Tag Archives: Solar 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.

Solar Eclipse 2 October 2024 Harmony In Confrontation

25 Wednesday Sep 2024

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‘Harmony in Blue’ By James Ensor 1919 {{PD}}

Yes, I’m aware that’s contradictory; how can we find accord in the midst of conflict? It seems impossible, but that’s exactly what we do, with this eclipse, first perfecting at 11:48 AM PDT of the 2nd at 10 Libra 03: we find our new beginnings, after the event wipes the slate clean, through the New Moon and a pair of components of the Sun-Moon conjunction, the Black Moon Lilith point and Mercury, all in Libra, with a less than 1.5 degree spread. This describes a seminal point in relationships (especially intimate or partner-oriented ones), in the Arts, and/ or in matters of diplomacy and fairness (judgment as objective as possible, and the attempt to allocate resources or energies as deserved). The conflict or confrontation may be internal or external (with another), but in either case involves something ignored, denied, or that enrages (BML), while harmony comes from effective, open communication (Mercury, in Air sign Libra) that puts caring and considerate interaction (Libra, a Cardinal, and so action-oriented, sign) ahead of Self-interest or one’s own feelings (the Sun-Moon conjunction=the Self/ Sun meets the emotions or intuition/ Moon). Important to note, if the conflict is an internal one, we will essentially be wrestling with something we’ve set to the side or tried to ignore, and now must face how this affects our relationships or interaction overall; communicating honestly with ourselves becomes the New Moon eclipse necessity.

There’s a loose T-square formed with the opposition of Ceres in Capricorn to Mars in Cancer, with the eclipse, BML, and Mercury as the handle, with the Superior (direct) conjunction of the Sun and Mercury just a day away; this last event will bring some conclusion or revelation planted during the Inferior conjunction, when the Sun met retrograde Mercury back on August 19. Now it’s a realization about us in relationship, what is and should be communicated, that delivers a truce in the tension between what’s natural, real, observable (Ceres in Capricorn) and what we need as an individual to assert, express, attack, or make happen according to our Will, because we care (Mars in Cancer). The eclipse offers a way to resolve the gap between what is and what we want–not a bad influence, at all.

The eclipse and friends also form a loose semi-sextile to ruler Venus in Scorpio; This may provide the oomph to investigate, to look below the surface of things, that might otherwise be missing with so much Libran consoling, cooperating, and smoothing over in the air. Also in the air is an Air Grand Trine with the eclipse/ Merc/ BML and Psyche at 8 Aquarius and Hera at 8 Gemini. This suggests that mental balance may be achieved when we know our roles in relation to others, particularly partners. Both these mythical figures dealt with a great deal of friction in intimate relationships (mate, children, mother-in-law) that forced them to discover who they are, and how best to exert their own power. We could say that both of these women have stories that eventually connect them with their own power in the same way Juno does–and Juno just so happens to be at 18 Libra, pointing us back toward right now finding one’s best expression within interaction, especially with those close to us.

Also of note is the way 29 degree Pluto has effectively stationed and is poised to resume forward motion on October 11, though it will still carry stationary status until about a week later. This may either impart a sense to everything (as Pluto sits in the final degree of reality-focused Capricorn) that it’s a general state of emergency, where nothing seems stable and everything is threatening, or it will make us feel the only way to gain a sense of security and freedom is via elimination or destruction. The sextile to Neptune, which obscures or makes our imaginations run wild, doesn’t help. Be aware this feeling of threat is, in some important ways, an illusion, one that may cause us to react to what’s not there, or to overreact to what is there. Note too that Chiron is sextile Jupiter=exaggerated hurt, and Mars is trine Saturn in Water=we may act on feelings in the real world, or suppress action because of hurt feelings, and either reaction actually stands outside what’s really needed now. Mars-Saturn can offer us stability in the emotional perceptions, if we can acknowledge that feeling isolated or insisting on having our way (both dangers when our Martian energies feel sorry for themselves) arise from tender and over sensitive (that is, too Self-focused) ways of interpreting the world.

