The Waning Moon transits Gemini from Tuesday, July 10, to Thursday, July 12, during the Gemini Balsamic Moon Phase

‘Cygnus’ by Brian Fisher. This image may have been inspired by the myth of Queen Leda who, having changed herself in the shape of a Swan to escape the advances of the god Zeus, gave birth to two eggs. From one Clytemnestra was born, daughter conceived with her mortal husband, and from the other were born the Twins, Castor and Pollux, the first also mortal, the second the divine son of Zeus.

GEMINI, Moon of mental flexibility and communication
Inquisitive and social

The WANING MOON TRANSITS GEMINI from Tuesday, July 10, 2.58 am,
to Thursday, July 12, 3.58 am, with the ingress into CANCER

Suitable energy for traveling, studying, researching, reading, writing, teaching, moving, walking, running, advertising, talking, brain storming, contact with siblings, computer work, accounting, graphic designing, artistic skills. Purchase of books, magazines, school gear, cars, bikes, art equipment. Quick action, rapid response, motivated by present circumstances and the curiosity to know. Adaptable mental energy. Friendly, sisterly, brotherly feelings, independent, needing change and variety. Beware of inconstancy, nervousness, irritability, mental games, gossips, double dealings, cold intellectualism, superficiality.

*** In the garden Gemini is considered too dry and barren for growing anything. Its energy is suitable for cultivating, general maintenance, pruning, pest control, weeding, and harvesting. Today the energy could be right for designing the garden, for parties and get-togethers with friends and siblings.

*** Healing Herbs: Coltsfoot, Hyssop, Lemon Balm, Mullein.

A note: the garden activities associated with the Moon Sign depend also on the cycle the Moon is in. The Moon transiting through a fertile or productive Sign will no be so favorable if the Phase is not a productive one, and vice-versa. For best results the Sign and Phase of the Moon have to be considered together.

Balsamic Moon

The GEMINI BALSAMIC MOON PHASE starts on Tuesday, July 10, 7.20 am,
and ends on Friday, July 13, 12.47 pm, with the CANCER NEW MOON PHASE,
also a PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE on 20°41′ of CANCER

The Moon is 45 degrees behind the Sun, only three and half days to New Moon. The Moon light is decreasing rapidly and the lunar energy is now being stored as nutrients in the seeds of future plants. It is also the calm before the storm of activities of the New Moon. Time for contemplation, self reflection and healing. The title Balsamic Moon is derived from the word ‘balsam’, unguent which helps to relieve pain and cure ills. During this time we could distill the essence of our past experience, from the last New Moon up to this point, reflect upon what we have experienced and learnt, getting psychologically ready for the cycle which is about to open. This is a spiritual phase, more suitable for meditation and relaxation than action.

*** In the garden it is certainly no time for planting or sowing, but it is ideal for cultivation, soil conditioning, eradicating pests and unwanted plants and to prune in order to retard growth.

Major Transits active in June and July 2018: Mars Retro in Aquarius; second Eclipse Season 2018; Uranus in Taurus

Mars Retro in Aquarius

A shorter version of this post was published in the 100th issue of the Uki Village News, in early June 2018.

We are now well into the Uranus in Taurus era. As usual astrology seems to have anticipated much of the tensions and disruptive events, as well as the breakthroughs and evolutionary upheavals in store for the world at this time.

June and July 2018 sees a return of some of the most intense transits already active in mid May, while another eclipse season is upon us too. It will start at the July 13, Cancer 20° New Moon Partial Solar Eclipse, continuing to the July 28, Aquarius 04°Full Moon Total Lunar Eclipse, and will end on the August 11, Leo 18°New Moon Partial Solar Eclipse; three events rather than the usual two.

If your birthday falls very close, a day or so, from these dates the eclipses could prove significant for you, marking an emotional climax of some kind (Lunar Eclipse) or new beginnings in some area of your life, responding to a new level of awareness within (Solar Eclipses).

Similar effects are possible if the Moon or any planet or angle in your Birth Horoscope happen to be on or around 20^th degree of Cancer, Capricorn, Aries or Libra (Lunar Eclipse), and/or the 4^th/5^th and the 18^th degrees of Aquarius, Leo, Taurus or Scorpio (Solar Eclipse).

