2024 Fall Eclipses: Soul Growth and Path Clearing
Eclipse #1: On September 17, 2024, at 10:33 pm EDT, we will experience a partial lunar eclipse that takes place at 25°40’ Pisces opposite the Sun at 25°40’ Virgo.
Eclipses only occur when the Moon is near the Nodes of the Moon, the North Node (indicating the direction of soul growth) or the South Node (indicating what needs to be left behind or integrated for the evolution of the soul). The closer the lunation is to the nodes, the more complete the eclipse is. This one is 10°57’ away from the nodes, so it is only a partial eclipse.
As with any chart we study, be it a natal, synastry, mundane, etc., we have to take into account the full picture of the placements and aspects involved to get the whole story.
Lunar eclipses always take place at night on the full moon and are an extreme culmination of energies from the previous new moon, more so than a typical full moon. They often signal sudden and final endings that prepare us for new beginnings that are in alignment with our soul growth. Lunar eclipses affect the moon (as opposed to solar eclipses in which the sun is the planetary body eclipsed from our view), and therefore affect our subconscious and our unseen, emotional realms, and are a time for closure—letting go of pain, emotional baggage, and relationships that keep you from self-love and authentic living. Therefore, lunar eclipses often trigger these endings within our emotional and subconscious realms, as opposed to out in the waking, physical world that we can see and touch, but occasionally it is both.
This partial lunar eclipse in Pisces is a time of emotional build up and release, particularly relating to past traumas, fears, or situations that no longer serve your soul’s growth. It will occur on the North Node in Aries, conjunct Neptune, Nessus, and Saturn in Pisces and squared by Jupiter in Gemini, indicating we are being pulled toward our dream (Neptune) of independence (Aries), healing (Pisces) past traumas (Nessus), and reimagining or re-creating (Pisces, Saturn retrograde) (Jupiter in Gemini) the structure or the rules (Saturn) that will get us there in ways that help us redefine our identity (Sun) in a healthy but creative way (Virgo in 5th house), away from shame or the expectations of a significant partnership (True Lilith, Mean Lilith, Juno, and South Node in Libra) that is being challenged (squares) to address unmet emotional needs (by Cancer Mars and Ceres in Capricorn both squaring the nodes).
The eclipse is being supported by Uranus retrograde in Taurus and by Pluto retrograde in Capricorn, which are both sextile the moon and Neptune in Pisces, and by Psyche in Aquarius, which is trine the North Node in Aries. This signifies that what is good for our soul (Psyche) in terms of growth and our personal evolution (Uranus, Pluto, Aquarius), but that also grounds us (Grand Earth Trine between Sun in Virgo, Uranus in Taurus, and Pluto in Capricorn) and heals us (Pisces stellium at Kite position of the Grand Earth Trine and conjunct the North Node), is where we are being pulled to now. Choosing evolution and stepping into our authenticity and power will be supported, but choosing to remain stuck where we are will cause changes to happen outside of our control.
Since full moons are the culmination of energies begun at the new moon, we do need to look back at the New Moon in Virgo which occurred on September 2, 2024.
This New Moon was opposite Saturn and Nessus in Pisces and conjunct Vesta in Virgo, while being squared by Jupiter and White Moon Selena in Gemini. It was also sesquisquared by Pluto square Eris, positioning itself at the apex of a very tempestuous Thor’s Hammer configuration between the Lord of the Underworld and the Goddess of Discord. This indicates that although we felt we needed a brand new start, we are being held back by time, circumstances (Saturn), emotional restrictions, and unhealed wounds, even though we are feeling the intense compulsion to evolve, no matter the cost (Eris square Pluto sesquisquaring the New Moon in a Thor’s Hammer configuration). This energy will increase to gradual eruption by the eclipse on the full moon.
If you have the Sun, Moon, personal planets (Mercury, Venus, or Mars), Ascendant, Midheaven, or the Nodes anywhere between 15° Pisces - 16° Aries, 15° Gemini - 16° Cancer, 15° Virgo - 16° Libra, or 15° Sagittarius - 16° Capricorn, then this eclipse will affect you in personal ways. The planet involved and house location will inform what types of effects it will bring.
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Eclipse #2: Two weeks after the first eclipse on the full moon, we will have an annular solar eclipse at the new moon at 10°03’ Libra on October 2, 2024. An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, but when it is at or near its farthest point from Earth. Because the Moon is farther away from Earth, it appears smaller than the Sun and does not completely cover the Sun.
This solar eclipse will be exactly conjunct both True Lilith and Mean Lilith, as well as goddess asteroid Astraea (morality and truth, as well as difficulty letting go), Mercury, and Juno, all in Libra and in the eclipse chart’s 9th house. The ruler of the eclipse, Venus (as the ruler of Libra) will be exactly semi-sextile in transformative Scorpio in the 10th house, and will be trined by Mars in Cancer on the Descendant/7th house (another Libran placement) and sextiled by Ceres in Capricorn in the 12th house. The eclipse itself (and the entire Libra stellium of planets), however, is squared by both Mars and Ceres, carrying forward the theme from the previous eclipse of there being trouble with partnerships not meeting needs and desires and having some resentment and hurt feelings about that, as well as feeling ambitious and self-righteous about getting those needs met in other, resourceful (Venus in Scorpio in 10th house) ways.
