Hopefully, you’ve recovered from the initial shake-ups of last week’s Mercury retrograde because this week marks yet another powerful celestial alignment: a total solar eclipse. Fifteen states across the U.S. will experience totality on Monday, April 8, but the astrological effects of this solar alignment will affect us all, regardless of whether we’re in the eclipse’s direct path.
The Sun represents our life’s force and overarching purpose. When the Moon eclipses the Sun, this indicates a period of intense change and transformation. Like last week’s Mercurial retrograde, the solar eclipse occurs under Aries in the 7th House of Relationships. Thus, we can expect these changes to affect us in an intense, personal way.Â
How will your sign fare through this celestially historic week?
Choose Your Sign
Be wary of allowing your ability to fight for what you want to overshadow your ability to compromise. Letdowns and annoyances are some of life’s many inevitabilities, but your reaction to them is not. As tempting as it might be to lash out at what you perceive to be a lack of control, doing so only serves to rid you of the little control you do have: your reaction.
Learning how to face our emotions before we react to them is an ongoing process. Prepare to have days where you feel like you’ve moved backward. That will make the days where the opposite is true all the more satisfying. The more you practice, the better you will be, and, in turn, your emotional fortitude will become.
Contrary to what your ego might be telling you, there is always more than one way of going about something—whether it’s a relationship, new job, or other personal goal. Don’t underestimate the ability of others to teach you something you might not have considered otherwise. No one is wise enough to turn their nose up at a shift in perspective.
You certainly don’t need to adopt these new mindsets forever. In fact, sometimes, entertaining someone else’s approach only reinforces your preference for your own. Whether you identify an issue or not, taking a moment for self-reflection is always beneficial. Refusing to do so might indicate a deeper problem lurking beneath the surface you’re not ready to face.
When our outward environments shift beneath us, our gut reaction is often to make an assessment of our new surroundings immediately. But with so little experience and information to go off of, this process can quickly become confusing, frustrating, and disheartening. The stars encourage you to take things slow this week, Gemini. You don’t need to rush into any decisions.
Slowing down and considering one’s response to change is valuable for two reasons. First, it can help quiet insecurities and anxieties that lead us to resist these transformations out of fear. Two, it can help us avoid painting ourselves into a corner by consenting to a new situation we usually wouldn’t be comfortable with in less time-sensitive circumstances.
When emotions and communication go haywire, sometimes the most productive thing we can do is hold on. Your ruling body, the Moon, is involved in some major celestial alignments this week. From a total solar eclipse on Monday to a conjunction with Mercury retrograde the next day, be prepared for the things and people around you to catch you off guard.
Most importantly, roll with the punches as best you can. Preparing for the unexpected doesn’t require a plan for every possible scenario. Working on maintaining a flexible mindset can be enough. Before you take things personally, try taking a step back to look at the bigger, objective picture. Things might be shaky right now, but they won’t be this way forever.
During significant change, we tend to romanticize what’s familiar in our lives because the alternative is too intimidating to face. But be careful, Leo. In these instances, all that glitters is rarely gold. A lack of trepidation during this transformation isn’t always a good sign. On the contrary, it can mean you’re allowing yourself to stagnate from within your comfort zone.
Try leaning into the butterflies this week. Do something that scares—or, perhaps more appropriately, exhilarates—you. Throwing yourself to the lions, so to speak, is a valuable exercise for someone who’s typically used to feeling confident and self-assured. Your future self will appreciate the thicker skin this difficult exercise will give you.
Consider your current situation like a plastic water bottle filled to the brim. Squeeze the bottle too tight, water spills out. Hold the bottle firmly enough to grip but loosely enough not to squeeze, and the water stays put. Now, apply this to the conflict you’re facing right now. Like it or not, you can’t approach this situation with a forceful hand. You’ll have to ease into it, Virgo.
Stifling your emotions is a difficult task. So, be sure to go easy on yourself as you experience the hardships that come with the challenge. It likely won’t feel good at first, nor will you see the benefits immediately. But have faith in what’s to come. It’s better than you can imagine.
When it comes to improving one’s internal or external circumstances, you can’t have your cake and eat it too, Libra. Evolution requires growth. Sometimes, growth is uncomfortable. Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut around this discomfort. You’ll either have to learn to live with it or risk being left further behind as the universe trudges on.
Consider this reality a blessing, not a curse. The cosmos are essentially solving your propensity for indecision for you. Can’t figure out which way to go? That’s fine; let the universe navigate. Start looking for the signs that you’re so desperately seeking. Even if they’re not reading what you thought they might, the important thing is that they’re there.
As tempting as it might be to run away from these feelings of self-doubt, you’ll accomplish more by sticking around and facing them head-on. Yes, acknowledging our downfalls can be a terrifying process. But how is knowingly ignoring them so they can fester and worsen on their own any better? The universe is presenting you with an invaluable learning opportunity.
You’d be wise to take it, Scorpio. Consider what about this situation is giving you so much pause. What revelations can you glean about your outside environment? What about your internal state? The temporary discomfort you’ll feel in this self-reflection pales in comparison to its benefits of self-awareness, self-improvement, and inner peace.
Your aspirational attitude is admirable. However, this hastiness to move ahead can lead to careless mistakes if you don’t wield this attitude wisely. Change is in the air, and it won’t take much for your creative sparks to start flying. But be sure to keep an eye on the embers so they don’t turn into a raging wildfire out of your control.
This is as important for yourself as it is for others. Just because someone is willing to support you in your endeavors doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll do so at your pace. Communicating your expectations upfront can help both of you decide whether this is a satisfactory partnership. Don’t assume other people can anticipate your wants and wishes, Sag.
Amidst the busy hum-drum of everyday life, we often lose sight of the bigger picture ahead of us. Thus, it can be helpful to periodically take a step back and objectively assess your progress thus far. Instead of focusing on how much road you have left to navigate, turn around and take in the distance you’ve already crossed. All of this hard work is starting to add up, Cap.
Now’s not the time to let your weariness get the best of you. Lean on others along the way if you must, but don’t be surprised when the time comes to be pushed back onto your own two feet. You’ve come this far. It would stand to reason it’s well within your power to get a little further.
A solar eclipse like the one occurring this week only strengthens your usual desire to experiment and evolve. Luckily, this eclipse lines up fortuitously with your sign in the 5th House of Energy. Creativity and inspiration abound from every direction this week, Aquarius. Transform your mind, heart, and spirit into sponges, and soak up all you can.
Try not to zero in on any one revelation. Moreover, don’t be alarmed when some of the information you take in is somewhat — or perhaps incredibly — negative. These arduous experiences play a pivotal role in transformation, just like positive ones do. There will be time for information processing later. For now, the name of the game is absorption.
When life hands you lemons, you can either suffer through the sourness or add a bit of water and sugar to make lemonade. In this scenario, life’s hardships are the lemons. The water is your willingness to accept the situation as part of your healing process. And finally, the sugar is the personal growth we allow ourselves to take from the overall experience.
Life is nothing if not a series of peaks and valleys. You’ve experienced both before, and you’ll experience both again. Allow this to serve as some small solace as you endure this tribulation. Eventually, the moment and its corresponding emotions will pass without you realizing it was on its way out. All that’s left will be a stronger, wiser, more assured version of yourself.