Eclipses: Astronomically and Astrologically Considered and Explained explained

Eclipses: Astronomically and Astrologically Considered and Explained (1915)^[1] is an astrological text by famous English astrologer Walter Gorn Old, otherwise known as Sepharial. The book claims to teach the readers how to predict world events with solar and lunar eclipses.

Basic Theory of the Book

There are two core ideas provided in this book:

Whenever an outer planet (usually Mars) conjoins or opposite the spot of a recent eclipse in longitude, then a natural disaster or local conflict is bound to happen. The location of the incident is usually a long the path on which the eclipse is most visible.
Whenever a solar or lunar eclipse makes a turbulent aspect (e.g. square or opposition) to a person's natal chart, it usually indicates an unfavourable trend to that person, even though the effect might not be immediate.

Examples of Mars activating the eclipse point

Here are two example from the book. The first one is the Balkan War started in 1912, which was just three years before the book was published. Sepharial thought that it was related to a solar eclipse in 1912. (Key: SE = solar eclipse, LE = lunar eclipse)

Solar Eclipse and the Balkan War!Date!Eclipse!Transit!Event
17 Apr 1912	Annular SE in 27° Aries.	---	The eclipse path was across Europe, meaning that it was visible on the Balkan Peninsula.
14 Oct 1912	---	Mars at 27° Libra (opposition)	It was the outbreak of the Balkan War.
Jun 1913	---	Mars at 27° Aries	The war broke out again.

The second example is the First World War, just one year before the book was published. Sepharial thought that it was related to a lunar eclipse a few months before the war.

Lunar Eclipse and the First World War!Date!Eclipse!Transit!Event
12 Mar 1914	Partial LE at 21° Virgo.	--	This eclipse was visible in Europe and America.
29 Jul 1914	---	Mars at 21° Virgo	Germany, Russia and France plunged into war. Great Britain joined later.
21 Mar 1918	---	Mars at 21° Virgo again	Germany launched its last great offensive. (Mentioned later work The Arcana: Or Stock and Market Key.^[2])

Examples of eclipses transiting natal charts

Sepharial used the example of German Kaiser Wilhelm II to show how eclipses could bring bad luck to a person by bad transits.

The World War Eclipses and Kaiser Wilhelm II!Date!Phenomenon!Interpretation
17 Jan 1859	Kaiser Wilhelm II was born with MC at Pisces 21 and Asc at 17 Cancer.	---
12 Mar 1914	Partial LE at 21° Virgo, opposited the Kaiser's MC.	It signifies the Kaiser's downfall in the Great War to come.
29 Jul 1914	Mars transited 21° Virgo, opposited the Kaiser's MC.
7 Jan 1917	Total LE at 17° Cancer, loosely conjoined the Kaiser's Asc.	It signals that the end of the war was close.
22 Aug 1917	Mars transited 17° Cancer, loosely conjoined the Kaiser's Asc.	It signals that the end of the war was close.

Notes and References

Book: Sepharial. Eclipses: Astronomically and Astrologically Considered and Explained. Foulsham. 1915. London.
Book: Sepharial. The Arcana: Or Stock And Share Key. Kessinger Publishing. 2010. 978-1162632674. Facsimile reprint of the 1920 original. Whitefish, MT.