On April 1st, Mercury turned retrograde.
Mercury is retrograde in the sign of Aries from April 1st to 25th. This retrograde cycle is strong for reviewing our initiative, courage, and independence. We look at projects, items, situations, problems, and even people in new ways. There can be information clogs that push this new perspective–as we wait, we become more resourceful and creative. On April 11th, the Sun and retrograde Mercury meet, allowing the Sun to catch up with Mercury as Mercury was ahead of the Sun since late February. Symbolically, we may have been overthinking and getting ahead of ourselves, but we’re now beginning to feel caught up. Mercury turns direct on the 25th, when information begins to unclog.
On April 8th, a New Moon total Solar Eclipse occurs in Aries, stirring a new beginning and prompting us to start fresh. This lunation is a total Solar Eclipse, and it is the fourth in an Aries-Libra set of six eclipses and the third Solar Eclipse in the series. Note that the Aries-Libra eclipse set occurs from April 2023 to March 2025.
This Solar Eclipse can highlight and challenge our issues surrounding independence and personal courage. We might take steps towards self-mastery and empowerment by tackling things that undermine our confidence or autonomy. Circumstances encourage us to see where we haven’t been true to our authentic selves. Ultimately, we can better position ourselves to understand that changes or endings are necessary for growth.
It’s a powerful time to re-evaluate our relationship with ourselves. The New Moon aligns with retrograde Mercury, and it’s hard to see our path, but our discomfort with the past can be very real now, motivating new beginnings. Mars, the ruler of Aries, is also coming into alignment with Saturn, suggesting the determination to overcome obstacles.
On April 20th, Jupiter aligns with Uranus. Note also that Jupiter is parallel to Uranus in early May. With this strong influence, we’re ready to discover, explore, and innovate. This transit is exciting, futuristic, and original. The need for progressive change becomes glaringly apparent under this influence. It’s a time when we want to update, refresh, and renew ourselves, projects, circumstances, and connections.
We might take risks for the sake of freedom during this transit. We could easily avoid taking responsibility for things that truly matter, or we could feel exceptionally restless.
We’re open to new energies, approaches, and attitudes. Fortunate events occur as a direct result of our willingness to entertain the unusual and to think outside of the box. We are feeling brave, positive, and optimistic. Enthusiasm runs high, the desire for freedom from restrictions is strong, and thirst for adventure is with us.
On April 23rd, a Full Moon occurs in Scorpio, bringing sudden awareness to our lives in areas that require more balance. It challenges us to face what needs to go so we can move on in a healthier manner, as well as the responsibilities and debts we have to others. This Full Moon reminds us of the need to consider, recognize, and appreciate others’ support, contribution, needs, wants, and input.
On Monday, April 8th, the New Moon will be in Aries when the Total Solar Eclipse occurs. This is a time to be clear about what your heart desires, tap into your courage, and move forward. The more you trust your intuition, be honest with yourself, and go for what you believe in, the more you will attract what you want into your life.
Now is the time to identify your true mission. Right now, you might feel ready to take a giant leap into your future - and this is the time to envision it. A Solar Eclipse can set the tone for the next 2-3 years, especially if you’re able to witness it. It’s an ideal moment for planting seeds of intention.
This time marks the end of the Eclipse Portal, which began on March 23, 2024, with the Full Moon in Libra Partial Lunar Eclipse. Reflect on how the last two weeks have gone for you. You can move on to connections that feel more aligned with your mission now. It’s important to be mindful of where you’re putting your power and energy.
This New Moon is the first one after the Equinox, which marks the beginning of the zodiac. In a way, the year is just beginning. Right now, Mercury is retrograde in Aries, giving you some time to think and reflect and get clear - before things start speeding up again. It’s more important than ever to be connected to your values and your mindset so you can move forward.
This is a great moment to commit your energy to making a change and starting fresh. The intention is to use your power consciously and from a place of authenticity. Ideally, you can let go of fear, doubt, and negativity and focus on doing what you believe in.
Take this moment to release any of the shadow sides of Aries. These include being insensitive, hasty, or overly competitive. It can also mean staying stuck in commitments that aren’t right for you. That kind of energy would be counterproductive to moving forward in your life.
The influence of the Solar Eclipse might make you feel things intensely or you could have emotions that feel overwhelming. In truth, a lot of what you’re experiencing may not have anything to do with you at all, because this energy is affecting everyone.
Because all eclipses also have a shadow side, part of the intention of this energy is to encourage you - and others around you - to work with the mistakes and denials of the past. This is all part of a process that helps you grow.
