18-19 Degrees of Virgo/Pisces & the Eclipse of September 2007 by Michele Adler, USA

Summary of article:  The following article covers the significance of the 18-19 degrees of Virgo and Pisces, as related to the eclipse of Sept. 11, 2007. It identifies themes associated with this degree based on research into events and directions/progressions/diurnals of people during critical times of their lives.  There is a focus on the eclipse of Sept. 11, 1969, because many of the themes of these degrees were clearly illustrated at that time. The article also includes a listing of famous people with this degree axis in their natal charts, and past conjunctions of planets in this degree.

Note that this article was updated in November, 2008, to include commentary on the Saturn/Uranus opposition of Nov. 4, 2008, a comment on Sept. 11 as a unique day in American history, and a footnote on the Mumbai India terrorist attacks. The material was also updated in January 2009 to reflect the 18th degree of Virgo/Pisces in connection with the heroic landing of the US Airways in New York’s Hudson River, with all passengers and crew surviving.

The September 11 2007 eclipse takes place at 18 Virgo 25, and offers an opportunity to

explore the significant 18-19 degrees of Virgo (rounded up, the 19th and 20th degrees of Virgo).

Before discussing the degrees’ presence in events and in progressions, directions and diurnals of selected cases, it’s important to understand the significance of the Virgo/Pisces axis.

As many have found in working with the degrees, the incidents that seem to be associated with one degree are also associated with the same degree in the other modes. Thus, an 18 Virgo eclipse is not just a Virgo eclipse—it is on the Virgo/Pisces axis, as well as part of the mutable cross that includes Gemini and Sagittarius.

This article will focus on the 18th and 19th degrees of Virgo and Pisces.

 I believe the Virgo-Pisces axis in general has a theme that can best be called “the transcendence of boundaries.”  Virgo represents the precise, the analytical, doing things the “correct” way; Pisces represents intuition, that there isn’t always a “correct” way and that many times you make it up as you go along.  The Virgo-Pisces axis can also represent leaps into the unknown: Virgo weighs and thinks, while Pisces intuits the path that must be taken.  The art of the axis is to meet in its middle—where the best of both signs resides.

I have been researching the 360 degrees of the zodiac for the past 2 1/2 years. One of the things that I have found to be of value in understanding any degree of the zodiac is to understand the decanate in which it resides, as well as its dwadashamsa (or “dwad” as it is commonly known).

The 18th and 19th degrees of Virgo are part of the Capricorn decanate of Virgo, ruled by Saturn, which I believe adds to the Virgo precision and duty. These degrees are also in the Aries dwad, using the traditional dwad system.  (The Aries dwad includes 17-20 degrees of Virgo.) The 18-19th degrees of Pisces fall in the Moon decanate of Pisces (Cancer-ruled), and the Libran dwad. Again, the cardinal signs are further coloring the mutable sign’s degrees.

A mutable degree such as Virgo, immersed with cardinal sign signatures such as Capricorn and Aries, suggests impetus and initiative, but in a methodical manner, lacking the impulsiveness of Aries.

To add further to this, all degrees of Virgo have solstice point relationships with Aries. Thus 18 Virgo has 12 Aries as its solstice point; 18 Pisces has 12 Libra as its solstice point.

So this degree area of 18-19 Virgo can have an “out with the old, in with the new” character to it, as you will see in a number of things that have occurred under this degree when it shows up in events, or when it appears in progressions and directions. I think this is in keeping with 18-19 Virgo bordering on the end of the second Virgo decanate. It has been my observation that degrees at the end of each sign’s decanate can carry the same significance as the 28-29th degree of a sign, which is frequently associated with thresholds, moving on to new things, and the inevitable endings that are left in the wake of new direction.

The field of 18-19 Virgo seems to be associated with large amounts of money, scientific and electronic milestones, professional thresholds, significant meetings and unions, and—I hesitate to say—violence and disasters. (Violence and disasters occur under all degrees, but the ones under these degrees have a Mercury element to them in that they involve air travel, bridges, cars, railroads and subways.)

I have found 18-19 Virgo has a very strong money theme with it.   The degree appears frequently in the progressions and directions of individuals at the time that they begin an enterprise for financial gain or dealing with large sums of money. This to me is very reflective of the Capricorn/Aries flavor previously mentioned with the decanate/dwad location of these degrees.

Probably the most significant event in recent years that carried the 18-19 Virgo energy with it was the destruction of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, with the Sun in 18 Virgo. The Trade Center was an emblem of commerce and wealth. (This September’s eclipse, of course, occurs on the 6th anniversary of that horrible event.)

A few more examples related to wealth that are associated with these degrees, reflecting 18-19 Virgo and 18-19 Pisces:

Legendary mutual funds manager and author Peter Lynch took over the Fidelity Magellan funds in 1977, when his solar arc Jupiter, converse secondary progressed Moon, converse secondary progressed Venus and secondary progressed Midheaven were all at 18-19 Virgo.

Marjorie Merriweather Post took charge of the Post family fortune at age 27, when she had a secondary progressed Midheaven at 18 Virgo 04.

There are also a handful of lottery winners who had progressed, directed and diurnal positions on this 18th Virgo-Pisces axis. (I am not using names, as I am not clear on whether lottery winners are considered public figures. Their natal data comes from the Astrodatabank software.)

Lottery Winner I (LW1) won a $26.7 million Massachusetts lottery prize with a secondary progressed Moon at 18 Virgo 01.

LW2 won $13 million in a Massachusetts lottery. At the time her converse secondary progressed Mercury/Jupiter midpoint was 18 Virgo 06. (Mercury and Jupiter are rulers of her natal 2nd and 8th houses)

LW3 won a $4 million prize in the Massachusetts lottery, when his secondary progressed Pluto was at 18 Virgo 35.

LW4 won a $3.3 million jackpot. Her diurnal Moon for that day was 18 Virgo 14.

LW5 won $2.7 million in a Massachusetts lottery. His solar arc South Node was at 18 Pisces 51.

