Depending on where you live, you may have been able to witness the solar eclipse we experienced earlier today, along with this new lunar cycle. I live in Austin, so you definitely could see aspects of it as it moved through.
Things got dark, and you could see the orb around the sun.
This particular solar eclipse, called the “Ring of Fire” (yes, I now have Johnny Cash playing in my head … burn, burn, burn, a ring of fire … you too?). This energy is especially powerful for those who have either their Sun, Sun Rising or Moon in a Cardinal Sign. It also won’t happen again until 2046.
Solar eclipses tend to be times of significant transformation, as they signify both beginnings and endings.
We’ve been in a pretty powerful energy the last few months, and a much denser energy the first half of the year. Both have been calling us forth to step into a new level of who we are.
In doing so, we must also shed that which we no longer need.
Everything that doesn’t serve you any longer is up to be released. This is part of the transformation we are being called into.
It’s only when we can untether and unattach ourselves from expectations, limiting beliefs, static relationships, fears, our stories, and even our own identity, that we are then able to step into our next level and express the fullest energy of who we truly are.
The world needs us to raise the level of leadership, and shift our consciousness more than ever right now. And, this starts with me. And, it starts with you. Because leadership ultimately is a choice, and that choice begins with leading ourselves first.
That is what this energy is asking us to surrender to. This particular eclipse is asking us to shine a light on the deepest truths that live within us that are normally hidden in the dark … especially in our relationships.
This solar eclipse is connected to Libra energy, meaning it’s alignment is about balance (think the scales).
So the questions up to be answered now are:
- Where do you need balance in your relationships with yourself?
- With others? With Source?
- Are you still holding onto things or people that no longer serve your Soul Curriculum and Purpose?
- Where do you need to create more balance in your life, work, rest, play, and community?
Ultimately, what do you need to let go of, to release?
And, how can we balance the Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine energy that lives in each of us. We all have both.
Our opportunity is to create balance between them, both individually and collectively on the planet.
Perhaps, the best questions to ask yourself are:
- Where have I wondered off my course?
- Where do I feel most out of alignment with my Truth?
Only when we are brave enough, when we choose courage over comfort, can we shine a light on the dark spaces that are holding us hostage. When we can illuminate our truth, we bring the shadows into the light.
I love the way Shaman Durek talks about this in his fascinating, and revolutionary book, Spirit Hacking. He discusses how we have been conditioned and programmed to be afraid of the dark spaces and shadows.
When actually our opportunity is to realize they are only here to help us see what truly needs to be brought into the light.
Our shadows, when we stop being afraid of them, are actually our guides to help us heal what needs to be healed, and are our signals to reclaim our own sovereignty and to rewrite the narrative often holding us back.
If, we choose to embrace our shadows and the dark spaces as our friends, our best friends even, we then start to realize the dark is actually our biggest opportunity to illuminate the truth. In fact, Shaman Durek claims this is why most monks and shamans rise before the sun does.
To hear the truth in the whispers of the darkness.
Talk about a complete plot twist. Talk about a quantum shift! The insight that dropped in me for that moment was profound.
You see, I used to be afraid of the dark, especially in the late night hours. I was even scared to look at my reflection in mirrors and windows thanks to a few movies and stories that freaked me out when I was younger.
[Disney’s Watcher in the Woods, and the horror movie The Ring, were two such examples … I still don’t know how Watcher in the Woods is a Disney movie. I mean have you seen it. Talk about traumatizing a 7th grader who watched in English class … but, I digress.]
Needless to say, we live in a culture that capitalizes on our fear, yours and mine. Whether that is a fear of failure, of not being enough, of being too much, or letting others down, being criticized, or even of the dark, we hear message after message reinforcing those fears.
Everything around us constantly plays to our insecurities and limiting beliefs, and in many cases, makes a shit ton of money off of it.
Imagine if we took our power back.
That is the message coming through with this solar eclipse and new moon.
Can we find balance in a meaningful way in our relationships, in our life’s work, and between our Divine masculine and feminine energy?
You may feel old relationships resurfacing as this is your opportunity to fully clear the deck once and for all. Anything you still are hanging onto now can be released. The cycles of karma are asking to be complete.
For, we cannot start anew what wants to be birthed if we are still holding onto things or people that no longer serve us from the past.
As Dr. Benjamin Hardy discussed in his book, 10x Is Easier Than 2x, most of us are letting our past give meaning to our present (and our future), versus having our present give meaning to the past.
The latter propels us forward and allows us to make peace with our past and close those chapters, thus allowing the new to have room to expand and guide us into our future.
Let me give you an example.
When I made the transition to leave corporate, over a decade ago, to build my own business, and move from Milwaukee to Austin, I realized that I needed to let go of things that I no longer made sense for my new life.
Such as, I had just purchased new snowshoes that previous winter. When I decided I was moving, I told a friend I was selling them. To which she responded, “Why would you do that? You just bought them?”
I laughed and said, “Well, the likelihood of me needing snow shoes in Austin is pretty slim. Besides, at some point I’d like to purchase a paddleboard. If I still have the snowshoes, where am I going to put the board?”
Here’s the thing … we hold onto things all the time that no longer serve us.
Maybe it’s that pair of jeans you have tucked away in the back of your closet, hoping someday you will fit back into them. When wouldn’t you rather love the clothes you wear now, embracing and loving the size you are. And, not have that old pair (which likely are out of style anyway) holding you back. Besides, wouldn’t you rather go buy a brand new pair if you did get back to that weight?
Or, maybe it’s that relationship or job that feels safe, even though you know on some level it is keeping you stuck. Yet, you keep waiting to make a move. Someday, you keep telling yourself. Of course, we both know … someday never happens.
Whatever it is, until you purge out the closet of the past, you will never be able to make room for the present or future.
This solar eclipse is asking you to purge, and release anything and everything you no longer need or want. Anything that isn’t aligned with who you really are, and the next level you are evolving into.
And, maybe even more importantly, the energy is asking for us to create balance between being fiercely independent and creating cycles of codependency. Instead, she is asking for us to step into a powerful space of aligned interdependence where we can create powerful collaborations.
There is a balance between doing our life’s work, how we show up and serve others, and where we have opportunity to connect and collaborate with others in meaningful partnership to raise the level of leadership, bring greater justice, and shift consciousness.
So, take time this weekend to contemplate. Ask yourself the brutally honest questions about where you need balance for what’s calling you forward. Create space for rest, recharge, renewal and the transformations this solar eclipse and new lunar cycle are bringing with them.
Harness this energy as a way to reflect into the window of your own soul.