by Robert Wilkinson
The Full Moon of Sun in Libra and Moon in Aries, being conjunct the Lunar Nodes, is a Lunar Eclipse. What does this mean?
Since all Eclipses shut something down, this Total Lunar Eclipse begins a several month "shut down" in the houses it occupies in our charts. Given that it happens with some very powerful frictional, specializing, and irrational aspects backed by a very harmonious Grand Fire Trine, it’s safe to say this is a huge turning point for all of us.
This one will help us find a new way of seeing things, and open us to new ways of interpreting things from the past. We will again see the light of moderation and ideal ways of interacting take shape as a new individuality that will help us let go of things from the past while demonstrating our ability to join with others to overcome some form of coldness or barrenness in the outer world. The Fire Trine should be lighting up our lives, even as Mercury retrograde spins us around and around as we look back to see a) what we’ve let go of, or b) how we need to move on, letting go of the past and its memories.
There are so many favorable aspects this should be a very productive time, even though much will not make sense since the Grand Irrationality is again activated via the Saturn biseptile Neptune. This one should help us “break on through to the other side” as we generate a positive momentum and demonstrate our sense of humor or irony as we move through a great Mystery searching for a revelation.
All in all, it seems some highly specialized circumstances will bring gifts and opportunities to develop unique qualities with others as we navigate the next leg of the white water ride of yet another Cardinal T-square. This one helps us review some things from the past to find new perspectives, and a new joy in reconstructing elements of our lives more pleasing than what fractured last Spring.
The voids this Eclipse will yield over the next 3+ months will be the workshop for us to demonstrate Libra power skills directly related to the Saturn in Libra lessons of October 2010 through September 2011, and the ability to take care of ourselves and others appropriately based in the Jupiter in Cancer lessons we went through Aug-Sept 2013 and January through May 2014.
This Eclipse will be visible in east Asia, east Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, NW North America, and the east coast of North and South America. It is not visible in Africa, Europe, or the Middle East. All of you lucky enough to be able to view this Eclipse remember that when it’s happening, you’re being shown a new way to experience life and the Mystery it holds for you, as well as new connections, newer and deeper ways to relate to your Spiritual Brothers and Sisters as you go “back to the future.”
Due to the strong Libra-Aries and other Fire energies active in this Lunar Eclipse, over the next few months we’ll find a new balance or perspective on past events that will help us reclaim some things that we will need in the future once the endings shown by this Eclipse have come to pass. This will help us feel what we need to in order to surrender past memories to new relationships. This Eclipse give us new ways of understanding our past in an unusual tapestry of elegance, kindness, and tenderness that protects us even as we learn the rhythm of moving forward despite the fracturing shown by the T-square.
It’s important to remember that most worldly events follow celestial events. Whether an event happens simultaneously with or later than an Eclipse, or some aspect configuration, is conditioned by many things. Sometimes a decision is made that will affect many things in the future, but we don’t know about that until the result manifests.
The time of an Eclipse is when the future effects are set into motion. Regard it as beginning a process of elimination to come to an understanding in the future about why those things had to be shut down for a while, or leave the life altogether. We have to close out parts of our past to create space for future ways to do our Being. Eclipses create excellent time periods to do that.
For example, the Eclipses in Gemini and Sagittarius in 2011-2012, both Solar and Lunar, served to shut down old ways of life, thinking, and understanding wherever we have Gemini and Sagittarius in our charts. There's a lot about them in the archives if you want to know more about their ongoing influence. The Eclipses earlier in 2013 shut down down old ways of life, feeling, and valuing wherever we have Taurus and Scorpio in our charts, and the Wesak Full Moon Lunar Eclipse opened us to a form of “Buddha Wisdom.”
This is the next Eclipse where the Nodes are in Libra and Aries, showing we’re in an era when those signs will be most affected in our charts. And in an interesting note, both Lunar Eclipses in 2014 have occurred in Aries/Libra, whereas the two Solar Eclipses this year fall in Taurus and Scorpio, giving us one last blast of the past before we move completely into the Aries/Libra endings.
So like most Lunar Eclipses, this one ushers in a transitional period of several months (this one will be in effect for 3+ months) that will clear things out of our lives, and especially our past (the Moon). The space created can attract circumstances and people through which we can develop skills helping us deal with the wild ride of The Grand Irrationality that's in continuous motion during these months and years. There’s another link in that article with more information about this long wave non-rational pulse pervading our world, and I’ll be updating all of this fairly soon.
And now, here’s a bit from the NASA Lunar Eclipse Page
The second lunar eclipse of 2014 is also total and is best seen from the Pacific Ocean and bordering regions. The eclipse occurs … two days after perigee (October 06 at 09:41 UT). This means that the Moon will appear 5.3% larger than it did during the April 15 eclipse (32.7 vs. 31.3 arc-minutes).This time the orbital path of the Moon takes it through the northern half of Earth's umbral shadow. The total phase lasts 59 minutes primarily because the diameter of the umbral shadow is larger (1.49° verses 1.39°)…. The times of the major eclipse phases are listed below.
