Solunars by Aldebaran Sidereal Academy

Jim, I have never worked much with Lunation Charts in the mundane world. Can you offer some sound rules or a book you would recommend? Thanks. And, if anyone else has recommendations please post.

SteveS wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2024 4:12 am Jim, I have never worked much with Lunation Charts in the mundane world. Can you offer some sound rules or a book you would recommend?

I'm going to interpret this question more broadly as referring to syzygies in general. BTW astrologers commonly use "lunation" incorrectly, as if it meant the New Moon event itself. It doesn't. It means the time period between to successive New Moons. Also, I suspect you want t ask about Full Moons just as much as New Moons, so all of my remarks below apply to the two of them interchangeably. The best term for the actual event (occurrence) of a New Moon or Full Moon is syzygy.

First, think about the syzygy itself - the actual New Moon or Full Moon - without thinking about its chart. (I think this directly touches the ways I've seen you mentioning these in your financial posts.) A New Moon or Full Moon is primarily a stronger-than-usual Sun transit. Every year, Sun conjoins, oppose, and squares each thing in your chart, always on about the same day. These are always important, yet start to feel routine - "same ol', same ol'." If this occurs as Sun and Moon form their exact conjunction (New Moon) or opposition (Full Moon), it's stronger than usual. Not a gigantic thing, just a Sun transit (always important) that's more important than most years. (And if it's an eclipse, then it becomes a very serious Sun transit.)

This is the most flexible, usable use of these astronomical events: They are stronger than usual Sun transits. Their effect is on the day of the syzygy partile aspecting a natal planet (and perhaps secondary things spinning out of that). It's an event, not a period.

Now we turn to the syzygy charts themselves as used in mundane astrology.

Tropical mundane astrologers, not having Sidereal ingresses, rely on syzygy charts as their most important medium-term charts. Bradley wrote monthly predictions based on them for years before discovering Sidereal ingresses, and wrote them for many years after under a variety of pen names. The basic way they use them is surely wrong: They are primarily house-driven, with one clear rule that is easy to test (and will quickly disprove itself): The house(s) of luminaries in these, for a nation's capital is said to show the primary themes occupying the attention of the country for two weeks. If you watch this for three to six months, you'll quickly decide that you can't justify that rule at all.

Here is a surprise for you: Angles aren't all that important either. If something is closely angular then, sure, it will be important - but the charts aren't angle-driven like ingresses. This means that they affect the whole world more than a location. It is very hard - almost impossible - to get any localization out of them.

BTW the New Moon may cover an entire month like a full lunar return, though there is no doubt that the Full Moon has a comparably strong voice in the second half.

For example, suppose there is a sudden outburst of wildfires in some areas of the country. Run the syzygy charts and you generally will not find Mars on an angle (it's about as common as random distribution). However, you'll likely find that the outbreak occurred when the syzygy Sun-Moon were aspecting Mars.

Also, don't limit yourself to hard aspects. Prioritize them, but don't limit the way we know that solunar returns and Sidereal ingress aspects need to be limited. For instance, the next New Moon March 10 occurs at 25°12' Aquarius sextile Uranus. Nothing else significantly aspects the New Moon, so it will begin two weeks of likely mild-yet-distinct Uranian events.

The New Moon before December 7, 1941 occurred November 18 at 2°21' Scorpio. Everywhere in the world, it opposed Saturn at 1°02' Taurus and Uranus at 4°30' Taurus. One might extend to the octile of Mars at 17°38' Pisces. So the forecast should have said that a bad thing - with elements of surprise and violence - would occur. But where? They weren't angular in Washington, at Pearl Harbor (Jupiter was angular!), or in Tokyo. The chart didn't localize. But there is no doubt it was showing events well described by the New Moon's very close opposition to Saturn and additional aspects to Mars and Uranus.

The Full Moon November 25 was less obvious and, in fact, for Washington had Venus closely setting. It was, however, Venus conjunct Mars, and in Washington the mundane Venus-Mars conjunction was closer than the ecliptic one the world generally got (though Venus was still clearly stronger). The Full Moon trine-sextiled Uranus within about 2° so, sure, it was a surprise, though not as vividly described as in the New Moon chart.

So the first rule is to interpret them by aspects to the luminaries - and don't expect angles to capture the primary feel of the chart. Planets closely on angles are simply one more aspect in the aspect set.

The other main rule I'd suggest is that other aspects in the chart are also part of the story. Again, don't limit yourself to hard aspects as if you were reading a return, and don't presume you are getting anything localized to a particular place.

