Exist by the sun and
Love by the moon,
For you must live in the light
To embrace the shadows
It perfectly casts.
Becca Lee
The Ring of Fire Solar Eclipse on October 14, 2023 at 21 Libra illuminates shadow behaviors in our relationships. We are ready to shed patterns that hold us back from loving freely. We look to establishing new pathways that yield greater fulfillment in how we give and receive.
This eclipse visibly and metaphorically draws a ring around the shadow, or subconscious, energies that the moon projects. We can readily see what has been obscured or hidden beneath the surface in our relationships and the changes we wish to initiate.
Relationship with a life partner takes center stage with this eclipse, but it also includes any one-on-one relationship where trust is being established – with a neighbor, friend, colleague or family member. It can also show up in how we relate to our planet - the air, earth, weather, animals and plants that share the earth with us.
This is not about projecting the need for change on someone else, but to be honest with ourselves about how we operate and how our behaviors have helped create a dynamic we wish to shift. This is an opportune time to take account, to call a spade a spade and release patterns that do not serve us. We do not need to judge ourselves for not knowing better but to put our attention on stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility for creating new ways of relating that foster fairness, harmony and consideration of all.
There is the potential for surprise as the energetics of the eclipse unfold over the next months. With Uranus quincunx the Solar Eclipse, we can have sudden revelations, a circumstance may suddenly make something abundantly clear, and small changes we make can have revolutionary results.
The Solar Eclipse
Annular Eclipse and Ring of Fire
The Path and Timing of the Eclipse
Astrological Dynamics
The Eclipse conjunct Mercury, oppose Chiron and quincunx Uranus
Pluto square the Nodal Axis and Solar Eclipse
Eclipse Ruler: Venus oppose Saturn
Mars in Scorpio sextile Venus and trine Saturn
Pluto Return in the 2nd house of the U.S. chart
Fixed Star Foramen conjunct the Eclipse
The Solar Eclipse happens on a New Moon that is conjunct the nodal axis. The New Moon is an optimal time each month to set an intention for what we will initiate and grow for the coming month. The Solar Eclipse amplifies this as a time of endings and beginnings that have us embark in a new direction. The area of our life that is primed for a new beginning is revealed by the nature of the house in our natal charts where 21 Libra resides. Those of us with Planets between 18 and 24 degrees of cardinal signs (Libra, Capricorn, Aries, Cancer), may likely experience a seismic shift in how we engage relationship.
Standing in the ring of fire,
the eye of the storm,
the vortex of pain and pressure
is simultaneously the most
vulnerable and most powerful
place to be. Here we embody
paradox. We stand
our ground and
surrender completely…
Lucy H. Pearce
What is a Ring of Fire Solar Eclipse?
The sky does not go dark, and we do not experience night within day. Those who are in the path of the eclipse will see s ring of fire around the Moon as it moves to the center of the Sun. Those of us who are geographically near but not in the direct path of the eclipse will see the shadow of the Moon come across the sun. It will look like someone has taken a bite out of the Sun. Like with any eclipse, please view it only through special glasses.
During a solar eclipse, the Moon travels between the Sun and the earth. On October 14, the Moon is at Apogee, meaning it is as far from the Earth as possible. As an Annular eclipse, the orb of the Moon will appear smaller than the Sun and therefore does not totally eclipse the Sun, but moves as a shadow across the face of the Sun.
A Ring of Fire Eclipse is a rare occurrence. The next one will occur in 2039. The last one was August 2017 with an eclipse path that also moved through the United States from Oregon across the center of the country and down through South Carolina.
The Eclipse Path
Images below show the eclipse path and the times where the ring of fire will be seen and other locations in the Americas where we will see a shadow move across the sun.
The narrow path of the eclipse will sweep across the Americas. The eclipse will last 214 minutes. There is a prolonged shadow. The ring of fire will be seen in its totality in the western United States, Mexico, Central and South America. It will be viewable across most of the Americas.
The eclipse path begins in Oregon and moves across California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Texas. It will be in its longest peak in Nicaragua, the center point of its pathway, lasting 5 minutes and 17 seconds.
This is a powerful force of energy and a rare event that initiates change especially for the regions it crosses. The energetics will last over the next 5 years, especially for the locations it passes over. The influence of this eclipse will also be strongly felt for individuals and countries that have planets between 18 and 24 degrees of a cardinal sign (Libra, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn).
