Happy New Moon/Solar Eclipse in Aries! The eclipse reaches its apex at 12:16 AM New York time (04:16 GMT) on Thursday, April 20, which is just three minutes after the New Moon becomes exact.
The first Eclipse Season of 2023 begins with a super-amplified North Node Solar Eclipse in Aries. This is the second consecutive New Moon in Aries; when this happens, the second lunation ‘doubles down’ on the first and amplifies the energy of the first even further; it harnesses the energy of the first and expands it. This Aries Eclipse occurs in the last 10 minutes of the sign of Aries, making it super-amplified—as the closer a planet gets to exiting a sign, the stronger its influence becomes.
Eclipses on their own are already super-amplified, so this is about the strongest Aries lunation that you can get! Even though just hours following the eclipse we enter Taurus season—bringing the second third of spring—the intense Aries energy from this eclipse will carry well into Taurus season. In fact, the intense Aries imprint of this particular Eclipse is really one of the most important astrological events of 2023–and in conjunction with Jupiter’s Aries transits, really colors all of 2023 with a lot of Mars/Aries energy.
Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac and the ruler of the First House–the House of Self. This house is associated with the Rising Sign (your Rising Sign is the cusp of your First House) and is in charge of our personality—how we appear and present ourself to the world, and how the world perceives us.
The ruler of Aries is Mars, the most masculine and aggressive planet. Aries’s glyph is The Ram. The Ram is aggressive, masculine and relentless. Aries carries a phallic energetic quality to it; it is the spark that starts the fire that carries a manifestation around the Zodiac Wheel until it ‘dematerializes’ in Pisces and becomes ether or spirit. Aries takes the potential energy of the ethereal Pisces and materializes it.
During Eclipse Season, we receive energetic downloads (we could call these codes) that serve to unravel what we no longer need to carry with us, while also redirecting us in the direction of our Highest Destiny in this life.
Eclipse Season is an unsettled time when everything is undergoing recalibration. It is an uncertain time and it is certainly a time to expect the unexpected. Once Eclipse Season ends (10-14 days following the last eclipse of the season), the energy begins to settle.
This is a North Node eclipse, as the North Node in Taurus is close enough to the sun and moon in order to create an eclipse [this is in fact a rare hybrid eclipse, where it begins as an annular (‘ring of fire’) eclipse, then turns to a total solar eclipse, then back to an annular].
As the North Node forms an opportunistic sextile with both Saturn and Neptune in dreamy Pisces, codes are likely to be downloaded to individuals and groups during this eclipse that will include ideas and inspirations for the necessary shifts on this planet toward a more sustainable environment and more just financial and economic systems.
This Aries Eclipse begins a new Eclipse Cycle in the Aries-Libra nodal polarity, which will last through January 2025. This polarity is about the interplay between personal independence, and integrating with partnerships and community. Some will be called to blossom further into independence, while others will be called to integrate better with others. Ultimately, you’ll need to find a healthy balance between both.
Jupiter conjuncts the sun and moon on this eclipse, bringing another influx of good luck energy into the template—just as was the case on the most recent Full Moon in Libra two weeks ago. If you are aggressive in your pursuits of your goals now and over the next six months, you will have good fortune to manifest your goals and desires.
If you feel like you’ve gotten off path (as many have been feeling lately), this intense Aries Eclipse may very well serve to nudge you (or shove you) back onto your path. When our soul sees us getting off path, it will give us an influx of energy during the eclipses that move us back toward our Highest Possible Path in this physical incarnation.
Since this particular eclipse carries this vigor of the amplified Aries energies, it would be wise to intentionally harness these energies and take empowered action toward the types of goals that you feel are aligned with your Highest Possible Path.
In order to get in touch with what that empowered action should look like for you, you might want to take a moment and journal on the following questions:
- In what ways do I feel deep down that I’ve gotten off path? What do I know that I need to let go of? What do I know that I need to go after?
- What ‘past editions’ of myself am I still holding onto that I know don’t resonate with the person I am meant to become? Which people, places, things, activities, and ways of speaking and acting do I know I should probably let go of?
- What scares me about becoming the person I know I am meant to become? What are the roots of this fear?
- In which areas of my life–and in which ways–do I know I need to find more courage? How can I find this courage?
The last North Node Aries Eclipse occurred in April 2004. Think back to what was going on in your life at that time. Which obstacles and life lessons were you navigating? We will likely find ourselves navigating similar themes at this time.
With the overabundance of Aries energy on this eclipse, we may naturally be feeling anxious, jittery and unsettled. It’s advisable to turn your attention toward cultivating the physical body at this time: increase your exercise regimen, eat clean, and make sure you are getting adequate sleep. Some will be feeling exhausted, while others will be feeling super-energized.
