This article covers significant aspects, degree symbols, and other important factors in this Capricorn Eclipse chart. We have now settled into a perfect Bowl Jones pattern which leads with Mars in Scorpio and ends with Uranus in Taurus. This Eclipse will bring forth honesty in all its forms. We are all mobilizing toward the future, so finish up whatever you need to, since a new world beckons!

This month puts the focus on the sign Capricorn, with a huge dose of Scorpio and a dash of Sagittarius and Aquarius. The adventure begins to take shape! 2 of our 3 final dispositors are very powerful, since both Mars and Saturn are in their home signs dominating the stage of life. All the planets are now poised at the threshold of their karmic rendezvous in January and March!

In early 2019 all the planets were bundled in about one third of the sky. They expanded into half and then two thirds of the sky, creating a Bowl and then Locomotive Jones pattern, with the Moon adjusting the pattern based in its position. We’ve now contracted back into a Bowl for the next month before everything hits maximum compression in early 2020!

As you understand by now, different months bring us different Jones Patterns, depending on the position of the Moon and the inner planets relative to the outer planets. These patterns operate their own independent influence, regardless of which planet is in which sign.

Currently, the outer planet occupied span begins with Jupiter in early Capricorn, and proceeds through the other outer planets in Capricorn, Pisces, and early Taurus. This is a fairly narrow distribution, with all the outer planets in a little over a third of the sky (excluding TransPluto, since Jones didn’t use it in defining his patterns). That means the Jones pattern in the sky is primarily influenced by the position of the inner planets, shifting the pattern every so often.

So What is a “Bowl Pattern” and how does it work?

This type of spread, with all the planets occupying approximately half of the signs with an empty half opposite the occupies half, creates a “special type of conscious selfhood,” which Dr. Jones says “marks the Bowl type of temperament. He goes on to state “Fundamentally it is an extreme self-containment,” which “holds things, and a Bowl individual is one who always has something to bear.”

He goes on to state that with the Bowl, “the whole dynamic of man, his total power of achievement, arises in his instinctive realization that he is set off against a definite part of the world, that there is a complete segment of experience from which he is excluded in some subtle fashion. The Bowl not only holds something, but also places whatever it holds into relationship with a larger consideration.”

Dr. Jones continues that “the occupied segment of the Bowl horoscope reveals the activity and organization of the self, since planets are significant according to their place by sign and house, and the unoccupied segment becomes a challenge to existence, or the need and emptiness to which the native must direct his attention. The outstanding characteristic of the Bowl temperament is its marked sense of what is self-contained in contrast with what the self cannot hold, and this take an everyday form in an advocacy of some cause, the furtherance of a mission, an introspective concern over the purpose of experience.”

He concludes his explanation of how the pattern works with “The Bowl native always has something to give to his fellows, whether literally or psychologically, whether constructively or vindictively, because his orientation to the world arises from division; that is, frustration and uncertainty. The leading planets, determined in exactly the same way as for the Locomotive pattern, give a point of application, and shows where and how the native seeks to carry out his mission or gain his everyday justification for existence.”

He brings up another important point of analysis, as he states “the leading planet is of secondary importance in the Bowl pattern, unless it is found in a strong opposition or cosmic cross. The fundamental attack on the problems of life by the Bowl individual is indicated more significantly by the tilt or house-position of the Bowl-segment.”

He concludes this section by stating “the Bowl character is definitely more self-expending, or self-seeking, and more practically interested in what things mean and what they are. It continually throws the emphasis from the signs into the houses. It a general way the Bowl tends to ‘scoop up’ things and initiate experience when the position of the leading planet ranges from the fourth cusp, up and over the ascendant, to the midheaven cusp, and then inclines to “capture” things or consummate various phases of life when the leading planet is placed similarly from the tenth angle down over the descendant to the nadir.”

As with last month, Mars in Scorpio is the leading planet. Find a concentrated focused approach to initiate experience with an eye to the long haul. See through the appearance of things, and focus on the structural strengths or weaknesses in any argument or plan. By January Mars will be in Sagittarius, activating everything promised by Jupiter this past year. By March, we’ll be in new long wave cycles as Mars conjuncts Pluto, Jupiter, and then Saturn, kicking off the next 200 years of Air energies, and 20 years of Aquarius energies, priming the pump for the Pluto in Aquarius era as we move into the “Spring of the 21st Century.”

