In a recent essay titled “Why tell the truth?” psychotherapist and writer Todd Hayen, PhD (based in Toronto), explores a deceptively simple question. Lying, he observes, is often easier, more satisfying, and even more fun than telling the truth. It can deliver a rush of power and allow us to inhabit a temporary fantasy. So why bother with truth at all?
Hayen draws on philosophy and scripture—Jesus’ words that “the truth will set you free,” Aristotle’s observation that the liar’s eventual punishment is that no one believes him when he finally speaks truthfully, Augustine’s “double heart,” Aquinas’s definition of truth as “the mind matching the thing,” and Kant’s uncompromising stance against even well-intentioned lies. He notes that powerful figures often lie freely because they can reshape the narrative. Ultimately, Hayen concludes that we should tell the truth simply because it is the right thing to do—for a person of good character with love in the heart. Truth-telling preserves integrity and, in the end, sets us free.
This timely reflection finds a striking parallel in the mundane astrology of the solar eclipse of 12 August 2026.
The eclipse fell at approximately 20° Leo and was tightly linked to the North Node near 29°47′ Leo. For Toronto (Hayen’s location), this configuration landed very significantly on the Midheaven, highlighting themes of public standing, career, reputation, and collective direction.
Uranus (with the Trans-Neptunian Admetus) at about 5° Gemini formed a square to the eclipse and Nodes. The early degrees of Gemini (roughly 1°–5°) correspond in Chinese astronomy to the asterism known as Tíen-Tsan, the Celestial Slanderer—an image of false or harmful speech.
On the Ascendant for the Toronto chart stood the Trans-Neptunian Poseidon, square the eclipse on the Midheaven. Martha Wescott associates Poseidon with moral stances and, when linked with the Sun, the recognition of when a person (or collective) goes against the directives of morality and the Higher Self.
The South Node at the end of Leo carries the Sabian symbol for Leo 30°: “Universality of Knowledge.” The image is of an unsealed letter; the keynote is that secrets can remain secrets only for a while—all that is known by one will eventually be known by all. The positive expression is “confidence arising from spiritual integrity.”
Most notably, the eclipse degree is conjunct the fixed star Merak (β Ursae Majoris), one of the two Pointers of the Big Dipper that direct the eye toward Polaris, the true north.
Nick Fiorenza describes Merak as the star that impels demonstrable action to manifest the greater vision inspired by its companion Dubhe—action oriented toward true nourishment, fulfillment, and freedom for humanity.
Other sources reinforce and expand this symbolism. Traditional Western astrology (Ebertin) gives Merak a Mars nature linked to command, authority, determination, and the power to advance in life (especially with the Sun, Mars, or Pluto). Its spectral qualities also carry Venus–Jupiter notes of sincerity and high morals.
Merak (Beta Ursae Majoris) is a white-blue subgiant star
In Chinese astronomy Merak is Tiānxuán (Celestial Rotating Jade) or Jùmén (Giant Gate), also called the Star of Law. It is the star of right and wrong, speech, language, and talent. Positively it grants eloquence, sincerity, honesty, straightforwardness, and the courage to speak out for justice and expose corruption. In its shadow it can produce argumentativeness, gossip, verbal conflict, secrecy, or treachery. It is a classic double-edged signature of moral discrimination and the power of the spoken word.
Taken together, these factors paint a vivid picture. An eclipse on the Toronto Midheaven, conjunct Merak and linked to the Nodes, square the Celestial Slanderer and Poseidon, and resonating with a Sabian of secrets inevitably revealed, forms a powerful celestial commentary on the very questions Hayen raises.
The skies of August 2026 appear to underscore a collective moment of orientation toward true north—toward integrity in speech, the courage to uphold what is right, and the understanding that hidden matters will eventually come to light. In a world saturated with narrative, spin, and convenient untruths, the eclipse and its stellar companions remind us that telling the truth remains both a personal moral act and a necessary alignment with a larger, unfolding order.
As Hayen affirms, we tell the truth because it is the right thing to do—and because, in the end, it sets us free.
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