People will also be feeling very lustful at this time.
The sun and moon square an exalted Pluto—in the first degree of Aquarius—on this eclipse. This brings a volatile and potentially violent energy to this cclipse. Be careful over the next 28 days (and especially the next two weeks). Stay away from angry people. Exit arguments as soon as they begin, if you can. And watch your own emotional reactions; people will be having irrationally volatile emotional reactions at this time.
Violent events and natural disasters are very likely at this time.
When you are alone, feel your emotions authentically during this time. If you feel the need to cry, it’s important to cry. Suppressed tears will molt into anger if not cried out.
This is also a time when power imbalances between you and others in your life (family members, partners, friends, coworkers/bosses, etc.) may show up. If you feel you are being treated unfairly by another, you will feel the desire to be honest about that during this time. But with Mercury stationing and going Retrograde—and the Pluto square—difficult conversations could easily devolve into arguments at this time. It is advisable to approach these difficult conversations carefully.
The Pluto square will also bring our attention to all the ways that we feel disempowered in life—all the ways that we feel like a victim.
Here’s a valuable exercise to coincide with these potent energies: Write a list of all the ways in which any part of you feels disempowered or feels like a victim. Then, write a positive affirmation that would be the antidote for each of these statements of victimhood/disempowerment. Repeat these affirmations in the mirror, ideally twice daily, throughout Eclipse Season.
Eclipse energies carry on for approximately six months following the eclipse itself, so after 48 hours following this eclipse, make sure that you make a list of goals for the next six months!
This powerful Aries Eclipse also coincides with Mercury stationing Retrograde. Let’s discuss further.
MERCURY RETROGRADE IN TAURUS BEGINS
Mercury, the planet of communication, stations Retrograde on this New Moon/Solar Eclipse. As it is most exalted (amplified) in its Station Phase, Mercury carries a lot of weight in this New Moon/Eclipse chart, emphasizing the importance of communication over the next 28 days (and really the next six months).
Mercury actually goes Retrograde the day after the Eclipse. It remains in Retrograde Phase through May 14, when it will station Direct. This entire Mercury Retrograde occurs within the sign of Taurus.
Mercury in Taurus is grounded, practical and patient; we bring our focus to environmental conservation and financial/economic matters. During this Mercury Retrograde Phase, it’s a great time to go back and resolve unsettled financial issues that are lingering.
Mercury conjuncts Uranus and sextiles Mars in Cancer: people will be feeling a call to create freedom in their lives, especially financial freedom. If you’re someone that has been struggling financially—or wishing you could get out of the 9-to-5-grind—see what types of inspirations come to you during this time, but use your discernment so as to avoid getting scammed or throwing your precious resources into a pool of false hope.
During a Mercury Retrograde period, it is a time to work on refining our communication. Remember: emotions, intentions, and subtleties are easily lost during text and written communication. With this Mercury Retrograde being in Taurus, it’s especially a time to practice patience in communication, and being a good listener.
In my opinion, the most important part of being a great speaker is being a great listener. If you are truly listening to the words of your audience—whether it’s one person or many—the words that you the come up with on the fly will be much more powerful than if you are just going with a pre-planned script in your head.
During this Mercury Retrograde time, it’s important to give others the benefit of the doubt when it comes to communication. As Taurus is a fixed sign, communication could come off as stubborn during this time, but people may just be being practical and straightforward. Try to soften your words when appropriate to avoid conflict at this time.
Mercury Retrograde is a great time to reconnect with people from your past. We often feel like we are back in the past with other people when we are in communication with them during a Mercury Retrograde; oftentimes, when the post-Retrograde Shadow Phase ends, we are then back to being focused on the future and the people from our past largely fade away until the next Mercury Retrograde period.
As we approach the upcoming South Node Scorpio Eclipse in two weeks, it will be a powerful time to resolve lingering issues from the past in our relationships with others.
By the way, if you were born under a Mercury Retrograde, it’s not going to affect you as strongly–and in fact you might even feel more ‘at home’ during this time.
Here is some general advice for navigating a Mercury Retrograde period:
- Make sure that all the ‘I’s are dotted’ and ‘all the T’s are crossed’ when signing any contracts. Consider Murphy’s Law during Mercury Retrograde: what can go wrong, will go wrong. Consider holding off on signing contracts until June, if it’s something that isn’t time-sensitive.
- Be extra clear in your communication with others. Give others more leeway than usual. Inquire to clarify what someone means by something if you’re unsure, especially if it’s via text message or e-mail.
