Eclipse Notes: Aspects, Effects and Returns

A circumhorizontal arc - an optical phenomenon caued by ice crystals in high level cirrus clouds

(photo credit Jeff Kubina, June 2007)

.

Eclipses are funny astrological beasts. Sometimes they time out some very fun times - particularly if you’re talking about a lunar eclipse, as lunar eclipses (like all things lunar) tend to be ‘framed’ by feeling where solar eclipses, as emotional a time as they may indicate, are more focused on lifestyle and evolutionary life events than any particular emotional goal, needs or fervent hope. Plus lunar eclipses tend to be prompt. That is, with a lunar eclipse the effects are immediate - and if the eclipse aspects your chart with any acuity - often memorable.

But the emotional ‘high’...? Those effects tend to be relatively short-lived. Three months is pretty much the standard duration - which may be disappointing when all is bliss but rather reassuring when events which time with a lunar eclipse go really and truly bad.

Solar eclipses, on the other hand, are less defined - and they’re curiously reflective of the process of an eclipse. The Sun represents life. Or ‘illumination’ as in understanding and inner clarity. And when an eclipse happens, the Moon - a satellite which is closer to Terra Earth than the Sun is - that Moon intervenes...which metaphysically is what happens with a solar eclipse: something about life (yours, or life in general) ‘blacks out’ your sense of understanding. Or your ability to ‘shine.’

Yet solar eclipses aren’t metaphysically ‘cruel’ or about 'failure' even if they’re often challenging and in sync with losses and mistakes. Indeed, lore teaches that eclipses are about causing us to shed something we may or may not like or prefer - and even which we may have stuck with/invested ourselves in over many a year. But in some way...and at some level, that loss, that change, whatever else it may be is also about eliminating something which in some way is now keeping us from being that person we are capable of being going forward.

And why aren’t we that person? Well... you know.,.. it may just be easier to keep on doing (saying, thinking, acting) in a manner which ‘settles’ when it comes to our capacity? Or maybe we're just doing what has worked well enough for us over a lot of years.

On a metaphysical level, whatever our reasons are they’re excuses. Very human and perhaps heartfelt excuses, but (metaphysically) excuses, nonetheless. And those ‘excuses’ or those singular or many ways of ‘escaping’ our true capacity (read: the truth of our Self and who we really are) are what solar eclipses tend to affect. Generally effects are neither subtle nor convenient - and in that last bit (in particular) are seldom entirely to our liking. In fact, any solar eclipse which aspects your natal chart with acuity will manifest as some sort of situation which includes some degree of being (and feeling) at a lack for control.

And that would happen why?

That would happen because you are letting go of that thing you feel so comfortable doing, being surrounded by or feeling part of (etcetera).

You’re in free-fall with/within your Self, without being able to fasten on some inner (Sun) knowing.

 Shown as calculated for the October 2014 solar eclipse at 0 Scorpio,

the five degree orb of aspect surrounding the conjunction.

.

With the conjunction (an aspect which extends to five degrees in either direction from the eclipse), eclipse effects are very personal. They’re about our life and how we perceive it - for better and for worse. (And maybe both.) Whatever planet, axis or other point is being conjuncted, the eclipse will manifest through whatever ‘flavor’ is exhibited by that combination of point and sign, making the conjuncting eclipse something along the lines of transformative tofu.

 Shown as calculated for the October 2014 solar eclipse at 0 Scorpio,

there is a three degree (plus/minus) orb of aspect surrounding the sixty (60)

degree standard sextile aspect which from 0 Scorpio would occur at 0 Virgo

and Capricorn, respectively.

.

As opposed to this, the eclipse-by-sextile (the sextile being a 60-degree aspect) is the signature of opportunities lost... or about to be found, depending on how you come into any given eclipse period.

Sextiles seldom exhibit requirement or necessity, however positive they may be - and that can be a positive where utilization of a natural ability or talent - the ‘voicing’ of it gets involved. On the other hand, having an eclipse aspecting your chart by sextile can represent the ‘blacking out’ or elimination or destruction of some avenue or choice - or some opportunity you may have had. In such, eclipse energies sometimes seem like Pluto, which tends to point to a ‘transformation’ which reverses existent to non-existent (and vice-versa) depending on where, how and what in the chart is aspected.

But eclipses aren’t Pluto. Eclipse effects differ from those regarding Pluto in that Pluto manifestations tend to apply to our personal feelings - the why we’re feeling them, whether we have any right-minded reason to feel that way and whether such emotional drives (cravings, desires, aims) are safe or dangerous in practice or theory. Against that, eclipses are more ‘situational.’ Yes, they can (and sometimes do) manifest as a physical illness or accident. But the ‘eclipse factor’ in that mix is about how our lives are changed by the eclipse and thus all about how we need to change who we are being or how we are going about doing what we’re doing (or living our life) in order to take best advantage of some challenge... or simply in order to cope.
As with most things astrological, the greatest challenges, problems and gains are associated with the squares and as with sextiles, trines, semi-sextiles and inconjuncts (aka quincunxes), there are two different squares to consider. The first is the ‘departing square’ (or departing whatever other aspect) - a reference to the idea that the ‘event’ (in this case, an eclipse) is occurring within a three-degree orb of sixty degrees from whatever natal chart point you want to consider.

