Category Archives: eclipse

Notes on the Solar Eclipse: 21 September 2025 The Spark

18 Thursday Sep 2025

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This is just what we need, a New Moon new start, except what we’re getting is more tense and more fraught than we might think a new thing can be; it arrives with a sense of history, in spite of its newness: the event is a meeting of the Moon and Sun at 29 Virgo 05 where they’re part of a Kite that echoes the Kite present at the Full Moon of 8 August–but this time, the Moon is involved in the configuration (it wasn’t those few weeks ago) and the meeting of the Lights occurs at the maximum stressful degree. Of course, the August event was a scenario of conclusions, in the sense that we needed to find equilibrium across the Aquarius/ Leo/ I vs. Them axis–and find how being ourselves, fully and without societal distortions, affects our relationships, groups to which we belong, and all those with whom we interact. Now for the current Solar eclipse we’re looking at inception energy, generative, not in the bloody way of the end of a 9 month process, a delivery of a brand new but long-in-the-works project (that’s much more like Full Moon energy), but in the way of suddenly, almost magically, sparking something to life, out of what seems like thin air, but is actually the energetic material of the spiritual, mental, physical, or emotional resulting from the convergence of accumulated energy ‘threads’ as they weave together and become a ‘something’–conception, then, not birth. The difference is that one process is a new beginning, but only because another stage is ending; with this New Moon, something is coming from nothing–or at least, it’s ideas or events that come together to present us with a result we might classify as ‘never before’.

There are a number of contacts made by the Partial Solar eclipse; I’ll list each one separately, then (try to) fit them into the bigger picture. The basic New Moon energy is the Sun and Moon together in that final critical degree of Virgo, and they’re widely conjoined Mercury in Libra=the critiques, assessments, accountings, analyses, and commentary we give and receive will be the conduits for the eclipse ‘message’. The eclipse is also semi-sextile Mars at 29 Libra=stress again! In relationships, in artistic ventures, in partnerships, in relation to ‘the audience’. It’s notable that Mars was a component in the August Kite, but here is less potent, off to the side and subdued, suggesting temper and the ‘I Am’ will influence, but not drive, those eclipse communications. There’s also a wide (for a quincunx) aspect of Chiron in Aries to the New Moon=this implies we may be sensitive enough to our own and others’ wounds that we are careful to avoid them, and promises our interactions will be shared with a certain level of sensitivity (though there will be some who adjust in the opposite direction, intending to wound).

Then there’s the Kite. The base involves a Grand Trine where two of the placements, the Sun and Moon, are in Earth, with Pluto, Uranus, and Mercury in Air. This describes a material, real world event that fuels the communications as well as the inclinations to innovation, spontaneity, change, and sharing of the Truth. Through the middle of the Kite runs a ‘spine’, an opposition to the eclipse, to Saturn in Pisces-Neptune in Aries, with this combo sextile both Pluto and Uranus. I look at this and think of the ‘lift’ this configuration will give to the eclipse message. It will likely carry big themes, big change and ideas and creative expression, even as we find ourselves trying to balance, trying to straddle the need for transformation of some life area and the need to be responsive in the moment, open to that very new, original thing the eclipse promises.

Two factors in the Kite, Pluto sextile Neptune, act as base for a Finger of God with apex Venus in Virgo=this feels like a set of influences we can control, more so than what’s presented by the eclipse. An embrace of the nitty-gritty, a willingness to change, even to change to extremes, if called for, can deliver Higher Mind (Aquarius) in service to the creative Will (Neptune in Aries), and result in positives: rewards, payoffs, Art, or Love to the individual (Venus in Aries).

The Sabian for the eclipse is, ‘Totally Intent Upon Completing An Immediate Task, A Man Is Deaf To Any Allurement’. This suggests that whatever message we receive will draw our complete attention; that’s a good thing, in terms of our accomplishment, but possibly not so good if it means we miss the Bigger Picture. The key may be never to lose sight of the fact that there are other people in the world, and that what we do affects them. A simple concept but an important one, when we’re trying to make the most of our own potentials, our own possibilities.

Notes on Personal Eclipse Effects

04 Thursday Sep 2025

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Think of an eclipse as a specific energy matrix that comes along and, no matter what else is happening in your chart at the moment, POW! this energy pattern is superimposed like a lightning strike. If an eclipse makes close contact to a natal planet or point, it’s important you read this as a Universal energy (the eclipse) affecting personal ones, meaning the shape the eclipse energy takes in your life will be highly unique, in terms of your experience and your response. The nature of the contacted natal energy becomes vital in understanding how the event will play out. For example, if it contacts the Moon, you may not be consciously aware of what’s happening, or with something like Saturn, the effects may come from interaction with authorities, or some form of external oppression, or some real-world event or consequences. In any case, we don’t want to miss the energy wave we can ride in our destined direction, even as we must proceed with caution in terms of what changes we institute; changes can be not just long lasting, but irrevocable, so choices should be examined to the point of tedium before we commit.

Don’t forget: an eclipse is just a New or Full Moon where, from our point of view here on Earth, it seems one body occults another, but that appears so only because the bodies (Earth, Sun, Moon) are aligned. In a Solar eclipse the Moon comes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking our view of the Sun (we’re in the Moon’s shadow), and in a Lunar eclipse, Earth comes between the Moon and Sun, throwing our shadow on the Moon. Now back to the astrology of it.

An eclipse to a natal body doesn’t seem to energize/ set into motion the natal planet and its aspects in their natal manifestations, as we might normally expect, at least, not strongly; instead it seems to bring to life Archetypal and/ or Mythological energies of the body in question. It’s like the legends and stories for which the entity is known or named come to life in some form. This seems to be true for all the planets and for the commonly watched asteroids (Chiron, Pallas, Vesta, Juno), but the impact is less direct on points in the chart (the Nodes, the Midheaven, the Ascendant, the Part of Fortune, and so on), as they don’t seem to be as responsive to the ‘lighting up’ to which the planets, lights, and asteroids are sensitive. Keep a very tight orb when looking for eclipse effects. I typically use a 1 degree maximum either side of the eclipse degree and minute in determining aspects to natal placements, with these important exceptions: contact to the Ascendant, Sun, Moon, or chart ruler, to which I allow a 2 degree orb.

