The spiral of change
Eclipse season is upon us again. If it feels like your life is falling apart, you are right on track. Eclipses signify potent portals of transformation. Every 6 months we are presented with this opportunity to zoom out and see the big picture of our lives. But if we have been dissociated from our body and our choices, it may feel more like the universe of giving us a swift slap in the face and a kick in the ass. Though the twists and turns of eclipse season might not always feel like a gift, this time is always in service to our healing and expansion.
We are ending one cycle and beginning another. We might be ending a relationship or just starting one. We may be fired or we may quit. As for me, I’m leaving one home and moving into another. It is the cycle, the circle, the serpent, the spiral. Parts of us must be composted to fertilize our growth. We are feeling the contractions of the birth canal and the breaking open of our germinating seed. Allow yourself to be reborn in the fire. Expect the unexpected.
On Monday, April 8th we will experience a solar eclipse in Aries. The suns energy will briefly be shadowed by the moon. This represents the death of our ego (the sun) and a surrender to our deepest feelings (the moon). Because Chiron will be conjunct this eclipse, it’s likely that the feelings will echo our oldest and most tender wounds. Our pain deserves our attention, it must be witnessed and felt in order to be transformed.
We are now in the Aries/Libra eclipse axis. This cycle began last April and will conclude next year. The focus will be on finding balance between the relationship with ourselves and with others. We will be challenged by our anger and likely reevaluating our habits of people pleasing. Aries is our anger, our fire, our passion. Spring is the season when our anger emerges alongside our excitement. We are activated and probably anxious. The lunar eclipse last month in Libra reminded us where we are giving away our power and where we need to soften. This Aries solar eclipse is demanding that we find the strength to take back that power and attempt to do so gracefully.
I suggest leaning into the anger that emerges rather than numbing out and pushing it away. Our anger is a sacred messenger. Follow the rage and see where it lives and what it has to say. Let yourself growl and bark and scream and shake! This is not a time to manifest or cast spells. We must only pay attention and surrender to the journey of our emergence.
The tarot cards I pulled for this moment are the 8 of cups and the queen of pentacles.
The queen of pentacles urges us to look inward and find all the places that need nurturing. She wants us to cook nourishing meals and have enough money and have a beautiful home and feel fulfilled with work. She wants our lives to be vibrant, she does not settle for surviving. She wants us to dig deep into our resources and find a way to thrive despite the challenges we face. It is not easy but she reminds us that it is worth it.
The 8 of pentacles doesn’t want us to ignore our grief. As we step into new versions our ourselves, we must also grieve the parts of us that are dying. Moving on and leaving behind someone, someplace, something that you have loved, is no easy feat. It takes courage to walk away but it takes even more courage to allow yourself to deeply feel and process the pain that comes with change. It is easy to run away and never want to look back. But first let’s allow ourselves to grieve the loss so that we may be free to walk towards our growth.
While I understand it might be enticing to try to view this eclipse, it would not be my personal recommendation. You do you, but us here at Apis will be resting and reflecting indoors. Eclipses have an unpredictable and chaotic nature. It is encouraged to retreat and allow the energy to move through you.
Wishing everyone a safe, fruitful eclipse!
Jenna Diliberto is a herbalist, medicine maker, tarot reader, astrologer, educator, gardener and artist living in the Catskills. Email to inquire about booking a reading or workshop.