Astrology
With March’s Libra Eclipse, Proceed With Caution In Your Social Life
A lunar eclipse survival guide to illuminate your destiny.
Eclipse season begins on March 25 as a penumbral lunar eclipse lights up in Libra. With the dramatic, goggles-required total solar eclipse in Aries on April 8, the stakes are being set for one hell of an archetypal awakening. But what does March’s “worm moon” eclipse spell out for you, and how should you best prepare for it?
Eclipse Basics
A lunar eclipse hits on a full moon, pitting the earth between Sol and Luna. On a penumbral lunar eclipse, the moon only falls into the earth’s shadow, slightly dimming its reflective, refractive light. The moon represents the interior realm, our inner emotional truth. When fully illuminated by the sun, it’s as if our feelings are at a bursting point. But in the earth’s shadow, it’s as if the reactive moon has been shown something. Its mood is tempered. It knows more.
The Aries-Libra Axis
Falling days after the spring equinox and launch of Aries season, this eclipse is known as the “worm moon,” marking the thaw of formerly frozen earth and the daring emergence of new life. The sun is in Aries, the sign of individuality, heroism and activation. The moon, meanwhile, is in Libra, the Cher Horowitz of the zodiac, a keen observer of social custom and strategy. Without Libra, Aries would inspire us to act alone, unaware of our impact on others. Without Aries, Libra would lock us in an endless game like side characters in a Jane Austen book, lacking the originality or willpower to break free.
From July 18, 2023 through Jan. 11, 2025, the north node and point of karmic direction is in Aries, while the south node and the point of karmic release is in Libra. The eclipses go down on the nodes, which act as checkpoints on our long road to collective evolution. Come April 8, a total solar eclipse will bring the sun and moon together in perfect alignment with the north node. As the world goes momentarily dark, we will see the peak and shadow of Aries’ liberatory spirit. Revolutionary and combustive forces catalyze as April’s eclipse forces us to reckon with their complexity. Out of rebellion, corruption; out of individuality, compromise; out of creation, destruction.
Consider the last time the nodes had this set-up in these signs: December 2004 through June 2006. Here we saw the debut of The Devil Wears Prada, in which Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs is thrown in the sink-or-swim world of fashion media. On Weeds, housewife Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) negotiated dual lives in stucco suburbia and dealer demimonde. Aries legend Mariah Carey staged a definitive comeback with The Emancipation of Mimi, proving that she could adapt to the sounds and styles of a new decade.
Similarly, you are called to observe the system you’re in, from school to industry to country. What are the rules? If you entered the game, how could you succeed, and to whom could you be of benefit? Consider where you want to arrive, and fight the urge to go it alone. What would collaboration look like?
The Lunar Eclipse In Libra
March’s eclipse in Libra is a setting of the table and an understanding of the bigger game at play. Libra is indeed the sign of fairness; it wants us to consider everyone, and to understand, in the words of Bene Gesserit head honcho Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling), that there are no sides.
Libra’s awareness of the world around us and its shifting tides brings perspective, helping us choose our place in a larger ecosystem. That this is a spring of volatile, thrilling currents cannot be denied, nor would it be useful to curb your creative drives. The “worm moon” should mark new ideas and celebrations. But with April’s total eclipse comes a threat of moral superiority and failing to consider complexity. You don’t want to rush into battle or out-yell others to prove something about yourself. You need to play smart.
Eclipses are not times for manifesting or magic. It’s better to observe what comes through the gate. Like Andy stepping into the Runway closet or Carey meeting her new collaborators, you are about to have your eyes opened. This is a chance to think big, consider the stakes, and ready yourself for the jump.