The Taurus Uranian era will last for the seven years stay of Uranus in this Fixed Earth Sign (until 2025). In the long or short term, depending on our personal alignment to these cosmic events, it will be better if we prepare for major and rapid transformations in our world. Being complacent could find us unprepared for the necessary adjustments to new circumstances.

The very positive side of all of this will be about aligning ourselves to our truer purpose, asserting more openly our individuality, breaking with old moulds and taboos by defying social and family convention/conditioning. In the line of major impact will be the Fixed Signs, Taurus, of course, and also Scorpio, Leo and Aquarius.  This transit will hopefully shift those Signs from their proverbial tendency to become stuck and their stubborn avoidance of change, without completely upsetting their sense of security and belonging.

Depending on the exact position of Sun, Moon and planets in our Birth Horoscopes these transits will be close and personal to us, or manifest mainly as changes in the general environment, impacting on our life in an indirect way.

From the time of writing, end of May 2018, to mid August, than again from the end of August to September 11, Mars will transit the Fixed Air Sign of Aquarius. Salient transits of Mars will be the alignment to the Lunar Nodes on June 8 and July 20, and the Mars-Uranus 90 degrees angle, from the week of May 16, to the weeks of August 2 and September 19. These difficult angles and the also challenging 45 degrees angle of Uranus to Neptune (June 16, December 15, 2018, + May 2, 2019) will dominate the whole period.  Rebellion and defiance are in the air; everybody seems more opinionated and stubborn than ever; the world is not shying away from open confrontations. Conflicts of ideas and ideologies could prevail; rationalism versus idealism; technology versus ecology. Many will need to stand up to uphold or defend the evolutionary principles and ideals of a just and tolerant world, because reactionary and ultra conservative traditions will not give up their grip on the planet without a good fight (Mars).

Manifestations of these conflicting forces are the present increase in tectonic and volcanic activities and in war-like posturing from world leaders. Look historically at the high cost modern democracies had to pay to stay alive during the last Uranus in Taurus epoch, 1934/35 to 1941/42.

With all the differences between the world now and the world of 84 plus years ago we are facing somewhat similar challenges, with rapid increase in governments power mongering, with the surge of dictatorship and general war-mongering around the globe, and the ever greedier big corporations and financial institutions’ control over our lives.

Timeline for the Mars’ Retro period

• Mars turns Retro in Aquarius on June 27
• Mars re-enters Capricorn on August 13
• Mars turns Direct in Capricorn on August 28
• Mars re-enter Aquarius on September 11

Let’s stay cool but alert, embracing the changes that come our way. They may seem daunting but they are really opportunities to rise above stagnant situations, allowing better things to manifest in our life.

 

September 2015 Eclipse Season: opening more doors of perception – Part 2 –

My own Approach to the study of Eclipses

My approach to the study of Eclipses springs from personal observations of their influence on my own Chart and life, and those of some clients, and also from the perusal of Eclipses’ stories and interpretations in different astrological texts, modern and old, providing a wealth of  Natal and Mundane examples. 

A text that really helped me personally to understand the working of Eclipses is “Eclipses” by the scholar of the Occult David Ovason‘s, a book full of useful information and insight. Ovason stresses in particular the importance of the relationship between Fixed Stars and Eclipses’ degrees, discussing many great case histories to make his point.

When I know an Eclipse is close at hand I repeat the mantra I have often used with my students: ‘Eclipses of the Sun are New Moons, Eclipses of the Moon are Full Moons’. I am not here to demystify Eclipses, but I feel we need to have a more level headed approach toward them, not always expecting incredible events to take place or our personal lives to be transformed by them. Here I have attempted to do this without denying the power an Eclipse can actually exert in a person’s life and in the life of the collective. What I am advocating is to look closely at the Eclipse itself and also put it in the context of the current Transits. Eclipses are not separated phenomena, but are part, like every other cosmic event, of a much bigger picture.

In some of the examples that I’m using here you’ll find that the power of an Eclipse is always magnified by the presence of other major Transits happening during the Eclipse’s period of activity, a period that can stretch, forward and backward in time, for months and even years.

How to look for your important Eclipses, up-close and personal

Every New Moon is a portal to a league of the monthly journey.  When the New Moon falls on your birth Sign you know that to be a special beginning for you, a turning point in the yearly cycle. Now, if that New Moon, like in this case, is also a Solar Eclipse the New Moon’s portal is opening to a wider horizon than just few months ahead, and also to deeper dimensions of experience; sometimes even a re-birthing of sort. Still, fundamentally, the Solar Eclipse remains a symbol of the end of one cycle and the start of another, though perhaps a particularly intense and significant one.

