Solar Eclipse / New Moon in Scorpio: Sowing seeds in the dark

Written By John Wadsworth

The Scorpio new moon eclipse (25th Oct, 12.01 UK time) sees the Sun and Moon aligning in an exact conjunction with Venus.  It heralds the beginning of the autumnal eclipse season, adding extra intensity to this period of the year.  The conjunction with the nodal axis is a little wide, and so the eclipse is partial, and is focussed mostly on the Venus conjunction, but it anticipates the more highly charged lunar eclipse on 8th November which is a total eclipse of the moon. This will occur on the full moon, with the Sun and Moon forming a challenging t-square alignment with Saturn and Uranus.  The themes of both this new moon and the next full moon eclipse in Taurus will set the overall tone for the next six months’ worth of lunations.  We are also experiencing a period right now where Saturn and Mars are stationing, with Saturn having just turned direct, and Mars about to go retrograde in a few days time.  

Going Underground

Falling as it does at the cusp of the new Scorpio season this new moon eclipse marks a profound moment of inner alchemy in the zodiacal year.  We can visualise the essential seeds of life being sown back under the ground now, carried within the rotting leaves, decaying fruit and composting vegetation.  Here they will be protected by the powers of the underworld.  In Roman mythology, Pluto and Persephone (Proserpina) were known as the protectors of the seeds and the guarantors of the harvest, as they preserved the regenerative power of life through the winter months. So too in our own lives, at this time, are we compelled to dig deep into the soul's memory banks, accept what is lost, connect with the grief that is present in that loss, and be prepared to journey into the darkness to know the mystery of our own being, and to sow a seed of renewal there.  To do that we may have to sacrifice a certain type of outer ambition and surrender to the calling of the deep soul, which dwells in darkness.

Lover of the Dark

During this eclipse the Sun and Moon are exactly conjunct Venus in the same degree (2˚ Scorpio), which draws us into an uncomfortable encounter with the power and intensity of love and attraction, particularly in the way that it can consume us emotionally.  Venus, in Scorpio, can jealously guard her love, making demands of her lover as she searches for deeper intimacy and depth of commitment.  She is especially sensitive to betrayal or falsity, rooting out the truth of human desire, and all that it discloses about the soul’s intention.  At the same time, a Sun-Moon-Venus conjunction reflects such a longing for peace and harmony, that we may just want to avert our eyes from the more rotten aspects of the reality before us and simply will it away or bury it somewhere. Anyone who has a personal planet or angle in the first few degrees of Scorpio, Taurus, Leo or Aquarius may tend to experience the energy of this eclipse in a more concentrated way.

This Scorpio season takes us into that unseen world that hides beneath the surface of the everyday and, as the nights draw in around us like a dark cloak, Scorpio naturally inclines us toward those netherworld realms, where the soul seeks initiation, redemption and healing.  If we have been harbouring a secret desire, that up to now had dared not speak its name, then this new moon may provoke it forth, lest it consume our hearts.  By the same token, a love that seeks truth ahead of comfort will more likely be enriched by an encounter with the darker revelations of the soul’s longing.

Precarious Financial Times

Venus oversees all forms of relating and energetic exchange, including the sphere of money.  Her prominence in this new moon chart suggests that there is added pressure on ill-founded or unsustainable financial arrangements; indeed this Scorpio-Taurus eclipse season as a whole looks precarious for the world of finance.  As the moon waxes over the coming two weeks to the volatile full moon lunar eclipse on 8th November, the pressure will likely build, and we could be in for some shocking economic events.  

During this new moon the Sun, Moon and Venus make an inconjunct aspect to Jupiter, planet of growth and possibility, and it should prompt us to examine the very idea of perpetual growth and what that implies.  An inconjunct to Jupiter suggests that we have to look outside the box for meaning.  Take the economy of a country:  if its ‘gross domestic product’ is predicated (as it mostly is) upon war, addiction, and illness to support the profits of its arms, media/tech and pharmaceutical industries, then how can we possibly have faith in the principle of economic growth as an indicator of prosperity?  

