Total Solar Eclipse in Aries 2023 — Forecast
This astrology forecast will discuss the New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse in Aries and important astrological events up to the Full Moon and Partial Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio in early May. The first section reviews the general astrology, followed by sign-specific horoscopes. These horoscopes are written for your rising sign, but please feel free to read your Sun sign and/or Moon sign. Learn how to pull up your chart here.
The first eclipse of the season begins with a Total Solar Eclipse and New Moon at 29° Aries on April 20th, 2023 at 12:12am. This introduces the set of eclipses that will occur in the Aries/Libra axis for the next year and half, as we also wrap up the eclipses in the Taurus/Scorpio axis that began in 2021.
Eclipses are extremely unique and important events, especially to the ancient astrologers. The phenomenon of one of the lunations (Sun and Moon) temporarily disappearing behind another was seen as a significant event, and usually brought great beginnings and endings in one’s life. These endings and beginnings play out over the series of eclipses in the same zodiacal sign. The astrological significations of eclipses are based on how there’s darkness where there shouldn’t be. Developments take place that aren’t visible, and it usually initiates great changes without one being aware, or events may be occurring behind the scenes and the effects aren’t known until a few days after.
This eclipse is especially interesting, not only because it starts a new cycle in the Aries/Libra axis, but also because it’s squared to Pluto through an out-of-sign square. A square is an 90° aspect that generally brings conflicts or challenges from a competing area of life. Pluto entered Aquarius last month, transiting new territory for the first time in fifteen years, adding onto the theme of something really new and different beginning. Pluto also intensifies whatever planet he aspects, which means this eclipse will be loud and visible.
Pluto highlights power struggles, either within ourselves regarding our own beliefs and restrictions we have in our life, or within the world and environment that we participate in. This eclipse may uncover an issue of control, perhaps of wanting to maintain control over some aspect of our life, or being asked to let go of power as a compromise for what we want. Being the Lord of the Underworld as well, this New Moon may unearth new information about your goals or whatever you are beginning, or present a new challenge that was not clear at first.
Whatever initiated will play out until 2025.
The Sun will immediately move into Taurus the day of the eclipse, and we are firmly into Spring. The fixed energy will encourage lasting motivation to get done whatever plans or ideas we began in Aries season.
Mercury will then station retrograde early on April 21st, because what else is this eclipse season missing? Starting at 15° Taurus until 5° Taurus, this retrograde will bring the classic Mercury retrograde issues – affairs and events taking a long time, actions needing to be redone or started over, delays, setbacks, and frustrations. With Mercury stationing so close to Uranus, there’s potential for electronics to go haywire or have malfunctions. Avoid doing something new or trying to start something important, because it will generally take longer or have some rework needed. Being in Taurus, ruled by Venus in Gemini, this retrograde may bring up a past relationship issue, either with other people or with yourself, and whatever you need in your life that brings you beauty and comfort.
The Sun in Taurus will meet with the North Node (eclipse point) exactly on April 24th, which may provide more insight and information regarding this eclipse and how the events are unfolding in your life. There’s a feeling of understanding your role in this astrology, and what is needed from you to continue, and where you still have a lasting impact and point of control within.
April 27th brings the halfway point, right between the two eclipses, with the first quarter Moon in Leo. Betwixt these two major events can often be frustrating or a tension point. Life may be moving quickly, but it isn’t clear what exactly is happening. Also on this day, Mars makes a sticky and frustrating square to Chiron. This may showcase a wound with your efforts, or a difficult spot where you thought you were accomplishing your goals but now there’s self doubt or an issue that you have to address. The rebar is visible, the pain points are obvious. How do you grow?
Pluto will station retrograde at 0° Aquarius on May 1st, and the Sun and Mercury will meet at 11° Taurus signifying the heart of the retrograde cycle. New information, insights, and downloads are possible. We may be a little clearer about the power dynamics that were highlighted under the New Moon eclipse. We will have more knowledge to what we are working through and reviewing with this lunation. This is a moment to recognize progress, and adjust any action steps in the meantime.
Right before the Full Moon eclipse, Venus makes a confusing square to Neptune on May 4th. This may be a day where we would like to tap out or not deal with the heavier issues of life, or where there may be confusion surrounding relationships and the way we connect with people. Around this time, it’s important to keep in mind that how we interpret an interaction may not be the way the other perceives their interaction. It’s best to stay mindful about assumptions and clarify the issues when presented.
