by Robert Wilkinson
This article covers significant aspects, degree symbols, and other important factors in the Scorpio New Moon chart. This one is concentrating, stabilizing, transformational, conclusive, and opens us to a new experience of interacting with others.
This Lunation, along with the inner planets, are now in the span between Jupiter in Leo and Uranus in Aries, creating what is called a “Locomotive” Jones pattern. An aside for astrologers: It could still be a “Bucket” with Jupiter as the handle, since Jupiter is about 60 degrees from its nearest neighbor, Mercury in Libra. From now through next March, as the inner planets move forward, Jupiter will increasingly be the solitary planet apart from the occupied cluster that will begin with Saturn in late Scorpio and early Sagittarius. So beginning at next month's New Moon in Sagittarius, we'll have a combination of both "Locomotive" and "Bucket" influences.
In this New Moon, the span occupied by the inner planets through Jupiter is 128+ degrees, and includes mid-Leo through late Sagittarius, making it a widely spread cluster. Within that band, we have an intense focus indicated by 5 planets in the 35 degrees between Mercury and Saturn..
This month we have 10 planets occupying 7 signs, which are not fairly spread out around the zodiacal wheel. As mentioned, we’re now in “Locomotive” pattern, defined by planets between Leo and Aries, with a void in the empty third between Aries and Leo.
So What is a “Locomotive Pattern” and how does it work?
This type of spread, with all the planets occupying 2/3 of the signs with an empty third, creates an imbalance that leads to power if we can find the compensatory “weight” to make things move forward smoothly rather than rock side to side creating friction. Target what is needed, and provide compensatory energies accordingly.
As Marc Jones put it, “this type of horoscope reveals a balance of this sort in the life. A third part of things… consisting of a free span in experience, is set against a two-thirds part, embracing a related but limited span in experience…. The basis of the dynamic is found in the native’s resulting strong sense of a lack or a need, of a problem to be solved, a task to be achieved in the social and intellectual world around him.”
Dr. Jones states “The temperament reveals a self-driving individuality, an executive eccentricity that is not … unbalance but rather is power. It exhibits a dynamic and exceptionally practical capacity which is neither the broad universality of the Splash pattern, nor the special obsession with some particularly narrowed aspect of experience characteristic of the Bundle people.
He goes on to state “The Locomotive classification is … moved more by external factors in the environment than by aspects of its own character. The point of application for the powers of the self is shown … by the “leading planet,” or the one of the two in the empty trine which forms its aspect clockwise in the zodiac, irrespective of any distinction as “applying” or “separating.”
Jupiter is the leading planet in the Locomotive. Show humor, vision, and go for the loving protection of the heart when called upon to express yourself. Jupiter can bring joy and enthusiasm when it's being its natural expansive self, and in Leo, it's giving us all the chance to open our hearts to the joyous song of life!
This is the power of focused dramatic expression that can rouse others to a greater feeling-state. With Jupiter leading the way, it’s important to remember the wise words of the great wit Wavy Gravy that if you don’t have a sense of humor, it’s not funny!
The more we work with the imbalances that can lead us to creative and joyous power, the easier it will be to use Jupiter's energies skillfully when it becomes the nozzle for the other planetary energies beginning at the next "Bucket" New Moon at 1 Sagittarius on November 22 at 4:32 am PST, 12:32 pm Greenwich (UT). Since that Bucket will be in play each time the Moon is in the occupied span for many months, get use to using Jupiter wisely!
Element Balance
Of the traditional 10 planets, there are 5 planets in Water signs, 3 in Fire, 1 in Earth, and 1 in Air. This indicates a huge emphasis on feelings and inspiration, with less practicality and relatedness than was prevalent in the last Full Moon Eclipse.
With Fire and Water dominant, restlessness will prevail, though with so much Fixed Water, we'll be experiencing a bit of "fire and ice" simultaneously. Just keep in mind that Fire and Water make for a very volatile combination that creates steam power when focused or fogs and mists when uncontained. Keep the boiler hot, but don't let it explode!
Air and Earth are “cool” elements, while Fire and Water are “hot” elements. With this distribution, things are going to heat up, with inspiration being fed by feelings and feelings being fed by various types of Fire. As Water will be strong through late November, keep applying the emotional intelligence you’ve been cultivating since last Summer.