ASPECT EXAMPLES: The October 2014 solar eclipse will be at 0 Scorpio and the October 2014 lunar eclipse will occur under the sign of Aries. If this position is within the three-degree orb of sextile to some point in your natal chart (which would be in Virgo for the solar eclipse and in Aquarius for the lunar eclipse), then your chart is being eclipsed by sextile.

Do you have a point within five degrees (plus or minus) of 0 Leo - which is to say between 25 Cancer and 5 Leo? If so, that point is being eclipsed by square - and because from Leo to Scorpio is moving forward through the zodiac, that is referred to as a “departing” (i.e., from the point in your chart) square...and conversely, were it ‘behind’ in astrological/zodiacal order, that would be the approaching square.

Departing aspects are about something wanting to be built, developed or utilized as a point of personal growth. 

Conversely, approaching aspects are about finishing, completing or achieving something. When a solar eclipse occurs in a position to eclipse that departing momentum, that aim or the ability to pursue that aim changes - often dramatically - either for better or worse. When a lunar eclipse hits at the departing aspect (or within orb of it), something dramatic may well happen - but in the end the aim itself generally remains ‘out there.’ No, it may not work as we thought it would and depending on the natal point(s) being eclipsed the experience may no longer be desirable.

But it’s there. That’s the difference between lunar and solar eclipses: where the Moon symbolizes all things which elicit or reward our feelings, the Sun refers to life itself and therefore things we have to learn about and contend with.

 With the October 2014 solar eclipse at 0 Scorpio, the two squares will occur in Leo

and Aquarius. Given that squares are given five (5) degree standard orb, this means

these squares start at 25 Cancer or Capricorn and end at 5 degrees of Leo

and Aquarius.

.

Squares pose particular questions and challenge our sense of balance. A square successfully handled requires that we both accept limitations and our responsibilities to act, embrace and balance qualities which differ against each other whether those qualities are intrinsically ours or exist with regards to something we are doing or attempting to accomplish. To have one’s chart eclipsed by square poses a challenge - one from which we will (generally) prefer to retreat out of a sense of being thrown ‘off balance’ or because something we had counted on (or believed in) has been removed, eliminated or proven invalid.

 Oppositions also get a five (5) degree standard orb, which puts the opposition to

October 2014's 0 Scorpio solar eclipse at 0 Taurus and the extent of opposition

orb between 25 Aries and 5 Taurus.

.

Oppositions differ from squares by being a flat-out confrontation. Sometimes that’s with others or something in or about our overall life and sometimes that’s with ourselves as we belly up to the mental bar and come to grips with something about our Self or our assumptions.

When we experience an eclipse by opposition, something (or someone) either vanishes from our life (which could be as simple as their changing jobs and no longer being part of our workday) or as we become ‘confronted’ with a need to be or do something and all it is going to take to deal with that. Eclipses by opposition often reveal qualities about our Self which we have either been ignorant of or unperturbed by so long as they didn’t cause problems...which (voila!) the eclipse period provides feedback on.

 Like oppositions, trines also get a five (5) degree standard orb. Unlike oppositions

however, trines do have departing and approaching formats, giving us a departing

trine to the October 2014 Scorpio solar eclipse with a position of 0 Pisces (and thus

an orb of affect between 25 Aquarius and 5 Pisces) and an approaching trine

between 25 Gemini and 5 Cancer.

.

Having some point in your chart be eclipsed by trine is to not be able to ‘escape’ some process which is continuing to alter whatever attribute is being described by the planet/symbol being trined. Less of an obvious ‘hit’ to your life or lifestyle than the the conjunction, getting eclipsed-by-trine is potent enough to keep us on track with necessities and highly likely to eliminate a sense of personal ease (or a willingness to ‘take it easy’).

So much for trines being all pleasant, eh?

Two last aspects, which are by nature the inverse of each other: the 30-degree semi-sextile and the 150-degree OR 210-degree inconjunct or quincunx.

(above) Like trines, squares and sextiles, both semi-sextiles and inconjuncts have

approaching and departing and approaching formats. However, unlike any of those

aspects, semi-sextiles and inconjuncts are most useful when the orb is kept limited

- often to an orb as small as one and one-half (1 1/2) degrees. This gives us semi-

sextiles to the October 2014 0 Scorpio eclipse (0 Scorpio 25, to be exact) at

0 Sagittarius and Libra with orbs allowing for effects between 29 Scorpio and

2 Sagittarius or 29 Virgo and 2 Libra... and inconjunct positions at 0 Aries and

Gemini with effects extending to between 29 Pisces and 2 Aries and/or

29 Taurus and 2 Gemini.

.

