What Lies Beneath

Thomas Canfield

     Looking at the Solar Eclipse chart (10-25-2022, Washington D.C., 6:49 am), it appears we are in for a major blast from the talking heads. Mercury is on the Ascendant, conjunct the Part of Fortune, with a Grand Trine in Air to Mars in Gemini and Saturn-Vesta in Aquarius. The resounding theme from the talking heads may be family values, and attacks on those persons who try to fulfill their own destinies in defiance of those who supposedly know better. Eris, dwarf planet of discord is sextile both Mars and Vesta, but it is also being opposed by the Ascendant, Mercury, and Part of Fortune. With Eris descending in the chart, there is no need for her to cause discord. The discord has already arrived and she might as well take a vacation

     Neptune is trine Pallas, asteroid of wisdom, and spiritual teachers may try to calm down the atmosphere, but could add more upheaval to the situation. Neptune is squaring Mars, and there could be contention over metaphysical matters, such as how many fetus souls can dance on the head of a pin. Neptune is also quincunx the Ascendant, Mercury, and Part of Fortune, and there may be increased arguments on religious stands. (How can you call yourself pro-life when you support Capital Punishment?) Pallas is squaring the Ascendant, Mercury, and Part of Fortune. There may be a lot of questioning over the wisdom of what is being said. Uranus is sextile Pallas, and there might be a heavy social media response to the sounds of talking heads. Bloggers may be generating their own wisdom in contrast to the packaged TV and radio blather.

       The main power of the chart is that which cannot easily be seen. Pluto is at the bottom of the chart, and squaring the Ascendant, Mercury, and Part of Fortune. The constant hot air of the talking heads may have the opposite effect of what is intended, namely turning people against whatever position they advocate. Those who keep promoting family values may not get sympathy from those who had to endure dysfunctional families. Memories of abusive or absentee parents are not likely to inspire certain segments of the population. The result may be the fueling of an underground movement that may be ready to explode against the mainstream establishment.

     The Solar Eclipse further enhances this image of Plutonian rebellion. In the First House, the Sun, Moon, and Venus are conjunct at 2 Scorpio. Some feminist astrologers have referred to Venus in Scorpio as a dark goddess figure. For those who follow the Greco-Roman mythology, Venus in Scorpio is like Persephone, the reluctant bride of Hades/Pluto, who has to remain in the underworld for six months. Modern interpretations of Persephone see her as the guiding spirit who brings souls back to Earth to be reincarnated.

      Another interpretation of Venus in Scorpio is that of Innana, the Middle Eastern goddess who descends to the underworld by stripping off her garments as she passes through each level. The story of Innana also deals with themes of imprisonment and release from the land of the dead. There are topics which may be coming forward after the Solar Eclipse conjunct Venus. For every lament over a picture of an aborted fetus, there may be a hundred protesting voices over pictures of women who died from back-alley abortions.  The Halloween season may not be filled with haunted house ghosts, but with phantoms of lost rights and diminished personal security.

      Jupiter retrograde at the Aries point is quincunx the Solar Eclipse and Venus. Jupiter as the ruler of justice may be in for an attitude adjustment when it sees how unpopular legal decisions are played out. If Jupiter can tell a large group of citizens that they have no rights in certain areas, then those citizens are going to band together and make sure those rights are put into law. The pro-life movement gained a reputation for being a narrow-minded single-issue movement. Their work may bring about an opposing single-issue movement to get the laws straightened out.

    These combating elements of single-issue movements can be seen in the opposition between Ceres and Juno. Ceres in the Eleventh House may be in a better position for organizing a mass movement. Some astrologers have suggested dwarf planet Ceres as the rightful ruler of Virgo, and with Ceres in its own sign there may be more efficiency with recruiting and fundraising. In contrast, Juno in Pisces may face confusion and loss of money. Juno, has been called the asteroid of marriage, but it the traditional form of marriage in which connections are made for the sake of money, social rank, or political advancement. The archaic values of old-time marriage may come under attack and be ridiculed as the patriarchal vision of ancient domesticity. (How many goats come with a new wife?)

     The one group that may not be heard from, but who should be listened to, would be the doctors. Chiron is not making major connections to other bodies in the Solar Eclipse chart. There is a wide square to Pallas, and there may be a realization that those who practice faith healing are not likely to listen to advice from a doctor. Chiron is semi-sextile the North Node and Uranus, and there may be some discussion of medical ethics with the bloggers. Chiron is sextile Saturn, but those who are promoting old-fashioned values may not quote doctors unless the doctors are agreeing with them. It looks like the medical profession will be on the sidelines when upheaval takes place, and dark goddess values may be rising up to scare all those who are too busy talking to think about what could happen.