagination that exists within the US and there also isn’t a singular popular imagination. Think of the various cultural imaginations you find yourself to either be a part of or separate from. During the Zanj rebellion, their tangible mediation was one of remediating inhumane treatment of the Zanj to exploit their labor. Many of them Muslim, felt that it was a violation of religious values and law for them to be treated the way they were. So again this reflection of a popular imagination, guided by religious belief, sparking the match of rebellion and resistance against the Abbasid caliphate. Jupiter-ruled eclipse delineations skew positive. As Jupiterian things tend to represent things such as resource sharing, generosity, justice and allyship. But both of these charts have a little bite to them. With Mars still engendering both Sun and Moon with a righteous rage-fueled drive in the chart of the Zanj Rebellion’s start, it is less of an idyllic exchange or offering from the kindness of one’s heart and more like a stick up. The rage of the people, becomes met by the assertion of the Caliphate’s power. And in this instance, the voice of what is morally righteous is the people, rather than those who wield power on paper. Eclipses in water signs forebode water troubles and issues at sea, as well as the “expectation of war.” (Houlding, 1994) In the sign of Pisces, again issues of water, fish and other aquatic life are of concern; but also the fall from grace of those respected in a community, as well as those in high offices of the law or religious life, given Jupiterian rulership are to be expected as well.

Sunday’s eclipse chart has an ascendant that matches up with the birth chart of the United States, albeit the eclipse is not visible here. Typically, where an eclipse is visible things tend to unfold. However, in this chart, it presents the nation with a combust profection ruler and is also in the profected house. I personally believe this speaks to a reorganizing of the global landscape politically and economically, given the unpredictable chaos that has unfolded since the beginning of the Trump administration. What I will point to is Uranus in Gemini reflecting the onset of techno-fedualism and the algorithmically controlled models of economic prediction that monopolize all cultural products, surveil and capitalize off of disaster and catastrophe. What does this mean as the world begins to look at the US as less of a dependable ally and more of a liability? Mercury, ruling the 10th house of the nation’s leader and its reputation as well as the 7th house of foreign enemies marks a stronger pivot given the diminishing esteem of US hegemony. And it also reflects the ostensible leadership of the Emperor, in his new clothes, as exalted planets are sometimes only exalted by their own self delusion rather than the merit of their abilities.

stay safe,

free palestine, congo, sudan and also…free us…damn.

imani