Going back to that November 18, 1941 New Moon, besides the syzygy aspecting Saturn, Mars, and Uranus there was a close Venus-Mars square - common for war or other "relationship conflict" in political charts, especially since Venus octile Uranus 0°01'. War is all over the chart - it just doesn't tell war where.

When you get the angularities, they may seduce you - but they aren't reliable or consistently important. The New Moon September 14, 2023 (before October 7) for Tel Aviv does have Pluto at MC and Jupiter-Uranus straddling Ascendant. It's really impressive! But you won't usually get that. The more immediate Full Moon occurred September 29 - the Full Moon is unaspected and the most important aspects were again the war-leaning aspects of Venus square Uranus and sextile Mars. "Unfriendly neighbor" aggression somewhere in the world was highly likely. For Tel Aviv, Mercury and Neptune were moderately foreground - on opposite sides of horizon so that their mundane midpoint is most relevant - primarily showing confusion, disorientation, failure to apply intelligence information, etc. But one has to be careful not to strain for moe details than are actually in the chart.

Meanwhile (and in contrast), the Canlunar that morning had Saturn closely rising in Tel Aviv, opposite Venus in the foreground, with Moon in partile mundane opposition to Pluto. THAT is a slam-dunk description!

Jim, thank you so much. I am going to take notes and get back to you with questions possibly for my better learning/understanding.

@Jim

This was a great post! Wonderful insights. Thank you for sharing.

Some other quick (famous) examples.

The October 18, 1929 Full Moon was trine-sextile Saturn - no other close aspects. So (to the extent syzygy charts have a voice) we'd expect a Saturn tone to world affairs for two weeks. The chart also had a partile Mercury-Uranus opposition and the close Venus-Saturn square f that week that we've come to know as "the party's over." Keep it simple: A Saturn month with mental surprises (startling, shocking) and a sense that the party is over, that there is emotional loss or grief, etc.

For Washington, Mars exactly squared MC. It fits: There was crisis, people died, it was a hard competitive struggle, etc. But while it fits, Mars isn't the clearest indication of the essential event of that week: It was the Saturn that aspected the Full Moon.


The November 16, 1963 New Moon had no close aspects. In Washington, though, it had a close Mars-Pluto square on the angles (and, more fully, it was a Venus-Mars conjunction with both square Pluto). This is clearly violent (and - not to start new conspiracy theories - also mingles the planets that collaborate on war). It's all against a backdrop of a Saturn-Neptune square. I think this describes U.S. events of the next week just fine.


A Full Moon on September 2, 2001 at 16° Leo-Aquarius was square the year's distinctive Saturn-Pluto opposition at 18°-20° Taurus-Scorpio. Clear enough? (It also, with smaller orbs, was trine-sextile Jupiter.) The only other important aspect was a Venus-Neptune opposition. - For Washington, it gets intensified by Uranus square MC. Clear enough? (Not what we expect from ingresses, but still pretty damn clear IMHO.)


The 12/29/2020 Full Moon would have misled us if we read it from angularity, with the dreamy Venus-Neptune exact square on the angles. But, to get the theme right, the Full Moon itself was trine-sextile Uranus, so something surprising, audacious, or even rebellious was expected. Lots of close aspects mingle (mostly soft) but we also find a close Mars-Pluto square with it. The Uranian events would somehow include Mars-Pluto and Venus-Neptune themes.


The July 14, 1969 New Moon was exactly sextile Pluto - something unprecedented or mind-blowing was going to happen. The chart also had a Jupiter-Uranus partile conjunction. Within the week, we landed on the moon. In Washington, Venus was on MC.

The May 30 1995 New Moon had no aspects, so we turn more to the angles, finding Mars exactly square Asc for Washington. The Oklahoma City bombing occurred within that lunar month.

The Full Moon July 1, 1776 was unaspected but did occur along with a Mercury-Pluto conjunction and a Mars-Neptune square that happened to be on angles in Philadelphia.

The Full Moon July 25, 1945 was trine-sextile a Mars-Neptune trine. We would expect a Mars-Neptune month worldwide. This would have Uranus elements (Uranus octile Full Moon), especially affecting foreign relations (Venus-Uranus conjunction). Also, Mercury squared Mars which, in the summer of 1945, would be easily seen as military in nature, - In Washington, Saturn was culminating. Within the fortnight, we dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.


