| Astrology Home | Astrology Blog | Star Guide | Horoscopes | Love Horoscopes | Tarotscopes | Compatibility | Astro Shop | Guest Book |
|---|
 |
|
|
 Nodes Change Sign | The Planets | Moon's Nodes | Moon's Phases | The Moon | Eclipses | Signs | |
 Moon's Nodes Nodes Change Sign The Moon The Moon's Phases Eclipses About Astrology What is Astrology? Is Astrology Scientific? The Zodiac Zodiac Symbols Astrology & Astronomy How Astrology works The Planets Planets & Aspects Rulership Exaltation Astrology Home Astrology Orders Horoscopes Star Guide Relationships Relationship Analysis Soul Connection Health Runes About Us |
 The Fishing Party by Fitz Hugh Lane
The Moon Wobble |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 Wobbles | | 2009 Wobbles |
The world has been undergoing a massive and painful transformation recently. A number of astrological factors point to this, particularly the retrograde conjunction of Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron, but the significant trigger might well be the stressful square aspect of the Sun to the Moon's Nodes on Oct 18, known as a Moon Wobble. Rob Tillett, one of the founders of Astrology on the Web, explores the meaning of this major cosmic phenomenon. If you thought Mercury retrograde was a problem, compare the Moon Wobble!
In addition to the planets, asteroids, comets and moons that revolve in our solar system, astrology considers the effects of two "Shadow Planets" called the Moon's Nodes, the Dragon's Head and Tail. These nodes are not real rocks, like the Moon, Mars or Venus, but sensitive points that mark the movement by declination of the Moon from the southern celestial hemisphere to the northern (the North Node) and vice versa (the South Node), where the path of the Moon around the Earth sweeps across the ecliptic, intersecting the apparent path of the Sun. The nodes form an axis, so the South Node is always directly opposite the North Node in a stately cosmic quadrille. Neverthless, the Moon's Nodes are vitally important in terms of the destinies of all who dwell on Planet Earth. See The Moon's Nodes for more on this.
I was originally prompted to write the first edition of this article because of the devastation wrought by the May 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province of China which killed thousands, the horrors of Cyclone Nargis in Burma (Myanmar) which slaughtered tens of thousands and left millions homeless, deadly tornados in the USA, bombings in the Middle East and so on. There were a number of astrological pointers, including the stations of Saturn and Jupiter, the two Great Chronocrators, with Neptune and Mercury about to turn retrograde, but the significant trigger might well have been the stressful square aspect of the Sun to the Moon's Nodes on May 13, 2008. This phenomenon is known as a Moon Wobble.
Man picks through debris of 2009 Samoa Tsunami
There have been further major disasters associated with Moon Wobbles this year, 2009, as there are every year, including in the past few days the massive earthquakes and flooding associated with the upcoming Wobble on at the New Moon in Libra on October 18, 2009, and the movement of Saturn through the final degrees of Virgo (opposing Uranus), before entering Libra on Oct 29. It is also likely that the fabric of the cosmos has been weakened by the extended retrograde conjunction of Jupiter (now stationary, preparing to turn direct on Oct 13), Neptune and Chiron, plus the change of sign of the nodes, from Aquarius to Capricorn in July/August. The most striking so far in the current cycle have been the flooding near Manila in the Philippines on Sep 28, the tsunami following the earthquake near Samoa on Sep 29, the earthquakes in Padang, Indonesia on Sep 30 and now the flooding of the Krishna River in Andrha Pradesh and the other central Indian states of Karnatica and Maharashtra on Oct 5. You can see the list of disasters for yourself in the table at the end of this article.
Carl Payne Tobey
Moon Wobbles were discovered in the 1930's, when research by astrologer Carl Payne Tobey (1902-1980), the original editor of Astrology Magazine, revealed that disasters occur in cycles associated with the conjunction (0°), opposition (180°) and square (90°) from the Sun to the Moon's Node. These powerful contacts occur when the Sun and the Node are in the same sign, or the opposing sign, or when the Sun is in a square aspect to the nodal axis. They are especially potent when the New Moon or Full Moon are square to the Nodes. On October 18, 2009, we see the New Moon in Libra forming a partile square to the Nodes, emphasising the potency of the aspect, for the Sun and Moon are both precisely square the nodal axis at the New Moon.
