This first eclipse across the Aries–Libra axis will be dramatic, intense, and chaotic. All eclipses open the door to chaotic energies. The aspect patterns for this eclipse add drama and intensity.
The Sun and Moon meet at 21º07’ Libra, in the third and final decan of Venus’ Air sign. At the close of Libra, we face into the storms and uncertainties of the world while trying to maintain balance.
This is a place of calibration, and also of vision, as we seek for ways to navigate the chaos surrounding us.
So here we have both an acute awareness of how uncertain the world can be, coupled with a desire to find that thread, to find our way through challenges to a place of peace.
Can we do it?
The Nodes of the Moon are at 24º52’ Aries and Libra, with the South Node in Libra conjunct the New Moon. The South Node is linked with the past, with letting go, and with spiritualizing, which is a path to releasing the burdens of our physical world.
The way offered to us during this eclipse will be one of releasing, not of grasping for more.
Pluto squares the eclipse from 27º53’ Capricorn. Pluto stationed direct a few days ago, but remains fixed at 27º as they have been for weeks and weeks. The chthonic depths, the underworld, what is unseen, what is underneath, what is buried, what we do not want to see, the Shadow, the foundation of all things, all are very present right now.
Pluto challenges our perspectives, our desires, and our goals. We think–or at least, we like to think–we have some meaningful level of control over ourselves and our lives. Pluto is pushing on those beliefs. Do we? Do we really?
Keep in mind, Pluto is not evil, mean spirited, or cruel. Instead, this is where we’re asked to look at what we prefer not to see. In squaring this eclipse, Pluto squares the Nodes of the Moon, which are a pathway linked to our ideas of fate and free will.
Pluto reminds us it’s the unknown unknowns that get us, every time.
This eclipse New Moon is ruled by Venus, currently in Virgo, where her attention turns to details, the practicalities of life. She is separating from an opposition to Saturn and a sextile to Mars, emerging from a field in which she was linked to both malefics.
Venus might be feeling slightly bruised. We’ve all just come off the extended light and passion of months of Venus in Leo. We had the chance this summer to learn about personal power, where it comes from, how it’s sustained, and what we can do with it. Perhaps we forged new connections to our creative drives, reset our approach to relationships, or renewed our sense of vibrancy and life.
In Virgo, Venus sorts out the details. If we want to sustain what we learned, we need to create habits around it. We need to build it into the day to day reality of our lives. This is not the fun part, but it’s well worth doing.
Where do we turn our attention?
It’s always important to check your birth chart to see where planets and points in the New Moon eclipse chart interact with your chart. Where do late Libra and Aries fall? In which Houses? Which of your planets or angles are aspected by the New Moon, the Nodes, or any of the other important players in this chart? This will show you where in your life to look.
Overall, this eclipse New Moon invites us to look at our chaotic world with new eyes.
Our world in not in good shape. This is reflected in the New Moon eclipse chart in a tight conjunction between the North Node of the Moon and the asteroid Eris.
Eris is a chaos goddess, the one who was difficult and not good at parties. She was not invited to an important gathering and took her revenge by crafting a golden apple , tossing it at the feet of Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, and sending a message that the fairest goddess should pick it up. This eventually led to the Trojan War.
I see Eris the asteroid as an indicator of the chaotic times we live in. When I see Eris placed prominently in a birth chart, she points to someone who is acutely aware of and perhaps involved in issues around environmental degradation or the health and safety of women and children.
Eris conjunct the North Node at this eclipse signals the desperation of our current world crises which endanger all we hold dear, while suggesting that the intensity of our fears and desires for change might be pointing in the wrong direction.
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We can’t force peace. We can’t buy safety. Greed does not create security. This eclipse invites us to look underneath our fears for other kinds of solutions.
As an example, I introduce the concept of the black swan laid out by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a statistician, options trader, and risk analyst who focuses our attention away from the idea of specific prediction and toward strategies of risk management.
Taleb’s black swan is an event that has three characteristics.
First, it’s an outlier, an extremely rare event. For this reason, it’s not predictable on the basis of past experience, because we don’t have much.
Second, it has high impact, a surprise or shock that changes things. A black swan event doesn’t have to surprise everyone. There might be a few analysts or historians out there who say, oh, sure, I saw this coming. At the same time, it shocks most of us. For us, it’s a black swan.
Third, a rare, high impact event immediately invites post hoc analysis. After the fact, we feel compelled to point to reasons, causes, ways the black swan might have been predicted if only we’d looked in the right places. We don’t like shocks. We want to see what’s coming.
Taleb pushes back on this last point strongly. He says extremely rare, high impact events happen, and when they do, they change the world, and that’s that. He questions the value of this kind of post hoc analysis because rare events are inherently tough to predict.
Instead, he points to a different way of looking at our lives, and therefore of planning, preparing, and living. He invites us to look at where we’re at risk and to plan ways to insulate ourselves from the unpredictable and unusual.
So instead of predicting something coming from outside, he counsels focusing on strengthening what is inside. This might include our psychological and emotional well being, financial resilience, or whatever, but is fundamentally about preparing ourselves and our resources rather than trying to anticipate or control outer events.
This a great framework for approaching an eclipse New Moon that is likely to stir up strong feelings.
This annular solar eclipse is part of Saros series 134. Every eclipse belongs to a Saros series, which is like an eclipse family. Eclipses in a series occur every 18 years and 11 days. They always fall at the same Node of the Moon. And they trace a pattern around the Earth, beginning at one pole and ending at the other.
Astrologer Bernadette Brady studied these eclipse families and found that all the eclipses in one Saros series will reflect characteristics of the first eclipse, the originator.
In Brady’s framework, Saros 134 is called S.S.7, referring to the South Node placement of all of these eclipses.
This series was born with a South Node eclipse on June 22, 1248. At that eclipse, Pluto and Mars were prominent. Brady describes the characteristics of this eclipse family as power and speed.
So, from its birth, this eclipse family has been Plutonian, and that is reinforced at this eclipse.
We’re likely to notice where chaos is erupting, and we’re likely to have feelings about it. Strong feelings.
This is where the refocusing on new ways to think about and manage uncertainty can be really helpful. Having access to news from around the world is helpful and also challenging. Perspective is great. Overwhelm is real.
The black swan approach doesn’t tell us to ignore the world, but instead to be realistic about what we can manage.
There is a saving grace in this chart. The fixed star Spica is conjunct the South Node of the Moon. Spica is found in the sky in the constellation Virgo, and astrologically today is at 24º09’ Libra. Spica is one of the most fortunate stars in the heavens, bringing spiritual and perhaps magical qualities to bear. This star is associated with intuition, psychic abilities, and is considered both sensible and creative.
Spica’s presence enhances the South Node’s capacity to help us reframe our view of our lives, and life in general. Here we can consider new, creative approaches to risk and possibility, especially when those new approaches involve loosening our grip on the idea of control.
Eclipses are times to pay attention. We’re not doing manifestation work with this New Moon, not setting intentions, not making plans. The orientation is watching, waiting, looking, listening, noticing.
This is a time for oracles rather than predictions. Where we focus our attention will direct what we see. Think about where and how you want to be looking and listening during this eclipse New Moon.
Let’s see what new and creative ideas emerge for us.
