I vividly remember the “Great American Total Solar Eclipse” on August 21, 2017, when the moon’s shadow eclipsed the Sun at 28° Leo. My then-husband and I drove seven hours south from Chicago to arrive at the southern tip of Illinois, in a town called Makanda, which is beautifully nestled in the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. Our destination to view the eclipse with approximately 2,000 other ticket-bearing folks that day was a winery, actually (the beautiful Blue Sky Winery), and I can still recall the visceral response my body experienced at approximately 3 p.m. when the moon’s shadow completely eclipsed the light of our beloved Sun. Lasting several minutes in duration, the moment of totality was profoundly eerie to me, but I was ritually ready then with an altar to Sekhmet laid out on my mandala-themed picnic blanket stretched out across the grass, onto which I’d laid my Egyptian-made Sekhmet statue, my sistrum, an offering plate with various spicy foods for the Goddess, and my massive chunk of quartz crystal, which I intended to program as a “battery” to house the profound healing energies the “detonation” event of an eclipse can bring, spiritually/energetically speaking.
At first hushed, the crowd began cheering, whistling, applauding, and even screaming at the moment of totality. I was grateful for the noise as my own shouting of my prayers whilst vigorously shaking my sistrum went largely unnoticed by folks seated around us (though afterwards, I did field respectful questions on what I was doing from a nearby couple that drove all the way from Louisiana with their adorable Siberian husky just to witness the eclipse). The temperature immediately dropped by several degrees. All wild birds had gone completely silent. It was a complete sensory experience tinged with Numinosity and yes, terror.
While I do heartily recommend that spiritually attuned folks make the most of these cosmic energies by bringing intentionality to their experience of especially a total solar eclipse, you have to be mindful that there are costs or tolls to be paid. On a mundane level, a logistics nightmare of travel to and from cities and towns in a given eclipse’s pathway awaits. You have to deal with limited infrastructure in terms of roadways, jammed as you’ll be with perhaps tens of thousands of other stargazers wanting to create a mass exodus and head home simultaneously. Plan for that. (Our return drive to Chicago took us a whopping 19 hours!)
On an emotional level, eclipses take a toll as well because they invariably eclipse things in our lives we hold dear (e.g., health, jobs, relationships, financial stability, living situations, etc.). A total solar eclipse is always a detonation event. The “Great American Solar Eclipse” of 2017 eclipsed my marriage. This is where astrology can somewhat prepare us, but never truly emotionally prepare us, for the sweeping changes that may arrive in the wake of a total solar eclipse. Tomorrow’s eclipse is a doozy because of the important cosmic backdrop of a powerful array of planetary aspects that are afoot; some will exactly align with the moment of the eclipse itself, while others will build and find fullest expression towards the end of the month. As this is Aries season, it’s always a wild ride, so buckle up!
The Backdrop of Mercury Retrograde
Mercury, the closest planet to our Sun in our solar system, avatar of the fleet-footed Messenger of the Gods and sacred Psychopomp of the ancient Romans, entered the Cardinal Fire Sign of Aries on March 9. He won’t leave it and make His ingress into the Fixed Earth Sign of Taurus until May 15, so this is an exceptionally long period of time for Mercury to transit Aries. Mercury stationed Retrograde at 27° Aries on April 1. He will station Direct at 16° Aries on the 25th of the month, but He doesn’t exit His Retrograde Shadow Period (i.e., move past the 27° Aries mark) until May 13. The Retrograde adds a curious filter to the eclipse experience on April 8, as our minds will be primed to focus on the past–especially past traumas or related confrontations with our Shadow Selves–and not so much the future, despite our yearning for welcome changes in our lives. During His Retrograde cha-cha dance throughout this month, Mercury will form various aspects to other planets, especially potent conjoined ones.