Following the same reasoning every Full Moon represents the climax of a journey or period. If this event happens around your birthday it would be a more significant climax. If the Full Moon were also a Lunar Eclipse you could expect some major realizations and far-reaching climax type experience.

Eclipses are not rare phenomena, but they will produce a marked effect only if falling in close conjunction and opposition (for the Lunar Eclipses) to a sensitive point in your Birth or Progressed Charts, meaning Sun, Moon, Planets, Angles, Lunar Nodes. The orb (distance) allowed for Eclipses’ aspects should be, I think, very tight, one degree or less, or we would end up with too many Eclipses and not much happening with them. I am aware that many astrologers advocate a larger orb for Eclipses in conjunction or opposition to your Natal Chart’s placements, three or even five degrees, but I feel that keeping to a tight orb is always the safest thing to do, when trying to measure the strength of any aspect. The closest the aspect, the more obvious the effect. Eclipses are not exception.

When hunting Eclipses for a specific individual, ascertain, first of all, if the person was born in an Eclipse Season, with a Solar or Lunar Eclipse closely following or preceding the birthday. If this is the case make sure to search for any conjunction of the Eclipses’ degrees (also opposition, for Lunar Eclipses) with angular and planetary placements in the Natal Chart, especially with the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Ruling Planet. Even when you don’t find any close aspect make a note of the areas of experience (House) occupied by the Eclipses, because they will remain sensitive areas throughout life, where, from time to time, important crisis may take place.

As you have gathered from my own example you don’t need to be born in an Eclipse Season to be affected by the power of Eclipses.

Eclipses, like all astrological events, have a light and a dark side. The type of experience depends on a combination of the nature of the Planet involved (aspected by the Eclipse) and the field (astrological House) where the Eclipse occurs in the Natal or Progressed Chart.

So, for instance, an Eclipse on your Sun will affect your sense of identity and self-esteem, an Eclipse on your Moon your emotions and family life. An Eclipse in your Third House will colour your communication and relationship with siblings, in the Eighth House your intimate relationships, your shared finances and your desire for personal power, etc, etc.

The example I gave before, of the glut of Eclipses I experienced the year my younger sister was born, is one of many I could have used. Here are a few more, hoping they will help you to understand how Eclipses might work in your own life.

A Solar Eclipse on the 29th degree of Gemini fell on my Natal Sun at 0° 03′ of Cancer, XI House, in 1982, the year my partner and I emigrated to Australia. Some change: we have never gone back in 29 years! That’s an Eclipse’s effect. It wouldn’t have been so powerful though if not for the assistance of a Saturn-Pluto-Jupiter’s passage over the cusp of my IV House, nadir and taproot of my Chart, life changing transits on their own. Together with the Solar Eclipse, the Progressed Moon in Aries in my Natal IX House of foreign travels and people, and other aspects besides, the Eclipse manifested in the decisive way it did.

And what about, earlier, a Lunar Eclipse on my Pisces North Node, Natal VIII House, in 1979, the year I visited India, my stay there lasting two years, during which time I met my partner of thirty years, and having a lot to do with the later decision to emigrate to Australia. The emotional impact of that period is still difficult to assess for me, one of the most formative year of my life. That Eclipse too wasn’t alone, but coincided with a full-on Saturn Return and other important transits.

Eclipses haven’t quite finished with me, more are coming my way, and I wasn’t even born in an Eclipse Season.

Link to Eclipses as Doors of Perception – Part 1

If interested click for a post about the last Solar Eclipse in Virgo on September 13 2015

Camilla Parker Bowles and the Descending Node Eclipse Season, June/July 2011

In a previous post I tried to fathom the possible connection between the Birth Chart of the Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the Descending Node Eclipse Season of June/July 2011.  Here I am attempting the same with the Birth Chart of Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall.

I have chosen her Chart because it will be activated by all the three Eclipses this season, two Solar and one Lunar.

This rare event could affect her life in important ways, for months and even years to come.

As with Julia Gillard here too we see not only Eclipses in action, but also some significant Transits and Progressions.

