Hey there friends,
Welcome to the first full week of Aries season in the cycle of time, week 1 in our journey of walking the wheel of the year.
This week, we’ve got a seriously juicy mix of astrological events happening, and there’s a lot of depth to explore as we move into the astrological new year. From Mercury and Venus retrograding in Pisces to the Solar Eclipse in Aries, we’re looking at a potent week for personal growth, reflection, and the shifting of our core beliefs.
If you’d prefer to watch the video forecast on Youtube, click here
Overview of this week in the Wheel of the Year:
MEDICINE WHEEL Direction: East
WUXING Element: Wood
PAGAN Season: Ostara
ZODIAC Season: Aries (March 20-April 19)
I’CHING Hexagram/Human Design GATE: 25 (Mar 19-24) » 17 (Mar. 25-29)
25= Heaven over Thunder (“Innocence or The Unexpected)”, aka the Gate of the SPIRIT OF THE SELF or UNIVERSAL LOVE
17 = Lake over Thunder (“Following”) or The Gate of OPINIONS
MOON Phase: New Moon
Solar Eclipse in Aries in the Gate of Opinions (Saturday, March 29th)
PLANETARY Transits:
Thursday, March 27: Venus Retrograde enters Pisces
Saturday, March 29: Mercury Retrograde enters Pisces
Before we get into it all, a short announcement:
Walk the Wheel with the Embody the Revolution Membership
I don’t know about you, but the astrological new year/spring equinox last Thursday the 20th felt like it brought a ton of new energy into my sphere, even though we’re in an eclipse portal AND have 2 personal planets retrograde.
On the Spring Equinox, I launched my membership offering, which I’m calling Embody the Revolution, and I’m so excited to begin this journey of walking the wheel of they year together in community. I invite you to join if you feel called! The membership is activated by becoming a paid subscriber on substack for the price of a fancy coffee per month (or a cheap cocktail, pick your poison.. :)
The membership includes:
a detailed workbook for each zodiac season, which I had a lot of fun putting together for Aries season,
weekly recorded somatic exercises,
a monthly live breathwork session to tap into the energies of the season, and
a monthly reflection session to gather and discuss how the season showed up in our lives.
You also get a calendar of all the astrology and human design transits of the year ahead, so it’s a lot of goodies!
Ok, that’s enough promo for now! I feel like launching something during Venus/Mercury retrograde in-between eclipses might not the best time to put something out there, but I wanted to honor the wheel of the year and begin on the astrological new year…. and this just happens to be the astrology of the moment!
To join, click the button below to become a paid subscriber for $8/month or $88/year.
Now, onto the transits of the week…
Mercury & Venus Retrograde in Pisces (March 27 - April 22)
Let’s start with Mercury and Venus retrogrades in Pisces. Now, retrogrades in general are like cosmic time-outs. It’s like the universe is saying, "Whoa, slow down, and let’s review, reassess, and reflect before you move forward." But when both Mercury and Venus are in retrograde, and they’re both moving through Pisces, this period is extra about the inner world—our emotional realms, our intuition, and our spiritual connections.
Mercury retrograde in Pisces is all about revisiting the past, particularly with how we communicate on a deeper, more intuitive level. Mercury rules over how we express our ideas and how we process information. In Pisces, we’re moving away from logic and into the realm of feeling, imagination, and dreams. So, don’t be surprised if your mind starts to drift toward past emotional or spiritual experiences during this retrograde. It’s a great time for introspection and for revisiting old dreams or creative projects you’ve abandoned.
Venus retrograde in Pisces brings a reflective vibe to our relationships and values. Venus rules our connections with others, and in Pisces, it’s about examining the more mystical, dreamy aspects of love. Have you been giving love to yourself the way you truly need? Are you aligning with your deeper, soul-level values in your relationships? This retrograde invites you to explore those areas. Maybe some old romantic patterns or unspoken emotional wounds resurface during this time. There’s no need to rush, just let them come up, reflect, and let them pass through.
But let’s take it deeper, because there’s a cool twist here….as Mercury and Venus retrograde are both moving backwards from Aries into Pisces, they’re setting the stage for the Solar Eclipse in Aries in just a few days.
The Solar Eclipse at 9 Degrees Aries: In the Gate of Opinions (March 29)
Let’s talk about the Solar Eclipse happening at 9 degrees Aries on March 29th. Aries is the bold, pioneering, fiery leader of the zodiac, and when we have a solar eclipse in Aries, it often symbolizes a moment of change. It’s a fresh start, a reset, and a chance to break free from old limitations. This is the final eclipse in Aries after 18 months of eclipses on the Libra/Aries axis - the nodes of the moon have already moved into Virgo and Pisces, so this eclipse will wrap up a story that began in fall of 2023.
During a solar eclipse, the Moon—symbolizing emotions, instincts, and the subconscious—momentarily obscures the Sun, which represents conscious will, identity, and vitality. This celestial event disrupts the usual flow of awareness, forcing us to confront deeper, hidden feelings that often go unnoticed in the bright light of our rational mind. It’s as if our emotional body takes over, eclipsing the ego’s direction and inviting us into a liminal space where profound shifts can occur.
With the upcoming solar eclipse in Aries, the impact is particularly fiery and initiatory. Aries, ruled by Mars, is the sign of action, instinct, and self-assertion. It thrives on bold moves, independence, and unfiltered expression. However, during an eclipse, the usual Aries drive may be temporarily interrupted by deeper emotional undercurrents. This suggests a moment where raw instinct is not enough—we must pause and examine the emotions and subconscious patterns influencing our choices.
