Galactic Astrology of 2013, Part Three

In this third installment of the 2013 preview, we’ll focus on eclipses (read Part 1 and Part 2 here). 2013 has a slightly higher-than-usual complement of eclipses, with two solar and three lunar eclipses, making five in all. Three of the eclipses fall in the Scorpio/Taurus polarity, establishing Fixed energies as predominant for the year and emphasizing Saturn’s 2013 passage [see Part Two of this series in the January 2013 Daykeeper Journal]. A fourth eclipse falls in Sagittarius, finalizing a series of eclipses in Mutable signs from 2011 and 2012 while also highlighting Neptune by square. The fifth appears in late Aries, inaugurating a series of eclipses in Cardinal signs extending into 2014 and 2015 (eclipses, like the lunar nodes which determine their placement, travel “backwards” through the zodiac).

All make dramatic contacts to deep space energies and activate a host of minor bodies of our solar system as well, flavoring their basic interpretation and filling in gaps in our knowledge regarding their probable effects.

Any activation of the Taurus/Scorpio polarity exposes a basic conflict among resources, whether these be expressed in time, energy, focus or the more commonly understood financial realm. Taurus governs our own personal resources, while Scorpio is the resources of others, primarily partners, but also shared material generally, such as natural resources, air, water and soil. The Taurus/Scorpio eclipses in 2013 are calling attention to how we allocate our personal resources and manage those we share. What commands our focus in our immediate sphere, to what do we devote our time, attention and financial resources, and what do we receive in exchange for that? Are we conscientious stewards of the planet, do we apportion its bounty fairly, with an eye not only to the present need but also to the claims of future generations? These are the questions and issues Taurus and Scorpio ask us to explore and resolve.

The first eclipse of 2013 is a Lunar Eclipse on April 25, with the Sun at 5 Taurus eclipsing the Moon at 5 Scorpio, both ends of the polarity exactly conjunct Quasars forming the backbone of a Galactic Grand Cross including squares to a Black Hole at 3 Leo and another at 4 Aquarius.

The Quasar contacts are a clear signal that this eclipse means business! Quasars are among the brightest objects in the universe, and cast a brilliant spotlight upon whatever they touch, illuming it for all to see, like a beacon on a hilltop. They promote notoriety, success and accomplishment, so we can expect great things from this eclipse period, with lasting manifestations and pervasive changes that endure well beyond the eclipse’s temporal scope.

With Black Holes in the mix, the nature of the changes may be extreme, as these deep space energy-suckers tend to alter existing conditions in the twinkling of an eye, substituting dramatically different circumstances for those pertaining previously. Black Hole manifestations run to the jaw-dropping, record-setting, mind-numbing variety, and often absorb vast amounts of energy and resources (already the theme of this eclipse), completely changing the landscape in ways considered unthinkable, until they occur.

This particular eclipse is reinforced strongly by a second opposition which shares its intimate space, namely that of Mars at 3 Taurus to Saturn at 8 Scorpio. Major planets caught up in the drama of an eclipse speak more loudly for that time than they ordinarily would, and with Mars and Saturn the unwilling partners here, there is a very strong accent on timing.

Mars and Saturn combined can mean “bad timing”, in a big way, with Mars pushing action and Saturn urging caution, until neither course seems satisfactory. Add in the eclipse’s natural tendency to stress everybody out and create lots of drama, and we have a recipe for a very tense period where things are often out of sync, opportunities missed by a hair’s breadth, and things seem very adversarial indeed. There are positive ways to work with Mars and Saturn—focusing energies, streamlining efforts, mastering the will and disciplining or controlling impetuous impulses—but this pairing often manifests as smoldering resentments, anger turned inward (which is depression), harsh or calculated actions, and blocked energies. The eclipse’s added emphasis means this pattern’s potential will linger for six months rather than the few days over which it would normally preside, cementing its effects in our psyches for the duration.

Several asteroids further refine the picture of this eclipse period. In conjunction with the Sun and opposed the eclipsed Moon is Panacea at 7 Taurus, while a cluster of Leonine points in T-Square includes Askalaphus, Memoria and Circe at 4, 5 and 6 Leo respectively.