Camilla Parker Bowles (inner wheel) and the Gemini Solar Eclipse of June 1 2011,

cast for the coordinates of London (outer wheel)

The Gemini Solar Eclipse will be on Camilla’s Natal Mars (XI House).

Natal Mars happens to rule the Natal Mid-heaven and is in trine aspect to Natal Neptune and the Cusp of the IV House (IC) in Libra. Natal Mercury, ruling the XI House in the Mercurial Sign of Gemini, was retrograde at birth, and in trine to Natal Jupiter on the Cusp of the Natal V House.

This activation of her Natal Mars by a Solar Eclipse could bring to the fore again, and perhaps exacerbate, the difficulties Camilla has experienced for a long time in her relationship with the English public, fogged by mistrust and falsehood, causing this prominent lady to remain an unsolved mystery in the eyes of many (Natal Mars trine Neptune on the IC, Retro Mercury ruling XI).

This is however just a negative reading of a Transit that could actually provide an opportunity to gain the sort of approval or popularity that has been denied to her before. Or, at least, it could help her to find new strategies to cope with the stress and anxieties caused by this flawed relationship. A relationships that, her Natal Chart shows clearly, is important to Camilla, more than she can express (Neptune on IC, trined by Mars in XI).

In both eventualities her public image and her role in the community are coming to the fore for Camilla.

The activation of Mars by anything often ends creating stressful and tense situations or reactions. But the aspects of Natal Mars are mainly positive, and this could be very helpful to Camilla, helping her to utilize the Eclipse energy wisely (Natal Mars sextile Natal Saturn and Pluto).

At first reading I sensed that Camilla could be faced with the need to conceal something or repress something, in order not to give another blow to her shaky public career. I thought of loss through friends and aspirations (XI House) and her home life and family. But perhaps I got carried away with an attractive negative train of thought, as it happens with Eclipses.

I would have read this Eclipse on Mars differently if I didn’t consider the Transits concomitant with it though. The major transits I’m talking about being Saturn on the Lower-Heaven point, Cusp of the IV Natal House, the taproot of the Charts, all endings and all beginnings. Transiting Saturn entered Camilla IV House first in October 2010; but, during this Eclipse Season, is returning to conjunct the Natal IC, not far from uniting with her Natal Neptune again (a difficult transit) and squaring for a second and third time her Natal Moon-Venus’ conjunction in the XII House, another emotionally difficult transit, that could affect her home life, her close family and her own sense of well being.  An illness cannot be ruled out either. Saturn will transit Camilla’s large IV House until the end of 2013.

At the same time Pluto is slowly approaching his opposition to her Natal Moon-Venus’ conjunction, while Uranus is preparing to square the same. All aspects heralding major changes and personal transformations and realizations for the next few years, into 2014.

For curiosity sake: Camilla’s all important Natal Neptune is conjunct the star Diadem (alpha of Coma Berenices), symbolizing a woman’s sacrifice to ensure her husband’s safety.

Camilla Parker Bowles (inner wheel) and the Sagittarius Lunar Eclipse of June 15 2011,

cast for the coordinates of London (outer wheel)

At the Sagittarius Total Lunar Eclipse the transiting Gemini Sun and South Node will be conjunct Camilla’s Natal Uranus in Gemini and the XI House, like Mars before. The eclipsed transiting Sagittarius Moon and the North Node naturally will be in opposition to Natal Uranus from the V House.

This Eclipse then again puts the accent on the area that has to do with Camilla’s relationship with the collective, in the sense of personal friends and also people in general, the public or community. Uranus has, more often than not, a disruptive effect, introducing changes in our lives that we may find hard, at first, to adjust to, because somehow they seem unexpected or unreasonable. We may feel unprepared for them or afraid to accept them.

Often transits involving Uranus make us feel also a bit weird, somewhat alienated from family and friends, emotionally isolated and cold. Trying to fit in the old mold will not succeed because actually we are supposed to embrace more our uniqueness under an Uranus transit, accepting, as a necessary payment for it, some loneliness and alienating feelings.

Positively Uranus’ transits bring us closer to who we really are and to the individual path we are meant to travel on; the emotional isolation helping to really find that path. In this sense the major adjustments and changes demanded by Uranus, even if difficult to embrace at first, lead us eventually in the right direction. With Uranus in the collective House at birth it is Camilla’s challenge to rebel against the environment that makes her feel alienated and different, eventually finding a group or tribe that can accept her the way she really is.