Partial Eclipse Begins: 09:14:48 UT
Total Eclipse Begins: 10:25:10 UT
Greatest Eclipse: 10:54:36 UT
Total Eclipse Ends: 11:24:00 UT
Partial Eclipse Ends: 12:34:21 UTAt the instant of greatest eclipse (10:54:36 UT) the Moon lies near the zenith from a location in the Pacific Ocean about 2000 km southwest of Hawaii. At this time, the umbral magnitude peaks at 1.1659 as the Moon's southern limb passes 6.6 arc-minutes north of the shadow's central axis. In contrast, the Moon's northern limb lies 5.4 arc-minutes from the northern edge of the umbra and 39.3 arc-minutes from the shadow centre.
As a result, the southern half of the Moon will appear much darker than the northern half because it lies deeper in the umbra. The Moon samples a large range of umbral depths during totality so its appearance will change considerably with time. The exact brightness distribution in the umbra is difficult to predict, so observers are encouraged to estimate the Danjon value at different times during totality…
During totality, the autumn constellations are well placed for viewing and the brighter stars can be used for magnitude comparisons. The center of the Great Square of Pegasus lies 15° to the northwest, its brightest star being Alpheratz (m = +2.02). Deneb Kaitos (m = +2.04) in Cetus is 30° south of the eclipsed Moon, while Hamal (m = +2.01) is 25° to the northeast, Aldebaran (m = +0.87) is 56° to the east, and Almach (m = +2.17) is 40° to the north.
Although relatively faint, the planet Uranus (m = +5.7) lies just 2/3° southeast of the Moon during totality. Is a transit of the Earth and Moon across the Sun's disk visible from Uranus during the eclipse? An interesting idea but calculations show a miss. From Uranus, the Sun's disk is only 1.7 arc-minutes in diameter and this is a very small target to hit. Nevertheless, transits of Earth from Uranus are possible - the next one takes place on 2024 November 17.
The entire October 08 eclipse is visible from the Pacific Ocean and regions immediately bordering it. The northwestern 1/3 of North America also witnesses all stages. Farther east, various phases occur after moonset. For instance, the Moon sets during totality from eastern Canada and the USA. Observers in South America also experience moonset during the early stages of the eclipse.
All phases are visible from New Zealand and eastern 1/4 of Australia - the Moon rises during the early partial phases from Australia's west coast. Most of Japan and easternmost Asia catch the entire eclipse as well. Farther west in Asia, various stages of the eclipse occur before moonrise. None of the eclipse is visible from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
This is the second of four consecutive total lunar eclipses in 2014 and 2015. It will also be a dramatic color due to various astronomical factors, so expect a great light show if you’re in one of the areas on Earth where this Eclipse is visible. To note, this one will bring rebirth, magic, alchemy, and a whole different way of understanding the past, both the recent past as well as what we went through between late 2010 and Spring 2014.
In the next parts, we'll explore the Ascendants around the world, the qualities of the Eclipse, the Sabian Symbols, the aspects, configurations, and other specifics of this powerful Total Lunar Eclipse Full Moon in Libra-Aries. Check back in tomorrow!
Because this Lunar Eclipse and the coming Solar Eclipse happen while Mercury is retrograde, you may want to take this time to purchase my expanded and improved 2nd edition of “A New Look at Mercury Retrograde,” now available as an ebook through Amazon kindle. It will also be available via Barnes and Noble’s Nook tomorrow, as well as an Apple iBook within a few days. Mercury will soon take on an added importance once it retrogrades back into Libra, and in the book you’ll find a huge amount of information about Mercury in the signs and houses that you can use as a reference now and in the future! I made it very affordable, so getting a copy won’t be a financial burden for anyone who wants a copy.
For more about Eclipses in general, how they are timed for effects, and other seldom considered considerations (con = "to be with" + sider = "the stars"), please check out Astrology in October 2014 - On The Threshold of a Total Lunar Eclipse at 16 Libra-Aries
© Copyright 2014 Robert Wilkinson
Hi all - When the Earth passes between the Sun and Moon early Wednesday morning in North America, the Moon will glow red, which should be spectacular as long as it's not obscured by clouds.
Those who wake up early should see partial eclipsing begin at 5:15 a.m. EDT. The Total Eclipse begins at 6:25 am, when the Moon should turn a coppery red. The Total phase ends 7:25 am EDT, and so does the partial phase. In Washington, D.C. moonset is a little earlier.
Areas in the central and western U.S. have a longer viewing window, thanks to later moonset times. In PDT, the partial Eclipse begins at 2:15 am, the Total Eclipse phase begins at 3:35 am and ends at 4:24 am, and the partial Eclipse phase ends at 5:34 am.
You can find out more here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/10/07/how-to-see-the-blood-moon-lunar-eclipse-wednesday-morning/?hpid=z4
Posted by: Robert | October 07, 2014 at 01:23 PM
Thank you Robert, it has been a very rough twelve years. I have looked back through mercury retrogrades, looked back to the future, passed through many eclipses that have shut down much, held the empty space that there seems to be so much of, and I do not see if there is any progress being made. Is that a normal occurance in your estimation or is it not always apparent where we progress. I am really trying honestly.I am looking for a breakthrough that just is not forthcoming. At this point I think I shall never see one.I appreciate everything you write here and try to understand the impacts of these events.if not for you, I would have zero understanding of why these things are happening to me. You give us so much in time and treasure on this site. It has been a blessing to have you there through all that is happening. I am eternally grateful for your work. Thanks for being you and doing what you do and sharing so unselfishly.
Posted by: ellen | October 07, 2014 at 01:49 PM