This week we are midway between two solar eclipses, acutely sensitive points in the fabric of time. Eclipses are used for tracking mundane events, but also can be felt in the innermost self, particularly if aspecting — by conjunction or opposition — the natal Sun, Moon, or Ascendant degree.
The approaching New Moon at 7°42′ Sag (4:18 a.m. PST on Tuesday) is squaring the (past) September 1 North Node solar eclipse at 9° Virgo, and the upcoming South Node solar eclipse on February 26 at 8° Pisces.
Eclipses occur near the lunar nodes, the astronomical points where the Moon’s orbit around the earth intersects with earth’s path around the Sun. I remember Charles Harvey speaking of the word “node” meaning “knot.” Since then I have thought that the nodes tie together the three great realms (and all the symbolisms) of Sun, Moon, and Earth.
I also like the simple imagery of the North Node = Dragon’s Head and South Node = Dragon’s Tail. We sense the new, take in life, energy, experience, nourishment through the mouth, the eyes, the nostrils (all in the head), and eliminate through the tail that which has been digested and assimilated. (1)
I want to return to the Saros cycle which I wrote about earlier this year. (Solar Eclipse: a moment in a longer cycle of time )
The Saros cycle connects eclipses at 18.3-year intervals and were understood by the earliest known astrologers, the Chaldeans.
The solar eclipse on September 1, 2016, at 9° Virgo was part of Saros 19N, about which Bernadette Brady writes: “This Saros Series is about realism, a coming down to earth. The individual will become aware of an old situation and see it for what it is rather than what he or she thought it was. This can be a constructive time for tackling the truth.” (2)
Well, in my personal life something that I had hoped and wished for (augmented, no doubt, by the long Saturn-Neptune square that had its last pass on September 10) absolutely landed with a thud in late September.
In the mundane picture: the transiting node reached 9° Virgo (the eclipse degree) in mid November; the election results brought a new reality requiring many to “see it for what it is rather than what he or she thought it was.”
Just as this week the New Moon is awakening the sensitive degrees of the surrounding eclipses, transiting Mars is also moving into position to directly trigger the themes and events signified by the eclipses.
From December 29 – 31, transiting Mars and Neptune will come together at 9° Pisces, opposite the September eclipse degree and foreshadowing the February eclipse. (Mars-Neptune is naturally hard to quantify: it can signify refinement, altruism and devotion, and hopelessly confused, ineffective, or deceptive actions. Straightforward self-reflection is recommended.)
Then, Mars moves into his home sign Aries on January 27 and will be conjunct Uranus (22° Aries) at the February eclipse. Jupiter, the dispositor of the eclipse (the traditional ruler of Pisces), will be at 22° Libra, exactly opposite the Mars-Uranus conjunction at the eclipse.
Jupiter in Libra holds the beacon for social concerns and justice. All levels and manifestations of rebellion against inequality or repression and fighting for fairness are bound to part of our landscape for a while.
The nodal axis has been in Virgo/Pisces since November 2015. With North Node in Virgo, that house of the horoscope has been the place to sense and bravely follow a vigorous opening in your life. The Pisces South Node house is a realm where you are winding down — the story has gotten old, accompanied perhaps by bittersweet loss or despair, which although cherished, can be blessed and released.
During this eclipse season, where 8° – 9° Virgo/Pisces falls in the natal horoscope is where we are realigning and repositioning ourselves. This week, as the Sun squares the eclipse degrees, we are at a crossroads where we may notice the parallel motifs from the nodal axis. Awareness is the first step, as many teachers say.
See footnote below for Bernadette Brady’s note on the Saros cycle for the upcoming eclipse. Enjoy yourselves!
Footnotes:
(1) The North Node, the Dragon’s Head, (aka ascending node) marks the point where the Moon crosses the ecliptic and ascends into the northern celestial latitudes; the South Node, or the descending node, marks the descent from north to south latitudes.
The North and South Nodes of the Moon are known in Vedic astrology as Rahu and Ketu, respectively; their epic story is told in the ancient Indian text, the Mahabharata.
(2) Bernadette Brady, Predictive Astrology: The Eagle and the Lark, Samuel Weiser, 1999, pg. 334.
Brady’s synopsis for the February 26 eclipse (Saros 19S) reads: “This is a family of eclipses that brings with it the elements of the pleasant surprise. Sudden happiness. A joyful event, the lucky break, the lucky win. The events which will be occurring can be believed and can positively change the person’s life.” Ibid, p. 336.
10 Comments
Thanks for this, Mary. I’d totally forgotten that this is the midway point between the eclipses.
I have a planet at 9° Pisces, and man, has this Neptune transit been brutal.
