On Monday, October 23rd, the Sun entered Scorpio, just one week away from Halloween. It’s no accident that the spirit world comes into play at this time of year. Scorpio carries themes of death, transformation and rebirth. It is associated with the 8th House of mysticism and the unknown realms.
Scorpio is a water sign and that means our emotional bodies will be activated. Scorpio draws us into our inner underworld to process what we find in our depths – stagnant dysfunctional patterns, fears and phobias, grief and heartbreak. While that may sound scary to some, this time of year is about releasing what is holding us back. It’s a time of purification before we enter fiery Sagittarius and aim for the stars.
Scorpio is an intense sign ruled by both Mars and Pluto. On Saturday the energy ramps up with a partial lunar eclipse in Taurus. Let’s look at how the planets have aligned to support our freedom and empowerment.
Lunar Eclipse in Taurus
On October 28th, at 1:24 PM PDT, the Earth will partially cover the Moon. Like a solar eclipse, it brings up shadow material, but on another level, it offers us an opportunity to align spirit, soul and body, as Sun, Moon and Earth line up astronomically.
This eclipse is particularly intense because (1) it’s in Scorpio, (2) the Moon is conjunct Jupiter so our feelings are deepened and exaggerated and (3) Mars is exactly opposite Jupiter bringing in more energy and potential conflict, and (4) the Sun forms a trine with Saturn in Pisces and Vesta in Cancer, which is conjunct the USA natal Jupiter. Remember that Jupiter is a benefic planet. It brings good fortune, optimism, faith, abundance and accelerated growth. Not only does Jupiter play a prominent role in this eclipse, but its influence will last well into 2024, because on December 30th, Jupiter will station direct on the lunar eclipse degree.
Jupiter’s transit through Taurus emphasizes the importance of our material world, our physical bodies, our personal well-being, much of which depends on the health of our planet. At this lunar eclipse moment, the dwarf planet Ceres, symbol of our nurturing Mother Earth, is conjunct “America,” which I believe is an asteroid, at 18+ Scorpio, opposite transiting Jupiter and Uranus. 2024 is a watershed year when everything changes. As Pluto moves into Aquarius in January, power will shift from party politics to the citizenry. This chart is reminding us of the enormous climate crisis ahead. We can no longer bother with power squabbles between political factions. We must pull together, remove the obstructionists and get on with the people’s business.
With all this energy, everything will be heightened, including the hair trigger on our reactive emotions. The Sun in Scorpio is conjunct Mercury and Mars, and Mars at 11+ Scorpio is opposite transiting Jupiter at 11+ Taurus. The challenge for all of us will be emotional overwhelm. We may see conflicts flare up, increased incidents of violence. Mars is pugnacious. He loses his temper easily, and with the expansive energy of Jupiter fueling his fire, he can easily get out of control. Add the intensity of Scorpio releasing suppressed energy from the depths of our collective psyche, and we have a prescription for mayhem. We saw a preview of that in Maine Wednesday when an assassin entered a restaurant in Lewiston, armed with an assault rifle, and slaughtered 16 people, wounding dozens more.
All is not dark, however. On the bright side, we have many allies to help us master our emotions, transmute their energy and transform ancient patterns of reactive behavior. Our emotions are biofeedback. They alert us to unresolved issues and reveal the pain and grief we carry. Whatever comes up, during the next few months, is ready for release.
Full Moon and Friends
The Full Moon brings a lunar cycle to a climax. If you remember the solar eclipse two weeks ago – another intense experience involving Saturn, as well as Eris – we were being asked to grow up, to shed our pretense, find our authenticity and take responsibility for our impact on others. Saturn was conjunct Pallas at the time, urging us to seek our own authority and grow our wisdom.
These themes all come into play at the Full Moon and Saturn once again takes a leading role. Ever since Saturn entered Pisces, he has been traveling with Gonggong, a dwarf planet way out in the Kuiper Belt. This dwarf, on the one hand, can intensify emotions until they overwhelm us. On the other, it can guide us to deeper degrees of empathy.
