Scales vs Scales: Mars and Venus Eclipses
The Nodes slipped into the Aries-Libra axis on July 17th of 2023, placing that which is on the increase and being rapidly printed into reality with autonomy, independence, capability, effectiveness, directness, the quick, immediate, reactionary, competitive and combative; and that which is fading away, being disposed of, losing hold and rapidly being deleted from reality with harmony, balance, equilibrium, grace, charm, fairness, justice, mediation, diplomacy, relational consideration and accommodation made for others. In my September forecast I mention that Pluto returning to Aquarius in 2024 combined with the South Node in Libra will likely harken the dark side of collectivist concepts, left group-think and progressive ideas while the cultural climate is every-man-for-themself as people become sick of social justice. This of course is already in the air and the stage is therefor set: the over-abundance of transits across Aquarius since 2020 have made sure of that, as the Water-Bearer’s sign has been blown out into distortion putting society and the people within it forever more on edge. (placehold that which surrounds bodily autonomy and consent as well) There is typically context for what the Nodes are up to, reasons why we might need more of this and less of that. In our nativity’s and personal lives the house the North Node falls into by transit fills up with substance and activity we are destined to experience and the house the South Node passes through releases substance and activity we have finished with. Depending on what part of the story we are in we are alternately more or less a participant in this. We at times might be aware and lucid within a transition and at others feel we are having dimensions of our lives torn away from us and pushed into circumstances we didn’t choose. Obviously, looking into your chart to see where this falls for you and putting feelers out for the process is recommended.
(above image: John Gast)
Sadamasa Motonaga
That the Nodes operate across an axis is revealing. In natal astrology this displays how houses across from each other interact. Say, the 4th and the 10th for example: Foundations and Career respectively. If your foundations, such as home and family, are firm then they may hold up and support your life objectives and allow for a base through which they can be carried out. The reason why holding down a job while homeless presents difficulties. In astrology generally the cross axis activity of the nodes displays the polarities of the zodiac signs, such as Aries and Libra in this case. Individual action versus relational consideration.
Fortunato Depero
We’ve already had one Aries eclipse on April 19th 2023, so you have a reference point as to what kind of expression was brought into your story. Although, the nodes were still at that point in the Taurus-Scorpio axis and there was still one more Scorpio South Node and one more Taurus North Node eclipse celestially scheduled, for May 5th 2023 and October 28th 2023 respectively. So, we are currently in the threshold period of nodal changeover as both processes play out at once. The commonality between the two cycles is Mars and Venus ruled signs. The eclipse period we are coming from has the North Node in Venus ruled Earth and the South Node in Mars ruled Water— nocturnal or yin modality triplicity. One way to summarize this progression might be “after an intense and traumatizing period we are sick fighting tooth and nail every night and risking our life for a scrap or bone and feel more like planning out a garden to eventually have nice vegetables and flowers growing at hand down the line”. Methodologies to move out of traumatized states. The eclipses we move into host the North Node in Mars ruled Fire and the South Node in Venus ruled Air. It appears that the plan we crafted to calm things down, ground and get back to the basics is becoming too bland and boring and its time for light and spice to return to life. I noticed with Saturn in Pisces periods, in which boundaries are by definition loose, there are episodes on the world stage which people wonder after “why didn’t someone stop them?” I imagine that the combination of the Nodes inclined towards incendiary action without care for others with Saturn’s relinquishing of control to go with the flow will describe such situations. In our personal lives we don’t need to heed to any such massacres so we can make attempts to mete out the pace of how eclipses impact our experiences. Nodal activations press fast forward on the movie, advancing the plot to turbulent rates, with streaks across the screen and characters in mad rushes to carry out the narrative. It’s our job to be mindful for holding and releasing what we can handle as the fabric of reality goes all ‘ready or not’. Think of it as progressing reality kicking up into a story storm, in which it is wise to batten down the hatches and proceed with caution. Of course you don’t want to also clench up and miss the boat. Proceed with caution still implies that you proceed. Eclipse seasons themselves are like when arriving and departing trains simultaneously show up at the station and the humdrum waiting and watching the clock on the platforms switches to hordes of passengers stepping off and onto inbound and outbound cars— as a traveller of life this is a moment when you pay acute attention to make sure you get where you are going and end up in the right place. In the Aries-Libra axis you might shoot for energetic freedom and active autonomy over outright conflict and relational refinement or cultural cleanliness rather than total disregard of moral measurement. Be aware this will be your personal challenge to enact what is appropriate for you.