Put in simplest terms, the semi-sextile is about getting past our own feelings while the inconjunct is about our personal feelings about what it takes to adapt to being part of a group, system or process. In other words, they’re both about adjusting to what we feel or think about things it’s just that the semi-sextile process is more about a conversation in our head we have to work through (mostly) on our own where the inconjunct is about something outside of our Self. Either way, when eclipsed both of these points tend to speak to responsibilities and how we respond (or sometimes more to the point, how we don’t respond) to the standards, morals and ethics of responsibility.

As noted, lunar eclipses tend to have a duration of around three months. By the end of that time the ‘heat’ of our feelings will have cooled and we will have learned a lot - most of all about our Self. Solar eclipses however, run a longer course. Instead of three months their duration is three years, which may well mean that we will at times be under several overlapping eclipse cycles. Also: at about two-and-one-half years after the eclipse itself things tend to surface or happen. Whatever occurs, it could not have happened or we would not have been in a position to care or take advantage of this opportunity or information had we NOT gone through whatever happened at the time of the eclipse.

That may be the most interesting thing of all about solar eclipses - whatever else they are, solar eclipses are also a rather ultimate form of the ‘delayed gratitude’ lesson... a lesson which perhaps is meant to teach us to handle the moment and to recognize life has much, much more to offer if we will just keep walking, whether that’s physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually.

RETURNS: The one exception to the (above) statements made about how long eclipses last concerns personal returns. If an eclipse - either solar or lunar - occurs within five (5) calendar days of EITHER your birthday (i.e., your yearly solar return) or your monthly lunar return, eclipse effects will be far more pronounced. If the eclipse occurs within five days of your personal/monthly lunar return, get your emotional raincoat on, particularly during the first month after the lunar eclipse. Whether effects taper off over the next few months as they normally would depends on your natal chart - most specifically the astrological ‘condition’ of your natal Moon plus whatever point the eclipse is in aspect to.

However, if an eclipse - solar or lunar - occurs within five (5) calendar days of your solar return (birthday), those eclipse effects can be expected to (lunar eclipse) last... and indeed (solar eclipse) dominate the whole of your solar/birthday year.

We just can’t say this often enough - and this is actually one of the biggest of big markers astrologers look for. A lunar eclipse around the date of your birthday can speak to a year which will have lots of ups and maybe an equal amount of downs and will often mark dramatic changes of circumstance, mindset or heart (personal or otherwise) over the course of that year, but a solar eclipse around the date of your birthday speaks to a year which could (just possibly) change the charted course of your life - or your ability to have the life you’ve worked long and hard to chart out for yourself.

Mind you, an eclipse around the date of your birthday is NOT enough to predict tragedy. I mention this here because people tend to jump to conclusions about such things. So please understand: even if an astrologer sees a solar or lunar eclipse around the date of your birthday it’s no sign of doom.

In fact, it’s a sign of an opportunity. No, everything may not be the way you want it to be. But that’s the point. Life is bigger than any of us know and we can’t know how to define all the possibilities.

Sometimes something has to break down the walls and lift our cherished veils so that we can grow, so that we can learn differently, so that we can move beyond our previous conceptions, realizing even as we witness eclipse dramas in the sky how we are  part of something miraculous... something vast and ever-changing and truly universal.

Maybe that’s why eclipses fascinate us so.   


.

.

.

Mars in Aquarius

The exterior (and roof lines) of the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum

(photo credit: Dvdgmz, August 2005)

Mars enters Aquarius on December 26th and 50 minutes after midnight, UT/+0 time…and will be in Aquarius until the early hours of February 2, 2013.

Mars in Aquarius describes a time, an energy…impulses which are very gung ho. But unlike Mars in Capricorn (the sign Mars is just leaving) Mars in Aquarius doesn’t drive for the ‘thing’ – the tangible goal, the known deadline or the concrete gain. Aquarius being an air sign, Mars in Aquarius is more about the idea of the thing. So given the choice, Mars in Aquarius will be more about proving the point than signing the deal (unless of course, the point is signing the deal!) Known for it’s quirky sense of humor, Aquarius is a sign all which embraces both the heart of the mainstream and the truly unique – which if you think about it means ‘the all,’ the everything.

And thus since Aquarius is an air sign, universality.

Being also the sign of systems and what we get as a result of what we (Capricorn) do best in this world, Aquarius is also the sign of economics, economies and income. Thus Mars in Aquarius tells us that this is a period during which we will either be/become aware of the idea that the broader the market, the better the Aquarian result…or that we’ll get caught up in the individual-versus-universal concepts which are the challenges and pot holes one steps into any time they’re in the Aquarian realm.

The key to understanding how this Aquarian quandary works is probably easiest to understand if we think of the Aquarian-Leo polarity. Leo being the sign of whatever it is what we create (be that a child or a product or some personal ability) it is the degree to which we are able to find a place in the universal  (Aquarian) society and the value of what we put out there which determines what we get from that society, be that in the form of income, popularity, acceptance or self-identity as part of the ‘group,’ the world, your society, family, community – etcetera.

