by Robert Wilkinson
This article covers significant aspects, degree symbols, and other important factors in the Pisces Solar Eclipse chart. This one is distributive, initiating, and paves the way to substantiate something of worth and power over the next 50 months.
With this Lunation, the spread of the planets through the signs shifts! This is the last Lunation in the span between Saturn in Sagittarius and Uranus in Aries for a while. With Venus in Taurus and Mars in late Aries, the Jupiter trine Uranus no longer defines the “Locomotive” Jones pattern, and it shifts to the empty span between Jupiter in Leo and the new leading planet, Saturn in Sagittarius. Of course, it is also a “Bucket” with Jupiter as the handle, since Jupiter is 99+ degrees from its nearest neighbor, Venus in Taurus.
In this New Moon, the span occupied by the inner planets (in this chart Mercury in Pisces through Venus in Taurus) is 52+ degrees, and includes mid-Pisces through early Taurus, making it a very tightly occupied cluster. Within that band, we have an intense focus indicated by 5 planets in the 34+ degrees between the Lunation in Pisces and Venus in Taurus. If we look at the span between Neptune and Venus, we find 7 planets occupying 55+ degrees, still a very tightly compressed cluster.
This month we have 10 planets occupying 6 signs, which are not fairly spread out around the zodiacal wheel. As mentioned, we’re now basically in a combination of a “Locomotive” pattern, defined by planets between Saturn in Sagittarius and Jupiter in Leo, with a void in the empty third between Leo and Sagittarius, and a “Bucket” pattern, defined by all the planets between early Sagittarius and early Taurus, with only Jupiter in Leo well outside that span.
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 has been the leading planet in the Locomotive for many months, but this month Saturn becomes the leading planet. It also means this will be an influence for the next 4+ years, so we’ll be dealing with imbalances that force us to focus!
With Saturn as the lead planet in this Eclipse Locomotive Pattern, be open, be mature, be responsible, see the quest for truth as a long distance run, and find peace and poise in knowing what you know in your own special ways. Saturn can bring dominion when we break the chains of mental slavery based on perceptual half-truths and rules that are not relevant to our quest.
Still, with so much fire (and Jupiter still a main player as the nozzle for the Bucket pattern, 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! Be light, see light, live light, express light!
This is the power of focused dramatic expression that can rouse others to a greater feeling-state. With Jupiter's honesty of genuine natural expression 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 Locomotive energies allow us to work with imbalances that can lead us to creative and joyous power. This will assist us in using Jupiter's energies skillfully during the times when it’s the nozzle for the other planetary energies through it being the handle of the Bucket.
By late April Venus will be close enough to Jupiter that it won’t really be a “Bucket.” By mid-June, it’s a “Splay,” so as you can see the Spring will feature a rapidly shifting string of various types of Jones Patterns.
The Bucket Pattern and how it works
Since it’ll be a factor through April (and for the next 50 months!) I figured I’d also give you what the "Bucket" Jones pattern is about, and how it works. The planets in this chart are clearly a Bucket Jones pattern. Since the “handle” of the Bucket involves the sign Leo, that energy helps us focus the energies of all the other planets.
A “Bucket Pattern” is a type of planetary spread with all the planets in about half the signs with one outside that span wide enough to be a handle. The energies of the occupied half are focused through the “handle,” or “nozzle,” in this case Jupiter, termed the “focal determinator.” The handle, or focal determinator, represents the way to greater effectiveness, the cause to be embraced, the lack to be filled, or the way to use the total energies of this time in a focused manner.
Dr. Jones states “the Bucket type indicates a particular and rather uncompromising direction in the life effort.” This pattern gives “interest in a cause,” with executive tendencies that will adapt allegiances to maximize results of the effort. He says “the Bucket type at its best reveals the real instructor and inspirer of others, and at its worst the agitator and malcontent.” This is the larger planetary pattern within which we’re all trying to do what we do.
We are also told this pattern is more about finding an effective release for energy within social settings, but also about the individual imposing their patterns on society rather than adapting to what is there. It’s about focused intention. So all of us can expect some sort of focused attention on the house where we have 14 Leo.
We also had this situation of having two different Jones Patterns in play at the same time a while back. Jupiter was the nozzle then as now, but was in Cancer at that time. It is now in Leo. Same handle, different expression.
So Jupiter’s been the nozzle for focusing the expression of the other planetary energies off and on for months at a time. As the Locomotive keeps things out of balance, Jupiter has been the front end to finding the way of initiating activity that must be accompanied by a compensatory “weight” to keep things moving forward rather than sideways.
Element Balance
Of the traditional 10 planets, there are 4 planets in Fire signs, 4 in Water, 2 in Earth, and none in Air. This indicates a balanced emphasis on inspiration, feeling, and experiencing, with a degree of practicality but little sense of relatedness and interactivity. I’ve also found a lack of an element puts an intense focus on the qualities of that element, but from a sense of lack rather than what’s there.