Saturn's Influence
I include separate sections on Saturn in two articles in this Lunation series since Saturn continues to wax in importance in all celestial events of these times. This is the twenty-sixth New Moon of the Saturn in Scorpio era, and it continues to keep the focus on intense Water energy. The recent conjunction with Mars in late August that was tredecile Neptune shows a two year period of serendipitous events related to where that conjunction fell in our charts, so many should reap gifts and blessings from how we’ve learned to use emotional intelligence to navigate through the fogs and mists of the collective field.
Some backstory: In 2012 Saturn helped us cultivate a new strength, came to a philosophical completion, and finish repairing or reconstructing something so that some final dues were paid and old karmas left behind. We grew into a new intensity, focus, emotional depth, and greater maturity relative to shared values, shared resources, deeper ability to commune with others as well as Nature and Spirit, and got a more structured connection and a more powerful Spiritual linkage with others and ourselves.
We ended the first phase of Saturn in Scorpio set into motion when it went retrograde at 12 Scorpio in February 2013 when Saturn moved beyond that degree last October. However, the Solar Eclipse at 12 Scorpio in early November 2013 has been shutting down parts of our life related to those lessons that we couldn’t take with us into 2014 and beyond.
Our emotional body will continue to be cleared out for months to come, so get used to experiencing occasional intense purifications. While it may lead to feelings of being vulnerable, it will strengthen us and we’ll become cleaner and clearer over time. Slowly but surely we are being shown our integrity once we've been cleaned and scrubbed.
In 2012-2013, Saturn triseptile Uranus showed us how our individuality did or did not cooperate with our sense of purpose. We had opportunities to break free of fear through numerous irrational situations, and this helped us define our expression for years to come. We were shown how limitations could be renovated to express our unique qualities. Some had to confront fear of loss with a willingness to be a pioneer in some realm where they could express their genius or unique qualities.
Spirit has walked with us during the times that configuration was in play, as well as any other major septile series aspects between the planets. The choices we make as a result of these non-rational aspects show us our “direction of destiny,” and determines if the Spirit will grow stronger and closer with you, or if you will move in directions away from Spirit. Given that most of this community is intentionally trying to live in harmony with Life, Nature, and each other, chances are that whatever you – yes, YOU the reader – are confronting will show you a deeper, richer, more powerful Spiritual life. Which is a good thing.
Saturn taught us a lot about how to conduct ourselves at a higher, more elegant and/or formal way of relating to others in 2013. The Eclipse in Scorpio again put the light on those Saturn lessons, and now that Mars has again conjuncted Saturn, we’re learning new Scorpio ways of applying those truths of our direct experience
Generally, when Saturn was in Virgo we learned lessons of Divine Discernment, practical functioning, and attention to detail as we were educated through learning to see life as a series of experiments. In Libra, we all went through a transfiguration in our ideals and relationships, and many started living elements of their Divine Archetype. That required some ability to do forms of repair and reconstruction work in the last half of 2011 and most of 2012 to pay some karmic dues and come to a philosophical completion.
Now we’re experiencing deeper relationships, within and in external affairs. We’re cleaning out, letting go, purifying, focusing, dealing with death and loss, restructuring how we share with others, and all those other Scorpio keywords that usually terrify the lower ego.
As Saturn rules Pluto in this chart in worldly affairs, it shows that when we are confronted with the need to deal with something or someone in an organized, efficient manner, reference Saturn in Scorpio and the lessons of focusing intensity. Feel what needs to be eliminated to achieve emotional stability or movement, and being efficient and truthful in getting to the core of any matter.
Naturally, the usual Saturn keywords will be crucial to effective behavior - patience, discipline, organization, patience, structure, maturity, patience, understanding, wisdom, patience, authority, responsibility, and of course, patience.
Mars in Sagittarius disposits Saturn in Scorpio. Mars in Libra between Dec 2013 and July 2014 helped us all learn qualities of moderation, grace, elegance, and refinement to blunt Saturn in Scorpio extremes. With Mars in Sagittarius, Saturn’s energies should have lightened up and opened up after the very intense and concentrated period of Mars conjunct Saturn in Scorpio that dominated July, August, and the first half of September.