A few observed effects from previous eclipses: falling on the natal Moon an eclipse ushers in a period of extreme sensitivity, and sometimes confusion and mystery–it seems as if ‘the details’ are just unobtainable, or that they are as changeable as the Moon itself. To the natal Sun, look for major change in how others perceive you, and/ or in how you perceive yourself–there might also be a surge in personal confidence, a kind of ‘Apollo Effect,’ and a possible protective effect in situations where you might otherwise expect physical injury or in changes to the body or life situation that normally would strike at the Self-concept. When an eclipse hits Mercury the Trickster may rear its head in all manner of chaos or disguises–brace for disruption and, with openness to input, illumination. Venus conveys an aura of protection, a certain grace to move through difficulties–watch closely how the values, relationships, and what you ‘love’ changes between the hit by the eclipse and the next eclipse set six months after–and sometimes contact to Venus brings a ‘Midas Touch,’ while Mars seems to trigger situations that, while not exactly negative, require the mustering of the Self-defense mechanisms and the pushing forward of the Will, generally for positive results if one can avoid a loss of temper.

Jupiter seems to bring opportunity, though this can have positive or negative consequences, depending on the personal capacity for Self-discipline and the ability to discern true possibilities from hype; the sudden ‘opening up’ of one’s world or opportunities can be enlivening or threatening, and can send the life careening off its previous course. With Saturn one may face the usual unexplained restriction to efforts, and the slowing down of that which seemed to be proceeding well, even a sudden graying of the hair or physical deterioration, a clear manifestation of Saturn as time’s representative, though some will see the manifestation of a long-held and worked for goal.

Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all seem to bring varying degrees of upset, uncertainty, and upheaval (not necessarily negative) to associated circumstances, particularly to the house where the natal planet is posited, or to affairs of the House it rules. I can only guess that this is generally disruptive simply because so few of us have a solid, conscious handle on the majority of these heavier energies, though Neptune can usher in, until the next eclipse set, a period of extraordinary creativity for those so inclined, Uranus can bring enhanced capacities to the functioning of the Higher Mind, and Pluto can signal a re-birth, phoenix-like, from the ashes. With Chiron, a period of personal crisis centered on the wound, or on manifesting the gift is promised–a life changing choice may be presented between contact and the next eclipse set. With Vesta, crisis in sexuality or in commitment of some kind (such as to the family, within a sexual relationship, or to a particular domestic role), also usually forcing a choice, while with Pallas the effects I’ve seen have been relatively mild and similar to the calling forth of strength that we observe with Mars activation. Ceres often requires a ‘letting go,’ and possibly an appropriate period of mourning after, while Juno may bring crisis in marriage or with the mate, centered on fidelity and/ or the sharing of power within the relationship, or Juno configured with an eclipse can bring tremendous Self-empowerment, a loss of same, or possibly a power balance showdown with the partner. To the Ascendant or Midheaven: unavoidable change change change! Not necessarily under your control, and not necessarily something we have a choice about.

Don’t neglect the Houses these contacted natal bodies rule in interpreting the eclipse effects for yourself; they can be vital clues as to what part of your life may be affected.

Commentary on the eclipse will follow.

Total Lunar Eclipse 13-14 March 2025 Reassembling the Self

11 Tuesday Mar 2025

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, eclipse, Full Moon, Lunar Aspects, Lunar Eclipse, Sabian Symbols

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Detail of the frieze of the wells in the tomb of Pharaoh Horemheb, showing the gods Osiris, Anubis, and Horus. Derivative work By A. Parrot Jean-Pierre Dalbéra Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

I’ve drawn the eclipse chart for the maximum eclipse point here in Seattle, according to the website Time and Date, which is 11:58 PM PDT of the 13th with the Moon at 23 Virgo 58, though the overall duration of the event is 6 hours 3 minutes, with totality lasting 1 hour 5 minutes–so a long span that is visible in most of the Americas for its entirety.

As always with an eclipse, the Nodal points are close to the Sun-Moon-Earth axis, this time with the North Node conjoined the Sun, Saturn, and Neptune (this latter at 29 tense degrees of its own sign, Pisces), and so opposed the Virgo Full Moon. Our attention is on our vision of an ideal reality, on what’s holding us back or misleading us, on our creative accomplishments or lack of them, and the future all these matters are shaping (Sun, et al)–and this draws us away from the ‘real’ action, or at least the action we can play a part in, right now: that’s represented by the Virgo Full Moon, a culmination of how effectively we’ve prepared, addressed ‘the details’, fairly distributed both effort and harvest–this really is a point of awareness of results for what we’ve done, and a chance to assess what we still need to do--with Luna’s trine to Uranus in Taurus suggesting that material resources, and/ or ‘the group’, may prove unreliable, too future oriented, extreme, or too radical in what is asked of us to be helpful in reaching our goals.

An eclipse is the interruption of the ‘flow’ of Solar light as reflected by the Moon; symbolically, this signifies a moment when we can read the emotional landscape without the distraction of the conscious mind. This time it’s a surprise, something of a shock, and definitely serves this purpose: the Uranian element of things allows for a kind of Higher Mind re-arrangement of the situation, such that it will be to our advantage, even if in the moment it seems to run against us. The disruption is doubled, once in the removal of previous circumstances by the eclipse, a second time interrupting our plan or throwing us wildly off course with the unanticipated and the unusual, and our feelings about it. In actuality it’s the wisdom of the Universe, saving us from an unfortunate mistake, or delivering to us the direction or results we actually need to thrive.

