solar eclipse in Aries & moving into Taurus season - lessons on leading with creativity

Can you feel it?

Today’s New Moon Solar Eclipse in Aries demands we take regenerative moments of rest to sustain our bold and beautiful creative selves for the long haul.

This week I’ve been getting quiet, listening to my body more intentionally and slowing down more. I’ve been connecting to my inner flame & asking what it needs to be the leader and sorceress of my life and creative projects. It feels very relevant to me to make sure I’m taking all the rest I need to counteract the spurts of creativity I’ve been experiencing (a big Aries season lesson for me!).

In this post, I share what I’m feeling energy wise and learning when it comes to this Eclipse, the end of Aries season and the shift into Taurus season (beginning April 20th, the day after the Eclipse) plus, the Mercury Retrograde in Taurus.

Aries Season

What I love about Aries is its ability to support us in embracing new beginnings - it’s the first born and the beginning of the zodiac so it’s pretty familiar with taking inspired action and its confidence in its own intuitive impulses feels so certain. Aries ushers in the seasonal shift that is Spring. Since it is ruled by the planet Mars (associated with how we take action, our vitality and drive), it provides us with an awakening burst of energy. It gives us the light of the sun to warm our winter bones. It fires us up asks us what we desire and encourages us to make it happen IRL.

Being a Fire sign, Aries is bold and gives permission to strike while the iron is hot. It is brave, courageous, independent in nature and very assertive. It is ruled by the 1st House in Astrology - The House of Self which means it also involves how we see ourselves and how others might see us. This is one of the trickier things in Aries. If you have less confidence in yourself or your abilities, you’re inner critic could come out to sabotage your progress. If this sounds like you, is extra important to nurture your inner voice with gentle tones and thoughts. Focus on believing in yourself, your gifts and your creativity. I know I’ve had to give myself some extra tender loving care when it came to my own thoughts this past Aries season so you are not alone!

Aries to Taurus Season Shift

If Aries is the initiator to our creativity, then Taurus is its practical friend. Taurus says, “Okay, so you have this idea, but how are you going to bring it into the world without burning the candle at both ends? What’s your sustainable plan for this?”

Taurus is dependable, reliable, devoted, loyal and patient.

I am a big believer in going with the flow during these seasonal shifts. It’s helpful because sometimes things take time to grow ( a very Taurus season notion). When we act on impulse we might not see the fruits of our labor right away and we have to know that it’s not enough just to plant the seed - we also have to water it and give it light and nutrients to grow big and strong.

Taurus although practical, is a very benevolent sign and I love how it comes in after Aries and asks us what it does in regards to the practicality and birth of our creativity. Taurus wants us to take care of ourselves. As an Earth sign, it wants us to feel the benefits of the growing season. Ruled by the planet Venus (the planet of values, relationships and all things beauty), it wants us to witness the beauty of the creative act. To lavish in the art, the experience that the material world has to offer us and the value of our own creative talents. Everyone is creative.

The Meaning of the New Moon Solar Eclipse

A New Moon is a time to go within. A time to reset, restart and plant the seeds we want to nurture and grow over this next moon cycle. New Moons are a wonderful time for looking at what your needs and desires are and setting intentions for brining them to life.

When a Solar Eclipse happens, the Moon shifts between the Earth and the Sun - it performs its own magic trick, a disappearing act. This means the Sun is no longer visible and dark guides the way. In the darkness we are called to let our intuition guide us from the inside out. We are called to cultivate more trust within and work that muscle that is our inner knowing.

During an Eclipse, I refrain from doing any ritual work since the energy is considered by most astrologers to be very volatile and unpredictable. My previous Eclipse experiences have also been so ridiculously exhausting, so I’m usually too tired to set grounded intentions or do ritual work. Instead, trust what I am experiencing and learning through Eclipse season (Eclipses usually come in portals of pairs) and I let rest be my only ritual.

During an Eclipse and the days leading up to it I like to….

Go to bed early
Sleep in a little if needed
Taking extra breaks, naps, mindful moments or take the day off if I can!
Protect the free hours I have with boundaries, if my day is booked solid
(this means taking time to focus on deep breathing and reseting my nervous system to calm. Try this short and easy breathing practice for down regulation.)
Observe what my inner world is doing and telling me
Listen more carefully to what my body needs
Reflect, journal and notice what comes up mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually
Be mundane, routine and ordinary with my day
(I don’t do anything out of the ordinary because I’m so exhausted ex: launching new things that have a lot of hype)
Focus on grounding throughout the day
Drink lots of water!

My Aries Season & Solar Eclipse Lessons

about Creativity and Intuition

As I move into Taurus season with embodying the leader of my creative life, I know I’m better at receiving my intuition when I feel rested & have safeguards in place to sustainably create & share from places of “want to” vs. “need to”.

I know I’m spectacular at thriving in my own creativity when I trust in showing up when I want to without the whole world needing to witness me blossom and bloom. After all, Wildflowers don’t - why should I? When I do this, I feel like I’m blooming most of the time and living in the beauty of it (a very Taurean thing).

I also know that when I’m engaged in the mindful process of my creativity, the act of receiving from it, the outcome is always so nurturing to my soul. When I am more focused on experiencing the creative act itself vs performing it for others to consume it or like it on social media, I feel more connected to myself, my values and my essence. And that is invaluable to me in a world that pushes us to learn how to thrive in performing for others.

Mercury Retrograde Energy

As we move into a Mercury Retrograde period (April 21 - May 14, 2023 ), I am remembering to slow down even more. To reflect and reconnect with projects that fizzled out to see if my intuition wants to revisit them. To take time to be intentional about the planning process and yet leave room for spontaneity. I am remembering to slow down and double check my work, and where my values are and where I want to put my attention into (Taurus is values based).

Mercury is the planet of communication - it’s known as The Messenger. Often, it’s also known as a trickster of sorts when it comes to communication (think email, text, misunderstandings and things slipping into the void). Just in the Shadow period (before the retrograde happens), we find ourselves experiencing the tricks already. I ended up losing a really important part of an email I was typing to my community earlier this month due to an auto save fluke in Flodesk! It was frustrating because my gut told me to copy and save it into a different place to use on my website, but, because I was barreling through just trying to get the email out, I somehow lost that section and I couldn’t get back what I so beautifully wrote. It was a harsh reminder to slow down and listen.

Tricky, tricky Mercury!

Don’t Fear It

Some people fear these times, but I don’t. I think Mercury Retrogrades and Eclipses are portals to slow down into. To deeply listen to what is happening inside of us, our needs and how to bring more harmony back into our lives. They are times that remind us that there is something bigger than us at play, a cosmic force that we can work with to better understand how to live the life we want. To work with ourselves, be more reflective and break from the grind culture that forces us to become cogs in the wheel of capitalism.

These are just a few of my lessons received from Aries season & the lessons I’ve learned in embodying the creative leader I am in my own life. Below you’ll find some affirmations I crafted for myself to share with others.