So as you open to the eleventh New Moon of 2014, take a new look at what Saturn helped you let go of throughout 2013 and 2014, as well as the long term regenerative self-discipline that’s also been there, if you saw limitations with a mature eye. We continue to let go and go even deeper in a connection with our regenerative life magnetism, or a deeper communion with some inner or outer element of our Being.
Important Aspects
Remember that in reading a Lunation chart (as well as a horary, inceptional, electional, or any event chart) the forming aspects show things to come, while separating aspects show things already past. This section covers only forming aspects.
As noted in earlier parts of this series, this Solar Eclipse New Moon has almost no frictional aspects, and does have a tremendous number of harmonizing and specializing aspects. With the Lunation conjunct Venus and all of them exactly quintile Jupiter, many will see gifts and highly specialized conditions in the areas of their charts involving Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Pisces. As I gave you in the last part of the series, the specific degree zones most affected are 6-10 Gemini, 18-22 Leo, 30 Libra-4 Scorpio, 12-14 Capricorn, and 24-28 Pisces.
The Lunation is also trine Neptune, giving us new opportunities to understand and stabilize our feeling-flow and emotional intelligence we've been cultivating since June 2013. When it doubt, forgive, release, forgive, allow, forgive, and have compassion, since much has already been lost, and this Eclipse will no doubt clean out more in our lives wherever it falls. The presence of planets in all three Fire signs continues to activate the fire in all our charts, with Mercury retrograde in Air feeding the fire through a quintile to Mars and a sextile to Jupiter.
Besides the aspects just mentioned, prominent aspects in this Lunation feature Mercury sesquisquare Neptune, Mars decile Saturn, Saturn semisquare Pluto, and Uranus square Pluto. Of these, probably the most frictional aspect is Saturn semisquare Pluto, which will last through December.
This semisquare is crucial since it marks the death point to the Saturn-Pluto cycle that began with their last conjunction at 28 Libra (Nov 1982). This is it. We're now entering the end game of the old long wave cycle in play these past 32 years. The next few weeks also prepares us for when Saturn will again semisquare Pluto between late April and mid-September 2015. Get ready for some things to become impossible frictional, where much is taken personally, and heavy handed maneuvers will be in play.
Because we’re now in the Mars conjunct Saturn in Scorpio period that began in late August, keep moving that which is stuck, or leave it be if necessary. That August conjunction fulfilled the old Mars/Saturn cycle that began in August 2012 at 25 Libra. We’ve all come to a deeper wisdom when we’ve detached from the restlessness of the mind, and some have gone through “deaths” to come to understand vaster life processes. I sure have.
The Sabian Symbols for the New Moon
A New Moon sets the seed forms for what the following month will demonstrate. This Lunation falls at 1 Scorpio. While I've given you a sense of this degree up to now, this is where we go into depth.
The symbol for 1 Scorpio is “A sight-seeing bus.” According to Rudhyar’s notes from the Marc Jones class, this degree is one of “The perspective which leisure gives to everyday affairs," "appetite for larger things," "seeing life as a whole," and "social intercourse."
In the Astrological Mandala he states this degree is one of “the fundamental human eagerness to expand one's social horizon and to experience the results of collective achievements and new ways of life." He goes on to tell us that "we are dealing with a group-experience of a vast collective achievement, a city. Individuals coming from a variety of places and backgrounds 'commune' in new awareness of a greater whole of human existence, an organized whole with its own rhythms of multifarious activity. New feelings and an expansion of consciousness result."
He concludes that this "process of initiation into collective values is now reaching the feeling nature," where we experience "a more encompassing frame of reference" and a "widening of experience." This symbol is said to be in the Span of Retention, Act of Group Integration, and is the initial degree of the Actional level of the Scene of Communion.
Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this degree is one of “the individual spirit in its catholicity, and of the naivete' and indomitability of its interest in life as a whole," where we are "freed from all artificial boundaries of experience, and is encouraged to reach out widely and profitably in sharing his realizations" with others. Here we find "an exceptional range of understanding and sympathy, and a gift for developing varying avenues of self-expression."