Such is the influence of an eclipse: a re-ordering of affected life areas, the old wiped out and replaced by–what? Sometimes an entire new scenario is placed before us, and sometimes there’s only a sweeping away that leaves no discernible landmarks or legacy circumstances. With most major contacts either conjoined or opposed the event itself (we can expect their influences melded to the eclipse episode, and so presenting as part of, or the result of, the event itself), and a single other major aspect a trine to Uranus, promising shock, awe, and upheaval, we must look to minor bodies for a little more detail (so Virgo!) and a little more clarity.

The eclipse Full Moon is apex to a Fist with base of Bacchus and Hygeia (in Taurus, and so ruled by the currently retro Venus) square Pallas and the asteroid Lilith (not to be confused with the Black Moon Lilith point), both in Aquarius, so ruled by Uranus that is such a big component of the eclipse picture=this says that living with abandon in some way has affected the health; we know better, know what we should do, and knowing this fosters a rebellious kind of rage–why must I conform? Why does physical reality, the kind that impacts my physical well-being, have to be acknowledged? Why can’t I just do what I want? This kind of foot-stamping insistence that we should have no restraints, seeing these as persecution when we know very well that we need them, is answered this eclipse with circumstances challenging us to be smart, be practical (Pallas); we’re shown how our past has accumulated to create our now–and what happens gives us a glimpse of the future (Sun, North Node), one we read through the emotions (Moon, South Node). This could be quite upsetting, but we can’t deny it’s a gift to know what, by extrapolation and honest evaluation, one could do to make a better future.

Eris and Chiron are conjoined in Aries, with Eris quincunx the eclipse=discord and hurt, stirred by our own actions, seen when the distraction of Solar energy is removed–but there’s one thing about that Solar cluster opposing the eclipse that we haven’t yet discussed, and it may be important to see, as the Earth (material matters and Purpose) comes between the source of light and its receptor, allowing awareness of how our attention to this energy has been running the show of late, with the eclipse event offering a chance at new, more productive, awareness.

Within the Sun-North Node-Saturn-Neptune cluster in Pisces, we find the asteroid Osiris, just on the Sun at 24 degrees, and so directly opposed the eclipse. Are you familiar with the story of the Egyptian god Osiris? His depiction with a shepherd’s staff hints that his myth may have originated with an actual sheepherder-who-became-a-ruler, but the stories told now see him as the offspring of Ceb, the god of the Earth (his laughter was responsible for earthquakes) and the sky goddess Nut. He was considered a wise ruler who oversaw a period of peace and prosperity stemming from ideal natural order (maat), his rule cut short when his brother-god, Set, murdered him (most versions contend out of jealousy, in order to gain the throne), cutting his corpse into 42 pieces corresponding to the 42 provinces of Egypt, then scattering them far and wide. Osiris’ sister-wife, Isis, recovered the body parts and re-animated him by means of magic long enough for her to conceive their child, Horus, an important god-figure in his own right.

So, Osiris conjoined the Sun and co-located bodies in opposition to the Lunar eclipse in Virgo may suggest that circumstances have been keeping us busy just trying to ‘stay whole’, to keep our magic/ mojo, to create and produce (likely something that is quite important to our personal legacy). This has been distracting us, demanding most if not all of our energy, as we scramble to ‘assemble ourselves’ (after having been ‘dismembered’ by others, possibly who envy our position or want what we have), and the interruption of the eclipse allows us to get some perspective on these efforts, to see our real-world situation (Saturn) clearer, and to know how close to our ideal (Neptune) we may or may not currently be.

The Sabian for the peak moment of the eclipse is: ‘Mary And Her Little Lamb’. Mary is a caretaker (perhaps analogous to the shepherd of the Osiris myth), the lamb a symbol of innocence (‘its fleece was white as snow’, purity), in this case specifically our own inner innocence (‘Wherever Mary went, the lamb was sure to go’). This may speak to our inherent vulnerability, the kind that springs from our most pure and simple intentions toward the world, with all the risk contained in a lack of worldliness when dealing with real life. Just as with the presence of Osiris, it’s a reminder of the hazards that are part and parcel of dealing with the world, and how it’s our job to maintain our autonomy, working toward our goals and maintaining our purity of ideals in spite of the way we can be ‘torn to pieces’ by difficulties, and to maintain our integrity (the lamb), by choosing well and being vigilant in our responses (Mary). I think the Osiris myth supersedes the Sun Sabian, for this eclipse, so count it as the ‘energy origin’ of current events.

The Lunar cycle generally has two purposes: enlightenment/ awareness and fulfillment, this latter reminding us of both the consistent passage of time, and the ebb and flow of the associated emotional energy. In whatever House of your natal chart the eclipse falls, look for the experience of and understanding of those matters, appreciating the wipe outs and endings for what they are: a chance to start fresh, to see things differently.

Promises in the Aftermath

10 Wednesday Apr 2024

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, eclipse, Jupiter-Uranus Conjunction, Mars-Saturn Conjunction

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‘In the Land of Promise’ By Charles Frederic Ulrich 1884 {{PD}}

Where do you find yourself, days after the total Solar eclipse? In talking with others, I’m hearing two distinct kinds of experiences: one that is a laundry list of what we’re sure to see as negative effects, things we must face that there’s no way around–some of which may have been at the edges of our conscious mind for some time, anticipated for ‘someday’–and the other appears fortuitous, but still haunted by an awareness of our vulnerability, our mortality, ‘good’ happenings that contain within them conditions that reflect how lucky we are in the moment, how one day ‘it’ will end. That tracks, considering the trip to the Underworld we were promised; what may be surprising (and we were promised a surprise, too!) is the solemnity of what we’re facing, the potential for life turning points that seems to lurk beneath even the most casual of decisions.

This is all good. It’s causing us to choose with care, to think about the impacts on others and the future, and it’s fostering a very positive kind of sensitivity, the kind that gives empathy and Love a prominent place in consciousness, and so in relationships and decision-making. Ruler of the eclipse, Mars, is currently in Pisces conjoined Saturn=this is action, choice, reality generated against a background of the creative energy of All-That-Is; it’s our personal creativity and ideals shaping the Cosmos, and the Cosmos shaping us. We’re offered disciplined choice guided by ideals, constructive creative energy, and a chance to build reality as we imagine it should be.

