It’s almost that time again, my least favourite time of the year: eclipse season! Readers of this blog will know I’ve written and talked about how much I dislike eclipses a few times in the past. Eclipses are life-draining, malefic events. But they also happen twice a year so they are something we must deal with as a matter of course. So, let’s take a look at the astrology of the 2023 eclipses.
Here are the details:
| Date | Type | Zodiac Degree | Location of Visibility |
| April 20, 2023 | Solar (hybrid) | 29°50’ Aries | Australia, Indonesia, Phillippines, Papua New Guinea and southeast Asia. |
| May 5, 2023 | Lunar (penumbral) | 14°58’ Scorpio | Most of Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. |
| October 14, 2023 | Solar (annular) | 21°07’ Libra | US, Mexico, Canada, Central America, Brazil and most of South America. |
| October 28, 2023 | Lunar (partial) | 5°09’ Taurus | Most of Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. |
The effect an eclipse has on an individual will depend on where that eclipse falls in their natal chart. The effects will be stronger if the eclipse hits a planet or an angle in the chart, particularly the Ascendant. It will also be stronger if it occurs in a profected house that year, and/or involves the annual profected time lord. Eclipses are also more impactful if they are visible in your location.
2023’s spring eclipses occur in Mars’ signs, so this will mark a martial period of time. The eclipses in the fall are in Venus’ signs, so expect more Venusian issues to arise. The lunar eclipse at 5 Taurus on October 28 also marks the last eclipse in the Taurus-Scorpio cycle, so watch for a conclusion of matters that were dredged up since early 2022 when that eclipse cycle started.
Here’s a refresher for what was going on in the world that were heavily linked to the Taurus-Scorpio eclipses in 2022. Some/all of these events may be concluded by the end of 2023:
- The US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade abortion legislation
- Russia invaded Ukraine
- Covid restrictions were lifted in most places that still had mandates/rules in place
- Inflation reaches record highs
- The FTX crypto exchange collapses and founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) is arrested
For reference, here’s how 2023’s eclipses land in Canada’s natal chart:
The chart I use for Canada is Aries rising, which means that the shift into the Aries-Libra axis means that eclipses are going to have more impact on Canadian events. The solar eclipse on October 14 is five degrees from Canada’s Descendant, which could mean a lot of events focused around the US, Canada’s main trading partner, and issues/events related to Canada’s foreign affairs.
The lunar eclipse on May 5 is only three degrees away from Canada’s Saturn in Scorpio, and therefore in very close opposition to Canada’s natal Pluto in Taurus. I view the Saturn-Pluto opposition in Canada’s natal chart as a signification of oil pipelines (among other things), so perhaps there will be some news involving Canadian oil/pipelines and/or other energy resources. It could also be a development in Canada’s finances and financial systems, as the second/eighth house axis primarily concerns money and banking.
The spring eclipses could also bring in issues related to Canada’s healthcare and military due to being ruled by Mars, which is in Canada’s sixth house. The fall eclipses could bring in events and issues around Canada’s telecommunications and other information network systems. Bill C-11 comes to mind for that, as well as the recent merger of Shaw with Rogers.
Here’s how the 2023 eclipses land in the US Sibly chart:
There are fewer closer connections to this chart. The shift to the Aries-Libra axis moves into the US’s fifth and eleventh houses, which will ping the natal Saturn.
The eclipses, particularly the ones in the spring, may well involve the US’s foreign affairs and possibly its open enemies, as that’s where Mars is located in the Sibly chart. The fall eclipses may bring in matters related to the US’s debt and other financial issues, particularly those involving other nations.
As a Canadian I’m less familiar overall with US politics so I will refrain from commenting any further. If any of my readers want to make comments, please do below!
April 20, 2023 – Solar Eclipse at 29 Aries
The solar eclipse on April 20 is visible over Australia and the South Pacific. On a geopolitical level, this is not good for the situation with China, Taiwan and the US. This eclipse occurs in Aries, which is ruled by Mars; at this time Mars is in the watery sign of Cancer. Mars is uncomfortable, passive aggressive and sullen in Cancer so my hope is that this eclipse will result in some sabre-rattling but not open conflict.
Jupiter is close to the degree of the eclipse, so I’m also hoping that he will have some tempering effect on this lunation.