On Dec. 1, 1998, Exxon and Mobile merged, creating the world’s largest corporation. Transiting Jupiter was at 18 Pisces 42.

On Dec. 5, 1848, America’s Gold Rush was triggered when US President James K. Polk confirmed there was gold in California. Transiting Saturn was at 18 Pisces 43. (On an interesting note, at that time, Polk’s converse secondary progressed Sun was at 17 Virgo 49 conjunct converse secondary progressed Mercury at 19 Virgo 52. His solar arc Ascendant was at 17 Pisces 50, conjunct the solar arc South Node at 17 Pisces 32. On the day mentioned, transiting Saturn was at 18 Pisces 43.)

Though this does not represent a study of New York Stock Exchange activity, the 18-19 Virgo/Pisces axis has turned up in some Exchange and Dow Jones milestones. Of interest is the most recent activity this summer.  The activity of the stock market has been highly volatile throughout the summer of 2007, owing, I suspect, in no small part to transiting Uranus at 17-18 Pisces transiting opposite the degree of the September 2007 eclipse.

Earlier in the summer, on June 22, 2007, with transiting Uranus at 18 Pisces, the Dow hit a record for the highest volume day of trading. The Dow Jones closed above 14,000 for the first time on July 19, 2007, with Uranus at 18 Pisces 25, opposing the Midheaven (for 4:30 PM, New York) at 19 Virgo 56. On July 24, 2007, with Uranus still at 18 Pisces, the market sustained its biggest drop since Sept. 17, 2001. (On March 16, 1830, the Dow had its record for the lowest volume day, with the North Node at 19 Virgo 04.)

Not all progressed 18 Virgo/Pisces occurrences are about stock exchanges and commerce, or winning or acquiring wealth. The axis can turn up in bank robberies and tax evasion, both having to do with large sums of money.  Leona Helmsley, the alleged “queen of mean,” had a secondary progressed Sun at 18 Virgo 30 conjunct a secondary progressed Saturn at 15 Virgo 28 when she was found guilty of 33 counts of tax evasion and sentenced to 4 years in prison (Aug. 30,1989).

Victor Gerena pulled off what has been called the heist of the century when he confiscated $7 million from a Wells Fargo Depository in West Hartford, Connecticut on Sept. 12, 1983. At the time of the heist, his converse solar arc Mars was at 18 Pisces 08.

The 18th-19th Virgo/Pisces axis can also be active when you are handling large sums of money, though not necessarily your own. It is frequently found in the natal charts of people who work in banks or in finance.

Update as of November, 2008: The Saturn/Uranus opposition of Nov. 4, 2008, on the 18th Virgo/Pisces axis, reflected several meanings, some of which can be found elsewhere in this article. It is interesting that it fell on the day of the US presidential election between John McCain and Barack Obama. The number one issue in the election was the economy, which had taken front and center stage from mid September 2008 onwards, as the country watched an economic disaster of proportions not seen in American history.

The 18th degree of Virgo/Pisces appears to be prominent when highly profitable businesses take their first steps or when legendary beginnings take place. These events carry the “expanding boundaries” feel of these degrees, the Aries/Capricorn influence, and the “threshold” quality of degrees occurring at the end of the sign’s decanate, which usually involve the closing of a preceding life chapter.

Bill Gates took leave of Harvard University in November 1975 to begin what was registered as Microsoft the following year.  In 1975, his solar arc Pluto was at 18 Virgo 26, conjunct his solar arc Jupiter, and his converse solar arc Moon was at 18 Pisces 22.

On Sept. 1, 1945, Sam Walton opened his first retail store in Newport, Arkansas, a Benjamin Franklin franchise that became the prototype for Wal-Mart.  His secondary progressed Venus was at 18 Pisces 58.

John S. Pemberton was a Georgia pharmacist who invented the formula for Coca Cola on May 8, 1886.    At the time his solar arc Venus/Neptune conjunction was at 18 Pisces.

The Grateful Dead played their first concert under that name in San Francisco on Dec. 10, 1965  with transiting Pluto at 18 Virgo 27 conjunct Uranus at 19 Virgo 32.

The Los Angeles Times was first published as the Los Angeles Daily Times on Dec. 4, 1881 with Uranus at 18 Virgo 24.

Father Michael McGivney held the first organizational meeting of the Knights of Columbus on Oct. 2, 1881  , with his secondary progressed Sun and converse secondary progressed Mars both at 18 Virgo.

Neale Donald Walsch began recording what became his first book, Conversations with God, in the spring of 1992.   His secondary progressed Venus was at 19 Virgo 31 (conjunct his natal second house cusp using the Koch house system at 18 Virgo 44.)

Ernest Gallo took over the family wine business following his father’s suicide on June 21, 1933, and also the responsibility of his 12-year-old brother.  His converse secondary progressed Ascendant was at 19 Virgo 59.

On Dec. 20, 1860 South Carolina seceded from the Union, leading to the American Civil War. Mars was conjunct the trans-Neptunian Kronos at 19 Pisces. On Nov. 6, 1861, Jefferson Davis was elected president of the Confederate States of America, with transiting Saturn at 19 Virgo.

When King Hussein of Jordan became king on Aug. 11, 1952, his converse secondary progressed Ascendant was at 19 Virgo 09, conjunct his converse secondary progressed Venus at 19 Virgo 21.

Many consider that the beginning of the environmental movement was the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring which was first serialized in The New Yorker in June of 1962. At the time, Carson’s converse secondary progressed Mercury was at 18 Pisces 46, and her solar arc North Node was at 18 Virgo 36.

Relationships

The 18-19 Virgo energies seem to occur during significant meetings of people who will be important to one another, or at the time of courtships and marriages. The degree axis was present in some very famous  unions, or at least in unions that attracted an unusual amount of publicity (Mercury ruled) and scrutiny. Some of those unions had long-term political effects, and a few were arranged or business partnerships, and that too may reflect the Virgo practicality tied in with the Capricorn/Aries energies of the decanate and dwad of 18-19 Virgo.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis had had a converse solar arc Uranus at 18 Pisces 19 when she married John F. Kennedy (September, 1953).  She also had a converse solar arc Moon at 18 Pisces 11 when she married Aristotle Onassis in October, 1968, and a secondary progressed Sun at 19 Virgo when he died on March 15, 1975.