Panacea suggests an unrealistic urge to find a quick cure-all, an easy fix to gloss over the problems that become all too evident under the eclipse’s aegis, rather than dealing with them rationally and reasonably.

Memoria with Askalaphus is an interesting signature. Askalaphus refers to tale-bearing, speaking unwelcome truths and betrayal of trust, while Memoria represents memory, the past, and our ability to recall it. Secrets long buried could resurface now, but the Black Hole close beside warns also of false memory, a reconstruction of events which never actually took place in this reality, but has all the semblance of truth. Even eyewitness accounts are suspect under this combination.

Circe suggests a bewitching or enchantment, perhaps a purposeful misleading which activates baser, more animalistic urges and instincts, driving us off course and causing us to lose sight of the goal.

The subsequent Solar Eclipse occurs on May 9 at 19 Taurus, with the eclipsed Sun conjunct one Black Hole at 16 Taurus and squared another at 17 Aquarius. The effect of this will be to create major change and transformation, but without the stabilizing power of the Quasar, this may be fleeting or transitory. That is, the old conditions will have changed irretrievably, but those replacing them may also be unstable, and quickly alter again into some third circumstance, as Black Hole manifestations, though irrevocable, are not always enduring. Often these act as liminal or transitional periods, door wardens between realties where old forms break down, but the new forms are not yet fully emergent or realized.

A slew of celestial bodies accompanies or aspects this eclipse, forming a Grand Cross and providing a veritable treasure trove of additional information regarding its effects. To deal firstly with just the points conjoined, Mars at 14 Taurus is still barely within orb, and is followed by Mercury at 16 Taurus, asteroids Pallas and Lilith in exact conjunction, and TNO Sedna at 23 Taurus on the outer orb.

Mars here suggests even more energy funneled into the pattern, and contributes an augmented focus on matters of sexuality, the willingness and ability to act, and responses along the assertiveness-aggression-anger continuum. Sensuality (Taurus) and sexuality (Scorpio) are already themes of this polarity, and with Mars as ruler of Scorpio, this implies a heightened experience of these issues, which may be in considerable flux at this time due to the Black Hole’s inherent instability and propensity for shaking up the status quo.

Mercury with the eclipse highlights communication as key to the resolution of the conflicts which it raises, and also affects mundane areas such as neighbors, siblings, lesser relations, children and young people, and travel or transportation, as well as matters of daily routine, thought processes and early or basic education or technical training. The senses can be affected as well, and perception may be dramatically altered, again in keeping with the Black Hole’s access to parallel universes and nonphysical dimensions, but not all these sudden insights will be based in fact, and should be absorbed critically.

Having Pallas and Lilith in exact conjunction to the eclipse degree indicates their importance to the event. Pallas is involved in the processes of pattern-seeing and strategizing, conveying an ability to see several moves ahead on the board and formulate plans accordingly. This is a crucial skill for navigating the roadblocks that can be encountered when an eclipse powerfully strikes a natal chart, and Pallas here offers a valuable support system.

Lilith resonates to themes of self-reliance, separation, standing alone and independent, submitting to no one’s authority or rule. This is reflected by contrast also in TNO Sedna’s appearance here, named for an Inuit goddess who dwells in the deepest, most inaccessible part of the Arctic Ocean, as a portion of her complex story deals with her inability to grow up and accept adult responsibility. Sedna is primarily an image of isolation, but paired with Lilith, there is a struggle between the urge to individuate and an unwillingness to grow or mature into what one is innately meant to be.

In square to the eclipse we find asteroids Hekate at 17 Leo and Dionysos at 19 Leo, in exact aspect. Both these symbols refer to alteration of consciousness or the surrounding environment, by artificial means. Hekate rules the magical arts and manipulation of reality, as well as granting insight into the future; Dionysos involves the transformation of our perspective via altered states of consciousness achieved in ecstatic communication with the ground of being, often via alcohol or chemical use. Both indicate an advanced ability to adjust ourselves or our reality to conform to a higher purpose or intent.