As he discovered after a painstaking examination of a large number of major disasters, many of the most serious and traumatic catastrophes involving fire, bad weather and loss of life occur in association with eclipses, when the Sun and Moon are conjunct the Moon's Nodes, especially when other unfortunate planetary aspects coincide. However, not all of these evils are exclusively linked with eclipses, for many are associated with the Sun forming a T-square to the nodal axis, i.e. when the Sun is in a 90° aspect to the nodes. This he called a "Moon Wobble", because in fact it is when the Moon is "wobbling" in its path by declination. So when the Sun forms an aspect to the nodes of 0°, 90°, or 180°, we experience a significant likelihood of massive environmental damage with much loss of life and property. These Moon Wobbles occur every 86.5 days on average, with an orb of approximately 5 degrees (days) on either side of the precise date, when the Sun forms either the T-square with the nodal axis, or the conjunction with the North or South Nodes. Tobey notes that when the Sun squares the Nodes, judgement is notoriously poor and unstable, especially for people under stress or in leadership positions. Some astrologers hold that the two weeks before the partile aspect are problematic, with the week following the aspect also being notable in terms of disasters, but my view is that we can allow 10 or more days on either side of the peak aspect, as shown in the table.
Moon Wobble Patterns
The Sun takes a year to complete one revolution of the Zodiac, usually making four contacts with the Lunar Nodes in the process. For example, during the current Capricorn/Cancer nodal transit, which commenced in July/August 2009, the Sun in Libra reaches the Square aspect with the Nodes on at the New Moon of October 18, 2009.
Sun/Node Alignments- When the Sun is in Libra on Oct 18, 2009, the New Moon makes a square (90°) aspect to the Nodes. This is a truly powerful aspect.
- When the Sun is in Capricorn in January 2010, we will see the conjuction of Sun and North Node (an opposition to the South Node) on January 11, associated with a Solar Eclipse in Capricorn on Jan 15.
- When the Sun is in Aries square to the Nodes on Apr 6, 2010, it precedes the New Moon on April 14, so will not be as strong as the Libra alignement.
- When the Sun is in Cancer, in July 2010, we will have a conjunction with the South Node (opposition to the North Node, as the nodes are always an axis) on June 10, associated with a Lunar Eclipse on June 26.
The Lunar Nodes move through each sign of the Zodiac in a little over eighteen months, so for a Moon Wobble to occur in the same sign and configuration with the Nodes it takes around 19 years. Each Moon Wobble pattern is thus unique until repeated some 19 years later.
Crushed Cars in 2008 Sichuan Earthquake
As Jim D'Amato points out, ancient astrologers associated the beginnings and ends of wars, major battles, mine explosions and animal stampedes with eclipses, both solar and lunar. These two types of eclipses generally happen about two weeks apart every six months and really make a notable splash once every two years. Tobey found that disasters happened about every three months; he correlated them as well to the geometric and mathematical square to the possible eclipse points, the Moon's Nodes. This is a clear indication of the stress and tension in the collective consciousness denoted by subliminal patterns marked by the interaction of the Sun and Moon when associated with the Moon's Nodes. Plato is reputed to have had the phrase "Let no-one enter who is ignorant of geometry" (ageômetrètos midèis eisitô) inscribed above the door to his Academy. This motto is more subtle than you might think!
During these Moon Wobble periods, time and space seem to be more unstable, almost as if the fabric of the heavens has somehow weakened. People die – sometimes in great numbers – through dramatic releases of energy, especially explosions, fires, mass murders, earthquakes, floods and transportation accidents. For this reason, it makes sense to keep track of the Moon Wobble phenomena and to note where they fall in your own chart.
Moon Wobble Periods
Even though Tobey gave it an orb of 5 degrees (days), the effects of the Moon Wobble tend to appear some 10 days before the partile (exact) configuration, the peak date, and cease pretty much around 10 days after the peak date, especially when associated with major planetary aspects involving the outer planets. That makes a sensitive period of up to 20 days, four or five times a year, regular as clockwork. I'd say this is due to the wide orb of the Sun (17°), which moves on average slightly over one degree per day through the zodiac.
