What’s an occultation?  Well, in astrological realms, it means the covering of a planet by the Moon!  Consider a Solar Eclipse – this is when the Sun is blocked by the Moon (as we view it from Earth).  A lunar Occultation of..say Jupiter, is when the planet Jupiter is blocked (eclipsed briefly) by the Moon!  Jupiter can be seen by the naked eye on a clear night, at certain months of the year, and sometimes the moon passes in front of it. .

Occultations occur for other planets in our Solar system too. Mars, Venus & Mercury are the other planets more likely to be occulted by the moon.

Up till May 2012, no such lunar occultations of any planets had taken place – except the Solar Eclipse on 20th May’12.

Then on 17th June, we have had a Jupiter occultation!   There are further Jupiter occultations in July, August, September, October, November (2 in this month), and December.  That’s quite an occurrence – at least once a month!

In addition, there are also 4 Occultations of Mercury,  1 Mars occultation and 1 Venus occultation.

Here’s a full list of all such planetary Occultations in 2012.

• 17 June  -Jupiter
• 15 July- Jupiter
• 20 July – Mercury
• 13 Aug – Venus
• 11 Aug – Jupiter
• 8 Sept- Jupiter
• 19 Sept- Mars
• 5 Oct- Jupiter
• 17 Oct -Mercury
• 2 Nov- Jupiter (1st)
• 13 Nov – Solar Eclipse
• 14 Nov – Mercury
• 29 Nov – Jupiter  (2nd in Nov)
• 12 Dec -Mercury
• 26/12- Jupiter

Magical work at Occultations:

Well, to do any sort of spiritual or magical works at these events, we’d need to look at the symbology and associations of each planet involved, and compare them to the symbology of the moon.  Many of these occultations happen when the moon is not full..   but nevertheless, it is still about what sign an occultation is taking place (afects that sun-sign born people mainly), which planet is occulted (aftects the sun-signs ruled by that planet.. ie Jupiter rules Sagittarius), and working out intuitively which qualities and energies of the moon either amplify, filter, or temporarily block those qualities.  In my view, if its a growing moon that is occulting a planet, it will have the moon quality amplifying and beginning to over-take or over-shadow that planet’s own energies…and so on.

These can all be used very much like the works in Eclipse Magic (of the Sun and Moon). But effectively, we can think of these a `Eclipse of Jupiter, Eclipse of Mars, Eclipse of Venus or Eclipse of Moon.

I’ll be producing a supplementary booklet on working with planetary Occultations, to go with the Eclipse Magic Workbook (see blog entry).   soon. (will be available free to all those who purchase the Eclipse magic workbook from 13th July’12 onwards.  (The supplementary booklet will be sent by separate e-mail).

-Mani