Let’s begin by talking about what an eclipse is… When we were children, we were taught that a solar eclipse is when the Moon travels across the face of the Sun. This occurs due to an amazing coincidence (or not) that the Moon appears to be roughly the same size as the Sun from our Earthly perspective —which makes it block out the Sun. On August 21, 2017 we had such an event in the United States known as the Great American Eclipse. I remember where I was that day. I had planned ahead and found an isolated spot in the Cleveland Metro parks to set-up my sacred mesa, in accordance with the Q’ero tradition and in recognition of the significance of the moment.
Solar Eclipses come in 4 forms:
· Total – Sun completely covered by Moon
· Partial- Sun partially covered by Moon
· Annular- Moon completely in front of sun but not large enough to cover (apogee) leaves a ring of fire
· Annular/Total- part annular and part total
Special note: Moon’s orbit around Earth is elliptical. When the Moon is closest to Earth(perigee) it's roughly 222,000-225,000 miles away. When furthest (apogee) it is roughly 250,000 – 252,000 miles away.
In astrological terms, and broadly speaking, eclipses “obscure” matters of the house or matters related to the planets they aspect. This in turn often acts as a disruption to the energy of these planets and houses making it difficult to manifest their agenda, or delay manifestation—making things seemingly out of reach, or failing to occur. Eclipses also “bring hidden things to light”. This element of eclipses is also related to the house it occupies and related to the planets they aspect.
What potentially comes to light? Typically, eclipses reveal what has been brewing under the surface with the related house or planets. They bring out secrets, or things that have been hidden. The revelations of such are often very disruptive in nature.
Eclipses are tricky to interpret but nonetheless of supreme importance and magnitude. Interestingly, when the Moon blocks the Sun from our view, less solar radiation is reaching the Earth thus massive changes occur in the ionosphere. I have heard the impact of an eclipse described to be much like a sunburn. At first you may not be aware of it or think it’s any big deal. But overnight, something happens and when you awaken the next day, your skin has erupted with a violent reaction. What appeared to be nothing is now painful and can take some time to work its way through. This is often how an eclipse impacts the people and the land it is traversing. There might not be immediate evidence of an influence, but with the passage of time, which can be months and even years, the jounce appears.
The astrological world’s eyes are currently focused on the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse of April 8, 2024. This eclipse will travel across the United States beginning in Texas and cutting at an angular pattern before exiting the country via Maine. But before this, and exactly 23 days from the day this blog is being written, there will be the Annular Solar Eclipse on October 14, 2023. This eclipse will also travel across the United States beginning in Oregon and cutting at a similar angular pattern before exiting via Texas. Thus, the title of this blog, X marks the spot. As can be seen below, the path of these two eclipses forms an ominous X across our country. Of note, observe where the path of the two eclipses cross, San Antonio, Texas. Hold that thought…
On the website, www.greatamericaneclipse.com we find the following comment about these two solar eclipses:
“Before that, the US is lucky to have a celestial warm-up act - an annular solar eclipse from Oregon to Texas on October 14, 2023. The next two solar eclipses in North America will be the Annular Solar Eclipse on October 14, 2023 and the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024! The Annular Solar Eclipse of 2023 will cross the US from Oregon to Texas and then will proceed to Central America and South America. The Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 will sweep across North America from Mazatlán to Newfoundland. A Total Solar Eclipse is truly spectacular; you will have the unique opportunity to stand in the shadow of the moon and witness the sun’s exquisite corona.”
As a stand-alone event these eclipses would be immensely noteworthy, as I will write about in just a moment, but combine them with the fact that the United States is in the midst of its first Pluto return and one’s eyes are likely to pop out of their head. You can read more about the USA Pluto Return here: https://www.theclevelandshaman.com/post/we-the-people . Pluto has been traversing Capricorn since 2008. In 2023 it entered Aquarius where due to its periodic retrograde motion Pluto has been bouncing back and forth between Capricorn and Aquarius throughout the year and will do the same next year until in November of 2024 when it enters Aquarius and will stay until 2043.
These retrogrades back into Capricorn are occurring in its late degrees. The significance being that the 29th degree of any sign is considered the anaretic degree. This carries with it both omen and overture: it speaks to some sort of unproven karma and stands out among other degrees as the harbinger of a shift or transition. Classically the anaretic degree represents a point at which change takes place, a degree of fate. It is also associated with endings and beginnings. There seems to be an urgency that arises around this degree. This is a time to pay attention. The two upcoming periods during which Pluto will be at the 29th degree of Capricorn are… Dec 20, 2023 – Jan 20, 2024 and September 2, 2024 – November 20, 2024. These periods could prove to be quite volatile especially when it comes to political matters. Capricorn is associated with the government, our leaders, and the economy.
