A Solar eclipse at 17 degrees in Aquarius occurs at 10:44 pm EST on February 6, 2008, and 3:44 am February 7, GMT/UT. Solar eclipses usually usher in new beginnings, and nowhere will this be more evident than in the USA, where the results of 'Super Tuesday,' will be changing electoral history one way or another. For the first time in history a woman or a black man will square off with their Republican opponent in a bid for the White House.
Aquarius is all about freedom and individuality, as well as the 'group consciousness.' Aquarius is the natural ruler of the 11th house, of friends, hopes and wishes, as well as groups and organizations of all kinds. The energy will have a humanitarian, and/or somewhat of a confused energy as the eclipse falls at 17 degrees and conjuncts the Sun at 17 degrees in Aquarius, Mercury, which is retrograde at 16 degrees in Aquarius, as well as Neptune at 21 degrees in Aquarius. (The last time I am familiar with an election that occurred on a retrograde Mercury, was November 5, 2000. Mercury went stationary direct that day at 29 degrees in Libra creating a plethora of confusion around the issues. George Bush was eventually declared the winner of the Presidential election, but it was surrounded with a great deal of speculation, up to the present) .
The eclipse triggers Neptune, the planet of spiritual idealization and creativity. But, Neptune also represents fogginess, confusion, hidden factors, and deception. So, what starts out with the best laid plans can, at the end of the day, fall short due to a dissipation of energy, or energy directed in the wrong area altogether.
The other side of the coin is a situation where retrograde Mercury can cause a deep reflection, resulting in a total change of our ideals, based on a higher purpose, and understanding of what we, as individuals and a civilization want and desire, as well as the higher ideal of working with one another to achieve it. Since Aquarius opposes Leo, the ruler of the Fifth house of friends and love affairs, many changes may occur in this area as well in our personal lives. In Aquarius, the mantra is, 'I've got to be me!'
The reliability of technology, communication, and information may be unreliable or changeable, or words may mask the true meaning of a statement or declaration, the financial markets can fluctuate and we may see some unusual weather patterns over the next few days and even weeks.
Eclipses can represent both new beginnings as well as endings. Some things, people or situations that are no longer serving a purpose may fall away to make way for the new. In this way we can, as individuals make best use of this Aquarian energy as we search within ourselves to determine what is real and what must fall away, making a new way and finding new direction for our future.