A powerhouse of transition and transformation.
Eclipse season is upon us and might have you feeling the ups and downs of an electrical storm. The portals are opening and this season is a wild card, but one thing is for sure, transitions and initiations of some kind are inevitable.
Getting through eclipse season could feel like the slow-pull or the ripping-off of a bandage. Take note of your energy levels as you move into the next phase, releasing outdated patterns. During this window of time, between now and May 5th, it is best to listen and attune to your surroundings.
The hybrid New Moon Solar Eclipse on April 20, 2023, at 12:12 AM EST marks the official start of eclipse season. Eclipses are times to go inward, hunker down, take it slow, protect your space, make time for inner work, and take comfort in the people and things you love.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are conjunct, as in any New Moon. What makes eclipses so special, however, is that the alignment is so exact that light is momentarily blotted out. In ancient times this was highly significant. Whenever a luminary loses light, it was felt as a power outage or a power surge. People were encouraged to stay indoors and to take it easy, similar to how we would stock up on groceries and check in with our friends when we know a big storm is brewing.
During a solar eclipse, the moon blots out the light of the Sun. Since the Sun represents our conscious life energy, this can be felt as a weakening of the motivational Self. During a lunar eclipse, the shadow of Earth blots out the light of the Moon. The Moon signifies our emotional body, and subconscious mind, so a lunar eclipse is more a weakening of inner direction.
This New Moon Solar Eclipse takes place at the 29th degree, or the last degree, in the sign of Aries. The anoretic degree of any zodiac sign is considered to be the weakest point in a sign, where things fall apart or deteriorate. It is where we transition from one phase of the psyche to another.
The word anoretic in greek means “to destroy” - in Aries we can apply this to destruction of the idealized self - releasing identities or patterns of behavior that you, for some reason, are clinging to…and it is time to let go. This might show up as coping mechanisms that you have become aware of that are now draining you.
Pay attention to spaces in your life where you place blame or shame, on yourself or others. Pay attention to spaces in your life where you are suppressing your rightful emotions or suppressing the emotions of others…often times when we tell people/children thing like “don’t cry, you are okay, don’t be upset, or suck it up” for example, it is because 1. We are uncomfortable with their expression of feeling, and/or 2. WE were not given the opportunity to express or feel in this way, and were conditioned to suppress our own feelings.
All emotions come from somewhere. Children express what adults suppress. All expressions of children are an act of their processing, trying to navigate and understand. When we tell a child they are okay when they in fact are not, they will act okay in order to be accepted by us. We are thereby teaching them that they are not acceptable to us unless they stop feeling their feelings. Can you remember this happening to you as a child?
Likewise, when we try to fix others or suppress our own emotions- because we are rationalizing how we ‘should’ be feeling in a given circumstance- we are only accepting certain facets of our identity. This is problematic when integration of shadow and light are necessary for reaching one’s full human potential.
Aries is a sign that is all about identity. It is a masculine fire energy. Aries will carve out the Self through assertion and instinctual energetic motions: this is who I am. It is a yang sign, and likes to start things. With this eclipse happening at the last degree of Aries, this is the beginning of the end of something.
This eclipse will expose the places in your life where you are upholding a facade vs. true healing. Collective consciousness is bringing into an awareness the value of feeling your feelings to their fullest degree so that they may be released. No more “suck it up” mentality for me! As I’ve been practicing breath work for the past 6 months, I am thinking of this eclipse as the brief pause before the next exhale. We can hold no more. Time to let go.
This Moon is hosted, or ruled by Mars in Cancer where Mars is debilitated. This is a difficult placement for Mars, in a Moon sign. This week is likely to bring up past family traumas, or conflict rooted in our ‘origins’. The tendency to be over-emotional is also likely, with specific drama around mothers/families, and emotional bonds.
There will be a square of the Sun to Pluto shortly after the eclipse. This transit brings with it an energy of transformation, death/rebirth, and depth or darkness. As you can see, we are working with powerful energies of transformation that cannot be overcome unless we are working with all of the pieces of the Self. Darkness and Light side by side. Pluto often takes us into depths we would rather avoid. If we are not looking carefully towards the shadow, it will drag us down into “death” mode. When we can work with the deeper parts of our psyche that are in need of attention and love, transformation and rebirth are possible.
April 20th also marks the beginning of Taurus Season, where the Sun moves into Taurus. A deep embodiment of change is possible, but first we must go through the fire. The question then is: how do we work alongside biological/physical reactions and emotional/psychological reactions? How do we bridge the gap between body and mind? How do we hold the tension and the difficulty where one wants to rule and own the other?
The answer lies in listening to your heart. Lay low and do not take on too much this week. Spend time journaling, being in nature, checking in with your friends and staying present with whatever arises.
This New Moon is also a turning point for the North and South Nodes. The Nodes are points in the sky when eclipses happen. Transiting nodes represent collective karmic lessons on the path to awakening humanity’s consciousness. We are shifting from the Taurus-Scorpio axis to the Aries-Libra axis. The eclipses will be happening in Aries-Libra now, for the next year and a half, and will bring up powerful themes of individuation vs. togetherness.
The North node in Aries speaks to the collective gains, and the South node in Libra speaks to the collective releases. We will have a Scorpio eclipse to come on May 5th, but this week is a turning point for the rivers of karma. For more detailed information on the meaning of the nodes, stay posted for my upcoming article titled, “The meaning of the North and South Nodes in Evolutionary Astrology.”
The day following this eclipse, Mercury stations retrograde in sign of Taurus. Mercury will also be in conjunction with Uranus, the Great Awakener. Uranus has been conjunct the North Nodes for the past few years, so this Mercury retrograde is an important integration moment to review, reflect, and redefine themes in our life surrounding innovation, freedoms, and the desire to transform ourselves. How are we following our passions? Are we listening to the dissonance in our lives? Where are we being shaken up in order to awaken? Be prepared to revisit some challenges surrounding your own spontaneity— to follow the breadcrumbs and signals on your journey. Stay flexible. What doesn’t bend breaks.
Look at Libra and Aries placements in your birth chart for information on where in your life you can expect new awarenesses. These signs will be undergoing some dramatic tests in the coming year.
To gain more insight for how this eclipse season is effecting you, feel free to sign up for a personal birth chart consultation with me. Stay safe and take care this Eclipse Season.