Previewing the Solar Eclipse in Aries

Hey everyone, this is Adam Elenbaas from Nightlight Astrology. Happy Friday, everybody. Today, we will preview the upcoming solar eclipse at the sign of Aries. It is happening on April 8. So it'll be happening early next week. But we'll preview it today, and then we'll spend more time with it on Monday as it comes through. Of course, if you want horoscopes on the solar eclipse, I recommend going back to April's horoscopes, which happened at the beginning of the week—and listening to what Alex and I had to say about all 12 whole sign house horoscopes for the solar eclipse in Aries, which you can get in that episode.

On Monday, I'll be doing a little bit of a refresher on the eclipse and checking in again. And just refreshing on the whole sign house topics with the extended horoscopes, you want to listen to April's horoscopes that I did with Alex at the beginning of the week. But the point of today's episode is to unpack some of the dignities and the broader context in which the eclipses are happening in the sky so that we can deepen our understanding of its meaning and significance. So that's what we're going to do today. I hope that this will add to our prep over the weekend as we feel the eclipse coming through.

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So yeah, all right, well, on that note, let's take a look at the solar eclipse. And we're going to look today at five features of this eclipse that are really important to consider so that we understand the eclipses something more than just a solar eclipse in Aries, which is sometimes as simple as you know, we can just get we can be overly simple in the way that we think about eclipses, there's a ton of information to be gleaned just from the fact that it's a solar eclipse in Aries. But when you start piecing together a lot of the other evidence surrounding the eclipse through the dignities, you get a very specific picture, not only the dignities but also the other planetary aspects happening in and around the time of the eclipse.

So here we have the solar eclipse in Aries on April 8, which is in the afternoon, Monday, April 8. So it's next week. We'll be looking at this again on Monday, the day of the eclipse, trying to bring some more understanding into it. It's a north node eclipse, meaning it's the solar eclipse. The New Moon is forming right around the North Node in Aries. Mercury's retrograde Venus is in Aries. There are a lot of other things happening, and you know, just 12 days after this eclipse, we have Jupiter and Uranus conjoining in Taurus, which plays a role in our understanding of this as well. But let's now consider five major factors here.

First of all, this is a north-node solar eclipse in Aries, which is the exultation of the Sun itself. So what does that mean? What kind of significations is that? The first thing that we want to think about is what a solar eclipse itself means, right under the fact that eclipses happen in nine- and 18-year cycles. So we are talking about the establishment of something new because it's a new moon.

But we're now talking about it as something within a greater cycle that has a lot of history, 918 years worth of history, and that within that cycle, reaching a reset moment, a moment where a new cycle is starting with the North Node, especially, we have the feeling that this cycle will be something that lasts all the way up to 18 years, that this is a nine to 18-year kind of cycle. So it's not your average New Moon. It's a new moon that stands for something that will spread out through time and have a lot of significance for a long time to come.

Not just this eclipse, but all of the solar eclipses that happen in Aries, while the North Node is traveling through Aries over the course of at least a year and a half. So you have to start thinking about this in terms of the topics of the whole sign house of Aries in your natal chart and the idea that whatever this New Moon is starting, it will have a really long shelf life; you're talking about the seeds that are being planted in a new karmic cycle, that is not just a month-long, or a couple of months long, but will spread out in time through many years to come. That's what makes these so significant.

Sometimes, we think that that means we have to do something; oh, that means I have to; I have to intend or will or design what this will be. No, honestly, the much, much, much better way of thinking about this is that life has its own way through your karma through your choices and your intentions, conscious and unconscious, through the will of the gods through other people in your life through fate and destiny. And, of course, your own free will all together. There is a seed being planted, and your control intention desires have something to do with it, but it is not entirely in your control.

So don't think, oh, I need to go and, you know, intend some new karmic cycle, and I'm the one who is the architect of all of it. You're you're being receptive, open, conscious, and creative all together at once. Being receptive to the forces of fate and destiny, the gods, your own karmic patterns, as well as your own desires and intentions. All of it is important around the time of a solar eclipse. So, don't think you need to control everything; you should have some grand plan.

A solar eclipse is therefore again about new beginnings when it's with the nodes, it tends to be about new beginnings that are that they form the shape of a new cycle in a specific area of our life that is going to spread out through time, it has has a long way of gestating and developing in our lives. So that's the first way of thinking about it.