Exactly opposed the eclipse is asteroid Psyche at 19 Scorpio, another symbol of the inner workings of consciousness. In Scorpio, this suggests a deeply felt and instinctual connection to biologic, evolutionary and transformative processes, arising from our native linkage with Source. Psyche also governs psychic phenomena, which may be heightened at this time.

Filling in the final leg of the Grand Cross is a cluster of Aquarian points comprised of asteroids Juno and Minerva at 15, Aphrodite at 16, Hermes and Diana both in exact square from 19, and Icarus at 20 Aquarius.

Juno rules marriage and partnerships, but also resonates to themes of disempowerment, jealousy, rage and revenge, strongly Scorpionic themes in keeping with the dominant eclipse polarity of the year.

Minerva is Pallas’ Roman counterpart, but has more mundane connections with medicine, commerce, crafts and magic, an affinity she shares with asteroid Hekate which opposes her.

Aphrodite, as representative of flirtation, coquetry, and affairs of the heart, is another energy with affinities to Scorpio’s emphasis on sexuality.

Hermes is the trickster, although it can also resonate to the issues of its better known Greek counterpart, Mercury. Hermes in tandem with Black Hole energies (it is here conjunct and squared those in the pattern) can produce truly bizarre and unexpected manifestations, which often have the quicksilver quality of impermanence but nevertheless are capable of wreaking havoc in our lives.

Diana’s is an energy of protection, and her virgin status contrasts directly with Aphrodite, although she also rules childbirth and thus, by implication, the onset or inauguration of any new project or circumstance.

Icarus is perhaps the most difficult of these energies to manage, indicating rash, reckless, thoughtless action, heedless of the consequences, allied with an inability to accept good advice, leading to catastrophe or self-destruction. It is impulsive, impertinent, and tragically unconnected to the realities it has to contend with.

All these further inform and color the basic underpinning energy of the Solar Eclipse, and their connections to the birth chart will determine the extent to which they manifest or adjust the outcomes.

This eclipse pair comes with a bonus, in the form of the final lunar eclipse in the Mutable series that has directed the past two years. At 4 Sagittarius on May 25, this shows the eclipsed Moon exactly on a Black Hole, and activating a Galactic Grand Cross with an opposition to the Maser at 7 Gemini, and squares to a Pulsar and Black Hole at 2 and 7 Virgo, and a Black Hole and Quasar at 2 and 6 Pisces.

This eclipse packs more firepower than most, and its manifestations are likely to be extensive and potentially devastating. Having the Moon exactly conjunct a Black Hole at eclipse is just asking for trouble, though it can also evoke some very creative, if disruptive, solutions to problems or issues where we feel stuck or mired by circumstance. “Topsy-turvy” doesn’t begin to cover it, as the very ground of our being seems to be receding faster than we can keep pace with it, and current conditions change dramatically in the twinkling of an eye. This isn’t helped by having two additional Black Holes in the mix, but the true fly in the cosmic ointment here is the Maser in opposition.

We haven’t spoken about Masers before. Like Black Holes, they are stellar remnants, but they have not attained the total collapse which sparks the Black Hole’s supergravity. Rather, they emit spectacular jets of matter from their cores, violently spewing stellar jetsam far into space. They are incredibly powerful, but totally uncontrolled, and their astrological effects tend toward controversy, volatility and turmoil. They have the ability to agitate or excite, and sometimes this can translate as the ability to enthuse or incite others, eliciting their support in a cause, but this effect is more common in a birth chart, where the energy has a chance to “settle in” and find its proper expression. In mundane events such as an eclipse, it’s far more likely to manifest as disruption and possibly devastation.

The other galactic new player in this pattern is the Pulsar. Pulsars are stellar cores which rotate rapidly and emit radio or x-ray signals at regular intervals, thus “pulsing.” They are informational in nature, providing insights and sparking intuition, and are often connected to major news events. Given this line-up, we can expect some important stories to come out of this eclipse period globally, and the lone Quasar in the mix doesn’t stand much chance of grounding or ameliorating these energies to the point where they become palatable.

