Humans love the sun, moon and stars. We’re pretty simple creatures that way.
And for centuries now, humans have shared in the occasional experience of looking up at the sky and seeing it go dark in what we call a total solar eclipse.
It’s been documented across time, across civilizations, in a multitude of mediums. Before there were cameras, there were solar eclipses captured in oil paint, or etched into cave walls.
And sometimes, that imagery shows what it is on the surface — the sun and the moon converging. But oftentimes, it’s documented more abstractly — capturing the experience, the emotions and the energy shifts that come along with light meeting dark.
In April, Vermont will be in the path of totality for a solar eclipse — and for those who practice astrology and related spiritual traditions, it’s an energetically strong one. The eclipse is happening in Aries, an astrological fire sign that corresponds to the time between March 21 to April 19; it will also happen on a new moon.
For these Vermonters, the eclipse represents a shift in energy — not just in the moments of totality, but in the days and weeks after. They say there’s no one way to best experience an eclipse, but it’s about timing, reflection and curiosity.
The sun, moon and stars
Kelley Hunter has been reading natal charts for decades — since she got “swept up” in an astrological wave in the ’60s and ’70s. She now does it full time through her business HeliaStar, out of Calais.
She also works with astro-mythology, which combines classic astrology with mythology.
And solar eclipses have an interesting connection to both.
This specific eclipse is happening in Aries, which Hunter says is an astrological sign all about initiative, originality and invention.
And this specific eclipse also connects with Greek mythology in a way that gives it a unique factor: Chiron. In mythology, Chiron was a centaur — half man, half horse. In astrology, Chiron is a comet that occupies a sign in someone’s birth chart. Chiron is the “wounded healer,” and is associated with the ability to overcome and heal deeply.
Chiron will be in Aries on April 8, just like the eclipse will be. Hunter says Chiron is all about alignment — the spiritual with the mental, the emotional with the physical or even of our different selves — and all about experiencing the now. And paired with Aries’ fire, Hunter says it makes the eclipse’s energetic reset feel even more fresh.
"It's hard to even conceptualize what our experience might be, because this is so out of the box. So totally, potentially, mind-blowing. This could rewire our brain."Kelley Hunter, depth astrologer
“It's hard to even conceptualize what our experience might be, because this is so out of the box,” Hunter says. “So totally, potentially, mind-blowing. This could rewire our brain. So I don't know what is going to go on that day. But it is quite extraordinary. And there is potential for, for crisis and for healing.”
For people who have an Aries sun sign, Hunter says this eclipse could be pretty powerful since the reset aligns with their main sign. For people who are 50 or 51 years old, it could also be a big event — Hunter says it takes 50 years for Chiron to travel through all of the zodiac signs, so the age aligns with the completion of that journey as he enters Aries again.
Overall, Hunter says the eclipse is an opportunity for change.
“Don't go back to what you used to do. Try something new and different,” Hunter says.
All in the cards
Megan Gonzalez has been reading tarot cards for over 15 years. She now offers readings, educational classes and more through her business Luminary Divination, including in-person sessions out of Practical Magick in Essex Junction.
Gonzalez says eclipses are energetic portals, often helping with epiphanies — those lightbulb moments — and shifting your direction. The eclipse will also be taking place during a new moon, which Gonzalez says represents new beginnings.
Gonzalez says tarot cards can be one way to explore and validate feelings during a time she says can bring both childlike giddiness and ungrounded energy.
Gonzalez expects she’ll see clients around the time of the eclipse looking for help navigating the energy that results from the eclipse, or looking for ways to maximize it.
“Because we're all very capable of getting stuck in our shadows from time to time, eclipses … especially such a powerful one like this, has the ability to illuminate our unconscious mind, helping us become aware of the truths within ourselves that are almost hidden from our conscious mind,” Gonzalez says.