Needless to say, disasters are not the exclusive province of Moon Wobbles, but they are disaster-prone phases, especially when associated with problematic planetary aspects, or with major retrograde periods. These phases bring suppressed tensions to the surface, both in human beings and in natural scenarios, often with catastrophic results. The effects on individuals depends on where the aspect falls in their charts, but by and large these phases are warnings to be appropriately prepared and not to undertake major decisions, as reality is clouded during these periods. It's worth ordering a forecast from us that will explain the potential effects of the Moon Wobble phases for the year ahead on your own life.
Some notable example of disasters that occurred during the Moon Wobble phase will drive home the point. There is a very long list of them, far too many to list, although in October 2009 I have covered more, especially the manmade nasties, such as bombings and the like. Disasters occur not only in the lead up to malefic aspects around an eclipse or Moon wobble, but also as the affected degrees are subsequently activated. See Ian Thurnwald's detailed analysis of the aftermath of the massive Solar Eclipse in Aug 99 for examples of this.
The location of disasters indicated tends to follow the path of the preceding eclipse, as this has already been sensitised, the cosmic fabric having been weakened, so to speak (see, for example, the January 2009 eclipse and the July 2009 eclipse; more detail with links can be seen on our Eclipse pages). So given the vast sums involved in researching and predicting storms, earthquakes, tsunamis and the like, not to mention the horrendous costs of cleaning up, it might be worth the authorities investing in some astrological research and qualified staff. This would be worth much much more than the cost.
| Moon Wobbles 2008 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phase | Peak | Relevant Aspects & Associated Disasters |
| • Solar Eclipse Feb 7 • Lunar Eclipse Feb 21 | Feb 17 | • Mars opp Pluto: • Feb. 3, Congo: 45 killed and about 450 injured after two strong earthquakes, of 6.0 and 5.0 magnitude. • Feb. 5-6, U.S.A..: 55 killed and hundreds injured after violent tornadoes rip through southern United States. • Feb. 7, U.S.A.: explosion at sugar refinery near Savannah, Georgia kills 14 and injures many more. • Feb. 21, Venezuela: Passenger plane crashes into mountain in Sierra La Culata National Park killing all 46 aboard. |
| • Taurus Sun sq Nodes | May 13 | • May 2, Burma: Cyclone Nargis, when hundreds of thousands were killed or displaced • May 12, China: Sichuan Earthquake killed nearly 100,000, leaving 4.5 million homeless. • May 13, India: 80 people killed in serial bomb blasts in Jaipur. |
| • Solar Eclipse Aug 1 | Aug 10 | • Mars opp Uranus: • July 24 Japan: 90 injured & thousands of homes lose power in a 6.8 magnitude earthquake near Iwate. • July 26 India: 57 killed in Ahmedabad after 18-odd synchronised bombs went off in less than 2 hours. • July 27 S.E. Europe: major flooding in Ukraine and Romania kills 18 causing $300 million in damages. • Aug 1 Pakistan: avalanche on K2, world's second-highest mountain, kills 11 climbers, injures others. • Aug 4, India: 150 die as landslide rumours cause stampede in Hindu Goddess fest. at Naina Devi temple. • Aug 5, N. California: 9 firefighters die in helicopter crash/burn in Shasta-Trinity Nat. Forest. Cause unknown. |
| • Lunar Eclipse Aug 16 | Aug 10 |
• Mars sq Pluto: • Aug 10, Canada: explosions at gas facility force thousands in Toronto to evacuate. Some injured, 1 dies. • Aug 20, Spain: 153 die as passenger plane skids & bursts into flames during takeoff in Madrid. • Aug 23, U.S.A.: 12 die & thousands of properties flooded as trop. storm Fay makes landfall 4 times in Fl. and Ga. |
