New Moon Eclipse in Scorpio: To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before

Not only is today the New Moon in Scorpio, but it is also the third eclipse of 2012. This one, a solar eclipse, clocks in at 21 degrees of Scorpio. New moons are a time to plant seeds and set intentions that support the highest expression of Scorpio. But what of the eclipse? What can we expect? Let’s take a look.

Once feared for their ability to portend natural disasters and the fall of kings, eclipses are like the engines of fate. Anyone who has experienced an eclipse making an exact aspect to a prominent natal planet or angle knows that change can be very swift indeed. Eclipses shake up the old order, destabilize, speed up events, and act as chapter markers in the narrative of life. Eclipses are portals between the worlds. They also speak to our collective evolution as the North Node in any given sign reveals where we’re bringing in experiences that benefit growth. And the North Node in the sign of Scorpio? Our evolution sometimes has to pass through the dark in order to emerge in the light.

To further understand the nature of any given solar eclipse, we should note whether the new moon conjuncts the North Node or the South Node. The North Node brings in; the South Node releases. This eclipse conjuncts the North Node and tightly so as the ecliptic is a few degrees away at 26 Scorpio. (Note that in order for a solar eclipse to occur, a new moon has to fall within 17 degrees of the ecliptic.)

Already we’ve established that eclipses mark new chapters and North Node eclipses bring events in. And this eclipse is bringing events in via the sign of Scorpio, which is transformation, life or death situations, the Other Side, power, empowerment, intimacy, sex, taboo, secrets, psychology, and wealth. Starting to sound familiar? If you’ve been paying attention to the news here in the US over the last couple of days, you’ll find that the eclipse is already at work.

Another indicator of the nature of this eclipse is its ruler. I’m going to look towards Mars, the traditional ruler of Scorpio, as eclipses speak to old alchemy. Mars is in Sagittarius and unaspected at 27 degrees. When a planet is unaspected it either dominates the chart because it doesn’t have an outlet for its energy or it struggles to express itself. But I think Mars actually has a huge outlet for its energy as it is conjunct the Galactic Center — aka the center of our galaxy. Woah! This eclipse may feel like we’ve warp speeded into the unknown, boldly going where no man has gone before.

So there are big themes at play this eclipse! Transformation. A journey into the vast depths of space. A revelation of secrets and that which has been long hidden. A terrifying leap of faith. Bracing truths that clear the path forward. Deep emotional new beginnings that forever alter us.

Apart from Saturn in Scorpio ruthlessly revealing abuses of power and sexuality, this eclipse has a tinge of the benevolent — as benevolent as Scorpio can be, let’s be real. Saturn trine Chiron? The medicine is for our own good. The eclipse ruler Mars in Sagittarius is disposited by Jupiter in Gemini. And not only is Jupiter making a lovely air trine to a strongly placed Venus in Libra, but Jupiter is in mutual reception to Mercury in Sagittarius — ie, Jupiter is in Mercury’s sign and vice versa. Mutual receptions give a huge leg up and I think it must be offsetting some of the more deleterious effects of Mercury square Neptune. Otherwise Mercury in Sagittarius square Neptune Pisces is all about lies and having trouble accessing our spiritual truth. I think the exact opposite is happening. Our spiritual truth is wide open — Mars in Sagittarius conjunct the Galactic Center. All we got to do is get on the spaceship, destination unknown. But it will be one hell of a journey.

Here we go!