The Eclipses of October 2004
By Carole Devine

Eclipses energize a sensitive area in any chart if it falls on planets, points, or angles in that chart. There are usually two pairs of eclipses every year about six months apart, each pair being about two weeks apart. We have been experiencing a series of eclipses affecting the USA chart for several years. The most dramatic pair was one just prior to 9/11/01 when a lunar eclipse fell exactly opposite the US Sun on July 5, 2001, and two weeks earlier there was one at 0 Cancer. On 9/11 Mars had just gone over 0 Cancer. This is what we call a trigger. Since then, the eclipses have been aligning with various points, followed by Saturn transiting them, adding another aggravation to these eclipses. There are other triggers; principally Mars, but the Sun and lunations (full moons and new moons) are also powerful triggers, as well as all planetary transits.

Another example of this principle is the potent eclipse of August 1999 at 4:58 Aquarius and 18:21 Leo. In 2000, late January and early February, two more highlighted the degrees of 0:26 Leo and 16:02 Aquarius. On March 13, 2000 the Nasdaq tanked. What was going on? Uranus was transiting 18 Aquarius, which was opposite the 8/99 eclipse point, Neptune was at 5:44 Aquarius, right on the other 8/99 eclipse point and the USA south Node in our second house, Pluto was stationing on the Sibly USA Chart ascendant, where it later repeated this transit position on 9/11/01. But in addition to all that, by solar arc (my favorite technique), Saturn was just 22 minutes of a degree from squaring the USA natal Moon. The moon rules the 8th of investments and any money in which others have an interest, and the Moon rules the second, the country’s “income.” This tells us that an event around that time would be financial. (I was writing about the candidates for the upcoming election then, and didn’t look at all this!)

This month there are two potent eclipses that are sure to be significant in upcoming events, especially since the progressed USA Sun changes signs for the first time in 30 years on election day, Nov. 2nd. That is one reason this election is so very important. The first eclipse on October 14th lights up 21 Libra 06. This degree is within range of affecting the USA’s Mercury by square aspect. It is conjoining the midpoint of George Bush’s Jupiter and IC. He is also having the first contact of his Saturn return this month which is opposing the USA Pluto, by the way. On the 27th, there is an eclipse at 5:02 Taurus, again on a fixed axis and almost exactly square the eclipse in August 1999. An eclipse in a fixed cross can last for many years. The USA nodal axis is 6 Aquarius/Leo, so again this eclipse is a potent one since it squares it closely. George Bush’s Ascendant is 7:07 Leo, well within range of being affected by this eclipse. And by its very nature, an eclipse time is also a Moon wobble time (last issue).

Again, as mentioned above, Mars will transit the eclipse point of Oct. 14th on October 28th, which is only a day after the second eclipse, and then Mars will trigger that eclipse point on or about November 17th. As an aside, transiting Pluto is only 11 minutes from conjoining Bush’s south node on October 28, and his progressed Sun is still within the required degree of conjoining his Mars to be active. I believe it’s a dangerous time for him.
The USA natal Pluto occupies 27:33 Capricorn. Saturn not only is opposing that point, but it stations at 27:21 Cancer on November 8th. Ever since Saturn entered Cancer in June 2003, the war in Iraq has been tedious. Pluto opposing our Mars and square our Neptune adds qualities about it I’ve mentioned before. What does all this mean? Simply that very important events will occur late in October through mid-November that are going to affect George Bush and the country as a whole.

When events happen “on time” after an eclipse has set the stage, followed by a trigger, I don’t believe it is inevitable that specific things happen. After all, before the planes hit the towers on 9/11, the pilots could have decided not to do it. Each of us has choice. I do believe, however, that it highlights an emotionally reactive time when tensions building for a long time are released. The eclipses affect charts that hold a position affected by the eclipse, and there are many of those charts, both individually and nationally. Many countries will have something in their charts resonating with these eclipses. However, we do not know which persons or nations will be building tension nor what kind of release they will choose for it. These signals are good for showing when something will most likely happen if it is going to, but not exactly what it will be.

Too often we think that an eclipse affects only our country for some weird reason. It is global and impersonal. It will affect every chart that resonates with it in hundreds of different ways, so we cannot say that an eclipse, which is a celestial event affecting the entire world, is going to signify anything specific. For that, we have to look to corroborating data and each individual chart.

Four Hurricanes Hit Florida!

It was unprecedented. One after another, four hurricanes battered Florida in August and September. Florida was “born” on March 3, 1845 at noon in Washington DC, where the decision was made. The last degree of Gemini is rising, which might explain the migratory habits of its citizens. Mars, at 26:49 Sagittarius, is opposite the ascendant. When you combine that with the Venus/Mercury/Neptune conjunction in the 9th, you can visualize the violence and drug trafficking of Miami Vice.

