Facing Towards the Eclipse & Beyond
{~7 minute read... or listen to me speak about even more here on our new podcast!}
Hello to you as you are in this moment.
My hope is that this bi-weekly Moonletter meets you well exactly where you are, and is a reminder of your inherent enoughness and interconnection to the whole. Inspired by the framework of Cyclical Mindfulness, this space is both a practice for myself and an offering for you. May you take what resonates from these musings, inspirations, and creations, and leave the rest behind.
Pause into the present
These past weeks I've created, cried, hiked & meditated for 5 days straight on a pre-planned retreat, watched the leaves fall, given gratitude, prayed for justice...
When I went outside today, I was not greeted by the curious red squirrel or the raven. The forest was full of silent sympathy and a cautious distance kept between. They did not blame me, but they have a growing distrust and concern for our species. The soil sent signals from Lewiston to our town and all around the state - mycelial awareness of the pain, suffering and causality. We never endure alone as parts of the whole.
The season of change reminds me that our foundational practices are essential to remaining present through it all.
Sometimes when I'm feeling everything, I feel this saran-wrap layer on top of it all that makes it seem like I have nothing to say or share or do that is impactful enough. The opposite is true, but it's the voice of anxiety and perfectionism that holds me back.
The indecision of Libra season - the struggle of the archetype which blockades true justice - has passed me by and now exists this Scorpio season, not in polarization but instead in a clear voice for the need for liberation.
First, I want to invite you into a Practice that might help with any overwhelm you may be feeling right now.
A Cyclical Mindfulness Practice for Collective Care:
- I ground into my humanity, I wait to respond, I root into my resources and foundational practices - caring for myself so that my nervous system does not burn out.
- I feel the weight of it all; the grief, the suffering of others, the calling to action by the breaking open of hearts. It is heavy, but I can hold it when I open to knowing I am not alone.
- I allow there to be uncertainty in times of change and crisis. Through this space and surrender, I can trust the cycles and listen for the right way to engage.
- I reflect & respond as I rise from this place of internal support into action - I offer what I can, and trust that even the smallest of acts counts as we work to create collective justice.
If you'd like to go deeper with this method of practice, you can find our Cyclical Mindfulness Guide here.
Notice the cycles
Current cycles and energy... (astrologically, earthly, bodily, communally, collectively...)
You KNOW we're in eclipse season, if it wasn't already obvious in the collective (which is where these transiting nodal themes are focused).
Our Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in the Earth sign of Taurus exacts at 4:24 pm EST on Sunday, October 28th.
(If you're reading this at a much later time, it's still relevant to reflect on your life around this time / season, especially in comparison to what's happening now.)
As always, this peak of the lunation cycle is just that; the energy of a transit affects our collective before and after this moment as well. Additionally, we continue to integrate the lessons of a transit well after it shifts - whether we're aware of it or not.
The sun is in Scorpio, opposing this full moon. Almost never alone in the starry sky, our sun is joined by mercury, mars, the south node and asteroid Ceres. The moon is joined by Jupiter and the north node. This opposition is full of both personal ignition in the subconscious depths of our emotional bodies, as well as collective expansion towards a deeper truth and the values we are devoted to living out.
To me this combination of planets, stars, signs and nodes says that nothing exists alone, and that whether there is heaviness there is also support through density, gravity, and connectivity.
This full moon in Taurus roots us back into our values, our sense of worthiness rooted in our and every human's bones.
Scorpio can feel like obscuration, but when we lift the veil we find space for inspiration. Yes, even in the shadows, it exists.
So what does it mean to face towards this eclipse, the eclipsed parts of ourselves and our world?
We must face inwards to our deepest needs. And, at the end of the day it's not just about us, it's about place-based right to exist.
With Taurus rising from the Earth, and Scorpio looming deep beneath, we are asked to face the unfaceable in the Middle East & beyond. And how is this done but with our hearts and insight?
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." - James Baldwin
In times of overwhelm when we feel no personal action could possibly make a difference, this is the signal that this is when YOU are needed most. In whatever way, in whatever capacity.
Standing up against injustice is not radical, it's relational and reciprocal. It's what we can do, no matter our beliefs, to help the innocent from being harmed in the line of corrupted politics.
After you've grounded yourself, I'd like to invite you into a potential actionable step if you, too, believe in liberation for all humans and to stop genocide.
If you can only spare a minute, it counts.
Each of these takes about a minute (+/-) to do and costs nothing. Please consider if...
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You could CEASEFIRE to 51905
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You could Sign this petition
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You could Submit templated emails to congress
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You could Say a prayer (not limited to any religion or spiritual belief system, but open to all who have something to speak or recite from their heart)
If you can spare financial support even in small amounts:
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If you are able to, Fund-forwarding through receiving a supportive tool for yourself: We're donating 30% of proceeds of sales of our Cyclical Mindfulness Guide to the PCRF emergency fund for innocent Palestinian people (50% of which are children).
Cyclical Mindfulness™ is as a tool that can help us individually not burn out in flight/fight/freeze mode at this time, so we can show up for collective awareness and response.
My hope it that this guided meditation & digital guidebook can support you as a part of your toolkit in these times and beyond.
This offering is useful and relevant in many (or any) ungrounding or uncertain situations (from your menstrual cycle, to mental health, to personal/collective/communal trauma triggers). These are simple, tangible ways we can remember our inherent resources and be able to show up more wholly in the present. They are not the whole picture, but they can be part of your whole.
I believe in justice and freedom for the people of Palestine. I stand in solidarity with all oppressed communities and innocent people who are harmed by the choices of their governments, including Jewish people. I empathize for all communities and peoples who endure the trauma from the choices of unjust systems of power and militarized governments. I acknowledge that no action is perfect, but I believe in doing something rather than nothing.
We try not because we know what will happen, but because we know what is possible.
To act out of what is possible is not idealistic, it's prolific.
This is part of how we break ancestral trauma, patterns of harm, and build a better future for humanity - for ourselves, the children of the present & future and beyond, and all beings on this planet.
As Tema Okun teaches us, "perfectionism is a product of white supremacy". This made me reflect on how I believe perfectionism does not exist in the spirit realm. Therefore, at our most essential level, it is obsolete and we must find other ways of living that are not hyper-critical but humbly human.
Please do what you can in this important time in presently-unfolding history. I hope this comes off not as pressure or dogma, but as helpful possible steps and support.
Then rest, release, keep hope, cry, repeat. At least that's what I'll be trying to do.
Allow it to be felt & seen
Behind the scenes of creativity / reflections on recently...
- I've been working on the Embodied Ecosystems Tarot Deck but am working on sharing more of my behind the scenes :) Let me know if you'd like to see more by commenting on IG @embodiedecosystems!
- We're also having a Samhain/Halloween sale through the end of month. Right now our undated notebooks, pollinator patches, & more are 30% off~
Reflect & Release
*Invitations for you to sit with - you can pull cards about these, meditate on them, and/or reflect in your undated notebook (which are 30% off right now!)
- What is surfacing for you?
- What is eclipsing you / weighing heavy beneath the surface?
- How can you support yourself to allow for emergence or relief?
- What values do you wish to live out?
- What do you love about the land you live on? What does it have to say to you?
- What is your one small thing to you can do to help (ideally) today?
Gratefully connected,
Rachael Amber (they/she)
Creator of Cycles Journal / Cyclical Roots
All words, photographs and artwork are by Rachael unless quoted or otherwise stated. You're welcome to share (for non-commercial reasons only) so long as credit / links remain attached! Thanks for supporting living artists <3
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