Celeste Teal gives us an amazing amount of information about eclipses in general, and about current eclipses, all in logical and very readable form. What I appreciate most about her approach is that she has really closely studied eclipses, paid attention to their transits and stimulations over time, and corresponding events. She also refers them to relevant countries, and real people.

Much of astrological writing is a rehash of “common” knowledge. Celeste takes the scientist’s approach: what is the evidence? Her conclusions thus have grounding in the real world. This is very valuable and refreshing.

In her book, Celeste also includes some excellent basic astrology, plus all the data which provide the evidence for her conclusions.

She has a chapter on the Dragon’s Head and the Dragon’s Tail, which are the old names for the Moon’s Nodes, and quite descriptive. These are the most important things about an eclipse, and have long been associated with karmic workings.

Celeste discusses the importance of the element of the eclipse sign, and the ruler of that sign—the Lord of an Eclipse. In the case of the upcoming Lunar Eclipse in Pisces, the element is water, and there are two Lords—Neptune and Jupiter.

Says Celeste, “Pisces expresses the principles of bondage, captivity, the struggle of the soul in the body, and concern with life after death. It is associated with spirituality, charities, hospitals, and institutions of confinement. Neptune rules the sea, sailors, prophets, mystics, dancers, actors, medicine, alcohol, drugs. oil, gases, chemicals, and fluids. The energy of Neptune is to occlude, dissolve, cloud, or fog.”

Celeste addresses the question of the length of time during which an eclipse is active. She finds, as have I, that the time is similar for both Solar and Lunar eclipses. She finds the time to be 3.5 years, but I have found many eclipses, especially solar eclipses, to be active far longer, even into centuries. Because so many things are overlapping as the years progress, this can be a difficult determination.

This book is very complete in terms of using eclipses in your own life, or using them to analyze current events. It fills a real lack in the literature, and Celeste has performed a great service.

There are various appendices which include much information, including the actual charts of both Solar and Lunar Eclipses through 2012, as well as the charts of selected countries. There is also a good index, which, again, is often lacking in astrology books.

Celeste Teal has done an excellent job of teaching about a complex subject in a way which is informative, and offers practical help as well. She has steered a middle road between technical descriptions, and useful generalities.

This is one of the best new books on astrology which I have read for a long time, and I highly recommend it to both novice and expert astrologers.