How to prepare for an eclipse

Anticipation of eclipses tends to bring out a "sky is falling" mentality in many people, especially if the eclipse closely conjuncts the Sun in one's natal chart. There are some doom-and-gloom websites out there -- which I find irresponsible, but I also understand that the nature of consciousness has changed since old times. Astrology seems less deterministic than when a royal astrologer could predict accurately that a king would die from a head wound by a spear.

Eclipses are powerful events, indeed. Their impact lasts longer than your typical lunation, as the Sun and Moon are conjunct the Lunar Nodes. The Nodes relate to our spiritual progress, our karmic past, our fated connections with people.

If I may, I'd like to quote Bernadette Brady on eclipses:

Let us imagine eclipses like spotlights shining on the pathway of your life. These lights are not on all of the time but they switch on, catching you in mid-action, so to speak. As this spotlight shines, it will illuminate an area of your life. Whatever has been pushed to one side or shoved under the carpet, will become obvious. This bringing to the surface of hidden problems can be dramatic and emotional. However, it is an opportunity to become aware of issues that may need some work. You can, of course, choose not to work on the problems which have come to the surface; you could choose to blame it all on someone else, and so on. But, this may not lead to a healthy future. If you do choose to accept the challenge offered by the events of the eclipse, then although it may be a hard struggle--or possibily just an easy ride, depending on the Saros Series involved--the effect of the eclipse could be very long-term. It can change your life.

(Predictive Astrology: The Eagle and the Lark pp. 229-230)

There is always the danger of "blaming the victim" here, but if bad stuff happens, perhaps it is because the native has been resisting change for so long that a powerful event like an eclipse shatters her world. Again, Bernadette Brady (p. 230):

Another way of looking at eclipses is to think of them as earthquakes. Earthquakes are movements of Mother Earth as She settles Herself. If She hasn't moved for a long time, then She needs to do quite a lot of flexing very quickly, with possibly disastrous results to all concerned. However, if She shuffles along a little at a time, then it is much easier for everyone.

Thus, the best advice for someone who will be directly impacted by an eclipse -- meaning that the Moon makes a conjunction or hard aspect to a major point in one's chart -- is to be open to whatever major overhaul your psyche requires. To fight against this energy is to court a destructive earthquake. Change will happen regardless -- whether it is smooth or turbulent is, at least to some extent, under your control. Not completely under your control, because there are cosmic forces at work, gods who have their own plans for us. The best use of astrology is to understand our charts and these forces so that we can be prepared for the changes to come. This preparation requires both work and receptivity to change. The work can range from spiritual practices (meditation, yoga, shamanism) to psychotherapy and somatic practices (dance, movement) to writing in a journal or talking to a friend. Insight is not enough. One can theoretically understand that one's intimate partnerships need illumination, but the reality of this experience often includes the opening of closets, skeletons and all; the end of relationships; the jarring introduction of new elements into one's life. Are you open enough to accept all that the Universe wants to offer you?