Eclipsed

Cosmic phenomena and internal dynamics.

Gently, gently, gently…

This is, has been, and needs to be my motto right now.

In response to natural and programmed chaos, I slow down. Way down. Even slower. Slower than that… There.

My mind woke me rattling on about a recent regret, a situation where I lost my temper with someone dear to me and a deep wound surfaced whichI am not sure what to do with—mine or theirs. They are complimentary. Pursuing and picking are not the way we heal. Running a burn scar over an open flame does not cauterize the tissue; it further peels it back exposing the rawness.

Coolness, calm, gentleness and soothing are how we go about mending things damaged in ‘states’ of agitation. Slowing down, way down is how we return to ourselves when we have been hurt or traumatized. And not taking action when action is not clear, is often how we prevent ourselves from causing further harm. 

“It’s okay to wait.” A soft, wise voice whispers. “There’s no need to rush. One thing at a time.”

In the months previously, while having small children in my home, I focused on establishing a ‘one thing at a time’ policy with my 4-year-old granddaughter. This helped her focus, complete a meal, or any other task for that matter. It helped her unwind her overly stimulated nervous system. I apply this same practice to myself as well. It helps with ADD-like tendencies. It helps me stay present instead of future tripping or moping on past occurrences. It also helps keep us safe. Me, her, you…us.

Our bodies only exist in this moment though they store events from long before we were even born in our cells and DNA. Trauma is the effect of too much happening too quickly for our systems to process. It is the imprint of pain and overwhelm without space and context. When we slow down and observe our internality as well as the world around us, we bring current context to past content. We infuse cellular chaos with current sanity.

An eclipse is one celestial body on top of another (allegedly) . Some people argue this, and I am not going to get into that here. Neither am I qualified to talk astronomy or astrology on this subject; those are not my ‘languages’. What I share is layman observations from one who pays attention and communes deeply with everything.

On top of the earth and sun orbits superimposing each other today, there are other shenanigans afoot with the celestial bodies: a planet in retrograde and an uncommon comet making an appearance. If you have been paying attention to the news, this is predicted to cause disturbances in the collective ‘stream’: phone outages, possible supply interruptions, rocket launches! travel disturbances, and other suggested tomfoolery. Whereas this may or may not be true, the predictive programming is strong with this event, as is the fear mongering. The effect in our systems can feel very similar to that of trauma. We may feel hyper-vigilant, tired, agitated or, on the other side, we may feel more creative, inspired, or ‘connected’. No wrong or right way, but today, even more so than others, mindfulness is our friend.

The systems that control information today are not that dissimilar from the ones that controlled it in the times of our ancestors. The priests and scholarly classes of the time had tools and education to foresee events such as these and—based on their own bias and or political motivations— ‘served up’ information and interpretations that best suited their own motivations.

Events that capture collective attention are both ‘magic’ and psychological warfare. 

Therefore wherever we are—regardless of what we believe about the world, its proprietary systems or even the interpretations of celestial events today—the day of the solar eclipse—is a good day to shelter your psyche. It’s a good day to resist conflict and, or know-it-allism. It’s a good day to turn inward and hold to what is steadfast inside you.

Eclipses are often associated with chaos magic. This, as a conscious practice, involves  surrendering to the void that which no longer works for us be that relationships, identities, or old habits—and it is the renewal of that which is essential.

Coincidentally, surrendering to the recovery of what is essential within and around us is truly at the heart of trauma recovery. This feels like letting the layers, wrappings, and constructs we have formed around ourselves fall away, be blown away, and sometimes even be aggressively dismantled from around us. Sometimes we agree willingly to these processes of ‘revealing’, sometimes they seem to be foisted upon us by ‘forces’ outside of our control, and sometimes surrendering control is exactly what needs to happen.

Today, with those celestial bodies doing their ancient dance above us, it feels like a good day to go in, turn within, wave like the willow, and churn like the seas. Root into your own body, the body of the Mamma, and trust that what is essential will remain.

Love,

~Justice