2023, astrology, eclipse, libra, moon, new moon

Oct 2023: A Solar Eclipse in Libra

The New Moon in Libra today provided the catalyst for the beginning of eclipse season. And this Solar Eclipse has kick-started a domino array of energy that will continue for at least the next year and a half – and for some of us, the energetic currents may have caused permanent shifts.

Let’s talk about what was unique with this eclipse! Eclipses are not rare – in fact, every six months we get eclipses. Typically, we get one solar eclipse and one lunar eclipse every six months (when the Sun and the Moon’s position coincides with that of the Moon Nodes, meaning that the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth are all on the same plane and one of these bodies has the ability to “block” another one from our sight. So if eclipses occur every six months, what is so special about this one in October of 2023?

To answer that, it’s important to understand that the energy of the planets has effects regardless of whether we can see them. i.e. We will all feel Pluto when he passes through important points in our birth chart, even though we can’t see Pluto without a powerful telescope. However, historically in ancient times, the focus of astrology was on what people could observe and see in the sky. In those days Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto weren’t even factored into astrology because they weren’t visible with the naked eye and thus weren’t discovered yet. So, even though these outer planets provide excellent nuance to our understanding of astrology, astrology actually works really well without them – just using the planetary bodies that people can actually see in the sky!

If we take this one step further, when we boil astrology down to its most basic parts, what do people identify with? Their Sun Sign. When someone says, “I am a Scorpio”, “I am a Libra”, they are not referring to the position of their Moon, or their Venus, or their Mercury. They are referring to the position in the sky the Sun was in at the moment of their birth. If we think about what is most visible in the sky, we would all agree that the Sun is it! Many of us can live for years, decades, or even our whole lives without consciously being aware of where Venus is or where Saturn is. But we are all absolutely aware of where the Sun is at any moment – that’s what defines for us whether it’s morning, afternoon, or the middle of the night!

In this same way, eclipses are important because they are so visible. They were viewed as powerful and impactful to ancient people because there was no way to ignore them. As people watched, the Sun or the Moon disappeared from view. Ancient peoples had stories for what caused this, but regardless of the exact story, everyone believed that this was an important and powerful time when there were battles in the sky causing the Sun or the Moon to be temporarily hidden. From a visibility perspective, however, not all eclipses are visible! Many eclipses occur primarily over oceans and are visible to very few people – 70% of our planet is covered by water after all! And many other eclipses aren’t profound enough to notice. So if there is an eclipse that covers 10% of the Sun, we are unlikely to notice. The Sun will be a little less bright, but unless we are carefully noticing how bright it seems outside, we won’t notice. It is really the exact eclipses when the Sun or Moon have a big percentage of them hidden that are the most visible and impactful. These exact eclipses (also called “total” or “annular” eclipses) occur when the Sun and Moon are very close to the Moon Nodes. Most eclipses aren’t exact enough to notice.

Coming all the way back around to our eclipse in October 2023, this eclipse is unique because it is an annular eclipse (meaning that it is exact – the Moon can’t quite cover the Sun, so there was a ring of fire around the Moon as it moved on top of the Sun, but the Sun and Moon nearly exactly lined up with the Moon Nodes) and it was in a highly populated area and thus physically visible over much of the Americas. This gives this eclipse a higher potency and impact.

In addition, this eclipse was opposite Chiron (the asteroid that represents the “wounded healer” archetype, and square Pluto (the planet that represents deep, transformational change).

Put all together, the energy of this eclipse brings a powerful, immovable force pushing us toward change and healing. This is not an explosive energy (the way it would be if this eclipse were in Aries). This energy is more about weighing the pro’s and con’s of the state of our lives right now. It is the energy of leaning on others to give us a different perspective on where we need healing and where we are actually happy and fulfilled vs “going with the flow” of life without really living and experiencing it at its fullest. In the classic Libra sense, this energy will help us weigh the scales and show us where it is absolutely “worth it” to make meaningful, lasting changes in our lives with all of the transformational force of Pluto and the desire to heal our deepest wounds of Chiron.

This eclipse encourages us to let go of what is no longer helping us. Let go of hurt, bitterness, or fear that have prevented us from healing. Let go of what we realize is deeply unsatisfying to our souls. Often this has the feeling of swinging on a trapeze. We have to let go of the bar that is behind us before we can reach out for the bar that is ahead of us. That moment of transition where we find ourselves holding onto nothing and suspended briefly in the air is terrifying. But without that moment of nothingness, we can’t forward – we are stuck swinging back and forth endlessly on our single trapeze bar. We have to let go of what is behind us to focus on what is ahead, and our consciousness needs to move from what we are currently holding to what is awaiting us on the horizon. And once our eyes are fixed on that, we need to make the leap. That leap is the theme of this eclipse.