With the Moon, Sun, Mercury, and Neptune all in Pisces, the feelings available are vast, deep, unifying, and universal. Be willing to forgive a lot and let it all wash down the time stream. There may be strange dreams and flashes of old betrayals or conflicted situations from the past, but rest easy that it is a time of abundance at the end of a long cycle, and as we dream the archetype, we shall see it made manifest. That’s the power of the Lunation at 30 Pisces in this chart.
With 4 planets in Fire and 4 in Water, 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. This is especially true of the “Quick Fire” of Aries when in proximity to the fogs of Pisces, and requires a balance between the two. 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 will be running a LOT hotter than usual, but the balance is close enough between hot and cold that things shouldn’t get too elementally extreme. And the Earth should help us keep the fire from getting out of hand!
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, and especially in this Eclipse chart. This is the third New Moon of the Saturn in Sagittarius era, which should continue to bring an entirely new energy to our Saturn experiences than what we’ve dealt with since late 2012!
The August 2014 conjunction of Mars and Saturn that tredeciled Neptune began 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 October 2013. 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.
We’ve now had many months of clearing out our emotional body through occasional intense purifications. While we may have felt very vulnerable from time to time, we’ve also been strengthened and become cleaner and cleaner over this period.
Saturn – Past and Present Forks in the Road of Destiny
Of some crucial note is that 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 walked with us during the times that configuration was in play, as it walks with us during times when other major septile series aspects between the planets occur.
The New Moon at 1 Aquarius showed Jupiter biseptile Saturn, another non-rational aspect that put our vision at a fork in the road relative to our duties or limitations. Those 4 weeks gave us a dress rehearsal for the next time Jupiter biseptiles Saturn between mid-May and mid-June. Big changes are in the air between now and then, with some pretty weird and crazy stuff happening that will create a gigantic collision when Jupiter squares Saturn in July and early August!
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.
In this chart, we see Jupiter has left its tredecile with Saturn, which offered us very unique and favorable interactive connections and events the past 4 weeks. Pay attention, since these planets will make this aspect again in May, fulfilling the blessings and gifts set into motion the past month. Jupiter will make only waning aspects to Saturn for many years to come as it fulfills the waning phase of their 20 year cycle that began with the conjunction in Taurus in 2000.
An Overview of Saturn’s Influence the Past 5 Years
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.
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 since the Mars-Saturn conjunction of August 2014, we’re learning new Scorpio ways of applying those truths of our direct experience
We’re now almost done with the Saturn in Scorpio era, and we’ve all experienced deeper feelings about relationships. We’ve cleaned out, let go, purified, focused, dealt with death and loss, restructured how we share with others, and all those other Scorpio keywords that usually terrify the lower ego.
As Saturn co-rules rules Pluto (and the Lunation) 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 Sagittarius and its dispositor Jupiter in Leo. Allow the focused intensity gathered the past 2+ years to be cut loose into a larger understanding of a bigger picture and a more structured approach to making a higher Truth real in your life.
This brings short and long term pressure to bear on bringing forth a broader view of what we honestly believe can bring us to a more loving or heart-oriented future. Saturn in Scorpio taught us what we had to eliminate some things to find the emotional stability we now have. Now we can open to a greater view of why we had to let go of whatever or whoever to see where we want to go from here.
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.
So as you open to the third New Moon of 2015, 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 deepened our regenerative life magnetism, or a deeper communion with some inner or outer element of our Being. Now it’s time to fly free!
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.
I gave you the list of aspects in part 2. It’s a mixed bag, and since the Lunation makes only an out of sign trine to Saturn. Out of sign aspects indicate a change in conditions must occur before events symbolized by those aspects come into focus.
Of far more importance, is Mercury septile Venus, sextile Pluto, and conjunct Chiron. This will bring forks in the road, productivity, and the ability to heal into our higher Self.
Mercury septile Venus puts areas ruled by Gemini and Virgo at a turning point relative to life areas ruled by Taurus and Libra. This will work out in areas where we have mid-Pisces and early Taurus.
In an interesting dual influence, last month’s New Moon at 30 Aquarius featured the same septile but from early Aquarius and late Pisces. For the past 4 weeks these two planets have primarily affect those with planets or angles near 3-7 Aquarius, 25-29 Pisces, 16-20 Taurus, 8-12 Cancer, 30 Leo-4 Virgo, 21-25 Libra, and 12-16 Sagittarius. For the next 4 weeks (and 50 months) it will primarily affect those with planets or angles near 10-14 Pisces, 2-6 Taurus, 23-27 Gemini, 15-19 Leo, 6-10 Libra, 28 Scorpio-2 Sagittarius, and 19-23 Capricorn.