The other important influence is the upcoming meeting of Jupiter-Uranus, perfecting soon (19th-20th April) in Taurus=the most obvious potential possible with this is sudden opportunity, surprising expansion, fortuitous chance, the individual acting on the group, the group affecting the individual, innovation or invention that opens the way, with Taurus suggesting a material outcome, a shift in prosperity, artisanal output, quality, or productivity, a surprise around our sources of security, stability, or comfort. But, for a more personal glimpse at what this means, we may want to first note the matters represented by the House in the personal natal chart that contains Taurus–this is where the action is–and as well to note the matters of the Houses ruled by Jupiter and Uranus–these matters are likely to combine in some significant way involved in those Jupiter-Uranus meeting effects. Then there’s the matter of Venus, ruler of Taurus, at the time of conjunction just past mid-Aries=this emphasizes the power of the individual to affect things, and again emphasizes the role of choice and of taking action, and how this will largely determine results for the individual.

An example: A Whole Sign Sagittarius Ascendant puts the eclipse in the creative output/ children/ risk-taking 5th, along with Venus, and sees Jupiter-Uranus in the every day, duties and obligations, work 6th, and Mars-Saturn in the core Self/ home and family of origin/ end-of-things 4th (and you’ll note, this is likely to be mostly or entirely in one quadrant of the chart, in this case the one that deals with preparing efforts to put out into the world and be judged for, 4th-6th). Jupiter rules the 1st, Uranus the 3rd, suggesting the individual and their thinking are key to what happens; the eclipse offered healing around creative efforts or matters of the individual’s children or ventures, and promises reward if this is addressed (the presence of Venus). This comes in the course of the every day, fulfilling obligations or work, and responds to the core Self (beliefs, especially about who this person is deep inside) and is reflected in home or family matters. In this case, the ‘children’ could be artistic output, or a risk-taking venture, but in any case centers on how this person is viewing this matter, and how open they are to implementing what they (ideally) want, via work, taking on or fulfilling duties, or in dealing with colleagues (the ‘where the action is’ 6th).

All this together, major conjunctions plus eclipse, may offer that promised healing–at least, that’s how I’m seeing it, not only because it makes sense, but because that attitude is it’s own promise, it’s own magic, it’s own blend of the opportunity and optimism of Jupiter and the willingness to risk and overturn of Uranus that can deliver what we seek. Willingly or not, consciously or not, we’ve taken a big step forward; reach out, choose, give it the shape of your dreams.

Total Solar Eclipse 8 April 2024 A Journey to the Underworld

02 Tuesday Apr 2024

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, eclipse, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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‘The Fate of Persephone’ By Walter Crane 1877 {{PD}}

A friend of mine is traveling from Seattle to Texas to observe the eclipse from the path of totality firsthand–and I can’t help but think it’s a pilgrimage, whether he’s conscious of it or not, meant to heal, with the meeting of Sun and Moon (at 19 Aries 23, 18:20 UT), the Moon throwing itself between us and the Sun, all bodies lined up along the plane of the ecliptic, also conjoined Chiron (only 1 minute apart), this body designating the primal wound, the deepest, farthest-from-consciousness hurt of all–and that says to me that we all may be engaged in a form of healing with this blending of Sol, Luna, and the Wounded Centaur, a chance through renewal of the ‘I Am’ and worth of Self (Aries) to restore at a personal level the vitality of the Sun, the unadulterated sensitivity of the Moon, and the sense of dedication and purpose behind both identity and the Soul’s intent. A resurrection for each of us, if you will.

It’s interesting that this eclipse wipe-out energy doesn’t involve the persistent, everyday obliterating energy of Pluto–there’s no Scorpio involved, and Pluto doesn’t hook in any way into the eclipse dynamic–and yet the event promises us a deep re-think about who we are and what we’re doing, courtesy of the wide conjunction to a retrograde Mercury in Aries (though Pluto is quincunx the Trans Neptunian Object (TNO) Chaos as well as major asteroid Vesta, suggesting anarchic upheaval in the home or in matters we are–or were, until the eclipse hit–dedicated to). The eclipse trines Persephone in Sagittarius, hinting at the journey to the Underworld we all, at least temporarily, must make, and emphasizing the way we will return to the light–even if it seems like we won’t. So, there’s plenty of dynamic (and potentially destructive, or maybe misleading) energy pinging around out there–and our job may be to know it when we see it, which can help us avoid responding unthinkingly, and so falling victim to it.

The eclipse energy represents a spiritual, rather than a cellular, anastasis–and as such may explain a sort of atmospheric fear swirling around right now–because who isn’t at least a little unsettled by the idea of death, or trepidatious confronting the unknown? And we are promised a surprise delivered by the vastness of the Universe, with the eclipse semi-sextile Jupiter in Taurus, which is itself conjoined by Uranus (though the eclipse is out of range). Jupiter is, among other things, a designator of that longest journey we take at the end of life, with Uranus introducing a version of the three-body problem, roughly explained as an inability to predict with any certainty the long-term path of any combination of objects. In Taurus this suggests material roots, and material effects, though it may manifest as changes in our sense of security, our comfort, or or our ability to provide for our own or others’ needs.

Do we even need to mention Black Moon Lilith in Virgo quincunx the eclipse? Something we’d rather ignore or deny, or that enrages us, is an uncomfortable trigger to events–and this discomfort is seated in criticism, or the need for an accounting, or perhaps is spurred by an unfair or inadequate sharing of ‘the harvest’. The Sabian for the eclipse is, ‘A Young Girl Feeding Birds In Winter’. A young girl is just beginning her life, while winter is the season of sleep, torpor, but a necessary step to renewal–and birds are wild things that struggle during periods of scarcity, suggesting that it’s the young, fresh, renewed part of us stimulated by the eclipse that can ‘feed’ those more spontaneous, wilder impulses within us that might not make it through tougher times without a little help. Self-help, then, in its most positive sense, an ability to act, but it’s important to note: timing tells us that winter comes at an expected time, and only lasts so long–remembering that this, too, shall pass, is an important part of dealing with what comes.

