The new moon in Aries (29 °50′) on April 19th at 11:13 p.m. CST is a hybrid solar eclipse. This cosmic phenomenon is a rare combination of a total and annular eclipse that occurs in around 3-5% of all eclipses and only a few times each century. It occurs when the Moon is in its farthest orbit from the Earth, causing only a narrow band of the Earth to experience a total eclipse.
As the Moon’s shadow travels across the Earth’s surface, a hybrid solar eclipse will transition from a “total” to an “annular” configuration. This is a hybrid solar eclipse that will be visible across Western Australia, East Timor and Eastern Indonesia.
This is the first eclipse of 2023. It takes place in the last 10 minutes of Aries before moving into 0° in Taurus, activating conscious endings, significant collective turning points and profound transformation.
It is also the second of two new moons in a row in the same sign within the last four weeks, which is unique.
This eclipse ignites our passions, opens us to new possibilities, and initiates the courage to act on opportunity.
What is A Solar Eclipse
Solar eclipses only occur during the new moon and when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun’s light from reaching the Earth. Total solar eclipses typically occur during significant times of collective transition, moving outdated energies away and bringing new energies into the changed world.
This is the first North Node solar eclipse in Aries since April 19th, 2004.
Thinking back, where were we called to individuate and evolve our sense of self? What new pathways were emerging? Are there any similar themes or patterns that are arising now? We can embark on a new journey of initiating independence, freedom and new beginnings in the Aries area of our life. This time, though, we arrive at these themes from our current level of consciousness and soul esteem.
North Node eclipses guide us into a new exploration of a dimension that fosters the expansion of our soul. They activate individual and collective growth and evolution.
The Moon’s nodes will be crossing into the Aries-Libra polarity on July 17th, 2023, and activating the degree of the solar eclipse. Events that take place around that time will correspond to what we are initiating now. The potent effects of this eclipse will last for the next six months and beyond.
Image Credit: Miquel Llonch
The Spiritual Warrior Within
Aries is the sign of the spiritual warrior. The spiritual warrior possesses increased bravery, strength and intuition that aids in navigating life on instinct. With heightened presence, it can assess a complex situation and respond swiftly and appropriately.
The evolutionary pressure to continually move forward and engage in life can hinder us from recognizing when to retreat, when to choose to contemplate what we have set in motion and when to connect within ourselves before reacting. A crucial lesson of this archetype is to learn how to defend our position and stand up for what we believe in.
In the shadow, Aries has a strong energy of defensiveness that perceives adversity and threat and often wages unnecessary battles. They may be preoccupied with the self and see only their point of view. They may need to constantly defend their position instead of simply owning how their actions impacted others and may have caused harm.
This eclipse invites us to get honest with ourselves and come to a new understanding around our relationship to conflict. How is conflict serving as our teacher? What is it showing us about ourselves? What new learning and new karma do we continue to recreate through our own actions that we now need to integrate? Are we able to be direct with others and express what we need? Are we called to set clear boundaries? We must learn to feel the difference in our bodies when we experience reactive defensiveness and when we have a genuine need to rise up and defend. Often our defensiveness arrives from wanting to protect our tender, vulnerable hearts. Do we know what it feels like to stay connected to our power and not engage? How do we bring more awareness to what is motivating our behaviors?
Our ego is a structure of internal components that work together to present as an identity shielding our deepest vulnerabilities. It is the response of our psyche to everything that has been internalized and adapted by us to survive. It can distinguish from the past or present time. Often our triggers are activated by a much younger self, a self who has a longing for a deeper need to be met. This eclipse supports us in integrating all the parts of the self, including compassionate acceptance of our defense mechanisms. We are evolving into a new way of being that recognizes and honors our innate wholeness.
“In our rapidly changing society we can count on only two things that will never change. What will never change is the will to change and the fear of change. It is the will to change that motivates us to seek help. It is the fear of change that motivates us to resist the very help we seek.”
Harriet Lerner
Aries energy is raw, unrefined and vulnerable. For us to understand individuality and be self-directed, we must detach ourselves from others and go our own way. It is an archetype that must separate from the herd to embark on the hero’s journey. There is an evolutionary need to explore new territory, initiate new ideas and discover more profound parts of the self along the trail. And while Aries can navigate the most extraordinary experiences, Aries can also feel incredibly lonely. We must honor all that we are feeling during this transition.
Transformation takes courage.
This eclipse offers a rebirth and the beginning of a new two-year cycle in the Aries area of your life.
We are moving away from what no longer serves our future selves and where we are going. We can make space to grieve all we have known. It’s ok to feel fear and continue to take steps forward.
This Eclipse Highlights Our Relationship to Control
Eclipses are turning points. They usher in transformation and change. It is a time to shed our personal agendas and ego desires to attune to the natural impulse of our soul’s path. We align with our dharma.
When there is an eclipse in the late degrees of a Zodiac sign, it activates the energies of transition. We feel a sense of competition as our frequency shifts and transmutes into a new version of who we are now.
This solar eclipse activates a new beginning and a new self-identity. We awaken to the previous versions of ourselves and old patterns that we are removing. We notice what we have outgrown.
We summon the Aries archetypal energies of courage, self-leadership and intuitive knowing to pioneer our way forward. Spontaneous insights, dreams and premonitions offer clarity on what no longer serves so that we can reclaim what is resonant for our authentic journey.
“The simple intention to surrender control is all you need to experience miracles.”
Gabrielle Bernstein
Eclipse season is a time to practice active surrender
We are guided to navigate this time of transition by embracing the unknown and trusting our instincts to inform our steps through this cosmic portal. This time may invoke power struggles and crises. The shadow of the old paradigm is exposed, calling us out of our comfort zones to forage the new pathway ahead. We are invited to surrender our need for control and bring awareness to the new that is emerging.