This Eclipse still features the very harmonious, stabilizing, and beneficial Jupiter trine Uranus. This is brightening and lightening anything we have in the middle degrees of the Fire and Air signs, so take this opportunity to expand your heart and mind!
As mentioned in part 2, other aspects in play involve Jupiter triseptile both Neptune and Pluto, setting the Grand Irrationality into play for many years. It’s another turning point for humanity with Jupiter as the focus and way of expansion, protection, and grace. In this chart, the Saturn square Neptune and novile to Pluto are separating, as is the Uranus square Pluto.
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 30 Pisces. While I've given you a sense of this degree up to now, this is where we go into depth.
The symbol for 30 Pisces is “The Great Stone Face.” According to Rudhyar’s notes from the Marc Jones class, this degree is one of the "Eventual concrete manifestation of all higher poetic images and enduring truths of the race. Sure culmination of effort."
In the Astrological Mandala he states this degree is one of “the power of clearly visualized ideals to mold the life of the visualizer,” showing us the power of transformation within us. He states “this power can be developed through visualization, when the emotions and the will are poured into the visualized mental image.”
He says this is the power that the Creators of the Universe use, the Divine “Word” that sounds the tone of a new cycle. He also offers that this symbol “brings to us a realization of the power of archetypes as factors conditioning life processes,” with the keyword Archetypalization. This symbol is said to be in the Span of Protection, Act of Capitalization, and is the final degree of the Individual-Mental level of the Scene of Perpetuation.
Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this degree "is a symbol of human responsibility as an immortality of the soul, and of a way of living which has become a continual manifestation of its ideal..." He states this dramatizes our “self-discovery to others as an encouragement ot them in their own alignment to eternal reality.”
He continues "Each individual selects the image within himself to which he would shape himself outwardly, and this he comes to resemble..." He reminds us that "Character is destiny," in the sense that as you shape your character you make your Destiny.
The keyword for the symbol is "Discernment," and we are told that when operating positively, "the degree is self-integrity in its irresistible impact on the course of events." So this degree is a challenge to articulate an effective self-realization in a continual manifestation of some ideal, and “self-discovery” to encourage others to align with an eternal reality.
So this Eclipse is about us choosing a future and holding an ideal that could lead us to that future. This is about knowing archetypes, and exercising our individual creative power to shape a future before it manifests. This will show us how our expectations and ideals are made real in our lives.
Transpersonal Spiritual Influences
Pluto
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.
As Pluto moves forward, it spends time in various narrow zones that it hasn’t been in for about 250 years. In April 2014, Pluto went retrograde at 14 Capricorn. 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!)
From April 2014 through January 2015, we were 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 opened to new ways of viewing how to claim our divine power and express it creatively while exploring natural laws underlying manifestations.
In 2014 we also had to see Nature Herself as a laboratory where we learn about how our system is constructed. We could “pierce through appearances” to see the magic at the core of things, and through a “keen vision” could find or demonstrate a “universal living touch.”
2014 involved self-transcendence. We continued to review our “science lab lessons” through November, and in this chart, find ourselves learning the power that exercise gives us when we become more “robust in approaching life’s contests.” Pluto teaches us through intensely purifying experiences, and we’ll be in the thick of it through February 2016.
Neptune
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 went stationary direct last November at 5 Pisces, showing that the collective field now has a platform of developing through “interchange of spirit and understanding on which groups are built,” “new self-development," and “discouragement mastered.”
Last Northern Hemisphere Summer/Southern Hemisphere Winter we were summoned to a form of rebirth through "hearing the call." We then did a review and had opportunities to get 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 have now gone deeper into our dedication, and this month again shows us what we stand for, what we believe in, and can help us concentrate on what we truly value despite the chaos of the outer world. Feel your way to “the clear light of high realization” and accept the limits that are natural for your current state of development within the greater whole.
We now know what life allegiances are worth defending and maintaining because they make our lives worthwhile, and those who have learned to listen to their inner voice have quickened their 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. The next few weeks will quicken us, and help us drop whatever is a drag on our line as we move toward the larger dedication we’ve been flowing toward since mid-2013.
Uranus
In 2013, our ability to embrace imagination, original thinking, and a self-generated individuality led us to an awakening of a new identity, as well as any impatience we may have had at the pace of transforming something within or something in our external existence. That led us to see how we had to learn to concentrate so we could see the whole picture of anything, which was one of the keys to our advancement in 2014.
The first half of 2014 was mainly about using concentration to understand old symbols in different ways, glimpse a new worldly order that could work for us as well as a new way of viewing our higher spiritual possibilities, move into a new way of self-expression, and understand a broader, higher, and truer way to view the dance of relationship from a more timeless perspective. It also provided opportunities to awaken to a new inspiration and potential while being forced to withdraw from unprofitable or frustrating interactions.