Uranus, in Camilla’s Birth Chart, received only minor aspects from the Sun and Saturn, but was conjunct the Asteroid Vesta (Hestia), symbol of the sacred spiritual flame we all, and women in particular, are meant to devotedly keep alive in order to protect our families and countries’ spiritual integrity. Having this aspect at birth shows that Camilla possesses her own brand of spirituality, not too influenced by conventions and traditions. In spiritual matters she is very much her own person, and this Eclipse may emphasize this trait too.

Camilla Parker Bowles (inner wheel) and the Cancer Solar Eclipse of July 1 2011,

cast for the coordinates of London (outer wheel)

Click to enlarge

Last but not least, the third Eclipse this season, a Solar in Cancer at the July 1 New Moon, is nearly perfectly conjunct Camilla’s Natal Moon and, by Translation of Light, also her Natal Venus, in the XII House. This Eclipse degree is also in square to her Natal Neptune and the Cusp of her IV House or IC.

An Eclipse right on Moon and Venus, one the symbol of personal feelings (Moon), the other of those emotions we share with others in close partnership (Venus), could prove a very emotional experience for Camilla, big time. An illumination of the dark, unconscious side of relationships and of her personal inner life, with a pervasive sense of fate that should encourage a spiritual search for meaning.

This Eclipse’s contact seems to me the beginning of a spiritual journey for Camilla, during which her many preoccupations with the world and people may begin to fade and she may need to concentrate on her spiritual, emotional and physical well being. Again a period of illness or forced withdrawal cannot be ruled out. Considering the aspects the Moon-Venus’ conjunction forms in her Birth Chart (squaring Neptune, Mid-Heaven and Lower-Heaven), this Eclipse highlights also the home and career sectors, encouraging her to find some balance between the two in her life, perhaps by giving up some cherished illusions and ideals (Neptune), and accepting the difficulties with, at least, resignation, at best, spiritual understanding.

Hot spots around the world: Horoscopes for the Ingress of the Sun in Gemini, May 21, 2011

The Sun enters Gemini, May 21, 2011

We are turning another leaf in our Book of Seasons. On May 21 the Sun exits Earthy Taurus to enter Airy Gemini.

Gemini is a Mutable Sign, indicating the changeable nature of the season, the last astrological month (Sign) of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere and Spring in the Northern. Time to wrap up the passing season’s experiences and learning and get ready for the new yearly phase beginning at the next Cancer Solstice (June 21 this year).

An important planetary shift is also at hand with the ingress of Jupiter in Taurus on June 4, a transit that will last a whole year.

All I have time for today is posting various Gemini Ingress Horoscopes, cast for different places on the planet. Following each Ingress I’m also posting double-wheel Charts with the Ingress Chart superimposed upon each nation’s Birth Chart.

I thought it may be interesting to compare them. Ingress Charts in fact have been used for thousands of years to predict the fate of people and countries.

In this case though, to get a more complete picture, we also need to consider the upcoming Eclipse Season, starting with the Partial Solar Eclipse of June 1/2 (depending where you are). This Eclipse, and the other two following in mid June (Total Lunar in Sagittarius) and early July (Partial Solar in Cancer), should also be considered in forecasting future trends for these hot-spots countries.

You can find HERE an article I posted earlier on the significance of this Eclipse season and the passage of Jupiter into Taurus.

Another post on the approaching Solar Eclipse of June 1/2 is in the pipeline, to be published soon.

2011 SUN INGRESS IN GEMINI, CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA

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2011 SUN INGRESS IN GEMINI & AUSTRALIA’S BIRTH CHART

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2011 SUN INGRESS IN GEMINI, TOKYO, JAPAN

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2011 SUN INGRESS IN GEMINI & IMPERIAL JAPAN’S BIRTH CHART

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2011 SUN INGRESS IN GEMINI & MODERN JAPAN’S BIRTH CHART

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2011 SUN INGRESS IN GEMINI, KARACHI, PAKISTAN

2011 SUN INGRESS IN GEMINI & PAKISTAN’S BIRTH CHART

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2011 SUN INGRESS IN GEMINI, WASHINGTON, USA

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2011 SUN INGRESS IN GEMINI & THE USA’S BIRTH CHART

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2011 SUN INGRESS IN GEMINI, JERUSALEM, ISRAEL-PALESTINE

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2011 SUN INGRESS IN GEMINI & ISRAEL’S BIRTH CHART

A Solar Eclipse at the final Jupiter-Uranus’ encounter: bring it on

New Moon in Capricorn and Partial Solar Eclipse

January 4 2011

At 8.02 pm (Eastern Australia Summer Time) the New Moon in Capricorn will be also a Partial Solar Eclipse.

