How I'm Navigating the Aries Solar Eclipse
Igniting change, having faith, and this week's astrology
This week’s most notable astrology:
April 8 - Aries Solar Eclipse, Chiron Cazimi
April 10 - Mars conjoins Saturn in Pisces, 14 degrees
April 12 - Mercury Cazimi in Aries
I’m supposed to be writing; every morning, I’m supposed to write. That is the agreement I made with myself: I write and write until I am published. I am not published (not yet, and not in the way that I wish to be: book on the shelves of Barnes & Noble, NYT best seller, interviews on the Today show, etc.), so I’ve found it harder and harder to write. This is mostly due to the constant stream of rejections I’ve received since I started pitching my novel to literary agents. They’ve knocked my confidence down too many pegs to count. (It doesn’t help that my income is dwindling and I can’t find a job to save my ass—but that’s another story for another time.) I used to have the utmost conviction about my creative writing / novel writing time, I used to make time for it no matter what—often placing more importance on it than anything else. However, over the past year, that conviction has nosedived. My commitment to my writing practice has tanked. I’ve reneged on the agreement I made with myself.
Believing in my creative practice—my ideas, my story, my writing, and the time I spend on it—has been an insurmountable challenge. Especially over the past year. It’s not just the agent rejections, it’s also the demanding life stuff: starting my own business, creating content for that business, worrying about when I’m going to get my next sale, looking for an additional job because I’m not making enough money, caring for my dogs, spending time with my boyfriend, visiting my family…etc. Back when I was more disciplined about my writing practice, there were fewer worries, (somewhat) less stress, and fewer people who needed my free time & attention. That’s not the case anymore.
Cue the Aries Solar Eclipse. This solar eclipse in Aries is a once-every-100-year celestial spectacle; it’s a momentary cataclysm and stunning visual: The sun is going to look like it’s being swallowed by the moon! We’re going to be drenched in darkness for a spell, temporarily cast in shadows! OOh! Ahh! It’s amazing, exciting, and…scary as hell. Because here’s the thing: In astrology, eclipses are harbingers of change, endings, and new beginnings. And as you know, neither change, endings or new beginnings are painless.
Conjoining Chiron, the wounded healer asteroid, and the North Node in Aries, this solar eclipse is all about facing your fears, tending to your wounds, and the initiation of bold new beginnings. For me, the solar eclipse is activating my 9th House of travel, higher education, and search for meaning. This house, like the other interpersonal houses (7-12) rules a variety of broad (vague) things. Spirituality, religion, philosophy, and your belief system, as well as higher education, the law, and your higher ideals, all fall under the 9th house’s rulership—so too does publishing.(1)
It’s a sad realization for me: knowing that I’ve given up creative writing, given up on the one thing I was so deeply, unyieldingly committed to, knowing that my priorities have changed without me really wanting them to. Life and all its crazy demands has usurped my creative attention. Which is what happens as we move through life, yes. But I can’t but feel like I’ve allowed this to happen more than I should have. I’ve noticed this recently: I cross off nearly everything on my to-do list: TikTok, Email, Website work, Workshop, Social media, Chart Reading, Workout, Apply for Jobs…All of those little to-dos get a heavy line through them. They get worked on, attended to, achieved.
But the novel stuff? The “Ben Scenes” or “JR edits” — the tiny creative writing tasks I jot down as a way to sneak in some novel-writing time—they remain un-crossed. They go unchecked. They stare back at me from the pages of my planner like an owl, watching, waiting, hooting at me.(2) But I just stare back at them, simultaneously aware of my latent desire to work on these scenes, but even more aware of my avoidance because they are a reminder of my reluctance to dive back into a project that feels like an exercise in futility. The pain of rejection and the fear of failure loom large, discouraging me from investing further time in a story that's met with resistance at every turn.
Yet, amidst this personal struggle, the wisdom of today’s Chiron cazimi resonates deeply. This celestial healer, often overlooked in discussions, implores us to embrace our wounds not as sources of shame, but as catalysts for growth and connection. The wisdom you gain from this asteroid, both its transits and its placement in your chart, comes to you when you are willing to do the healing work. This solar eclipse / Chiron cazimi is thus a call to action: to confront our fears head-on, to reclaim our creative spirit, and to share our experiences with others. For me, this entails revisiting my passion for writing and rediscovering the courage to face rejection and failure with resilience. It means talking about my failures. It means getting up and trying again.
This is also the deeper message of the Aries solar eclipse. As the Sun, Mercury Retrograde, Venus, Chiron, and the North Node converge in bold and adventurous Aries, the universe beckons us to embrace courage in the face of adversity. Aries has faith. Aries implores us to have courage and confidence in our desires, to fiercely cross the threshold and start over, even if we’re afraid, even if we have wounds and battle scars. With all these planets and points positioned in in Aries, the call to action is clear: have faith, be bold, and seize opportunities with gusto. Despite bruised egos and lingering doubts, we can rise from the ashes and begin anew. This solar eclipse is a reminder that true bravery lies in acknowledging our wounds and forging ahead despite the pain.
We’re all dealing with different wounds, different struggles, and different broken dreams. We’re all at different stages in our pursuits, so where this Aries solar eclipse is pointing to a pain spot, initiating a bold new beginning, and stirring up dramatic themes for YOU depends on where the eclipse is occurring in your chart. For me, the eclipse falls in the 9th House—the realm of lofty aspirations and lingering doubts—and it’s presenting me with the opportunity to reignite my faith, to realign with my purpose, and to pursue creative endeavors with renewed vigor. For you—even if the solar eclipse is in your 9th House—it’s probably different. (Maybe, if you’re a fiction writer like me, it’s similar.) Nevertheless, the message and the power of this eclipse remains the same: face your fears. Embrace change. Get up and try again.
Please feel free to comment about your experience with today’s solar eclipse, or—if you’re feeling brave / comfortable enough—share what current pain is coming up for you. Comments are usually reserved for paid subscribers, but I’m opening them up today.
— Camille
(1) Overall, the 9th House symbolizes the expansion of horizons through intellectual exploration and cultural exchange. Publishing serves as a vehicle for this expansion, as it enables individuals to share their experiences, knowledge, and ideas with a broader audience, transcending geographical and cultural boundaries. Whether through books, magazines, academic journals, or digital platforms, publishing fosters the dissemination of information and the enrichment of collective understanding, making it closely associated with the themes of the 9th House.
(2) Please don’t think I'm too self-involved by talking about my pain surrounding publishing! I’m acutely aware of the pain, suffering, and grief existing in this world due to the ongoing wars, the political division, the instability of our economy, and the gun violence / hate tearing us all apart. These affect me, as much as they affect you, and are collective wounds we need to tend to today and others. However, this post is not about that; I simply wished to share my personal experience / interpretation of the Aries Solar Eclipse.
+Don’t know what new beginning this Solar Eclipse is bringing YOU? Check out my eclipse Season Survival Guide & Eclipse Season Birth Chart Reading. These two resources provide an in-depth look at what these lunar cataclysms are doing in YOUR life & chart, with tips for working with their energy.
+Become a member of The Cosmic Collective, and get 40% off chart readings plus the Eclipse Season Guide FREE. Every month, get bespoke digital resources to help you learn astrology and use it as a tool for transformation.