This is the first Libra Solar Eclipse since 2005. There were two Libra Solar Eclipse that happened in a short span of time. October 13, 2004, there was a solar eclipse at the exact same place in the sky: 21 Libra. The second Libra Solar Eclipse took place on October 3, 2005. We can look back to what transpired in our relationships that coincides with these eclipses. We are now ready to see what we didn't see before around sharing, collaboration, cooperation, and fairness.
A South Node Eclipse
This is a strong and intense eclipse because it occurs only 3 degrees from the South Node (the past). The shadow of the Moon reveals what is ready to end and be released. Thus, the promised new beginning arrives as we shed and say goodbye to old patterns and habits around how we relate to others.
The Libran South Node can pull us, like a magnet, to unconsciously play out unhealthy relationship habits. Yet, the Sun lights them up so we can fully see and be aware of our tendency to overextend or underextend ourselves. We can readily see how we modify ourselves to please another and avoid rejection. Or on the flip side, we may become aware of a pattern of insensitivity that reveals opportunistic, selfish or manipulative tendencies to ensure we get what we want.
We may feel shame as relationship dynamics that keep us small are magnified and made apparent. We recognize what is not good for our wellbeing and decide we no longer want to perpetuate or further invest in a particular way of relating. We are not to beat ourselves up for some behavior, but simply recognize it for what it is, hold ourselves accountable and allow ourselves grow.
If we need to apologize for something, now is a good time. If we have been deceptive about our feelings or kept something hidden in a relationship, now is a good time to bring it into the open. If we have compromised something important, now is a good time to set a healthy boundary or assert what matters to us. As relationships become more real, we become more authentic and so does the relationship. We become less motivated by fears of rejection, judgment or not being liked. This eclipse is maturing us, pushing us to release a superficial way of creating peace between ourselves and others and to move us toward fostering a more truthful, satisfying and mutually empowering connection with others.
There will be Total Eclipse on April 8, 2024 that Mirrors this one. It will also cross the United States but from east to west with Texas being at the cross point for both these eclipses (see diagram below). There is a balancing effect created between these two eclipses that provide shifts in how we courageously stand in our truth, our courage to move from our values while simultaneously listening to, considering, respecting and moving in a beautiful way with another. There is a natural polarity between “I” and “We”, between self and other (Aries and Libra). The two eclipses together support us to be actualized and uplifted through our partnership with others.
Three things cannot be long hidden:
The Sun, the Moon, and the Truth.
Buddha
Transformational Shifts
Pluto square the Nodal Axis
Pluto turned direct on October 11 and is standing still, effectively standing its ground. It is broadcasting a message of what has been gleaned from its Retrograde and dip back into Capricorn where it will not return to again for another 248 years. Pluto, at the tail end of its15-year journey in Capricorn, reveals how we are living within outdated structures and laws (Capricorn). It is a catalyzing agent to dismantle what lacks integrity or long-term viability to pave the way for the visionary impulse of Pluto in Aquarius that will usher in new structures and ways of living (2024 – 2044).
Pluto’s square to the Nodes of Fate (June – December,2023), proclaims that this is a time for sweeping and transformative change. We are to take responsibility and hold ourselves accountable for what we have created and release what has run its course. The Aries/Libra Nodal Axis compels us to be bold and to assert what we want as part of the process to establishing healthy relationships. If keeping the peace means quieting or minimizing our needs, then the peace is only skin deep, and we are left with a profound inner disquiet to resolve.
Authenticity and Truth in Relationship
Libra/Aries Polarity
The Libra eclipse zeroes in on the social and relational aspects of our life that are out of balance. We can readily see where we overcompensate or overdo it to maintain a connection. We can find ourselves reflecting on why we feel drawn to continue showing up for a relationship and how we want to change how we show up.
The Nodal Axis in Libra/Aries indicates that the eclipse is just as much about Aries as it is about Libra. The Aries North Node points to our future potential. The Libra Eclipse illuminates relationship patterns that need shift to allow our desire, our fire (Aries) to be honored, validated and expressed in our relationships. The Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024, at 19 Aries mirrors and is the counterpoint to this eclipse. The shifts we make now in relationship dynamics provide the launch pad for us to better trust ourselves, so we are better able to speak our truth while also listening to and considering others.