He offers us the keyword of FRIENDLINESS. He states that when this degree works positively, it is one of “a basic impersonality which capitalizes on the opportunity of the moment and helps reorder the situation whenever there is difficulty or dissatisfaction."
Other Influences
Pluto, the Cosmic Purifier, will be in Capricorn for many years. It continues to teach us deep lessons about practical, organized economy of energy and efficiency in sprouting seed forms of the new "laws of our lives" we can relax into. 2012 and 2013 were mainly about being organized in finding and demonstrating ways to get beyond fear and radiate harmlessness and mature fellowship with Nature, whether our own, another's, or Nature Herself.
Pluto is now in a zone in Capricorn it hasn’t been in for 250 years, and went retrograde at 14 Capricorn in April 2014. 14 Capricorn is a technique for sorting out what’s valuable and what’s not in our past, so we can find a way to a greater assurance and “personal immortality” (as strange as that concept is!)
Since then we’ve been reviewing the lessons of 11-14 Capricorn. We learned to attune to invisible realms and get beyond fear in 2012 and 2013, during 2013 and 2014 we’ve been in a time of opening to new ways of viewing how to claim our divine power and express it creatively as we explore the natural laws underlying manifestations, and see Nature Herself as a laboratory where we learn about how our system is constructed. We can “pierce through appearances” to see the magic at the core of things, and through a “keen vision” can find or demonstrate a “universal living touch.”
In Jan-Feb 2014 we moved into signs and signs of self-transcendence. These set the stage for another phase of self-transcendence in June and the first half of July 2014, with the completion of the process achieved by February 2016.
Neptune represents what is “in fashion” in the collective, where we get another glimpse through intuition and a greater feeling-connection of our positioning within a vaster field. Different cultures and subcultures interpret this global pulse in different ways. Neptune is now at 5 Pisces, the degree where it will go stationary direct in a few weeks. The Sabian Symbol for 5 Pisces shows the collective field is about “interchange of spirit and understanding on which groups are built,” “new self-development," and “discouragement mastered.”
This past Summer we were summoned to a form of rebirth through "hearing the call." Since then we've gotten a new feel for our place in the larger social or collective field, experienced new ways of feeling a new dedication to “collective values” we want to uphold and defend, and many have perceived higher goals through a process of “self-testing.”
We now flow deeper into that dedication. We’ve been learning to withdraw from an old experience so we can regrasp reality in another realm, especially when the situation attempts to repudiate our higher ideals.
Be active in defending and/or maintaining your allegiances “through which life has been made worthwhile,” and by listening to your inner voice, you’ll quicken your Soul’s expression. Follow your conscience into a great compassion for yourself and others, and be independent of spirit while courageously rejecting that which would compromise your highest spiritual principles.
Thinking, then Feeling, then Deciding
We’re shifting the pattern of Feeling-Thinking-Deciding with this New Moon. The past has featured feeling our way into decisions and actions, followed by the need to get new information and a new vision that could lead us into a new feeling-knowing that would yield more decisions and action. That's now changed.
We now have a pattern in this New Moon where we will lead with our thinking, communicating, understanding, and envisioning, and follow that with our feelings and ability to experience that vision or understanding. For the next few weeks, those feelings must be followed by decisions and actions.
So lead with your thinking, and then feel your way to decisions and actions. After you do the single act that can move everything forward one step, then we need to go find ideas, information, and new visions that can help us find a new way to experience our feelings.
Due to the Mercury retrograde quality in how the mind works in this Eclipse, we’ll be seeking information and or a vision that may have echoes in the past, after which we’ll “feel our way” into new experiences, getting hunches about decisions and the need for action. After we come to the fundamental fact that allows us to decide and act on that decision, we’ll naturally find new information and views which lead us to new experiences. So lead with thinking, see how the vision or information is related to the past or is a new iteration of that view, then move through the feelings and experience of that vision into a new action.
As I mentioned in an earlier article in this series, since this Eclipse has Mercury retrograde on the exact degree where Saturn went stationary retrograde in 2011, I have no doubt this beneficial Eclipse will involve a “looking back” at various “cause and effect” processes so we can understand past actions relative to past and current consequences, and get new insights into how current choices could lead to alternative views and results in the future. If you want to know more about the possible manifestations of Mercury retrograde in Libra, you may want to order a copy of the new edition of my ebook, A New Look at Mercury Retrograde to check out possible ways this Mercury retrograde effect could play out over the next 4 years.