- Avoid purchasing big-ticket items (e.g. a new car) until June, if possible
- Back up all of your computer files and your smartphone!
- Triple-check travel plans and appointment times. Verify times with others.
- Release expectations of others, especially when it comes to people responding in a timely fashion. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Expectations of others may go unfulfilled.
- As always, use Mercury Retrograde as a time to refine your communication–rather than to be afraid of miscommunications, or electronics breaking down, or travel plans getting interrupted.
SUN ENTERS TAURUS: CONNECTING WITH NATURE
Just hours following this unique eclipse, the sun enters Taurus, initiating the second third of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Taurus is a fixed earth sign. Earth signs fall in the middle of a season and are immovable, reliable and stubborn. Earth signs rule over nature, material things and money. Taurus is ruled by the planet Venus, which is concerned with romance, aesthetics and all things material. Taurus is the ruler of the 2nd House in astrology, the House of Possessions. This house is concerned with money and all things material. The glyph of Taurus is The Bull. The Bull is stubborn, but also reliable.
Taurus is the ruler of the physical world, while its polar opposite Scorpio is the ruler of the spiritual world. We have an exalted Pluto in this New Moon/Eclipse chart, as Pluto is in the first degree of Aquarius, and is slowing down as it enters its Station Phase. It also squares the sun and moon on this Eclipse.
Scorpio—Pluto’s ruler–rules over the spiritual and occult; the paranormal; investigations; all things that have to do with sex; power; and abuse and trauma. These themes are very much activated in the collective right now, and you may even feel them personally (though outer planet movements tend to affect the outside world more). The second and final eclipse of this Eclipse Season will be a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio.
Taurus season is a wonderful time when those of us living in four-seasons climates in the Northern Hemisphere can truly enjoy the pleasures of spring. During Taurus season, we are inclined to connect in every way to the physical world. This is a great time to get out in nature; to travel; to experience different foods; to go for a massage or any type of bodywork; to meditate; and to really take care of the physical body in every way possible.
The reason nature it is called nature in the English language is because it is your nature. Get it? Nature is your nature. So when you connect with nature, you reconnect with yourself. Even if you don’t live near the woods or the beach, there are always options to connect. You could build a garden in your yard or even create an indoor jungle of houseplants. Even in the densest cities like New York or London or Tokyo there are ample parks to be embraced.
A wonderful meditation that you can do when you visit the woods or the beach is to imagine opening your Heart fully to nature. Imagine the energy of nature in its naked state filling your Heart with your own innate essence. Just as your iPhone needs to be charged every few hours, your soul needs to be recharged often by plugging into nature.
Another fantastic meditation you can do is to go on a walk in nature, or even around your neighborhood or city, and turn your phone off or to Airplane Mode. Set your intention to be very aware of what is going on around you. Tune in to the sounds of the birds chirping; notice the shapes of the clouds; take note of the small animals you see; tune into the smells. Try to notice everything. This is a powerful meditation that serves to pull you out of your inner landscape—which sometimes can be loud and repetitive–and plug you totally into reality.
The present moment is the entrance to true, actual reality. The rest is just mental noise.
Nourishing and honoring the needs of your physical body helps your nervous system to relax, which allows you to better stay grounded and present in this reality.
Mars, the ruler of Aries, is all about the physical; it rules over physical strength and vitality. With the intense Aries energies that will linger into Taurus season, let’s discuss honoring the needs of the body.
The weather is getting really nice in the Northern Hemisphere! Make getting ample sunlight a priority. Most (yes, I said most) people in the northern parts of the U.S., Canada, and Europe are deficient in Vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency can be an underlying factor in a whole number of serious illnesses, including cancer (and interestingly enough, low Vitamin D levels have been associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes).
Sunlight is also crucial for mental health, as pretty much all mental illnesses are associated with low serotonin levels. Sunlight naturally raises serotonin!
I recommend that everyone get 10-20 minutes of direct sunlight exposure without wearing any sunscreen or sunglasses at least five times a week, exposing as much of your skin as possible. This may need to be done in the morning or evening if you are living in a hot area or near the equator where the sun’s rays burn the skin more easily.
The sunlight also cleanses, heals, and activates your chakras, cleanses your aura, and decalcifies your pineal gland. We need sunlight as much as plants do to grow and thrive.
Now’s the time to recommit to honoring the needs of your body. A common issue that I find with some Lightworkers is that one can become over-oriented toward the spiritual while ignoring the calls of the physical.
Someone may come to believe that they can solve any and all issues in their life through more meditation or affirmations, etc.; meanwhile the body is crying out for physical support as well. We need to be mindful that we are paying enough attention to the physical vessel and the grounded aspects of life–and that our adventures in the astral worlds (astral travel, daydreaming, channeling, listening to channelings, etc.) are helpful in the context of our overall well-being (and not leading us astray).
