Into The Blank

Tomorrow (April 8) we will experience a Solar Eclipse in Aries

While every astrologer out there has pretty much already taken their stab at interpreting the eclipse, I was very resistant to put much energy into promoting this grand event. There’s so much going on in the sky already this month that I want to focus on, and lunar phases have been such a focus of my work over the past year, I really felt a call to place my own astrological gaze elsewhere. However, I’ve recently had quite a few people reach out to me, many coming from a place of anxiety or fear over this upcoming eclipse. I now feel called to put my own two cents out into the astrological realm, perhaps as just one voice offering a tiny pull in the collective direction of “spiritual healing.” I stick by my earlier intuition that Pluto in Aquarius has the Best Supporting Actor award for much of the upcoming astrological happenings, and the key word when getting Pluto work right is surrender. 

Here in Maine, we are going to have the visual of the solar eclipse at its most exciting right around 3:30PM—3:33 to be exact, but I will leave the spirit numbers discussion aside. However, it’s worth noting that the timing here is significant. Astrologically, the eclipse’s exact conjunction is a little over an hour beforehand, at 2:20PM. What is significant about the exact conjunction of the Moon and the Sun in Aries as experienced from the midpoint of our globe is that in perfect alignment with that Sun and Moon at 19 degrees 24 minutes of Aries we also find the asteroid Chiron. And it is also at exactly 19 degrees 24 minutes. Conjunctions, or objects in the sky coming into alignment within a certain sign, are felt with up to about 10 degrees of separation. Of course they won’t be felt as strongly the further apart they are, but anything within 2-3 degrees is typically considered a tight conjunction, and we use the word “exact” to describe a conjunction where objects are within 1 degree of each other. That 1 degree of margin is called the orb. The Sun and the Moon for the eclipse will be “exact” with respect to a 1 degree orb starting at 12:36PM until 4:03PM. Before and after those times, the orb will stretch beyond that 1 degree of separation, however the energy of the Sun and the Moon’s conjunction is some of the strongest energy, considering the importance of both of these luminaries. Astrological significance is essentially caused by gravity, and the two objects in space with the most gravitational impact felt here on Earth are the Sun and the Moon, thus making them two extremely important astrological entities. I’m explaining all this about the orb because at exactly 2:20:52PM on Monday April 8th, not only do we have the Sun and the Moon meeting at 19 degrees 24 minutes of Aries, but we also have Chiron already sitting right there, waiting for the event. 

Chiron represents a deep wound. This is usually something that has been present our whole lives, activated early on with echoes of this wound reverberating through life, as if the universe keeps asking for you to address it. Chiron work is deep work, and is incredibly transformational. When you are working on exploring Chiron wounds, you are essentially learning to heal yourself in a new way that can be groundbreaking in itself. When the wound of Chiron is addressed, you are then guided to take that knowledge and healing experience out into the world and heal others. You become the learned healer. Thus, Chiron is affectionately known as “The Wounded Healer.” 

As universal synchronicity would have it, I’ve recently heard some very spiritual stories from people who would not identify themselves as particularly spiritual people. One of them was a coming out story, where he described his deep fear of rejection, his mother’s calm demeanor, and her immediate acceptance of his sexuality. This person said that walking away from that conversation he felt light as a feather, like he was floating. He said it was the best day, he had never felt so blissful. Never once in the telling of the story was the word “spiritual” mentioned, however my entire interpretation of this was “this was a spiritual experience.” 

Following your truth, standing in your truth, declaring who you are, that is all Aries work. Aries is the warrior. Aries is about asserting who you are, your place in the world, and your right to be here. While many conversations such as this are not always well received, the important piece of this was his ability to stand in his power and validate for himself that his truth was worth expressing. Feeling light as a feather after such an experience of validation and acceptance, both from self and from family, further promotes the idea that this was a spiritual experience, one that reverberated through his whole being, an evolution of soul. You need not identify as a spiritual person to have spiritual experiences. Just as meditation and ritual can take the form of exercise, puzzles, or fishing on a Sunday morning, spirituality takes many shapes. Standing in your truth and speaking from the heart is a spiritual endeavor. It is very fitting that this story was shared during Chiron’s transit through Aries, and just before this New Moon Eclipse meets Chiron: healing a wound through Aries assertion opening the doors for a new beginning of acceptance and wholeness within a close relationship. This was a profound example of what this energy could offer to all of us who harness it with such warrior courage. 

So what does all this mean? The energy in the sky right now supports this kind of spiritual courage. Where in your life do you need to speak your truth? Even just to yourself? What realities are you ready to accept? The energy for that kind of healing is opening up, offering you a platform of valor to bring your truths to the surface. Fear is a lower expression of Aries energy, like the fear of the warrior who is in danger, potentially losing the war. We are being invited to move beyond that fear into a place of active participation in order to enable healing. 

The ruler of Aries is Mars, planet of action. Mars is currently in the dreamy water sign Pisces, and is conjunct Saturn. Saturn can represent a blockage of some sort, an area that needs sustained effort over time in order to accomplish great works. We could think of Saturn as stalling out that Mars energy, blocking Mars from progressing, but the vibe I am getting is more one of a firm grip, keeping Mars steady on course. To put firey Mars in the water sign Pisces, we see that we have the power to push through frightening experiences. Pisces is about transcendence, echoing Pluto’s call for surrender. The courage to do deep spiritual work that evolves the soul, that is Mars in Pisces. And Saturn is there, encouraging that work. If you’ve worked with me astrologically on any sort of consistent basis, you’ve heard me call Saturn “Daddy Discipline.” I mean this affectionately—Saturn is here as an elder guide. Saturn shows us where and how to put in the hard work. To have strategical Saturn holding Mars’s hand, Saturn is bringing focus to that at times hot headed Mars. “Keep your eye on the prize.” Steady. 

How many people are making the pilgrimage to see the eclipse in the “full coverage” zone? That’s a very Mars (action) way of reacting to this energy: going on an adventure to experience and celebrate all that the sky is offering us. That is a beautiful expression of this energy, honoring Mars in Pisces. How many of us have recently felt a pull to explore something sensitive in our lives? Ancestry or genealogy work, hard conversations with loved ones as we enter new seasons of life, taking time with self to explore something that has been weighing on the mind. These are all excellent examples of this energy’s expression in our life. Where we have the Sun and the Moon coming together, it would be a great time to tune into your inner most desires. Following the Sun leads you to sanity, and following the Moon leads you to happiness, and they are going to be joined together in action oriented Aries; take this opportunity to ask yourself what bold steps in your own life do you feel called to take? What steps would lead you to sanity and happiness? Sometimes these messages are hard to hear because we are being called to do something difficult. Remember that the most beautiful and freeing times, times when we feel like we are floating, come after dark or scary experiences where we have triumphed.