The New Moon/Solar Eclipse on November 3rd is at 11º16‘ Scorpio. The Sun and Moon will have lots of company with Mercury Rx, Saturn, and the N. Node within 6 degrees of each other. That’s a tight little stellium of eclipse energy. But wait…there’s more!
Also appearing with this eclipse is the Part of Fortune in Scorpio, out at 22º Scorpio but still part of the stellium. AND, any child born on the east coast at the New Moon portion of the eclipse will also have their Ascendant in Scorpio.
How do you read that lineup of energy when you encounter it in a chart? This is happening as a transit in your chart, so hang with me. Our experience will be processed by a filtering through the first point to the last. First the Node, then Mercury, then the Sun and so on. The lineup itself might be read as:
There is the promise of great opportunity for powerful, magnetic, and transformational experiences that lead to growth (N. Node in Scorpio). Once discovered, there is a need to think about these experiences in great depth and talk or write about them (Merc) almost obsessively (Scorpio again) to make them a part of the core self (Sun). Intense emotions (Scorpio Moon) must be processed regarding these experiences before honing and developing the potential skills (Saturn) indicated by the transit’s house. With hard work (Saturn), nurturing (moon), authenticity (sun), and right thinking (Merc) the promised opportunities bring joy and fortune. (Part of Fortune).
The whole eclipse shebang is sextile Scorpio’s rulers: Pluto in Capricorn at 9º and Mars at 11º Virgo. Sextiles are “easy” aspects that are supposed to bring harmony and opportunity. Well…we’ll see. I’ve got my fingers crossed, but when Mars and Pluto get together to throw an eclipse party…I’m not sure how much I trust them, sextiles or not. Know what I mean?
The fixed signs are most vulnerable to challenges or difficulties with this particular eclipse. This is due to the possibility of squares and oppositions to planets or points at 11º Scorpio. My own life-changing experience with difficult transits to the fixed signs near these same degrees impels me to tell you to go with the flow. Resistance really is futile. To the fixed signs’ chagrin, it’s nigh on impossible to maintain the status quo. An oracle might predict something akin to the Biblical story of Joshua: “Jericho’s walls came tumbling down.” We don’t know if that’s good or bad. I guess it depends on whether you’re the wall or the trumpets. It’s a combination of perspective, behavior, effort and, of course, results.
The type of experiences encountered with New Moons and eclipses are related to the house of the eclipse in which they occur. Molly Hall has a super article on eclipses in the houses that I highly recommend. Donna Cunningham gives an overview of the types of people you may encounter based on the houses in A Who’s Who of your Horoscope–the Players in all 12 Houses, as well as an awesome free download on the houses from her e-book, An Astrological Guide to Self-Awareness. These three tools will help immensely in analyzing the eclipse (and all the houses) in your chart.
Keep in mind that eclipse effects can last up to a year if your chart is impacted. A major event and its effects lasting a period of a year sounds about right. It might feel absolutely endless, though.
Astronomy of the Eclipse
If you’re on the east coast, you should be able to catch a glimpse of the eclipse. It begins around 6:45am. The New Moon is exact at 7:50am (ET). Get up in time to catch it. How often do we actually get to see a New Moon? Rarely.
Speaking of rare…this eclipse is called a “hybrid” eclipse and it’s very rare, so don’t miss it.
A hybrid eclipse (also called annular/total eclipse) shifts between a total and annular eclipse. At certain points on the surface of Earth it appears as a total eclipse, whereas at other points it appears as annular. Hybrid eclipses are comparatively rare. (wikipedia)
I recently learned another term relating to eclipses while watching Jeopardy. See those little bead-like white protrusions around the perimeter of the eclipse. Those are called Bailey’s Beads. They’re the result of the sun shining through areas defined by mountains and valleys of the Moon. The pinkish spots are nuclear flames, courtesy of the Sun.
Don’t miss the excellent article at the end of this post to learn more about this rare eclipse and how to view it.
If you can’t view the eclipse in your area, you can watch it live here on Auntie Moon. Cool, huh? It’s being broadcast by the Slooh Broadcast Team. It will begin at 6:45am Eastern Standard Time (turn those clocks back!) and end at 10:15. Watch it here on a full screen.
Here’s the info on the broadcast from Slooh.
“Join the Slooh Broadcast Team on November 3rd for complete coverage of the incredibly rare Hybrid Eclipse live from Kenya, Gabon, and the Canary Islands. Slooh Astronomer Paul Cox will be broadcasting live from the wilderness of Kenya to bring the clearest images of the Solar Totality, while live feeds from Gabon and the Canary Islands with show the Annular portion of the Eclipse as the Moon’s shadow starts its path across the Earth’s face.”
Auntie Moon 
Great post! Namaste _/l\_
Yes, very helpful and informative, thanks, esp as it is making so many aspects to my natal chart. Also, no one else mentioned the POF, which is exact sextile my Sun, trine my Jup/Uranus cjn, and sextile my Chiron! Tr Pluto exact (3 mins) my Mars/NN cjn but your advice makes room for much more than fear and trepidation. Thanks again.
I’m so glad that the POF inclusion was helpful to you. There is ALWAYS room for more than fear and trepidation. Joy is always welcome. 🙂
I have my Moon in Scorpio at 11 degrees. Saturn has been dancing with my Moon for a while now and I have been witnessing my Mother fall into utter lunacy and then death. This New Moon and company brought her memorial and ALL of my family from coast to coast gathered at our old homestead, the family farm, that has been in our keep for generations. Daughters of daughters of daughters scattered my Mother’s ashes in the flower meadow where my own sister’s (her daughter) ashes had been scattered before her. Pretty powerful stuff! BTW, my Moon is bordering the 8th and rules my 4th house 😉
My heart goes out to you, Igraine. Your memorial for your Mother and all the connections to home and heritage are very moving, and I appreciate you sharing your story. It’s powerful, and also beautiful. Saturn squared my 4th house Moon when my Mother died. Even after all these years, I scratch my head at how astrology can work the way it does. {{{hugs}}}