This partial eclipse will be visible from most of Europe, where the event will happen just on sunrise, and also North Africa, the Middle East and central Asia. Cities like Cairo, Jerusalem, Istanbul and Tehran will see a large magnitude Eclipse, while the greatest phase will occur in northern Scandinavia. Central Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Northern China will witness a sunset Eclipse.

Unfortunately this Eclipse will not be visible at all from Australia and New Zealand due to the fact that  it will occur after sunset for us.

More detailed information on the Eclipse’s visibility from all parts of the globe can be found on this Nasa page.

The more obvious features of this cosmic event are:

♣ The synchronicity of the final conjunction Jupiter-Uranus, happening on the same day, will tend to magnify the effects of both.  If the conjunction’s effect could linger at the most until the end of  January (Jupiter leaving the Sign of Pisces on the 23rd of this month), the Eclipse’s effect, extending further into the future, will cause the effect of the conjunction to last longer and also to become more compelling.

Thus the urge for radical changes written all over the Jupiter-Uranus’ conjunction will be still immensely powerful at least for the first few months of 2011. Individually and collectively it is prompting us to take more risks, to assert our individual rights to be ourselves, seeking greater freedom and self-actualization in relationships, at work and in our home environment. Particularly affected by this transit will be individuals with Sun in Pisces born 17, 18, 19 of March; Sun in Virgo born 19, 20, 21 of September; Sun in Gemini born17, 18, 19 of June;  and Sun in Sagittarius born 18, 19, 20 of December. Also anyone with Birth Planets or points (Lunar Nodes, Horoscope’s Angles, etc.) on the 13th or 14th degree of the same Mutable Signs.

♣ 90 degrees angle (square) between the Sun-Moon in Capricorn and Saturn in Libra.

This is a sobering transit, and somewhat of a kill joy for some. While Jupiter and Uranus push us toward ever more exciting and widening horizons, Saturn reminds us of our duties and responsibilities, of the promises we made in the past, of the limitations of our situations and all the good reason why we should use caution when embracing changes and hankering after freedom. During the first three months of 2011 Saturn will transit over the Birth Sun of those Libra born between October 8 and 12. The ringed planet will also challenge Sun in Aries individuals born between April 5 and 9; Sun in Cancer born between July 7 and 11; and Sun in Capricorn born between January 5 to 9. All of us (due to the Eclipse effect), but those Sun Signs in particular are the ones who will need to become more grounded, paying greater attention to practical concerns, money, job, family, and all long term plans.

♣ Sun and Moon in Capricorn separating from a conjunction to heliacal Pluto (rising before the Sun) and moving toward a conjunction to Mars in Capricorn. These transits link together again Mars and Pluto that have had their conjunction already in mid-December 2010. These are intense transits, promising more general upheavals, discord and wars in the world, because of a strong need for control and power (Pluto) coupled with an equally strong desire to antagonize those we perceive as our enemies (Mars). These aspects can also indicate destructive events over which we have little or no control.  Positively, ‘read’ together with the Jupiter-Uranus’ urge to innovate and change things around, these transits could help us to be more ruthless and assertive in getting rid of what is not anymore useful to our life journey, and could in fact help many to become free of unhealthy entanglements and conditioning.

♣ The general alignment of many celestial bodies in Capricorn during this special New Moon (the Sun, the Moon, the Lunar Nodes, Mars, the Asteroid Pallas (Athena) and Pluto) seems to indicate the ongoing need to remain grounded (despite the lofty tendencies of Jupiter-Uranus), to reduce our spending, and remain cautious even when the general financial situation may seem to improve. The Jupiter-Saturn’s opposition is still unfolding, with the last exact transit in the cards for the end of March 2011.