Because of the powerful cluster in Scorpio, this Lunation will show us who we’re connected to as we embrace a larger view of what we’ve done and what is yet to do. We’ll all be stirred deeply and inspiration will be sky high! "Get in shape" by connecting with the "source of life on Earth," and be willing to forgive much as you move beyond old feelings into unknown zones of transmuting "the animal" into the Divine. Be fearless as you move into more intense relationships, wider spans of social experience, and take a new look at what needs repair, or some part of the past where the consequences were inevitable so that you can retire and contemplate those old dramas beginning when Mercury goes stationary direct at 12:17 pm PDT, 8:17 pm BST on October 25 at 17 Libra.
A final reminder: With the Lunation, Venus, and Saturn in Scorpio, the more you understand how Life itself requires constant elimination of old forms and occasional major restructuring in any of the life areas ruled by these planets, the better you'll navigate this Eclipse. As I've given you in the past regarding Saturn in Scorpio, the more you're will to grow in the areas of duties, obligations, and ultimate loyalties, the more you make Saturn your friend through embracing its virtues of self-discipline, patience, persistence, understanding, and long range vision. With this Eclipse, we can grow into a reflected, illuminated transcendent wisdom that allows our maturity and authority to come forth in potent, focused ways.
Stay focused on experiencing feelings of deep connectedness with the life that’s all around you as you eliminate the next layers of what you no longer need and move into a new expression of your individuality and/or unique qualities. Because so much ended between January and July, we should be experiencing a sense of relief that things are moving forward in a slow but measured pace.
To sum up, this is a specializing and very favorable Solar Eclipse New Moon that will help us continue to get more connected as we flame on via Jupiter in Leo! Keep withdrawing from obnoxious and nasty people and situations, trust your inner Truth, see what’s culminated in a glorious transfiguration, and if things get weird and magical, use your emotional intelligence to keep in the center of the river as you flow toward your destiny.
Embrace a new ideal and a training regimen that will do the job in bringing forth a new long wave creativity, or see how your long wave creativity has resulted in the need for further training. Remember to find the humor in situations.
Things are not as weird and under pressure as it seems, even if these are present in some way. Much is now already done, so leave it behind and face forward! And of course, since God loves gratitude, practice appreciation for what is gone, what is, and what’s to come.
Previous Articles in this series:
Astrology in October 2014 - On The Threshold of An Annular Solar Eclipse at 1 Scorpio
The New Moon Solar Eclipse in Scorpio Pt. 2 - What's Happening in November 2014 and beyond
© Copyright 2014 Robert Wilkinson
What a surprise was today morning, a stomach flu!
I definitely start new moon tomorrow much more
lighter and cleaner.
Sometimes it's hard to find humor. I mean extra hard while Saturn still
exist. Today it was easy, cause my sickness is almost over.
Although my goal is clean my language also...
Posted by: Helina | October 23, 2014 at 03:56 AM
I get this one. I suppose merc rx helped out a whole bunch with my understanding. If mercury is retrograde why did so much come forward? :D I initially had a really hard time with that butterfly imagery. The third wing. Environmentally damaged came to mind. It took me awhile. I had to switch it to evolutionary strategy to get beyond it. PS: monarch migration this fall was awesome. Never seen so many.
And great coverage of this eclipse. Thank you!!!!!
Posted by: caliban | October 23, 2014 at 04:32 PM
Thanks Robert, as usual tons of information that can be very helpful-
Blessings be to all
Posted by: Nic | October 25, 2014 at 12:28 PM
I suppose I could laugh at myself. But it's this re-occuring thing. That darn butterfly. It just wouldn't quit. I got all into the imagery, but my rational mind knows that the butterfly has 4 wings, 2 fore 2 hind. Why do I go to Gullibility Gulch. It's been echoing in mind. So many swervy curvies have been presented to me lately. And I turned on popular media the other day and could not relate but the audience was all clapping in agreement. Okay, now I get focus. It's so easy to get sucked in sometimes.
Posted by: caliban | October 26, 2014 at 09:17 AM