THE BIG SKY ASTROLOGY PODCAST – EPISODE 174
Listen and read show notes hereApril: Hello, invisible friend, April here, and the date today is April 17th, 2023. Welcome to Episode 174 of The Big Sky Astrology Podcast.
This week, Mercury turns retrograde and revisits a recent aspect to Mars. But the week really belongs to the Sun, with a Solar Eclipse in a new sign and the Sun entering Taurus and making a square to Pluto, all on the same day. Plus, I answer a timely Listener Question about the impact of this Eclipse.
New Moon/Solar Eclipse (April 19, 2023, 9:12 pm PDT)
The week begins with the Moon Report and that New Moon Solar Eclipse, at 29°50’ minutes of Aries, on April 19th, 2023 at 9:12 pm PDT, so it’s April 20th most likely where you are. Now, before we can get to the bottom of what this particular Solar Eclipse is going to be about, let’s begin by just considering the nature of an Eclipse. Eclipses are not terribly rare; we have a Solar Eclipse at least twice each year, and usually a Lunar Eclipse within two weeks, either side. But they are agents of change. Eclipses signal to us that in some area of life, we’ve gone as far as we can reasonably go, and that it’s time to go in a new direction. They often have a very Uranian feel to them, because they can bring sudden change and redirection.
The qualities of a Solar Eclipse in particular, as distinct from a Lunar Eclipse, have this very dramatic physical charge to them. There’s this feeling of emotions short circuiting our sense of normalcy. So, Eclipses moved through a pair of signs for about a year and a half, and, for the last year and a half or so they have been in the signs of Taurus and Scorpio. This Eclipse represents a change from that pair of signs back into Aries and Libra – because eclipses moved backwards, they follow the Lunar Nodes. We’re going to have an Eclipse in Aries, then we have an Eclipse in Scorpio in a couple of weeks, and then we will have an Eclipse in Libra in October, and then one last Eclipse in Taurus. So, we are straddling two sets of signs.
But this is the first eclipse in Aries since a Lunar Eclipse at 4°40’ Aries, on September 28th, 2015, so it’s been a while, but that’s about the norm. Eclipses in a pair of signs repeats about every nine years. But the last time we had a Solar Eclipse in Aries was way back on March 29th, 2006 at 8°35’ Aries. The first time we have an eclipse in a sign after a long break, when there hasn’t been any eclipse in that sign for a long time, it generally is more dramatic, we feel it more profoundly, because it is occupying a place in our birth charts that hasn’t been shaken up in quite this way for some time. And Aries is a sign that tends to shake things up a bit anyway. Eclipses in Aries point us in a new and pioneering direction, give us a little shove, and tell us, “Get to it already!”
This particular Solar Eclipse is near the same degree as eclipses on April 19th, 2004 and April 17th, 1996. It can be handy to look back at those dates, within six months or so, either side, and see if you can note a pattern between April 2004, April, 1996, and maybe even something that’s going on in your life right now. In particular, what you’ll be looking at, and I’ll talk about this a bit more in today’s Listener’s Question, but you’re going to be looking at the house of your chart that contains 29°50’ Aries, and you are going to be looking at any planets or angles in your chart that are within say, 4° of 29°50’. So, just really look around 0° of the Fixed signs and it’s a little easier to find that 4°, so Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. If you do have points near those degrees, then, this is probably a pretty important eclipse for you. It can be especially helpful to look back at the last time we had eclipses near this degree.
The chart for this New Moon Solar Eclipse shows the Sun in a conjunction with Jupiter, of course, it made the exact conjunction on the 11th of April, but, the Sun and Moon are also square Pluto, because Pluto is at 0 Aquarius. And 29°50’ minutes of Aries is very close to being 0° Taurus. So, these two are definitely in a strong square. So, not only is this the first Solar Eclipse we’ve had in Aries for a long time, but it’s also combined with both Jupiter and Pluto, so it’s a strong, strong Eclipse.
Of course, each New Moon begins a Lunar Phase Family that will take this New Moon Eclipse pattern and spread out its influence over the next two and a half, three years.
