The new moon/solar eclipse takes place in Leo today at 10:37 AM on the Pacific coast of North America. This is a new moon and a solar eclipse — total along a narrow track that crosses Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain, where it may be cloudy, and partial across the northernmost reaches of North America and much of the rest of Europe. But it will be felt even if it will not be seen. This opens a powerful and dramatic new chapter around our identities, our desires, our creativity, those deepest heart’s desires, and whether or not we have the courage to do and the desire to go. Many doors will close, and some new and incredible ones will open.
Remember that a new moon occurs when the moon moves between the Earth and the sun, thereby leaving its illuminated side hidden from Earth’s vantage point. A solar eclipse happens only when the alignment is especially precise, and the moon passes close to one of the lunar nodes — those cosmic points of the zodiac — and this eclipse sits right on the south node in Leo, which has just changed signs for the first time in a few years. That is why the sun is temporarily obscured.
In astrology this is an extremely important thing: what begins under an eclipse can feel more powerful, unexpected, even fated. In the greater cycle of change, this solar eclipse — one of all that falls within what are known as Saros cycles — is not directly connected to the lunar eclipse that happened last March, on the third to be exact, but the two events are connected by the greater theme of surrender and release. The Virgo lunar eclipse: those habits, daily routines, desire for perfectionism, hypercriticism, low self-esteem, drug or alcohol issues, and other impossible standards that may have become way too heavy for us to maintain or to sustain. They are both connected to a larger cycle of change.
At that time, we were tasked with loosening our grip on perfection and moving ahead toward progress on the earth plane, since only the divine is perfect. We can only strive toward that and release the need to measure our insides by comparing them to others’ outsides. Now the Leo solar eclipse this morning takes things further, clearing away the structures that have controlled our daily lives, deconstructing those things which no longer have worth, value, or sustainability. We must examine our identities. Ask yourself: which version of you was created for approval, admiration, accolades, or recognition? Humble, hard-working Virgo released the need last spring to do everything through exact or perfect means. Leo — the center of our solar system, our life-giving star — begins the process of erasing or releasing our need to be perceived or seen as we wish, rather than the way that we truly are. The eclipse reminds us that we don’t have to be anything we truly don’t wish to be. However, we cannot understand that critical point, that piece of our lives and identities, until we move through the process of birth, growth, decay, death, and rebirth into something more authentic and real. Remember the very Leonine line from Shakespeare: to thine own self be true.
The solar eclipse — with a couple of punches and HIGH STRANGENESS events thrown in for good measure — rekindles enthusiasm, courage, creativity, vitality, direction, purpose… or, as one of my favorite German words says, “HERZENSLUST”: our heart’s desire!
Remember, eclipses are not just black swan events, isolated occurrences, but part of a wider eclipse pattern that can sometimes take 1,200 years to come to fruition. Themes can begin to emerge immediately, sometimes before this date, but will continue unfolding for up to six months afterwards, sometimes linking to the next eclipse. This is because eclipses belong to the larger cycle formed by the lunar nodes of the moon, our karmic north and south nodes, which are now in Aquarius and Leo respectively. These activate a sequence of related, almost fated themes rather than producing one fell swoop event — although that is not out of the realm of possibility if someone’s chart, like our president’s, sits exactly on this eclipse.
This solar eclipse in Leo is the beginning of a new process, and what happens around this week, although it may take time to develop and to grow, is a revelation of the times to come. Anyone who has planets in the wonderful, magnanimous sign of Leo, especially around 20 degrees 2 minutes, which is the exact degree of this new moon and solar eclipse, can experience its influence more personally. Even those with points or planets within 4 to 5 degrees of that exact placement will feel the activation of the planet, its symbolism, and any of the houses it traditionally rules. Therefore, in a more specific way, Leo, Taurus, Aquarius, and Scorpio will feel this intensely, as will the fellow fire signs of Aries and Sagittarius — but all signs of the zodiac will be touched by this. Make no mistake about that.
I will briefly touch on the meaning of the eclipse for all 12 signs of the zodiac.
