Planetary news this week: Preparing for the April 20 solar eclipse
Astrological update for the week of April 10-17, 2023
The solar eclipse on April 20 will kick off eclipse season. Eclipses are often bunched into a series of two or three pairs, but this year the two eclipse pairs operate on their own, without any others in the series. The first of the pair, the New Moon, occurs at 29º 57′ Aries – just three minutes of a degree from being in Taurus rather than Aries. This degree can feel a little “cusp-y” but to me there are no accidents and every symbol has meaning.
The very last degree of a sign, the 29th degree, is called the “critical” or “anoretic” degree and is associated with the endings of cycles and new beginnings. The word “anaretic” derives from “anareta,” which in medieval astrology signified the planet of death in the natal horoscope. This is likely what has given the 29th degree such a bad rap in traditional astrology, although endings are actually the harbinger of new beginnings and not to be feared.
I love the symbology of the endings of the 29th degree combined with the New Moon. There is a sense of sweeping away of the old and a fresh new beginning, especially with the Moon eclipsing the Sun, stripping away any artifice of conscious awareness and bringing us face to face with the raw truth of our needs and desires as described by Aries. In this moment which is rich with the power of Mars, we can begin to let go of some of our willfulness as patterns are completed and the Moon slips gently into Taurus just 20 minutes after the eclipse, forming a square aspect to transformational Pluto. We are in new […]