With Uranus closing, take a new look at how you’ve linked “the above and below” in your life. See that you have found your “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” and have found something of Universal worth in 2019. Things are cooking, with a feast coming soon! This leads with social and emotional Faith, and closes with actional Substantiation.

The Outer Planets Anchor the Pattern of Half the Sky

At this time, Jupiter is quickly closing in on the occupied span involving Saturn, Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus. Jupiter will continue to lead the outer planet occupied span through December 2020, when it conjuncts Saturn at 1 Aquarius and we enter a new 20 year and 200 year era! Be as honest as possible, with yourself and others, since that authenticity will be the source of power and understanding in 2020.

So last year, this year, and next year, Jupiter plays a major part in how we enter life experience. It's why sometimes these past few years have seemed like a wild ride, an adventure, a quest, and more! With honesty and responsibility as key themes for the coming month, as well as 5 years to come, it would seem we are at a type of “judgment day,” and must choose how we will express ourselves in our world, for better or worse. This will be a forceful awakening for many.

Long term, as Jupiter closes in on its conjunction with Saturn beginning now and lasting all of 2020, there will be times when most of the planets will be compressed into very narrow spans centered in Capricorn. Though the outer planets have been expanding out to a wide spread these past 20 years since the last Saturn conjunct Uranus, the outers are now compressing, with Jupiter and Saturn headed to a karmic rendezvous with Pluto and then Neptune over the coming years. Due to the increasing compression, by early 2020 we will begin to see more “Bundle” patterns than we’ve seen in many years, since at times the planets will all be within a 120 degree span.

In this New Moon, the most intense occupied span (in this chart the span between the Lunation and Pluto) is 5 planets in 18+ degrees, making that the major focus. Again, mobilization and transformation is in the air! Expanding the focus to the planets bookending this cluster (Mercury and Venus), we find 7 planets in 41+ degrees, making that the more general focus of the next month, with many related things shut down or removed by the Eclipse through 2025.

The Sabian Symbol for the New Moon

A New Moon sets the seed forms for what the following month will demonstrate. This Lunation falls at 5 Capricorn, and it is said that the first third decan) of any sign deals with the actional, material, and physical levels of life, and being the first decan of Capricorn it has a sub-influence of Capricorn. While I've given you a sense of this degree up to now, this is where we go into depth.

The symbol for the 5th degree of Capricorn is “Indians rowing a canoe.” In the original Marc Jones class notes on the symbols published in The Astrology of Personality, Rudhyar says this is a degree of “mobilization of latent energies for determined self-exertion,” “obsession by elemental forces,” and “violent awakening to reality.”

We are told in The Astrological Mandala that this symbolizes "the mobilization of physical and emotional energies in a spirit of conquest.” He offers that the symbol can be associated with a tribal mobilization of a “common will” to establish common tribal goals. The original symbol did not speak of war, so I believe it’s more apt to focus on the theme of group solidarity in dynamic situations.

He states “group-life demands constant activity and challenges in order to remain healthy,” and suggests assertiveness can activate “the potential of growth inherent in any social group.” He says it falls in the span of "Illusiveness” and it’s the culminating degree in the actional level of the scene of Crystallization in the Act of Capitalization.

According to Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, this degree is one of “the irresistible impulse to action inherent in the very fact of conscious being,” and of our ability to accomplish the fulfillment of our motives in a “personal focus.” He speaks of “the primitive nature of Life at root,” and our need to remember to be “thoroughly practical” as “immediate considerations” present themselves, reordering what we need to in the moment.

He offers us the keyword MOBILIZATION. He states when operating in a positive way, this symbol represents “a capacity for aggressive leadership and an unusual effectiveness in sidetracking minor issues for the sake of major achievement.”

So this Solar Eclipse Lunation indicates these next 4 weeks (and 5+ years!) point to the Light of Divine Effectiveness mobilizing each of us to do some form of group work, seeing immediate necessities and taking the lead if necessary. We have been led to see and understand many hidden things up to now; we are at a threshold of doing what must be done, efficiently, honestly, with humor and vision of what is to come as we deal with what is. If something is sidetracking your efforts, be assertive in focusing on immediate needs.

Important Aspects

Remember that in reading a Lunation chart (as well as a horary, inceptional, electional, or any event chart) the forming aspects show things to come, while separating aspects show things already past. Partile separating aspects show what’s been going on in the Now. This section covers only forming and partile separating aspects.