Gonzalez says this total eclipse can bring a heightened sense of intuition along with the feelings of Aries’ passion, motivation and inspiration. She says it’s going to affect everyone experiencing it differently. For Gonzalez, tarot is a way to navigate the individual experience of this cosmic event.
But she says approaching the eclipse with openness and curiosity is the best option — even if it’s just an opportunity to experience the astronomical event with everyone else.
“Life gets to be so much cooler than we think. And a lot of time, we're just really narrowed in and just stuck in the details and missing that bigger picture. And when we can get out of our own ways, much as the energy shifts, like an eclipse, it's like, ‘Wow, I didn't even realize I was just so stuck in this loop, and I had the blinders on, and now I see the full picture.’”
Crystal clear
Annette Gingras has been working with crystals for almost 20 years. As the former owner of Spirit Dancer Crystals and Gifts and founder of The Reiki Institute of Vermont in the greater Burlington area, they’ve helped a lot of other Vermonters engage with crystals and energy work, too.
Gingras says everything goes back to intuition — even the energetic experience of a total solar eclipse.
“It's this balancing of the dualities of shadow and light, you know, and, and one literally eclipsing the other so that you have an opportunity to really look at your, what's going on internally, and then bring what is happening internally into the light.”
Gingras laid out a menu of crystals that they say would interact well with the energies of this eclipse, happening in Aries. Here are some they pointed to:
- Selenite: Meaning “moonbeam,” Gingras says this high vibrational angelic stone helps cleanse and clear energetic bodies to make it feel safer to drop into your physical body.
- Obsidian: Gingras says this is a protection stone that works like a vacuum, pulling negativity out of your energy field and into the stone.
- Moonstone: This stone works primarily with intuition and feminine vibrations, Gingras says. It’s associated with the third eye chakra point.
- Sunstone: Gingras says this stone provides a nice duality with moonstone. It works with the solar plexus — all about willpower, courage and vitality.
- Carnelian: This deep red stone works with the sacral and solar plexus, so Gingras says it’s perfect for getting that creative spark — especially great during this eclipse in Aries.
- Hematite: Gingras says at an energetic level, this stone can help bring higher energies from where dreams and wishes live and bring them into the body.
But really, Gingras says there’s not a right or wrong way to pick out or use a crystal — it’s all about intuition, belief and the right timing.
“If we didn't believe that these specific crystals, these specific energies, worked — even on a subconscious level — they will not,” they say.
Solar power
Ashleigh Meagher works with spirit guides and energetic frequencies, sharing her readings from her home in Brownsville to more than 144,000 followers on TikTok, who know her better as Ashlightstar.
Meagher says she sees the sun as a bundle of energy — and sometimes, that energy sheds off in the way of solar flares or frequencies. Meagher says the shed energy from the sun — called light codes — can impact someone spiritually, activating gifts inside someone or bringing messages from spirit guides.
Meagher says the sun is like a portal, allowing people to utilize this energy. And on the day of the solar eclipse, that portal will align with darkness. Meagher says the sun’s alignment with the moon will release stagnant energy and potentially bring strong feelings to those witnessing it.
And the eclipse’s impact won’t be immediate — it’ll take time, and Meagher says no one’s journey will be exactly the same.
“When it comes to the solar eclipse, having those moments of darkness aligned with the light, and having that balancing, and having people feel like ‘OK, the darkness can feel just as good as the light does.’ … A lot of people are going to feel empowerment from that,”Ashleigh Meagher, energy healer and psychic channeler
The concept of darkness eclipsing light isn’t always a comfortable one. Meagher says there’s fear associated with darkness — but she says her spirit guides told her the darkness could be empowering and healing.
“When it comes to the solar eclipse, having those moments of darkness aligned with the light, and having that balancing, and having people feel like ‘OK, the darkness can feel just as good as the light does.’ … A lot of people are going to feel empowerment from that,” Meagher says.
The eclipse will be impactful. Meagher says society needs that.
“It may feel a bit much to some people,” Meagher says, “but I think they're meant to feel that.”
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