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Jim, If I understand your Syzygy Rules, the April 8 Total Eclipse cutting across parts of USA main aspect is a 1,24 cnj Mars-Saturn---correct? If so, we can expect a Mars-Saturn theme for the month maybe for USA. Could be added confirmation for your “Beware of April 19” thread? Some astrologers think Eclipse shadow paths are important to consider.

There will be 4 full supermoons in a row from August to November 2024. The closest full supermoons will be October 17.

Right in time for the Prez Election!
Monday, Aug. 19.
Wednesday, Sept. 18.
Thursday, Oct. 17.
Friday, Nov. 15.

Jim, here is the Oct 17 2024 DC Super Full Moon preceding 2024 Prez Election.

https://ibb.co/Kx1X36L

It’s a hellish aspected Full Moon chart just with the T-square of Mars with the Full Moon!

I want to use this example for my learning purposes with the general rules you offered in this thread for Syzygy.

I understand we can’t choose locations with Syzygy Charts but I went ahead and chose DC since we are selecting a Full Moon before the Prez election. I also understand with your guidelines we should not come to rely heavily on the angles of a Syzygy Chart, makes good sense to me. We will have to wait and see how this Oct 17 Full Moon chart manifests itself but it don’t look good even without using angular interpretation. Using angular interpretations it offers possibilities of a nasty Sun-Moon-Mars-Pluto event within 2 weeks of this Oct 17 Super Full Moon.

I don't know what to say about the four New Moons just before election. I place no value at all on Moon being closer to Earth for these (other than geophysical e.g. weather matters). Distance doesn't seem to be a factor in astrology. (Otherwise, retrograde planets would all be thought the most powerful.)

While I look for time to run these charts and take a look, I should mention that I have no reason to think that so-called Supermoons are any more powerful than ordinary New Moons. Eclipses yes... but Supermoons are just ordinary New Moons.

SteveS wrote: Thu Feb 29, 2024 3:39 am Jim, If I understand your Syzygy Rules, the April 8 Total Eclipse cutting across parts of USA main aspect is a 1,24 cnj Mars-Saturn---correct? If so, we can expect a Mars-Saturn theme for the month maybe for USA. Could be added confirmation for your “Beware of April 19” thread? Some astrologers think Eclipse shadow paths are important to consider.

The main ecliptical aspects of that chart are the Mars-Saturn conjunction and the Jupi9ter-Uranus conjunction. That exact combination reminds me of the IIRC 2017 Capsolar just as Trump came into office.

Let's sort out location, though... Based on treating this as a New Moon, there is really no way to localize it. That's one of the problems I have with them. These conditions (to the extent syzygy charts are important, which is an uncertainty) affect the world. Thereis nothing to tie them to the U.S. specifically.

Now let's switch gears and look at this an eclipse. Yes, this path of totality is across a large path of the U.S. There is some anecdotal evidence that eclipses really to have a stronger effect where they are visible or maximal. But when this happens, it's only the eclipse itself - not the whole eclipse chart - that is active. (Take the path of the eclipse and ignore the rest of the chart.) The main effect of an eclipse dominating an area seems to be an acceleration or intensification of whatever is happening in the ingresses etc. So, while as a simple New Moon chart I would say this shows a Mars-Saturn and Jupiter-Uranus theme for one month, as an eclipse I would say it intensifies whatever OTHER (known valid) mundane charts show.

Thanks Jim.

I'm at work now and have a few minutes free. I should have mentioned that there is another difference in whether you treat an eclipse as a New Moon or an eclipse: They occur at different times! That is, the time of the New Moon (Sun-Moon exact conjunction) is not the time of eclipse totality. They are slightly different.

Solar Fire will take care of this for you.

For the April eclipse, in Solar Fire click the Lunar Phase Chart button (the half blue, half yellow icon). Calculate the April 8 New Moon much as you would a solar or lunar return. SF gives April 8, 2:20:36 PM EDT with Sun and Moon 0°00'00" apart. (Due to a rounding issue, I get a 1" difference. Good enough.) In Washington, Pluto is 0°41' from WP-a.

Next, click the Eclipse Search button. Set a time range at the top that includes April (say, 1/1/24 to 1.1.25). Select All Solar Eclipses and All Saros Numbers. Click Start Search. Two eclipses show for this year, including a total solar eclipse April 8, 2024. Select it and click Chart. This chart is for 2:17 PM, four minutes earlier. Interpretively they are about the same, with Pluto 0°13' the other side of WP-a, but sometimes it will make a difference.