We are now beginning a long run of no transit to transit oppositions except for when the Moon is outside the occupied span. That means there will be lessened oppositional energies in the next few months, except of course for those with planets in Gemini, Cancer, Leo, and Virgo who will be affected by the transits since planets continue to move through Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces during coming months.

This Lunation has quite a few aspects, none frictional except for the Rhombus Diamond energies anchored by Uranus semisquare Neptune. This Solar Eclipse is exceptionally dynamic, being conjunct Jupiter and Saturn, showing us a larger play of things to come! This is an “expansive sobriety” or “sober expansion,” and launches a new year of vision, adventure, truth, and responsibility. We can see the Light of things to come, as well as what will have to go to bring forth the group promise of this Eclipse.

As the Eclipse is quintile Neptune, some will develop very acute intuition, which is why integrity is paramount in the months to come. This will help us understand why some collective illusions must die, as well as our old ways of relating to the collective atmosphere. Those who will most benefit from these specializing energies have planets or points near 1 Sagittarius/Gemini, 3-7 Capricorn/Cancer, 9-13 Aquarius/Leo, 15-19 Pisces/Virgo, 21-25 Aries/Libra, and 27-30 Taurus/Scorpio.

We also see the Lunation and other inner planets in quite a few spiritual aspects. Along with the conjunctions and quintiles, the Eclipse is elftile Venus, novile Mars, trine Uranus and Vigintile Pluto. Adding to the spiritualizing and specializing energies we see Mercury is novile Venus, conjunct the Sun (Out Of Sign), semisextile Mars, conjunct Jupiter (oos), quindecile Saturn, trine Uranus (oos), binovile Neptune, and quindecile Pluto; and Venus is elftile the Sun, quintile Mars, elftile Jupiter, and novile Neptune. As you can see, a compression of a lot of spiritual aspects which will bring forth faith and high realizations over time.

Outer planet aspects include Mars novile Jupiter and quadranovile Uranus; Jupiter is conjunct Saturn, quintile Neptune, and Vigintile Pluto, all through Translation of Light; Saturn is biseptile Uranus and conjunct Pluto, and Uranus is semisquare Neptune, anchoring the Rhombus Diamond energy discussed a few paragraphs down.

Special Configurations in Evolutionary Astrology

This month, besides the specializing zones of cultivating intuition mentioned earlier, we have several powerful “spiritual realization” zones generated by the numerous novile series aspects. The generators in this are the Eclipse, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus, creating major spiritual breakthrough zones near 2-7 Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, 12-17 Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius, and 22-27 Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.

If you have anything in these zones, either something or revelation you’ve been waiting for will finally take shape, or you’ll realize you are on a journey where what is true now may or may not be true in the future, even if it’s all somehow related. There is tremendous potential for multi-level realizations over the next 5 years, many of which will come as we mobilize under immediate necessities, and move into greater vistas of effective action.

Besides this huge energy field, we also have Venus novile Neptune. This creates a synthesizing energy which makes the future ideal solid in collective consciousness. This Venusian pulse will take new shape when it conjuncts Neptune at the end of January when both are on Neptune’s current SD degree. There are major spiritual rebirths promised by this “before the beginning” stage where “future patterns” are revealed. Active zones include 5-10 Aquarius/Leo, 15-20 Pisces/Virgo, and 25-30 Aries/Libra.

The Rhombus Diamond

As you’ve read in other articles, Uranus is involved in a “bottom tone” of friction in the collective consciousness because of its long wave semisquare to Neptune, anchoring the octile-driven “Rhombus Diamond” configuration with intense “cutting, grinding, and polishing” energies wherever we have the very early degrees of Taurus and Scorpio, as well as the middle degrees of Pisces and Virgo.

The Rhombus Diamond configuration was perfected this year in early September when the Moon is in Scorpio was semisquare Venus in mid-Virgo, opposed Uranus, and sesquisquare Neptune at the same time as Venus opposed Neptune and sesquisquared Uranus. Since then and into the future, it will be perfected every time the Moon and Ascendant are in early Scorpio and mid-Virgo at the same time.

