Welcome to eclipse season! On April 20 at 5:12 a.m. GMT, the total solar eclipse occurs in the cardinal sign Aries. A solar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are all in alignment. The Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, blocking the sunlight on Earth with its shadow. This particular eclipse is a rare hybrid solar eclipse — the first since November 2013 and the next one is November 2031 — which makes it extra important. Due to the Earth’s curve, the Moon’s shadow can shift between an annular and total, creating a hybrid eclipse.
A solar eclipse is like a very potent New Moon, except the Sun and Moon align with the Nodes of Destiny. This means that the eclipse is awakening a part of ourselves that needs improvement, care, or focus for the next one and a half years (eclipses work on a nodal axis, which changes signs every 18 months). The Nodes of Destiny run in pairs: The North and South Node. Simply put, the North Node is what we are bringing into our lives, while the South Node is what we are releasing. Keep in mind that these two are astrological polarities. For instance, the North Node in Aries would oppose the South Node in Libra. In that case, the karmic focus would be about learning to care for oneself, above all else and letting go of codependent behaviorisms.
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The current Nodes of Destiny have been moving backwards on the Taurus-Scorpio axis since January 18, 2022 and will enter Aries-Libra on July 17. Since the New Moon is five degrees away from the Nodes of Destiny, it hits the axis as an eclipse. This means that the solar eclipse on April 19/20 can give us a taste of what we can expect from the nodal change this summer and the parts of our lives that need changing.
The eclipse occurs at 29 degrees Aries, which is a sensitive spot. Known as the “anaretic” degree, signs and planets tend to exhibit extreme impulsive behaviour at 29 degrees. We could very easily put our foot in our mouths and say things we don’t mean or start drama without even being aware of what we are doing. Even though the energy of the eclipse can push us to move forward, we should try to calm down our thoughts — especially since the Sun shifts into the tranquil and serene sign Taurus a few hours after the eclipse commences and this will slow our roll.
Since Aries is the warrior sign, known for their fearless spirit and lust for life, we will try to be brave and courageous in the face of adversity, rather than avoidant and non-confrontational. If there is an issue that has to be addressed it could be a good time to get the matter off our chests, as long as we choose kindness in how we express ourselves and don’t react without thinking over matters and responses thoroughly. This isn’t the time to put things on the back burner. It’s time to take action and deal with matters directly. This could be a tough pill for many to swallow if they’re not used to concise communication.
People may go to extremes and jump to conclusions before hearing or understanding all the facts about a situation. With the fortunate fixed star Alrisha connecting with the eclipse point, we can expect to receive information that gets our blood boiling at first — but will be resolved due to the involvement of friends or outside sources. Mercury retrograde commences on April 21 in Taurus, which could slow down the effects of the eclipse. However, we can still feel the aftershocks several months later.
Whenever there is an eclipse we can expect a wake up call from the universe. It is when the universe comes and checks in to see if we are living our life's path to our highest and fullest. Eclipses bring matters to light — both the good and the bad. We are being asked to evolve and grow with the times, as well as learn from our experiences.
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