On October 14, 2023, an Annular Solar Eclipse will occur at 21° Libra 07’. A solar eclipse is an energetically magnified new moon. An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon is at or near its apogee or farthest point from Earth and the Sun. As it passes between the Sun and the Earth, the Moon appears slightly smaller than the Sun in the sky, creating a ring of fire around the moon. Monthly lunations set a karmic agenda for the current lunar cycle every 29.5 days. Eclipses set the agenda for the next six months.
It is an interesting enigma that from the Earth’s vantage point, the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth’s shadow appear to be the same size. We experience this mystery at each total eclipse as the Moon covers the Sun at a solar eclipse, and the shadow of the Earth covers the Moon at a lunar eclipse. I rank this enigma equal to how the ancients knew that the planets embodied the archetypal characteristics that they do and how these vibrations mirror terrestrial life experiences.
Eclipses occur across the axis of the lunar nodes, where the ecliptic, the circle created by the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, intersects the path of the Moon’s orbit around the Earth. An eclipse occurs when the new or full moon occurs within 18° of the lunar nodes. These two powerful pathways mark liminal time and space as the Moon and the Earth weave their planetary frequencies in diurnal motion.
The intensity of eclipses is because the lunar nodal axis correlates directly to the karmic/evolutionary path itself, from past to future, synthesized in the present through the direct emotional experiences of the Moon in the current lifetime. Eclipses are breakdown or breakthrough events. Significant people enter and leave the planet when the celestial portals are open during the four-week eclipse period.
The lunar south node applies to the Sun and Moon in Libra at this exceptional new moon. The past looms large in our awareness. Mercury conjunct Pallas Athene in Libra applies to a balsamic conjunction to the Sun and Moon, forming a Libra stellium. We cannot change the past, but we can alter our understanding of the karmic necessities that created it. Higher knowledge can be discovered by listening to the still, small voice within. Mars in Scorpio separates from the Libran planetary merger, generating the necessity to make better, more conscious choices regarding our relationships with ourselves, others, and the planet going forward.
The outer planets weigh in heavily on this event. The eclipse applies to a last quarter “crisis in consciousness” square to Pluto in Capricorn. The God of the Underworld is moving direct again after his recent annual retrograde cycle and approaches his entry into Aquarius, where he will reside for the next twenty years. Capricorn materializes, initiates, substantiates, and manifests. All the ongoing structuring will now be completed in these final degrees of the sign. What has been planted and cultivated over the last twenty years has reached fruition and is ready for harvest. Make conscious choices. Gather up only what is essential. Weed out what is harmful and recycle it back into the Earth.
The eclipse applies to a last quarter (waning) trine to Saturn retrograde in Pisces, encouraging a more compassionate understanding of how things are. The impetus is to review and restructure what has come before, where necessary. To mentally and emotionally rebalance and find new footing. The eclipse applies to a gibbous (waxing) inconjunct to Neptune retrograde in Pisces and a full phase (waning) inconjunct to Uranus retrograde in Taurus. These internal pressures stipulate commitment to sustaining what is essential for survival and finding the necessary self-forgiveness and self-reliance to strive to do the right thing going forward.
The Lunar North Node applies to rogue planet Eris retrograde in Aries. Though the future seems hazy and insecure, a karmic drama is unfolding that compels change, even if it appears to be an uninvited guest.
We are see-sawing back and forth, retreating from the past and apprehensive of the future. We must find the balance point and come to terms with the past while dreaming the future with stronger intentions. If the image is still fuzzy around the edges, we have not yet visualized it into focus. The universe is a mental metaverse. We can awaken the lucid dream.
This eclipse will be visible for millions of people in the Western Hemisphere. On Oct. 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central, and South America.
