Light in the Dark: Lunar Eclipse Spiritual Work
“We know that the wildest and most moving dramas are played not in the theatre but in the hearts of ordinary men and women who pass by without exciting attention, and who betray to the world nothing of the conflicts that rage within them except possibly by a nervous breakdown. What is so difficult for the layman to grasp is the fact that in most cases the patients themselves have no suspicion whatever of the internecine war raging in their unconscious. If we remember that there are many people who understand nothing at all about themselves, we shall be less surprised at the realization that there are also people who are utterly unaware of their actual conflicts.” — Carl Jung “Psychology and Religion” (1938). In CW 11: Psychology and Religion: West and East. P.131
Macrocosm : Microcosm
It is Friday, May 5th, 2023. If Nature is a book that can be read, we can learn from everything we perceive, even natural phenomena.
The most recent dramatic astrological activity may be mirrored in the microcosm. The Scorpio moon lunar eclipse (today) due to interaction with a Sun in Taurus can be a great opportunity for personal revelation.
Scorpio and Taurus are headstrong signs anyway — their dance is emotional and intense. The polarity of sun and moon suggests a particularly potent blend.
Eclipses are generally a great time to dive into shadow work. The symbolism of the bright moon going dark very readily translates to a “dark night of the soul” or walk “through the valley of the shadow of death.”
Of course, you may not want to dive in. I certainly don’t. I want light, light, and more light. That is why I go to mass multiple times a week, eat healthy food, take walks in the sunshine, and speak kind words to myself.
I want nice experiences, nice exchanges that make me feel good, security, safety, love, peace, joy, and butterflies too. All the light side stuff.
The Lord bless you and keep you.; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. — Numbers 6:24-25
Everyone Has a Dark Side
However, everyone has a shadow. In fact, if we look at mythology or creators in general, we see that those with penetrating light can also have very heavy dark. Creatives who work with light energy to bring inspiration to life, notoriously struggle with demons like substance abuse, rocky romantic & family lives, depression, and anxiety.
If you have a marriage partner or significant other, guess what? You’re not just joined to each other’s light sides- your dark sides are involved in a sort of dance as well.
And so, shadow work inevitably happens. Something hidden comes to light. This revelation provokes the other person’s shadow or “pain body.”
Whatever is repressed comes flooding through. The fear, the anxiety, the dread. Suddenly, you’ve got an intense energy on your hands.
This energy can literally make you shake, sick to your stomach, and give you insomnia or bad dreams. This energy can express itself in many ways.
It is not what anyone wants to feel.
So the temptation is to run away from what seems to be causing it.
People run away from pain by numbing out, retaliating, or leaving the relationship.
The thing is, if you run away without learning the lesson, the cycle will perpetuate itself.
Take The Medicine
To learn the lesson, you have to take the medicine and face the shadow.
You have to sit out the bad feelings. You have to breathe through the pain.
You may have to have difficult conversations.
You may have to set boundaries.
You may have to take responsibility to work on yourself.
You may have to learn to care for yourself in a new way.
You may have to travel through a dark night of the soul.
It may feel difficult to talk to God. It may feel difficult to talk to anyone.
You may suddenly be overwhelmed with all the shortcomings and wrong turns.
The darkness can be intoxicating, in and of itself.
Even though the pain feels bad, sometimes we keep it around by telling stories to ourselves.
We do this when we tell ourselves or others we are passive victims.
We do this when we don’t find a lesson or greater truth.
We do this when we wallow in the shadow for too long.
Don’t stay in the dark.
Look for the Light
Look for the light.
Let it in, even if it’s just a tiny bit. Open up just a tiny bit.
Watch a video that inspires you.
Listen to a Ted Talk.
Read a book of wisdom.
Call someone who loves you unconditionally.
Talk to a neutral person.
Go for a walk.
Turn on some music.
Light a candle and say a prayer.
Bless yourself with holy water.
Go to the beach and literally soak up the sun.
Know that you are going to reap the gifts of this work.
Know that eclipses don't last forever…in fact, they only last for a moment in the cosmic scheme of things.
Things can’t always be sunshine, rainbows, hugs, and kisses, but you can transmute the dark you encounter to a new form of energy: inspiration.
You can be inspired by the dance between light and shadow.
You have everything within you to weather it all and emerge, soul shining.
And it will be worth it.