On Sept. 12, 1932, former US President Lyndon Johnson met his future wife, Lady Bird.   His secondary progressed Mars was at 18 Virgo 38 conjunct his own natal Mercury and Lady Bird’s natal Midheaven. The Sun on that day was in 19 Virgo, which fell in the diurnal charts of both. (It should be noted, sadly, that Lady Bird’s Midheaven was conjunct this Sept. 11 eclipse point, and her passing has occurred within the time frame of the 2007 eclipse’s influence.)

Playwright Arthur Miller first met Marilyn Monroe on Jan. 16, 1951.   At the time, his converse secondary progressed Sun was conjunct converse secondary progressed Venus at 18 Virgo, opposing a secondary progressed Jupiter/Chiron conjunction at 18 Pisces. Monroe went on to marry Jo DiMaggio, then reunited with Miller after the marriage failed.

Singer Judy Collins met Louis Nelson on April 16 1978,  and they married 18 years later. At the time of the meeting, she had a secondary progressed Ascendant at 18 Virgo.

Though the date isn’t known when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie first met, they became more public as a couple following Pitt’s announcement of his separation from wife Jennifer Aniston in January 2005. At that time, Angelina’s converse secondary progressed Mars, and converse solar arc Jupiter were both at 18 Pisces 57, with her converse secondary progressed Midheaven at 19 Pisces 24. (Pitt’s precessed solar return Moon for his birthday in December 2004, was at 18 Pisces 09, and his converse solar return Midheaven was at 19 Pisces 09.)

Charles, Prince of Wales, began courting then Lady Diana Spencer in 1980, when his solar arc Pluto was at 18 Virgo. (He had known her since childhood, and they met again in 1977 when he was dating her sister, Sarah. But by all accounts, their courtship didn’t start until 1980.) When they announced their engagement in February of 1981, Diana’s solar arc North Node was at 18 Virgo 24. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, became Prince Charles’ second wife in April of 2005; in the year leading up to their marriage, her secondary progressed Sun was at 18 Virgo 18.

The degree, however, has been important in at least two other significant marriages of English royalty, both of which brought the monarchy to crisis.

Edward VIII of England, on 12/10/1936, renounced the British throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Transiting Neptune on that day was at 18 Virgo 56, opposing transiting Saturn at 16 Pisces 11. Transiting Neptune squared the king’s natal Jupiter (18 Gemini) and opposed his natal Admetos, the trans-Neptunian planet that refers to enclosed spaces. Obviously, the exile that followed his abdication could be reflected in Admetos as well.

Probably even more dramatic, King Henry VIII of England wed the first of his six wives, Catherine of Aragon, on June 11, 1509.  At the time, his secondary progressed Ascendant was at 18 Virgo 58, his minor progressed Moon was at 18 Pisces 03, and transiting Saturn was at 19 Virgo 31. This marriage ultimately altered centuries-old traditions. When the Pope refused to annul the marriage 18 years later, so that Henry could marry Anne Boleyn, Henry ultimately broke with the Catholic Church and formed the Church of England.

Poet Sylvia Plath met her future husband Ted Hughes on Feb. 25, 1956.  At the time of the meeting, Plath’s secondary progressed Jupiter was at 19 Virgo 43, conjunct Hughes’ natal Mercury at 19 Virgo 03. Hughes’ secondary progressed Sun was at 18 Virgo 03.  In the diurnal charts for each on that day, Hughes had a diurnal Midheaven of 19 Virgo 01. Plath’s diurnal Midheaven was at 12 Aries 02, the solstice point for 18 Virgo.

Legendary Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney are said to have met on July 6, 1957. At the time, McCartney’s secondary progressed Moon was at 19 Pisces 03, and Lennon’s solar arc Venus was at 19 Virgo 50.

Some relationships simply bring about notoriety. Amy Fisher rang the doorbell at the home of her lover, Joey Buttafucco on May 19, 1992. When his wife, Mary Jo, appeared, Fisher shot her in the face. Fisher’s converse solar arc Pluto and converse solar arc Vertex were both at 18 Virgo (reflecting their natal conjunction at 5 Libra).

White House Intern Monica Lewinsky had her first sexual encounter with US President Bill Clinton on Nov. 15, 1995.   Her solar arc Venus was at 19 Virgo 49.

Update to article (November 2008):  The Saturn/Uranus opposition that occurred Nov. 4, 2008, was at the 18th degree of the Virgo/Pisces axis, with Saturn in 18 Virgo and Uranus in 18 Pisces. Nov. 4 was, of course, the day of the US presidential election. The planetary opposition was symbolized by the traditional John McCain (albeit, a “maverick”) and the newer, progressive Barrack Obama, who won the election.  However, something else occurred on Election Day that ties in very closely with the relationship factor that is prominent in the 18 Virgo/Pisces axis: The issue of gay marriage was on the ballot in several states, including California, where it was defeated. This resulted in considerable discussion about what constitutes marriage, and considerable protest from gay rights activists. The symbolism of the 18th degree of Pisces/Virgo to relationships was certainly evident.

The World Trade Center destruction and Pentagon bombing on a day when the Sun was at 18 Virgo is a devastating event where the degree has shown up in a war-like situation. However, it is not the first time that the degree showed up in events that brought America to war.  When the Japanese launched an attack on the American military base in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, leading to American involvement in World War II, the North Node was at 18 Virgo 08. (Though only slightly within the degree scope of this discussion, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945 at 8:16 AM, giving the event an Ascendant of 17 Virgo 54.) Update as of November 2008:  It should also be noted that the Pentagon has 18 Virgo in its own history, as the construction of the Pentagon officially began on Sept. 11, 1941.

As mentioned earlier, all Virgo degrees have Aries at their solstice points, which may explain how Mars manages to get its foot in the door. A number of violent acts under this degree carry Mercury (Virgo’s ruler) symbolism, in that they involve travel, highways, planes, trains and bridges.

On July 16, 1999, John Kennedy Jr. perished in a plane crash primarily due to low visibility and murky night-time flying conditions under which he was piloting. His converse secondary progressed Moon was at 18 Virgo 27.

At the time she was kidnapped by the so-called Symbionese Liberation Army on Feb. 4, 1974, heiress Patty Hearst had the converse solar arc Moon at 18 Virgo 11.

On July 23, 1967 with Pluto in 18 Virgo 13 one of the worst riots in US history broke out on 12th street in the heart of Detroit’s inner city.

On Nov. 4, 1995, Israeli Prime Minister/Noel Laureate Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in Tel Aviv, Israel. Transiting Saturn was at 18 Pisces 15 squaring transiting Jupiter at 16 Sagittarius 47.

On Aug. 25, 1944, Paris was liberated from Nazi forces when a Chiron/Venus conjunction occurred at 18 Virgo.

Update as of Jan. 16, 2009:  On Jan. 15, 2009, at 3:31 PM, a US Airways Air Bus crashed into the Hudson River in New York City, having been disabled by birds that had flown into the aircraft. The Midheaven for the event chart was 18 Pisces 12, with transiting Uranus at 19 Pisces 44. All passengers and crew survived, due to the heroic actions of the plane’s crew members and New York City’s rescue units.  Interestingly, the heroic pilot, Chesley Sullenberger,  had a secondary progressed Moon at 18 Virgo 14 at the time, in conjunction with his pre-natal eclipse at 18 Virgo 48.

Though the Virgo-Pisces axis is associated with health, I have not found a lot of incidents related to 18-19 Virgo/Pisces that turn up in health-related matters. It is likely that health matters may be more prominent in other degrees, particularly the 00-01 degree of Virgo which occurs frequently when people are starting new health regimes or join 12-step programs. A few I have seen with the 18-19 Virgo/Pisces involvement are given below.

The outbreak of the Spanish influenza is dated from the death of a soldier on March 11, 1918, 6:30 AM at Fort Riley, Kansas.   Mercury was at 18 Pisces on that particular day.

It is interesting to note that Franklin Roosevelt was stricken with polio on Aug. 10, 1921, with a converse secondary progressed Uranus stationery at 18 Virgo.

 It is also interesting to note that the eclipse on Sept. 11, 1988 at 19 Virgo was preceded in July (when a September eclipse would likely have been making itself known) by needles and vials of blood, some of which tested positive for the AIDS virus, washing up along Long Island’s 120-mile southern shore.

On Nov. 18, 1987, an underground fire broke out at 7:30 PM at the King’s Cross station in London.   (source: news.bbc.co.uk, and wikipedia.org). The Midheaven for the event was 18 Pisces 44 squaring Venus at 18 Sagittarius 29.

On Dec. 20, 1995, American Airlines Flight 965 crashed at Buga, Colombia at 9:42 PM with four passengers and a dog being the only survivors.  Saturn was at 18 Pisces.

On April 30, 2007, a gasoline tanker exploded in Oakland, California at 3:45 AM  , melting stretches of highway. Mars was at 18 Pisces 28 conjunct Uranus at 17 Pisces 33.

On July 29, 1967, at 10:52 AM  ,a rocket caused deadly fire on the USS Forrestal, killing 132 crewmen. Pluto was 18 Virgo 53, conjunct Uranus at 21 Virgo 51, and at the solstice point of transiting Saturn at 12 Aries 27.

On Oct. 2, 1970, a plane carrying the Wichita State University football team crashed near Silver Plume, Colorado . Mars was at 18 Virgo 47. At another college (Mercury-ruled), on Nov. 18, 1999, 12 were killed and 27 injured when a Texas A & M bonfire under construction collapsed, about 2:30 AM in College Station, Texas.   The Moon was at 19 Pisces 02, conjunct the Saturn/Mars midpoint at 18 Pisces 21.

On Aug. 30, 1974, a train entering Zagreb, Yugoslavia derailed, killing 153 people  . Mercury was at 18 Virgo 26 (conjunct Mars at 21 Virgo).

On Dec. 24, 2003, in Madrid, Spain, police thwarted an attempt by Islamic terrorists to detonate 50 kg of explosives at a transportation station.   Jupiter was at 18 Virgo 44.

It is important to remember that an eclipse’s effects do not start on the day of the eclipse. The conjunction of the Sun and Moon, and the involvement of the Moon’s Nodes are gradually working up to the day of the actual eclipse, and are gradually moving away following the eclipse. So an eclipse’s effects can make themselves known three months before, and three months after the actual date of the eclipse.

There have been at least five disasters that have occurred already within the time window of the Sept. 11 2007 eclipse. I would suggest that Uranus’ transit from 17-18 Pisces, which opposes the September eclipse degree of 18-19 Virgo, has had some influence. It is frequently seen that an eclipse’s effects occurring within three months of the eclipse, can be triggered by a transit in the same or the opposing degree.

(Sources for all of the 2007 events are from news accounts, usually at cnn.com or from Associated Press.)

On July 5, 2007, a subway train derailed in London.

On July 16, 2007, in west Central Florida, a collision occurred between a train and a car that was trying to go around the barrier. Within 24 hours, on 7/17/2007, in about the same location, another accident happened with a train hitting a vehicle that tried to beat it to the tracks. Uranus rules railroads.

On July 27, 2007, there was an air show collision between two planes in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and, on the same day, a collision of two news helicopters in Phoenix, Arizona. Both of these tragedies have the Mercury/Uranian signature.

The Aug. 1, 2007 collapse of the bridge (Mercury-related) in Minneapolis also occurred in this approaching eclipse time frame, with cars (Mercury-related)  falling into the river below the bridge.

The New York City subway system was halted due to 3 inches of rain coming within an hour in that location on Aug. 6, 2007.

The 18 Virgo-Pisces axis may have a connection with science, particularly atomic science and electricity.

On Nov. 9, 1965, the entire northeast area of the US and large parts of Canada sustained an electrical blackout that started at 5:16 PM in Lewiston, NY  .  Uranus was conjunct Pluto at 18 Virgo, opposing a Chiron/Ceres conjunction at 18 Pisces. (It should be noted here that the 18-19 Virgo/Pisces axis does not show up with much regularity in power outages and blackout situations.)

Roy Sullivan was struck by lightning seven times during his lifetime. Though the 18 Virgo-Pisces axis does not show up with regularity for each of those times, it should be noted that the first time, in April, 1942 was when his secondary progressed Sun was at 18 Pisces 13 conjunct the trans-Neptunian Hades at 19 Pisces 38. He eventually committed suicide on Sept. 28, 1983, when his converse solar arc Midheaven was at 17 Pisces 25, conjunct the trans-Neptunian converse solar arc Vulcanus at 18 Pisces 54, and converse solar arc Mars at 19 Pisces 58.

On Dec. 20, 1951, at 1:50 PM, an experimental breeder reactor near Arco, Idaho became the world’s first electricity-generating nuclear power plant.   The transiting Mars/Pluto midpoint was at 18 Virgo 06, conjunct the Moon at 19 Virgo 42.

When Enrico Fermi switched on the atomic pile at 3:25 PM on Dec. 2, 1942 in Chicago as part of the war-time Manahattan project, his converse solar arc Mercury was at 18 Virgo 02. Interestingly, the eclipse prior to that date was on Sept. 10, 1942 at 17 Virgo.

When Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon (on July 20, 1969, 10:56 PM, using Cape Canaveral, Fla. coordinates  ),  the Ascendant was 18 Pisces 47 conjunct the North Node at 18 Pisces 47. (Armstrong’s secondary progressed Sun was at 19 Virgo at the time.) This event also preceded the Sept. 11, 1969 eclipse at 18 Virgo, which will be discussed in a moment.

When Phil Farnsworth presented his invention, the first electric television, on Sept. 10, 1928 in San Francisco , his converse solar arc Venus was at 18 Virgo 31. (It was appropriately conjunct his secondary progressed Sun at 17 Virgo 12, the Sun position of the day, also at 17 Virgo, and secondary progressed Poseidon, the trans-Neptunian that has to do with light, also at 18 Virgo 44.)

Robert Goddard, considered the father of rocketry, finished building the first rocket and managed to launch it at his aunt’s farm on March 16, 1926.  At the time, his converse solar arc Mars was at 19 Virgo 22.

Mars was at 18 Pisces and Saturn at 19 Pisces on Aug. 11, 1877 when Asaph Hall discovered Demios, an outer Moon of Mars.

When Guglielmo Marconi invented the wireless telegraph and radio signal transmitter, his converse solar arc Mercury was at 18 Pisces 55.

On Dec. 9, 1965, a UFO incident occurred, with many people in the Detroit area reporting sonic booms, meteors, etc. Uranus was at 19 Virgo 03.

The Eclipse of Sept. 11, 1969

I think it’s particularly interesting to look at some of the things that occurred around the time of the Sept. 11, 1969 eclipse at 18 Virgo 53. As mentioned, an eclipse’s effects begin at least three months prior to the actual day of the eclipse. We should then view the happenings of July-August 1969, a momentous summer in American history.

First, at least chronologically, Senator Ted Kennedy severely limited his chances of ever becoming the American president when a car he had been driving was found off a bridge in Chappaquiddick with a young woman inside who had drowned on July 18, 1969. Kennedy had the secondary progressed Vertex at 17 Virgo 19 at the time. In his solar arc directed chart, the 8th house cusp was at 18 Virgo 27, and his solar arc Zeus which has to do with impact was almost conjunct at 16 Virgo 56. Most interesting, however, was Kennedy’s diurnal chart  for the day of the accident. Kennedy’s diurnal Moon was at 18 Virgo 56, just three minutes away from the point of the upcoming eclipse. Also of interest, the young woman who drowned in the car, Mary Jo Kopechne, had a converse solar arc Admetos, the trans-Neptunian that has to do with confined, closed spaces, opposing the upcoming eclipse at 18 Pisces 08.

Second, Neil Armstrong made science history by being the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969. As previously mentioned, his secondary progressed Sun was at 19 Virgo 40, and solar arc Ceres was at 17 Virgo 33, and the Ascendant for the time he actually set foot on the Moon was 18 Pisces 47, conjunct the transiting North Node at 18 Pisces 47.

Third, the Woodstock music festival in Bethel, New York, became the symbol for the 1960s when it was held the August preceding the 1969 eclipse.  The event started precisely on Aug. 15, 1969 at 5:07 PM, in Bethel, NY, with the Moon in Virgo (22 degrees, by the time of the official beginning) but ended with headliner Jimi Hendrix’s closing of the concert at 8:30 AM on Aug. 18, 1969 when transiting Mercury was at 18 Virgo.   (The money connection of 18 Virgo was also evident—half-way through the concert, people were admitted free to the event.)

The event that had more long-term impact than anything else that happened around the 1969 eclipse occurred quietly on Oct. 29, 1969 at 10:30 PM in California: The first ARPAnet message was sent between the University of California at Los Angeles  and the Stanford Research Institute.   This was the actual beginning of the Internet from which  the World Wide Web eventually emerged. That date was within the three months following the Sept. 11 1969 eclipse, and had the North Node at 18 Pisces, and South Node at 18 Virgo, the degree axis for the September 1969 eclipse. (When the eclipse had occurred on Sept. 11 1969, the Nodes had been at 21 Pisces.)

Based on these events, the transition of boundaries theme seems to play out:  The beginnings of what eventually spawned the World Wide Web; the coming together of over half a million young people for rock’n’roll and other well-documented activities; and the Moon landing in which earth most decidedly expanded its boundaries in the universe.

More Thoughts On Chappaquiddick and 18 Virgo

I’d like to back-track for a moment to the Chappaquiddick incident that preceded the 1969 Virgo eclipse, as it offers a lesson in eclipse interpretation.

The 1969 eclipse fell in Ted Kennedy’s 2nd/8th natal houses using the Koch house system; one might have assumed that a financial matter would be prominent, or an inheritance—and indeed, Kennedy’s father, Joe Kennedy Sr., did die the following November. Further delving into the solar arc directions shows that Kennedy’s solar arc 8th house cusp (again using the Koch house system) was at 18 Virgo 27.  (Astonishingly, that is the exact degree and minute of the converse secondary progressed Moon of John Kennedy Jr. when he died in an airplane crash in July 1999 and not far from where the Chappaquiddick tragedy took place 30 years earlier. )

Each eclipse is part of a family of eclipses called the Saros Cycle. The Sept. 11, 1969 eclipse was in Saros Cycle 7 South.  Bernadette Brady points out that this eclipse cycle began in June 22, 1248 o.s., at 19:07 at the South Pole. This “originating” eclipse contained a Mars/Pluto square. Brady writes: “The immense power, anger and force of the Mars square Pluto is channeled in this family of eclipses via the trine (author’s note: of Pluto to the New Moon). The individual experiencing this series will find that huge obstacles will suddenly and easily clear or, on the negative side, a pending potential crisis will suddenly manifest and move through his or her life very rapidly. Either way, the individual will feel that everything is moving at great speed.”

The degree symbol systems for 19 Virgo/19 Pisces seem to reflect the events of 1969, and this could have significance for the Sept. 11 2007 eclipse.

 The best known degree system, the Sabian system, lists 19 Virgo as “A swimming race” and 19 Pisces as “A master instructing his pupil.” In his book, The Sabian Symbols and Astrological Analysis,” Blain Bovee notes that the images have a shared motif “on making headway in a foreign element,” and “plunging in and coming up for air.” The “foreign element” reference would fit nicely with the Moon landing, and the water symbol would have been reflected in Chappaquiddick.

He also says about this pairing: “Apply this degree-pair with a mind to the challenge of diving into deep water while keeping your head about you; excitement about generous exchanges between unequals. Think of the twofold nature of water on a swimmer: buoyant and submersive; the sense of right proportion and right time: too much or too little of any ingredient ruins the stew. Watch for eyes that reveal being dizzied before the grandness of a master; eyes that water with overwhelming emotion; impatience about the pace at which others learn. “

Bovee also says something that is interesting in light of the ARPAnet beginning in 1969. “The flow of inspiration from a deep and powerful source calls for a mastery of energies, of knowledge, and a skilled ability to transmit that knowledge.”

All of this has meaning for interpreting the 2007 eclipse.

Dates Related to the September 2007 Eclipse

The eclipse that occurs on Sept. 11, 2007 is part of the Saros Cycle 9 New South, which first began on July 19 1917. Bernadette Brady observes that the initiating eclipse (1917) contained a Mercury/Saturn/Neptune conjunction, with that (1917) New Moon eclipse on the Venus/Pluto midpoint. She notes that the eclipse brings “to the surface of long-term worries about loved ones, health, or issues to do with paperwork or communication.”   The last eclipse in this Saros Cycle was August 31, 1989 at 8 degrees of Virgo.

The Sept. 11 eclipse is the mate of the eclipse that occurred March 19, 2007 at 28 Pisces 07. The March eclipse was the Saros Cycle 9 New North family.

The most significant effects of an eclipse are sometimes seen when the New Moon squares the eclipse point three months following the eclipse, or when another planet during that time period happens to cross the degree of the eclipse, or the degree opposing it. That would mean that this September’s eclipse effects could occur on or around Nov. 9, 2007, when the New Moon is at 17 Sagittarius 16 and squaring the eclipse point of Sept. 11 at 18 Virgo.

Planets transiting 18 Virgo and 18 Pisces will be within the playing field of this eclipse. Uranus is presently at 17 Pisces going retrograde, but will be transiting from 17-19 Pisces through mid-March, 2008. By March, a February solar eclipse will have occurred in Aquarius, which may negate Uranian influence with the September eclipse.

The transiting Moon in 18 Virgo or 18 Pisces will be significant anytime between now and three months following the Sept. 11 eclipse. (The Moon at 18 Gemini and Sagittarius—both also mutable signs—might also be relevant, but the real potency seems to be the Virgo/Pisces axis itself.)

Dietrech Pessin, in her book, Lunar Shadows: The Lost Key to the Timing of Eclipses, shows that eclipses and even regular new moons have almost a two-year influence. She measures this through the timing of future first quarter, full moon and last quarters that follow the eclipse degree over a two-year period, either in the same or close to the eclipse degree. Based on this eclipse, she cites the first quarter Moon on June 10 2008 at 20 Virgo 06; the full moon on March 11 2009 at 20 Virgo 40, and the last quarter moon on Dec. 9 2009 at 17 Virgo 03.

• If you have a planet or angle at 18-20 degrees on the Virgo-Pisces axis (I would not allow more than 3 degrees of orb for an eclipse, and I sometimes think 3 degrees may be stretching things), or on the related mutable Gemini-Sagittarius axis, these dates should hold meaning.

• If you have a planet or angle in 12 Aries, the solstice point of 18 Virgo, that planet or angle could be significant. As 18 Pisces has 12 Libra as its solstice point, planets and angles at 12 Libra could also be significant.

• Obviously, the house in which an eclipse falls in your natal chart, and its opposite house, or whether it conjuncts a planet will determine how strong the eclipse’s effects would be for you.

• I work a lot with diurnal charts, and one should check their diurnal charts for when the 18th degree of Virgo/Pisces will be significant, on an angle, or on a house cusp.

August 29, when Mercury will be in 18 Virgo

October 28, when Venus will be in 18 Virgo

The dates in which the Moon will transit 18 Virgo between now and December:

Oct. 8-9, 2007

Nov 4-6, 2007

Dec. 2-3, 2007

There have been some significant conjunctions of planets at 18-19 Virg in the past 50 or more years. Anyone born during that time will have these conjunctions in their chart, and would be affected by the Sept 11 2007 eclipse.

(If you were born during any of these time periods, the Sept. 11 2007 eclipse will affect that conjunction in your natal chart.)

Mars/Saturn conjunct Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 1949, at 18 Virgo

Mercury/Saturn conjunct Aug. 15, 1950 (coincides with the Assam, Tibet earthquake and the birth of Princess Anne of England. )

Mercury/Pluto conjunct Sept. 11, 1966 at 18 Virgo, coinciding with the end of the New York City’s World-Journal-Tribune strike, considered the world’s longest for a major city. The next day, Sept. 12, a white mob attacked black pupils at a school in Grenada, Mississippi. As a result, a federal judge ordered local officials to protect students at integrated schools.  On Sept. 8, in keeping with the 18 Virgo’s Mercury symbolism, Star Tek made its television debut. And on Sept. 9, sweeping automobile safety legislation was signed into law.  Interesting how all events have a strong Mercury symbolism: newspapers, pupils and schools, science travel, and automobile legislation.

Uranus/Pluto conjunction in 18 Virgo occurring Nov 10-18, 1965. This coincided with the previously-mentioned massive power blackout hitting the Northeast US, Ontario and Quebec. It also coincided with the beginnings  of the anti-Vietnam War rallies, which were held in forty US cities on Oct. 15, the largest being in New York and in Berkeley, California. Some of the culture phenomenon in keeping with the Uranus/Pluto: LBJ’s Great society established new US agencies and federal programs; 007 James Bond mania inspired The Man from UNCLE, and Get Smart! television shows.

While I do not think any single factor in astrology can contribute to one major incident, I think that it is a combination of factors that form the lens through which we see possibilities. One of those factors, in my opinion, should be the history of the degree.

More Information Related to the Degree

Natal charts with placements between 18 and 19 degrees of Virgo

Nancy Reagan, Saturn, 12th house

Betty Ford, Ascendant

Lady Bird Johnson, Midheaven

Lee Radziwill, Jupiter, 1st house

Pamela Anderson, Pluto, 4th house

Princess Anne of England, Mercury/Saturn conjunction, 11th house

Joan Baez, Jupiter, 10th house

Kathy Bates, Mars, 12th house

Jerry Falwell, Venus, 11th house

Jenna and Barbara Bush (twins), daughters of former US president George W. Bush, Mars, 8th house

Dyan Cannon, Neptune, 7th house

Helen Clark, prime minister of New Zealand, Ascendant

Anderson Cooper, North Node, 3rd house

Robert de Niro, Mercury, 3rd house

Robert Redford, Mercury/Moon, 6th house

Vanessa Redgrave, Neptune, 1st house

Julie Roberts, Mercury, 2nd house

Melanie Griffith, Venus, 5th house

Don Johnson, Saturn, 1st house

Patrick Kennedy, (Rhode Island legislator, son of Ted Kennedy), Pluto, 11th house

Dustin Hoffman, Moon, 8th house

Carrie Fisher, Venus, 8th house

Mary Tyler Moore, Neptune, 7th house

Bernie Madoff, former Nasdaq stock exchange chairman and perpetrator of one of the largest investment frauds ever committed by one person, Neptune (time unknown)

John Glenn, American astronaut/US Senator, Midheaven

Robert Iger, CEO of Walt Disney, pre-natal eclipse

Gordon Brown, prime minister of Great Britain, pre-natal eclipse

Lottery winner of $4 million, Uranus (conjunct Pluto at 17 Virgo 22), 1st house

Sam Walton, founder, Wal-Mart, Mars retrograde (time unknown)

Lottery winner of $24 million, pre-natal eclipse, 8th house

Natal charts with placements between 18 and 19 Pisces

Celine Dion, singer, Mercury/Venus conjunction, 8th house

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, youngest child of Elizabeth II, Mercury, 5th house

Anderson Cooper, television reporter, South Node, 9th house

Bobby Fischer, chess master, Sun, 8th house

Lee Iacocca, automobile executive, Uranus, 12th house

Jules Verne, author, Venus, 10th house

Michelangelo, Renaissance artist/genius, Mars, 3rd house

Peter I, Czar of Russia, Uranus, 12th house

Johannes Kelper, astronomer, Jupiter, 10th house

Roberto Assagioli, founder of psychosynthesis, Mercury, 10th house

St. Bernadette of Lourdes, Mars, 10th house

Truman Capote, author, Uranus, 2nd house

Leo Buscaglia, author/psychologist, Uranus, 3rd house

Sonny Bono, singer/entertainer/US congressman, Venus, 6th house

St. Frances of Sales, priest, Pluto (time unknown)

James I of England, Pluto, 7th house

Lorenzo Lamas, actor, Midheaven

Ralph Nader, Mars, 2nd house

Sidney Poitier, oscar-winning actor, Mercury, 6th house

Freddie Prinze, actor/comedian, Moon, 5th house

Freddie Prinze Jr., actor/comedian, Sun, 6th house

Chris Sizemore, multiple personality case, Jupiter, 7th house

Booker T. Washington, American educator, Venus (time unknown)

Hillary Clinton had a converse solar arc Venus at 18 Virgo 11 on August, 2007, during the Democratic primaries in the US.

Global charts which have 18-19 degrees of Virgo:

Saturn in the chart of Indonesia(19 Virgo)

North Node in th e chart of Venezuela (19 Virgo, chart based on 7/5/1811 date)

North Node in the chart of Lebanon (19 Virgo)

Venus in the chart of Liberia (18 Virgo)

Saturn in the chart of India-Republic (18 Virgo)

Sun in the chart of Ethiopia (19 Virgo)

Previous Eclipses:

Sept. 11 1988 – Eclipse 18 Virgo 40

Sept. 11, 1969 – Eclipse 18 Virgo 53

Sept. 12 1950 – Eclipse 18 Virgo 49

Birth data is given below for those individuals whose progressions and directions were used in this article. Most of the data below is from the Astrodatabank software (astrodatabank.com), and the Rodden Rating (RR) is so noted. Data from sources other than the Astrodatabank do not have a Rodden Rating.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

July 17 1947

7:10 AM

London, England

RR: B, from biography

Carson, Rachel

May 27 1907

2:00 AM

Springdale, PA

AA: C, rectified from approximate time of 1 AM

Charles, Prince of Wales

Nov. 14 1948

9:14 PM

London, England

RR: A, from news reports

Collins, Judy

May 1 1939

11:55 AM

Seattle, Washington

RR: AA, Contemporary Sidereal Horoscopes and Gauquelin Book of Charts

Diana, Princess of Wales

July 1 1961

7:45 PM

Sandringham, England

RR: A, from memory

Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor

June 23 1894

9:55 PM

Richmond, Surrey, England

RR: AA, Fagan quoted BC/BR from news release

Farnsworth, Philo

Aug. 19 1906

Time unknown

Beaver, Utah

Source: wikipedia.org, and infoplease.com

Fermi, Enrico

Sept. 29 1901

7:00 PM

Rome, Italy

RR: AA Quoted BC/BR from Gauquelin

Fisher, Amy

Aug. 21 1974

9:26 PM

Oceanside, NY

RR: A, from news report

Gallo, Ernest

March 18 1909

7:15 PM

Jackson, California

RR: AA, quoted BC/BR in Contemporary American Horoscopes

Gates, Bill

Oct. 28 1955

10:00 PM

Seattle, Washington

RR: A, from him

Gerena, Victor

June 24 1958

11:04 AM

New York, New York

RR: A, Diane Hebert quotes close family friend in The Ascendant, fall, 1986

Goddard, Robert

Oct. 5 1882

Time unknown

Worcester, Massachusetts

Source: Smithsonian Archives (siarchives.si.edu) and wikipedia.org

Hearst, Patty

Feb. 20 1954

6:01 PM

RR: AA, quoted BC/BR in Contemporary American Horoscopes

Helmsley, Leona

July 4 1920

6:00 AM

Marbletown, New York

RR: AA, quoted BC/BR in American Astrology 6/1990

Henry VIII, King of England

June 28 1491

8:45 AM

Greenwich, England

RR: AA, quoted BC/BR

Hughes, Ted

Aug. 17 1930

1:12 AM

Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, England

RR: B, Paula Gassmann cites biography

Hussein, King of Jordan

Nov. 14 1935

2:30 AM

Amman, Jordan

RR: C,  Marc Penfield quotes released but unconfirmed records, Mercury Hour 4/1979

Johnson, Lady Bird

Dec. 22, 1912

5:32 AM

Karnack, TX

RR: B, from biography

Johnson, Lyndon B.

Aug. 27, 1908

5:00 AM

Johnson City, TX

RR: A, RH Oliver quotes Saturday Evening Post quoting Johnson’s mother

Jolie, Angelina

June 4, 1975

9:09 AM

Los Angeles, California

RR: A, from birth certificate

Kennedy, Jr., John F.

Nov. 25, 1960

00:22 AM

Washington, DC

RR: A, news report quotes Jacqueline Kennedy

Lennon, John

Oct. 9 1940

6:30 PM

Liverpool, United Kingdom

RR: A, Lennon’s stepmother quotes his aunt

Lewinsky, Monica

July 23 1973

12:21 PM

San Francisco, California

RR: AA, Jack Fertig quotes BC from San Francisco Hall of Records

Lynch, Peter

Sept. 7  1943

10:51 AM

Boston, Mass.

RR: AA, quoted BC/BR  by Frances McEvoy

Paul McCartney

June 18 1942

2:00 PM

Liverpool, United Kingdom

RR: A, quotes Linda McCartney to astrologer Nalini Kanta Das.

Miller, Arthur

Oct. 17 1915

5:12 AM

New York, New York

RR: C, original source unknown

McGivney, Father Michael

Aug. 12 1852

Time unknown

Waterbury, Ct.

Source: fmcgivney.org

Monroe, Marilyn

June 1 1926

9:30 AM

Los Angeles, California

RR: AA, BC in hand from Bob Garner, photo of BC in The Curious Death

   of Marilyn Monroe.

Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy

July 28 1929

2:30 PM

Southampton, NY

RR: A, Frances McEvoy quotes her to mutual friends, data not released until after her death

Pemberton, John S

Jan. 8 1931

Time unknown

Knoxville, Georgia

Source: georgiaencyclopedia.org

Pitt, Brad

Dec. 18 1963

6:31 AM

RR: A, from memory

Plath, Sylvia

Oct. 27 1932

2:10 PM

Boston, Mass.

RR: A, Ruth H. Oliver quotes Plath’s mother in American Astrology 10/1977

Polk, James K

Nov. 2 1795

Time unknown

Mecklenburg County, NC

RR: A, from memory

Post, Marjorie Merriweather

March 15 1887

10:00 PM

Springfield, Illinois

RR: AA, quoted BC/BR, Dana Holliday, Post’s biography by Nancy Rubin

Roosevelt, Franklin D.

Jan. 30 1882

8:45 PM

Hyde Park, NY

RR: AA, quoted BC/BR from Dad’s diary

Sullivan, Roy

Feb. 7 1912

7:00 PM

Greene City, Virginia

RR: A, from family memory, quoted  in National Enquirer on 6/26/1979

Walsch, Neale Donald

Sept. 10 1943

4:19 AM

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

RR: AA, quoted BC/BR by Stephen Przybylowski

Walton, Sam

March 29 1918

Time unknown

Kingfisher, Oklahoma

Source: wikipedia.org, infoplease.com, and freshthinkingbusiness.com

About Author: Michele Adler is a full-time US astrologer, who began her study of astrology in 1972. She has written three books on astrology. Her most recent is Predictive Astrology: Cycles of Change, Seasons of Meaning, a compilation of western astrology prediction techniques. She taught astrology in the Dade County school system’s adult education division while living in Miami, and also wrote two paperback astrology books for a Miami publisher. She also contributed to writing the biographies that are part of the Astrodatabank software. She continues to teach and consult in the Tampa Bay area, and is presently preparing an in-depth course on the 360 degrees of the zodiac. Her web site is www.micheleadler.com.