Lunar Eclipse 28 October 2023 Sacred Senses

25 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, eclipse, Full Moon, Lunar Eclipse, Sabian Symbols

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Incense in Vietnam Vietsui Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

The Lunar eclipse (otherwise known as a Full Moon) perfects at 1:24 PM PDT of the 28th at 5 Taurus 09. This promises emotional revelations or conclusions about the material world, to the senses, around the appetites, in the comfort or security situation, or endings to what we rely on, or to what soothes us. The thing is, this lunar event makes only a few contacts, which can sometimes confer a kind of nebulousness to proceedings, making the bodies the Moon does interact with seem more immediate, more in-your-face, more fraught as we seek meaning within some narrow avenues.

The Moon and Earth for this event oppose the Sun, of course, which is just about a week past Superior Conjunction with Mercury–that may give us the sense that the shoe has already dropped, that we already know what we need to know, that nothing else is coming–with the FM trining Juno-Black Moon Lilith in Virgo=we feel (the Moon) that the accounting’s been done (Virgo), that we’ve done our due diligence, have faced what was hidden or ignored (BML), that roles are assigned and our reach and empowerment parameters are clear (Juno)–but the eclipse comes along and says, Hold on–the material circumstances need rearranging–nothing’s settled, yet.

The Full Moon is sextile Vesta, imbuing all that occurs under this Lunar light with a sense of dedication, of the need to honor or to regard as sacred–and that can make us careful with how we handle things, which is good, or make us overly reverent in matters we’d be better off seeing in a harsher, more direct light. The eclipse also noviles Neptune and is in loose sesquiquadrate with Venus–and it’s really these two ‘minor’ aspects that will sing, and may in fact spark each other: will it be a bit of creative genius that takes us on a difficult or unexpected path relative to Art, to relationships, or to finances/ assets, or will it be that trouble with creative output, interactions, or money leads us to a creative or spiritual breakthrough? Either way, this is what we gain from the eclipse, as old conditions around these matters are wiped out–the only question is, will we be too distracted by practical considerations, details and accounts, or too focused on who holds what power, to grab the inspiration tackling some Venusian difficulty can offer?

The Sabian for the Full Moon eclipse is, ‘Cantilever Bridge Across A Deep Gorge’. Events at this time provide a ‘way across’ in some situation that may have up to now appeared impassable. The Sun’s Sabian is, ‘ The Gold Rush Tears Men Away From Their Native Soil’. This may describe the difficulty that will lead to creative or spiritual bounty; the price we pay is that we lose/ leave what’s familiar.

There are some things unrelated to the eclipse that I think may figure in. There’s this Martian energy in the air–aggressive, pugnacious, forward, assertive, consumed with doing–as the Sun will soon conjoin Mars and the Moon and Earth oppose it, with Moon and Earth meeting Jupiter at about the same time, exaggerating everything–and we have Eris and the North Node (a marker of the Moon’s extremity) closely conjoined in Aries=the way into the future is directly through facing any strife or buried tension. We can’t ignore it, if we want to make progress. Then there’s a sextile between Venus and Ceres, with both inconjunct Chiron in Aries, forming a Finger of God=the power situation, individually and in relationships, when dealt with will bring a certain amount of responsibility to heal at an individual level–only we can do it–and if responsibility is abdicated, those interactions become a vehicle for hurt. Self-responsibility, then, is background to successfully using eclipse energies to their fullest, and key to control–and we all want a little more of that, right?

 

Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio May 2023 What We Resist

03 Wednesday May 2023

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Kimono fabric from Japan, early 20th century, silk, yuzen (paste resist, hand painting), Honolulu Museum of Art
Photo By Hiart 2012 CC0 1.0

The Lunar eclipse (Full Moon) perfects at 10:34 AM PDT of the 5th, with a rather wide opposition pattern involving the Sun (of course), cupped by Vesta on one side and Uranus on the other, with this axis squared by the Black Moon Lilith point. Lunar energy is emotional energy and intuitive knowing, with a Full Moon bringing conclusions and realizations. In Scorpio Lunar perceptions naturally become restless; there’s a need to dig, to refuse to accept surface feeling as genuine (or at least, as revealing the entire emotional picture). This Moon placement can ‘smell’ the depths, the hidden nuances in communicated feeling–so when the Moon moves through Scorpio, secrets are not likely to stay secret for long–especially when an eclipse wipes away what may have been a camouflaging reality.

What seems to be obvious, in the sunlight for all to see, is swept aside in favor of an in-depth, Scorpionic Truth–the group of which we’re a member, our academic or intellectual standing or prowess, our unique approach, revolutionary ideas, or individual talents, all that we honor or find sacred–the eclipse brings forward some (possibly uncomfortable) realities involving these things. Be prepared to find that your real-life role (or real-life feeling) is much different than you’ve been telling yourself and others it is. This eclipse delivers an emotional shock that is also a ‘get out of jail (or the situation) free’ card, if we’re wise enough to see that what’s revealed is genuine, and that what we’ve been telling ourselves isn’t.

But there’s a rebellious energy in the air, thanks to Uranus, the kind of knee-jerk resistance that arises without thought in response to those areas/ illusions we have an emotional need to protect, and this reactivity is only exaggerated in the presence of Vesta, with her high ideals and strong commitment. Nobody wants to see that what they thought was worth their devotion really isn’t. The Black Moon Lilith created T-square presents us with what we are in denial of, what we’ve been ignoring, or what enrages us made visible through some sort of conflict–likely the conflict, largely internal, that comes about when what we think we know or are is challenged by what is.

There’s also a rough Fist of God with base of Venus square Neptune, apex the Lunar eclipse, that suggests again illusions around something we love being challenged by the feeling picture shown us by the eclipse–or is it that the illusion is rent when Love doesn’t conform to our ideal? In either case, we get to the emotional truth of the matter–the only issue is whether we’ll believe what is revealed.

