In this moment I find myself near Malaga, Spain, warm breezes and gentle waves the looping background soundtrack. The other noise I hear is collective overwhelm. Our world is overflowing with suffering.
Noted Buddhist teacher Sharon Salzberg posted a powerful image on Instagram the other day. Line after line simply read: “meditation doesn’t replace action.”
This resonated deeply with me.
Meditation and spiritual practice are meant to ground and empower us so we can be part of the effort to relieve suffering. Meditation strengthens our soul sense so we can be embodied more fully.
Also, to be clear, astrology isn’t a spiritual path and intuition isn’t a religion.
Yet, all of these tools can help us make sense of the world at large, and can assist us to find our own path. We live this path to cultivate the potential to find meaning and balance.
The astrology points us to an intense eclipse season. Eclipses indicate periods of strong life activity, moving us to our next steps.
Last Saturday we experienced a powerful Solar Eclipse in the relationship/balance sign of Libra.
On a personal level, this eclipse activates the need to cultivate peace and balance within ourselves, and to let go of habits of dissipating our energy for others in a way that is “too much.”
Pluto forms a stressful square to the Aries and Libra nodal polarities, and with Mars in Scorpio nestled into the Libra South Node, intensity was pretty much unavoidable. A violent attack and counter-attack is sadly not unexpected.
As above, so below. As in the world macrocosm, we find themes in our personal microcosm.
Have you noticed any new ideas or decisions percolating since Saturday, or even in the last few weeks?
You might also reflect on October of 2004 when a near identical eclipse occurred. What changed in your life then… or in the spring of 2005?
Right now we are nestled between Saturday’s Solar Eclipse and a Lunar Eclipse on October 28th. This will be the last one in the Taurus/Scorpio theme of the past couple of years.
This Full Moon Eclipse boasts a Sun in Scorpio and the Moon in Taurus at 5 degrees, also affecting early degrees of Leo and Aquarius. (for Sun signs, this will be when your birthday is in the first 10 days of the sign)
It is a time to consider if we have let go of unnecessary complications in our lives, and found some deep, comforting, grounded security? Maybe some new ideas about care of the body and our earth.
We are asked to expand ease and safety for ourselves, and for others where we have the power to contribute to extended communities.
Scorpio asks us to walk the fire and feel true power, letting go of needless karmic repetitive patterns steeped in fear or control.
Meditation is not action, but meditation can clarify the actions we need to take for ourselves and the world.
All in all, this October is a pivot point. Out of the darkness, together we can breathe love into the Light.