With the Moon at this eclipse is asteroid Hebe [see her profile elsewhere in this issue] at 2 Sagittarius, an indication that issues of service to others will be accented now. We’ll likely be seeing more stories of child sexual abuse as well. Adjoining the opposing Sun are centaur Asbolus and asteroid Phaeton at 1 and 2 Gemini. Thankfully these are a bit wide in orb to the 7 Gemini Maser, which should not affect them unduly.

Asbolus is named for a mythic centaur seer, a diviner who read auguries in the flights of birds. It represents foresight and foreknowledge, an ability to tap into the zeitgeist, or spirit of the times, and put one’s finger on the pulse of events, putting oneself in accord with current circumstance.

Phaeton is more troublesome, indicating a spectacular explosion or implosion, a self-wrought destruction resulting from taking on more than one can reasonably handle or is prepared for.

In square are asteroid Achilles and TNO Orcus, at 2 and 3 Virgo. Achilles also represents self-undoing, but of a more karmic nature, involving a fatal, inherent character flaw which results in a fall. Orcus was a mythic judge of the dead who punished oath-breakers, so there is an implied admonition here to adhere closely to commitments and contracts at this time.

But the biggest celestial heavy-hitter involved is Neptune, in close square to the eclipse axis from 5 Pisces. Neptune’s action is indistinct here—it can be a very spiritual, uniting energy, conveying sympathy, empathy and altruistic intervention. But it can also manifest as deception, confusion or obfuscation, fantasy and escapism, and inability to see conditions clearly, and often promotes addictive or codependent behaviors. Neptune’s action, like the water which it rules, can be both pervasive and insidious, and its effects may not be well understood until long after the eclipse itself.

Two more eclipse round out the year. On October 18 a Lunar Eclipse at 25 Aries inaugurates a series in Cardinal signs which will dominate the next two years. This eclipse is also exactly conjunct a Black Hole, and having two such in the same year marks 2013 as a banner year for change and transformation. This activation can feel like we’ve been sucked into an alternate dimension or parallel universe, where up is down, black is white, and nothing is as it seems. Traditional forms break down and are supplanted by radically new perspectives and conditions.

Increasing the instability and volatility of this period is a Grand Cross of Black Hole energies acti9vated by this eclipse, with anomalies at 28 Cancer, 22 Libra and 22 Capricorn. These three degree orbs of aspect are fairly wide, but effective nonetheless, reinforcing the exact conjunction of the eclipse degree itself and broadening its energies into the associated Sings and Houses of each horoscope into which it makes a significant impact.

Accompanying the Moon are centaur Pelion and asteroid Orpheus at 20 and 21 Aries, TNO Eris at 22 Aries, and asteroid Isis at 27 Aries. Pelion is named for a mountain in Greece, mythically noted as the primary home of the centaurs; its presence suggests a “steep uphill climb” or dramatic learning curve required for successfully navigating the troubled waters agitated by the eclipse. Orpheus indicates the futility of trying to recapture the past, the impossible task or recreating a world that has faded into obscurity.

Eris is named for the Greek goddess of strife and discord, and its activation here suggests a period more than usually divisive, contentious, and generally irritating or unpleasant, on a variety of levels. Be especially careful whom you offend, and try to be as inclusive as possible, lest others feel left out and work some mischief.

Isis represents the principle of reconstructed wholeness, the drive to repair what has been broken, reunite that which is sundered, and generate something new from the wreckage of the old. There is also a sense of “the missing piece,” the one element that cannot be located or recovered, but which is essential for completion.

With the opposing Sun are TNO Haumea and asteroid Circe at 20 Libra, and TNO Rhadamanthus at 23 Libra. Haumea is named for the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth, and represents the creation of any new thing, project, concept or enterprise. Circe counsels against degeneration into our baser instincts, a devolution of form into something bestial and less than human. There is also an air of enchantment or bewitching associated here, a sense that we are not entirely the master of our own volition, but can be drawn off course and distracted by forces bent on our control. Rhadamanthus is named for a mythic Greek judge of the dead, noted for his scrupulous honesty but harsh punishments of those judged guilty.

