Solar Eclipse: More Sacred Opportunity Than Spectacle

This may or may not be news to you, but there is so much hype about the upcoming Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017, that I feel compelled to share about it on a deeper level, for your consideration.

It came to my attention that the upcoming Total Eclipse of the Sun is not a “spectacle,” as it is being treated in typical Western fashion, but a sacred and powerful event. For instance, certain Native tribes share that this Eclipse is an intimate and rare encounter between the Sun, Moon, and Earth, a connection to be respected rather than “stared at.” They add, in fact, that it is "rude" to stare at it. The word that comes to mind for me is “disrespectful.” 

From a Shamanic perspective, the Total Eclipse of the Sun is a powerful and significant event, providing an opportunity for heightened awareness and positive change. Out of the light from which we are born, into the shadow of this ego-oriented reality, and back to the light of our true nature we die - a Solar Eclipse symbolizes the sacred journey of our lives.

  
Here are some other reasons why the Solar Eclipse is not only a significant opportunity, but a sacred event:

From an energetic standpoint, the Total Eclipse of the Sun signifies change, or a disruption of the norm. For instance, it is not "normal" for the Sun's light to be blocked, or to glimpse twinkling stars during the daytime, or for the Planet Earth to be cast into full shadow. The symbology of these things is intriguing.

The Total Eclipse of the Sun flips the reality of what is on its head. It is a turning over of the status quo. It rocks the energetic boat of our lives, offering a significant opportunity to reboot outdated, hurtful patterning.

This Eclipse invites us to explore the multitude of changes within ourselves, our lives, and our world that feel like a “disruption of past norms.” How do we respond to them in a way that maintains our integrity and fosters harmony or even evolution? This is the challenge; it matters not whether we feel aligned with the changes or disruptions we face. And there are many right now.

How we choose to address the changes is significant: it is the point of our personal power in terms of what we manifest in this reality. Through our choices, we can either make substantive healing and peace possible, or we can feed the wounding and chaos - within ourselves, our lives, and our world.

Just as the Earth will be cast into shadow, we, too are thrown into the shadow of our beings, our lives, and of what we have created in the world, even if only through our ignorance, apathy, or by our default membership in the Human Race. We are all responsible, since we are all energetically inseparable. 

This event invites us to look deeply inward to search out the shadow aspects of our being that we generally deny - those parts of ourselves we reject; those parts we are ashamed of and choose to keep under cover; those parts of ourselves that in some way contribute to our personal and global suffering. By bringing them into the light (of our awareness), we claim the opportunity for change, allowing us to make a different choice - to release and move beyond them to something greater for ourselves and our world, rather than continuing to hide them in the shadows of denial, fear, apathy, ignorance, or rejection.

Something powerful this way comes…

March is the perfect time to up-vibe your life!

Ready to shed Winter's chilling grip? March brings a more consistent promise of Spring than the past few fickle months (at least in Central Texas), even though we still have cold temperatures to wade through. After the Spring Equinox (March 20th), the days steadily outgrow the nights, temperatures begin to warm up, and Winter begins to lose its grip. This month we can lean  into a powerful and growthful quality of energy that continues through June.

March offers us a particularly high vibration because things that have rested dormant for months begin to awaken. Trees prepare to blossom, flowers start to emerge, grass begins to grow, baby animals and birds are born; the activity of life is everywhere! We can't miss the power and determination of life force energy taking form all around us, and we can tap this vibe to nourish our own visions into form.

Perhaps you spent some time this Winter in contemplation and planning. Your thoughts have already seeded your ideas into the soils of your Being. They are dormant and resting there, ready to be coaxed forth just like the wildflowers in Spring. Now it is time to feed your seeds of inspiration with attention, energy and action so they can sprout roots and grow into something vibrant in your life.

How can you nourish your fledgling inspirations and ideas? What do they need in order to take root? What do you need to feel nourished and to take root into something different? March offers you a powerful opportunity to meet these questions with answers. Try these five ways to tap this month's energy and up-vibe your life:

• Shake off Winter. As the days grow longer and get warmer, allow yourself to start shedding your Winter clothes. It may not be time to put them all away, but you can certainly let the strengthening Sun touch your skin whenever possible, especially your face. Like a snake shedding its skin, shifting from Winter to Spring is a deliberate and slow process. Take your time yet allow the energy of Winter to begin to shed from your Being, day by day. Let the growing sunshine outside remind you of your inner Sun and its growing power, ready to birth something wonderful and new into form. Let your inner Sun warm your chilly bones and prepare the soils of your Being to nourish any gifts you choose to bring into your life at this time.
• Look outside. March is a good month to shift your attention from inside to outside. As the weather softens, you can literally spend more time outside rather than inside. The same is true with yourself: spend more time looking outside for what actions are needed rather than inside at your ideas. It's time to focus your energy on movement and action rather than ideas. Take steps to give your plans concrete form, like a seed that sprouts roots into the soil.
• Strengthen your roots. Birthing new gifts into form takes commitment, stamina and stability. You must stay the course when things get tricky. Build your inner commitment, stamina and stability by strengthening your roots - your sense of foundation, capacity and resources. On a practical level, get organized, get the details lined out and get the support you need behind you. On an energetic level, root into the soils of the Earth. Bare your feet on warm sunny days and through them, reconnect to the ground beneath you. Imagine roots of light and energy connecting you to the Earth through the bottoms of your feet like a plant's roots and breathe that light and energy into the core of your Being. Let it fill and nourish you; feel held, supported and stabilized by the Spirit of the whole of Earth.
• Nourish your seeds of intent. The ideas you had during the introspective Winter months are seeded and ready to root. Give them your love and attention in service to your life, as the Sun gives the cold ground its love and attention in service to the renewing plant life resting there. Warm them with your energy and hold them in your heart as important, living creatures sprouting into form for your pleasure!
• Be creative. There is nothing you can imagine that can't be done. It may not be done NOW, but it can always be done. Someone, somewhere will find a way; they will take what you start and finish it. Think beyond the parameters of your own life and into the larger whole of life, for whatever you plant now has potential to grow into something beautiful for us all.