Neptune reached 9° Pisces in mid-April 2015 and then in mid-June stationed Rx at 9°49. So last year, he was at 9° Pisces from April 17 to August 10 — nearly four months. We started 2016 with Neptune at 7°. He reached 9° on Feb. 15, stationed Rx at 12° in mid-June, then returned 9° in late September. He stationed direct on Nov. 19 at 9°14 and won’t advance to 10° until Jan. 11 2017. That’s another 3-1/2 months. In under two years, Neptune will have been at 9° Pisces more than seven months! And now the North Node is at 9°.
Among the past week’s big headlines has been “fake news.” Only some of those named as “fake” actually do serious reporting and analysis. Their sin isn’t that they’re fake, it’s that they call out fake reporting in the mainstream news. So does that mean the established media’s stories about fake news are fake? Or part fake, since some of the 200 sites they listed actually are fake? And how do we know which are really fake and which aren’t? GAAAAAA! No wonder people are so confused!
Hopefully now that Neptune has started creeping forward, and Saturn is out of orb, the fog will lift.
Hi Pat,
I hadn’t quite realized how long Neptune has been at 9.Thank you for so carefully spelling it out..
And yes, the fake news phenomena has mirrored walls within mirrored walls (not exactly sure what I mean by that, but as a truly Neptune-infused cohort, you can probably catch my drift..)
(I missed getting out yesterday when the Sun was out for quite awhile…back in the rain clouds today with their own moody loveliness 😉
Stay warm and cozy up north..
Mary
“mirrored walls within mirrored walls” …
Perfect imagery, Mary.
” During this eclipse season, where 8° – 9° Virgo/Pisces falls in the natal horoscope is where we are realigning and repositioning ourselves…”
My Asc/Desc is 9 Virgo/Pisces, with transiting Neptune on the natal Desc/transiting South Node – and I can certainly affirm that I am realigning myself in relation to my family past during this particular eclipse season”..the story has gotten old, accompanied perhaps by bittersweet loss…”
I am also re-connecting with my fascination with the Moon’s Nodes and the powerful statements they make for us in relation to the unfolding of our life pattern…a fascination which I last indulged to the full in 1998: during the last Virgo/Pisces eclipse season.
Thanks so much for this informative and reflective post, Mary.
Dear Anne,
Thank you for adding your impressions…the SN Neptune is very very strong I think..hard to define for me so far, beyond what I wrote..
It is a fairly rare celestial event – some other recent conjunctions: early 2000 at 4 Aquarius; spring 1983 at 29 Sag and 1949-50 in mid Libra…
I’ll keep pondering and feeling my way forward..
Best as ever, take care..
Mary
I have 11 Virgo rising and Pisces Moon at 11 in the 7th.
What you said: “and I can certainly affirm that I am realigning myself in relation to my family past during this particular eclipse season”..the story has gotten old, accompanied perhaps by bittersweet loss…”
This my experience. Exactly. Saturn transiting Sagittarius and presently conjoined to my progressed Sun/Mercury is another lump of coal in my 2016 stocking. Issues of reality, separation and acceptance on deeper and deeper levels.
Thank you, Anne, for sharing this!
This has hit my chart in a major way. My Mars is at 8° Pisces and is in the sixth house. I am teaching at a university where the leadership is in transition due to financial problems. The state where I reside has severe revenue shortfalls, and there has been a 25% cut in budgets to higher education over the last 18 months. Needless to say, this has left me and many of my colleagues quite anxious. I am nervously awaiting the results of February 2017 eclipse which should present some resolution to the confusion which surrounds us.
At this midpoint between the two eclipses, the president of our university resigned suddenly. I can only hope that the situation improves over the next three months.
Hi Carolyn,
What a story! I hope it goes well with the Feb eclipse..
Thanks for writing and all best to you,
Mary
Mary, your descriptive words for this Virgo/Pisces Node & Neptune event really struck home for me. My N.Node is 9 degrees Pisces in 6th House. In April 2015, Neptune conjoined it and I moved my 87-yr-old mother in with me as she could no longer care for herself. Now, the transit S.Node has joined my N.Node with Neptune (so transit N.Node has joined my S.Node in 12th.)
It has been hard and we are both growing tired and getting a little crazy. Your words, “The Pisces S.Node house is a realm where you are winding down – the story has gotten old, accompanied perhaps by bittersweet loss or despair, which although cherished, can be blessed and released.” I could not have said it better!
Another note to share: 18 years ago during the last transit (1998/1999), I was taking care of my father-in-law who died of lung cancer, plus had to put my darling dog, Daisy, down for health reasons. Pluto was at 9 Sag. squaring my Nodes. So your words fit that similar situation too.
Apparently the Nodes can indeed be quite powerful. Astrology at work!
Hello Robin,
Thank you for your story..
I hope there is some ease for you and your mother..
Take care of yourself..
Mary
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