As you are able to, spend some time and intention and focus on areas for transformation, healing, and growth for you over the next 18 months (and possibly beyond!). There is a Lunar eclipse at the end of this month in Taurus, which will close out the eclipses for another six months. If you use these next few weeks to set strong intentions, you can use the grounded, determinedness of the Bull to really start moving those changes forward in small steps. If you leverage this energy, you may be shocked next year to realize how far you have come with small, but intentional steps. Sending love & light as you start on a new path of growth that your future Self will be grateful for!

Photo by Marek Okon on Unsplash

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June 2023: Propelled by Passion

There are a few major themes of this month.  The first is the conjunction of Jupiter and the North Moon Node in Taurus.  Both Jupiter and the North Moon Node have similar themes of expansiveness and growth.  In a way this makes their conjunction very helpful for giving us a boost of energy – almost like a rocket that will expedite our progress in a particular direction.  If you feel like you are on the path you want to be on, but progress has felt sluggish and difficult, you may find this is the energy you need to rocket forward.

However, with rockets, there is no guarantee that they are pointed in a good direction; the only guarantee is that they will move explosively along whatever their path happens to be.  Therefore, it is extremely important to make sure they are pointed in the right direction; otherwise, we may find that the rocket just adds a lot of energy along a false start path that we need to backtrack from.  To really use this expansive energy helpfully this month, be very conscious and deliberate about the path you want to move forward on.  Once the forward momentum starts, it will be difficult to change direction.

This means that early June is a perfect time to spend time contemplating what is most important to you.  What do you want to be investing time and energy in?  Is the path you are on a fulfilling one, or are there shifts you want to make?  Meditating and setting intentions around your desired path will help the Jupiter/North Node conjunction lock in on that to move you forward.

It is also important to look at what house Taurus falls in your chart to get a sense of what area of life you would expect to see this change.  For example, if Taurus is in your 4th house, you may contemplate your house, the city you live in, the people you live with, and your general personal environment.  Are these supportive of your soul and your growth?  Are there things you are dissatisfied with, but haven’t made a move to change?  This would be the time to set yourself on a path of change, and then let Jupiter and the North Node rocket you toward a new situation more aligned to your goals.

Also this month, Venus moves from Cancer to Leo.  This marks a big shift in the relational energy we feel toward others.  Venus also joins Mars when she moves into Leo.  Normally she would catch up to, and pass, Mars since Venus moves more quickly, but since Venus is slowing down and preparing for a retrograde in Leo, she actually just spends June chasing Mars through Leo without ever catching him before she stations retrograde in late July.  This extended Venus conjunct Mars energy is passionate and explosive, and it has similarities to the energy we experienced in Jan, Feb, and March of 2022.  In that case, Venus and Mars were moving through Capricorn and Aquarius together because Venus had just come off of a retrograde and was still moving slowly.  However, the Capricorn Venus/Mars energy was much more formal, and indicative of relational boundaries and frustrations over those boundaries not being honored.  The Leo Venus/Mars energy will be much warmer, and more inviting – if anything, it will burn with so hot a passion that it threatens to burn us out in the process.

Flow with the energies this month to spend time on whatever you are passionate about – enjoy this energy!  Often we wish for motivation and can’t seem to muster it, so this opportunity when passion is running through our hearts is one to take advantage of!  However, make sure to save some energy for yourself during this time.  It will be easy to lose yourself in relationships and in passion projects during this time because you feel motivated and inspired, but not realize how much you are wearing yourself down in the process.  Self care will be a good theme for us to keep in mind this month along with pursuing your passions!

Regardless of the self-care we try to institute, though, we are likely to finish the month of June feeling exhausted and like we need some down time alone, or down time with people who require very little energetically from us.  With all of these fiery Leo energies, there just isn’t an opportunity to slow down and find the cooling water among the rampant fire.  However, we start to get an opportunity to do that later in the month as the Sun moves from outgoing Gemini to inwardly-focused, nurturing Cancer.  The Cancer Sun will bring a much needed drink of refreshing mountain stream water after an intense fire spent the early part of the month evaporating any water around us.

Notice how you feel when the Sun moves to Cancer.   You are likely to still feel the pull of passion and motivation, but also be acutely aware of how much energy you have spent earlier in the month.  The last week of June would be a wonderful time for a relaxing spa day, or a day at home just relaxing and reading your favorite books or performing your favorite rituals.  If possible, plan some downtime for the last week of June, and at a minimum, ensure that your calendar isn’t so booked that it will be difficult to schedule in any last minute needed relaxation.

Between the expansiveness and growth of the Jupiter/North Moon Node conjunction early in the month, and the sustained Venus/Mars in Leo conjunction throughout the month, all of the themes this month are outward-facing.  It is a time to go – not a time to only be.  Move forward on your soul’s rocketship propelled by all the fires of your passion – just make sure you have plans for a relaxing oasis or two along the way.

Photo by Rafael Garcin on Unsplash