I grew up with first responders as parents. My mother worked as a nurse and my father worked at the local jail, so hearing them get called out to work in the middle of the night was normal. However, any night there was a full moon, that was when they would get called out the most.
I think that’s where my fascination with astrology started. I remember looking out at the moon through my bedroom window as a child and wondering why something so far away seemed to have such a dramatic effect on people at an individual level and was curious to know more about other celestial events and their potential effects on the human experience.
Though the phenomenon is not well understood, there’s something about the full moon that has many night shift workers dismiss the science debunking the effects the planetary pull has on us. In fact, a 2011 study reported nearly half of medical staff within the ER believed in the full moon effect.
On an astronomical level, NASA has said that the gravitational pull of the moon has a unique effect on bodies of water, creating a visible bulge of water on opposites sides of the Earth which is caused by the moon. If the moon can have such an effect on water, what is to say that the gravitational pull of other planetary movements cannot also have a significant effect on those of us that live here on Earth? This is something I have been questioning as the media fills with stories of the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
Historically, people looked to the night sky to track lunar and solar eclipses. It is recorded that the Babylonians, a civilization that existed nearly 2,000 years ago, were able to predict lunar eclipses with an accuracy of 90 per cent. The Babylonians, as well as later civilizations like the Ancient Greeks and Romans, believed eclipses brought omens that represented important times to come and often represented the falling of kingdoms or rise of new dynasties.
Out with the old, in with the new
In more modern astrology, the theory of the Babylonians is echoed. Eclipses are said to bring in unexpected, life altering events that will change the trajectory of your life. This eclipse season specifically is on the Libra-Aries axis — the two signs that represent our identity and relationships with others.
As an astrologer and writer, I’ve been following this current eclipse cycle. The lunar eclipse in Aries, which represents who we are at our core, occurred on March 25, signifying a closing of cycles that has to do with our identity.
On April 8 we saw a solar eclipse in Libra, which has to do with how we relate to others. On an astronomical level, it was a pretty big one. Most eclipses pass through the ocean and are not visible in most parts of the world. This year though, the eclipse was visible to a large portion of North America, including a partial eclipse visible in Calgary at 11:48 a.m..
This eclipse also happened during Mercury retrograde, a time famously dreaded as it is said to bring in miscommunication and delays. However, I see Mercury retrograde as a time of reflection on past events and closure. It’s definitely not a time to be starting any new projects, but closing out old projects both on a professional and personal level. Personally, I think this is the perfect setup for an eclipse of this caliber, clearing out the old to prepare for the new.
Looking out my bedroom window at the moon has such a more profound effect on me these days. To think that these were the same celestial objects the Babylonians used to predict kingdoms falling or new dynasties rising, and then, in more modern days, the mysteries surrounding unpredictable events in emergency rooms — it’s all fascinating to me.
Whether you believe in astrology or not, I hope you can take some time out to reflect on past circumstances and what you would like to bring into this next eclipse cycle, and what is better left in the past.