The Sabian for the eclipse is, ‘Children Playing Around Five Mounds Of Sand’. There are many possible associations that can be made with the number five, but for our purposes I’d like to talk about the 5-pointed star, with each point referring to the elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) and the fifth to Spirit. This is the environment we’re all born into, one made up of these elements, with ourselves as the fifth, spiritual aspect of the experience. And certainly, play is what occurs in the physical world as we come to know it–so what does this say about the current eclipse? The image adds something essential to the physical picture of existence, something we might almost consider as another element: that of Time, symbolized by the flowing, uncapturable nature of sand–not to mention its function in the earliest of timepieces. I think the image is reminding us that time is ever-moving, inevitably changing everything eventually, and its the timeless nature of the Universe that we may not be thinking of right now–we may instead be focused on ourselves and our roles, as if these are the be all and end all. So, the idea may be not to take what occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and Moon too seriously. Instead see it as a reminder that we are, in the end, timeless Beings ourselves.

The Sabian for the Sun is, ‘Head Covered With A Rakish Silk Hat, Muffled Against The Cold, A Man Braves A Storm’. This image always reminds me of a Toulouse-Lautrec litho. Once more I think the image relates to our focus on ourselves and our worldly role–and how the Earth coming between the Sun and Moon interrupts with a shadow experience our concepts about ourselves and our place. Resistance, as we all know, is futile; take an attitude of play, and enjoy the time you’re here!

Solar Eclipse in Aries April 2023: Who We Were

17 Monday Apr 2023

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, eclipse, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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Binu.mhp Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 2019

An eclipse is a time when what was, at least in one area of our lives, is erased, and with a Solar eclipse (also known as a New Moon) we see this eliminated material replaced by or clearing the way for a spark, a seed, something new, something just beginning. The eclipse makes room in our lives for the birth of a new entity, endeavor, event, or circumstance that holds the character of the sign in which the eclipse occurs, and takes the shape of the House in the natal chart where the eclipse falls. That means for all of us there will be a similar, sign-oriented flavor to what happens, but that for each of us the eclipse material will take a unique and personal form.

This Solar event occurs at 9:12 PM PDT of the 19th. Since we already had a New Moon in Aries this year (on 21 March at 00), we may be wondering about the way the impetus for new beginnings of a similar, Arian kind is duplicated, as if we get a do-over, and in a way that’s what we’re getting. To immodestly quote myself from the post for the 21st: “A New Moon at the Aries Point is the most bare, exposed, fresh, even raw of beginnings, a seminal point of germination, discovery, inception, origination. In Aries we have initiation, both in the sense of the start of something new, and in the sense of being brought or accepted into something–both are personal, in that they are happening to the individual, but one speaks of a new venture, occurrence, or climate, while the other speaks of something that exists already, into which we enter and become a part. At the Aries Point, we are the Initiate; expect to become, to gain an aspect of identity that you did not carry before, and that you probably won’t be able to anticipate.”

So, we were given a beginning so completely fresh that it was likely without definitive form–and what will Aries do with such energy? Shape the hell out of it; it’s all about becoming, the process of individuation, the formation of identity, and employing that Cardinal energy to impress ourselves and our Will upon the world. We were probably just beginning to get a handle on these new implications for identity and role when along comes the eclipse–uprooting those tender seedlings and making one thing abundantly clear: the identity we were constructing is inadequate to completely express who we are, with the eclipse at 29 degrees suggesting 1) it’s imperative we recognize that what we’ve chosen is not enough, in some sense, and 2) that it’s important we acknowledge we know a whole lot more than we did back in March–oh, how far we’ve come!–and the roles we’re creating for ourselves must take into account all we’ve learned–otherwise, what we create will be obsolete before we even get started.

A Sun-Moon meeting at the 29th degree carries its own message: this is a crisis. The feeling may be that we’ve been wrestling with these identity factors for a long time, and should be farther along. We feel we have to do something. There’s an emotional dissonance in the identity department that we’ll need to recognize. And all that begs the question: why aren’t we more clear on who we are? The answer is: a state of crisis is Self-defining (we find out who we are in a pinch) and that some hindsight will be necessary before we can get a true and accurate reflection of who we have become in the Self-image mirror of the mind.

The eclipse makes few contacts, though it’s conjoined Vesta in Taurus; this clues us in to the fact that what we’re dealing with now in shaping the ‘I Am’ is both sacred and fundamental to our security, prosperity, and comfort. We’re not just being asked to declare ourselves, we’re being asked to put forward what we stand for, to state explicitly what and who we honor, and what we are willing to dedicate our life energy to. The seriousness of this identity declaration may be the source of the tension and the feeling of crisis. We’re at some level aware of how important it is at this time to know ourselves; to fail to define our identity and character is to fail to prepare ourselves for what’s to come. That said, the world doesn’t come to an end if we remain unsure of our feelings or identity–but it does move forward, whether we’re prepared or not.

The New Moon makes a semi-sextile to Sedna in Taurus at 29 degrees (crisis around comfort, security, stability, prosperity), suggesting that instincts can aid us in our identity quest, and that the instinctual nature will transmit messages through discomfort or an ‘off’ feeling–listen to those. There’s also a novile to Venus in Gemini, implying a spark of genius in the thinking, when it’s centered on values or the mind is focused on seeing the beauty (or the profit) in the world. And the Sun-Moon/ Earth axis forms a T-square with Pluto, itself still raw, newly entered into Aquarius, suggesting that transformation won’t be easy–but that it’s inevitable, and that we, and the landscape, won’t reach the Lunar eclipse with the same outlook, or even wearing the same identity ‘shell’ (like a label, role, or job title).

The eclipse Sabian is, ‘A Duck Pond And Its Brood’. This brings to mind the story of ‘The Ugly Duckling’, which is a tale of finding one’s identity–and also one’s group. It may be that, if we’re really stumped about our own identity, looking around, examining who and what we’re surrounded by, will give valuable clues–as we must know who we are in the present to know what must change to create our new identity, which in turn creates our future. A bit of a ‘duck and egg’ thing, I think.