Uranus will be retrograde on Algol again and will be sesquisquare the New Moon, Mercury, and Lilith, stirring up some potent dark goddess anger energy, squaring the Vertex at 22° Leo, which is sitting near the point where Mercury turned direct on August 28, echoing that Mercury square Uranus message we all received loud and clear: it’s time to make some changes around here. Vertex is semi-square the new moon and the Lilith gang on the South Node and sesquisquare the North Node, and with Venus, in dark goddess Kali mode in Scorpio, sextiling Ceres in Saturn-ruled Capricorn and Saturn sextiling Ceres and trining Venus from shapeshifting Pisces: anything or anyone that isn’t meeting your needs in a relationship is going to be shown the door.
In fact, we have a Thor’s Hammer aspect from the New Moon Libra stellium squaring Ceres in Capricorn, all sesquisquaring explosive change-agent Uranus. Compulsive actions may come into play that force changes of hands, especially if personal planets interact with these positions (between 0-21° Libra, 1-21° Capricorn, 16° Taurus - 6° Gemini). Additionally, anyone with planets between 0-21° of Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn, (the four Cardinal signs), 1-21° Scorpio, or 19-25° Leo will be getting hits during this time. This eclipse is likely to have frustrated folks acting out compulsively and explosively; relationships may suffer or implode as a result, though that may indeed be the intended, desired result.
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Eclipse #3: Two weeks after the Solar Eclipse in Libra, we will experience an “almost” lunar eclipse – close enough to pay attention to – on October 17, 2024, at 24°35’ Aries. According to timeanddate.com, “timeanddate.com calculations show that the Sun, Earth, and Moon will be very closely aligned on this day, but there will be no lunar eclipse. There are several different ways to calculate eclipses, so some sources are listing this event as a penumbral lunar eclipse. In any case, viewers on Earth will not be able to see the Earth's shadow on the Moon.”
However, as this is a full moon following an eclipsed new moon, it behooves us to treat this as the bookend to the beginning that the preceding new moon will have initiated astrologically, the same as we reviewed the new moon in Virgo that preceded the first lunar eclipse.
This is all about relationships again – still. The ascendant for this lunation is in Libra, and the sun in Libra is conjunct the ascendant and in the 1st house of self-expression conjunct Juno, the relationship/marriage asteroid. Astraea, Mean Lilith and True Lilith, and the South Node are in Libra in the 12th house of undoing and release. The moon, which is the planet being eclipsed, is in Aries and in the 7th house (Libra’s house) of partnerships and marriage and conjunct Chiron and Eris, indicating that this will be another rough ride in the realm of relationships. Old hurts and resentments are still an issue, and expectations and needs are perhaps not only not getting met but are being confused as being one and the same. Sparks will fly as a result.
Venus, the ruler of the sun and Ascendant as well as the South Node and the rest of the Libran gang in this eclipse, as well as a key relationship planet representing the feminine, is at the critical 29th degree of transformative Scorpio in the 2nd house, opposite troublesome Uranus, still retrograde on Algol and in Scorpio’s 8th house of intimate affairs, sex, death, birth, rebirth, and debts. Something is coming due.
Mars, the ruler of the eclipsed Moon and the Descendant as ruler of Aries and another key relationship planet representing the masculine, is conjunct the Midheaven in emotionally charged Cancer and opposite Pluto in Capricorn, also at the critical 29th degree (also newly direct, still in late Capricorn but only for one more month before it leaves Capricorn behind forever for us mortals alive on earth at this time), indicating that tempers will be flaring.
Mars and Venus are actually trining each other though. In fact, there are two Grand Trines here that form a Grand Sextile between earth and water elements – very rare stuff indeed.
The Grand Water Trine consists of Mars trine both Venus and Neptune, with both Uranus and Vesta forming kites to this grand trine. The Grand Earth Trine consists of Vesta trine Pluto trine Uranus in Pluto’s house, with Neptune at the apex of a kite to it. The Vesta-Neptune opposition in the 6th and 12th houses, in Pisces and Virgo, and with Neptune conjunct the North Node of this almost-eclipse, indicates the need to fuse health and spirituality, grounded devotion and practicality with spiritual goals or the path toward our soul’s evolution.
The Grand Sextile of earth and water energies is coming into alignment for us at this time to harness the energy we need to achieve our personal goals and aspirations in the realms of soul growth, evolution, healing, and change for our highest good, while releasing all that holds us back from this. It may be the medicine we need to move forward from the tumultuousness of the preceding eclipses.
After all the breaking free that’s been going on, now is the time to begin to put the plan into action. Now we have the cogs in place in the wheel for it to begin turning. Now we can dig deep and access our Truth and shake ourselves out of ennui and complacency. Venus, the chart ruler, in late Scorpio in the 2nd house has gone through hell to find her worth and is in league with the Great Awakener, Uranus, Scorpio’s ruler and Lord of the Underworld Pluto, devoted Vesta, dream spinner Neptune in its home sign of Pisces, and fierce defender Mars in Cancer to craft a way forward that is meaningful, authentic, personal, and heartfelt.
Jupiter retrograde in Gemini in the 9th house is sextile the full moon in the 7th house, is trine the Sun, and both Jupiter and the moon are in a yod to Venus, emphasizing the need to getting to and expressing the Truth. Radical self-honesty is required.
These eclipses will no doubt unearth some potentially painful and difficult experiences for many of us, and I have compiled several good tips to assist us in transmuting pain into loving, positive, and productive energy here. Please feel free to pick and choose what works for you.
By consciously working with the energies of these eclipses, you can transmute pain by first acknowledging it, then consciously releasing what no longer serves your growth, and finally, embracing love as the foundation for your future actions and relationships. The planets and placements are supporting deep healing and transformation during this time, urging you to align with your higher self.
And as always, please feel free to contact me for a reading if you want details about how this will impact your chart and life personally at contact@psycheastro.com.
"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new."
~ Socrates