Following the September 17 lunar eclipse, next comes what’s called an annular solar eclipse, on the morning of October 2. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun. There’s a “ring of fire” effect as the Moon appears like a dark disk on top of a larger disk. The October 2 eclipse will be partially visible on the Pacific coast, reaching totality in parts of Mexico at about 11:07 a.m.
The precise time of the New Moon will be on October 2 at 11:49 a.m. Pacific time, at 10 degrees Libra. The New Moon that occurs closest to the September equinox marks Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish new year which, like all Jewish holidays, starts at sundown. Beginning the evening of October 2, Rosh (head) Hashanah (the year) initiates a period of ten Days of Awe during which one reviews one’s actions, asks for forgiveness, and makes vows to do better.
Libra is the sign of balance and peace. This includes holding the interests of an Other on a par with one’s own. Libra’s glyph looks like a scale, a symbol of equality and justice. Peace can’t exist for long without justice.
There’s an odd idea that the Libran way is to be conflict-avoidant, which isn’t really true. To make peace does not mean to be acquiescent. In fact, the road to peace is often, first, to face conflict, to struggle with what’s causing it. Libra, after all, is a cardinal, action-oriented sign, and it’s of the air element, meaning it wants forward motion and social connection. A Libran personality may be drawn toward conflict because of a desire to resolve it.
Libra, ruled by Venus, is associated with romantic partnerships, a most fertile ground for conflict and for making peace. Fairness seems to be a pre-requisite for lasting love.
Libra’s glyph also looks like the setting sun, and in the natural zodiac, Libra is associated with the Seventh House, the time of day when the sun has set, work has finished, and it’s time to relax. Libra is ruled by Venus and the Venusian qualities of aesthetic beauty and practices of equanimity such as meditation. It’s no coincidence that artists of all types are in the vanguard of social justice movements. Artists are makers of beauty and peace.
Venus, the dispositor of the October 2 New Moon, is currently traveling through the fixed waters of Scorpio, making this a time of edgy psychological exploration, like fishing for what’s lost or hidden at the bottom of a pond. Venus in Scorpio may mark a time of considering and even acting on that which is ordinarily taboo.
Currently, Venus is moving toward a harmonious trine aspect with Scorpio’s ruling planet, Mars, now in water sign Cancer. Though Libra is an air sign, this is a watery, emotional time, and it will be for a while. That’s because Mars is making a long transit through Cancer, from September 4 to November 3; and then because Mars will be moving through one of its biennial retrograde periods, it will be back in Cancer in January and February of 2025.
Mars in Cancer is potent because Mars is the planet of focused determination and even aggression, and Cancer is the sensitive sign of mothering. The transit of Mars through Cancer may play out in myriad ways personally and collectively. This could mean escalated wars within and between families and tribes (think of the atrocities underway in the Middle East) and also action (Mars) to heal (Cancer) the children of war.
At the time of the October 2 New Moon, there will be a tense square between the Libra Sun and Moon and Mars in Cancer. One might expect to see the worst manifestations of the Mars in Cancer transit.
The most compelling aspect at this New Moon eclipse is the conjunction of the Sun and Moon with Mercury at 11 degrees of Libra. Mercury is how one thinks and communicates. Mercury in Libra is a symbol of conflict resolution. May cooler heads prevail.
None of the astrological symbols guarantees any particular, definitive result, both because there are many possibilities and because humans have personal and collective choice. Two people with the same natal chart, such as twins or babies born at the same time in the same town, will have noticeably different lives because the mysteries of fate are entwined with the mysteries of freedom.
This means that during any eclipse or transit—and including a collectively meaningful time frame such as the Days of Awe between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—there are multiple paths to choose from, with intention.
Peace is every step, said the Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hahn. Peace is something not just given, but something that must be made.
Blessings for the Libra New Moon eclipse and with prayers for peace,
~ Sara
Sara R. Diamond, an astrologer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a life-long student and practitioner in several esoteric paths. Her style of astrology combines modern-psychological astrology with insights from traditional astrology. Sara is also an estate planning attorney. In addition, she has published four books on right-wing movements in the United States and earned her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. You are invited to contact Sara via her website at www.SaraDiamondAstrology.com.
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