On April 20, 2023 we have the first eclipse of the year: a total solar eclipse, with the Sun and Moon at exactly 29° of the one and only Cardinal Fire sign—Aries. This Aries Solar Eclipse is the freshest Fresh Start of 2023, marking the beginning of a new six-month cycle that forces us to focus on what we want and put our personal goals above all other responsibilities (for once).
Ruled by Jupiter, planet of luck and abundance (also in Aries until May 16), this eclipse is nothing short of EXTRA: spicy, invigorating, idealistic, romantic, optimistic, restless and impulsive, with Pluto in Aquarius supercharging the Sun and Moon in the last degree of Aries inspiring us to transform our lives and go for what we want—no matter what the cost.
As the infant of the Zodiac, Aries has a reputation for being selfish; but, when you think about selfishness objectively, where would any of us be without it? If you put everyone else’s needs before your own, how can you (realistically) accomplish?
By asking ourselves these questions, we’re pushed to identify areas of life where we may’ve been short changing our personal needs to meet the demands of others, from overworking ourselves to catering to the needs of family, mates and dates alike.
Aries are a lot of things, but they’re not big fans of “gray areas” in life: things either are or they aren’t—with Aries, there is no in-between. Neither does Aries care for games where “everyone wins.” In fact, they tend to find such games offensive.
For Aries there are only two kinds of people: Winners and Losers. And never would an Aries allow themselves to be categorized as the latter. So, given the urgency we feel with this eclipse to get off the proverbial hamster wheel and follow our bliss (or whatever), it’d be good to ask ourselves how we define, well, winning.
Yes, with the fiery Sun and Moon in Aries at an ambitious angle to Pluto in Aquarius, we want nothing less than to bring our visions for the future to the fruitiest fruition. But let’s get real: Rome wasn’t built in a day (or so they say). Mercury in Taurus reminds us of this, as it turns retrograde just a day later, on April 21, where it’ll remain stubbornly moving backwards until May 14.
This is the conundrum of this eclipse: on the one hand, there’s simply no room for self-doubt or hesitation if you want to capitalize on this rare opportunity to take control and exert your independence; yet Mercury’s retrograde in Taurus challenges us to be practical and confront our restless impulses without burying them or taking immediate action. Not easy, but this is the challenge now, as sudden changes of heart are more than likely.
Plus, with both Mercury and Uranus aligning in stubborn Taurus, it’d be wise to brace yourself for some less-than-pleasant surprises (read: roadblocks) on the horizon that force you to put your pursuit of personal happiness (temporarily) on hold.
With this in mind, Taurus has a tendency to bottle their emotions, and with Mercury’s alignment with Uranus at this eclipse, we’re more prone than usual to explode. So forgive yourself (and others) if indeed you should encounter some, ahem, interpersonal hostility.
So, despite the setbacks and snafus of Mercury retrograde in Taurus, though, this eclipse demands that we move forward—just don’t make any life-altering decisions until after May 14. Otherwise you might find yourself further from the Winner’s Circle than you might like.
Sun, Moon, Jupiter in Aries: Winning Time
The perfect allegory for this Aries eclipse is the 1999 film Election, starring Reese Witherspoon, Matthew Broderick—each of whom depicts a different Aries Sun “type” (fun fact: both are Aries Suns in real life).
Reese, naturally, plays the quintessential Aries Go-Getter, ramming her way through all obstacles, ingratiating herself to those she sees as authority figures, all while running every club and extracurricular activity in the process—all while flying solo, eschewing any bids for popularity from her peers (what use is that?).
In many ways, Tracy Flick exists in spite of herself: caring not a lick for being “popular,” yet singularly driven for attention; ignoring the wants and needs of those around her yet at the same time depending on their recognition. She has no use for fitting in, but nonetheless remains steadfastly determined to win. (And, of course, she does).
Nevertheless, it’s clear from the get-go that it’s Tracy’s determined mindset that sets her up to win, trained by her encouraging-yet-overbearing Mother to insulate herself from potential feelings of defeat. At the beginning of the movie, for instance, her relationship with her high school English teacher takes an unsettlingly sexual turn; yet somehow Tracy is able to rationalize it as nothing more than a casual fling, putting little to no emotional energy into what for most would be cripplingly if not deeply traumatic.
Matthew Broderick’s character, Mr. M, represents the shadow side of Aries, and his character is a fascinating foil to the enthusiastic yet cutthroat Tracy Flick. At the outset of the film, Mr. M clearly thinks of himself as something of a small-scale Winner, describing himself as the school’s most esteemed History teacher, priding himself on his satisfaction with his career, home life and solid relationship with his wife. Even from his first monologue, though, you can tell he’s heading for disaster. Why? Because he’s lying to himself.
Ironically, as the film continues, it’s Tracy’s drive that provokes him to question the truth of his self-proclaimed satisfaction with his humdrum existence. Unable to handle watching Tracy succeed, he slowly begins to unravel as he realizes just how much of his existence involves sacrificing the fulfillment of his own dreams and desires, which he’s clearly become totally out of touch with.
Yet as he fumbles to initiate an affair with his wife’s best friend, losing his wife and house in the process, he ultimately continues not to look at himself but to blame Tracy for his demise.
But it’s not her: it’s him. Not attracted to his wife, frustrated and bored by his groundhog day-esque existence, it quickly becomes clear that underneath his squeaky clean surface, he’s really just a ticking time bomb, totally out of touch with who he is and what he needs. And, when he finally does realize it, finds himself so far from happiness that he (again, inevitably) self-destructs.
Solar Eclipse in Aries: The Art of Being Selfish
Where have you been too selfish? Where are you giving too much/not being selfish enough? I ask so bluntly because though Aries are singular in their ability to compartmentalize, self-awareness isn’t an Aries strong point. So, stopping to pause and consider these questions honestly is key, at least if you want to channel the restlessness of this New Beginning wisely.
Otherwise we risk ending up like Tracy Flick—riding roughshod over others at the expense of doing/getting what we want for ourselves.
On the other hand, if we convince ourselves our lives are perfect, we risk becoming Mr. M—inadvertently acting purely on impulse, tearing toward self-destruction once we’ve realized the extent to which we’ve put aside pursuing our personal goals in lieu of keeping the peace.
The point is that, whether you put yourself and your personal goals first by default (Tracy Flick) or refuse to acknowledge the ways you’ve been denying yourself until you inevitably implode (Mr. M), both extremes of Aries ultimately leave you in one place—alone.
Per Astrologer Bernadette Brady, this eclipse series (May 5th Lunar Eclipse included) is: “not subtle, and can catch people off guard and confront them with their own very deep passion(s), which may have been hidden for many years.” This couldn’t be more true for the solar eclipse in Aries, with Pluto in Aquarius awakening our hidden desires and the Sun, Moon and Jupiter in Aries forcing us to confront them.
So, as long as we do this without exploding (or expecting our destiny to manifest instantaneously, without obstacles along the way), we can expect a cycle where we’re (finally) able to put ourselves first over the next several months. And for most of us? It’s about time we invest in ourselves, plant our own seeds, and be a little selfish for a bit—even if this means putting the needs of others aside.