October 13th ~ 20th

Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy. ~ Pema Chodron (When Things Fall Apart)

Pluto stationed direct at the bending of the Nodes while on the threshold of Eclipse season. And so the world was stretched beyond its capacity. This is when things can feel like they are falling apart. But Eclipses are just so unpredictable. Celeste Teal tells us that a Solar Eclipse, like the one we are having this weekend on October 14th, puts us into reaction mode. Especially if we feel threatened. There’s an increased likelihood of acting impulsively to defend ourselves, and thus make regrettable mistakes. This is why it is recommended not to make any major changes during the days leading up to an eclipse. There’s no telling how things will end up. And once the wheel is set in motion, there is no turning back. 

Mars crossing the South Node last week and square Pluto on the 8th, compelled us to contend with overwhelming forces. Pluto often has to do with darkness, and our worst imaginings. It also has to do with power: who has the power, who is leveraging it, how they use or abuse that power.. 

Last week Mars crossed the South Node and squared Pluto. This coming week both the Sun and Mercury will cross the South Node and square Pluto as well on the 18th and 19th, following the Solar Eclipse. The South node is where our past comes back to haunt us, where we are being asked to release, let go, move on. Pluto reveals ancient scars and wounds, buried beneath the surface, but which can no longer be ignored. In order to make the New Beginning implied by the New Moon Solar Eclipse, we are first needing to release, fix, and let go of what once was. 

When the South Node is also in Libra as it is with this Eclipse season, it can often feel as if the Fates are doing their work, moving the pieces around on the playing board of life. Like strategic and mystical gods working from behind the scenes, individuals and groups brought together, while others are parted. Alliances shift. Treaties are broken. Dysfunctional relationships end. Like promethean turning points, the Eclipses can stand as a demarcation between one era of our lives and the next. 

While Pluto sits at the bending of the Nodes, square the October 14th Solar Eclipse at 21º of Libra,  Chiron and the dwarf planet Eris are in the opposite sign (Aries) from the Eclipse. Eris dares to stir up trouble as it sits right on the North Node in Aries. Sister to Mars, she conjures up mayhem in order to exact her revenge. It is Chiron who aims to clean up the mess. Chiron can wound. Chiron will peel back the scar tissue revealing the underlying abscesses of our lives. But it also brings us the tools that we need to heal. Things fall apart in this weather. But it can also come together again under the tutelage of wise Chiron. 

We might all want to ask ourselves, what wounds are being revealed. And what tools are needed in order to effect a healing, and bring greater wholeness to our lives? And if there is nothing to be done about your particular situation, what can  you change in your perspective that will allow you to better cope with the problems or limitations you are now facing?

There is something magical and karmic about the Nodes of the Moon, where the Soul (the Moon), Spirit (the Sun) and body (the Earth) are in perfect alignment. These eclipses serve as reminders and turning points along the evolutionary path of the soul. And this can be both on an individual level as well as on a grander societal level. The sign and house in which the South Node is traveling is showing us where we have fallen into habitual and self-limiting or even destructive behaviors. While the sign and house of the North Node shows us what is needing to be cultivated in order to reach our highest potential. 

The New Moon Solar Eclipse on October 14th (1:59 pm EDT in US Eastern Time; 6:59 PM in Great Britain; and 10/59 am Pacific Time) is an Annular Eclipse, meaning that it will appear to have a ring of fire surrounding it when it reaches exactitude. This eclipse will be most visible in the Western United States, from Oregon down thru Nevada, southern Utah, New Mexico and Texas, then into Western Mexico and Belize. 

Conjunct the South Node in Libra, a sign of relationship, justice and equality, situations that we had been merely tolerating and putting up with, will no longer be tolerable. Historically, the years in which the North Node is in Aries, and the South Node in Libra have been associated with heated and explosive events. Even war. For although Libra is usually a sign associated with peace and harmony, it is also a sign of open enmity and confrontation. The North Node in Aries compels us to take some kind of action, even if it means diving into the fire, rather than running away, or avoiding our problems. 

When the South Node is in Libra:

• We have a greater awareness of unresolved issues surrounding unfairness, inequality and injustice. 

• Any tendency to kick the can down the road, or avoid problems is no longer an option. 

• Resistance to action, or pretending that everything is okay when it isn’t is also unacceptable. 

• Some will be looking for ways to back out of alliances or agreements where you now feel trapped by commitments made in the past. 

• Dysfunctional relationships are ended. Treaties are broken. Alliances shift. And agreements are reevaluated.

• Compromising yourself or your beliefs in order to fit in, or not rock the boat, will no longer be tenable. 

• Anyone who psychically drains you, blocks you, or is simply not on the same page as you will be really hard to tolerate. 

The remedy can be found thru the North Node in Aries, where we are being asked to take some sort of action:

• Having the courage to stand up and take action, when and as it is needed.

• Being willing to make a new beginning, a new start, and go off in a whole new direction if necessary, in order to follow one’s own true path. 

• The willingness to go it alone if you have to, especially if you have been compromising yourself or your beliefs just to fit in and/or maintain alliances.

• The feeling of having to stand out and be separate in order to find yourself again. Even if this means ending certain associations and alliances in order to do so.

• Coming to recognize our own unique individuality, and cultivating a more independent life and lifestyle in accord what what we believe to be right and true. 

Do not be dismayed or concerned if you have something important planned during these eclipse seasons. These times often represent significant turning points in our lives. So it would not be unusual to find yourself going through some big changes, where we are leaving the past behind and embracing a new life with new possibilities. People make big moves, and big changes. 

That being said, if you plan on making intentions with the New Moon Solar Eclipse, still do so with caution. Eclipses are just so darn unpredictable. And the intentions you make at this time, may not necessarily bring you the results you are seeking. 

Yet what we all can do is sow positive affirmations for righteousness, right action, and Compassionate Understanding. This is the first of two Solar eclipses involved with the centaur, Chiron, who ceaselessly aims to remind us of our own humanity. It’s not about choosing this or that, or standing in judgment of us or them, but in arriving at a deeper understanding of the human condition for what it is, which at best is imperfect. Following Chiron is following a path to Wholeness and compassionate Understanding.

Some Positive Affirmations for the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Libra on October 14th might be: 

• The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace. ~ Carlos Santana

• Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.

• I stand in the center of the storm, balancing patience, wisdom and experience. 

• If justice and perseverance are the basis for action, all goes well. ~ Shih (The Army) (The I Ching)

Our Chironic medicine for the week: 

Vulnerability is the only authentic state. Being vulnerable means being open, for wounding, but also for pleasure. Being open to the wounds of life means also being open to the bounty and beauty. Don’t mask or deny your vulnerability: it is your greatest asset. Be vulnerable: quake and shake in your boots with it. The new goodness that is coming to you, in the form of people, situations, and things can only come to you when you are vulnerable, i.e. open. ~Stephen Russell (Barefoot Doctor's Guide to the Tao: A Spiritual Handbook for the Urban Warrior)

For the New Moon Solar Eclipse of October 14th for your sign (or natal house), click below:

HOROSCOPES