As you know if you’ve been reading this column for any length of time, the waxing Uranus semisquare Neptune marks a crucial point of shift in the opening of their very long wave cycle, and is a major significator of our unsettled times. This very frictional energy has been with us a while and will continue to be with us a LONG time! That aspect anchors a frictional configuration that is kicked into play whenever planets pass through early Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, and mid-Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. It is especially powerful when a planet transits mid-Virgo and early Scorpio.

As the planets make various octile aspects to these Uranus and Neptune, those phase shifts generate a LOT of tension in the atmosphere, creating a grind for us where they fall in our chart. This semisquare is indicative or the hard edge all of us are going through as we try to find how our individuality fits into the collective atmosphere, and why there is so much friction between the transpersonal Uranian forces and the transpersonal Neptunian forces at this time.

As I told you in the September 2017 Rhombus Diamond articles, when it’s active we can expect solar flares and plasma eruptions, warping in the electromagnetic field, breakaway impulses, sideways explosions, and all equivalent human behavior symbolized by these octile aspects testing our clarity. It has presented all of us with certain questions. What is your role as you would define it? Reject timidity and uncertainty, and find your place in the larger scheme of things.

Explaining Harmonics

As noted, this month we have a huge number of spiritual and specializing aspects. Of the specializing aspects, we have 3 vigintiles, 2 quindeciles, and 3 quintiles. This quantity of spiritual aspects dominates this Eclipse, with FIVE noviles, 1 binovile, and 1 quadranovile, and 3 elftiles. This month is exceptional in that we have only 1 biseptile in the 7th harmonic series.

The novile (9th harmonic), septile (7th harmonic) and elftile (11th harmonic) series all feature spiritual aspects. All novile series aspects represent gestative energies that can lead to great spiritual realizations. Septile series aspects represent forks in the road of destiny, while the elftile series aspects represent issues requiring we resolve some sort of duality by making a leap of faith to attain a form of mastery over that type of duality.

The quintile and biquintile (5th harmonic) and related 10th (decile and tredecile), 15th (quindecile), and 20th harmonic (vigintile) aspects are all specialization aspects. You can find more by going to Astrology Class on the Specializing Aspects Pt. 1 – The Quintile and Biquintile, and Astrology Class on the Specializing Aspects Part 2 – The Decile, Tredecile, Quindecile and the Vigintile.

You can find out more about the spiritual aspects (septile, novile, and elftile series) by referencing this brief overview of the Spiritual aspects, complete with glyphs for all of them.

Element Balance and Who’s Leading the Sun

This month we have the 10 traditional planets occupying 6 signs in a very imbalanced element distribution. We have 1 planets in Fire (inspiration and warmth), 6 planets in Earth (practical grounding), 2 in Water (feelings and experiencing), and 1 in Air (relatedness and communicating). This month we have Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, and Taurus represented, with no planet in the other signs.

Air and Earth are “cool” elements, while Fire and Water are “hot” elements. With this distribution, things are more cool than hot, with practicality predominant and fire leading the Light. So our depth experience can result in a larger vision which leads us to seeing the soundness of structures.

Because the New Moon falls in early Capricorn, Mercury in late Sagittarius is the planet currently leading the Sun. That means “the Gateway to the Light” involves the coordinating “Guide of Souls” in a sign of honesty, vision, and adventure on a degree of being the representative of some group effort, and “endowment beyond realization.” Those who can embrace a greater sense of dedication to a group effort will gain access to the Great Light.

The current sequence at present of Deciding, Feeling, and Thinking

We’ve been through several different sequences over the past few months. There are six patterns, and each has their strengths and weaknesses. This month continues last month’s pattern. As a process of moving through events, the most effective “firing sequence” for approaching life and experience over the next 4 weeks involves leading with our thinking, then deciding, and then feeling.

This pattern leads with their understanding, vision, or analytical perceptions, and then makes decisions and acts based in those perceptions. While it is tempting to move back into more thinking, analyzing, and envisioning after we act, instead of going back to the mind to confirm our action, we must get to our feeling-experience around what we just decided or did. When we go deep enough and understand what we are experiencing, then new information, new understanding, and/or a new vision will naturally arise that points the way to the next action.

When you are moved by an idea, vision, perception, or understanding, it will naturally lead to decisions on the basis of those ideas. This should be followed by a time of solitude and reflection where we can identify what we’re feeling and experiencing. Once we identify what we’re experiencing, we’ll naturally be moved to search for newer information, newer ideas, newer interpretations, and newer views. So let your thinking and communicating and envisioning lead you to “right action,” and feel what you must to come to a newer view.

