Aries New Moon Eclipse: A Twist of Fate

Some years ago, motivational teacher Debra Poneman was preparing a big speech for Jack Canfield’s Transformational Leadership Council. But fate had a twist up its sleeve. As Poneman recalls, “I had my presentation all planned, replete with my flip chart and white board and power point, and I was ready to romp around the stage and give the presentation of a lifetime. And then, two nights before the big day, I tripped over a curb in the dark and broke my right foot.”

In so much pain she could barely think, Poneman cancelled her presentation and attended the rest of the retreat in a wheelchair. But when the morning came that she’d been scheduled to speak and no replacement had been found, this brave warrior got up on the stage anyway – and gave one of the best talks of her life. “I was forced to be raw and real and talk heart to heart,” she confessed. “With no dog and pony show to depend on, I had to be the person Debra and not the personality Debra.” And in the process, she discovered one of the greatest gifts of pain and seeming misfortune: “When you’re really suffering, it allows your true self to emerge, the one with no defenses.”

When I read this story on Debra’s blog, I was sure that Chiron had to be active in her chart at the time this happened. (Alas, I was unable to find her birth data to confirm.) Either way, though, this story personifies the mythical centaur, who became a great healer-shaman despite suffering his own wounds. And with planetoid Chiron traveling through feisty Aries since 2019, we’ve all been challenged to heal our own wounds around self-assertion and deal with insecurities that block our true selves.

Chiron in impulsive Aries is the superstar of the upcoming total solar eclipse. Chiron will exactly conjunct the Moon as it eclipses the Sun at this New Moon eclipse (April 8, 11:20 a.m. PDT), bringing themes of wounding and healing to the forefront. To behold this eclipse, many folks are running off to Texas and other points on the path of totality, which cuts a narrow swath through the U.S. I, for one, will not be among them. When you witness an eclipse, you become complicit with it – for better or for worse. At the very least, retrograde Mercury (April 1 – 25) is apt to bring traffic snarls. Mercury in Aries gets frustrated if it can’t go FAST, and this retrograde Trickster will need to exercise a lot of patience.

The eclipse ruler, Mars, is conjunct Saturn in Pisces, last sign of the zodiac. One door is closing so another can open. You may have to do what’s required, no matter how tough, to get the job done. Luckily, courage is heightened with four planets plus Chiron and the North Node in Aries – calling forth your authentic self. Just be sure to rest enough to keep your strength up. Still, since it’s a North Node eclipse, we’re urged to take a step toward something new. Even with Mercury backward, we can plant a seed – bearing in mind that it’s unlikely to sprout right away.

Look to where 19 degrees of Aries falls in your chart to see what’s being activated:

1^st house: Personal identity, body, new territory

2^nd house: What you value, financial status, how you spend money

3^rd house: State of mind, brainstorms, immediate environment

4^th house: Family, home, roots, ancestral patterns

5^th house: Creative self, ability to play, romantic pursuits

6^th house: Habit patterns, health or workplace issues

7^th house: Primary relationships and style of relating

8^th house: What must be sacrificed or transformed, shared finances

9^th house: Spiritual path, higher purpose and teaching style

10^th house: Where you open out to the world, career, authority

11^th house: Friends, community, goals and wishes, social impact

12^th house: Dream life, hidden obstacles, feeling imprisoned

On top of everything else, the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction peaks on April 20, sparking revelations. This alignment occurs every 14 years. It’s happening in earthy Taurus for the first time since May 1941, revealing the future in concrete, even if shocking, ways.  Jupiter magnifies things; Uranus shakes things up.  Their union can bring a radical new way of seeing life or a startling new sense of direction. Look to where 21 degrees of Taurus falls in your chart for clues. As astrologer Steven Forrest puts it, “There’s a treasure within reach, but you have to look in the right place – somewhere you’ve never been before.”

April should be a turning point month – especially for those in power, who are ruled by the Sun (which is getting eclipsed). We’re all likely to be confronting limitations that have obscured our true selves. If a twist of fate should occur for you, realize that it’s happening for a reason. You may be stripped down to basics, as Debra Poneman was, prompting you to take a risk you might not otherwise have taken. If that occurs, just trust your instincts – and let synchronicity do the rest.