Ironically, or not, it will be in the 10th house of the USA Founding Chart (known as the Sibley Chart) that the eclipse on October 14, 2023 takes place. Although the USA has Libra on the cusp of its 10th house, ruled by Venus in Cancer, in the natural zodiac this is the Capricorn house… lending additional fuel to the overarching Capricorn themes we have been navigating since 2008. The exact degree of the eclipse is 21:07 Libra.
When analyzing an eclipse, the first place most astrologers look for clues is the polarity of the houses involved. Being this one will take place in the 10th house of the USA’s chart it connects the potential effects falling on our president, the government in general, and our status and reputation among all nations and the polarity or opposition to the 4th house which is the people and the homeland. Additionally matters surrounding the living conditions of the population, including housing, real estate, farming and agriculture, crops and produce can be involved. Is there anyone who wouldn’t say these are real issues we see currently taking place in our country?
Having just written about the upcoming conjunction of Uranus and Jupiter in Taurus taking place on April 20, 2024 it seems there are repeating themes arising with many upcoming astrological events. Given Taurus connection with farming, agriculture, crops and produce the weight of the evidence seems to be pointing toward potential revelations coming forth in these areas, or something that has been percolating under the surface, hidden from view rising up and becoming disruptive in nature. This would align with the 4th house issues previously cited. Another noteworthy connection with the Libra eclipse is that Taurus is the other Venus ruled sign. Where this comes into play is the connection to money, finance, and the markets. It would not at all be surprising to see some dramatic changes and disruptions here too.
Another important aspect of Libra eclipses is the propensity (being an air sign) to be connected with corruption of the air in some manner, and an increase in contagious diseases. They can and have been associated with bad weather, high winds, and I have even found links to religious controversies.
In general terms Libra is a relationship sign. It deals with justice and balance. Given that this eclipse is taking place in the USA’s 10th house of the government and that the opposition to it is the people and the homeland, the 4th house, a reasonable assumption could be made that a spotlight may reveal things concerning the relationship of our leaders to the people, and what has not been just, balanced, or fair? Will the people awaken and demand a more aligned and equitable relationship with their government? I think most of us could agree this is already going on but my suspicion is that it gets even more intense.
A second item to be considered when delineating an eclipse is whether or not the eclipse makes any significant contact with the planets in a chart or the angles. According to Bernadette Brady in her seminal book Predictive Astrology: The Eagle and the Lark:
“Since eclipses are interjections in one’s life, I feel it is best to use only major aspects. In fact, in my own work, I tend to look for only conjunctions and oppositions. The use of the square is optional and I tend to use it if the eclipse is squaring a natal luminary.”
She goes on further to state:
“What orbs should be used for those preferred aspects? Using orbs of, at the most, 2 degrees for oppositions, and up to 2.5 degrees for conjunctions, seems to yield the best results. If you choose to use a square, I would suggest an orb of only 1 degree.”
For the non-astrologer reading this blog an orb represents the degrees of separation between planetary bodies in a zodiac chart. An orb is the term we use for how exact an aspect is. If two planets are exactly 180 degrees apart, we would say that is an exact opposition, or an orb of 0 degrees. If, however, the planets are 184 degrees apart, we would call it an opposition with an orb of 4 degrees.
With these rules in mind when we look at the upcoming October 2023 solar eclipse in the USA Sibley chart there are only a few aspects that meet the criteria listed above. First and foremost, the eclipse at Libra 21:07 will be conjunct with Juno, which resides at 20:27 in the USA chart. What is Juno? Juno is an asteroid. Juno was originally considered a planet, along with Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta. In 1811, Schröter estimated Juno to be as large as 2290 km in diameter. All four were reclassified as asteroids as additional asteroids were discovered. Juno's small size and irregular shape preclude it from being designated a dwarf planet.
In astrology Juno is the significator of marriage and the relationship dynamic. Interestingly, Juno was in Libra and in the house of the government in the USA founding chart. In Libra, it seems the intent of this new government was one of balance, negotiations, justice, accommodation, compromise, diplomacy, and fairness. Thus, the declaration of three equal branches of government. Sometimes though, people as well as countries, can lose their way and fall short of achieving what was promised in their birth charts. Every sign and planet has a positive and negative manifestation. To me, this eclipse is likely about bringing to light what has gone off the rails, and how the original ideas of the relationship of the government to the people have strayed from the founding principles. The eclipse may generate more insights into just how far afield we might be.
