It really does feel like something has shifted, even before Tuesday’s eclipse. Eclipses can be like that. We can feel the really powerful ones up to six months before and after.

The elections are over in the United States, with surprisingly few complications, given Mercury’s station retrograde just as the polls were closing on the East Coast (then, delayed effects are always possible). President Obama’s re-election wasn’t a surprise, but other results were: more women than ever in the Senate, the defeat of candidates with outdated views about women, initiatives to legalize gay marriage, and the legalization of pot in Colorado and Washington. This isn’t small change.

We’re in a period of intense change, with the Uranus-Pluto square, recently amplified by Saturn in Scorpio, the mutual reception between Saturn and Pluto, and now the new series of eclipses in Scorpio and Taurus. The keywords for Scorpio are death, transformation, and rebirth. I have to think that the grand trine between Saturn, Neptune, and Ceres also has been a major influence in the 2012 elections. Neptune rules mind-altering substances, Ceres seems to have an association with plant life, and Saturn is the planet of rules and regulations. There you have it.

While it’s possible that our “big eclipse event” is already behind us, it’s hard to imagine that there won’t be more to come, especially as the Scorpio-Taurus series unfolds over the next two years. A lot can be accomplished in this time, if we put our minds to it, and given the intense nature of Saturn and Pluto, all of our courage and ingenuity will be needed to meet the tests still to come. This applies individually and collectively.

As I wrote in last week’s forecast, “For years, astrologers have spoken of this time period as a critical point in human development, during which we go through a collective transformation. The time of testing is here, with Saturn, lord of time and karma, and the lunar North Node, symbol of destiny, both in Scorpio. We’re in the thick of it now. Lessons we learned over the past two years – since the cardinal T-square of 2010 – will be invaluable as we go through this dark and confusing rebirthing process.”

Looking at the details of this New Moon Eclipse, both Sun and Moon are at 21°57′ Scorpio, not far from the lunar North Node at 26 degrees Scorpio, which gives us a total eclipse. The Sun and Moon make no close aspects with other planets. Of course, the ongoing Uranus-Pluto features prominently in the eclipse chart. Other aspects are a near-exact square from Mercury to Neptune and inconjunct between Saturn and Uranus. We’re still in a period with a high risk of lies, confusion, and distortion. Certainly, the losing party is in serious confusion. According to some press reports, Republicans were so sure of a big victory that they couldn’t believe the results. It’s not unreasonable, given these aspects, that we eventually could learn of some election fraud. The Saturn-Uranus aspect highlights the vast gulf between those who want to preserve the status quo and forces for change.

Astrologers disagree on the meaning of eclipses. It gets a bit tricky when you’re dealing with unseen forces we don’t yet understand – or with symbolism. Some astrologers say eclipses are a sort of collective reboot. According to others, they are like supercharged New Moons and Full Moons, representing endings and radical new beginnings. Some say an eclipse has no effect at all if you can’t see it from your location. This eclipse will be at its maximum over the Pacific Ocean and will be most visible in northern Australia.

In my observation, eclipses have a great deal of meaning in your personal life, whether or not you can see them. The house position of the eclipses indicates which areas of your life are most subject to fast change. When doing consultations, one of the first things I look for is where the eclipses are falling in a client’s chart. Nine times out of then, the issues causing them the most stress are associated with the houses where the eclipses fall. Incidentally, we have two eclipses left in the Sagittarius-Gemini sign pair. One will be a lunar eclipse on November 28, and the last will be a dramatic lunar eclipse on May 25, 2013 – not a total eclipse, but with a powerful planetary alignment.

Looking at the rest of the week, Mercury re-enters Scorpio on Wednesday. I have a feeling that things will calm down a bit afterwards, as Mercury no longer will be in mutual reception with retrograde Jupiter in Gemini. The Sun and Mercury conjoin on Saturday, which could manifest as light being shed on deep secrets.

On a personal note, since retrograde Mercury didn’t wreak the predicted havoc on the U.S. elections, I guess that means I can take personally all the havoc he wreaked in my life over the past week. It started before he even officially went retrograde, which is often the case, according to the feedback I’ve received over the years from readers and clients. There’s a pre-retrograde “shadow” period in which Mercury passes through the degrees that will be activated during his retrograde phase, and often this can feel like the retrograde itself. For me, it has been classic, with frustrating delays, miscommunications, and no communications at all. The producer who was considering taking on my documentary project has fallen off the face of the earth. To top it all off, the county elections board rejected the signature on my ballot, a snafu that took three days to correct. As a result, I’m way behind on reports.

Aside from the eclipse and Mercury retrograde, the other big news this week is Friday’s ingress of Mars in Capricorn, sign of his exaltation. As long as Uranus is in Mars-ruled Aries – another six years or so – the position of Mars takes on additional significance. In Capricorn, Mars deposits to Saturn, “feeding” the mutual reception between Saturn and Pluto. It will be interesting to watch this relationship unfold. The square between Uranus and Pluto represents conflict between forces for revolutionary change and resistance by authoritarian control. With Mars in Capricorn, rebel forces could be co-opted rather than confronted by military might. Likewise, rebel leaders might seek backroom deals with those in power. There might even be a discreet back door into the halls of power for those seeking major change. Mars in Capricorn represents the military, so watch the headlines for unusual developments in war and military spending. The proverbial dirt hits the fan when Mars and Pluto conjoin at the lunar eclipse on November 28.

On Saturday, Mars sextiles Neptune. Among other things, this seems to be a perfect planetary configuration for severe winter storms. I write that with the caveat that I’m not schooled in astrological weather forecasting, so you can take that with a grain of salt … or a truckload for icy roads.

Much love and courage to all,
Pat