ARIES — For Aries, the Ram, this eclipse is particularly powerful across your fifth house of creativity, love, romance, and true vocation in life. You’re being asked to return to love, or more practically, to what really excites you, lights you up, and gives you joy. For too long you have been ground down, especially with Saturn on top of you, and this eclipse asks you to reopen the doors to desire, even romance, and certainly career. Take a look at what you’ve abandoned, what has fallen by the side of the road. It may need to be resuscitated, resurrected. And understand that it is okay to shine, for you are the first sign of the zodiac and therefore the pioneer.
TAURUS — Dear solid, earthy, and oh-so-loyal Taurus, the eclipse is extremely personal: those areas you keep to yourself, your deepest and most private domestic sector. It will shine light on the space, the home, that you built around you, and you may need to ask yourself: does it still reflect who you are? Does it still protect you? Does it still support you? You may now see that old family dynamics, emotional habits, outdated paradigms — everything you created in order to create a sustainable, secure, and comfortable life — may no longer feel safe, and worse than that, it no longer makes you feel alive. Don’t allow anything to take up rent-free space in your head. Instead, accept that terrifying thing for you: change. Because remember, not every change is a threat. Some might say that change is stability.
GEMINI — Gemini: clever, versatile, talkative, wonderful sign of duality and the Twins. You need a larger arena, more space. The eclipse may bring new forms of communication — writing, sharing, taking advantage of this revolution in consciousness, and all forms of voice. This is a good time to turn an idea into reality, to make other people recognize and acknowledge your ability to communicate versus just to perform. Remember, you don’t need to entertain everyone all the time. That old saying — if you tell the truth, you don’t have to have a good memory — should suffice. Your creativity through all forms of conversation and connection is your key to success.
CANCER — My unconditional Cancer, the Crab: this eclipse asks you a very personal question. It’s time to reconsider, reevaluate, and maybe reframe just what makes you feel loved, what gives you value. How do the people, places, and things around you make you feel welcome, important, and most importantly, needed? It’s time to release your emotional indispensability to others and to take care of yourself. This is a better time for self-worth than any time in the last 12 years, because now you are able to build something on solid ground, especially involving finances, the practicality of relationships, and your long-term goals. Remember, for how much you give, it is also okay to receive.
LEO — Leo, hail Leo! This is a turning point, a threshold. This is your deal. This eclipse, on the life-giving star of our solar system, the reason for all life on planet Earth, asks you to move up a notch, to step into the real version of yourself, something no longer hidden behind the veil. Now it’s time to release old roles, parameters, expectations, or inauthentic images of you. How you present yourself to the world is critical and deeply impacts the future. Now is the time to claim your piece of the pie without turning it into a dramatic performance. Remember that old saying: a Leo can only acknowledge that you are their equal if at first you acknowledge that they are your superior. Not everyone will see that, but that doesn’t change the reality of it. Make yourself known. And the question here is not whether or not you deserve a bigger slice of the action, but just exactly what are you gonna do with it when you get it.
VIRGO — Hard-working, perfectionist, and also humble Virgo: as much as you like concrete results and tangibility, not everything needs to be seen in order to be real. This eclipse pulls you away from stress, mental noise, the urgent desire to succeed, and the pressure to constantly produce, which wears you out and spreads you thin. Your creativity is heightened now, as it will continue to be through the next two months. It’s time to get ideas in order, to intend rather than to operate, to plan rather than to execute. This is the time to release old tapes and give yourself permission to step back, away from the madding crowd, and not consider it a defeat or an imperfection. This is a time for acknowledgment, but it’s critically important that the next version of you involves a private piece of your life reserved only for you.
LIBRA — My dear, dear approbative Libra: this eclipse asks you to re-imagine — not like a false historical Disney remake, but a true movie of your life. What do you want your future to be? Which people do you wish to include? Friendships, collaborations, and shared projects open up now, and also open new doors for success and happiness. This will also adjust where you’ve been editing, adapting, restricting yourself in order to feel like you belong. This eclipse is not about everyone else’s comfort. It’s about your creativity and the choices you make that celebrate who you are, without needing to organize everyone and everything, and where you’re competing only against yourself. Right action requires right thinking, and then builds the right connections.
