Pearls on a String
Dates and times are given for U.S. Pacific Time zone.
Overjoyed
This week’s New Moon/Solar Eclipse (Oct. 25, 2022, 3:49 am PDT) at 2º00′ Scorpio is the latest in a trail of eclipses near this degree that links these years like pearls on a string of silk: 2013/14, 2005, 1995, 1986, and 1976. Whatever house or planets of your chart are affected by this particular degree, all eclipses in Scorpio bring a change of perspective on intimate relationships, honesty and loyalty, endings and hurt.
One of those eclipse “pearls”, back in 1986, found me nursing a broken heart. My latest bad boyfriend had proven diabolically dishonest, and my sister’s upcoming wedding threw my desperate singlehood into pitiless relief. I decided a change of scenery was in order. I loaded up my Toyota with mixtapes of sad songs and headed north on Highway 101.
It was a good idea. I stayed in bed and breakfast inns. I dined overlooking the ocean, sharing a table with the restaurant’s only other patron, an older man I vaguely remember as amusing and a little flirtatious. I found myself in the village of Carmel on the very day Clint Eastwood had been elected mayor. And at the end of the week, I’d grown bored with my heartbreak. I headed home feeling lighter and clearer, and began the process of healing.
This was just before a Lunar Eclipse at 4º Scorpio – very close to this week’s Solar Eclipse. That eclipse triggered a t-square of Mercury (siblings and road trips), Jupiter (adventure), and Neptune (sad songs and deception) in my chart. It wasn’t a happy time for me, but for some reason, it makes me happy to remember it. Maybe it’s because in my memory I’m 24 years old, my little car is glittering in the spring sunshine, Stevie Wonder is singing “Overjoyed,” and Highway 101 is beckoning me away from sadness and on toward adventure.
This week’s Solar eclipse is near that point, one more pearl on the same string of eclipses. Where does 2º Scorpio fall in your birth chart, and what stories do the years in this strand of eclipse pearls bring back for you?
Iron Fist, Velvet Glove
Mercury finishes up its latest (and much longer than usual – it first entered Libra on Aug. 25) journey through Libra this week with aspects to Mars and Pluto. Now, if Libra has a flaw (which I’m not prepared to concede), it’s probably indecisiveness. The impulse to weigh all options carefully before making a decision – let alone taking action – is a laudable, indispensable facet of the Libran character; but from time to time, all that weighing can lead to deadlock.
Luckily, Mercury’s trine to Mars (Oct. 26, 2022, 8:37 pm PDT) cuts through indecision and delineates the path to right action, and its square to Pluto (Oct. 27, 2022, 6:08 am PDT) backs up Libra’s velvet glove with an iron fist. So, have confidence. If you’ve listened carefully and judged realistically, your course of action will be the right one, and will have power and confidence behind it.
Something Big
On October 27th at 10:10 PM Pacific Time, retrograde Jupiter re-enters Pisces. The first part of its transit through Pisces was between December 28, 2021 and May 10, 2022; then, it rocketed into Aries. But Jupiter turned retrograde on July 28, and now it backs into Pisces for a final encore before it leaves this sign altogether on Dec. 19.
Here, then, is one last opportunity to make the most of Jupiter in one of its very strongest signs. Review the period from the very end of 2021 to May 10th, 2022; what was left undone in the Pisces area of your chart? Jupiter wants us to think bigger and to attempt the impossible and the remarkable, and it won’t return to this area of the sky – and of your chart – for another twelve years.
Casting Spells
Mercury enters Scorpio this week (Oct. 29, 2022, 12:22 pm PDT, through Nov. 16). Mercury is related to communication, and protective Scorpio can make our tongues a bit rough if we’re feeling angry or threatened. Unwelcome secrets could be revealed. Pets (ruled in general by Mercury) might need extra attention.
But this is actually an outstanding transit for all kinds of things, conferring a kind of x-ray vision that comes in mighty handy. Those weird, few, unreconciled transactions in Quickbooks? Time to figure out why they’re hanging out there. Preparing a presentation or report that requires a lot of in-depth research? Now’s the time to tackle that; Scorpio likes rooting around to come up with hidden treasures. Need to address a security issue involving your computer? Here’s your moment to get to the bottom of it.
And if you’re overdue for a candid conversation with a loved one about your relationship, you’ll both be well equipped to tackle that now. But remember that words carry power; we cast spells with them, whether we mean to or not. So, use language intentionally while Mercury is in Scorpio, and be conscious of the spell you’re casting.
Cooling Off
Mars’ current journey through Gemini began on August 20 and continues through March 25, 2023. Like the extra-long transit of Mars in Aries back in 2020-2021, this one has been wearing on the nerves, especially while Gemini’s ruling planet, Mercury, was retrograde (Sep. 5-Oct. 1). And this week, Mars turns retrograde (Oct. 30, 2022, 6:26 am PDT). Mars is the planet that least likes to be retrograde. Its natural disposition is set to “full speed ahead,” and it’s not comfortable with the inward-facing, introspective work of retrograde motion. When Mars is retrograde – especially as it moves back in the direction of its recent square to Neptune (Oct. 11) – there’s the illusion that the faster we run, the more behind we’re getting.
The Sabian symbol for Mars as it stations retrograde is, Winter frost in the woods. Mars, the hottest-headed, hearted, and tempered planet, is cooling off. The message: Don’t give up on the things that are really important to you. But realize that your progress won’t be straightforward or even easy to see (the path is particularly unclear around Nov. 19), at least until after Mars turns direct on Jan. 12, 2023. This is especially true if you have key planets in the Mars-ruled signs of Aries or Scorpio, planets in the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces), or Mars strongly placed near the angles of your birth chart. But try to have patience, get plenty of exercise, and be guided by your greatest convictions.
Writing and collages © 2017-2022 April Elliott Kent
More about this week’s highlights in the latest episode of my podcast!