Let’s look at where this New Moon and eclipse astrology is happening for you specifically.
ARIES & ARIES RISING
Who you are, how you present yourself, what you believe in, and how you want to spend your time and energy in life is the focus of this eclipse series beginning with the New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse in Aries. This Spring has pulled so much attention onto you, how you see yourself, how other people recognize you as you, and how you want to grow and develop your life. This eclipse marks the beginning of a new cycle of rediscovering yourself and your needs, and making that more visible and potent to others. Who are you growing into, and how do you want to nurture that? What are your goals for yourself for the next year and half? This eclipse may present some conflict with this intense self-focus against your community and friendships. There may be an old version of yourself that still sits with the groups of people you spend time with. You may have to rebuild and reconfigure how they use to see you against who you actually are and how you want to continue to be.
Mercury stationing retrograde in Taurus will review your money, income, and resources. How you feel secure in life and how you support yourself may be under revision or review. This is a good time to sit down with your finances and see what needs an overhaul or rework as necessary. Use this time to plan, and when Mercury stations direct you can start to move forward with a change.
TAURUS & TAURUS RISING
Mental health, inner spaces, and your own mindset and belief about life is the focus for new growth and intentional shifts during this New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse in Aries. Majority of the focus has been centered around your life internally – pulling you to focus on yourself through inner work, mediations, and isolation. There’s a need to center in on your mental health and how you heal the wounds of the past. What are you learning about yourself through more deep personal reflection and alone time? Where can you start to have more space for your own healing and inner development? There may be tension with tending to this space, especially against the need for you to focus on career and work matters. Recognize that caring for your internal needs first will directly impact your work later down the road, even if the effects aren’t immediate. Learning where you are the sole source of power in your public efforts, and where you need to let go of some control in your life, will help you during this eclipse season.
Mercury will station retrograde in the first house of self, asking you to pull all the inner work you have been doing and find ways to share that accomplishment with others. You may start to rework and revisit the ways you express yourself to the outside world, and what true authenticity actually means to you. This transit is all about finding your voice, even if it’s a little disrupting from the past.
GEMINI & GEMINI RISING
Friendships and your overarching community is the area of fresh growth, excitement, and adventure under this New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse in Aries. This has been a big focus in your life, showing you how you have fun with others and enjoy being out with friends, or spending more time with people that help expand your mind and introduce more lightheartedness in your life. Who have you been excited to hang out with recently? Where are you having more fun in your life, and how is that helping you in other areas like career and overall close relationships? What does stepping outside of your bubble look like now? There’s a potential with some tension, perhaps around being asked to think of your overall direction and future goals – or deal with some responsibilities that you’d rather avoid. It’s okay to be more future-oriented in life when it’s required, and it’s also okay to just enjoy the day-to-day and fun activities when possible. Finding the balance between life responsibilities and enjoying living is necessary under this lunation.
Mercury’s retrograde in Taurus will pull you more internal and into the depths of your mind, mental health, spirituality, and little projects you are working on behind the scenes. See if you can find some time away from busy schedules to reflect and return back to what you are learning about yourself lately, and how this new information may change the way you present yourself. Look for a path of growth that is a little more untraditional.
CANCER & CANCER RISING
Your career and public roles are pulled into focus under this New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse in Aries. There’s a yearning for a fresh start and reboot with how you show up in the world. Underpinning your life, you have been learning more and more about who you are, what you want to change, and overall the new direction you wish to move towards. What in your career is starting to transform that paves the way for you feel more fulfilled within your work? If it’s not happening externally yet, what are you realizing internally that you need out of your public work, and what needs to cultivate there to make that happen for yourself? Tension or conflict may arise within group projects, work you’re doing with other people, or shared resources with your partner(s). You may be asked to balance your personal expansion and development against collaborations with another – or this may be something you’ll be asked to cut away or restructure so you can align your career with what you most need out of it.
Mercury will then station retrograde in Taurus, revisiting conversations and plans with your friends and overarching community. There may be a review about who you choose to spend your time with, or who is available to be part of that community support for you. There’s potential for an overhaul within your friend group that will help you find the people that will best support you and your needs.