The more that we resist where we are being called to change, the more we create suffering. We may be confronted with our ego’s desires, so we must surrender and awaken to a force that is bigger than us. Time is condensed. The momentum is rapid. The way forward is karmic. There is nothing to control; there is simply that to which we allow and align.
The Medicine is Our Creative Fire
Aries connects us to our spiritual mission of what we are here to initiate in this life and our intuitive knowing of why we are incarnated here on the planet. There is a need to be connected to a higher purpose. The path requires radical self-trust. This eclipse invites us to take bold risks and step into new beginnings that engage our creative fires and effectively channel our energy toward our new vision.
“The difference between a good life and a bad life is how well you walk through the fire.”
Carl Jung
Image Credit: Juli Kosolapova
Cosmic Weather
The Sun and Moon are conjunct Jupiter in Aries which assists us in our confidence to own who we are now and follow what is authentic to us. Jupiter shows us where we have settled so that we can now cultivate the courage to continue to grow and expand into the next phase of our potential. Jupiter also ushers in optimism, hope, and the possibility of what could be, encouraging us to move forward, even in the present’s turbulent waters.
The Sun and Moon are also conjunct Eris in Aries, prompting us to break free from conventional paradigms and move in our unique rhythm. Eris is the archetype of the Sacred Rebel, who advocates for those who are marginalized and speaks from a place of higher love, guiding us to face the truth that unlocks higher consciousness. She invites us to live from our values, speak our truth and not compromise our integrity to belong.
The Sun and Moon are in an out-of-sign square to Pluto in Aquarius. Pluto guides us through an emotional empowerment process and teaches us about our relationship to power. We are invited to look at how we give our power away to other people or outside forces in order to awaken our true power within. We may be confronted with feeling out of control or emotional intensity that, if we are present, can serve as fuel for inner alchemy. But our true power comes from empowering others. We are evolving from the paradigm in which we seek individual power and control. As this new light enters, more shadows will be revealed about the collective misuse of power so that we can transform and create new connections that foster collaboration and create space for our unique gifts to support the collective.
Pluto has been squaring the Moon nodes since March 23rd when it entered Aquarius. It will remain in a square throughout most of 2023. This transit asks us to transcend external power systems, social conventions, and narratives that no longer empower us. Pluto in this eclipse chart represents significant transformation and world changes to lead us toward new collective paradigms. Powerful forces will reveal what isn’t thriving so that we may uncover new innovative solutions. We are in the process of shedding internalized alliance to the Patriarchy and writing a new narrative.
Mercury begins its three-week retrograde phase just one day after the solar eclipse becomes exact. When planets come to a halt and change direction, their themes are heightened. Because Mercury is currently in the sign of Taurus, our awareness is emphasized on themes relating to the physical realm, such as finances, possessions, our bodies and our value. Mercury is conjunct Uranus in Taurus in this solar eclipse chart, enhancing our intuitive perception.
Mars in Cancer is square Chiron in Aries which brings our insecurities, self-assertion and reactions to the surface. We rise to defend where we haven’t felt supported, loved or where we’ve had to fight for what we need. This is an opportunity to practice compassion and acceptance for all parts of ourselves. Chiron helps to heal from the shadow dynamics of the Patriarchy that keep us locked in polarization, exploitation and domination. We are asked to heal these shadow allegiances within us to forge a new way of being. This square lasts several weeks and will also be in the Scorpio lunar eclipse on May 5th.
Mercury is conjunct Uranus in Taurus, shaking us loose from habits that no longer are aligned with our values. We receive new clarity of what we need and release what we no longer wish to invest in.
Mars in Cancer is sextile Mercury in Taurus. This aspect allows us to connect ideas to actions. We understand what we can control and can make changes that support a better quality of life.
This eclipse is square Pallas Athena in Cancer, prompting us to break from tradition and challenge the roles upheld to create peace, security and safety for ourselves and our families.
Vesta is conjunct the Sun, Moon and North Node in this solar eclipse chart. She represents our connection to source and our inner fire. Vesta’s presence in this solar eclipse calls us to commit to what is sacred, devote ourselves to it fully and align with our hearts.
This eclipse is opposite the dwarf planet Haumea, representing spiritual rebirth, creative life force energy, and our relationship with the magic of the natural world. Haumea works to create psychic unity through our collective timelines. In the sign of Scorpio, we are guided to use our power in right relationship to the Earth, bring awareness to the decay of toxic power structure and surrender to what is ready to be rebirthed.
“Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet confinement of your aloneness to learn anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.”
David Whyte
The Invitation
This eclipse supports us in trusting the unknown and following our intuitive wisdom to navigate this power time of collective transition. We create spaciousness to feel our soul hunger and risk something new.
New sparks of inspiration ignite creative energy. We are now asked to harness our energy into something tangible that aligns with our passion and integrates our accompanying emotions.
We gain an expanded understanding of who we are, how we have changed, and the emergence of new possibilities. We venture outside of our comfort zones to align with dynamic alchemy. Our bursting potential awakens us. We meet the world with unrivaled presence, attune to signs of synchronicity and boldly step up to meet opportunities that come our way.
A chance for more profound healing and transformation exists when we embrace our humanity and practice self-compassion, particularly regarding our internal mechanisms and limitations. This eclipse season is teaching us to deepen trust in our higher selves and our unfolding paths.
We don’t have the power to control and dictate the course of events, but we can choose how we respond. This is a necessary time to cultivate our inner observer. We are invited to show courage from our hearts and trust in our ability to be guided immediately to the right course of action.