The Sabian for the Solar eclipse is, ‘A Professor Peering Over His Glasses At His Students’. So much of what we’re dealing with at this time is rooted in the matter of authority: who holds it over us, how we handle it ourselves, how we exert it over others, and how we measure authority in every interaction we have. We might think of it as this: do we assess others essentially as equals, or are we always weighing to see who holds more power? Do we act differently in the presence of those we see as holding authority over us? Do we respect others because they are people, or do we respect those who hold an advantage, and disdain those who don’t? These can be deeply unconscious attitudes, but worth exploring, as you may believe no one can tell how you’re judging them–but oh, they really can.

The only way to find harmony in relationship, really, the only way to feel safe and so able to be open with and to others, is to know ourselves, what we require, and to feel our own sense of empowerment, a sense that is not dependent on the sanction or support of another, and that does not rest on judging oneself superior or inferior, in some way. This eclipse seems to offer us a chance to correct this, with the event a launching pad for better relationships, simply because we stand within our own power, unafraid of what others might say, do, or feel, which makes us truly free, able to handle whatever comes at us.

Have a safe and happy Solar eclipse!

Total Solar Eclipse 8 April 2024 A Journey to the Underworld

02 Tuesday Apr 2024

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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.

Solar Eclipse 14 October 2023: Zombies, Or A Fresh Start?

11 Wednesday Oct 2023

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Well, that’s one way to get people to close a gate. Visitor7 CC 3.0

The Sun and Moon meet at 21 Libra 07 at 10:55 AM PDT of the 14th, lovingly cupped (it’s Libra, after all) in an 8 degree span by Mercury approaching for Superior Conjunction (the 19th) and Zeus and the South Node which both Moon and Sun are on their way toward. Then there are the oppositions: Earth, of course, along with Chiron and a close conjunction of Eris and the North Node. The Nodal points close to the Sun-Earth axis are to be expected, as that occurs with each set of eclipses, symbolically signaling the idea of Lunar extremity, the very kind of definitive change we should expect from an eclipse. For either Solar or Lunar eclipses, circumstances are reaching an apex, a pivot point, a point of no return, a point at which Things Will Change, with the Solar like a conception (the beginning of a thing), the Lunar like a birth (the arrival of the completed thing).

But in order for something to be conceived, previous conditions have to be set aside–it’s that old physical conundrum about two things unable to occupy the same space at the same time–so that a Solar eclipse can sometimes feels anti-climactic, a tiny sparkle in an empty space, a glimmer of newness to come, perhaps overwhelmed by a hollowness left by what is not there, anymore. We may feel things have ended and be looking around for the new start, or we may just then become aware that something is no longer–and only in that moment realize there are new opportunities ahead (because nature and vacuums, right?)

This time we may be heading toward fresh ambitions and goals (Zeus), our desires just taking coherent form (Superior Conjunction–expect to really understand what the eclipse means for you then), and they grow either from past experience and what we’ve learned, or from a previous want we’ve long forgotten or abandoned, perhaps thinking it was never to be (South Node). An old desire comes back to life–but will this be a genuinely new crack at achieving what we want, or will it be a zombie, re-animated but without the Soul presence needed to make a living, breathing result? Those zombies will be Plutonian, once again visible since Pluto’s recent direction: serious, potentially life-changing, resurrecting something you never thought would happen, so it may be hard to distinguish between what’s coming back that really is a birth (or re-birth), and what’s dead on its feet.