Two additional points fill out the Grand Cross on a local level. TNO Varuna at 26 Cancer relates to legacies, what we leave of ourselves and pass on to the future. Hermes at 26 Capricorn is the Cosmic Trickster, that quicksilver, ungraspable moment in time when Fate throws a spanner into the works and things go haywire.

The fifth and final eclipse of 2013 is the Solar Eclipse of November 3 at 11 Scorpio. This is also a Black Hole degree, and with Solar eclipses having an effective scope of up to three years, the changes wrought now could have serious ramifications well into the future. The eclipse also touches off a Galactic T-Square of two additional Black Holes at 9 Leo and 12 Aquarius, adding emphasis and increasing the turbulence and instability of the period. The pace of change will be dramatically increased, and catching one’s breath between crises may seem an impossible task. But there is much creativity released in these patterns, and not all the changes will be unwelcome ones.

Saturn is the “biggest” player at this time, as from 13 Scorpio it closely conjoins the eclipse. Saturn here may help to ground the Black Hole’s effects, providing some stability in the wake of the tidal wave of change, but its accent will also be on limitation or loss, reinforcing the natural tendency of an eclipse to destabilize existing conditions which no longer serve us, and the Black Hole’s insatiable capacity to take. This is also a signal that work and career matters are in particular flux at this time, and an important clue that mastery and self-control are vital now if we are to weather the cosmic storm.

Also with the Sun are asteroid Karma at 9 Scorpio, asteroid Sisyphus and TNO Deucalion at 12 Scorpio, TNO Ceto with Saturn at 13 Scorpio and asteroid Hera at 15 Scorpio. Karma here, tag-teamed with Saturn, indicates that we’re about to reap what we’ve sown, big time, and with very little sense of humor in the lessons being learned. Sisyphus is that “déjà vu all over again” sensation, the need to repeat ourselves, go back into what we thought was complete and re-do, reinterpret, reorganize or simply chart a new course.

Deucalion brings up issues of morality, not in the typically puritanical sexual realm, but is the more Eastern sense of “right action.” Are we acting morally in what we do, how we treat others, how we interact with the environment? Ceto suggests some “monstrous” events or reactions to the stresses brought on by the eclipse, problems which seem mythic in their proportions. Hera indicates the importance of partnering with allies in overcoming the difficulties raised, but can lose its focus in impotent rage at circumstances beyond its control.

As with the galactic points involved, there is nothing opposed the eclipse to fill in the missing leg of the Grand Cross, but there are local points active at the arms of the T-Square as well. In Leo we find asteroid Lilith at 13 degrees, exactly squared Saturn, suggesting a need to separate from traditional boundaries, throw off the shackles of external authority and carve a path for ourselves through the wilderness.

Aquarian points activated include asteroids Juno, Diana, Aphrodite and Minerva, at 9, 10, 13 and 15 Aquarius respectively. Juno here reinforces the partnership issues of Hera in conjunction, with an added focus on the disempowered, and finding ways to lift them up. Diana counsels us to remain true to our authentic selves, our virgin core, if you will, whatever alliances we must form to achieve our goals along the way. Aphrodite is an image of flighty, lack-of-focus self-centeredness; can we attract others into our orbits and solicit their support without giving up more of ourselves than is wise? Minerva grants wisdom and a mature perspective on the issues, allowing us to detach from even the most intimate and personal challenges to formulate logical approaches to overcoming them.

Along with the two prior Lunar Eclipses, this Solar Eclipse makes three in a row with exact Black Hole conjunctions, so expect the unexpected, and mark your calendars–2013 could well be a banner year where no stone is left unturned in the cosmic drive to alter the status quo and birth a new balance on planet Earth.

Alex Miller

Alex Miller is a professional writer and astrologer, whose website AlexAsteroidAstrology.com offers a trove of info on the role of asteroids in personal and mundane astrology. He is the author of The Black Hole Book (available on Amazon.com) and The Urban Wicca, former editor of “The Galactic Calendar,” and past president of The Philadelphia Astrological Society. His pioneering work with Black Holes in astrological interpretation began in 1991, when his progressed Sun unwittingly fell into one. Alex’s books and writings are available on his website. Alex can also be reached for comment or services at .