It is the second one - the eclipse chart - for which you may want to do an astro-map and see where Sun and Moon are on MC etc. BTW, the eclipse occurs as Sun and Moon cross horizon across the western edge of Europe - just east of Paris, up through Belgium etc. If these were earthquake-prone areas, I'd expect extreme gravitational pulls there and seismic activity. As it is, we can expect some sort of accelerated intensity, probably geopolitical. Brussels, of course, is the governmental center of both the EU and NATO.

If I were to credit the New Moon charts with strong, reliable mundane forecasting power, I would read them as follows. (You have, of course, excluded the Nww Moons, which are equally important.) Here is a run at the New Moons:

August 4

New Moon sextiles Jupiter and Mars, which, however, are not themselves in close conjunction. Probably some market acceleration, a lot of "rah-rah for the home team" spirit (the conventions? an unusually hot baseball season?). Venus squares Uranus and Jupiter octiles Pluto so there continues to be (no surprise) rearrangement of alliances, shifts in foreign policy, and political struggles both within this country and between countries. The syzygy is exactly angular in Washington, so a spotlight is thrown on Washington in a big way.

October 2

New Moon closely conjunct Mercury, which in turn is 19' from exact octile with Uranus. Mercury themes dominate the month (with continued surprises, whether startling revelations or significant aircraft disasters). Saturn trines both Venus and Mars - the three are in Grand Trine - with Venus and Mars on angles in Washington, so damaged relationships tied to news of severe cruelty and inhuman indifference to suffering - operative worldwide but seeming to concentrate in the U.S. in particular (not helped by Mars being only 0°04' from Descendant). This chart speaks of heartbreak.

Furthermore, this is a solar eclipse - so the power can be expected to be much greater. (Does it matter that this eclipse exactly squares Trump's Mercury?)

November 1

Immediately before the election: The New Moon has no close aspects but a moderate trine to Saturn. It's most marked in Washington by the Mercury-Uranus across the horizon promising upsets mental shock, and surprise information. The rest of the chart centers around the partile Mars-Pluto opposition which anchors a Mercury-Mars-Neptune Grand Trine. Yes, there is great conflict (of a military violence sort) tied to all the other themes (we should at least expect deceptive data weaponized).

Returning to the Full Moons you cited, and again acting as if these are reliable charts:

August 19

The Full Moon has remarkably precise (4') square to Uranus - two weeks of definite upset, reversals, surprises, and new conditions that require immediate action. Meanwhile, a Venus-Jupiter-Saturn T-square (also remarkably exact) gives complex, unclear indications, probably showing a serious wounding of someone in the elite, celebrity class, a respectful mourning. This is all more complicated than I'm saying because, within about 2°, Mars is also involved - two benefics and two malefics - but I'll stick with what I've written. The aspectarian on this chart is insane if only Class 1 Ptolemaic aspects are shown. The mournful aspect is most concentrated in Washington.

September 18

This is a lunar eclipse - stronger than usual. The New Moon conjoins Neptune and sextile Uranus. It seems pretty clear that nobody knows what's really going on.

Even more with Mercury opposite Saturn and octile Pluto: Communication, transportation, and trade collapses, cyber assaults, and loud fights over keeping certain information out of circulation.

October 17

This Full Moon falls exactly across the horizon in Washington with Pluto on IC. The Full Moon is square Mars. Even though I said don't think of angles the same way as other charts, this one is unmistakable: It suggests the psychological and circumstances equivalent of an earthquake striking Washington and the U.S. government. It feels like January 6 all over again, though I can't imagine why such a thing would happen at this exact moment in time. (With Venus opposite Urans and Saturn octile Pluto, it could be war - though the chart feels more intimate, personal to the country.)

The 29°30' Virgo-Pisces Full Moon is exactly square Trump's 29°50' Gemini Saturn.

November 15

Full Moon conjoins Uranus. Change. Hopefully freshness and renewal, but certainly change. Mercury opposite Jupiter is positive for many things but Mars is also opposite Pluto. We're in a window when Neptune is sextile Uranus on one side and Pluto on the other (Ne = Ur/Pl), so things are rearranging so much that we don't really quite know where the pieces will land.


By the way, to take this further:

New Moon December 30, 2024

New Moon octile Uranus: The surprises continue. Venus-Uranus and Jupiter-Saturn squares don't make it any clearer to me. Clarity may not be what we get, either, since Neptune is on MC over DC. (There is a mundane Mars-Pluto opposition in DC.)

Full Moon January 13, 2025

The Full Moon is conjunct Mars and exactly sextile Uranus. We're not out of the risk of violence yet. The Moon-un-Mars is near he DC horizon and Pluto is EXACTLY setting (less than 1°). I won't suggest anything specific for this, but it is hardly calm or settled.