The second way of thinking about it is that the Sun is exalted in Aries. This is the sign of the vernal equinox in the symbolic story of the Zodiac, where light takes over from darkness for the solar year. This means that there's something young and new and fresh, something that is being initiated and represents a major turning point; what we call cardinal signs were originally called Tropical signs. And you've heard me say this before that comes from the word troppo, which means to turn.

So, this is the establishment of a new cycle of karma that has a long shelf life to come. And that represents a significant turning point. The turning point represents the initiating of something new with a kind of vibrant, fresh, light, young quality. Sometimes we think about Arien themes as like Aries themes as representing the force of individuation, individuality, independence, that the ways in which we need to cultivate strength, and assertiveness and power and you know, the kinds of challenges that we need to grow more confident in ourselves. So the seeds being planted may be described in part by this, this theme of the vernal equinox of the young establishment of light coming out of darkness, which can be seen as like a young person gaining its own one's own sense of autonomy, agency, power, strength, individuality.

And those qualities can also just broadly be described as inception, I'm going to start something new from a young early stage and we're going to push and develop. So Aries itself has the, as it kind of resonates on a certain level with the archetype of a new moon or a solar eclipse insofar as Aries also likes to start new things. It's very pioneering in that sense. So, we have a kind of doubling of those themes with the solar eclipse that are very relevant here.

Now, the North Node, as opposed to the South node, tends to augment things. It was associated with the increased gain and rise of fortune in the material world, and now that's relative. You don't want a tumor to grow. But you do want, I don't know, your wealth or success to grow.

I mean, most of us, that's probably how we feel. So the north node represents the desire to do something new, to start a new cycle, with the themes of strength and empowerment and self-development and courage, assertiveness, for the sake of growing or developing something that will augment our sense of well-being happiness.

So, the desires of the North Node, karmically speaking, are often to go in the direction of something in the material world that we believe will make us happier. If I do this, the North Node says I will be happier I will be, I will be more realized, I will be more evolved. Different schools of astrology have different ways of talking about the North Node.

But it generally points toward the idea that, excuse me, if I do this, if I do X, Y, or Z, the natural course of development will lead to an augmentation of my wealth, power, success, happiness, spiritual enlightenment, whatever different levels of consciousness perceive the eclipse and its energies differently and will engage with it for different reasons. But it usually has to do with something in the future that we want to develop, that we think will bring us more of something that will make us happier or more enlightened or whatever.

So now you have actually a tripling of the same basic idea. Solar eclipses start new cycles, powerful new cycles; in the exalted Aries, the Sun desires to push forward and start something fresh and new that will represent the empowerment of our individuality; it will make us feel strong and vital, which represents a step in our growth and maturity. Now I'm stronger and more capable, more individuated and realized. So you'll see it has to do with pioneering and striking out in a new direction.

So there's a doubling and then the tripling with the North Node. If I go in this direction in the future, it will greatly augment my happiness or my Self Realization because I will achieve something I will, gain something, or realize something that makes me stronger or happier than I am right now. So, all of those things go together in a very powerful way during this time. Alright, so that's part one. Part two has to do with looking at the dignity of the domicile of Mars.

This is the eclipse in Aries, and we have to look at what Mars is doing. So, this eclipse is the exaltation of the Sun on its own; exultation is one part. This eclipse is also happening in Mars' domicile. Mars is thus partially responsible for toning the eclipse, and Mars is conjoining Saturn in Pisces.

Now, the double body water sign that's feminine Jupiterian Venusian, this Mars-Venus, or this Mars-Saturn conjunction has to do with where we may feel that we are weak. Right? Where do we feel exhausted? Where do we feel overwhelmed? Where do we have to work through some areas of emotional, spiritual, and psychological fatigue? And if we do so, if we're able to handle the tests of our will and emotional intelligence, then we will truly be able to develop and evolve in a new direction. But at the backdrop of this eclipse is Mars-Saturn dynamics, which suggests that your attempt or desire to grow in the direction, whatever direction it is, that the eclipse represents in Aries and the North Node and so forth.

