It’s enough to reflect on the fact that the Epiphany story, as it’s told in the Xian tradition, involves astrologers being given the gift of seeing things as they really are.

In the story, God is revealed to them, not in the halls of power and privilege but rather among the destitute and the working poor in a town that we would describe today as “flyover country.” Likewise, just as the divine is revealed for who the divine really is, Herod is likewise revealed for who he really is: a vindictive tyrant and a puppet of empire, not really king material at all.

Still with me? Okay. This eclipse in Capricorn, which falls on Twelfth Night and therefore the eve of the Epiphany, is so delicious because it speaks to the shedding of all pretense. We speak today of having “epiphanies” when we come to a realization about something that had been hidden to us—things hidden to us either because of ignorance (simply not knowing the truth) or because of arrogance (our refusal to see things the way they are presenting themselves).

Dr. Maya Angelou said, “when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” And so this eclipse, critical juncture though it may be, might engender an epiphany for you in whichever house it falls in your chart, as, in a moment of revelatory crisis, someone shows you who they actually are. When that happens, believe them. If you are a Magus searching for the divine and the divine shows you that all divinity has sided with the poor, believe them. If a tyrant shows you that he is a tyrant, believe him. If a partner shows you that they are truly committed, believe them. If an enemy shows you that they are truly a friend, believe them. If a friend shows you that they are truly an enemy, believe them! It can go both ways, you know.

The epiphanies which this eclipse will bear as a strange gift to you will be related in particular to matters of material security and the containers we build for ourselves to establish that security, whether those containers are patterns and practices, career trajectories, or relationships. You can tell what that will be simply by looking closely at the house in which this eclipse falls.

As the night approaches, set the intention for yourself to believe what this eclipse will reveal to you. As pretense is shed, you may discover that the containers you have constructed for your survival are not necessarily contributing to your thriving, and it may be time to move on to new structures.

An example from therapy: sometimes our coping skills and defensive behaviors work really well for helping us survive traumatic experiences, but as we grow and heal, they no longer serve us, and so we can bless and dismiss them as they are shown no longer to be helpful.

The same might be true with people, honestly. No need to cancel anyone. In another story from the New Testament, an old man named Simeon, upon meeting the infant Jesus at the temple, was recorded as saying, “Let me depart in peace, for I’ve seen what I needed to see.” This revelation to him was the culmination of a long-awaited promise, and upon its fulfillment, he was ready to depart. This eclipse might ask you to let some structures, behaviors, and people (associated with the house in which it falls in your natal chart) depart in peace, for their role in your story has drawn to a close at this time, and their promise has been fulfilled to this point. The shedding of all pretense will show you.

On this night, pretense will be shed, and Ketu will give us the gift of being able to see something clearly. Do not let it pass by unregarded or unexamined, or you may be in for a rude awakening from Rahu in six months’ time.

One more point: when the Magi departed from Bethlehem, they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod but rather to go back to their own country by another road. Perhaps the angel will suggest to you that you need to proceed by a different path instead of retreading old ground, back into the arms of the pretense that has kept you in its grip to this point. This is the gift of having had an epiphany: it often comes with the desire & ability to proceed in new ways, now that you can see clearly. Return by way of another road.