Dissolution, Recovery & Re-Birth

We are going through an unprecedented period of dissolution right now, on so many levels, and many are finding it hard to see a prosperous future for the world.  There are so many conflicting narratives around as to why this should be, and what the solutions should look like; many of the solutions look worse than the problems, and the very idea of what even constitutes reality is being called into question in some very fundamental ways. It’s a chaotic, crazy-making time, but the Scorpio medicine can actually be a great ally to us at a time like this. Scorpio is not at all phased by dissolution or disintegration; it actively trades in such processes.  Scorpio teaches us that decay and death are an inevitable consequence and initiatory stage of life.  Scorpio delivers to us the unforeseen consequences of our youthful hopes and ambitions, revealing to us all manner of unimaginable relationships and circumstances that our soul chose to experience and go through on behalf of its healing journey.  However misaligned some of these might now seem, it is important that we forgive ourselves for those occasions on which we have gone astray in our actions or in our judgments - accept that we were simply unable to see the whole picture at the time.  The life force is irrepressible, it prevails even in the darkest corners of the psyche when all appears lost - and especially out of the those places, it finds the will to rise again; to re-birth itsef anew.  

Mars Retrograde: The Warrior Within

It is poignant that Mars, Scorpio’s traditional ruling planet, will turn retrograde during this eclipse season in Gemini, Mercury’s sign of language and perception.  The warrior’s charge cannot proceed in the same manner; the impulse for provocation, combat and the need to prove oneself right must give way; the warrior must retreat and reflect, find a different kind of courage within.  This is not a time for conquerers; it is a time for artists and dreamers, poets and healers to guide us through the darkness with their courageous hearts, their more active imagination, and their capacity to see through the reductive materialism to the spiritual world that lies beyond it. Mars is retrograde from 30th October (stationing at 25˚ Gemini) until 12th January (stationing at 8˚ Gemini).

The Path to Forgiveness & Healing

We are entering one of the most potent astrological periods in recent memory, and these last three years have been a potent time indeed, so that’s saying something!  The best we can do is to approach this period with kindness and compassion, and a heart open to joy. And alongside that we can align to a strong inner resolve to heal, and to forgive.  And if we can begin to disarm ourselves of our self-righteousness, and our need to be seen to be doing good, then we might start to remember who we are beyond the fabricated image that we are tricked into thinking we must cultivate. We are all caught in the same current, even though we each respond uniquely to its myriad fluctuations, and while we might come up with countless different stories to explain how we ended up here, aren’t we all just trying to find our way home?

Here is the Scorpio mantra from my book, Your Zodiac Soul: 

I face my own shadow and, in so doing, I honour the depth of my soul.

New moon blessings to all.

Short Courses in Different Aspects of Astrology

I am offering a series of 3-week short astrology courses, in the Autumn 2022 /Winter 2023. I have four courses that you can currently enrol on, with the first one starting in mid-November. The courses cover a range of different topics, requested by diploma students. However, they are available to everyone for a fee of £80 (plus £4 booking fee if paid through credit/debit card or paypal)

The courses are:

All classes run 6pm - 8pm (UK time) on Zoom. Each session will be recorded and made available to all those who enrol.

1-2-1 Consultations / Mentoring & Supervision

I am offering 1-2-1 astrological consultations, both in person, in Glastonbury, and on zoom.  I am also offering ongoing astrological counselling over six sessions, if you want to go deeper.  You can book through sessions here.

I am also offer a 1-2-1 mentoring and supervision programme for those who want to practice astrology professionally.  Please contact me for details if this is of interest.

Astrodrama Gathering: 2nd - 5th Feb 2023

After the wonderful time we had at the astrodrama gathering last month, I am offering a similar event in the winter at a different venue in Glastonbury.  Again we run over four days, this time from Thursday (2nd Feb) to Sunday 5th Feb.  The event will be non-residential, but I can help you find suitable accommodation in the town.  I haven't yet posted up the webpage, but please let me know by email as soon as possible if you are interested, and I will reserve you a place.  There is only one place left now on the course. And I will start a waiting list, in case anyone drops out.  The price will be £425 for the four days, including lunches and dinners.  Early bird price: £395. Click here for more details…

John Wadsworth
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