New Moon & Solar Eclipse, April 8th 2024

Yesterday a friend remarked that we are a quarter of the way through 2024… there was an intensity, an urgency behind this. But urgency for what? That is the question for this moon cycle.

Eclipse season

The new moon in Aries on Monday kicks off the warmer phase of the year and arrives with a total solar eclipse. 

As seen from the Isles of Britain, the eclipse starts roughly around 7.54pm and finishes an hour later. However, the only places the eclipse will be partially visible is the northern tip of Scotland, the Shetland Isles, Orkney and the Hebrides.

Whilst you may not be able to see the eclipse, the powerful energy can be felt. Wherever you are, plan some stillness around this time so you can really tune in to what’s happening on the Earth. 

Better still, make a journey to sit on a hill high above the land, on the moor, by the sea or within an expanse of woodland. Spend the hour in stillness and meditation, feeling the impact of the eclipse on the Earth and therefore within all of us. 

It is said that the energy of an eclipse lasts 6 months so, at this time, it could be valuable to bring your awareness to what’s going on at the moment, both in your life and the wider world.  

Write a journal of any hopes and fears, plans and aspirations. How could you work with this energy to bring positive change into the world? In 6 months you could read back your notes to see what’s changed. How has the eclipse impacted the world? 

The web-of-life 

We are all connected within the web-of-life, therefore whatever people put energy into becomes absorbed within the collective consciousness. 

Our world is currently dominated by shadow, of greed and corruption, violence and fear. We have a choice whether to add to this shadow or choose a different path. If we focus our energy on fear, for instance, that energy aids the wider energy of fear to grow. If we focus our energy on tolerance and acceptance, those energies grow. 

The one thing you can do to change the problems of the world is to meditate on love and forgiveness, tolerance and acceptance. These are the energies that the web-of-life needs, to push back against the tide of hate.

We are all one being. We share a collective consciousness. Understanding this, at a soul level, helps us to act from a responsible place, rather than from a wounded one. 

We need the peacemakers now. 

Creative action 

We are currently in the time of Aries, the initial spark that creates the fire of life. We have passed the Spring Equinox and the light days are getting longer. The new moon will also be in Aries. This is a time of high spring energy and forward movement. 

Within a capitalist world, people are always working hard. At this time you may feel the need to increase your capacity yet you may also feel tired. Indeed, tiredness seems to be a theme that many people are experiencing at the moment. 

The weather this winter has been intense as we all feel the impact of the extraordinarily wet winter and the taste of climate change to come. Our world is changing and it’s exhausting to ignore it. 

The increasing war, poverty and injustice, species extinction and pollution compound our exhaustion as we feel helpless to change the suffering we feel on the web-of-life.  

The energy of Aries is fire and with it comes the strong energy of the sun which should burn brightly at times this month. This energy will help us just when we need it. As the sun shines, we can feel renewed energy in our bodies and as we unfurl and stretch our bodies from winter slumber, we can feel refreshed and hopeful. 

This new moon solar eclipse is the perfect time to finally decide what you’re going to do with your life to help make the world a better place. Not to intellectualise but to act. What steps are you going to take? 

There are so many people working hard to make the world a better place. Now is the time to find them and join them. Spiritually this is a time of action. Of helping the collective consciousness of our planet.  

You might decide to volunteer at a local wildlife refuge, at a food bank or homeless shelter. You might decide to start a project which benefits people who are struggling, retrain or apply for a new, more ethical job. Now is the time to begin to put all those dreams into action.  

This is the month of manifestation, where the dreams that were created during Pisces can become decisive plans.  

Challenges of Birth 

This month the energy is about both moving forward and pulling back. This is a time of birthing, as the spring energy comes, winter at times pulls us back. This is the month of the famed April showers yet we all feel we have had enough rain. The land is soaked. 

Birth isn’t always a smooth ride and whilst we can feel the changes in the weather and the impact on the land, we can also feel it within ourselves, as we are part of the Earth. 

You may feel a real pressure to achieve what you are striving to birth in your own life, to aim high and develop your dreams. Whilst it’s a good time for this, beneath the surface you may feel tired, uncertain, stressed, restricted, not ready. There is wisdom in slowing down, in reflection and consideration. 

Work with the energy of Aries to revitalise your body and work off the physical lethargy of winter. Finely tune all you have been dreaming and planning and, if it feels right, get it out there. And if it doesn’t, keep planning.  

Aries can offer falsehoods with the energy of positive encouragement that anything is possible.  

If restrictions force you to think again, know that a force that wants to be born in the world will be, though the way may look different to how you envisaged it. Instead of trying to force something to happen, sit back and see whether a different route will get you to the same place. Slow down your plans and evaluate the finer details. Ensure that when you are ready to launch whatever you have been dreaming, you are ready.  

The shadow of Aries is frustration and anger. Like a young child, when you can’t do everything immediately that you want to do, when life and circumstance forces you to wait, it can be explosive. You may be feeling this at the moment and so may others around you.  

Be aware of these energies and be kind - to yourself and others.  

Welcome to Spring 

The best way to deal with the pressure cooker of energy you may feel at this time is to release the valve with physical action. Burn off those calories and become strong in your body. Tend plants, play with children. Really loosen up and prepare yourself for the work ahead.  

When we come to the new moon in Taurus next month, it will be the time to roll up your sleeves and work hard. So do the groundwork this month, prepare your soil well for the new shoots to grow. You have time. It doesn’t all need to happen now.  

The spiritual message of the month is to become aware of the web-of-life, of what you can feel energetically, of being conscious of what you are feeding and being responsible. Now is the time to orientate your path towards the greater good. To choose to be in alignment with the path of peace.  

This path involves being fully aware of your personal shadow, of doing the work to become conscious of all of your actions, conscious of what you choose to invest your time and energy into, of what you watch, of what you support. 

This is spring. This is the surge of new life. The sap rising. The unstoppable desire to create and to do. Be conscious of what you put your energy into. Ride the powerful energy of action this month, of the energy of the fiery dragon. Work with the energy to create powerful magic to charge up the web-of-life with positivity and healing.  

Samara Lewis