Libra is Air: rational, reasonable, considers others, seeks to please another
Aries is Fire: passionate, shoots from the hip, trusts instincts, acts on desire, self-assertive
With the Libra/Aries polarity, we can sometimes feel that if I were truly myself and didn’t compromise or edit myself, I would end up alone. Likewise, we can feel that to be in relationship means that in the process of considering another and adjusting my desires so that they are happy, I will sacrifice something essential of myself. The potential that lies in the resolution of these two innate urges and needs is that through relationship, through partnering, we can become more, not less, of who are. The journey to discovering this is the journey to resolving the Libra/Aries polarity.
The shadow behavior we might express with the Eclipse may reveal an insensitivity or indifference we have to ourself and/or to another. In a desire to maintain peace, we may shove something essential under the rug or shut it away in a closet. The peace we create is then superficial.
With Libra, we can intellectualize a situation to justify our impulse to compromise and overly accommodate another rather than face our fear of displeasing someone. On the flip side, we may feel ready to air what has been closeted in a bold, aggressive way that is insensitive of another. Controlling or manipulative tendencies can surface. The Eclipse stirs the pot of our most intimate, closest relationships. We are being shown where we are ready to own our shadow behaviors, learn from them and grow in our capacity to give and receive in equal measure.
Your task is not to seek for love,
But merely to seek and find
All the barriers within yourself
That you have built against it.
Rumi
Further Emphasis on Relationship
The core themes of the eclipse are reinforced and repeated in the astrological dynamics surrounding this super New Moon.
Mercury conjunct the Eclipse. Our thoughts are focused on relationships, and with Mercury in Libra we can assess relationship dynamics with an objectivity and reasonableness. We are curious about why we feel uncomfortable and can discern whether someone is projecting on us or mirroring something to us. We can zero in on what is out of balance and what is a new course of action that departs from an old way of resolving discomfort.
Chiron oppose Mercury and the Eclipse. There is a new confidence emerging to express a desire or urge that may initially displease, even anger, another. We are more willing to upset the status quo to address what is missing or out of whack in a relationship. We will miss the boat if we look to change another’s behavior patterns. It is about asserting what is true for us. It is not about having another meet our need, but about seeing and shifting how we behave in relationship.
Eclipse Ruler: Venus in Virgo oppose Saturn. We are sorting through what is working and not working in our relationships with an eye to have our relationships match who we are and who we are becoming (Venus oppose Saturn). We are making an honest appraisal of where we live in a fantasy in our relationships and with finances. We are identifying what is needed to strengthen and deep the trust and love of a relationship. Instead of doing the work needed to shift a particular dynamic in a given relationship, we may decide it is time to let go of the relationship. The eclipse can bring in a new relationship, but we are feeling more pragmatic than romantic at this time as we address the root of what makes a healthy relationship work.
We are encouraged to talk through what needs to be resolved, speak frankly, and to hear what each other is saying and to respect where we differ within a shared intention of reaching mutual agreement. Most likely, resolution will not happen in a single conversation but over a series of conversations. It is not about pushing for a decision, but engaging a process that establishes new communication practices where both feel safe to speak and to hear what the other is saying.
Mars in Scorpio sextile Venus and trine Saturn. Mars has just left Libra and moved into Scorpio. We are more determined, tenacious and ready to drive something forward. We need to guard against any notion that the means justify the ends. We can be on the lookout for how we give into power games, manipulation, controlling behaviors, or a tendency to withhold information as a way achieve a desired result. It is beneficial to lay down our cards, be willing to be vulnerable, and not let fear inspire our actions. It may feel all too easy to cut corners or skip steps to get what we want. We are to recognize that how we go about addressing a situation is as important, or even more important, than the outcome.
Love is not a relationship
With just one person
Love is a way of life
With all living things.
Kemma Nola
War and Peace and Nations
Aries and Libra at the Eclipse
The nodal axis in Aries and Libra (July 2023 – January 2025) is the axis of War and Peace, of dynamic leadership versus diplomatic compromise. Wars can ignite on this axis because we feel we have sold ourselves short (Libra South Node) and so it is the only way to assert our rights and get what we want (Aries North Node). Countries and military groups may justify war (Aries) to achieve a desired peace (Libra) because diplomacy (Libra) does not seem a viable option. This demonstrates the shadow side of the Libra/Aries axis because ultimately we are to bring forward all we have learned about how to be in relationship (Libra South Node) as we boldly assert what we desire (Aries North Node).