SCORPIO — Dear Scorpio, you may need to trade some of your privacy for visibility in those areas where you are asked to, and also ready to, lead. This eclipse across the tenth house of your solar chart is your life path, your career, and your position with regard to people in places of authority. This can bring a shift in ambition, a change of venue, an unexpected glitch in the matrix, but ultimately bring something of much greater value and much simpler to achieve. Now ask yourself: are you wishing to be recognized for what you truly believe, or for the version that others find easier to accept? You must occupy and accept your authority, and yet abandon the control dramas, which are just a source of protection. Success for you means very little if achieving it requires you to chop off too many heads and be subsumed by the role.
SAGITTARIUS — Sagittarius, the wonderful, truth-seeking and dynamic Archer: it’s time. Finally, something new — not borrowed or blue — is calling you. You must be willing to expand something you have been totally restricted from doing for months and months and months. You’re being called to move beyond the limits, the parameters that have been set, even those things that you believe or know. This eclipse will awaken your desire to grow, to travel, to teach, to study, to publish, and to create from vision, that which you possess so much of. You are being asked to forge new business ties, new connections — and the catch is, it all has to be done on faith. Follow your intuition. It’s time to think big, even if it challenges the status quo or other people’s perspectives, those who have not put their faith and their fortune in you. Now is the time for confidence. You may not have all the answers, and even though you may not know exactly where you’re going, you are not lost.
CAPRICORN — Capricorn, the determined Sea-Goat! This eclipse cuts across your eighth house of the zodiac: sex and secrets, those things which lie very deeply buried, other people’s monies, shared resources, big cash, big prizes — not a weekly paycheck. You’re being asked to take a look into the uncomfortable territory of deep, deep feeling, whether it involves intimacy, trust, shared power, shared views, shared goals. It’s time to take a look at where you’ve confused your strength with your stubbornness, your self-sufficiency with your loneliness, and where you may have given people, places, or things access and yet you don’t feel safe. Believe it or not, a romantic, creative, or business bond could deepen, but you are being asked to consider just what you share, what you do, and what you get in return — for that vulnerability is not surrender. It’s simply a choice. Where do you need to soften your stance? This is a powerful door opener for the next six months to two years, I would say. Make hay while the sun shines.
AQUARIUS — Aquarius, my beloved (impersonally so!), pixilated, unorthodox, revolutionary and stubborn Water Bearer! The eclipse is all about relationships. Now you get to see yourself more clearly vis-à-vis others. This is a new beginning or an ending — you make the choice. Whether it’s love, collaboration, the way that you respond to others, your role in relationships, and how those relationships impact, in a positive or negative way, your day-to-day existence: you’re being asked to take a look at that work/love-life balance. You may have removed yourself, become more distant to preserve that sense of freedom, or even given someone so much rope they’re starting to hang themselves. Remember that neither independence nor devotion requires you to self-immolate or disappear. This is a time for a level playing field. Remember that by being yourself, that wonderful, unpredictable, crazy self, you can maintain and permit your relationships to prosper. The choice is yours.
PISCES — Pisces: sweet, dear, winsome and fey, wonderful, watery, unconditional, transcendent Pisces. We saved the last for best. This eclipse asks you to take a look at your routines, your work, your body, self-care, your health. Move away from delusion, move away from victimization, move away from those things which do often lie too deep for tears. You cannot postpone the inevitable. It is a critical juncture at this time to take care of your own priorities. This is not a dramatic invention. This is how you express, this is how you remain present — not always with one foot here and one foot in the hereafter. Take a look at your habits, your daily routines. What really needs some paring down? Remember, you take care of everybody — but is that a way for you to avoid taking care of yourself?
I will write more as the eclipse unfolds, but for now, be safe, and Namaste. Do not forget to ask for a miracle.