Stepping out of the shadows - the full moon lunar penumbral eclipse
The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty: not knowing what comes next.” - Ursula K Le Guin
The full moon lunar penumbral eclipse in Scorpio (ouch) is almost upon us, when the moon will pass deep into the outer part of the Earth’s shadow (known as the penumbra). On this occasion the moon just misses the darker, inner part of the Earth’s shadow (the umbra). This will be the deepest penumbral eclipse since February 2017 and until September 2042. It’s a big deal! Especially as this is the last time that we have a lunar eclipse in a fixed water sign for another eight years or so…
Eclipses, as we know, change things and the run of eclipses these last couple of years have certainly changed things in my life and no doubt in yours too. We have been slowly - and at times forcibly - encouraged to connect with our truth and align to it, accept it, own it and live it. In the process we have been encouraged to let go of ways of being and false identifications that have fed more of the illusion and kept us contained and small and - in most cases - dumbed down and disempowered.
It hasn’t always been easy, but then it never is on this path of heart. We have had to dig deep and look courageously into the shadows to see more clearly what has needed to be processed, digested, forgiven, discarded and indeed loved. We have been up against our conditioning and training, and against our self depreciating and self sabotaging ego and inner critic with all its ideas of how things should be and how we should be, opposed to who we actually are, from a soulful level at least.
Those who have been doing the work will likely be enjoying this recent eclipse energy ushering us on to pull up the last strands that are tying us to the past, so that we can truly enjoy the new beginnings that these eclipses are gifting us. It’s as if the eclipse energy literally lifts any remaining debris that we have managed to bring to the surface that can now be cleared away, like an eclipse cleanse, all those old patterns and limited mindsets and unhelpful behaviour patterns.
Maybe you’ve noticed that people from your past are appearing again, not least because we are awakening from a sleep that has kept some of us separated while we have gone through this two year reorientation and cleanse , but to highlight how much you and your life has changed, how you have managed to let go of much of the old insecurity and lack of self worth and self love that may have held you back for years.
You may be encouraged to put your new found sense of security and inner worth into practice, staying true as you voice your ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ when you really mean it. You may also find yourself judged and criticised by others, rejected too, as a test, to see whether you’ll fall back into old patterns and feeling not good enough and as if something is wrong with you. Remember we are not all the same and what we are offering in this world may just not resonate. We come in at different stages of evolution, some are more ready than others and some just need to find another path to tread - we can’t be everything to everybody (we can try, but we’ll end up compromising on our authenticity).
Others are still trawling through this. The moon is really highlighting where we are lacking self belief and still standing in the shadows, fearful to put ourselves out there, worrying what others may think and buying into impostor syndrome. I’ve had many conversations with people this week who are all trying to accept more of who they are and realise that they can do it, if only they can quiet the little voice that tells them they can’t and if only they could own it and truly see that their talent, their unique gifts, are very much needed in this changing world, that their life absolutely does not need to look a certain way and that they just need to put one foot in front of the other, leaning into uncertainty and the unknown, and letting the path reveal more of itself when the time is right.
If you are not sure where you are at then don’t worry, this astrological phenomenon is notorious for ushering in life-altering changes and uncomfortable shake-ups, but please remember that this is all part of the divine plan. The more we can surrender our need to control outcome the easier the ride - and remember that before rising from the ashes like the Phoenix, there needs to be a death of the ego-identified self. This can be very uncomfortable as I know only too well, but essential to the alchemical process that is our evolution. Whatever is still lurking in the shadows (and let’s face it, we will still all have a good few of these) will no doubt become clearer.
I have been reminded many times to pay attention to synchronicities, especially now, with this eclipse, and to try not to explain them away. They are gifts. Take notice and accept the gift gracefully, because it is divine intervention, and will undoubtably positively change your life in immeasurable ways. Synchronistic encounters have been the greatest blessing in my life, like a road map, they can open up routes that you didn’t know where there and open up your heart and expand your vision, and indeed your perception of reality in ways you could never ever have imagined - beyond the vision board.