It’s really an old cry differently worded: what you give out determines what comes back to you. If all you’re aiming at is what you can get, then you’ll never feel accepted as that isn’t actually your aim. It sounds hokey to say ‘contribute to the world’ but that’s the idea behind this universal rule of realistic functionality. First you build the better mousetrap, then you offer your better mousetrap to the world, and if it truly is a better mousetrap, you become the big cheese in the world of mousetraps! People all over the world hail you for having solved a serious problem and your friend will ask you how you ever came up with the idea for that new-fangled hot shoe solution.

In other words, when you operate Mars in Aquarius properly, the idea is the thing. And when that idea woks – be that physically, emotionally, economically, systemically or any other way – you earn the brownie points, personal, professional, social and societal. But what you can do for (or offer to) others is the key here.

 The gears of a mechanical watch

(photo credit Michel Villeneuve, June 1999)

And that’s where we see a lot of people get lost in all things Aquarian (and 11th house, if you’re considering a horoscope).

Mars in Aquarius can be very thorough – attending to all which will create success and good results. Or it can be very fly-by-night or hurried. Or careless. Or haphazard. Where results – the thing – mattered while Mars was in Capricorn, the ethics, the proper application, the consideration of consequences matters with Mars in Aquarius.

And is where we can run ourselves right off the road!

To make this all a little more interesting (as if it needed to be), Mars is entering Aquarius as part of a somewhat subtle Yod.

Yods are funny things. The ‘Y’ described is composed of two 150-degree inconjuncts (or quincunxes, if you prefer) to a single point. In this case, the ‘point of adjustment’ implied by the double inconjunct is Byblis.
Byblis is all about that thing which you want, but which your shouldn’t want. Or that position you may be holding onto which, when you get right down to it, is downright indefensible.

With Byblis (at 1 Leo) inconjuncting Neptune in Pisces and Juno in Capricorn the normal Byblis tendency to want to hold onto what you want is either emphasized by its being in Leo, or this is a sign that you want to do something (or develop something) which you know you shouldn’t.

'Byblis' by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1884)

From Byblis to Juno is six signs – and thus what we call a 6th harmonic. From Leo to Capricorn asks ‘is this useful? or is this merely something you want because you want it?’ Will it play well for your greater (Capricorn) efforts and long term stability to stay where you are, or put in the effort which it will undoubtedly take to effect any change?

Juno being on the ‘other end’ of this inconjunct refers to discipline, being disciplined or ‘managing’ something – which may be our own (Leo) desires, impulses, or focus on one thing and one thing only when a broader perspective is more useful. In Capricorn, Juno asks that we choose with an eye to greater responsibilities and stances which will pay off in the long run.

then we have the inconjunct which connects Byblis in Leo to Neptune in Pisces. In terms of Byblis (which we start with because Byblis is the joining point of the Yod) this is eight signs and thus an 8th house harmonic…a tricky wicket if there ever was one. Why? Because the 8th harmonic is all about knowing how to negotiate a path or make choices which take the needs and values of others into account. But with Neptune in this position…?

The Sutro tower in San Francisco casting a shadow in the fog which both reflects some

of the fascinating visuals in our national world, but which seems very much like a classic

Neptune 'what you think you see may or may not be real' effect.

 (photo credit: Brocken Inaglory, 2006)

Let’s just say that what we think is real is likely not to be and what we think can’t be true may well be the true and total answer. Moreover, what we think we want may end up being not anything we like once we get it.

Been there? We all have. Byblis/Neptune is one of those connections which asks if we’re kidding ourselves, or if we really think we can get away with “that” – whatever “that” may be. The one thing we do know here is that Neptune in Pisces is going to force us to face all those things which cause us to make decisions based on what we don’t want to face rather than we want to create…and that it’s going to backfire on us each and every time as life proves to us that reality is a fact and evasion of whatever type - verbal, emotional, religious or spiritual, sexual, monetary (etc) – only set us up for harder falls and deeper regrets.

And with all that now safely stowed in mind, now for the twist in the story!

What twist?

That twist would be the ‘solution to the Yod’ twist. Yods you see, come with a set of instructions on how to solve the inevitable dilemma which arise, however blatantly or subtly. That ‘solution’ is found by going to the point which is half-way between the ‘Y’ points of the Yod.

Which means that the solution to Mars in Aquarius is…Mars in Aquarius!

Surprise!

(See? I told you Aquarius is quirky!)

Seriously though…what this says is that at this point (and moving forward) paying more attention to traveling the straight Mars-in-Aquarius high road ticket is the solution to whatever “Byblis-type” problems we’ve all gotten ourselves into. So whether that means you don’t spend the money until you’ve earned it, or you earn the respect of others before you act as though everybody likes you…there’s a certain implication here that this next six weeks or so is truly about getting right with ourselves.