A Series of Powerful Conjunctions Undergirding the Eclipse
I honestly cannot recall a month that has so many planetary conjunctions that will be energetically playing off of each other than this month of April 2024. There are exactly 9 of them! Besides the obvious conjunction on April 8 of the total solar eclipse itself, which lines up the Aries Moon and the Aries Sun (at 19°) and the driver of the North Node in Aries, there’s a second major conjunction the day of the eclipse involving all three of those planets and the asteroid of Chiron, the “Wounded Healer,” at 19° Aries. The Sun-Chiron conjunction at 19° Aries takes place within 8 minutes of the moment of eclipse totality (2:07 p.m. CDT). There is a major focus on confronting, processing, and integrating core woundedness/trauma, and the lens of the Retrograde Mercury helps frame the conversation by communicating that woundedness and searching for avenues of healing through writing, therapy, and teaching, all Mercury-ruled disciplines.
As if this weren’t intense enough for you, a third powerful conjunction, definitely operating during the eclipse, involves the dynamic of Mars and Saturn in Pisces. The conjunction of these historically “malefic” planets builds in intensity during the eclipse and finds its exact moment of expression two days later, on April 10th, when Mars and Saturn will be exactly conjunct at 14° Pisces at 3:36 p.m. CDT. Neither Mars nor Saturn is happy to be in Pisces, to put it mildly. Mars’ Fire drowns and feels confused in Piscean Mutable Waters, unsure of where to take proper action, while Earthy, structure-loving, boundaries-blessing Saturn hates having the world of Form dissolved in Pisces’ Cosmic Soup of Nondifferentiation. Both planets, when unhappy transiting a Sign that frustrates their natures, take on the negative expression of that Sign, so ill-aspected Mars and Saturn in Pisces can propel disease growth towards epidemic stages (there’s an alarming measles outbreak in my hometown of Chicago and surrounding cities as I type this) and fuel addiction. Weather phenomena as an expression of this planetary conjunction feature tsunamis, typhoons, and flooding. No matter what sign a Mars-Saturn conjunction occurs in, it’s always a recipe for war as well.
A fourth powerful conjunction, which went into effect at the beginning of the month and will last for weeks after it becomes exact on April 20, is the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction at 21° Taurus. This backdrop brings an expansive element of surprise to the April 8 solar eclipse, as Jupiter loves to expand whatever He touches and Uranus is the “shock-and-awe” planet in the outer reaches of our solar system. As Jupiter is a money planet and Uranus in Taurus rules digital banking and investing and cryptocurrencies in particular, expect market volatility. On a positive note, this aspect can bring financial windfalls, sudden cash flow accumulating seemingly out of nowhere, as Jupiter is also a “luck” planet and Uranus rules randomness. Powerball lottery tickets, anyone?
The Solar Eclipse’s Path of Totality
I am choosing to stay close to home for the April 8 eclipse (and do a ritual on the banks of the river that flows through the north end of my property). Chicago’s forecast calls for mostly sunny skies, thankfully, and the city and surrounding areas are going to be blessed with a 94% eclipse totality view. The Moon’s shadow will begin to cross over the Sun at 12:51 p.m. CDT. The moment of eclipse totality is 2:07 p.m., and the Moon’s shadow will pass over the other side of the Sun, fully breaking away just after 3 p.m.
You can watch the livestreams of the eclipse from Chicago’s acclaimed Adler Planetarium, which is hosting a free sky-viewing event for folks in person. Local news outlets will also be live-streaming the eclipse; please adjust accordingly for your time zone.
The eclipse will have a much broader Path of Totality across the continental U.S. than it did in 2017, affecting cities and towns from Texas arcing northeast all the way to Maine. Carbondale, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; and the Buffalo, New York area have already declared states of emergency because they don’t have the law enforcement capacity to handle crowds of tens of thousands of people on their stretches of interstate highways and even smaller roads in cases of emergency.
If you are choosing to travel to a site far from your home to be in the path of totality, keep your situational awareness high. I hope you can stay an extra day or two before venturing back to your home. The best thing you can pack for your trip is an extra dose of patience! Remember the Mercury Retrograde and the frustrations evoked by the Mars-Saturn conjunction in Pisces.
Let’s look at some key planetary transits and aspects for the rest of April.