The other thing coming through - we’re still on this path towards greater simplicity, which is causing many more of you to question how you are living and how you are earning money and whether this is fulfilling and making the most of your precious time on Planet Earth. More are questioning their (our collective) disconnect from nature, noticing how much better they feel when they are in nature, given that WE are nature too, not separate from it as we believe ourselves to be or better than it (thank you Bible). By continuing to feed the illusion of separation, we keep ourselves separated form our true self and our own true nature. We are all connected. The Earth does communicate with those who listen.
Elijah and I had quite an experience this week out at Pleinmont. I needed to lie on the fairy ring to adjust to life here on traffic-laden Guernsey after the peace of Sark, and we continued up from there to the - terrifying -rope swing and an opportunity to sit amongst the trees and all those stunning wildflowers with the also stunning view out to Lihou. Anyway, on our walk back to the dreaded car we were walking up a tarmac path when something came hmm, well this is the thing, it was moving towards us quickly at ground level but my mind couldn’t figure it out quick enough because it had never seen it previously.
It spun through rat, no, rabbit, no, dog, no, why is it, all puffed up, robot, no, and then I quickly realised as Elijah and I braced ourselves and stepped back quickly, a very protective and defensive moorhen with some baby moorhens further up the track, trying to get themselves up into the side bank. We walked back further and talked to mother moorhen assuring her we didn’t want to hurt her babies. She rushed off to them (do moorhen’s waddle, walk, scuttle, do let me know if there is a ‘proper’ term. Anyway she took herself off to the babies and almost seemed to count them into the hedge.
We paused a little while before carrying on, checking she wasn't about to attack us fearing we may take her babies, talking to her still, reassuring her we were/are safe. It was a wonderful experience as it highlighted to Elijah that we are all so similar, that the moorhen will do what she needs to do to defend and protect her babies because of her motherly instinct and need to care for them and ensure their survival. We are no different. It saddens me beyond belief that we are always negating the sentient nature of all living beings, to the extent that people still tell children to stop crying or allowing their emotional state, invalidating it in most cases, while others will think nothing of squashing insects or killing other living beings.
And in this return to nature, and our nature, some of you are rightly questioning the ‘broken’ mentality. You’re not broken, you’re right and nothing needs fixing. All that needs doing, is to quieten, drop in and chip away at anything that prevents you being more of your true self. More often than not that’s the false ego-identifications referenced above and any crap that you’ve picked ups long the way that has clouded your inner light. I’m reminded of those awful dinosaur eggs that you used to be able to buy at the Herm gift shop that make a real mess as children chip away at the chalk to find the tiny plastic dinosaur inside challenging those of us with cleaning OCD tendencies and an aversion to pointless plastic crap.
But the point is, the tiny plastic dinosaur is not broken, it doesn’t need fixing, it just needs to be set free from the chalk encasing. We are exactly the same. That tiny dinosaur is our essence and we are just chipping away at anything which prevents us from not only accessing it, but allowing it and letting it be just as it is, free! [Fortunately we’re a bit more useful than the tiny plastic dinosaur is, well we have the potential to be, and might spare ourselves a trip to landfill if we connect with our possibility and live it.]
Freedom is the word that is coming up for me with these eclipses - they are gifting freedom; freedom to make conscious choices, to decide what we put into our bodies, to decide how we earn a living, to decide where we might live, to decide whether we will put up with situations that are not in alignment with love, and to decide how life on Planet Earth looks next - remember we are a micro of the macro, our every action has a consequence, we need to each individually be the change we’d like to see collectively in the world if we hope to create a world that places freedom and love above power and control.
Being a full moon in scorpio we might find it brings a sting and high emotions. But one has to remember that scorpions gather strength from daring the edge of what is known and unknown in themselves and their experience of life - time to step out of the shadows!
Further, scorpions bring passion and depth to life, being drawn to that which seems too mysterious, taboo and strange to other signs. It’s a time of magic. Remember the humour and that you have a choice how you perceive and indeed respond to whatever the universe brings…laughter will keep your spirits high and help you navigate these next two weeks and the cosmic jokes that will undoubtably present themselves to get your attention - you have been warned!
So be grateful for all that the eclipse gifts - don’t be limited by your sense of right/wrong, good/bad, it is All just an experience. Sadly we won’t see the eclipse here on Guernsey, but we will feel its energy regardless.
Love Emma x