I know we all have had the experience of emotional overwhelm. It’s part of the human drama. Overwhelm frequently occurs when there are mixed, even conflicting emotions happening at the same time, especially when core issues are triggered. So what do we do when we’re overwhelmed emotionally?
We have a sliding scale of reactions. Sometimes it’s anger. Sometimes we lash out at others – usually the ones we love and trust to continue loving us even when we abuse them. Or we can suppress our emotions, stifle our expression and force it back into our depths. That only leaves us with a smoldering reservoir of discontent.
A better choice is to witness our emotions and move into a sacred space with them. This can take any form, but it’s a great opportunity for ritual. If you haven’t created a sacred space in your home, now would be a good time. It needs to be a private place where you can be alone and process.
If you have an altar, light some candles, invoke your spiritual allies – maybe that’s a guide, or your higher self. Declare your intention to receive the insight this emotion brings. Ask for support. Then sit in silence and stillness and breathe into the emotion. Feel it, watch it. Where does it grab your body? Where’s the tension? Where are you gripping?
For me it’s usually the solar plexus or my gut. The intensity comes from the attempt to control or resist the emotion. When we relax and breathe into those tight areas in our bodies, they begin to open up and release information. When we acknowledge the emotion, name it, we can peek beyond it to the complex we have created from past experience with this very issue.
The next step is to transmute this energy. There’s a lot of energy ready to release. One way is crying. Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes a good long sob is just what the body needs. Another option is to focus the energy at a higher frequency. This is where heart/brain coherence comes in.
Usually when an emotion is triggered, there’s a thought process fueling the flames. We recite our grievances in our minds which intensify the emotion. We justify it with indignation and entitlement. We can stop this process, however, and channel the energy through our hearts. Focus the breath on the middle of the chest and imagine the air flowing in and out of the heart. Replace the grudge dialogue with one of four emotions: appreciation, caring, compassion or gratitude.
Gratitude is very powerful. It is one of the engines of reality creation. A metaphysical truth is that when we are grateful, the cosmos brings us more to be grateful for. When gratitude overwhelms grievance, we know we are back in coherence and can trust ourselves to do no harm.
This emotional work is self-care. It’s the very work Saturn asks of us – increasing our self-awareness. Taurus is preoccupied with the physical realm: our health, our comfort and pleasure, our connection to our bodies and to the Earth itself, our source of abundance, nurturance, support and safety. It’s a good time to pay attention to the body’s signals. Don’t ignore a pain, stiffness, heartburn, etc. The body gives us continual feedback about our psychospiritual health. It pays off to listen to its wisdom.
Saturn is conjunct Gonggong and the two planets form one angle of a Grand Trine in Water. The Sun in Scorpio forms another and the trine is completed by Vesta in Cancer. Vesta is one of the asteroid goddesses whose sacred function is to keep the flame of spirit alive within our hearts. She is currently transiting over our natal Jupiter and Venus. This is the crux –our sacred mission to grow our love, our caring and compassion.
Trines are mutually supportive. All three water signs form a harmonic resonance. Cancer is concerned with fear and its polar opposites, safety and security. Cancer is about family relationships, mother and the environment in which we were raised. Issues of belonging, feeling protected and nurtured have their source in childhood, along with our early conditioning which incubated our beliefs.
Scorpio takes us into the depths of our inner world to decondition faulty programming and reconnect us with our essential selves. Pisces expands our consciousness into the quantum realm where we find our connection to All That Is, and realize that we are One with it. Saturn’s 2-1/2-year transit of Pisces is helping us ground our consciousness in a vaster context.
Salacia
I told you last time I was learning about Salacia. She is the consort of Neptune who pursued her as a beautiful nymph and transformed her into a goddess when she became his partner. She is a delight, known for the beauty of light on bodies of water. It’s almost as if she sprinkles fairy dust to entice us to enter the depths. And once we are there, Salacia protects us as we make our way through challenging times. Salacia is our ally in finding true love.
The Full Moon is conjunct the USA natal Salacia in our collective 5th House of creative self-expression, playfulness, childlike wonder and fun. Perhaps that is her gift to us at this eclipse – to remember fun and play. Salacia is obviously important for our nation this month because she’s right on the eclipse axis. The work we do to transmute our low frequency emotions can have a big impact on the collective unconscious at this time.