First with ourselves, then with everybody else by being a person we can respect and which they can respect, like and appreciate in whatever manner is appropriate to the moment.

Are whatever changes we need to make going to come about instantaneously? Probably not. We have an opportunity now to make a start. And many of us will get ourselves (re)established and on the road before Mars moves on into Pisces on February 2nd. But it’s worth understanding that Mars – a decidedly personal planet with a 1.86 year-long cycle – will hit it’s first quarter square to this Aquarian ingress in late April and May 2013, which will sync with a Scorpio lunar eclipse and Taurus solar eclipse.

Does that mean there’s a dotted line between this Mars ingress and next April and May’s eclipses?

Yes, sort of.

Let’s just say that once you get there you’ll see how it all adds up.

Mike Gogulski took this photo of a sign in New Cuyama (California)

which one could say shows an Aquarian sense of humor!

.
.
.
     

Dateblog: November 2012

 November 2012

As you can see from all the hot red Scorpio and warmly fervent russet-orange denotation of Sagittarius above, this is 2012 in full interactive format. During the first part of the month Mercury and Mars in Sagittarius gives us an indicator of verbal and activity-oriented fervency.

 Maybe urgency. 

Mercury in Sagittarius being famous for discussions, debates, enlightening ideas and oratory, we can count on much being said. Maybe too much being said. Both soulful allegiance and heated opposition go along with this pairing, which with Sun and Saturn in Scorpio points to things of emotional (and quite possibly financial) importance. 

In short, this is a time which feels important – maybe even fateful. Is it really that? Maybe. But then again, maybe we just need to feel we’re being heard and considered. 

The United States presidential election falls on November 6th – the date that Mercury goes retrograde. With Nessus (lingering ill will) having gone direct on the 4th, Damocles (unsuspected difficulties) going direct on the 8th we have both their two-day station allowances overlapping on the 6th, along with the 6th being the date that Charybdis (the need to keep trying) goes retrograde in Cancer, the sign of the people and a national populace.

.

 Marine One prepares to land on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C.

(photo credit US Department of Defense, PHC C.M. Fitzpatrick, July 1987)

.
Plainly the US people will have their say. Whatever the outcome is, that will not fix worldwide economic problems. In fact, as Neptune goes direct on November 11th barely in advance of a Solar Eclipse at 21 Scorpio on the 13th, nations and individuals around our world are likely to realize just how difficult things really are, and – hopefully – how their clinging to personal perspectives and drives has damaged many a goal. 

Yes, their goal. And as Chiron goes direct on November 15th, just what ‘living by our own rules’ instead of universal humanistic rules means is going to become a wee bit clearer. 

We are moving into the Age of Aquarius, folks. This is an Age where commerce is king, but where the marketplace must be open. Playing fields long bounded by idea of ‘us and them’ or ‘have and have not,’ the ‘insiders and outsiders’ are all giving way. Rich and poor shouldn’t matter: survival should. Cultural heritages and religious affiliations can no longer be our definition of worthy and unworthy as they have been throughout the Age of Pisces. I raise the issue now as it is metaphysically clear, merely by the congruence of the changing of the astrological ages coinciding with the ending-and-renewing of the ancient Mayan ‘creationist’ count (which is not the same as their calendar, by the by)...things are changing. 

And that means they need to change. WE need to change. 

It’s just not a gentle process. Not one change of Age, not one round of the Mayan creationist count (which they called ‘one world’) not any of this shifts from one cycle to the next without a deal of fracas. There’s always upheaval. There’s always trials and warfare.

.

 From the famous Mayan murals of Bonampak in Belize, this scene from

Room 1 depicts the torture of the captives. How things don't change when

it comes to human beings, right?

/
Why? Because human beings don’t like change. People yell and scream that they want things to change, but tell them that the time to change is ‘now’ and they’ll shovel out the excuses. 

Change feels like a threat to our security. So sometimes life has to actually threaten our security to get us to change.

 Once Mars enters Capricorn on the 17th, the determined among us will get to work while the rest of us are treading water. With the Sun’s shift into Sagittarius (on the 21st) falling just a day before Venus moves into Scorpio as Pallas (dispassionate, realistic wisdom) goes direct in Pisces we are challenged to get ‘real’ with ourselves. Importance now falls on the proverbial ‘proof in the pudding.’ Yes, we may bluster and fluster about long-held positions and convictions, but on the inside a lot of us are going to be admitting to our all-important Self that we were wrong: what we were doing or how we were doing it or the company in which we have been doing it...that’s wrong. 

But what to do about such problems? The Neptune bet is that most of us will put a game face on and go about like all is cheerful and status quo. But considering how people react to knowing they’re doing the wrong thing, the only question is whether we are going to make an active move to change (which with Mars in Capricorn is not only possible, but may well earn brownie-respect-points from others) ...or whether we are going to just wait until we ‘out’ ourselves through some compulsive moment. 

