Happy 4/20! Across the land, April 20 is the day we celebrate our medicinal ally, the wonderful cannabis flower. From her unmatched ability to lift our minds and spirits, her beautiful leaves and flowers, to her relaxing and pain relieving roots. What’s not to love? Many people around the world celebrate cannabis culture every year on 4/20. But this year, in 2023, there is another reason why April 20th is a significant date: it is the day of a Solar Eclipse.
Solar Eclipses are powerful astrological events that mark times of significant change, transformation, and new beginnings. The April 20th Solar Eclipse will spark up in the fire sign Aries. Aries is associated with the energy and enthusiasm around a new birth or beginning, BUT…
This Eclipse takes place at the END of Aries.
Also interesting, the Sun and Moon will be positioned in a nearly-exact 90-degree square with Pluto in Aquarius, a sign that Aries does not usually square. This rare alignment allows for the new ideas symbolized by Pluto in Aquarius to feed the fire of this Aries process. To bring the healing power of transformation and forgiveness to your oldest and deepest traumas. So you can get back the energy that you’ve wasted spinning your wheels, free up all that life-force energy for more satisfying experiences, and move forward.
This is not to say it’s all airy fairy good news, because squares to Pluto, mythological god of the underworld, are never that simple.
There may be a significant transition or ending in the area of life represented by the house this Eclipse appears in, taking place over the next six months. Think of it as compost that will nourish a new cycle in your life that has yet to fully form and take shape. If you know your chart, look up the house that has 29 Aries, and interpret it here –> Eclipses in the birth chart houses
The April 20th Solar Eclipse will confront us with new ways of thinking about friendship and teamwork. Over the next six months, you may find yourself embracing new possibilities in your social life, community, and society. Therapy, body work, and deep soul searching should reward you with new sources of strength and energy moving forward as we head into another cultural shift– symbolized by Pluto’s upcoming journey through the sign Aquarius.
If you are feeling called to celebrate 4/20 this year, I encourage you to do so in a way that is meaningful to you. Whether you are lighting up a joint, meditating in nature, or simply spending time with loved ones, the Plutonian vibe of the day means that thoughts and conversations are likely to wander to profound subjects like karma, death, trauma, and forgiveness.
Leave resentment in the puff, puff, past
Chew on that idea for a while, forgiveness. Who do you need it from? Who can you offer it to? Aries is ruled by Mars, whose lowest expression is the playground bully. Have you been bullied, whether it’s in overt ways or subtle ways? I’m so sorry. If you’re struggling to forgive, it’s understandable. But consider this– forgiveness isn’t for the other person. Screw them. Forgiveness is for you. It makes space for you– so you can shut the door on that awful chapter. Something I have been working on in therapy using a framework called radical acceptance.
Are you a former bully who has mended their ways? A work in progress? Thank you for doing your best. Offer up your mistakes and missteps for forgiveness with an offering of smoke or fire. Eclipses connect us deeply to the past or future. Forgiveness at the time of an Eclipse has the power to send healing through time and across generations.
Astro-growmies
By the way….. If you grow the magic 420 beans, here’s a tip – the Springtime waxing Moon in Libra is one of my favorite Moons for germinating all flower seeds, especially cannabis. If you need to start sooner, try the Gemini Moon! Air signs are great for flowers. This and more 420 friendly gardening tips in my FREE April 27 Gardening by the Moon class.
Here are some tips for celebrating 420 in a way that is both meaningful and astrologically aligned:
- Light up. Whether you’re lighting up a tea candle, a cozy fireplace video on YouTube, or an outdoor bonfire, or your freshly cleaned bong, fire is a powerful totem that you can use to connect with the energy of this Aries Eclipse and set your intentions. If you can, spend a bit of time with sacred fire. My husband and I sometimes read Tarot on occasions like these.
- Gather your buddies and growmies. Spark up with the people who love and support you on 4/20. This is a time to come together and to celebrate the high times in life and our shared common interests.
- Let go of the past. Make a list of the things that you are ready to let go of and then burn the list. This is a symbolic way of releasing the past and making space for new beginnings.
- Set intentions. Take some time to set intentions for the future around the day of the Eclipse. What do you want to manifest in your life? What changes do you want to make? What needs to clear and exit your life to make room for it? Write down your intentions and then watch their magic unfold as you move through the next six months.
The April 20th Solar Eclipse and its partner, the May 5 Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio, make April and May 2023, and the six months to come, a season of transformation. Use this opportunity to let go of the past, embrace the future, and set intentions for a brighter tomorrow. Have a beautiful 420!!