This New Moon Eclipse, in the fiery sign of Aries, is conjunct the healing dwarf planet Chiron, which is a wonderful opportunity to heal core wounds - especially around identity. Ideally, you can consciously take responsibility for previous behavior that didn’t feel right for you. When you’re able to address these issues, you can clear the way for a future that’s more aligned with your purpose.
In a few weeks, Jupiter and Uranus will align, magnifying Uranus’s qualities of encouraging freedom and rebellion. These events are pointing toward quantum leaps in consciousness this year. So choose wisely, while you have the chance - it’s essential to be mindful and conscious about what you intend.
This is a great time to express all parts of yourself unapologetically. If you downplay your expression or exuberance just to fit in, now is the time to release those inhibitions. You can’t please everyone. Showing up as your authentic self can inspire many and protect your integrity.
The total solar eclipse takes place at the Moon's ascending node. It will be visible across North America and has been nicknamed the Great American Eclipse by some of the media. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region hundreds of miles wide.
One day after perigee (on Sunday, April 7, 2024), the Moon's apparent diameter will be 5.5% larger than average. With a magnitude of 1.0566, its longest duration of totality will be of 4 minutes and 28.13 seconds near the Mexican town of Nazas, Durango.
This eclipse will be the first total solar eclipse to be visible in Canada since February 26, 1979, the first in Mexico since July 11, 1991, and the first in the United States since August 21, 2017. It will be the only total solar eclipse in the 21st century where totality will be visible in Mexico, the U.S., and Canada at the same time. It will also be the last total solar eclipse visible in the contiguous United States until August 23, 2044. The final solar eclipse of the year will occur six months later, on October 2, 2024.
The totality of the solar eclipse will be visible in a narrow strip on the Pacific Ocean passing 230 miles (370 km) north of the Marquesas Islands and later in North America, beginning at the Pacific coast, then ascending in a northeasterly direction through Mexico, the United States, and Canada, before ending in the Atlantic Ocean.
In Mexico, totality will pass through the states of Sinaloa (including Mazatlán), Durango (including the city of Durango and Gómez Palacio) and Coahuila (including Torreón, Matamoros, Monclova, Sabinas, Ciudad Acuña and Piedras Negras).
In the United States, totality will be visible through the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois (including Carbondale, where it intersects the path of the 2017 eclipse), Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Upstate New York, and northern Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, with the line of totality going almost directly over the state's highest point Mount Katahdin. The largest city entirely in the path will be Dallas, Texas. It will be the second total eclipse visible from the central United States in just 7 years, after the eclipse of August 21, 2017. Totality will pass through the town of Wapakoneta, Ohio, home of Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon. This will be the last total solar eclipse visible in the contiguous United States until August 23, 2044.
A partial solar eclipse will be visible in all other parts of the contiguous United States. It will be visible only in Southeast Alaska (Alaska Panhandle).
In Canada, the path of totality will pass over parts of Southern Ontario, parts of southern Quebec, central New Brunswick, western Prince Edward Island, the northern tip of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, and central Newfoundland. Then, it will vanish on the eastern Atlantic coast of Newfoundland.
A partial solar eclipse will be visible in all of the other parts of Canada, except the western part of the Yukon and the western tip of the Northwest Territories.
The eclipse will be partially seen in Norway, Iceland, Ireland, western parts of Great Britain, north-west parts of Spain and Portugal, the Azores and Canary Islands. Unusually, this eclipse extends below the horizon, where the greatest phase is to be observed at mid-nautical twilight in Galicia, Spain, and the beginning of astronomical twilight in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. The extension of the eclipse path within the twilight zone will create probably the best observation window for the 12P/Pons-Brooks comet located close to Jupiter.The eclipse will be partially seen in all Central American countries, from Belize to Panama, all the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico and Jamaica), and northern South America (Colombia).
The eclipse will be partially seen in Hawaii, eastern Kiribati (eastern Phoenix Islands and the whole Line Islands), Tokelau, American Samoa except its extreme western part, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Pitcairn Islands. Although all located east of the 180th meridian, the local time of the partial eclipse in Kiribati and Tokelau is Tuesday, April 9, 2024, because either UTC+13 or UTC+14 is observed in these areas.
The path of this eclipse will cross the path of the prior total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, with the intersection of the two paths being in southern Illinois, in Makanda, just south of Carbondale.
Eclipses of 2024:
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on March 25.
- A total solar eclipse on April 8.
- A partial lunar eclipse on September 18.
- An annular solar eclipse on October 2.