For card carrying members of Club Compulsive, Mercury’s going direct (in Scorpio) on the 26th combined with a Lunar Eclipse on the 28th (at 6 Gemini) may mark your blowout. Then again, if you’re a member of Club Compulsive who has reached Gold Card Denial ranking, you may just dig yourself in deeper with this Mercury turnabout and Lunar Eclipse. 

The Lunar Eclipse is in Gemini. That makes it about choices in the moment...or choices already made. Considering that Mercury in Scorpio can either be transformative or incredibly dug in, stick-in-the-mud stubborn, what may come of all seems pretty obvious.

.

A lunar eclipse in progress

(photo credit: Juan Iacruz, February 2012)

.
No matter which course you choose, experience or get emotionally shepherded into, the whole of the last week or so of November IS ‘emotional territory.’ Those whose charts are closely aspected by this Lunar Eclipse (read: with positions between 1 and 11 Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Aquarius...OR chart contacts between 4 and 8 degrees of Taurus, Cancer, Scorpio or Capricorn) will be most effected.

But this is a time of intensity pretty much all around. 

Still, it’s worth remembering: Solar Eclipses mark events which change your life. Lunar Eclipses are emotional, yes. But very seldom do they indicate a major life change unless your chart is ALSO being transited by the solar side of the eclipse pair.

In which case, buckle your seatbelt and grab a fire extinguisher – it’s going to be a bumpy and hot, hot, hot (maybe even flammable) ride!

.
/

.

Libra Ingress 2012: Sync or Swim

 La Toilette de Venus

by William-Adolphe Bougereau (1873, oil on canvas)

The Sun’s yearly shift into Libra is the signal for all of us to…look up, look out and look at what we’re doing and who we’re being in the process of doing it.

This year finds that signal being sounded on Saturday September 22nd, at 2:50 in the afternoon, UT/+0 time.

In some ways the Sun’s passage of Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces could be paralleled to the idea of planet-direct versus planets in retrograde.

When planets are direct, their functionality is external, representing things which go on around us and with which we must interact and contend. And when planets are in retrograde, our life and times in the area that planet symbolizes point to internal developments and challenges…our working to understand how to do something, or why it isn’t working, or how to improve our abilities to get where we really want to go.

The first six zodiac signs (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo) are about the growth and development of personal attributes. The second six signs of the zodiac represent where and how we take those attributes out into the public and worldly realms of efforts, interactions, relationships, commerce and the very sort of testing times which teach us what works, what doesn’t work and whether we know everything we might want to know about our world, our problems, our potential and other people.

This year, with the Sun entering Libra only a few days after Pluto goes direct, you might say there’s a ‘fateful’ quality to goings on. It’s time to get things done, and lots of people will be tackling efforts and embarking on personal journeys they’ve worked long and hard to reach. The Pluto signal tells us there will be a sense of urgency and intensity in the air.

Time is precious. There’s a lot to do and a lot to get done.

And with the Sun entering Libra with Polyhymnia and asteroid House just ahead at 4 Libra, there’s some reflecting and reflections (projecting?) going on.
.
Here’s the setup: Polyhymnia is a muse. Muses represent inspiration. And House is all about ‘feeling at home’ which can be with your situation, in your skin, in your current environment, with what you are faced with doing – anything. So with the Sun coming into Libra, we are going to find ourselves being ‘inspired’ (Polyhymnia) by one things or another to consider how we’re feeling about various issues. Situations. Relationships. Choices to do or not do.

Whatever.

The tickler here is really 4 Libra, a degree which by decan is defined as personal, meaning it’s about us, our beings (body) or our actions or activities. More specifically, 4 Libra is about a reflexive sort of self-consciousness which in choosing the right or wrong kind of people to associate with represents the gains or missed opportunities we build into our ongoing life.

Then we add in how September 20th through 26th will also be colored by the Sun’s proximity to  supermassive Black Hole M87. Black Holes/Sun encounters are always a time ripe with the possibility to see ‘other alternatives.’ But are they the right way to go?

Black Hole lore being relatively limited thus far…(they are a pretty new in the astrological lists)…plus the fact that Black Holes are always a bit Alice-down-the-rabbit-hole (is it real? could it be real? would I want that to be my reality?)…that’s iffy. But the lore on 4 Libra does tell us that this degree is in essence a referendum on self-worth and self-respect issues. Those with the biggest problems in this regard will choose the flattering admirer or the overly cooperative person who says what they want to hear. That, we are told, is a sign that we need to reflect on what our problems really are, and why we have them.

To add to this reflection-festival, Pallas will be sitting in opposition to the Sun (and Polyhymnia/House) at 3 Libra at the Sun’s ingress. And ditto for Uranus, which is currently at 6 Aries.

 This ingress has a whole lot of oppositions going on!

In the above, the Sun is conjunct Polyhymnia/House and

in opposition to Pallas. Polyhymnia and House are in 

opposition to Pallas and Uranus (which are conjunct).

Mercury/Diadem are also in opposition to Pallas-conjunct

-Uranus, but Mercury/Diadem is not conjunct the Sun even

if it is conjunct Polyhymnia/House! 