Pholus
Pholus is a centaur and intimately involved in this Full Moon. The Sun is sextile transiting Pholus and square our natal Pholus at 6+ degrees of Aquarius, conjunct our collective South Node. Can you see how important this centaur is to our national zeitgeist? The South Node is the repository of the past and holds unresolved karma, all the collective issues that need healing and reparation. Pholus supports us working through them. We cannot move forward into a better future carrying the repressed sins of our past.
Pholus lies in our 1st House, an intimate connection to our national identity. Currently it is transiting toward our natal Eris. Pholus helps us see more clearly. He offers assistance during a transformative process helping us pierce the veils of illusion, reminding us of our soul oath and releasing what is ready to release. Pholus helps us transform long-standing issues. If you’ve been butting your head against an old wall, tune in to Pholus and state your intention to release this blockage. He’s a great ally and carries a lot of spiritual energy from his conjunction with transiting Quaoar. This dwarf helps us ground spirit in ritual and practice, and provides enormous energy for whatever spiritual issue we wish to transform.
With the Sun conjunct Mercury and Mars, this is a great time to get our heads on straight. The energy is there. Mercury is ready to process. The Sun is also nestled beside Haumea, goddess of prolific creation and regeneration. She and Pluto have squared up for a few years to bring about a big transformation of our world and our consciousness.
Venus
I encourage you to check out the middle of the night sky for a dramatic display. Both Venus and Jupiter are bracketing the Orion constellation and the brightest star in our sky, Sirius, which you find by following the stars of Orion’s belt. Sirius is the spiritual Sun of our solar system.
Venus is currently within 4 degrees of our natal Neptune and moving toward it. Venus brings themes of personal love, among other things. Neptune raises our love to a universal level, as we become aware of our Oneness. The exact conjunction takes place on November 1st, All Saints Day. Somehow the idea of defying demons on Halloween has turned into creating diminutive demons from sugar overload; but once upon a time, this was a sacred Holy Day celebrating the death and rebirth cycle. What a lovely synchronicity that Venus and Neptune come together to mark the day!
Coming Events
Venus’ conjunction with natal Neptune isn’t the only significant event in the early days of November. On the 2nd we have the momentous conjunction of Eris and the transiting North Node. The message here is that integrity and authenticity are key to a successful future. Eris is the champion of the people. Yes, she is a great disrupter, but she’s only trying to shake us out of our ego-dominated consciousness.
Two days later on November 4th, Saturn turns direct. Saturn stations are always potent. The Lord of Karma has been retrograde since June, giving us time to reflect on what we have learned, how we have matured and what still needs our attention. Whatever we don’t address in our inner world, will come at us from without. We prevent future strife by growing our awareness and taking responsibility for our issues before they create a crisis. According to the retrograde chart from June 17th, Saturn was conjunct our natal Ceres and Nessus. Nessus is a centaur associated with toxins and poisons. We have been poisoning our air, water and soil with chemicals for the last 70 years, when industrial farming surpassed organic farming. The epidemic of heart disease, cancer, and digestive distress is a direct result of the toxins we allowed into our ecosystem. We are literally poisoning our children from the beginning of their tender lives.
Conclusion
Saturday’s eclipse closes the eclipse season of 2023, but it’s good to be aware that the effects of an eclipse can last as long as 6 months. It depends on how interconnected your own chart is with the eclipse transits and the level of intensity, or persistence of the karma that comes up. With the help of Pholus, ancient issues can be resolved. And don’t forget Haumea’s regenerative power. The dwarf planets are willing to work with us, but we have to invoke them. Haumea is eager to connect. All we need to do is ask. Two years ago I asked her to reveal herself to me in my dreams. She was delighted to comply.
I will return with the New Moon in Scorpio forecast before November 13th. In the meantime, did anyone get to see the Ring of Fire eclipse two weeks ago? I would love to hear about your experience.
We did not get to see the eclipse because of clouds, but we did see a bit of the Moon’s shadow moving off to the left of center as the clouds parted for a brief moment. Ironically the next day we had clear skies.
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