The New Moon occurs at 1 Sagittarius 37 on the 23rd, at 2:57 PM PST, and in terms of major bodies (planets, lights, 4 main asteroids) it is earliest in degree save one: Vesta, at 00 Pisces 51, which the New Moon squares. That means on its journey through Sagittarius Luna will create aspects (major, minor, and super-minor!) to every other body, suggesting a tale to be told of unspooling Sag energy, fresh and, in this sign, poised for discovery, learning, teaching/ propounding, and covering some ground, literally and figuratively.
The funny thing is, there just aren’t any other contacts made, though there is a still-extant opposition to Sedna at 29 tense degrees of Taurus, and I suppose we can stretch to include a past trine to Jupiter in Pisces. That says that what’s born at the New Moon might be the outgrowth of Jupiterian dreams plus our instincts and inner knowing, what we ‘know but don’t know’ but are pushed through the emotions or intuition (the Moon) to respond to. This might entail either gaining or disseminating knowledge or facts (Sagittarius), or traveling to ‘foreign’ territory in some form, in order to fulfill, or at least pursue, that expansion dream.
Though not contacting the New Moon, we have an interesting Cardinal (action-oriented) pattern in place at this time: Eris in Aries opposed Zeus in Libra, a T-square created with the Black Moon Lilith point conjoined Pallas in Cancer. So, is this a distraction or an engine? Probably both; the formula involves either our own or another’s initiative/ action that immediately stirs conflict, specifically related to the ambitions and desires of a partner or an ‘other’. That is, our choices upset the relationship apple cart because they clash with what someone else with whom we’re cooperating wants–or we are the ‘other’ who is upset at our partner’s independent choices. In either case, the tension was already there, below the surface, with the person who acts or chooses breaking a kind of energy stalemate that lets differences rise to the surface.
This awareness of conflicting wants then creates its own issues, namely a genuine question as to whether that independent choice made unilaterally is wise or even practical. The only way to know is to look at those things we (and the partner) may be in denial of, or enraged over. What we’ll find is that either this is a good thing to have happened, with any unease based in (possibly groundless) fears, or that the action was taken or choice made driven by anger, a lashing out that makes it no longer possible to ignore feelings.
The Sabian for this New Moon is, ‘White-capped Waves Display The Power Of Wind Over Sea’. This alerts us to the way the unseen, unacknowledged, unspoken will strongly influence conditions, especially emotional ones. The tale here has its origins in dreams and sublimated desires, in what we expect from others and what we expect we must give ourselves, in what we learn and ‘know’, and perhaps most significantly, in what we are hiding, even from ourselves. It’s that emotional component, the wind’s (the unseen’s) influence on the water (the emotions and intuitive knowledge), that will determine how effectively we respond to new awareness and facts that can inform our way toward the dream, with a clue offered here: we’ve just had an experience that illuminated something about our highest values, that has shown us, perhaps to our own surprise or shock, what it is we really honor in life (previous perfection of the square to Vesta). This event is what paved the way to the New Moon beginning; and pay special attention to what comes at us over the time the Moon remains in Sagittarius (through about 1:19 PM PST of the 25th)–that will be like a mini-blueprint of what to aim for or avoid, and how to move forward.
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 chartsent 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.
This New Moon of the 14th occurs at 8:17 AM PST and is also an eclipse, falling at 23 Sagittarius 08, preceding the Superior Conjunction of the Sun and Mercury at 29 degrees in just about a week. This adds an element of building tension to what is normally with a New Moon a ‘fresh start’ energetically, a clean slate that typically signals the origins of a new beginning. That means new circumstances arrange themselves around an already-tense situation, lending things a ‘jumped into the fire’ quality, and this is even more noticeable because an eclipse on its own signals a wipe-out of previous arrangements–and that means we may find ourselves in the midst of a conflagration (Sag is a Fire sign) that we absolutely have not anticipated–and that quite possibly interferes with manifestation of the new start.
The eclipse doesn’t make many aspects–the major ones are loose, so it’s to the minor ones my attention goes first, as this implies a subtle and nuanced eclipse picture. The eclipse is closely semi-sextile Pluto, suggesting that small discomforts or inconveniences create big change, while the New Moon also noviles Pallas in Aquarius and sesquiquadrates Uranus. This combo implies the influence of the Higher Mind and/ or ‘the group’ in events, with those influences arriving through difficult Uranian means: an accident, a troublesome or unanticipated serendipity, the crashing down of a larger spiritual Truth, the exercise of and surprise brought forward by one’s own originality, or the spotlight on one’s position in (or perhaps alienation from) the group. However, the novile tells us that this spurs or is spurred by something smart, motivated by wisdom or practicality, maybe by the way the Universe presents a set of trying events and then asks, ‘What will you do?’.
Pluto and Uranus both aspecting the eclipse could imply a spark-to-flame destructive event that clears the way for something entirely new–in any case, what happens may be disturbing, upsetting, unsettling, even traumatic, or just unexpected, surprising, but will be for the good (see the Sabian symbol, below).
The square to Neptune is too wide, for my taste, suggesting that we may think that misleading information, the creative urge, the dream, or a mirage, any or all related to the emotional state, is a motivation when it’s really not. Zeus in Libra is sextile the New Moon, suggesting that ambitions involving relationships we want, or the way relationships affect us going after ambitions, is on the agenda. There is a trine to Mars in his own sign of Aries, telling us how easily we may act, based on a relatively sketchy picture or our own hair-trigger temper; the sense is of being profoundly aware that we are all alone, that we must do something, and this may come from events or be the agent of them, and is probably the driver in the relationship scenario: we must act to make a reality of the desired relationship, or we must act in order to fix a situation where a relationship is precluding our ability to go after what we want.
A New Moon in Sagittarius is typically a Moon where we learn something, are exposed to something foreign, or see the origins of new beliefs or philosophies coalesce; the Sabian is, ‘A Bluebird Perched On The Gate Of A Cottage’. Well that’s idyllic, isn’t it? A bluebird is a symbol for happiness, the ‘bursting out in song’ kind, and its position, at ease on a garden gate, suggests a peaceful environment where the bird feels safe, an ‘in its element’ sensibility. As the Sabian for a New Moon eclipse, this might imply we learn or are exposed to something that brings happiness in the way of feeling ‘at home’ in some situation, or with some change or new start that occurs. It’s a reassuring symbol that tells us in spite of any indications to the contrary within the scenario or related to the initial upset, we’ll be happier with our new circumstances than we were with our old ones.
Special note: those with a natal placement between 21 and 24 of Taurus may find the eclipse brings a real ‘do-or-die’ point in matters of ambition and desire fulfillment, relative to the natal energy, which will act as apex to a Finger of God with base of the eclipse and Zeus. What you’ve been aiming for, wanting, even lusting for will be addressed through the energy of the eclipse, and the result will funnel through the natal point. Good luck with that!
Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY 