Saros 9 New North: Eclipse Family in Astrology

Physically expressive events including accidents, great effort, or sudden physical activity

This is a very physically expressive Saros Series: accidents, great physical effort, violence, or any sudden physical events. These can be experienced positively as, for example, the first time skiing, or it can be felt negatively in terms of accidents and so on. The approach to take when this Series is affecting a chart is not to hide away but to undertake some physical activity, with an ever-watchful eye to safety.

A Venus-Mercury conjunction is on the Mars/Pluto midpoint, and Mars is on the Uranus/Pluto midpoint.

The July 19, 1917 eclipse at 25.7 degrees Cancer arrived during one of the most physically devastating periods in modern history: the third year of World War I, when the Battles of Passchendaele and Cambrai were exacting horrific physical tolls. The eclipse fell in Cancer, the sign of home and protection, while the reality on the ground was the absolute negation of safety. The series' theme of sudden physical events was expressed at its most extreme and tragic.

The August 9, 1953 eclipse at 16.1 degrees Leo coincided with a year of significant athletic milestones and physical achievements. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Everest in May 1953, an achievement of pure physical will that captivated the world. The August 20, 1971 eclipse at 26.3 degrees Leo arrived during a year when Evel Knievel was building his reputation as a motorcycle daredevil (he set an Astrodome attendance record in January), embodying the series' theme of pushing physical limits to spectacular and sometimes injurious effect. The broader culture was embracing physical exertion as self-expression, with recreational running gaining ground and professional sports expanding their television audiences.

The August 31, 1989 eclipse at 7.6 degrees Virgo preceded the fall of the Berlin Wall in November, an event that was physically enacted by thousands of people attacking concrete with hammers, picks, and bare hands. The September 11, 2007 eclipse at 17.9 degrees Virgo arrived during a year of heightened awareness about physical infrastructure and safety, as the Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis in August 2007 exposed the fragility of the physical structures civilization depends upon.

Respect the body's boundaries while remaining open to physical experience. When 9 New North touches sensitive points in your natal chart, the most productive approach is to channel its energy deliberately rather than waiting for it to find you. Begin a new physical practice, take up a sport, commit to a fitness goal that excites you. Giving the Mars/Pluto energy a constructive outlet dramatically reduces the probability of experiencing it as accident or injury.

That said, caution is warranted. This is not the eclipse window for reckless stunts, aggressive driving, or pushing through pain signals during exercise. The body is speaking more loudly than usual, and ignoring its messages carries real consequences. If you feel fatigue, honor it. If a physical activity feels wrong, stop. The series' energy is powerful enough to accomplish extraordinary things when directed wisely and to cause real harm when treated carelessly.

The next activation occurs on September 21, 2025, at 28.3 degrees Virgo, followed by October 3, 2043, at 9.7 degrees Libra. If you are reading this in advance of the 2025 eclipse, begin establishing your physical outlets now. The transition into the very last degree of Virgo lends this particular activation a quality of culmination and refinement, as though the body is being asked to demonstrate everything it has learned. The 2043 eclipse in Libra will shift the physical emphasis toward partnership and collaborative physical endeavors.

The series has traversed three signs across its modern eclipses. The 1917 eclipse at 25.7 degrees Cancer carried the physical theme through the sign of nurturing and emotional protection, an uncomfortable pairing that often manifested as physical threats to safety and home. Three Leo eclipses followed (1935 at 5.9 degrees, 1953 at 16.1 degrees, 1971 at 26.3 degrees), giving the series' physical energy a dramatic, performative quality. Athletic achievement, daring spectacle, and the celebration of the body's capabilities defined the Leo years.

The transition into Virgo began with the 1989 eclipse at 7.6 degrees and continued through 2007 at 17.9 degrees. The upcoming 2025 eclipse at 28.3 degrees Virgo concludes the series' passage through this analytical earth sign, where physical events have carried a quality of precision and methodical refinement. The 2043 eclipse at 9.7 degrees Libra opens a new chapter in which the body's experiences will increasingly involve partnership, balance, and aesthetic awareness, a significant shift from Virgo's focus on individual discipline and practical mastery.