LEO & LEO RISING
Your long-term plans, goals for the future, higher education, work, teaching, and any philosophical beliefs and practices get a push for a new growth and transformation under this New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse in Aries. What has this Spring taught you about yourself in terms of how you want your life to look like in the future? What new information are you excited to start pursuing, consuming, or learning more of? What big plans or changes are on the horizon for you? Even if the shift is more internal, reflect on how this eclipse is encouraging you to take charge of your life and shape your future and career to the path that is in alignment with what you want. There may be some tension or conflict with this direction you want to take, and the needs of those important relationships in your life. Finding a way to align your direction with your relationships, and not letting one side completely control the other, will be the balance of power this eclipse will focus on. Recognize where you do have control within your life, and focus on changing those aspects first.
Mercury stationing retrograde in Taurus will review and revisit your work within your career and public roles. Work conversations may arise about your role at work, and a review may be needed about how satisfied you are within your career, or if there are sticky points that need to be broken down. Work communications may have a difficult time – just be looking out for that missed email or note.
VIRGO & VIRGO RISING
Finances, shared resources, loans, and other financial matters or collaborations are the focus of fresh growth and change under this New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse in Aries. Money may’ve been a big focus lately, and not necessary involving your own money but the resources that you share with another and how that is changing. There may be pressure here to expand money, get a loan, or tackle debt. What financial aspects have you been putting all your time and energy into? What new things are you learning regarding investments and financing? What are you being asked to let go in terms of control in this area of your life? There’s a possibility you’ll be asked to surrender authority here, and to restructure your thinking so that you stay responsible to only what you directly influence. Only you can influence what you do every day, not your partner or anyone else involved. If you are working with another, how have these collaborations impacted your day-to-day life and health? Where are you learning more about yourself here?
Mercury stationing retrograde in Taurus will refocus some energy to your long-term plans, goals for the future, and overall your beliefs in life. You may return to some distant goal you had forgotten about, or revisit a philosophy or religious belief you have missed or always wanted to learn. Expanding your education and reading is helpful during this time, and revisiting the past may teach you a little more about the future.
LIBRA & LIBRA RISING
Partnerships and one-on-one relationships are the focus for a new cycle and intentional shifts during this New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse in Aries. There may be unexpected opportunities for close connections to start to grow, or a fresh approach to your current relationships may be occurring. Additionally, your own partners may be going through a new exciting change or shift, and that’s now directly impacting your own life. What do personal relationships and connections look like for you now? How have they changed over time? What do you need out of your partnerships that help you feel more complete and excited about your own life and career? While the attention is definitely more on the “others” in your life, it’s important to recognize how you feel seen, visible, and important within those relationships. Part of this eclipse cycle is heavy about learning who you are and what you have to offer the world – which may bring up reflections about how these relationships and important people in your life support your creative endeavors and inspirations.
Mercury’s retrograde in Taurus will pull review onto your finances, more specifically your shared resources with your partner(s), both business and personal, and where the balance stands between the two. Conversations may arise and be revisited regarding money, loans, and how different incomes are flowing in, or not. Be prepared for any potential delays with contractual agreements, and be sure to check all the work over a few times so you know what you are signing into.
SCORPIO & SCORPIO RISING
Daily work routines, work schedules, relationships with coworkers, projects, and your body health are undergoing a transformation and start of a new cycle with this Total Solar Eclipse and New Moon in Aries. There may be a desire or need to change up your daily work schedule to better suit your needs and health, and to actually cater to the growth your work life has been expanding into. How have your responsibilities changed over time? What new ideas or visions do you have for your daily work life that are starting to come through? What would be your ideal routine, and how would you care for your body? There’s a potential for conflict or power dynamics to pull your attention away from this and into your home and family life, perhaps having to deal with a control issue there. Or maybe your responsibilities at home and with family are conflicting with your own work and career needs. Picking only the necessary battles and drawing boundaries between the two when possible will help you create space for both.
Mercury stationing retrograde in Taurus will begin a review and revisit of conversations with your one-on-one relationships and partnerships, both business and personal. Whatever plans or future-oriented discussions that have been taking place here come back around and get dissected again. Be mindful of old wounds resurfacing regarding connection, and tend to it, but you don’t have to let it linger. If conversations get heated, give it time, and recognize that words said during this period don’t have to hold water.
