Eclipse Season & The Invitation Inward
The Lowdown On Eclipses & Their Transformational Prowess
This weekend, we sit nestled squarely in the middle of last week's Solar Eclipse in Libra and next week's Lunar Eclipse in Taurus. Like all Eclipses, with these, we are bound to feel the stirrings of intensity within or perhaps witness these stirrings in others. And no doubt there are those of us who are still feeling the effects of last week's Eclipse!
In my next post, I will unpack what has been happening since last week and what is coming next week from our Eclipse season but for this post, I invite you to pull up a chair and explore why it is happening.
I love to talk about why.
Knowing "why" helps us understand things better, which helps us to integrate them better. For that reason... Let's talk about what is going on astronomically and astrologically and why it creates such potential for transformation and/or chaos in our lives!?
Let's get to it!
Astronomically speaking, Solar Eclipses always happen during a Dark Moon. This is when the Moon is directly between the Earth and the Sun, and the illuminated side of the Moon faces away from the Earth, so we can not see the Moon from Earth. When the Sun is eclipsed by the Moon (Solar Eclipse), the distance between the three celestial bodies is spaced in such a way that the Moon covers the light of the Sun. Last week we had an Annular Eclipse, meaning the Moon covered the innermost area of the Sun, and the outer rim illuminated a ring of Sunlight around the shadow of the Moon.
Unlike Solar Eclipses that happen during a Dark Moon phase, Lunar Eclipses happen during Full Moons. It is not unfair to consider them super-sized on the "lunacy" scale, either! What happens astronomically during a Lunar Eclipse is the Earth completely covers the Moon in her shadow. The Moon's face is visible from Earth, but she is not illuminated.
Now let's look at how Astrology plays into the big energy we feel during Eclipses!
The word "eclipse" speaks of obscuring. To obscure is to keep from being seen... To conceal. With this, there is a loss of power to "other". In the case of a Solar eclipse... Solar energy has a loss of power to Lunar energy. In the case of a Lunar Eclipse, Lunar energy has a loss of power to Earth's Shadow.
The field of Astrology I practice is a method of understanding the psycho-emotional and psycho-spiritual mapping we see in star maps. (Horoscopes, birth charts). The luminaries (Sun and Moon) and other planets found within the star map represent fundamental psychological drives. These celestial bodies are archetypal energies that can manifest in "positive" or "negative" ways within us.
The two primary players in an Eclipse are the Sun and Moon from the perspective of the Earth. Let's look a bit more closely at them...
The Sun represents conscious psychological urges around our sense of power. Some of the ways it manifests are our personality, individuality, will, and self-expression. The Moon represents unconscious psychological urges around our feelings and our needs. Some of the ways it manifests are our memories, emotions, intuition, and sense of connectedness. Now remember, these archetypal energies can manifest "positively" or "negatively"! There is much we can say about nurture over nature here, but I'll save that for another post!
So... When the Moon Eclipsed the Sun last week, our unconscious psychological urges obscured our conscious ones. This inevitably caused an unearthing of shadow material from within us as the shadow lives in the unconscious. Dark Moons already have a deeply personal connection with the unconscious (including the parts that are shadow material) but when the balancing of Lunar energies with Solar energies is no longer an astrological factor, we are more susceptible to the intensified Lunar energies.
When we have our Lunar Eclipse next week, much of the Moon's surface will be shadowed by the Earth. Our Moon does not have a light source of her own so when she is full, it is because she is completely illuminated by Solar (conscious) energies, and this is why many people often have such intense experiences during Full Moons. Full Moons are already capable of bringing about great inner conflict due to the placement of the Sun and Moon in the sky. They are in opposition, so, our Lunar and Solar psychological urges are in opposition. Add the layered effect of Lunar energies being eclipsed by Earth's Shadow and we've got ourselves a shadowy melting pot a'brewing!
This is why the Eclipses and Eclipse seasons have the potential to be so transformative!
There are two things needed for transformation. Truth (unconscious) and change (conscious).
Transformation is a relevant and prominent factor during Eclipse seasons or as a byproduct of Eclipses, because if we take the opportunity granted us, we can see more deeply into our unspoken truths than ever before and if we are courageous enough, we can make changes!
*** A bit of a side note here for those of you reading who might not be familiar with my work, teachings, or viewpoints.***
Our unconscious material, particularly the Shadow will always tell us the truth. Not the truth about the world. Not the truth about others. Not the truth about a given situation or past circumstance...
But the truth about us and the way think, believe, feel, and act... Which is connected with our core wounds and the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves.
It is so common to hear people (both jokingly and seriously) blame the planets for things happening in their lives, but when we understand them for what they are, representation of internal urges of our very own, we can participate more intentionally and meaningfully in astrological events.
There is always something to learn there. Something to heal. Something to transform. And this is why Eclipses give us the edge on transformation!
Keep an eye out for my next Eclipse post where I will unpack the energies, motifs, key points, and potentials around our current Eclipse season!
Blessings,
Mary