New Moon Hybrid Solar Eclipse in Aries

New Moon Hybrid Solar Eclipse in Aries, Thursday April 20th at 5.12 AM

*This rare hybrid eclipse is only visible in parts of Western Australia, Timor-Leste and West Papua.

Eclipses are all about out of the ordinary alignment and can only occur when the moon is perfectly lined-up to intersect the ‘ecliptic’: the sun’s path through our daytime sky and the plane of earth’s orbit of the sun. The reason eclipses don't happen every month is because the moon's orbit is tilted; it is 5º relative to the earth's orbit around the sun. This means that most of the time, the moon passes above or below the earth's shadow and the sun and does not cross the ecliptic plane. The alignment necessary for an eclipse only happens during a narrow window of time, when the moon is close enough to one of its nodes (astronomical nodes are the two points in the moon's orbit where it crosses the ecliptic plan) and it is either a new moon or a full moon. This means that, for a solar eclipse to occur, the moon must be at the right position relative to the sun and the earth, and for a lunar eclipse to occur, the moon must be at the right position relative to the earth and the sun.

Since the lunar month (the time it takes for the moon to complete one orbit around the earth) is about 29.5 days long, and the moon's nodes move westward over time, the alignment required for an eclipse to occur only happens during certain periods of the year. These periods are known as eclipse seasons and they happen twice a year, approximately six months apart.

The first eclipse of the 2023 season is a rare hybrid solar eclipse in Aries. A hybrid eclipse shifts from a total solar eclipse to annular solar eclipse, where the sun creates a stunning ‘ring of fire’ behind the moon. This is also a rare second new moon in the fire sign of Aries (the first was on March 21st), which further augments the energy of the extraordinary, and of extraordinary – and divine – timing around this moon. In terms of timing, eclipse season is defined by unexpected events, rapid growth and accelerated change in certain areas of our lives. Things that we may not be able to even imagine right now. This eclipse season itself is unusual in that the second (lunar) eclipse will be in Scorpio. Most often eclipses occur in polar signs, that is, Aries-Libra, or Pisces-Virgo, for example. This season we will experience the first eclipse in Aries, then Scorpio, which marks a shift in the usual energetic pairing of signs. This rarer pairing gives us a taste of new and the old - the nodes shift into Aries (North) and Libra (South) in July from Taurus and Scorpio. In summary, there are a set of exceptional circumstances intersecting during this new moon, all of which are going to make it potently transformational.

Astrologically speaking, during eclipse season, we are working with the dual energy of the nodes: our personal nodes (from our natal chart), and the current nodes, which we experience collectively. In our natal chart each have a personal North Node and a South Node. Chani Nichol’s puts it like this: “In your birth chart, the North Node, or head of the dragon, indicates an area of life where you are insatiable. No matter how much you strive and seek and sweat, this hunger is bottomless. It can’t be filled. The South Node is the tail of the dragon: a point of surrender. Here, you purge, renounce, release. Like a bout of food poisoning that cleans you out, this process is necessary, though rarely pleasant. The South Node is one mechanism through which your body, mind and heart self-purify.” North is amplification, and south is release. To find out more about your personal lunar nodes, the Chani app is a great place to start.

The current nodes, which affect our collective awareness and narrative, are in Taurus (North) and Scorpio (South). With this nodal position in Taurus, our attention shift towards what what is secure and soothing. Taurus likes to feel safe and is simple; reminding us of when to eat, cry, sleep; of when to take a deep breath; of when and how to move our bodies. Taurus is also earth. Home. There is something instinctive and uncomplicated about this particular energy; an attunement to what the body and spirit needs. Our foundation. This is an energy we need not overthink, it is one we can feel.

Unsurprisingly, South Node in Scorpio has very different flavour. In the last post, we explored the idea of shadow work. Scorpio represents our shadow self. Deep-diving, intense, psychic, controlling and unflinchingly comfortable with hidden realms and radical transformation, this energy in the South Node is very much about our response to psychic pain. How do we respond and how do we release?

Along with all this nodal energy, we are also working with the Arian energy of this new moon. Themes of self (Aries is I am) are strong here. Especially those wounded, vulnerable and sensitive parts of our singular self. There is a real rawness to this new moon further amplified by its squaring off, with the sun, to Pluto in Aquarius. Pluto represents regeneration, transformation and rebirth. Its activation in this aspect suggests that we may be able to gain new, and deeper insight, into our nature. Stephen Arroyo’s interpretation of squares as “energy-releasing and form maintaining” is pertinent here, and also speaks to the nodal theme of release.

Eclipses may be rare but they are still a part of the natural cycles and rhythms of our experience on this planet. They remind us that the extraordinary is very much a part of the fabric of our lives. Energetically, it may feel like there is so much going on here that it is overwhelming. However, the intensity of this moon and eclipse season are very simple. One way the energy will be expressed is through triggers and glimmers. What are triggers and glimmers? Triggers are cues around us that signal a potential threat. Glimmers – their opposite – are cues that signal safety. We may feel triggered by a person, place, or situation that elicits an intense or unexpected emotional response. Triggers can make us feel angry or sad. They are not necessarily bad, however, as they offer us insight and information on experiences or people that may not be right for us. Glimmers refer to small moments when our biology is in a place of connection or regulation, which cues our nervous system to feel safe or calm. These glimmer cues may be things like seeing a rainbow, hearing the sea or breathing in the scent of lavender. Look out for, and feel into, these responses over eclipse season and see what they are telling you.

So, how else to work with the energy of this hybrid solar eclipse and new moon in Aries? Just tend to yourself. Just feel. Let anything that wants to come come up. Feel it. Process it. Let it move through you. Eclipse energy can create tension. To meet – rather than fight it – we can soften and surrender. Let its energy move through us rather than trying to fight it. There is an idea that trauma is a failure of our psyche and nervous system to process and release. Surrendering to the magnitude of this energy can support us in a beautiful release. One very simple practice is centring and grounding. If you feel called to, this is a great meditation around somatic healing, from Doctor Megan Kirk Chang, who is an author, speaker, educator and clinician scientist at the Yale Centre for Emotional Intelligence at Yale University.

Centering and grounding meditation

Image credit: Jongsun Lee on Unsplash

Quote from Stephen Arroyo’s: Karma, Astrology and Transformation, p. 112

Lynsey Allett18 April 2023