Got that? There's going to be a quiz, so

sharpen those #2 pencils!

 

As we remind ourselves that Pallas and Uranus are doubling down on the ‘it’s all about me’ thing (one part being their placement in a first decanate degree and the second part being about the sign being "I Am” themed Aries) …what we end up with is a whole lot of Self being on the line.

Not exactly what you wanted to go into this ingress with? Sorry.

Listen, there’s a reason why I keep humming ‘The Times They Are a’Changin’’ And no, I don’t do a Bob Dylan imitation. I could, but I don’t!

Things have been topsy-turvy-intense of late. The metaphysical handwriting is on the wall telling us to change or be changed. Some of us are taking the hint, and some aren’t. And it’s the ‘arent’s who are making things tough – not only for themselves, but for the ‘are’s that they know (and who care about them pesky ‘aren’ts) and in general, simply because they’re clogging universal processes up.

But let us be frank, real and honest here: this Libra ingress ushers in a lot of major astrological movement. It ends with our rolling into and through that infamously famous end of the Maya creation round. Before that, Pluto will do it’s big shebang with fixed star Facies. (And not a moment too soon!)

And prior to all that we’re going to get a pair of November eclipses which are sure to mark thrills and chills of every type. The Solar Eclipse of November 13 will be at 21 Scorpio, guaranteeing much frustration and emotional struggle. And seeing that solar eclipses tend to being ‘breaking things down’ about six to eight weeks in advance of the eclipse date, we’re just in that zone.

Just to add sprinkles to your mental whipped cream, there will also be a corkscrew of a Lunar Eclipse at 6 Gemini on November 28. Usually Lunar Eclipses are rather like high tides of emotion which approach tsunami size. Yes, they can be good, but with this one being in conjunction with Black Moon Lilith and Aldebaran…well, let’s just say it’s a prime moment for doing stupid people tricks and when such foolish choices already made will come to light and slap us in the face like a giant wet fish tail.

With all those sabers rattled, back to the main program for today – the ingress itself. The details of those eclipses will be left for another blog on another day.

Pallas is about dispassionate knowing. If you think of Pallas as logic and reasoning, you simply can’t go wrong. And at the moment of this ingress we have Pallas sitting in a degree all about the following question: am I courageous or just darn impulsive (and maybe a bit vain)?

Can you say ‘internal conflict’?

Maybe this is a conflict you are putting ‘out there.’ Maybe you’re working to resolve a conflict? (That would be a good idea…!) Or maybe you’re all dug in about something and conflict is being foisted upon you. Are you being logical? Or is your lack of logic exactly what the challenge (read: problem) is all about?

Then there’s Uranus. Uranus is an edgy sort of energy under any conditions. But that’s the nature of the thing. When we’re not stuck in some rut and insisting on clinging to the past, having our way or not changing what we’re doing (or how we’re going about doing it) “Uranus moments” will signify when you finally get to that breakthrough point.

Or when situations break you.

Or foist change upon you.

Remember? Change, lest you be changed.

This is really, really, REALLY one of those times! Those who tackle the task, renovate, innovate and take on those ‘I don’t WANT to!’ beasties we all have stuck somewhere deep in our craw…for them, Uranus is that maximal critical mass which finally causes things to give way.

The question thus becomes…were you prepared?

Still, this isn’t darts being tossed willy-nilly at any dartboard. Uranus in 6 Aries speaks specifically to who we are – as individuals, I mean. There’s a whole theme which comes (free of charge!) with 6 Aries. It’s about every facet of leadership, ‘trying to get ahead’ and the achieving of personal goals.

The quirk here is how 6 Aries shows up any lacks in said regard. So with Uranus at 6 Aries, this is where inability, lack of balance or false fronts are likely to show up. The façade may crack. In speech or via product, some slip up may occur. Those too into materialism with a lack of spiritual balance or those entirely into spirit and faith who refuse to make pragmatic efforts…the highly independent person who can’t compromise or the person in a relationship who is afraid to be their own person…all these things get revealed. Or prodded. Or prompted.

Or they just plain fall out there for all to see.

Compounding Uranus’ position, another reason this would be a time for weak spots to show up is because of the very nature of Sun in Libra. The Sun rules Leo – the sign of self-conception which ideally leads to creative development others enjoy and appreciate you for. (Okay, so Leo can also be egotism and being totally absorbed in your own ‘stuff,’ yes!) The point is that the consciousness – the energy we associate with the Sun – is at ‘greatest (rulership) incandescence’ in Leo. Leo is the Sun at its sunniest, in other words. Replete with sunburns and sun-blindness, Leo is the Sun radiating brightly.

Manifesting as ‘life,’ the Sun is also exalted in Aries. An Aries Sun is filled with the consciousness of being. And thus Aries is a sign all about that which we do when we are conscious of our being.