| • Scorpio Sun squ Nodes | Nov 06 | • Mars sq Neptune; Saturn opp Uranus: • Oct. 29, Pakistan: 6.4 magnitude quake hits S.W. Pakistan, kills 170 & wrecks 15,000 homes. • Oct. 30, India: explosions in Assam kill 55 and wound over 200. • Nov 7, Haiti: 90 students die & over a hundred injured in school collapse in Port-au-Prince. • Nov 9, Sea of Japan: 20 die and 21 injured in Russian submarine fault. |
| Moon Wobbles 2009 | ||
| Phase | Peak | Relevant Aspects & Associated Disasters |
| • Solar Eclipse Jan 26 | Jan 29 | • Venus opp Saturn: • Jan. 24, France & Spain: 15 die & a million homes without power as 100 mph winds hit; worst storm since 1999. • Jan. 26, Turkey: avalanche slams 17 Turkish hikers on Mt Zigana, dragging them 1,640 ft, killing 10. • Jan. 27-28, S.W. U.S.A.: 23 die in severe storms. Schools close; a million homes left without electricity. |
| • Lunar Eclipse Feb 9 | Jan 29 | • Saturn opp Uranus; Mars sesquisq Saturn; Mars semisq Uranus : • Feb. 9, Australia: over 160 die when arsonists start about 400 wildfires—some of the worst in Australia's history. • Feb. 10, U.S.A.: cluster of tornadoes rip through Oklahoma, killing 8 and injuring over a dozen. • Feb. 12, U.S.A.: 50 passengers and crew die as flight from Newark crashes near Buffalo, killing 1 on the ground. |
| • Taurus Sun sq Nodes | Apr 24 | • April 6, Italy: earthquake magnitude 6.3 kills 200, injuring 1,000. Town of L'Aquila is the epicenter.
• For a list of other disasters, fires, earthquakes etc: Natural Disasters News for April 2009. |
| • Lunar Eclipse, Jul 7 | Jul 22 | • Mars sq Neptune; Mars sq Jupiter: • June 30, Italy: freight train derails and crashes into small town, killing 12, injuring 50. LNG container explodes. • June 30, Indian Ocean: Yemeni Jet hits ocean trying to land at Comoros. 152 killed; 1 survivor, a 14-year-old girl. • July 6, China: ethnic riots in Urumqi between Muslim Uighurs & Han Chinese & the police kill 156. • July 15, Iran: Caspian Airlines plane crashes en route to Yerevan, Armenia, killing all 168 passengers. • For a list of other disasters, fires, earthquakes etc: Natural Disasters News for July 2009. |
| • Solar Eclipse, Jul 22 | Jul 22 | • Mars sq Neptune; Mars sq Jupiter: • July, India: massive flooding in India kills scores and leaves hundreds of thousands homeless. • July 24, Iran: 16 die as Aria Air flight skids off the runway, catching fire in Mashhad, Iran. • For a list of other disasters, fires, earthquakes etc: Natural Disasters News for August 2009. |
| • Lunar Eclipse, Aug 6 | Jul 22 | • Mars sq Pluto: • August 7, Philippines: 22 tourists on Mount Pinatubo trapped and killed in heavy rain, flooding & landslides. • August 8, New York: helicopter and plane collide over Hudson River, killing all 9 on the private plane. • August 10, Taiwan: Typhoon Morakot causes mudslide burying schools, homes, killing 600. • For a list of other disasters, fires, earthquakes etc: Natural Disasters News for August 2009. |
| • Libra Sun sq Nodes | Oct 18 | • Merc opp Uranus; Sun sq Pluto; Saturn contra Uranus; Merc sq Pluto; Mars conj SN:
• Sep 28, Philippines: 90 die in and around Manila in flooding caused by Tropical Storm Ketsana • Sep 29, Samoa: hundreds die, thousands left homeless in tsunami caused by magnitude 8.0 undersea quake • Sep 30, Indonesia: thousands die, buildings destroyed in mag. 7.6 quake near Padang, Sumatra. Massive aftershocks. • Oct 1, Indonesia: further death and destruction in mag. 6.6 quake near Bengkulu, Sumatra. • Oct 2, Tonga: further deadly quakes in the region, including mag. 6.1 near Hihifo, as undersea volcano erupts. • Oct 5, India: millions affected, hundreds dead in worst flood on record across Central India. • Oct 7, Thailand: 40 injured, 4 killed in terrorist bomb attacks in South Thailand. • Oct 8, Indonesia: asteroid explodes over Bone, Sulawesi, with 2 to 3 times the force of Hiroshima & Nagasaki atom bombs. • Oct 9, Philippines: 160 killed as torrential rains cause mudslides. (Since Sep 26 over 450 killed due to storms.) • Oct 9, Afghanistan: suicide bomber blows up Indian embassy in Kabul; kills 17 & injures many more • Oct 10, Pakistan: climax of weeklong violence, attack on Pak GHQ Rawalpindi; 11 soldiers & 4 Taliban die, many wounded. • Oct 10, Nigeria: over 70 killed as fuel tanker flips & explodes in Anambra. • Oct 10, Haiti: UN plane crashes killing 11 on border of Dominican Republic, 45 km from Port-au-Prince • Oct 11, Cambodia: 17 killed after river ferry capsizes on a tributary of the Mekong. • Oct 12, Pakistan: car bomb in Shangla marketplace kills 41. Pakistani jets bomb Taliban camps kill 17. • Oct 13, Nepal: 4,000 families displaced; 152,000 affected, 62 die; houses, crops destroyed in West Nepal floods & landslides. • Oct 15, Pakistan: coordinated series of terror attacks focusing mainly on Lahore kill 39. Pakistani jets bomb Taliban, kill 60. • Oct 16, Iraq: 12 killed, 70 injured by suicide bomber in Sunni mosque at Tal Afar, near Mosul. • Oct 18, India: At least 33 killed in Tamil Nadu as explosion sets fire to firecracker warehouse. • Oct 18, Mexico: Hurricane Rick, massive cat. 5 storm produces 180mph winds & 50' waves; heading for Baja California. • Oct 19, Austria: Hailstorms decimate wild animals; thousands killed; hunting banned;$100 million damage to crops, property. • Oct 19, Thailand: Remotely detonated motorcycle bomb injures 24 in marketplace at Yala. Muslim separatists blamed. • Oct 21, Pakistan: 4 die, 18 wounded in twin blasts at International Islamic University, Islamabad. Taliban claim responsibility. • Oct 21, Yemen: Dozens killed as Saudi forces clash with Houthi rebels in North Yemen. • Oct 21, India: At least 21 die & 20 injured when trains collide near Agra, en route to Delhi. • Oct 22, Hindu Kush: Strong earthquake (mg 6.2) in towering Hindu Kush mountains shakes eastern Afghanistan and Pakistan. • Oct 22, New Zealand: Windows 7 unleashed at midnight on fearful world... • Oct 23, Pakistan: Terror blasts rock Peshawar, Islamabad, Mohmand (nr Ghalnai); at least 21 killed, many injured. • Oct 25, Afghanistan: 2 chopper crashes in South & West of country kill 14 US soldiers, injure 26 (14 Afghan, 12 US). • Oct 25, Iraq: Coordinated suicide bomb blasts in Baghdad kill 155, injure 500. Al-Qaeda blamed. • Oct 28, Pakistan: Massive car bomb kills 91, injures 200 in Peshawar market. Taliban deny responsibility. • Oct 28, Afghanistan: Suicide attack on UN quarters in Kabul kills 8. Taliban say this is the first of many to disrupt election. • Oct 30, USA: San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridge failure scares commuters as 5000 pounds of iron falls on traffic. • For a list of other disasters, fires, earthquakes etc: Natural Disasters News for October 2009. |
| • Lunar Eclipse Dec 31 | Jan 11 | • Saturn sq Pluto; Merc retro; Mars retro: • Watch this space... |
[This is the end of the article. Check back regularly for updates.]
Nodes Change Sign | The Planets | Moon's Nodes | Moon's Phases | The Moon | Eclipses | Signs
| Articles | AstroMatch | Search | Books | Contact | Forum | Postcards | Glossary | Links | Site Map |
|
 Contents Copyright © 1997-2009 ASTROLOGY ON THE WEB |