The Sagittarian Promise

As we look back on and say goodbye to Jupiter in Sagittarius, be honest in how you’ve been inspired the past year. Our current spiritual structure was established by 2017’s Fire trine between Saturn in Sagittarius and Uranus in Aries. That stabilized unique forms of heart expression, love, or creativity, and launched the final phase of our “escape from a narrow destiny” begun in the Summer of 2016. We’ve been quickened since Spring 2017, and in 2018 Jupiter taught us to eliminate all that prevents our Spiritual Self from coming forth with ease while Saturn in Capricorn showed us “promises to keep, and miles to go before (we) sleep,” to quote the legendary Frost.

This past year Jupiter expanded the promise of previous Sagittarius eclipses, Lunations, and different planetary station points. It opened up futures based in the Saturn in Sagittarius structures created in 2016-2017. Whatever was “bound up” or “cocooned” when Jupiter was in Scorpio has now blasted off into infinite space as Jupiter has moved through Sagittarius!

The North Node was in Sagittarius between March 2011 and August 2012. Whatever was removed by the Eclipses of that period created space which has been filled with new Jupiterian material this year. Longtime readers will note that June 2011 Solar Eclipse was VERY powerful, and helped us break loose from “ghosts of the past” over the 3.6 years it was in active operation. We also had a Solar Eclipse in early Sag in Nov 2011 and early Gemini in May 2012. All of those voids have opened to a new Sagittarian promise which now begins to take shape with Jupiter in Capricorn.

Summing Up

This Lunation begins a new era! As it occurs in early Capricorn and is conjunct Jupiter, this promises the materialization of previously held dreams using the skills and powers we’ve cultivated since April 2019. This begins our adventure into the patters we created before now, and many realizations are coming for those who “tended the fires” of group vision and detailed labor.

This accelerates and expands the energies of the Great Compression of January through March even as all which would obstruct our mobilization is swept away. Just as a tide lifts all ships, whether merchant, pleasure, and pirate, this tide will mobilize both constructive and destructive forces. Since there is work to be done, be honest with yourself as you move through building practical things with others.

We are on the threshold of a new life, work, and world. We had all of 2019 to “get in shape” to do what we will have to do in the near future. The current Great Compression in Capricorn will set forces into motion in this bridge year between the old promise and the new 200 year Era coming with the Grand Mutation of 2020! By how we respond between now and May we’ll position ourselves in a greater work which begins in April and changes life as we know it by January 2021.

We’ve been in a time when angels and divine help are in the air, as well as redemption and forms of trained creative expression. Our training in the use of power will be essential to our awakened new life in 2020. We now have an expanded sense of humor and irony, and now can embrace the “pre-formed patterns of the future.” We’re all participating in forms of spiritual rebirth within a community where we can present our best to each other and God. Keep calm, carry on, and embrace your role in that group. You could find yourself performing beyond any previous sense of self!

Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend

Saturn in its home sign of Capricorn for the first time since 1991 makes it the final dispositor of all planets transiting Capricorn and Aquarius from now through 2023. It was a major influence in the Jan-Feb and July-August 2018 eclipses, as well as the January, July, and current Solar Eclipse, continuing its years-long power behind events.

Saturn continues to hold court in its home sign of Capricorn, and many things came to the surface through the Summer oppositions which helped us mature and grow this Summer. Saturn has trained us for group work to come in 2020 and beyond, remember that as you make inner Saturn your friend, you’ll overcome fear and be able to embrace your higher Destiny.

If you’re wondering what that would look like, if you haven’t already, please consider getting a copy of my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. Saturn helps us give form and structure to our quest for Self-realization, and in Capricorn, will help bring an “organized personal structure” to the Uranian energies infused with concentrated doses of spiritual energy that is making our spiritual life come alive.

It was written for both astrologers and non-astrologers, and will help you understand why some things happened when they did. Each time you read any section of this book you will find new insights about your power to steer your personal evolution. You will understand how to throw off all the attitudes which have held you back from finding and living your life and purpose, and fulfill your destiny as an Eternal having human experiences!

Please order your copy today! You can go to the Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend page on Amazon and this should be all you need to order your copy. The ebook is available through Kindle and Nook. And if you would, please write a review on the Amazon site, since the more reviews, the bigger the boost on their site.

Part 1 Here

Part 2 Here