The Sun, Moon, and Christmas Star Invite You to Journey Within
“Solitude is for me a fount of healing which makes my life worth living. Talking is often a torment for me, and I need many days of silence to recover from the futility of words.” --Carl Jung
Last month the full Beaver moon passed the earth in a partial lunar eclipse, bringing with it energy so potent and powerful that you may have felt you were in a pressure cooker. It was the longest eclipse of its kind in 580 years. Another one like it won’t occur until 2669.
Personally, I felt the intense energy of the lunar eclipse as a sense of being slightly drunk. Some of my clients reported feeling vertigo, like earth energy was spinning them.
There are typically three to seven eclipses each year, so they are not necessarily rare, but they are always powerful. Eclipses serve as checkpoints and illuminate our karmic paths.
A lunar eclipse is about contracting. Its darkness represents a turning within. The more we resist its energy, the more disruptive it will be. This is true in life, too. When we don’t listen to the quiet whispers that emanate from the dark corners of our souls, those messages will become louder and more painful until we can’t avoid them.
This shout of the soul can look like a thrown-out back, an illness, a broken relationship, or financial strain. These stressors urge us to align with our intuition and wisdom and give ourselves permission to do our inner work.
And if that celestial shake-up wasn’t enough, we are experiencing a total solar eclipse on December 5, the only one to occur in 2021. This brings with it the energy of new beginnings and opportunities.
We are also in the season of Advent! Advent means coming back to the arrival of light, or the coming of something important. It’s the preparation of a New Beginning. One of the practices of Advent includes putting up a Christmas tree with a star on top, symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem. It was this star that guided the wise men toward a miracle. It continues to represent the light that shows up in our darkness, that circles with us each year and takes us deeper.
One of my favorite songs is the Circle Game by Joni Mitchell:
Yesterday a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game….
Rudolf Steiner described Advent as a journey of going inward, a time of higher vibration. If we pay attention, it can be a time to tap into our own higher wisdom, and the light of God.
Oftentimes this journey requires us to feel our way through darkness and uncertainty. I keep hearing the word vulnerable. When I think of being vulnerable, I think of being in the unknown, and that is one of the hardest places to be.
Just a few weeks ago, my daughter and I were in Boulder, Colorado touring a college and there was a moment when we got lost. We had to be somewhere so I became agitated, but it was deeper than that. I hate being lost and always have! Finally Else turned to me and said, “Mom, you’re taking the joy of this.”
She was right, and her words reminded me to slow down, take a breath, and pay attention.
Disruptions of any kind have the power to take us deeper into ourselves. If we can stay anchored in the breath, it will be our guide, helping us to balance our inner and outer conversations.
As we continue into this season of darkness, remember that it’s safe to retreat and know that the work is happening. Nature reaffirms this truth, year after year. Outside, things look dead but roots are working hard to prepare for the manifestation of the spring. The soul is similar. If we allow ourselves to retreat, then our souls can prepare for the new beginning.
And if we need any more reminders to pause and welcome our inward journey, we can look to the skies, to the sun, moon, and the Christmas star, and ask:
What is my body really needing for the new year?
What do I need to let go of for the new beginning to evolve?
Where do I turn for solitude? How often do I go there?
What does my fount of healing look like?
Wishing you blessings as you enjoy this holiday season of introspection and joy!