Key Astrological Events to Round Out the Month
Retrograde Mercury will conjunct Chiron at 20° Aries on April 15, the day Federal and State Income Taxes are due in the U.S. How will you confront and process the wounds, formerly buried deep in your subconscious, that may surface at this time? Consider working with a trained psychological professional. I’m actually involved in EMDR as a treatment modality for my PTSD, so yes, I will definitely be following my own advice on working with a therapist to address my own core traumas.
On the 19th, the day preceding the big Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Taurus, Retrograde Mercury will be conjunct Venus at 17° Aries. This can be a pleasant aspect of reassessing your personal aesthetic, planning for home remodeling, or switching up home decor. This is not the time to sign legally binding agreements if you can help it; steer clear of major purchases (cars, homes) also.
Venus Herself will be conjunct Chiron at 19° Aries on the 21st, possibly bringing problems in relationships (or clarity of mind in choosing to leave an unhealthy relationship). Couples’ therapy, anyone?
As mentioned previously, Mercury stations Direct at 16° Aries on April 25 at 7:54 a.m. CDT. Mercury will be gaining speed over the coming days and helping us think clearly and lay out our plans for Spring. The God of Communications won’t be exiting His Retrograde Shadow period for several more weeks, however (May 13).
The Sun makes its ingress into the Fixed Earth Sign of Taurus on April 19, and Venus enters Her Home Sign of Taurus on April 29.
This is one of my favorite times of the year, especially when Venus evokes the energies of The Empress card. Spring is truly glorious to behold where I live, and this is the time of year to enjoy sensual pleasures of good food, good company, and time outdoors. I can’t wait to work on my native plant garden!
Rider-Waite-Smith Major Arcana card of The Empress.
On the 21st, the Sun at 1° Taurus forms a tight square with Pluto at 2° Aquarius. Collectively, we can ask ourselves how our path to progress in the Age of Aquarius is faring. Innovative Aquarius pushes us along further advancements in technology that we emotionally and societally may not be prepared to handle. We might be figuring out at this time that the technological promises of the future aren’t what they’re cracked up to be.
The Full Moon at 4° Scorpio occurs at 6:48 p.m. the evening of Tuesday, April 23. Themes of death and rebirth abound. This is an excellent time to perform Spirit Work with the caveat that you use good discernment: make sure the spirits you contact are, in fact, who they claim to be!
As He nears the end of His unhappy Pisces transit, Mars will be exactly conjunct with Neptune at 28° Pisces on April 28 at 11:31 p.m. CDT. The energies for Spirit Work continue for a little while, but a day and a half later, on April 30, Mars finally emerges from the Piscean ocean and blazes up at full force as He makes His ingress into His Home Sign of Aries, finally! The Ingress happens at 10:33 a.m. CDT. Aries Sun Sign and Ascendant folks will really feel a surge of energy as their planetary ruler comes Home. What a powerful way to tap into the energies of Walpurgisnacht/Beltane!
Yes, Beltane / May Day / Calan Mai (Welsh) / Serbian Đurđevdan will be extra potent energetically this year with Mars in His Home Sign and Venus in Hers! Make good magical use of these planetary transits, folks!
Perhaps that’s the best message I can impart to you. No matter what the eclipse winds up throwing at you, or what pain the conjunctions to Chiron cause to surface in your life, just trust the Cosmic Process of Everything Unfolding for Your Highest Good, even when things on the surface level don’t appear to be that way. May your Gods, guiding spirits, and guarding ancestors lead you to wholeness and healing! So mote it be!
amor et mortem 
I have definitely felt some communication and plague disruptions during my eclipse trip to Indiana. Within 15 minutes of my arrival, my mom told me that she had just tested positive for covid (so no hugs, isolating on different floors of the house, going to events alone), and I dropped my phone in the driveway while marveling at the stars, which badly damaged the screens (thankfully, Google maps and phone calls still work on the tiny outer screen, but I can’t open apps, texts, emails, or Facebook messages on the brightly flashing inner screen).
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I am sorry to hear about your mother and hope she recovers swiftly! As for the phone, hopefully that will be the worst of the tech issues you deal with. May you find renewal and empowerment during the eclipse and beyond!
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