New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo - September 22, 2006

This Solar Eclipse is the second New Moon in Virgo this year. The first one was at 0 Virgo and the eclipse is at 29 Virgo. The last degree of any sign is called the anaretic degree. One of my teachers taught me that when a planet transits through any sign, themes related to that sign occur when the planet enters (0) and leaves (29) that sign. Other astrologers have also noted that people born with a planet in the last degree of a sign feel an urgency to move on to the next sign. The astrologer formerly known as Kelli Fox writes, "it means that you are very close to mastering an important lesson of the universe, but you have not quite achieved success." Cafe Astrology and Eric J. Uberseder also have wise things to say about the final degree. However you put it, this eclipse will be ultra-Virgo in nature. We have to incorporate the lessons of the Virgin in order to progress spiritually.

So, what does this entail? A Solar Eclipse is a New Moon conjunct a Lunar Node. We have the chance to start anew. However, the Sun and Moon conjoin the South Node, which relates to our past karma -- where we are coming from. Old patterns (South Node) are obscured (Solar Eclipse). We feel an urgency to master the realm of Virgo, yet our lack of consciousness about entrenched habits makes it difficult to move forward.

The last degree of Virgo is akin to the day before Fall (Libra). The harvest is over, and the seasons of Death are imminent. The weather is getting cold. The days will become shorter. Those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere will be spending more time indoors.

Virgo prepares us for partnership (Libra). Remember the advice that you can't be ready for a relationship until you've got your own house in order? Well, that's Virgo's job. When we attend to ourselves through proper self-care (diet, exercise) and skill-building (apprenticeship, practice), we feel competent. Once we have stream-lined our own life, we are ready to survive the cold and bundle up with someone else. We are (metaphorically) storing up enough grain for the colder months.

This Solar Eclipse is squared by Pluto. I've mentioned before how Virgo relates to the myth of Ceres/Demeter, in which Hades' abduction of Persephone into the Underworld resulted in her mother Demeter's neglect of the earth's vegetation due to depression (hence, winter).

The Lord of the Underworld can help bring to the surface those aspects of our past that have resulted in a compulsive living-out of the Virgo archetype: eating disorders, over-exercising, rigidity, hyper-criticism. Pluto transformed Persephone from a girl into a woman -- since some psychoanalysts see anorexia as a way for females to ward off adulthood, Pluto can heal these mother-daughter issues and allow females to accept their changing bodies. Of course, transitioning into adulthood is a kind of death, but so is moving into the second half of the zodiac.

Fortunately, after each death comes a new life. The end of adolescence signals the birth of adulthood. When we master Virgo's realm -- by letting go of anything that obstructs efficient performance of our bodies and routines -- we are ready to move on to the next level.

This eclipse will mostly impact those people with planets and angles in the last degrees of mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) and the first degrees of cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn). If you have a birthday around March 20, June 21, September 22 or December 21, then this eclipse will be hitting your Sun -- your sense of identity.

Tags: astrology - virgo - south node - solar eclipse - new moon

Regarding the comments section: I encourage readers to share their experiences, provide feedback and ask general questions about the eclipse, but I do not analyze charts in the comments section, so please do not give me your birth information. [Added 9/23/06]