“that these dead shall not have died in vain– that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” (U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863)
If this were not enough, this eclipse also forms an opposition to Chiron, which resides in the USA’s 4th house in the sign of Aries at 20:08. At first glance this can seem like an odd placement of Chiron. After all this is the land of plenty and a place of freedom. Why would the significator of where the wound lies (Chiron) be in the house of the homeland and the people? Further, Chiron in Aries speaks to one’s sense of worth and value being wounded in some manner. How could the citizens of the most powerful nation on the planet lack a sense of worth and value? Perhaps a line from the currently viral song “Rich Men North of Richmond” adds context:
It's a damn shame what the world's gotten to For people like me and people like you Wish I could just wake up and it not be true But it is, oh, it is
When we dive a little deeper into the placement of Chiron in Aries in the USA’s 4th house, we can acknowledge that this is the haven of the people, the spot where we seek our sense of home, security, nurturing, and family. Sadly, from where we sit today, our country seems to have missed that mark. We are lacking in all of these areas at this point in our history despite our riches. There are issues with family economics, children’s education, crime, and the food we eat… just to name a few. Again, drawing on a line from the song cited above:
“I wish politicians would look out for miners / And not just minors on an island somewhere / Lord, we got folks in the street, ain't got nothin' to eat / And the obese milkin' welfare.
Well, God, if you're 5-foot-3 and you're 300 pounds / Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds / Young men are puttin' themselves six feet in the ground / 'Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin' them down.”
From this perspective it seems that when the weight of the evidence is examined, the USA Pluto Return, the upcoming Jupiter/Uranus conjunction, and the eclipses we are about to experience, the time of a potential healing is forthcoming. A moment where the issues are laid out on the table and the medicine has to be taken. Wherever the wound lies, there is also a repository of strength if we choose to heal. Aries in Chiron when expressed in its highest and best manner is a recognition of one’s worth and value and a strong desire to have freedom to be who you are supposed to be. This is after-all as a famous song proclaims “the home of the free and the brave”. Some have characterized the movement of Pluto into Aquarius as an era of “power to the people”. This too, seems in sync with what is coming and what is needed.
Make no mistake, healing is not always an easy process. Things need to be confronted, processed, and then released. When Pluto’s energy is involved (as it is currently with the USA) that process can be intense and involve some frightening moments. I have often heard it said that “Pluto burns your house down, and a year later you realize it was the best thing that has ever happened to you” This is the paradoxical nature of Pluto. Quoting from a favorite fellow astrologer, Steven Forrest, who has written a great book The Book of Pluto: Finding Wisdom in Darkness with Astrology, he says:
“Thus, life’s catastrophic experiences and the evil aspects of human nature weave together to produce a complex Plutonian whole. Where Pluto lies in the birth chart, we will be confronted with those difficult truths. And when Pluto passes through sensitive zones of the chart, they will rise up in our hearts and in our circumstances.”
The second eclipse that will occur on April 8, 2024 will be much like the one in October 2023, but reversed. It will be in the USA’s 4th house and opposite our 10th house. This is how eclipses work; they take place over a 12 to 18-month period in the house’s polarity. In this case the 4th and 10th houses. So, the sequence of events from this astrologer’s view seems to be the October eclipse stirring up issues surrounding our leaders, government, and where the balance, fairness, and justice have been abused and the second eclipse revealing to the people, how they are wounded and activating a call to action if you will. This eclipse will be at 19:23 of Aries. In the zodiac, Aries represents the season of spring, new beginnings, things bursting forth with new energy. My sense is this will be a call to action. A time where the wheels of healing are set in motion and the citizens aggressively pursue the medicine needed to bring about the balance and harmony promised in the presence of Juno in Libra in the country’s birth chart. Unfortunately, this may take the shape of assertive and courageous actions that strike fear into many. Healing can be messy.
In conclusion, I wish to close with an observation. If you go back to the paths illustrated in the above map of the two eclipses that will cross the United States, you can see that an X is formed. The center of this X lands smack dab on San Antonio, Texas. Though certainly not an astrologically based observation I must say this struck me as extremely synchronistic. Do you remember… the Alamo.
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