♣ For curiosity sake (running out of time to post this article before the actual Eclipse strikes) I have also observed the opposition of Sun and Moon to some remarkable Fixed Stars: Sirius of Constellation Canis Major (the Great Dog at the heels of Orion), Capella, alpha star of Constellation Auriga (the Charioteer), Phact, alpha star of Constellation Columba (the Dove), and Bellatrix, gamma star of Constellation Orion.

At the same time Mars is opposing Castor, alpha star of Constellation Gemini (the Twins) and Venus is opposing powerful Algol (Head of Medusa), alpha star of Constellation Perseus.

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This Solar Eclipse’s cycle Saros number 151

The cosmic link to 1776 and the American Declaration of Independence

Every Eclipse belongs to a certain group. Eclipses pertaining to the same group are identified with a number, called the Saros number. Astrologically the very first Eclipse in each group sets the tempo and significance of all the Eclipses following.

This particular event belongs to the Saros group n°151, series that began with a Partial Solar Eclipse in 1776, in the Northern Hemisphere, and will end with another Partial Solar Eclipse in 3.056, in the Southern Hemisphere, covering a span of 1280 years.

1776 was the year America’s United Colonies (not yet United States of America, a term sanctioned only in September of the same year) declared their independence from Great Britain, on July 4. Both these dates are indeed very close to August 14, when our first 151 Saros Eclipse took place. We can safely say that this Eclipse in particular and others that occurred in the same year had some bearing on these events, changing dramatically the course of history, not just for America but the whole world.

Below is the Astrological Chart for the 1776 event, calculated for the coordinates of Washington DC.

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Looking at this Horoscope I see straight away the close conjunction of Sun and Moon to Venus, a positive aspect, promising cooperation and fairness in the new cycle heralded by the New Moon. To make this transit more significant the Sun and Moon were also in Parallel of Declination with Venus, fact that helped to strengthen the power of the conjunction. Also prominent was a T Cross (configuration made up of an opposition and two squares or right angles) linking the conjunction Mars-Jupiter to the opposition Saturn-Chiron, a difficult combination, setting the exuberant Mars-Jupiter’s conjunction  against the limiting and painful effect of the Saturn-Chiron’s opposition. As far as America was concerned this showed the intense struggle between the drive for independence and freedom in action (Jupiter-Mars in Cancer) pitted against the conservative rule of the British Empire (Saturn in Libra), a thorn in the side of the fledgling nation (Chiron in Aries).

Due to the Saros number connection these old times transits are also significant in the light of the present day Eclipse, showing the struggle between expansion and restriction, reforms and fear of reforms that characterize our time, in the States and most countries in the world.

To make the connection between these distant Eclipses events more meaningful the present Eclipse of January 4 2011 corresponds also to the 8th Saturn Return for the United States. This is a Saturn Return on a grand scale, a 30 years cyclic reality check for this powerful nation, evident in the grave financial crisis America is experiencing at the present time.

Here is  a two-wheel horoscope, with the 1776 Chart of the USA Declaration of Independence in the inner wheel and the present Eclipse in the outer wheel.

Below is instead the Cartography Map for the 2011 Eclipse, calculated using the coordinates of Washington. This Map shows, amongst other things, the Eclipse placed directly on the Mid-Heaven of Baghdad, Iraq, a problematic world region for America. This placement doesn’t promise much good for Iraq and near by Afghanistan where America has invested so many of its military and financial resources.

In the same Map Mars can also be seen on the Mid-Heaven of Iran and on the Descendant (House of open enemies) in Korea, increasing tension in those already troubled regions.

The Eclipse itself will be visible in the whole of the Middle east, fact traditionally considered to make the effect of an Eclipse stronger.

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Please Click here to view a whole article, covering the major transits active between December 2010 and March 2011. In this article I have also discussed the January 4 Solar Eclipse as well as the previous Lunar Eclipse of December 21, whose effect is still unfolding.

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The Total Gemini/Cancer Lunar Eclipse at the Capricorn Solstice, too much for one day?

I re-post here part of an article, published earlier, regarding the significance of the Lunar Eclipse of December 21, coinciding with the Capricorn Solstice, and the Solar Eclipse of January 4, coinciding with the last historical Jupiter-Uranus’ conjunction. Please click here to view the whole article, covering the major transits active between December 2010 and March 2011.

I hope to have time to return with some fresh impressions to this fascinating topic in the next couple of days.