As the conscious driver of the vehicle that is your consciousness, if you want to maximize the potential to experience the most instantaneous and miraculous healings possible, you need to give your body the absolute best resources possible.
Diet cannot be ignored. Have you ever heard the saying you are what you eat? If that were true, wouldn’t you want to eat the most nutrient-dense organic produce? If you do consume animal products, wouldn’t you want those animals to have lived a natural life where they can see the sun daily, and wouldn’t you want to bless the animals and thank them for their lives and their nutrition before you ingested their muscle tissue, organs, eggs, or breast milk?
Our bodies are approximately 60% water. Are you staying hydrated enough? Are you drinking good, high-quality, clean water? I recommend drinking hydrogen and alkaline water.
One of the three simultaneous Ascension processes that all of us on this path are undergoing is the physical Ascension.
Each and every organ must eventually be totally reborn and rebooted, energetically. Each and every cell must eventually be created anew. The physical purification process is an inevitable part of the Ascension journey. As you consciously commit to assist in your inevitable physical purification process, you are sending the signal to your soul that you are READY to truly inhabit that 5th-Dimensional crystalline light body that is waiting for you.
And YES, if you are struggling with some sort of long-term chronic illness or even just want more energy or to lose weight, it is absolutely necessary to utilize your consciousness to make real shifts in your physiology.
Visualize yourself being totally healed, feeling light and energized daily. Speak to your organs and cells and tell them how much you love and appreciate them. Intend to experience physical miracles.
Can you feel the practicality of this integrated approach to healing? You want to get all of your faculties on board. Love, honor, appreciate, and nourish your physical body: it is your temple.
Make a list now of all the ways in which your body needs assistance, and ideas on how you can give your body that much-needed assistance.
EXAMINING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY AND MATERIAL THINGS
Taurus–ruled by Venus–governs money, finances, and all things material. Now is a good time to contemplate your relationship with money and temporal things.
Taurus is associated with the earthly and the material, including money, clothing, beauty, music and sports. Money can be a taboo topic in the spiritual community, but it doesn’t need to be. Some people still are hanging on to the idea that in order to be enlightened one must let go of all material possessions—or at the very least be poor. This is an outdated idea left over from the Age of Pisces, when the extremely dualistic economic system thrived.
In the Age of Aquarius, it is all about equality–including economic equality. It is inevitable, due to the astrological and astronomical influences on this planet, that the current economic system will undergo a great shift and the canyon of wealth between the rich minority and the poor majority will be transmuted into a system that supports everyone having more than enough. Much more on this later in this article.
Money is not the root of all evil. Money is simply numbers on a computer screen, pieces of paper and pieces of metal. The evil part of the current economic system is the power structure behind it. The money itself is simply a tool to enforce and perpetuate that power structure, but is not the root of the problem.
Money is neutral. It is a tool for consciousnesses to interact with one another and inherently has neither a positive nor negative charge.
Money is unlimited, which is clearly proven by the fact that the Federal Reserve in the United States prints exorbitant amount of paper bills at will, which are backed by nothing. Yes, I know this causes inflation. But can you still use the pieces of paper in your wallet and the numbers in your bank account to buy stuff? Money is inherently unlimited, because Abundance is inherently unlimited.
What is your relationship with money? Do you have enough to support yourself and your family in spite of everything that has been going on in the world?
It’s crucial to examine your beliefs around money, especially if it’s been a struggle for you. There is a whole spectrum on which people can fall into different categories based on the nature of their dysfunctional relationships with money.
Some people are stuck in poverty consciousness and believe that money is evil and because of the system they will never have enough to thrive. On the other end of the spectrum, there are people who are in reality very wealthy and yet they are everlastingly on an obsessive, harried chase to acquire more money based on a subconscious (or even conscious) fear that they still don’t have enough yet to feel safe.
In between these two extremes we find a middle road of a healthy relationship with money. On this middle road, money is neither a source of stress nor greed.
As a Lightworker, your Service Work may be tied into your financial health. As you step more fully and committedly into your Service Work—whether that is tied in with your career or not—you will energetically align yourself with the vibration of Abundance.
The essence of Service Work is giving back. You are giving back to yourself, to your family, to others, and to the world. Giving back puts you into the vibration of Abundance, because when you are giving back, you are affirming that you have enough to allow yourself to give back (whether it be your time, money, effort, or all three).
So as you activate your Service Work, you will naturally activate your Maximum Abundance (and you get to choose what your Maximum Abundance looks like).