On the day Hurricane Charley arrived in Punta Gorda around 4 pm August 13, retrograde Mercury was approaching an opposition to Uranus, and Mars, moving direct, was doing the same. Remember this is global, but transiting Mercury was on the fourth cusp of the Florida chart that day! Mercury rules wind, and Uranus rules strong wind. Mars is violence, and in the weeks to come, the three were in range of affecting conditions in Florida as Mars moved to contact Mercury, Uranus and the angles of the Florida chart. (We had more than hurricanes; there is the Mount St. Helens unrest and earthquakes in California and Japan, not to forget the children’s massacres in Russia and the atrocities in the Sudan. The above configuration speaks of these kinds of events.)

But for Florida, there was much more going on in its chart. If Mercury is wind and Mars is violence, then if they come together it would equal “violent wind.” In the Florida chart, at this time, progressed retrograde Mars is only minutes from conjoining natal Mercury in Aquarius. Any progression or solar arc is active within less than a degree. Transits trigger all this. The transiting Sun was moving opposite this point less than a week later. This event was not just a few minutes in duration; the week after was devastating for these people.

What is the combination that means devastating violence? Mars and Pluto. By solar arc, Pluto was at 26:50 Virgo. Remember the natal Mars is 26:49 Sagittarius. That is a square with only one minute of a degree orb. Solar arc aspects are rare. The last time these two got together in this fashion in this chart was ninety years ago. It would have been exact less than a week earlier when Charley was on its way. Prior to this event, the last eclipse was at 14:42 Scorpio. That would stressfully affect that degree in Scorpio, Taurus, Aquarius and Leo… the fixed cross. In the Florida chart, Saturn is at 13:33 Aquarius. We can allow up to five degrees orb. What was the trigger? Neptune was transiting at 13:47 Aquarius. Neptune rules the sea. Saturn not only represents pain and hardship, it is in Florida’s 8th house of insurance, investments, etc. Neptune is also called the “universal solvent.” Many investments “dissolved.” Many older mobile homes were not insured after Hurricane Andrew.

Florida’s natal chart has the Mars opposition to the ascendant that we mentioned before, which promises much violence in the state, but Uranus is also square the ascendant in an out of sign square. Any time that Uranus contacts the angles we could expect upheaval and unexpected upsets. The transiting Uranus was at 5:22 Pisces, two degrees applying to the Florida MC, which is 7:38 Pisces. The solar arc Uranus was directly opposite at 9:11 Virgo, two degrees past the IC. It has been my experience that many events wait until two bodies are equidistant from a point before activating. Transiting Venus was just separating from a square to the natal Uranus, as well.

Charley, too, had a chart when it hit landfall in Punta Gorda. Since all the transits are from that chart, I just want to add that at the time of the devastation, Pluto was rising at 19 Sagittarius. The ascendant of that chart is 19:03 and Pluto 19:37 Sag., but only a minute or two after 4 pm, it would have been exact in Punta Gorda. It is calculated for the latitude of a place and changes if one is calculating for a different place. I didn’t do charts of the subsequent hurricanes, but they occurred within the Mar/Uranus/Mercury transit, and near the end Mars perfected a square to Pluto in transit, as well, echoing the solar arc Pluto square Mars in Florida’s chart, which often happens with events like this. Isn’t Astrology amazing? I just wish I had time to keep an eye on all charts of all places.

Jupiter in Libra Ingress

Jupiter returned to Libra after a cycle of 12 years on Sept. 24, 2004 at 10:24 p.m. EST. I don’t use daylight time for these kinds of charts; if you do, it’s a good idea to differentiate. If we do an ingress chart for that time for Washington DC, we can get some additional information about the coming year as long as Jupiter is in that sign. Jupiter rules the USA ascendant and is therefore connected to our persona and appearance – our initiation of activity. If one would want to know about another country, the ingress chart would be calculated for the capital of that place.

In the ingress chart, Jupiter rules the seventh, which is public opinion and war among some other things. It is posited in the fourth conjoining Mars, and Mars is square the 28:50 Gemini ascendant. Mars is in the last degree of Virgo, a critical and some say, “fated” degree, and it is conjoining the Sun and Mercury as well as Jupiter. Lots of anger in the grassroots populace. Since the fourth is home, I have to wonder if we are going to experience some violence on our own turf related to war. I hope I’m wrong about this, but even Mercury, which rules the fourth and the ascendant, is square Pluto.

Our financial picture is shown by Neptune in the 8th (money running through our fingers like water) which is conjoining the Moon in the ninth, ruler of the second. Income is going to foreign countries, and with the retrograde Neptune influence, it may be largely deceptively handled. Saturn, ruler of the 8th, is in the second where it is well-aspected for the most part.

And last, Uranus conjoins the MC, perfecting by a method I use in about three months after the ingress – Christmas time. I’d say this is chaos in our government and some quick changes. This isn’t too negative really. Jupiter, after all, shows where we are idealistic and high-minded. In the fourth conjunct the Sun, it is idealism about home and family. It will be stronger in the year to come.