Frida Kahlo
The next pair of eclipses are not until October 14th (South Node Solar Eclipse in Libra) and October 28th (North Node Lunar Eclipse in Taurus) so we have some time to prepare and see how this transition fits into the story we are living and what is playing out in the world. You may have noticed this falls set are both Venus ruled as they span both axises, the last 18 months of eclipses and the next 18 months of eclipses. In Spring of 2023 we had two Mars ruled eclipses in a row, which peppered an initiating and activating principle across the early portion of the year but also said ok go but keep it relatively mellow. This round will highlight Venusian modes in both events, bringing to the forefront what we resonate with, desire, prefer and find satisfaction in, saying yes more of the plan to grow good things and obtain basic beautiful bounty while also purging some of what is shared or owed to others in your life.
Kazuo Shiraga
An aid in understanding what these nodal transits will bring us in a higher resolution look is knowing where Mars and Venus will be for each eclipse event. For instance, it made sense that the double Mars eclipses of the Spring were inspired to spark new solo action while also taking care to not be too disruptive as Mars at the time was in Womb Worlding Cancer. That the Venus eclipses in the Fall seem to be materially concerned and sick of negotiations also makes sense as she will be in Virgo, intent of sorting shit out and in a particular way. When we look to Spring 2024 when there will be a South Node Lunar Eclipse in Libra on March 25th Venus will be in Pisces separating from a conjunction with Saturn, so what contextualizes the turning away from playing nice and being fair in that sequence will be informed by the desire to express creatively without limit while obligated to relinquish control, submit to what is larger than you and go with the flow. For the April 8th 2024 North Node Solar Eclipse in Aries Mars will be in Pisces applying to Saturn, so the pull into autonomous activity will also key in tactically to the mystical and poetic maneuvering that the ambient motions of whole reality dictate. The forces with which to work with are the literal winds, waves, social climate, political atmosphere, seasonal attributes, or opportunities for critical response and strategic advantage dictated by the vibes at present. It appears we should then make room to be responsible for and integrate the lessons of our current Saturn transits for best results come next spring.
Andrew Wyeth
Looking further forward we find Venus in Scorpio and Mars in Cancer for the October 2nd 2024 Solar Eclipse in Libra and the October 17th 2024 Lunar Eclipse in Aries. This creates an interesting loop as the Libra eclipse is ruled by Venus who in turn is ruled by Mars who at that time is ruled by the Moon. That expulsion of social grace could be potentially more brutal and ugly, as Venus there is going with her gut and not fucking around and Mars in Cancer operates along the “you can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs” lines. The Aries eclipse which follows leaves Venus out of the circuitry and just pairs the Moon and Mars in mutual reception, so while not lacking in brashness there is likely a more efficient way of going about things here, while still in the realm of drastic measures to protect what you care about and are nurturing. Expect gut wrenching, triggering, and overly sensitive, but also as previously explained, this is your own transit betwixt arriving and departing trains, so look alive as you face your fate and meet your destiny.
Trine Churchill
The next pair in the spring of 2025 see the final Aries eclipse and introduce the first Virgo eclipse, which will of course be ruled by Mercury rather than Venus— meaning that Venus in Scorpio in fall of 2024 was her last act in refining and purging where Libra lands in your chart, which is appropriate as the nodal sequence is moving things from Venusian ideas to a Martial activities. The Virgo eclipse is first in spring 2025, a Lunar shadowing occurring on March 14th with Mercury in Aries conjunct retrograde Venus, which synchronistically ties all of our themes together. With new autonomy seized and life made more exciting, like it or not, attention to organizing our thoughts while re-evaluating our desires in this more action packed and individuated arena spike to the forefront and lead perhaps to a disregard for details and simplification of processes, a kind of smudging effect to get things done, or removing complication so as not to trip ourselves up. The subsequent March 29th 2025 Solar Eclipse in Aries sees Mars in Cancer again, which means it is the 3rd time this occurred across 2023 to 2025 and what Mars is “doing” while in Cancer is of prime importance to the cycle at large. Again, we get the drastic measures to protect what we care about out of the mutual reception, which fingers crossed, as the baby of the world is saved via a leap from the burning building of reality, all goes well and we only suffer scratches or mendable wounds which down the line make for exciting scar stories.