We reviewed these lessons between July and December 2014, and now that Uranus is at 16 Aries, we can see our new evolving identity has now reached a level of needing to repotentialize our minds and find new ways of interpret how to focus power productively. Do not hide from the individualization that’s available to you right now. We are now moving into uncharted areas of thinking and acting, and can now be fully individualized while continuing to let go of impatience, abrasiveness, combativeness, and any fear connected to showing the world our new identity.
Thinking, then Feeling, then Deciding
After shifting the pattern of Feeling-Thinking-Deciding in 3 of the 4 past New Moons, we now are at a point where this month’s pattern is the same as the last New Moon. We now are leading with ideas, understanding, and vision, and following that mental process with decisions and actions.
So lead with your vision, understanding, and what’s being communicated into decisions and actions. Then after the decision or action, sit with the feelings and experience them, bringing them to the surface of your consciousness and get clear about what you’re feeling and why.
That will lead you back to new information, new vision, new ideals, and new understanding upon which you can do your next set of decisions and actions. Then again name what you’re feeling. That way nothing will get bottled up through underuse, and you can move through experiences with power and clarity.
We’re still finishing a period since last Summer of flaming on via Jupiter in Leo while withdrawing from obnoxious and nasty people and situations, trusting our inner Truth, and seeing what’s culminated in a glorious transfiguration. Since Jupiter’s the handle and nozzle for expressing the energies of the other planets, go for the creative, playful, natural forms of expression, see how to expand your love, and find the humor and/or irony in situations.
The next 4 weeks (and 4 years) will offer us all opportunities to come to a clear sense of the ideal that’s perfect for us, and a vaster experience of ourselves within a vast field of consciousness. Because it falls at 30 Pisces, dream carefully what you want to see made manifest in the future. Have faith, be giving and forgiving, and remember that compassion and forgiveness opens the door for Divine Grace to enter. Because of how favorable this time is, abundance is all around. Show gratitude, and since God loves gratitude, practice appreciation for what is slipping away, what is part of your life right now, and what is to come.
© Copyright 2015 Robert Wilkinson
Great Article! I have my Sun at 19:37 Leo. Saturn at 26:18 Scorpio. Asc and NN - 1:37 and 5:01 Sag. Jupiter at 7:04 Virgo. I guess these degrees will be in an aspect from transiting Jupiter/Saturn this and next year.
Posted by: Aleksas Mickus | March 25, 2015 at 07:16 PM
Thank you.
So it is four years time to SHAPE our "profile of personality"?
For me this new moon HIT Descendant.
So does it mean personality in co-operation with other people?
I made a wish to give strength to my spiritual "muscles" this spring, because I had felt that co-operation is (time to time) very challenging.
And I am on vacation (no social meaning or status at work?). I do only my duties at home, family and continuing cleaning. I am training yoga with old and new teachers and listen music often...
Jupiter hits now my South node in Leo and 11th house, if It was the nozzle in this new beginning.
How this can be 7th house theme - and I also am less out in the "physical world"?
Posted by: helina | March 26, 2015 at 07:20 AM
hi Aleksas - Welcome to your Saturn return at the same time as your Jupiter return! Your life and priorities and sense of what you can and cannot live with has been transformed in fundamental ways these past 2 years. You began the new adventure last August, and by this July should be firmly launched in the long term direction of your imagination. This Eclipse falls in your 4th (by equal house) so an old sense of home, family, and the past will pass away these next several years. And of course, this has roots in the past based in the years I cite in these articles (2009-2011).
Hi helina - It's 4 years where our lives will be re-shaped by what leaves and what we have dreamed. For you, an old way of seeing yourself as equal or unequal relative to ALL others. You may dream new opportunities and types of equal relationships that will work for you, and see the end of old ways of seeing opportunities and relationships. The 7th is the "I-Thou." It is how our view of ourselves and our world (1st house) externalizes.
On a different note, Jupiter shows the way of expansion, escape, or a larger life adventure. We ALL will be liberated based in where Jupiter transits, if we are open to those possibilities. In this Eclipse, because of the shift in the Locomotive factor, Jupiter shows the closing while Saturn shows the opening.
Posted by: Robert | March 26, 2015 at 08:19 AM
Better quality time with people :)
Not bad at all.
Posted by: helina | March 26, 2015 at 10:55 AM
Thanks! Warm feelings to all!
Posted by: Aleksas Mickus | March 26, 2015 at 12:45 PM
Great series of post on this moon. Thanks for all the insights and useful information.
Blessings be to all
Posted by: Nic | March 29, 2015 at 06:36 AM