It may be a matter of the eclipse wiping out who we were (or our idea of who we were) in favor of something hinted at with the New Moon of March 21st, now ready to be born, to be revealed, or to be realized. A kind of denouement may arrive with the Lunar eclipse–until then, we do our best to put the pieces together, and to understand as well as we can who we are, and to move toward who we want to become.

Here’s a good explanation of a hybrid eclipse– The kind of eclipse we experience doesn’t change the astrological effects, but we can’t overlook the symbolism of, in this case, a hybrid event. It suggests something changeable–that then changes back. It hints that permanent change promised by Pluto may at least appear not to ‘stick’–it may morph back to a previous state, before again changing. Just be prepared to witness fluctuation in our perceptions, and to stay nimble enough that we can respond to what we might not fully anticipate.

And here’s a link that describes paths of upcoming eclipses that will be visible in North America-– many thanks to reader John Spirko for sharing this..

Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius 3/4 December 2021 Silver Linings

01 Wednesday Dec 2021

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, eclipse, forecast, New Moon, Retrogrades + Directions, Solar Eclipse

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From John Cobb field notebook: Wm. Helgeson, “Whiskey Bill”, hand-lining for codfish near Pirate Cove. July 1913 {{PD}}

The first thing about the eclipse picture that jumps out at me isn’t terribly obvious, but may be extremely important: the eclipse occurs in a very tight novile to Venus in Capricorn. The novile in a personal chart defines the spark of genius the individual carries; but what is it in an event chart? We could describe it as the Silver Lining, the energies prevalent that, when tapped into, generate remarkable beneficial results. In this case, a New Moon is new beginnings, and an eclipse wipes out what came before; falling in Sagittarius, we find a sense of opportunity introduced by the extinction of a previous way of believing or a change in an accepted set of facts, with this resonating mainly through matters of the individual natal House in which this occurs. Add in a ‘genius’ facet of the practically-oriented, steady, just-a-little-repressed Venus in Cap, and you have a recipe for a brilliant, forward-thinking blueprint that has a solid grounding in relationships, aesthetic standards, and/ or in financial payoff.

Keep in mind, though, that Venus is due to retrograde soon (19 December), and that hints that anything originating now may seem during the retro to lose credibility or to in some way disappoint; that’s when we need to remind ourselves that our Venus-oriented perceptions are definitely altered during a turnaround–and that means that what begins now, though it may appear to be undesirable at retrograde time, is actually what we will want in future. So, any changes to matters begun with the eclipse should be avoided between the 19th and Venus’ direction (29 January). The retro period can show us new things, allow us to try what we wouldn’t have tasted before (out of indifference or a differing standard), with the beauty of that being we can bring back to our regular Venusian way of operating those things we experimented with and still find appealing on direction. Venus retrograde is a time for being adventurous, but not to make irretrievable changes. I always like the example of changing hair color (that’s okay) versus getting a tattoo (permanent!)–one being reversible, the other, not so easily–simply because it’s hard to know what we will regret and what we will find enhances our lives, until Venus is once again direct.

The eclipse falls less than two degrees past (and so still within orb) of a square to Pallas in Pisces, and a quincunx to Uranus in Taurus. These suggest that difficulties arising will contain wisdom or push us in a practical direction, though it’s up to us to figure what response will be to our benefit, and we must be prepared for the unexpected, the serendipitous, the accident, or the infusion of Higher Mind to present circumstances we hadn’t anticipated. In the moment we can draw on the available wisdom, if we are open to seeing how the hard choice or tough situation allows us to respond wisely, or practically, if we can get out of our own way (some may manifest a rebellious streak when confronted by eclipse realities–I can state flatly that would not be the best way to answer circumstances, no matter what they seem to be on the surface).

Though the rest of the eclipse aspects are somewhat wider than our usual orb, in sequence they tell a story. The eclipse will occur after both Sun and Moon have passed over Vesta, with them on their way to conjoin Mercury and as well oppose the Black Moon Lilith point. This series of contacts speaks of the impact of what we find sacred, what we honor, or what we have dedicated our time and energy to on the new beginnings that come about at eclipse time; they also tell of how what we have faith in, what we know, or what we think, will change, and this occurs specifically in the context of either our rejection of the opportunity to acknowledge or deal with matters we’ve previously ignored, or in the context of our embrace of those same issues. Perhaps we face them at eclipse time because we’re better equipped with either fresh knowledge or renewed faith (New Moon in Sagittarius)–or perhaps we shun them for fear that acknowledging buried issues will endanger the New Moon new start. We need to remember that it’s the temporary blocking by the Moon of the Sun’s light on its path to Earth that creates a window of time wherein we get a different view of our own circumstances, one that’s less prone to be overwhelmed by those matters that typically draw our conscious attention. The eclipse offers a moment of clarity–we just have to be willing to see what is, in order to make the most of it.

The Sabian for the Solar eclipse New Moon is, ‘A Widow’s Past Is Brought To Light’. Appropriate, right? I think ‘widow’ in this context implies two things: that we face our eclipse revelations alone, and that we have a past ( a relationship or status) that generates our present–and there’s something about what we’ve created in that past that will now show itself, take ‘center stage’, in a sense. This might be intimately connected to those Black Moon Lilith matters, and if so suggests that our willingness to inspect, deal with, or embrace them will be much more effective than will continuing to ignore or bury them. Just keep in mind that this eclipse offers us new knowledge or faith that will give us the strength or tools to face things anew, and that skills or experiences from the past show their worth now–there’s no better time to make peace with what’s behind us, and so usher in better prospects for the future.