This Solar eclipse says there are others waiting to assist, cooperate, or partner, under aesthetic conditions we find pleasing (unless this eclipse hits by hard aspect a natal body involved with this particular desire/ ambition–then it could be a much different story). This may be surprising, or emerge out of chaos, with the eclipse forming a quincunx to Uranus in Taurus, but in either case, others will appreciate our originality, and want to help. Then there are the oppositions: to Chiron (which is at a degree prior to eclipse formation, suggesting a wound already suffered is part of what leads to now), bringing reactions or lessons derived from hurt into the mix, and to the Eris-North Node combination, which could suggest one of two things: either women or anima sensibilities are instrumental in shaping the future path, or that any underlying conflicts will surface, and in so doing, shape what comes. The oppositions are in Aries, implying that the individuality and Will, ours and that of those with whom we deal, will be the form these challenges arrive in. It may seem like our interactions are caught in the vagaries of personality on the one-to-one level, but we must recognize that each of these persons represents something larger, a force, a trend, the Universe itself, and that we’ll all be communicating larger matters for one another.

The Sun and Moon also form a semi-square to Venus in Virgo, and as ruler of both the current positions of Uranus and the eclipse, tells us a few things, chief among them that our critical judgment may be in crisis mode, under- or over-doing assessment, and Venus herself is widely conjoined the Black Moon Lilith point, which is opposed Saturn at 00 Pisces. This is a mini-portrait of the potential for relationships and/ or financial situations that will be sabotaged through an unwillingness to see reality, whether that’s by denying or ignoring important aspects of the matter, by allowing righteous anger to make our decisions for us, or by a simple denial of reality, and particularly denial of real-world problems or barriers we just don’t want to acknowledge–and this is all reinforced by Mars in Scorpio sextile Black Moon Lilith, quincunx Sedna, and trine Saturn, spelling Willfulness fueled by the darker side of our nature, and easily manifested in the world. This can mean that our eclipse new start is at first wrapped in just this kind of bull-headed resistance, a zombie of a circumstance that just won’t die–and that only after we deal with this distraction and the distortions we’ve allowed to our own perceptions will we be able to locate that glimmer of a new start.

The Sabian for the New Moon eclipse is, ‘A Child Giving Birds A Drink At A Fountain’. What strikes me about this is the phrasing: “giving birds a drink”. The water is there, maybe poured into the fountain by the child (though a fountain, by definition, already contains water), but still, that child can’t really give them a drink, they must come to it–her only real contribution may be that she doesn’t flap her arms and shoo them away! I think this points to the need for clear perspective, to see what we’re really doing, saying, or being, and the needed effort to refrain from obscuring what’s going on (by using euphemisms, by omitting facts, by making assumptions, by placing a veil of opinion or prejudice over matters) in a way that may skew the event in the perceptions. This may relate to Venus in Virgo as ruler of the eclipse: our judgment is a little wonky, so striving for clear sight may be the most helpful thing we can do.

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 25 October 2022 Immersed in the Senses

21 Friday Oct 2022

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‘The Roses of Heliogabalus’ By Lawrence Alma-Tadema 1888 {{PD}}

Hi! Away from my desk this weekend, late the 27th thru the 30th. Will answer all comments and fill all orders then. Have a lovely weekend!

The meeting of Sun and Moon (a New Moon) occurs on the 25th PDT at 3:48 AM at precisely 2 degrees of Scorpio. Both bodies are just shy (by 39 minutes) of conjoining Venus exactly (though the Sun already did–see the following post)–and there’s only one other Lunar set of contacts, Jupiter just into Aries sextile Sedna at 29 tense degrees of Taurus, making a Finger of God with the New Moon as apex. At a typical New Moon, this would concentrate the energies into just a couple of ‘statements’; this being an eclipse, we see another level of concentration, in the way the bodies aren’t just in contact, but are closely aligned along the ecliptic (the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun). When this happens, we have a total or near total blockage of the light as seen from our vantage point on Earth–and this symbolically suggests a wiping out of the flow of energies, an interruption that brings a reset that may appear as shock, catastrophe, surprise, revelation, re-shuffling, withdrawal, renewal, germination, a period of darkness before a re-emerging of light, even birth. Since a New Moon is an energy of new starts, this isn’t unusual, but the nature of the new start may be quite different than we anticipate–and we look to the sign in which the eclipse occurs, and the aspects it makes, for the story.