SAGITTARIUS & SAGITTARIUS RISING
There’s a big pull to nourish your creative energy, passions, your children, and the ways you’re inspired to express yourself under this New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse in Aries. What have you been working on, either with yourself or others, that helps you develop a deeper understanding of yourself? Is there something new and exciting that you’re wanting to share? What does it mean for you to create – either actual projects or with children and their needs? Whatever you start this month that involves putting yourself out there will be expanded and magnified during the next year and half. Conflict may arise with wanting to share and communicate this new discovery. There may be an intense need to structure your daily life in a way that supports these projects, or you may feel conflicted about expressing your progress with others. Know that if this work is deeper and more personal, it’s okay to keep it close to your chest until you’re ready. But if you need fresh insight, like-minded individuals may be willing to help.
Mercury will then station retrograde in Taurus, which may bring slowdowns and frustrations in the workplace and with your everyday work projects. Notice the conversations that you have with your coworkers or regarding work – some discussions may get revisited or reviewed. Strict deadlines and time-demanding projects would be best to move away from currently, and be sure to give yourself some extra time to revise the work as needed.
CAPRICORN & CAPRICORN RISING
Home and family life, including your living environment and private spaces, are undergoing a generative cycle and change with this New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse in Aries. This may bring an entirely new home into the picture, or highlight major shifts occurring within your family and overall living environment. How has home life changed for you in the past year? What do you need out of your home life so that it feels more like a nurturing and healing space? What changes here are already starting to actualize? Tension or conflict may arise over money or financial resources, perhaps with not having the funds necessary to make a change or more attention needs to remain on work and income goals. Recognize how this new series of eclipses will take some time to play out, and whatever little things you can do now to help your space feel like home will go a long way. Small, intentional steps will lead to the big transformation when it’s ready.
Mercury stationing retrograde in Taurus will review your life outside of work and responsibilities – especially around the ways you create art, fun, and joy in your soul. Notice if you feel encouraged to pick up an old hobby or partake in a fun adventure that you haven’t thought about in a while. Sometimes the past can be a positive and necessary escape. There’s equally the potential for old flings and other historical relationships to come back into the picture, so just be mindful of what is best for you.
AQUARIUS & AQUARIUS RISING
Daily life, rituals, and any writing or communication projects are reaching new growth and entering into a fresh cycle under this Total Solar Eclipse and New Moon in Aries. Everything that you read, consume, and speak every day are being pushed into a broader and more intense focus that will continue to play out over the next year and half. What are you learning about your daily work life and routine activities that you want to change? What communications, teachings, or writing projects are budding in your life right now? What do you want to start sharing with the world or with others? There may be a conflict with this work and what you are learning about your desires and self. You may be gaining a new perspective shift or understanding about what you need in life – and now you’re asked to find ways to merge or align this new personal growth into your everyday life and conversations. If this feels challenging, give it space to grow and develop over time.
The day after, Mercury will station retrograde in Taurus, asking you to review and return to conversations around your home life, family, and living environment. There may be a family dynamic that will take some time to work out, or a conversation around living spaces that will need to be revisited. Recognize that any conflict or slowness here is necessary, and it may just need time to settle. This will help fine-tune your home life to fit your needs.
PISCES & PISCES RISING
Money, income, and your sense of stability regarding resources is the spotlight for a new cycle of growth under this New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse in Aries. Exciting opportunities may start to formulate on the horizon, or a stronger internal shift may be occurring about what you need to do to generate money or maintain a better structure. How has income changed for you over time? What is shifting regarding the ways you make money now? Are you feeling pulled to move into a different direction? There may be some tension with conflicting events materializing behind the scenes, perhaps regarding loss, trauma, and mental health. Sometimes outer world events don’t directly reflect what you are trekking through in the internal. But learning to trust on your own foundation while you work through hardship will be helpful here. Even if circumstances require slow growth over time, allow it. Find the balance between spending all your time with work, and also taking care of yourself.
Mercury’s retrograde in Taurus will directly be affecting your communication, daily conversations, and the rituals you participate in every day. Notice what changes with how you share information, or if you feel the need to switch up your daily routine. Emails, texts, and other phone communications may have delays or disappearances, so be mindful if wires get crossed, and don’t put too much emphasis on mistakes. Close friendships and relationships with siblings may also go under review or be evaluated through high pressure events.
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