That solar eclipse also marks the start of a new eclipse cycle, as the Nodes shift from the Taurus-Scorpio axis into the Aries-Libra axis. (The Nodes move backwards, in reverse zodiacal order.) The exact date of the Nodal shift occurs on July 12, 2023, but eclipses can occur when the Moon and Sun are within 17 degrees of the Nodes, which is why they can occur in adjacent signs from where the Nodes currently reside.
Given the location of this eclipse, I’m expecting some major developments related to the China-Taiwan situation. The US has many military bases throughout the south Pacific, which might factor into some of the events. Australia may also take the world stage with some major new development – more on that below.
May 5, 2023 – Lunar Eclipse at 14 Scorpio
The lunar eclipse on May 5 is visible across Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and all the parts of the ocean in between those places. This eclipse is at 14 Scorpio, so it’s also a Mars-ruled eclipse. This could be a continuation of war narrative items, especially those concerning Russia and Ukraine, China and the US. The solar eclipse in April seems more concentrated on the situation with China, while the lunar eclipse in May is focused on the situation in Europe.
However, this eclipse is penumbral, meaning the Moon will not be completely shadowed at any point during the eclipse. So, this is a more subtle eclipse than a total eclipse, and therefore I’m hoping that has some mitigating effect.
As well, Mars being in Cancer for both eclipses this season really dampens his power, so these eclipses may have more of an underworld/underground quality as opposed to overt actions. This is especially true of this lunar eclipse in Scorpio, because Scorpio is all about covert ops, secrets and hidden things.
That said, this eclipse occurs with the Sun between Uranus and Mercury, bringing in some potential events or issues with disruptive communications. Watch for some spicy hot takes.
Australia is heavily impacted by both eclipses, so there may be further developments as Australia moves into the winter season. There have been some Covid developments recently (like the naming of the new variant Arcturus, which is very interesting from an astrological lens and I will write about that soon). Given what Australia did over the pandemic, I’m a little nervous what this might mean for the folks living Down Under.
October 14, 2023 – Solar Eclipse at 21 Libra
Mercury in Libra is close to the degree of this eclipse, and is in mutual reception with Venus, who rules this eclipse. There could be some talk and bluster, but this is actually quite a positive signature that could lead to some talk with actual progress and results. Mars is in Scorpio, which relates back to the May 5th eclipse in Scorpio, and brings up Mars’ black ops, hidden assassin side.
This eclipse is visible over most of north and south America, and the path of (almost) totality goes over the southern US, Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Central America, Colombia and Brazil. I’m expecting more news related to these places, particularly related to the Scorpionic events that happened in 2022.
Perhaps the US will revisit the abortion rights debate, or extend that type of dialogue to the current discussions around transgender issues. I also expect the conclusion of the FTX crypto story, probably with Sam Bankman-Fried being sentenced to prison. I had previously written that I was expecting a development in this story around the spring 2023 eclipses, however SBF’s trial was extended to October 2023 so this will likely happen then. There may be other crypto-related news as well.
Though I don’t know what form it will take at this point, I expect Brazil and Central America to be important places in the news cycle around this time, too. Perhaps related to Brazil’s relationship with Russia? This eclipse concludes the eclipse cycle across Taurus-Scorpio, so all of those items I mentioned at the start of this post are likely to be concluded – or shelved, for now.
October 28, 2023 – Lunar Eclipse at 5 Taurus
The final eclipse of 2023 has the most planets directly involved. The Moon is close to Jupiter in Taurus, and Uranus is co-present in the bull’s sign. Mercury and Mars are very close together in Scorpio, and near the Sun. Venus, the ruler of this lunation, is in Virgo making a wide trine to Moon-Jupiter – so she’s able to give some support to the events around this time which favours a more productive outcome.
Mercury-Mars combinations always bring fiery language and spicy communications, not to mention various tech failures and issues – not unlike Mercury retrograde phenomena.
I think it likely that this eclipse will give us further insight into the new eclipse issues that we will see with the Nodes in Aries-Libra, hearkening back to the first eclipse of the year on April 20. Keep an eye out for what happens around now, as we will see the continuation of it into 2024.
Both lunar eclipses in 2023 are not total. Rather, they will only see parts of the Moon shadowed, so they should have less of an impact astrologically than if they were dramatic total eclipses. That said, standard eclipse remediation practices apply to all eclipses, regardless.
And with that, I wish everyone a healthy and safe eclipse season.