In a previous blog, I wrote about both Lunar and Solar eclipses and about the Lunar Eclipses of 2024 but in this blog, I am going to focus on the special nature of a solar eclipse and what we have in store in 2024.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon stands between the Sun and the earth, which makes the sun appear to go dark – however, you have to be in a particular part of the world to be able to see this with the human eye.
Solar eclipses can only occur on a New Moon so they tend to herald new beginnings and opportunities and are often positive with great news seemingly out of the blue.
Solar eclipses happen twice a year and the eclipse can be felt for up to 36 days (known as the eclipse season).
Whether a solar eclipse is a partial or total eclipse depends on how many degrees the moon and sun are within the lunar nodes.
The total eclipses of the sun are very special and have been associated with wars, famines, floods, unprecedented climate changes and the death or birth of dictators, rulers, presidents and kings, especially near the area where the total eclipse occurs.
However, the actual impact or effect of Solar eclipses is very inconsistent and it is hard to know which will shake our world and which will pass by almost unnoticed. They can be described as wild cards that may cause stress or coincide with chaotic events or they can bring exciting opportunities.
Solar eclipses tend to relate to external events and impact us as something that is happening to us rather than something we have consciously chosen.
In the book, Spiritual Astrology Spiller and McCoy describe Solar Eclipses as representing “our collective egos, our collective emotions, and our collective karma” and they explain that the house the solar eclipse falls in shows the arena that will be most active for the 6-month period until the next solar eclipse. It is the area where you will be asked to set an example for the collective, and be a good role model and you may be exposed or held accountable in this area.
Solar eclipses come in pairs that will activate a polarity in our chart, for example, the 2024 solar eclipses are on April 9th in Aries and on October 3rd in Libra.
Last year the solar eclipses were super powerful in my life, the first activating my 7th house of partnerships happened a day or so after I first connected with an editor at Hay House which then resulted in a publishing deal for my oracle deck and the second activated my 1st house and natal Pluto comes at a time when we were in the thick of redesigning the deck. I really feel like last year saw major transformations in my life and business and this was reflected in these solar eclipses.
This year they are activating the same houses – because my 1st and 7th house are both quite large (I use the placidus house system) however the second eclipse in 2024 will be quite close to my Jupiter/Saturn conjunction so I may feel it in a different way.
As I discussed in a previous blog on eclipses, they belong to a family of eclipses called a “saros series”. The Saros Series (or patterns) were discovered by the Babylonians in the 4th Century and each series has certain characteristics and runs for over 1,000 years. Each series has a solar eclipse approximately every 18 years.
The Saros series that the 2024 eclipses belong to is known as 8 North and 8 South. 8 North, the saros series for this first solar eclipse, first occurred in 1501 and will end in 2745!
This saros series according to Bernadette Brady is a time when inventiveness and flashes of genius are likely – an individual may have intuitive leaps, insight, good ideas, visions or vivid dreams. This new found inspiration will pull us away from our social life or relationships which could cause strain. This is a time where we need to be free – if only for a few weeks.
April Elliot Kent in her book Astrological Transits states that solar eclipses are typically felt in the week leading up to the event and tend to have a physical impact – making us feel drained, stressed, or overexcited.
April also states that eclipses bring moments of crisis – and the thing is that a crisis has the impact of waking you up – making you look at the world in a different way.
So what does this mean for the April Aries Hybrid Solar Eclipse?
Aries Solar Eclipses will ask us to to be a warrior in our lives, to stand up and fight for something – and in particular in the arena or house that the eclipse activates. But remember, Mercury is also retrograde, so communications will not come most naturally for most of us – so we do need to be careful that we don’t say something we later would like to take back.
To discover this find 19 degrees Arires in your chart and see which house it falls in.
This eclipse will likely be more challenging if:
- You have any planets or angles close by (within 4 degrees) – If the eclipse is tightly conjunct with a planet or angle then it will likely impact you in a stronger way and the personality of that planet or domain of that angle will be involved.
- The same goes if you have planets that are square (17-21 degrees Capricorn or Cancer) or opposite (17-21 degrees Libra) then this eclipse will likely bring more stress, anxiety, or crisis for you.
This eclipse activates my 7th House so it is likely that themes around relationships & partnership will come up – I’m reminding myself to not get into stupid fights with my husband and pick my battles for the things that really matter.
You can also reflect on what was occurring around 18 years ago, the time of the last eclipse in this saros series (this was 2006) – interesting this was the year I met my husband and I think around this time I had broken up with my last partner before meeting him!
Want more?
If you have enjoyed working with this eclipse energy you’ll love my Lunar Planning Toolkit which helps you to work with each new and full moon on a personal level.