Jim wrote:

It seems pretty clear that nobody knows what's really going on.

I hear you Jim!
Most interesting observations Jim! Its probably going to get wild/crazy.

April 8th 2024 Total Eclipse Path for USA:

https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/futur ... here-when/

Since this Eclipse Path starts on the Texas Border, and with recent political news being focused on this border, I want to see if any possible events happen with this Eclipse on the Texas Border, or anywhere else in the USAs Eclipse path’s shadow.

Bill Meridian:

The Shadow of an eclipse has historically been seen as an omen. Astrologers traditionally have felt that the area and peoples shadowed were usually energized. Indeed, the single country most traversed by eclipse paths from the post-war-years to 1960 was Vietnam. Those lunation’s that were eclipses were given greater weight. Edward Johndro felt that eclipses were the single most powerful influence in astrology. Jayne taught that events that occur near eclipses always take on greater importance. Events commencing in the week prior to the eclipse rarely work out as expected. The key lessons are that events near eclipses take on a greater importance, and that events in the week before eclipses are fated to work out unexpectedly.

Thank you for sharing that link Steve. I liked how the map actual broke down the viewing times. My daughter told me yesterday that her general manager is expecting our region to be flooded with out of town viewers. Most schools here will be closed that day. I had a wonderful daydream that it would be a lovely spring day with the community outdoors enjoying the beautiful world and then to have the brilliant experience of seeing the day time sun turn to the blackest of night, and that everyone would see the marvelous beatitudes of the heavenly stars in all their glory and be awestruck and dumbfounded at the sight and the utter silence of the world and that maybe it would plant a loving seed of hope and change in their heart that they could carry with them in life....and maybe some of them would be so star struck that they make it habit to go outside at night and watch the stars dance across the sky and learn the stories of the constellations and tell them anew.

Re: "The New Moon before December 7, 1941 occurred November 18 ...The Full Moon November 25..."

If the New Moon is on the 18th, the Full Moon can't be on the 25th (7 days later), but rather on December 3rd. In that chart, for Pearl Harbor, Pluto is 2° off the Descendant, with Saturn less than 5° off the IC, which seems strong for the event and localized. I think you analyzed the opening Quarter Moon chart.

On August 21 2017, a total solar eclipse tracked from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic. The shadow of the moon began over Oregon and moved east to Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina. This was the 1st Total Solar Eclipse in 38 Years... ...for those in the contiguous United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). The last time anyone in mainland US saw a total eclipse of the Sun was on February 26, 1979.

Eclipse Path of the Great American Total Eclipse Aug 21 2017: (greatly influenced effects of 2016 election), IMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as2wTPnh4Dw

The main problem this eclipse brought to the USA-- it divided politically the USA, with each party blaming each other that they were destroying democracy. And the beat goes on….with another total USA eclipse April 8 2024 (here we go again with another Prez election) with the main aspect theme a Mars-Saturn cnj. As we can see with the Aug 21 2017 total eclipse for USA (link below), the main aspects were the eclipse point partile 120 Uranus; Mars partile 120 Saturn; Saturn class 1 90 MC

https://ibb.co/Bg8LcSr

Maybe--the shadow of an eclipse path is omnious for it's national area it covers. My best guess USAs 4/8/2024 total eclipse will have something to do with USA Souther Borders (Texas) politically.

I have not done much work with eclipses except for when I first got into astrology about 40 years ago. The only thing I remember is a book telling me when Mars transited the eclipse point, many times it excited Mars type action. I did a little work with this and saw some fair symbolism but can’t remember the exact details.
I note something which could be important for USA’S April 8 2024 Total Eclipse. The Eclipse point at 24,19 Pi opposes July 4th 1776 USA’s Saturn at 23,10 Virgo. With the State of affairs in disarray politically in the USA, this could be a very important malefic factor for the next Prez election or the USA as a whole.

But what I want to really test is what may happen when Mars transits cnj USA’s April 8th Total Eclipse point partile on the weekend of May 24-26 2024, Memorial Weekend. Let’s see if this stirs any significant malefic Mars action in the USA with Mars partile 180 USA Saturn as well.

That Saturn opposition to the event seems to go along with the thoughts I had, Its April. April showers bring May Flowers. I strongely feel as if at least my region will not have the picture perfect clear skies, but deep heavy cloud cover which is typically what we have in my area. It may even mean we have a cold front with snow.