The First Quarter Moon in this Lunar Phase Family is on January 17th, 2024, that’ll be at 27°31’ Aries. The Full Moon in this sequence is on October 17th, 2024 at 24°35’ Aries, and the Last Quarter Phase will be exact on July 17th, 2025 at 25°40’ of Aries. And then, we’ll just ride that one out for an additional nine months to complete that Last Quarter Moon Phase. So, it’s not only a big eclipse now, but note those dates and know that you’re beginning a story, you’re beginning a sequence that really is going to extend out for a significant period of time.
So, be thinking carefully. Our usual practice at a New Moon is to set intentions related to the area of life represented by the House in your chart that the eclipse point falls in, and think about What it is that you want to achieve over the next two and a half, three years. And the important thing to remember is, a lot of this will be out of your control because the eclipse point is making this square to Pluto. And in fact, part of what we will be learning as this eclipse chart and this Eclipse Lunar Phase Family sequence unfolds, is something about the limits of our personal power.
Void-of-Course Moon periods
Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week.
On April 17th, the Moon in Pisces makes a conjunction with Neptune at 11:57 am PDT. It’s void of course for about six and one quarter hours, and then it enters Aries at 6:09 pm. So, the Moon in Pisces conjoined Neptune gives us a double message, which is, “Go with the flow.” Scheduling things really tightly is not going to be the best use for this day and this Void-of-Course Moon period, rather, this is a good six-hour period of really contemplating how we’re doing with really engaging our imagination and being willing to entertain new ideas and new ways of doing things, which is what Neptune and Pisces for that matter are really well suited for.
This is a week when Mercury is turning retrograde, and it gives us many similar messages about not trying to be too tightly scheduled and to give ourselves plenty of inward facing time.
On April 19th, the Moon in Aries conjoins the Sun for that Solar Eclipse, that actually is the last planet that the Moon will aspect in Aries, that Solar Eclipse at 9:12 pm PDT. But it’s void of course for only 18 minutes, so there’s not a lot of time to do much about changing our emotional patterns or the things that we like to do at a Void-of-Course Moon. But the Moon will then enter Taurus at 9:30 pm. This is such a quick moment before the Sun moves out of the Eclipse and into Taurus, but it can be a powerful jolt. If you had an earthquake that lasted for 18 minutes, you would certainly think that that was plenty long enough. So, I think this is a short but possibly consequential void-of-course period. It’s a time for first of all, keying into how your body feels at the Solar Eclipse time and to think about where you’re headed. Aries is the pioneering sign and wants to take us someplace we haven’t been before, that maybe no one’s been before. So, it’s 18 minutes to really feel that, to feel how your body is responding to that Solar Eclipse call.
Then on April 21st, the Moon in Taurus makes a sextile to Neptune at 8:41 pm PDT. It’s void of course again for about six and a half hours, before entering Gemini on April 22nd at 3:11 am. Here is the moment to take all of that imagination and creativity that you entertained on the 17th when the Moon in Pisces made that conjunction with Neptune. Now is the time to make something real out of that, or at least to make concrete plans to use some of those wonderful ideas and images.
Sun enters Taurus (April 20, 2023, 1:14 am PDT
Well, after the Sun ends its passage through Aries with that dramatic New Moon Solar Eclipse, it enters the sign of Taurus on April 20th at 1:14 am PDT. The Sun’s season describes what will energize us and what will make us shine. When the Sun enters a new sign, we call it a new “season,” and it begins with showing up all of the imperfections in an area of our life so that we can improve it and spruce things up and shine.
When the Sun is in Taurus, we will be re-energized by Taurus things. This can be spending time in nature, time in our bodies and our senses. This can be a wonderful season for buying something lovely for your home that you’ve been wanting to get for a while. Taurus likes things to be really beautiful, but also practical. It’s also going to be a great month for getting reacquainted with your physical self, going to get a facial, getting your nails done, getting a good haircut, buying a new outfit that feels really wonderful.