The Aries North Node encourages us to speak up, to assert ourselves, be willing to disrupt the status quo in order to achieve a deeper harmony, not a superficial one where tensions continue to fester beneath and within. We are to seek peaceful solutions that consider and respect all parties. Libra urges us to find balance, to seek harmony. However, the North node in Aries can have peoples who have been repeatedly disempowered, silenced or oppressed acting in violent and aggressive ways to address and bring focus to an imbalance.
Israel, in the days leading up to the eclipse, was on the receiving end of a surprise attack by Hamas. Beneath a semblance of peace in the region, festering tensions erupted. Since, the world has been drawn into the war in varying degrees. Strong feelings, opinions and conflicting viewpoints have surfaced as everyone grapples with the destruction and suffering occuring in Israel and Gaza. Countries are drawn to side with Israel, with Hamas, or with Palestinians. Underlying sentiment towards Jews or Arabs or Muslims complicate and intensify the conflict. The attack disrupted the process of an historic peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel. When it looks like there will be great suffering on both sides of a conflict, and perhaps no one 'winning' in the end, we can be assured that the shadow side of the Libra/Aries axis is at play.
The eclipse will conjoin the Ascendent in the birth chart for the State of Israel pointing to a new relationship in how Israel will be perceived by the world. There is no known birthchart for Hamas or the Palestinians. It is notable that the Eclipse conjoins The Sun in the birthchart of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s which indicates a shift happening within that countries identify and leadership and how they want to assert it.
The United States is experiencing a re-activation of its Pluto Return during the eclipse, which points to transformational movements at the foundation of how the U.S. is organized and what it stands for. With Pluto returning to a near exact conjunction with the U.S. 2nd house Pluto, the country and its citizens will feel great challenge to find shared agreement on the Values that define the country. The country is in an identity crisis around the interpretation of the constitution, the definition and desirability of democracy, individual rights within the system, and the understanding of religious freedom. In addition to Values, Finances and Land are keywords of the Second House, and with Pluto the ruler of big wealth, debts, and defaults, we may see further volatility and transformative change around currency, the stock market, real estate and agriculture.
A World Order in Flux
In the coming weeks and months, we may see dramatic changes with those who hold leadership positions or positions of great power and influence months (The Sun in detriment (Libra) conjunct the South Node and eclipsed by the Moon).
The Eclipse brings to the forefront relationships and agreements between countries. Domination or exploitation of the weaker nations may see weaker nations rise to demand a more equitable arrangement that honors and respects their rights. Those who have been marginalized will seek a place at the table and a share of the material resources. Especially after Pluto re-enters Aquarius in January 2024, the movement to recognize the value of all human life will gain momentum.
Beyond the relationship between peoples, there is the relationship with all living beings. Western culture has normalized indifference and insensitivity in asserting its dominance and control over the natural environment. With climate change and diminishing resources, first world nations need to recognize how the domination, exploitation and control of the earth’s resources is leading to our own undoing. More and more, we are challenged to let go of old ways of relating to other peoples and to the world around and to find a new kind of relationship that is mutually beneficial and life-giving to all. The continued health and longevity of our planet depends on relationships where all parties benefit, not just the one who is more powerful. The Aries/Libra eclipses over then next year coupled with Pluto's move into Aquarius will help catalyze new pathways to this.
Innate Sense of Balance
Foramen conjunct the Eclipse
Foramen is a Fixed Star in the Constellation of Carina, more commonly known as the Argo. Foramen is a brilliant star, first magnitude, located in the Southern Sky. As the Keel of the ship, the Argo, runs along the centerline of the ship from bow to stern. It is the boat's main structural element; it extends the length of the boat along the bottom of the hull. Its purpose is to ensure balance. When the sea is rocking, it is the keel that allows the ship to respond to the wind and waves and remain upright.
Foramen's presence at the Eclipse reminds us that we have an innate guidance system that naturally can detect imbalance and the best movement to regain our balance. It reassures us that we have a way to not get swept up in circumstances that can jostle and throw us about, but that we can find our center and move through a sea of change in a beneficial way.