Giacomo Balla
The Nodes don’t exclusively express during the eclipses themselves, but are always resonating and carrying out their process of shedding, refining, polishing, spiritualizing, releasing around the South Node and biting into, grasping, seizing, manifesting and increasing around the North Node. This is especially the case when planets are on the bends, exactly between the two points and making a square aspect to either end of the spectrum, which will happen multiple times throughout the process and twice a lunar revolution from one side and then the other, so knowing where Mars and Venus are not only during eclipse season but throughout the entire time the North Node is in Aries and South Node is in Venus is useful. You can find that information collected below for reference. From this we can see context for the Aries impulse to autonomous increase and the Libran scales being stripped down, simplified and refined, as if to say, there’s too much bullshit on both sides of the scales, if we take it all off except for that which cannot be set aside we can more clearly see how to measure what matters. When Mars is in Virgo the logistics and procedures to follow towards our autonomy take the forefront of our activity and efforts, and when Venus is in Leo authentic energetic expression guides what we decide to remove from either side of the scales.
Simone Cantarini
NN Aries SN Libra Eclipse flow
-nodes: 7/17/23—1/11/25
-eclipses:
-4/19/23: NN Solar Eclipse Aries: more autonomy
-5/5/23: South Node Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio: less intensity
-10/14/23: South Node Solar Eclipse in Libra: less diplomacy
-10/28/23: North Node lunar eclipse in Taurus: more methodical
-3/25/24: South Node Lunar Eclipse in Libra: less diplomacy
-4/8/24: North Node Solar Eclipse in Aries: more autonomy
-10/2/24: South Node Solar Eclipse Libra: less diplomacy
-10/17/24: North Node Lunar Eclipse in Aries: more autonomy
-3/14/25: South Node Lunar eclipse in Virgo: less complicated
-3/29/25: North Node Solar Eclipse in Aries: more direct
Sadamasa Motonaga
-Mars transits: tactics of context:
-7/10/23—8/27/23: Mars in Vir: logistics
-8/27/23—10/12/23: Mars in Lib: equilibrium
-10/12/23—11/24/23: Mars in Sco: instinct
-11/24/23—1/4/24: Mars in Sag: quest
-1/4/24—2/13/24: Mars in Cap: stratagem
-2/13/24—3/22/24: Mars in Aqu: hypothesis
-3/22/24–4/30/24: Mars in Pis: atmosphere
-4/30/24—6/9/24: Mars in Ari: effectiveness
-6/9/24—7/20/24: Mars in Tau: methodology
-7/20/24—9/4/24: Mars in Gem: multitasking
-9/4/24–11/3/24, 1/6/25—4/18/25: Mars in Can: protectiveness
-11/24/24—1/6/25, 4/18/25—6/17/25: Mars in Leo: exhibition
-Mars RX: 12/6/24—2/23/25: erratic energy application
Egon Schiele
-Venus transits: values of context:
--6/5/23—10/8/23: Venus in Leo: authenticity
-7/23/23—9/3/23: Venus RX: re-evaluation period
-8/13/23: Venus inferior conjunction: insight into desires
-10/8/23—11/8/23: Venus in Vir: critique
-11/8/23—12/4/23: Venus in Lib: harmony
-12/4/24—12/29/23: Venus in Sco: impact
-12/29/23—1/23/24: Venus in Sag: ideal
-1/23/24—2/16/24: Venus in Cap: integrity
-2/26/24—3/11/24: Venus in Aqu: intelligence
-3/11/24—4/5/24: Venus in Pis: freedom
-4/5/24—4/29/24: Venus in Ari: excitement
-4/29/24—5/23/24: Venus in Tau: craft
-5/23/24—6/17/24: Venus in Gem: curiosity
-6/17/24—7/11/24: Venus in Can: quenching
-7/11/24—8/4/24: Venus in Leo: authenticity
-8/4/24—8/29/24: Venus in Vir: critique
-8/29/24—9/22/24: Venus in Lib: harmony
-9/22/24—10/17/24: Venus in Sco: impact
-10/17/24—11/11/24: Venus in Sag: ideal
-11/11/24—12/7/24: Venus in Cap: integrity
-12/7/24—1/3/25: Venus in Aqu: intelligence
-1/3/25—2/4/25, 3/27/25—4/30/25: Venus in Pis: freedom
-2/4/25—3/27/25, 4/30/25—6/5/25: Venus in Ari: excitement
-3/1/25—4/12/25: Venus RX Aries ands Pis: re-evaluation