Taurus is a physical sign, it likes to buy things, it likes to acquire things. It doesn’t necessarily love shopping, although it may, but with Taurus, it’s more about knowing a wonderful well-made, good quality thing that you want to get, and just honing in on that and going and acquiring that object.
It could be a beautiful season. It’s one of the loveliest times of year in a lot of places. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, Spring is in full bloom, the days are growing mild, there’s the scent of wonderful flowers in the air. And, in the Southern Hemisphere, coming into that very beautiful Autumn season with the changing colors of the leaves and the crisp air and the sweaters and the whole thing. So, Taurus’s season is a beautiful one, and one for really engaging with the earth and with our own senses.
Sun square Pluto (April 20, 2023, 9:27 am PDT)
Later in the morning on April 20th at 9:27 am PDT, the Sun newly in Taurus makes a square to Pluto. Because as I was saying last week, Pluto is at 0°, and anytime anything moves into a new sign these days, it’s having to tangle with Pluto. So, the Sun makes a square to Pluto twice each year. And the question that we ask at the Sun square to Pluto is, “Do we deserve to be ourselves? Are we worthy?”
The Sun and Pluto want very different things. The Sun represents that part of us that is delighted to be who we are, that feels proud of our individuality and our unique qualities, it wants to express those in the world. But Pluto is not that impressed with an individual. Pluto is concerned with the collective and how the collective is moving the world forward. The Sun is that part of us that’s a little kid that runs up to mom or dad and says, “Look what I did. Look what I did,” and hopes for a little bit of acknowledgement and applause and encouragement. But Pluto, answers that kind of heartfelt expression with kind of a “Eh, you’re not so much.” But fortunately, this is an aspect that only lasts for one day, not long enough to completely knock us off that wonderful feeling that the sun moving into Taurus has given us. But one thing that we can contemplate today is, because it’s wonderful to be our true creative expressive selves, but there is also the reality that Pluto forces us to acknowledge, which says, as lovely as we are, as wonderful as we are, we will not last forever. And so, Pluto has us thinking slightly dark thoughts, thoughts about a future that will not include us, and that’s why it’s a difficult aspect, and the Sun has to work extra hard on this day to push back against that dark Pluto sentiment.
Mercury stations retrograde (April 21, 2023, 1:35 am)
On April 21st at 1:35 am, Mercury turns retrograde at 15°37’ Taurus, on the Sabian symbol, 16 Taurus, Old man attempting vainly to reveal the mysteries. I just relate to this symbol so much more every time I see it. And every time I get one more year older, it’s the feeling that you have when you’ve gotten older or just gotten more life experience and you really are trying to share it with other people, usually younger or less experienced people, and they just don’t get it. So, Mercury stations retrograde on this degree, and it will be retrograde until May 14th when it will turn direct at 5°50’ Taurus. So, look in your chart at this span between 5°15’ Taurus and 15°37’ Taurus, this is the area of your chart that is really getting this Mercury retrograde experience.
Mercury retrograde to me is very much like the Void-of-Course Moon, and it’s probably why I kind of like them both, because they’re given to times of contemplation. Mercury is that eager little planet that’s out there trying to get all of the information and experience that it can from the world. It’s an eager little antenna or microphone that’s picking up everything. And when it’s retrograde, we take the antenna down, we turn off the microphone, and we go within, we slow down. Instead of trying to tune in to all the voices around us, we begin to focus on just one voice and that’s our own. And it’s not the voice that everybody else hears, it is the voice inside our heads. So, these Mercury retrograde times are the ones that instead of asking others for advice, it’s a really good idea to first really check in with ourselves about something important and say, “Well, what do I think about this?” And reason it through and deliberate.
They’re quieter times, I think, Mercury’s retrograde periods, and in particular this one will be, because it is in Taurus. Taurus is not a big talker anyway. And, when Mercury is retrograde in this sign, we will be doubly deliberate and our pace of moving through the world will be slower. We might not take in information as quickly, but what we do take in, we will hold onto.
Listener Question: An Eclipse on Your Birthday?