This eclipse could reveal anger, suppressed desires, or unresolved identity struggles. The sun in Aries wants to charge ahead with horns a blazing, but the Moon's shadowing the sun may create a temporary emotional reset, pushing us to question the deeper motivations behind our actions. Are we acting from a place of true self-awareness, or are we reacting from wounds and insecurities? The eclipse acts as a cosmic course correction, forcing us to recalibrate our will with our deeper emotional truth before moving forward.
Gate 17’s Influence on the Eclipse
As it’s a new moon, during the eclipse both the Sun and the Moon will be sitting in the Human Design Gate of Opinions, Gate 17, located in the Ajna (3rd eye) center. This gate is all about opinions, ideas, and patterns of thinking. As the second gate of Aries season, it’s about being open to the world (like a young lamb, one step away from innocence) and forming our perspectives through our experiences and conversations. It also asks us to be aware of whose opinions we’re really following.
With a willingness to follow and learn, a positive energy will develop at this time. A failure to listen, or observe others, will have negative results. - The I’Ching
In Gene Keys, Gate 17 corresponds to Gene Key 17, which is about Opinions at its Shadow level, Detached Understanding or Farsightedness at its Gift level, and Perspective or Omnicience at its Siddhi level. Let’s break this down a little bit.
At the Shadow level, Gene Key 17 is all about dogma and fixed opinions—when we hold onto beliefs that come from outside ourselves and don’t serve us. This is the energy of “I must believe this because that’s what everyone says” or “This is the only way to think.” Sound familiar? The shadow of Gate 17 can keep us stuck in rigid thinking and outdated beliefs, especially when we’re not questioning where those beliefs came from.
At the Gift level, Gene Key 17 is about Far-sightedness or Detached Understanding—where we can step back from our fixed opinions and see things from a broader perspective. This is about being able to entertain ideas without getting attached to them. This is the energy of being open to ideas, listening to others, but not getting too attached to them as truth. This is especially relevant with the solar eclipse energy, which is asking us to shake off outdated beliefs and open up to new ways of thinking.
Finally, at the Siddhi level, Gene Key 17 is all about Perspective (also known as Omnicience). This is about seeing the bigger picture, and understanding how everything fits together. It’s a higher level of consciousness, where we realize that opinions are just that (opinions) and they don’t define us. The Siddhi of Gate 17 invites us to rise above the opinions of the world and tap into our own clear vision.
So, what does this mean for the solar eclipse?
This Aries eclipse is inviting us to listen to our bodies and our intuition, and to let go of rigid opinions that we’ve been holding onto. It’s asking us to embrace a new perspective and be willing to question everything—especially if what we’re thinking or believing no longer aligns with who we are becoming. There’s a huge opportunity for mental clarity here: by letting go of opinions that have become too dogmatic and shedding old beliefs, we create space for a more authentic, empowered way of thinking moving forward.
What This Means for You:
Question your beliefs: Whether you’re someone who’s been carrying around an old family belief system, or you’re just realizing that some opinions you’ve been holding onto don’t fit anymore, now is the time to let go. The solar eclipse is offering us a powerful opportunity to break free from outdated ways of thinking and create a fresh, more aligned perspective on life.
Stay open to new ideas: With the Gift of Gene Key 17, Detached Understanding, try to adopt a curious mindset. Open up to new ideas and perspectives without getting emotionally attached to any one of them. This doesn’t mean you need to change your mind about everything, but it’s a moment to be open to seeing things from different angles.
Let go of what doesn’t serve your higher vision: With Mercury and Venus retrograding in Pisces, use this time to reflect on your emotional beliefs about love, relationships, and communication. Are there patterns you’ve been following just because it’s what you know, but they no longer align with your true essence? Trust that the universe is inviting you to clear those emotional patterns now so you can step into a new era of emotional and relational freedom.
To Wrap It All Up:
This week is a big one. With the solar eclipse in Aries coming togehther in Gate 17 (Opinions), we’re being called to shift our thinking and let go of beliefs that are holding us back. Meanwhile, Venus and Mercury retrograding into Pisces gives us the perfect chance to review and reflect, especially around how we feel, how we love, and how we express our spiritual truths. It's all about seeing things from a new perspective and setting yourself free from old ideas.
The key themes of the week? Releasing, realigning, and reimagining.
As we sail through this cosmic energy, remember to be gentle with yourself. It’s a time of big, bold changes and quiet reflections, but they’re all leading you to a higher version of yourself.
And…. that’s your weekly cosmic update as we move steadily forward in the wheel of the year.
What do you think? Do any of these energies resonate with you?
Thanks for hanging out with me today, and I hope this brings you clarity and inspiration as we navigate this cosmic shift.
Feel free to drop a comment or share your thoughts—I’d love to hear how you’re experiencing this powerful week! 🌙
xo,
Alison
P.S. If you’re not sure about the membership/paid subscription, but would like to get a taste of what the the monthly breathwork sessions are like, I’m hosting my first one on Saturday, March 29 at 6pm MST for the Solar Eclipse in Aries.
It’s going to be a gentle conscious-connected breath journey with the intention of slowing down and listening to the wisdom of your body, attuning with your inhales and exhales, and releasing limiting stories on the evening of this powerful lunation.
Click here to sign up for the solar eclipse breathwork session!
As a reader of this museletter, please feel free to use code EMBODY to come for free as my guest.
Sending you love and rest as we ride out this eclipse portal! <3
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