Thank you to all my Readers who comment, ask questions, and email me. I’m not able to answer each one personally, consult, or accept new work, as I’m trying to complete my Moon book—and unfortunately that also means I won’t be addressing your individual questions about the eclipse in your personal chart sent to me or entered in comments. I wish it was the good old days, when I had that kind of time! But, I will add a few things here to help you understand the eclipse in your own chart. Remember, it’s all about new information, or new faith. For this particular event, falling in your 1st House makes it very personal, affecting your way of interacting with the world or even your physical being; in the 2nd, your asset or talent picture, or it changes your own idea of your Self-worth or abilities; in the 3rd we see it affect your writing, thinking, communications, or your physical neighborhood; in the 4th, the beliefs or knowledge about the family of origin or your core view of yourself; the 5th sees matters around your offspring/ creations, your romantic life!, or sees you taking a gamble (or calling one off) based on what you learn or believe; in the 6th, revelations about health or duties are likely; in the 7th, it may seem not to directly affect you–you could instead observe effects in your spouse, the wider public, or you could channel your feelings into Art; in the 8th what changes could seem to happen only to others, or it could affect what others share with you, or hide from you; in the 9th it could prompt a desire to travel, roam far and wide, to further education or apply yourself to religious study, or could involve things happening to in-laws; in the 10th it’s either career-affecting or whatever happens occurs where everyone can see, and probably they can see your reaction, as well; in the 11th the eclipse may trigger a long-held dream, or even present an opportunity for you to contribute the very thing you’re here to offer; and in the 12th, its impact might be felt in changes to your spiritual approach, in interactions with large institutions (ones where you feel like a cog in the wheel), or knowledge or faith may be renewed through the dream life or in communion with the Universe.

Lunar Eclipse 19 November 2021 Eraser

17 Wednesday Nov 2021

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, eclipse, forecast, Full Moon, Lunar Eclipse, Sabian Symbols

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‘Blackboard after Radical Digital Painting Lecture’ By Jeffrey Alan Scudder

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The most striking thing to me, once again in recent Lunar events, is how few aspects are made, with those that are close also for the most part being minor–or, the aspect is to a minor body, as it is with the eclipse Moon-Earth approaching conjunction to Sedna. Long-time Readers know I see asteroids and other minor bodies as facets of the umbrella larger energy represented by the major planets–so the emphasis this eclipse on smaller entities emphasizes their particular nature, their ‘attitudes’.

This is a partial Lunar eclipse, meaning the Earth, as it lines up on the ecliptic with and comes between the Sun and the Moon, won’t create a shadow that entirely blocks the reflected light of the Moon. In symbolic terms this suggests a ‘mild’ eclipse effect (if that’s even possible!) so that, considering the minor aspect-minor body angle, what we might see are surrounding events that cast a more modest shadow on circumstances than we might expect. Changes, rather than devastation, as we might anticipate with a total eclipse or with strong contact to our own charts (see the previous post for one such example).

The eclipse occurs at 12:57 AM PST of the 19th at 27 Taurus 14, close to conjoining Sedna, suggesting that something might ‘click’ soon after the eclipse: we may realize what we ‘know but don’t know’, what has been sublimated, or only instinctively known, up until now. An eclipse is like an eraser run across the blackboard of life: It can wipe things away, sometimes even bringing a literal ‘clean slate’, but we’ll still see the remnants of what was, the ghost images of what was written before–and with this eclipse, we see that with the separating square from Jupiter and the separating trine of Pluto. Both imply these things are past, but recently enough that they figure into, even shape, the eclipse events. The Moon-Earth combo moving away from a square to Jupiter in Aquarius speaks of difficult material and emotional impacts of having acquired new knowledge or understanding, or of some social injustice or unrest–it may also hint that in some instances, we may have exaggerated the importance of this. The same duo leaving a trine to Pluto says that change or destructive/ transformative influences snuck in easily; only with the eclipse may we begin to realize how much the ground beneath our feet (Pluto is in Capricorn, after all) may have shifted, given way, or heaved up right under us.

We also see two lesser, but in this case probably no less important, aspects: a just-separating quindecile to Mars, and a sesquiquadrate to Venus–which happens to place Venus and Mars in sextile to each other. What may look harmonious on the surface, a blending and cooperative effort of different but equal, or of complementary ‘parts’ or energies, will reveal its more challenging facets under the Lunar shadow. The eclipse aspect to Mars is one that calls out extreme reactions, the obsessive, the disruptive, the restless, and speaks of motivations–in this case, perhaps actions taken or choices made as to what must go, must be eliminated or altered, what steps must be taken, and all with the aim of either ridding ourselves of a negative element or getting to the Truth (Mars in Scorpio).

With the aspect to Venus, we see slightly less tension, and something akin to excessive irritation, the kind that lights a fire under us. Venus is in Capricorn, possibly speaking of dissatisfaction with the status quo, with rules and regs, with constraints, especially societal ones, and these irritations are delivered through tension in relationships or surrounding the financial or asset picture. It could arise from some upset with someone we love and feel safe with, who under the eclipse light suddenly threatens the tidy arrangement we have–or it could be that our own efforts, especially artistic creations or things created out of our own love for them, won’t be appreciated by the larger social order. In any case, these are disruptive and disturbing elements that arrive in our lives in what seems like a very personal form–and so we may not realize everyone is experiencing these effects in some form.

What we thought we had, what has made us comfortable, what we see as assets or talents, is likely to get scrutiny, and get a shake-up, either from us or from the outside world, should we not respond to the need for change. The Sabian for the Full Moon eclipse is, ‘A Woman, Past Her “Change Of Life”, Experiences A New Love’. In this image we have a receptive agent (a woman), specifically post-childbearing years, who finds a new love. That seems to me a lovely reminder of the worth of a human being beyond any socially designated biological role. It’s also an image of optimism, of hope: one doesn’t have a prime for Love–that can happen any time. It’s an invitation to live life to its fullest.

We always inspect the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon as well: ‘The King Of The Fairies Approaching His Domain’. What Kingdom do you rule? This speaks of territory, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, that you know is yours, that you have been aiming to completely master, occupy, or return to–you’re almost there, with the notation that the eclipse energy, no matter how it plays out, is meant to get you closer to this destination.