The rare gummy bear eclipse: a little humor by fdecomite, used under a creative commons license.
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Every time there’s a New Moon, Full Moon, or an Eclipse, I get thousands of search engine hits from readers looking for rituals/meditations and information on the upcoming event. Some of this I can help you with, and some I can’t.
If you’re here for a step-by-step ritual, you won’t find it. That’s because you need to do the work yourself. Yes, you ca
n find online rituals, free, word for word, but you’re missing the point. (And yes, some are good for ideas.) But the point is to do the spiritual work yourself, and that’s as unique for you as you are. Spiritual work is not something you can copy from someone else’s homework and get the same result. Their homework is specific to their spiritual needs, not yours. It’s like attending an aerobics class to slim down–others may be doing the same or similar moves in different bodies, but if you don’t move yourself, you won’t gain the benefits. You can observe others moving all you want, but if you don’t put your own energy into it, nothing’s going to happen for you.
So instead of giving you a step-by-step ritual so you can perhaps manifest what I want, I’ll walk you through my process so you can understand how to get the most out of a ritual or meditation to bring to you what you want. Are you with me? Join me, the Queen of Metaphors….
Event: New Moon–and it’s a solar eclipse.
Why elipses are important: Eclipses tend to bring big changes. What, you think I just made this up? I’ve watched it in my own life and of my loved ones for years. Look to history and how so often eclipses have been considered omens and the events that have been linked to eclipses, whether they happened as a result of a natural build-up of forces or people used the eclipse energy to force the event.
Astrologically, they tend to have the regenerative effect of Pluto conjunct a House or Planet, sometimes decimating what was there before to remove it from your life and moving you forward to rebirth that area of your life. I usually see the biggest blast from this laser-life focus of energy within 3 days of an eclipse, but sometimes, it hits exactly 30 days later. Sometimes I think of these are big erasers, slowly covering and erasing something from my past and making room to write something new.
The change is after the eclipse, not before, unlike with other conjunction patterns. Think of a massive light focused through a lens and burning across an area of your life–it will either sear it or illuminate it.
Where: The total eclipse will be seen in Canada, Greenland, the Artic, Russia, Mongolia, and China, and the partial eclipse will be seen in the Northeast US and much of Europe and Asia. Here in Florida, I do believe I’m out of luck…but that doesn’t mean I can’t use the power of this eclipse to aid me in my spiritual work.
When: 5:13 AM, Central time here in the Florida Panhandle, August 1, 2008–which means it’ll be getting ready to leave for the office. Not the best timing, but still enough time for me to step out into the grass and lift up my eyes to the heavens and acknowledge the moment–and the change I want.
Signs: This solar eclipse is the first half of a pair of Leo-Aquarius eclipses, with the lunar eclipse coming on August 16. This eclipse is in Leo–specifically at 9 Leo 32, or rounded off to 10 degrees Leo. This is important to the type of energy or influences at play. Also notable is that the Sun is in Leo and the Moon is also a New Moon in Leo. I think here in Northwest Florida, the 5:13 AM is on the Cancer-Leo cusp, so lots and lots of Leo energy.
Leo energy, to me, is that bold, courageous, me-me-me attitude, stepping out there in the spotlight, audacious and confident, exaggerated, mighty, and…playful. That’s the energy I want to attune to for my meditation.
Houses: My natal astrology chart gives me an idea of how this pair of eclipses will affect me. If you don’t believe in astrology, no problem–just consider it as a language you don’t speak and not a science or math. What patterns that have been in existence long before the English language this post is written in are in play right now? Astrology is all about patterns, personified by celestial bodies. For me, this pair of eclipses takes place in my Sixth House (work, daily life, health) in Leo and my Twelfth House (spirituality, secrets, the unknown, the subconscious) in Aquarius.
So the August 1st eclipse in Leo will be mostly felt in my daily life-work (not career)-health sector. This definitely feels right to me, especially since Shannon will be leaving for college in a few weeks and daily life will definitely change in a big way as we change from a house full of six, including summer houseguests and frequent visitors, back down to a household of two. My daily work and chores are also coming up on a big change–I can feel this, too. And my health needs a tune-up since a recent foot injury has kept me from my preferred regimen. These are areas where I want to concentrate when meditating on changes and improvements. I could focus on other areas but if I can match the energies, then it’s like getting a tail wind to give me extra mileage.
If you don’t have a natal chart already, I recommend http://www.astro.com where you can find out quickly, at no $$$.
Conjunctions: As I mentioned above, eclipse energy is like a Pluto conjunction (use the search feature in the right-hand column to look for prior posts on eclipses and conjunctions). I check my natal, or birth, chart to see if I have any planets, asteroids, etc, at 9 Leo 32 (or very close) where this eclipse will fall in my chart. In this case, I don’t. None even close. So I’ll focus on the work-health-daily life parts of my life. In the past (see prior articles), I’ve had the eclipse exact on a specific planet or my ascendant. These are like nuclear explosions in my life! With the next eclipse, the one on August 16, the eclipse will be conjunct my natal Jupiter, so I’ll be looking very closely at some expansion/business/visionary issues in my Twelfth House in a few weeks.
If you’re noting which planets you have that are “lit up” by this eclipse, the energy of the eclipse will feel like whatever qualities that planet represents are getting intense attention, whether you want it or not. For example, an Eclipse conjunct Natal Venus may mean a major shakeup in your love life or your creativity.
Length of Meditation/Ritual: Personally? I love to use the slingshot effect combined with eclipses (I do this when Mercury comes out of retrograde, too, if I need to increase or improve communications). Eclipses lasts different periods of time. I didn’t do my homework on one a while back and thought my meditation would last an hour…not four hours! I like to begin my meditation (or ritual or prayer or whatever I choose) as the eclipse begins or as the moon in a lunar eclipse is completely blotted out. I begin wrapping up my meditation when the eclipse is over or when the first glimmer of the moon shows as the lunar eclipse passes. This varies from eclipse to eclipse, depending on the purpose of my meditation. Sometimes I want to really focus on wiping out the old stuff in my life that no longer serves me, and sometimes I want to focus on the return of the light and what that means to me.
Meditation Images: In previous posts, I’ve shared my images for my own meditations and others have found them useful as well. (search meditation or ritual for those posts). I have, for several months now, been seeing the moon’s emotional energy as a river. In June, I was drawn to the idea of BRIDGES over the river of energy, connected past to a new future. WIth the July Full Moon, I was drawn to the idea of the riverbanks or walls and how they structured that emotional energy. For this August New Moon eclipse, I’m no longer paying so much attention to the river itself or the bridges or the riverbanks but now, I’m feeling playful–in a rambunctious Leo sort of way–ON the river. There is a sense of SURFING or SAILING on the river, wind in my hair, sun on my face, and just enjoying it. It’s a bold feeling that I’ll incorporate into my meditation as I find myself in that river, climbing onto a board or boat and just…having fun in my daily life…and work…and health.
Also of Note: As if these two powerhouses of change aren’t enough, about half-way–on August 6th–Mars opposes Uranus in what could be a very interesting recipe for change. If you’re needing a change, you might want to use that pattern to give you an extra boost.
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