Libra Solar Eclipse: Grief Presents Itself for All to See
By Faith Luna
An annular solar eclipse is happening on October 2, 2024, deepening the stories created since the nodes started their journey through the Aries-Libra axis last year. The cosmos dipped its toes into a lunar eclipse in Pisces last September 18, signaling a new chapter ahead of us. Meanwhile, this eclipse in Libra echoes narratives from April 8’s total solar eclipse. As plotlines interweave throughout these transits, we remember how all beginnings and endings are connected.
Happening in Libra at 10°03’, ruled by an exiled Venus in Scorpio, intensity carries over from this continuous tug of war between independence and connection. Anyone with the Aries and Libra nodes in significant angles may be feeling this more right now. The debilitated Sun further highlights shaky relationships with self and others and the connections we’ve been keeping at the expense of our authenticity. The waves push us towards these changes, shedding light on what needs to go. The cardinal signs encourage taking intentional steps to make space for what’s to come, to acknowledge this new topography that we’re about to stand on.
And yet, in the face of all these changes is the response that we often brush aside: Our grief. The annular eclipse falls in the decan of Saturn, which finds exaltation in this diplomatic and compassionate sign. The Sun’s rays form a ring around the Moon’s shadow, ominous and evocative of the certainty of loss.
Total, Partial, and Annular Eclipses
A total eclipse is when the Moon, at its closest distance to the Earth, fully conceals the light of the Sun as they align during their conjunction. A partial eclipse is when all three bodies, the Sun, Moon, and Earth, are not perfectly aligned resulting only in the Sun’s partial obscurity. What we have ahead of us is an annular eclipse that occurs when the Moon is at its farthest distance from the Earth. The Moon eclipses the Sun like in a total eclipse but can’t cover its light entirely, hence the appearance of a ring of light around the Moon’s shadow.
Unlike the last three eclipses, this one will be partially visible in select locations along the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and South America. Argentina and Chile will witness the full spectacle of the Moon casting its shadow over the world—the Sun’s rays persisting with a ring of fire.
South Node Eclipse in Libra II: Experiencing Loss Makes for Stronger Bonds
Just 4° shy of conjoining the South Node, the eclipse falls in Libra II or the Decan of Saturn, represented by the Three of Swords in the tarot. Having to sit with the bitterness of reality and heartbreak falls under the dominion of the greater malefic, but he is also the lord of commitments and bonds. In this excerpt, T. Susan Chang writes about the Three of Swords and perfectly narrates Saturn’s role in both unions and separations:
“For a little while—a lifetime, maybe, or as long as love shall last, or until your other half becomes the proverbial ball and chain—we hold on to one other in the dance, forming connections of choice even whilst our cellular chains of telomeres grow shorter. There are times though, when we cannot or will not follow the script, when the choreography confines us, when Saturn’s chains feel like marionette strings. Then we break our pattern. The 3 of Swords show how, wittingly or unwittingly, willingly or not, we then pay the price.”
As light and shadow are cast here with this annular eclipse, unbalanced relationships and the ways you dim your light will be highlighted and dealt with. Either through completely cutting cords or reconciling and healing relationships—even the one you have with yourself, this is the best time to sit with these difficulties. Melancholic realizations brought about by relationship challenges, heartbreak, and/or confrontation turn into wisdom that could fortify any bond, or heal you into a person who can commit fully.
The North Node in Aries seeks autonomy and the freedom to act according to one’s convictions. However, staying true to yourself can be a lonely undertaking, and more so if one chooses to uphold it despite strong opposition. With the nodes’ journey through the Aries-Libra axis covering more ground now, stories of loss and heartbreak unravel more clearly. Remember, on the other side of the tail is the head of the dragon taking and consuming as it expels. It’s a perpetual cycle of consumption and elimination that leaves a new terrain in its wake. Perhaps after this last full eclipse before the nodes move on to Pisces and Virgo, you could find time to take account of your losses and what new relationships are on the horizon. As you finally sit with your grief and evaluate what’s been sacrificed, you get the chance to ask yourself new questions in navigating this new landscape.
Conclusion
Upsets and disturbances often display what’s already frail underneath—don’t look away. Acknowledge what failed and don’t be afraid to grieve lost attachments, or the parts of you that are slowly coming off. Sorrow is proof of your humanity and your capacity to love.
This classic poem by Rumi is a moving expression of the Self and the Other, in the process of knowing what’s ahead and shedding what is past.
“And don’t look for me in a human shape.
I am inside your looking. No room
for form with love this strong.
Beat the drum and let the poets speak.
This is a day of purification for those
who are already mature and initiated
into what love is.
No need to wait until we die.
There is more to want here than money
and being famous and bites of roasted meat.
Now, what shall we call this new sort of gazing-house
that has opened in our town where people sit
quietly and pour out their glancing
like light, like answering?”
About the Author
Faith Luna (she/her) is a writer, professional astrologer, and tarot reader from the Philippines. She has a penchant for exploring different fields of study and hobbies, mostly ones that encompass art and divination. Her astrology practice is a mix of traditional and modern principles grounded in the experiential with the goal to truly embody the words, “As above, so below.”
Instagram: Faithfrancesluna
References
Chang, T. S. (2021). 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot. Anima Mundi Press
Coppock, A. (2014). 36 Faces: The History, Astrology, and Magic of the Decans. Three Hands Press
No Room for Form by Rumi