The Solar Hybrid Eclipse – Autumn 2013

The time between a lunar eclipse and the following solar one can be a very intense time. The fact that the solar eclipse is occurring in the sign of Scorpio makes it even more so. Most of my posts are general and discuss the basic themes of a particular set of transits, but this post cannot be quite that impersonal. A close friend of my daughter’s was seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident and that event has occupied most of my time during the last 10 days. Classes and appointments were cancelled as I found myself in the middle of the task of getting him transferred from LA County hospital to a far superior one. This did not turn out to be an easy task in itself, but it had to be done at a time when emotions ran high due to it being a life and death matter.

There were and are many transiting aspects to my chart as well as to all of the participants of this trial by fire, but every attribute of Scorpio that I have even written about including my last Blog post, is fully in effect. This young man is doing well and though he is still in serious condition, all of us have had a direct experience with our own mortality as well as the possible loss of someone dear to us. I am not writing this article on the other side of things. Everything is raw and still in process. But, I have also experienced moments of great joy and this is perhaps the best reason for writing about this Scorpionic eclipse.

Scorpio often brings us into an experience of raw human emotion as we are faced with our own vulnerability. People deal with this in different ways, of course and I’ve seen most of them. Some react by closing down and sleepwalking through it. Others are deeply moved and desire to allow one’s internal walls or as Gurdjieff said, ‘buffers’, to be released. When this occurs, life is felt most acutely. We treat everyone we meet with love and respect. It can even feel like an honor to go through these profound experiences with another person. Life becomes REAL. We can go numb or we can discover that life is deeply precious and transformative. If we meet life with full presence, we are changed. I suspect it can go so deep that we may be changed permanently.

For those of my readers who are curious, the lunar and solar eclipse has affected my Sun, Mars, Pluto and south node, which is in Scorpio. Let’s now look at the nature of the solar eclipse.

This eclipse is a very unique one. It is called a Solar hybrid eclipse. You can get more information about this rare event here:    It occurred on Sunday, November 3rd at 4:50am PST. In addition, it is making very strong aspects to Saturn, Mars, Pluto and Chiron. You will find many articles in this blog on Solar eclipses, but basically I call them ‘inertia destroyers.’ They are a new Moon, which means that a new cycle can be started by them, but much stronger in influence than a regular new Moon. When our chart is affected, we will likely be subject to significant changes in the internal and external structures of our life. The house where the eclipse occurs will tell us what area of life these changes will most likely be affecting us.

The Inferior Conjunction Between the Sun and Mercury

On Friday, November 1st at 1:19pm PDT, the Sun and Mercury aligned while Mercury is retrograde. This is a very significant cycle that marks the beginning of a new way of thinking and communicating that lasts for the next four months. Some astrologers including Dane Rudhyar refer to this cycle as the Mercury Promethean retrograde cycle. This is when Mercury first reveals the new quality of the emerging cycle.

Michael R. Meyer states that “the Mercurial faculties of mind and communication have been impressed with a new quality of will, purpose and energy — symbolized by the zodiacal and house positions of the inferior conjunction which inaugurated the new cycle. But it will take the entire cycle for this new quality of fully unfold. Now, at the beginning of the cycle, it is pure potential — suggested by the astronomical fact that at the inferior conjunction Mercury is closest to the Earth, with its dark side facing the Earth.”

This part of the Promethean cycle of Mercury denotes eager, impulsive, spontaneous, form-building, and constructive activity. As in any new beginning, the new information, construct or idea still needs to be fleshed out. It must be tested against the reality to see if more information is needed. One must guard against allowing one’s restless mind to force its way prematurely onto the scene, so as to protect the new seed just being presented to one’s conscious mind. This also reflects the fact that Mercury is still retrograde which implies that more processing is still needed before one can be certain that the new idea is sound, factual and constructive.

Meyer goes further and says that “the Promethean threads a cutting edge. In mythology, it was Prometheus who gave the fire of mind to infant humanity. A rebel challenging the dominion and authority of the gods, the gods in turn exacted from Prometheus a severe penalty — perpetually having his liver eaten out by a vulture, only to have it regenerated and devoured again and again, until rescued by Hercules.” This suggests to me that after having thought about the new idea, one ought also to include in one’s thinking how they introduce this new concept. Sometimes the success of a new thought form depends on how well we strategize the timing and way it is presented.

When we combine the solar eclipse with the Sun/Mercury Promethean phase, we might have some new powerful ideas and concepts developing in our life. The astrological advice though is to nurture and take whatever time is needed to allow for and even respect the natural or organic development process that is so necessary. This can be a very creative and constructive time.