Both these signs are where the symbolism of the Sun is felt and ‘acts’ in line with that conscious essence. That connection with the Self. Yet since all which is tossed up must fall down, so the signs in opposition to the Sun’s signs of exaltation and rulership are where the Sun doesn’t get to act all by itself (Aquarius: groups) or just for itself (Libra: partners and relationships).

We speak of the Sun in Libra as being ‘in Fall’ or somewhat ‘weakened.’ What’s meant by that is that the singularity of the ‘ego’ quotient is either turned down a notch, or engaged in an interactive mode.

In Libra, sign of balance, we thus attract counterparts for what we’re putting out there. Act badly and Libra becomes the sign of ‘open enemies.’ If you’re in need, Libra becomes the sign of those who support us when times are tough – clergy, doctors, lawyers, partners.
.

So with Sun in Libra and Uranus (and Pallas) in opposition, this becomes dicey. We’re trying to get something done. We may feel frustrated, in which case Uranian energy could manifest as fractiousness, rebelliousness or even aggression or anarchy.

The idea is to be aware of what you’re putting out there…which takes us back to Pluto having just gone direct. Particularly if Pluto’s degree of station (6 Capricorn) aspects your chart, you’re already in a state of flux. Will you negotiate with others? Take a chance and put your best foot forward? Will you strike out? Will you try to bluff your way through this next while to come?

One more Uranus/Pallas note we need to think about is Mercury/Diadem at 8 Libra. The change (Uranus) we need to 'knowingly' (Pallas) make needs to take into account the idea of loss. Why? Because 8 Libra is all about loss. There is always a loss where 8 Libra is involved, and those of us who deal well with that loss become wise indeed.

Given this configuration, Mercury indicates the 'idea' of the thing. So this doesn't have to be an actual loss - it could be merely the letting go of some conviction, position or idea. Then again, it could involve letting go of a dream. Or the memory of someone once loved.

Or even the conviction or stance that you were right about something you know - deep down - you were not 'right' about at all.

Also worth noting is that Venus (ruler of Libra) is at the moment of the Libra Ingress at 17 Leo…in conjunction with Lust/Dionysus at 19 Leo and trine Eris (bless her dwarf planet core) at 22 Aries.

Venus in Leo wants to do what it likes to do. In trine to Eris, this could be the pleasure some take in upsetting someone else’s applecart.

Then again, this could be (and would work very well as) doing anything which helps improves a situation for everyone. Or at least some group.

Eris used for the benefit of others helps us learn that we’re bigger and stronger than we ever knew. Trying to use Eris for our own purposes however…? That’s seldom smooth sledding.

The last complex of ideas to consider here is that the signature for this ingress (and thus the celestial quarter) involves an out-of-sign t-square involving the Sun, Moon and (oh yes…) the Galactic Center.

Ordinarily, a t-square (or any simple square) links signs of like modality. On the horoscope wheel, these signs will be at a 90, 180 or 270 degree angle to each other.

In the above, the blue houses are those which with the Sun in Libra, would be the ‘natural’ signs for a t-square to be constructed from, should the Sun be at the ‘t’ of the t-square. (Which yes, it is.)

But since the Moon is in the very last section of Sagittarius (all signs having 30 degrees with the Moon at 27 Sagittarius), the Moon-to-Sun aspect is within the 5 degree orb of the Sun, if not in the “normal” sign we would think of first if talking about squares to the Sun in Libra.

Thus we have the ‘out-of-sign’ quality.

Libra is a cardinal sign. It’s modality (style of action) is direct. Do, and learn from the results is a cardinal mode mantra. Sagittarius…and its opposing sign (Gemini)…are both mutable signs. Mutable signs start something…then they see what happens…then they course correct and continue. Where cardinal signs do-then-learn, mutable signs learn-as-they-go.

Astrologically, this is not a totally smooth fit. What it will tend to manifest as is second guessing and interruptions in the process. You know…that ‘unexpected’ problem which needs attending to before you can continue with what you’re doing? The ‘wrench in the works’ which you hadn’t thought of? The objection which arises because of circumstances which just happened this morning somewhere overseas and which your boss knows about but you don’t?

Uh…yeah. That stuff.

With the Moon (the ‘value’ of the thing) absolutely and positively conjunct the Galactic Center, the object of all things is ‘catching the wave,’ as they say in surfing. This may be a matter of timing. It could be the need to appeal to a certain person, group of people or demographic.

Knowing what you need to be able to deal with (or appeal to) tells you what you need to do (Sun in Libra) in order to get either past ‘Go’ or to the point where you can go about your business as you want, need or prefer to.

As for the Galactic Center, that’s the final note here. The Galactic Center is a point which asks that we contribute. You only get what you want when others get what enhances their life.

That, by the way, is one of the big challenges with Libra. Libra asks that we get along…or that we lead…while requiring us never to lose sight of the idea that the ‘other party’ (or your audience) has value and values which must be part of our equation...this being why by our friends we are ultimately known, and a great driver of our reputation and ultimate success in our personal - and worldly life.