*******

2010 and 2011, two more years ending and beginning with eclipses. These are the magical moments in the Earth-Moon-Sun cycle, when the three celestial bodies align, creating a powerful nexus of energies, from the solar center of consciousness through the lunar world of psyche to the earthy world of physical experience. These events so close to the Capricorn Solstice point to another intense and eventful period ahead for the world.

Full Moon in Gemini and Total Lunar Eclipse

December 21

The Total Lunar Eclipse is first, on December 21, just a few hours before the Solstice, Moon on the last degree of Gemini and Sun on the last degree of Sagittarius.

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This will be a special Full Moon for people with Sun, Moon, Ascendant and/or Planets on the cusp Gemini-Cancer, Sagittarius-Capricorn, Virgo-Libra, Pisces-Aries. A signature eclipse for those same people who are also experiencing the power of Pluto, Uranus and Jupiter, agents of transformation, excitement and opportunity, and have recently struggled with the need to ground themselves and become more seriously committed to their relationships, their families, their jobs and goals (Saturn in Libra). A difficult balancing act, making us more aware as a collective (not just the people directly aligned to these transits) of the humongous inner tension between autonomy and obligations, the safety of the known and the exhilaration of the unknown, cosmic themes of the past few years.

Contemporary with the eclipse is the Capricorn conjunction of Mars-Pluto, and the forming right angle Mars-Saturn. The first can be an extremely extreme kind of transit, when the youthful and often blind vigor of Mars is attempting to work together with the old god of the underworld, a cunning and powerful bedfellow. Things that we have relegated to the underworld of our unconscious psyche, individually and collectively, will be forced by the sheer muscle of Mars to erupt to the surface, with, naturally, consequences: some radical change of landscapes, literally and symbolically; blowing up of unprocessed inner contents finding their way to consciousness, revealing what we wanted hidden for good reasons in the first place. The contact Mars-Saturn will tend to make the mix Mars-Pluto more tangible, manifesting in actual difficult events.

At the time of the Lunar eclipse retro Mercury is also forming an aspect to Jupiter-Uranus, exciting stuff, because here we have a trio whose members all have something to do with the process of thinking.  Mercury is the ABC planet, helping us to sort the world’s inventory, giving a name to everything, like good old Adam or Hermes. Because Mercury is moving backward at this time, contrary to the ‘natural’ order of things, its role could go beyond the indiscriminate gathering of information.

Jupiter’s role is, on the other hand, to give meaning to the words we have learnt to spell with the help of Mercury, stimulating us to speculate on infinite possibilities.

Finally Uranus, mythical sky god, is helping us to contact the abstract, the conceptual, to arrive at unanticipated breakthroughs via the medium of our own individual genius.

A full-on time, it seems. We should not expect anything less from a Full Moon eclipsed on the Cusp of Magic, Gemini-Cancer, where reason and feeling embrace.

 New Moon in Capricorn and Partial Solar Eclipse, January 4 2011

The Partial Solar Eclipse, on January 4 2011, is a New Moon in Capricorn.

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The eclipse coincides, to the day, with the third and last pass of the Jupiter-Uranus’ conjunction. Much has been written about this conjunction, promising the types of upheavals our world needs at present, a change of direction, and the willingness to embrace new circumstances and ideals with optimism and confidence. Jupiter is in fact expanding the scope of Uranus, offering novel paradigms to accommodate the changes that it is Uranus’ role to uphold. The eclipse will carry the effect of this conjunction into the future, long after the aspect has lost its momentum.

Another highlight of this eclipse is the conjunction of Sun-Moon to Pluto in Capricorn, with Pluto heliacal, rising before the Sun. Plutonian intensity can be detected in this configuration too, but the conjunction is weak due to a wide orb.

Of considerable importance is the right angle between Sun-Moon and Saturn.  During the first three months of 2011 Saturn will transit over the Birth Sun of those Libra born between October 6 and 12. They are the ones who will now need to give serious consideration to their practical concerns, money, job, family, long term plans, according to the eclipse’s indicators.

The whole alignment in Capricorn (North Node-Pluto-Pallas-Sun-Moon-Mars) shows that collectively also the goal of this New Moon is to stimulate our practical leanings. The Saturn’s aspect represents those obstacles and setbacks that will accompany our efforts, the struggle necessary to make our plans reach full maturity. Pressing material problems are vying for our attention, procrastination not the wisest choice this ecliptic season.