The Season of Eclipse
April 20 – May 5, 2023.
By Dikki-Jo Mullen, Astrologer
“The times they are a change’in.” Daily there are so many shifts and transformations in the world around us. It’s almost overwhelming to even list them. Pluto, the planet of rebirth and renewal is presiding over it all, as it crosses the cusp into Aquarius for a transit of twenty years, until 2044. The eclipses of spring, 2023 punctuate this chaotic cycle. On April 20 at 12:18 am EDT there will be a hybrid solar eclipse at the New Moon at 29 degrees Aries 50 minutes. This is exactly on the cusp of Aries -Taurus. Hybrid eclipse varies from nearly total to partial alignment of the Sun, Moon and Earth. The lunar eclipse at the full Moon will be on May 5, 2023 at 1:34 pm EDT at 14 degrees Scorpio 58 minutes. It’s an appulse, a type of partial eclipse. The Moon’s Nodes mark the eclipse seasons. North Node eclipses are thought to be more favorable than those at the South Node. Eclipses have been compared to firecrackers. They bring sudden and surprising upsets in the status quo. Eclipses are unpredictable, always delivering what is least expected. Flexibility and being observant are the ways to cope during an eclipse season. Also eclipses tend to be a time to release the old to make way for the new.
The North Node April 20 eclipse has the Sabian Symbol reading “A duck pond with its brood” . This affects family life, and home living environments. It might also highlight the current abortion controversy. Two fixed stars are in orb of a conjunction with the April 20 eclipse. Alrisha and Mirach. Alrisha has a tie with the sea, the destiny of kings and the masses, that is large numbers of people. Mirach has a Venusian nature and generates kindness and forgiveness. People of renown and celebrity come to the forefront and there is an enhanced devotion to the arts and beauty. In Degrees of the Zodiac symbolized the degree of the eclipse is symbolized by “A man wheeling a barrow load of earth over a hollow run (pathway)”. It’s a hard degree. There is much work to do before rest and reward bring relief. Poverty verses wealth factors in.
The South Node May 5 eclipse has the Sabian Symbol of “Children playing in five mounds of sand.” The meaning suggests games, subterfuge and immaturity. This eclipse is also conjunct the fixed star Zubenelgenubi. At the south claw of the Scorpion, this star has a Mars-Saturn nature. Its energy can be bold, active and demanding. It can also affect financial stability. It is interesting to note that the coronation of England’s King Charles III is scheduled for May 6, 2013, within the influential sphere of the second eclipse in Scorpio. The King’s birth (Sun) sign is Scorpio. In Degrees of the Zodiac Symbolized the degree symbol for this eclipse is “A round temple with a pointed roof”. A place for ritual observances and site of mystery is the meaning.
Eclipses almost always come in groups of two. They always coincide with either a New and Full Moon too. They are about two weeks apart. The two week interval between eclipses has been called an eclipse season. This two week span is unsettling, a time of growth and changes. It is wise to wait and let the universe make the first move. See which way events are unfolding before initiating personal changes. Mercury will be retrograde in Taurus over lapping this eclipse season. The retrograde spans April 21 – May 14/15, 2023.
May Day, or Beltane, falls during the eclipse season. Sacred fires, linked to a fire deity, Bel, are often lit to welcome in the greater light, the summer season. Experience fires, candles and incense to brighten the night on April 30/May 1.
While preparing this feature I kept hearing the song by Donovan “The Season of the Witch”. The lyrics are dark, rich in mystical inferences and with a paranormal twist. “It must be the Season of the Witch. Pick up every stitch.” I thought of May Day and the stitchwort, a seasonal plant. Delicate with white star like blossoms similar to the daisy, stitchwort is often used in traditional Beltane or May Day decorations. The spring, 2023 Eclipse Season coincides with the May Day or Beltane holiday and Walpurgis Nacht. These traditional festivals honor the spring with music and merriment. Think of May baskets and the Maypole dance. Beltane is a part of the wheel of the Year, one of eight festivals celebrated since ancient times. Folk magic traditions punctuate his time. Some simple ways to attune with the energy are to sit on the ground and place both palms facing down on the Earth. Going out before dawn on May 1 to gather dew to touch the eyes and face is thought to bring the ability to see the wee folk, the fae ones and also to have enhanced beauty and charisma. Touch the sacred May Day dew to chakra points, the feet, etc. for a unique blessing. In Germany witches are thought to travel to the Harz Mountains for revelry on the Brocken, a famous mountain, on Walpurgis Nacht, St. Walpurga’s Night. This is part of the May Day celebrations, observed on or about April 30.
Dikki-Jo Mullen
Astrologer and Parapsychologist https://dikkijomullen.wordpress.com
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