The Daily Astro for November 6, 2013

Eclipse Diversion Edition

by Valerie Sylvester

I’ve been wanting to write about the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Scorpio since last week, but since both recent eclipses have hit my chart rather heavily, there’s been too much coming at me from all directions (where’s that damn pith helmet when you need it?) and I haven’t had a chance to sit still long enough to ruminate on the topic. Some of you may know all too well what I’m talking about. This Solar Eclipse occurred November 3rd at around 12 degrees Scorpio at 7:50 AM EST. Since Solar Eclipses tend to be felt before the official “hit” and the effects extend for at least six months afterwards ( and some astrologers feel the effects of this particular eclipse may reverberate for several years), I figure it’s well worth backtracking to talk about this one. New Moons relate to initial phases, openings, and gestation periods (they’re incubators), and solar eclipses tend to highlight endings, shutdowns, and closure. This eclipse occurs in Scorpio, sign of regeneration, renewal, and “the dark night of the soul”. Since this is a New Moon eclipse, the Sun and Moon are both in Scorpio, joined by Mercury (still retrograde but getting ready to shift to direct motion), the North Node, and Saturn in Scorpio. That’s quite an impressive conglomeration of Scorpio energy. The chart as a whole has a water emphasis, with Jupiter in Cancer and Neptune and Chiron both in Pisces. This indicates that we’re dealing with emotions here, and the depths of our being. There’s very little air energy (unless you count asteroid Juno in Aquarius) to indicate that this eclipse will play out in a “rational” way. It’s hard to explain how we feel, as so much is occurring on the “subterranean” level. You may have noticed all the news stories the past few weeks about people “snapping”, motivated by hidden or seemingly inexplicable urges. This is what happens when things get blocked and backed up and there’s no outlet for expression.

Air and fire signs will probably want to head for the nearest exit when faced with this torrent, while water and earth signs may find it a little easier to deal with. Those of you with planets or chart points from 9-13 degrees Scorpio or Taurus, particularly, or from 9-13 degrees of the other 2 fixed signs (Leo and Aquarius) may feel this eclipse rather intensely, but given the number of planets positioned from 9-13 degrees in the eclipse chart, there is a “bleedthrough” effect going on and this degree range is pulsing with a bit of extra energy right now. The houses in your chart where 12 degrees Scorpio or Taurus can be found indicate the areas of life that will be the focus of your time and energy in the upcoming months. Endings, and as a result of those endings, new beginnings, will occur in those arenas of your life. If it targets the 1st and 7th houses, it’s “who am I and who are you?”, so relationships may change or end as we redefine ourselves or others shift and change. The 2nd and 8th house axis can indicate fluctuations in finances, value systems, shared assets, inheritances, karmic or fated situations, and deep emotional or sexual connections. The 3rd and 9th house can wobble the axis on neighbors and neighborhoods, siblings, higher and lower education, communication and philosophy and travel matters. The 4th and 10th houses can point to major changes in the course of your life, related to your job, parents, home, events that feel destined, your origins or ancestry, and your prominence or “fame”. The 5th and 11th house relates to children, love affairs, anything related to creativity or entertainment, groups and associations or organizations and friendships, and the 6th and 12th houses connect with pets, daily routine, the details of what you do for a living, being “of service”, all things hidden or obscured, psychic abilities, any sort of confinement (prisons, rehab, hospitals, retreats), medical issues, psychic abilities or feeling “connected” to the universe.

While thinking about what to write about this eclipse, I came up with a couple of themes. “Deferred Maintenance” is one, and “I Don’t Want to Go Down to the Basement” is the other. I’m dealing with quite a few renovation projects at the moment, which isn’t particularly surprising, given what’s being activated in my chart lately. This eclipse gives us all a chance to go for the “gut rehab”. It’s ugly, messy, and sometimes sets free vermin and rats who’ve been chomping down on your infrastructure, but when it’s over you wonder how you could ever have lived in that dump. This eclipse ties in with Hit #4 of the Uranus/Pluto square (there are 7 strikes in all). So we’re kind of at the “hump day” of the Giant Carnival Week of Chaos. Maybe we’re not flinching as much this time. It’s not easy, but we’re acclimatizing ourselves to these powerful and revolutionary energies just by absorbing some of the force field.

Looking at other connections, Saturn (serious Karma Dude) is conjunct the Sun and Moon in Scorpio, so it looks like we’re not going to squirm away from things this time. It’s what I mean by “deferred maintenance”. Maybe there are things you’ve let slide over the years or buried somewhere down in that creepy basement along with the rest of the detritus of your life. Time to be honest about what’s really going on. Saturn in Scorpio is brutal as a guillotine operator during the French Revolution when it comes to lopping away whatever’s outlived its usefulness (and its fancy powdered-wig/hairdo). Saturn in Scorpio gets to the bare bones, and strips things down to their essence. Here’s where we all get to “go down to the basement” and face whatever’s lurking there. Maybe it’s time to review every shitty thing we’ve done, all the places we’ve been paralyzed by fear, and why we’re being chased by that moron with a knife and face mask in the first place. Here’s where we release ourselves from bad contracts. This may take time (Saturn), and may send us shrieking into the night, but it’s necessary. The Moon’s North Node, conjunct Mercury retrograde in Scorpio, helps us with the “instant rewind” part. When you play back past situations in your head, try and feel again the original intensity that led you down that path. Then rewrite the script. There may be some resistance–the South Node in Taurus, the path of the past, still sings its siren song and urges us to hold on, hold back, and stay put, but that’s the wrong direction right now (it’s like running back into a house that’s been condemned).