It’s a good time right now to harness the energies of this New Moon/Solar Eclipse and come up with a clear picture of what you’d like your Maximum Abundance to look like. Here are some questions you can ask yourself and journal on:
- How much money would I ultimately like to earn (or a better word: create) per year?
- What kind of home would I ultimately like to live in?
- What kind of environment would I ultimately like to live in?
- What kind of circle of friends would I ultimately like to have?
- What kind of relationship with a partner would I ultimately like to have?
- What would my schedule look like in my ideal life?
- What other possessions or luxuries would I ultimately like to have?
- What kind of health and vitality would I ultimately like to have?
There are no right or wrong answers here. One person may desire to earn $5 million per year, own several mansions around the world, have a large group of wealthy and active friends, and work 6 days a week for 12 hours a day with a few months off per year.
Another may prefer to earn $15,000 a year, live in a tiny home off-grid, grow his or her own food, have abundant free time, and have few friends and few possessions.
The truth is is that neither lifestyle is more or less spiritual than the other. There are no absolutes in this game. You can Ascend as a solitary monk with few possessions or as a wealthy businessperson. It is a matter of personal choice and which type of lifestyle would be more aligned with your Life Plan.
The soul situates your life circumstances based on what it knows would be the ideal set of conditions that will be most likely to give you the greatest opportunity to negotiate the lessons you need to move through in this lifetime, in order to balance your energy field and move into the next stage of your evolution.
So, if growing up in poverty is going to give you the best opportunity to move through your specific lessons, that’s exactly what will happen; if growing up wealthy will give you the best opportunity to move through your specific lessons, then that will be what happens. Neither situation is more or less spiritual than the other, and regardless of how you were raised, once you access the teachings of the Law of Attraction you are able to shift into wealth, if you so desire.
You do have Free Will. Once you’re here and in a body, you get to choose the life you want to live. Perhaps you intuitively feel that a life of excessive riches would be a distraction from the lessons you came here to work on; or likewise, perhaps you feel deep down that building a life of financial wealth will help you to accomplish what you came here to accomplish.
Every person is different, and there are absolutely no rights or wrongs here. Anyone that tells you that a rich life is less spiritual than a poor life or vice versa is missing the point of life.
Perhaps reading these words feels freeing to you. You have the Free Will to choose what your Maximum Abundance looks and feels like. Below I have listed some beliefs that will support you having a healthy relationship with money. Feel free to use some or all of these as daily affirmations:
- Money is not evil; it’s just a mechanism we use to interact with one other.
- Money is unlimited
- I deserve to have enough money in order to thrive
- I do not apologize or feel guilty for having enough to thrive–because money is unlimited.
- I can choose to give as much or as little away to others who are in need of more money
- I get to decide how much money is enough for me
- Money will never make me feel truly safe. I get to decide whether I am truly safe or not.
- I hereby activate my 100% Maximum Abundance for this lifetime. I deserve this!
- I AM financially free!
Wishing you a Wonderful, Blessed, Lucky and Healthy New Moon and Solar Eclipse in Aries!
With Love,
Matthew John
About The Author:
Matthew John is an internationally-recognized Spiritual Teacher, Spiritual Mentor, Intuitive, Psychic, Medium, Intuitive Astrologer, Starseed Guide, Energy Healer, Medical Intuitive & Life Coach working with angels, Archangels and Ascended Masters. He is a gifted intuitive, wisdom channeler and transmitter of healing frequencies.
Matthew has been on a 13-year+ Awakening journey. His powerful and effective teachings and healings are a product of many intense Awakening experiences, deeply human ordeals and tens of thousands of hours of study. He receives clear guidance from his Guides which he shares with his followers and clients from around the world. He specializes in helping others to heal their childhood and past-life traumas, reading people’s life plans from a Soul perspective, as well as serving as a mentor for Starseeds and those who are looking to accelerate their spiritual development.
As a Sirian & Andromedan Starseed Matthew is intimately familiar with the mission of Starseeds on this Earth. He guides clients and followers to connect with their Starseeded essence and to align with their specific Starseeded lifework.
Matthew is a spiritual leader for the Golden Age. He has an innate ability to see the ‘big picture’, and this is why he is so effective in assisting his clients and followers to heal, transform, and accelerate their Awakening.
Matthew resides in Western New York, U.S.A. with his Ascension dog Sebastian.
Visit Matthew’s website: https://www.youareadivinehuman.org/
If you enjoyed this article you may also be interested in: https://www.youwealthrevolution.com/blog/equinox-ostara-astrological-new-year-super-new-moon-in-aries-pluto-in-aquarius-march-20-23-2023/