In this week’s Listener Question, Listener Jackie submitted this question through SpeakPipe. “My name is Jackie, I am a double Aries Rising Sun, Capricorn Moon. I was born April 19th, and that is whenever we will have our Second New Moon in Aries, and it will be eclipsed, right on the 29th degree of Aries, the degree my ascendance sits.
This Eclipse is supposed to be special because of its aspect with the nodes of the Moon, and I’m wondering what this means in general karmically or what it means for me personally as well?
April: Thank you for your question, Jackie. Well, let’s begin with the idea of this eclipse being special because of its aspect with the Nodes of the Moon. It actually is pretty common for eclipses to be close to the Nodes of the Moon, because eclipses can only happen when the New or Full Moon is conjoined with the Nodes within a prescribed number of degrees. For a Lunar Eclipse, that’s 11°38’ minutes. For a Solar Eclipse, it’s 17°28’. Now, this one is fairly close to the North Node, it’s within 4°. And, if we want to take into account that this is an Eclipse at the Moon’s North Node, we might say that, all the disruptions and shakeups that we expect to come with any eclipse, are actually moving us in the right direction, the direction of real change this time around.
My thought about eclipses generally is that they represent a moment, an opportunity, to move from that complacency of the South Node and toward the evolution that’s represented by the North Node. Each Eclipse will be close to one Node or the other, and in the case of a Lunar Eclipse, you’ll have the Sun close to one Node and the Moon close to the other.
Now, with regard to this very exciting Eclipse being on your birthday, I’ve often had people ask me what it means to have an Eclipse on your birthday. And mainly, it just means that it’s in a very close aspect to the Sun in your birth chart, and that it’s also carried throughout the year via your Solar Return Chart.
This is a very important point for an eclipse in your chart, close to your Sun. I always think of it as a Royal Eclipse. It’s the one that summons you to stand up and take charge of your life in a new way. Sometimes, this can be because there’s been a change in the power structure of your life, you have suddenly been put into a position of more authority than you were before. Because the Sun can represent men in your life, they can also be highlighted in some way too.
Now, eclipses don’t necessarily even have their greatest impact on the day that they happen. You can see the influence some people think within a few months, either side of the actual eclipse, but certainly within a couple of weeks either side, I would expect to see something happening in your life that is of the nature of the Sun, of standing up for yourself, standing up to be noticed, taking the reins of your life in a new way. And especially, with the Ascendant involved as well, that is such a volatile and personal point in the chart, and it emphasizes this idea that it’s time for you to take charge and to change also the way you’re putting yourself out there in the world.
Eclipses in aspect to the Ascendant are also important for relationships. Because, if it’s aspecting the Ascendant, the cusp of the 1st House, it’s also aspecting the Descendant, the cusp of the 7th House, these are the Houses of self and other. So, these can be a turning point in important relationships.
For more about eclipses in the houses of the chart and an aspect to particular planets and points, listen back to Episode 151, which was called “Aquarius First Quarter Moon: Cobblestones and Roadblocks.” I did a long mini lesson at the end of that episode that will help everybody get insights into Eclipses aspecting these different points in their charts. You can also order a copy of my Moonshadow Eclipse Report, which is available at my website. Just go to bigskyastrology.com and click on “Eclipses” in the menu bar. And you can read my Eclipse articles and also more information about that report.
Well, thank you again Jackie for that question. And, if you have a question you’d like me to answer on a future episode, leave a message of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast as Jackie did. Or you can email me, april@bigskyastrology.com and be sure to put “Podcast Question” in the subject line.
Well, that is everything I have on my show sheet, so I’m going to wrap this one up. Thanks for listening to The Big Sky Astrology Podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to subscribe or follow the show in your app of choice. Leave a rating or review, or maybe you’ll help spread the word by telling an astrology loving friend about the podcast. You can read show notes and full transcripts and leave your comments about each episode at bigskyastropod.com.
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That’s it for this episode. Join me again, bright and early next Monday. And until then, keep your feet on the ground and your eyes on the stars!
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