There is at least a chance that you are feeling thwarted, undermined, frustrated, blocked. And probably because, let's listen, you know, Mars and Saturn in Pisces, again, a feminine sign, suggests that you can't just ram through something; there's going to be a subtle sensitivity that's needed compassion, a way of being emotionally resilient and patient in order to get where you want to go. And so, this, this eclipse is, you know, being brought to us in part by a Mars that's having to grow up and do some deeper, more sensitive, relational, emotionally mature, developmental, like work behind the scenes. That's a really important detail.

The things that are frustrating us that are holding us back, the things that we have to maybe sacrifice or on behalf of or find compromise for a really important, this eclipse could also suggest that in order to get where you want to go, there's a very deep and intense level of emotional commitment to your desires and a degree of sacrifice that's needed to get there. But these are the different kinds of things that could be implied by the fact that the ruler of Mars is Saturn in Pisces. Alright, let's move on to point number.

All right, so point number three is that this eclipse is taking place in the bound of Mercury, and Mercury is retrograde in the sign of Aries at this time; Mercury's retrograde in Aries points us back through its rule To ship with Mars, and moving through the bounds of set No. Is it moving through the bounds of Mars? I'm all messed up. Hold on. Let me just double-check. Yes, so it is moving through the bounds of Mars. So it has, there's a lot the Mercury retrograde that's happening it. So, let me back up.

The eclipse is happening in the bound of Mercury, Mercury is retrograde in the domicile and bound of Mars, and Mars is going into conjunction with Saturn. So the Mercury retrograde also suggests that even though we're trying to move forward to this very strong intentionality, there's a process of revision, or delay, or a little bit of having to wait for something.

Once we have waited for an appropriate amount of time, and we've passed through some kind of testing or refining of our will our patients or emotional sensitivity, then things will be ready to go. But this is important to note that this eclipse happens in the bound of Mercury, while Mercury is retrograde and very much ruled by Mars who is going into the conjunction with Saturn.

The other piece of information that's really important that we pay attention to is that Jupiter and Uranus are about to conjoin in Taurus on the 20th, which constitutes, among other things, the opportunity for a major breakthrough. But notice that the breakthrough is not. It's not that all of the signatures of the eclipse point to the desire to move forward in a very strong way.

But the process of something having to be refined, developed, delayed, revised. Before we get to that blast-off moment, which, interestingly, through the dignities of the Mercury retrograde, which I visited in another video, it all starts clearing up around the time that Jupiter and Uranus conjoined.

So there's this month is very alchemical in the sense that there's something red hot that wants to move forward, but there's a breakdown or delay a setback of frustration of maturing, a testing that has to happen and then we see the acceleration with Jupiter Uranus coming through later in the month.

Finally, I think it's really interesting that Venus and Mars, during this eclipse period, will be in mutual reception. Mars is in Venus's exultation, while Venus is in Mars's rulership. This is really helpful because any time when you see a strong Aries signature with Mars so well represented, you think about the assertiveness, the will, the courage, the power, the strength, a lot of which is individual in nature; it has to do with, you know, individual empowerment individuation.

Well, those themes naturally run contrary to Venusian themes of harmony. Peaceful negotiation and tactic diplomacy care for other relational sensitivities. So the fact that Mars and Venus have mutual reception is great because it means that perhaps one another way of looking at what we have to work through before we can ride the acceleration wave that the Aries Eclipse presents is we have to work things out with other people around us.

Mars-Venus and mutual reception means that like even if we're trying to assert ourselves in a very powerful way, with with our personal direction in mind, there's going to be a need to be relationally sensitive and the planets are aligned to be able to provide us with some support on that level. That's good. That's good news.

So anyway, let's see here. All right. So those are the major features that I'm seeing for this eclipse. And I think this is a good place to start. And if you didn't listen to the horoscopes, be sure to go back and listen to those because that will really fill out your understanding of where the eclipse lands in your chart and what topics are likely to be active. But on that note, I will sign off and be sure to stick around if you want to hear more about the herbal apprenticeship program and leave us your thoughts.

Where, where, or how are you anticipating this eclipse showing up in your life? It's, you know, just less than a week off now. So it's just a couple of days off, really, so it would be certainly interesting to hear from you guys. Alright, that's it for now. Hope you guys have a great weekend. We'll see you again soon. Bye.