Mars and Pluto are the co-rulers of Scorpio, the sign of this eclipse, and Mars, in Virgo, sextiles this eclipse and trines Pluto, which also sextiles the eclipse. There’s tremendous power here to heal the past and unleash the energy that’s been long buried under old compulsions, obsessions, addictions, and destructive alliances. Mars in Virgo is diamond-cutter energy--focus on what needs to be chipped away in order to unleash the inner beauty of the valuable gem within. We’re being compelled to shed our old skins now. Mars in Virgo also tells us to throw our energy into healthy habits, relationships, and systems. It’s time for a new plan of action. The eclipse also trines Chiron in Pisces, showing us the path to healing. A huge theme of this eclipse is to take a cold, hard look at yourself and your connections and entanglements, analyzing each one to determine if it pulls you forward or back. Sometimes we stay in situations through habit, guilt, obligation, or sheer inertia, not realizing how much of our essence is being drained through maintaining that connection. We may find certain karmic connections are coming to an end, freeing us to move in new directions. Pay attention to new people who appear in your life at this time, particularly if they appear suddenly or in unusual ways. Another interesting configuration formed in this eclipse chart is a Yod, which is a three-legged “Y”-shaped astrological pattern in which two planets form a sextile (flowing) aspect with each other and both form an inconjunct (adjustment required) aspect to a third planet. In the eclipse chart, we have Mars in Virgo sextile the Sun/Moon in Scorpio eclipse pair, with both inconjunct Uranus in Aries. One of the key phrases for this eclipse is: “there is a way out”. With Uranus as the “wild card” (a position it’s well suited for), we need to focus our energy beyond our comfort zone, take “one step beyond”, and release attachments to our perceived limitations in order to soar.

This process of incorporating the powerful lessons of this eclipse will take some time. As I write this, on November 6, Jupiter begins its retrograde period in Cancer, Mercury will go direct on November 10, and Neptune will begin to move direct on November 13. The shifts that began during the eclipse will lead us to re-evaluate our philosophy of life (in Cancer, it’s related to who nurtures, how much, is it enough, and helps us come to terms with the “bottom line” or karmic causes as related to our family relationships). Mercury direct helps us “clear our mind” and integrate some of things we’ve unearthed during its retrograde period, and Neptune direct helps give us a direct line to a new spiritual infusion of energy.

Before I wrote this piece on the eclipse, I pulled a tarot card –it was the Tower, highlighting the energy of Mars (connected with this card), co-ruler of Pluto and the eclipse’s Scorpionic death-and-rebirth themes. We can also see the the Uranus/Pluto square energies here (enlightenment and a blast of new energy takes down weakened structures).

Since it’s late and I haven’t yet gotten to today’s aspects, I’ll do the short form here for November 6, 2013:

The big news today is the Sun conjunct Saturn in Scorpio at 7:01 AM EDT. This echoes the eclipse emphasis (see above) of Saturn telling us “it’s time”. We may be pondering serious issues early in the day, or dealing with life-and-death issues (or anything with that kind of intensity). This combo may “reanimate” whatever heavy-duty issues have cropped up for you during the time period around the eclipse, prompting some revision of the revisions, in some cases. The energy is heavy, as the Sun/Saturn conjunction is serious, and the Moon moves into Saturn’s home sign, Capricorn, at 4:44 PM EST. This means the earlier part of the day is functioning under a Void-of-Course Moon (let’s hope a lot of that worrying was unnecessary or didn’t amount to anything).It could be that we felt somehow paralyzed during the earlier part of the day, or are feeling guilty about wasting time or energy. The Moon in Capricorn joins Venus in that sign at 7:22 PM EST–try to combine the beautiful and the useful. Work it! A Moon/Venus connection in Capricorn might not be all warm and fuzzy, but someone does care about you (in their own non-flashy but reliable way, of course).

At 9:00 PM EST the Moon sextiles Neptune in Pisces, followed by a Moon/Mercury sextile at 11:01 PM EST, which reminds me of automatic writing, for some reason. Probably because it’s “woo woo” Pisces and mysteriously Scorpionic, but practical Moon in Capricorn is looking for some kind of result. Hope you get some interesting messages tonight! Jupiter retrogrades (in Cancer) just after midnight EST. Since planets changing position tend to be powerful, all themes connected to Jupiter will be emphasized, including luck, large endeavors, philosophy, publishing, growth, higher education, long-distance travel, religion, and expressions of humor or benevolence on the positive side, and “overdoing it”, excessive growth, bombastic attitudes, “know-it-all” ism, and overblown risk-taking on the more negative side. Since Jupiter’s in a retentive water sign, I’d say watch out for weight gain, too!