Here the Lunar event is in Scorpio; that mandate is to strip away what isn’t working, is worn, old, or in need of rehabilitation, even as something is transformed, resurrected, or rises anew from the ashes. We’re looking for the Truth, at a Scorpio New Moon; we’re looking to rid ourselves of psychic detritus, to alter what refuses to serve us. It’s a condition where we may have to get our hands dirty, but we’re promised a reward in the sense of feeling new ourselves, in some part of life designated by the House where the Lunar event occurs, or in the natal House ruled by the Moon.

The New Moon perfecting just before perfection with Venus suggests something beautiful, rewarding, pleasing in the immediate aftermath of what occurs, but with the potential for a potent kind of jealousy, envy, or covetousness, Scorpio emphasizing the more difficult facets of Venus. But those also include a seductive quality, a richness of depth and experience, a promise of intensity to the event itself that may be very alluring–and so may, just as the Moon will obscure the Sun’s light, temporarily block our ability to assess the situation accurately, or may immerse us in sensation, substituting feeling for thinking.

The Finger of God with base of Jupiter-Sedna points us back to the apex eclipse, and describes the individual within the social sphere, or equipped with (or pioneering) some sort of knowledge or belief (Jupiter in Aries), meshing with the individual instincts, what one ‘knows but doesn’t consciously know’, and one’s ‘blind spot’ material, this latter those things we believe we see clearly or feel informed about, but that hold some areas we don’t grasp–and this is visible to others, but difficult for us to see ourselves–with some combination of these resulting in the Scorpionic revelation/ change of the Lunar event.

The Sabian is, ‘A Delicate Bottle Of Perfume Lies Broken, Releasing Its Fragrance’. It’s important to note that this eclipse occurs at two degrees and no minutes of the sign–and in that case, we read 1-2 degrees, rather than 2-3 as we would otherwise. The image says that what occurs may have a negative initial presentation–it’s a small shock when something shatters–but that the benefits of what occurs will become obvious immediately. We may be sad about the break, the destruction, but we’ll glean a side benefit; though we wouldn’t have chosen this, there is still something good that comes of it, something unexpected that fills the air/ senses, and so stirs feeling (eclipse in Water).

Tip for coping: some of us will deal simultaneous to the eclipse with the energies of a Fist of God, with base of Pallas-Black Moon Lilith square Mercury-Zeus, apex Juno in Pisces. This suggests wisdom could be compromised by our own rage and prejudices, with these predispositions clashing with our ability to communicate our wants clearly, dispassionately–and so may compromise our own empowerment, especially that form we have imagined, hoped for, and find ideal. Keep this potential in mind, and know that being honest with ourselves is the foundation on which we can build good relationships with others.

Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius 3/4 December 2021 Silver Linings

01 Wednesday Dec 2021

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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.

Tomorrow’s Eclipse

13 Sunday Dec 2020

Posted by in current events in the sky, eclipse, Solar Eclipse, Transit Effects Explored

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By Kudaibergen Urinbayev – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46217328

In case you haven’t seen it, here’s something on tomorrow morning’s Solar eclipse–and if it aspects any of your natal placements, there’s something here on what to possibly look for. Have a wonderful eclipse, and stay safe!

Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius 2020 Moon in Blue

09 Wednesday Dec 2020

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Lunar Aspects, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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By alyssa BLACK. from toronto, canada – full moon., CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76519128

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!

Solar Eclipse 20 June 2020 Healthy Emotion

18 Thursday Jun 2020

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

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By Asurnipal – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38597398

The Solar eclipse begins at 11:41 PM PDT of the 20th at 00 Cancer 21, and even stretching our modest orbs only shows two closer contacts, a conjunction with asteroid Hygeia, and a to-the-degree quincunx with Saturn in Aquarius. We might also want to note a wide square with Mars in Pisces, important for several reasons: Mars is uncomfortable in a Water sign, and perhaps doubly so when there are no clear boundaries between ‘I’ and ‘the Universe’; because of this discomfort, the vast majority of us are aware (even if unconsciously) of the rub between Mars’ usual assertiveness and the nebulous atmosphere in which it’s trying to operate currently; and, by early September, Mars will retrograde (which happens every 2 1/2 years), this time in his own sign of Aries, which may add to disorientation: we reach ‘home’ in the ‘I Am’ and assertive energies, only to have the rug pulled from under us in future as all indicators are full steam ahead and yet we find ourselves thwarted, delayed, and prone to question ourselves once the retro begins–so an added disorientation ahead that may feel inexplicable and could hearken back, energy-wise, to the current Piscean state–all this making notation of the potential for Mars’ eclipse activation necessary.

The aspect picture suggests the eclipse births an individual awareness of the emotional impact of the state of ‘health’ to every facet of our lives. Problems in the functionality and health of any area now come forward, showing us where and in what form the dissonance disrupts our efforts, our ability to move forward, and our egos. It’s an event wherein the real-world scenario is presenting needed areas of adjustment, as well as pointing out where and why we may find externals holding us back. We may rebel at that, insisting modification isn’t necessary–the ego may be in direct conflict with what the eclipse reveals–but we’d be wise to note what we’re shown; the eclipse offers realistic, Higher Mind clarity–all we need do is be open to our own feeling nature as it supplies plenty of motivation and guidance for adjustment, alteration, and change.

The eclipse falls at one of the Cardinal ‘starting points’, emphasizing the ‘clean sweep’ nature of the event as well as the seminal quality of what occurs; more is birthed with this New Moon than we are able to grasp, or even that we’re immediately aware of. Add to this that the eclipse falls on the solstice (but here I have to say the meaning is symbolic, as the actual ‘longest day of the year’ can vary by up to a couple of days either side of the event as measured at the equator, depending on your location north, with this also marking the shortest day, with those same variations, for those in the Southern Hemisphere). So, we combine a New Moon eclipse at a 00 zodiacal degree with the symbolic extreme of a Solstice, and we get a strong sense of new, new, and new, especially the individual emotional interpretation of the landscape–and that suggests revelations around our genuine feelings. Even the most aware of us are likely to be unprepared for the impact of our discoveries, of the emotions we may not even have realized we have, of the feelings that have been unconscious and so underlying so much of our reactions and motivations.

It’s always a good thing to see how we actually feel, even when we’re not happy with the revelations. As humans we typically avoid knowing much of what we feel, because if our true emotional state were revealed to us, it would in many instances demand we do something about the circumstances that generate those feelings–and that may threaten much of what we have (often precariously) managed to find a balance point for in our lives.

The personal flag, an announcement of our allegiances, may change with this eclipse. By Claude Monet 1878 {{PD}}

The Sabian symbol for the eclipse is, ‘On A Ship The Sailors Lower An Old Flag And Raise A New One’. A flag is a symbol of allegiance; this symbol suggests ours will change. This may signal that eclipse events may move us to make public what has to now either been only known unconsciously or held as private. There is the chance that we simply replace old alignments with a new version of the same–but that’s not likely, considering the tone of the eclipse is one of revealed emotions. It’s most definitely a time to let our Freak Flags Fly–and to allow ourselves a freedom of expression that accepts our most unusual feelings and characteristics–and because we care (Cancer eclipse placement) this can be nothing but good.

I may be taking a few days off post-eclipse–it falls in my 6th, squares my Mercury, sextiles my Pluto, trines my Neptune, and so reaches into my 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 10th, so calls for some examination of the creative, earning, career, and cooperative energies currently in play. Orders will still get filled and I’ll still answer comments. Thanks for your patience, and have a wonderful and enlightening eclipse!