The Only Way Out is Through: Emo New Moon Solar Eclipse in Libra
Once the storm is over, you won't even remember how you made it though. But when you are out of it, you won't be the same person who walked in. And that's what this eclipse season is all about.
Hi Friend,
A year went by fast, we started this newsletter last year on a Libra New Moon. Thank you for sticking around, your support means the world to me.
You know, Earth is a truly amazing place, it is the only place in the known galaxy where we get to see a total eclipse because the diameter of the Moon in the sky and the diameter of the Sun in the sky are almost exactly the same. In most other worlds, the Moons of the planet would be smaller or bigger. But here on Earth, they just line up and we get that incredible crown.
And that tells us something important – that the Moon and the Sun are equal, at least from Earth’s perspective in diameter. And immediately we begin to think of the basic dualities of the universe, of yin and yang, of hot and cold, of wet and dry, of night and day, of inner and outer, The Moon represents half of that entire gestalt.
But we don’t give them equal attention. Most people know their Sun signs (their identity, their jobs, achievements, etc.) We don’t give the Moon (our feelings) the same kind of importance. As children, we were asked, what do you want to be when you grow up? and if your answer was “I want to be happy.” the teacher would tell you— you didn’t get the assignment. But maybe leaning too heavily on our Sun identities shows us that we don’t get Life’s assignment.
The world is a hard place this October.
My heart hurts for what’s happening to a nation of people, half of them are children, who have been trapped, starved, dehumanized, and now bombed inside of a colonial occupation that urgently needs our attention and care. And I know you follow this page for the astrology, not my politics. But please, stay with me. It is related because “as above and so below.” And, I believe that you are also feeling the collective grief and the suffering of the planet that is hard to process. As we enter eclipse season, things are gonna get more chaotic and escalate because we are not taught to work with our feelings. So we get out of control and hurt each other.
And when things are tough, we like to know when it is gonna be over, when the question should be, what can I do?
While it’s hard to prepare for chaos, eclipses aren’t inherently good or evil events— It is our avoidance and neglect of our human condition and feelings that make us haywire. Eclipses offer a chance to see and bring more alignment with them.
But it is overwhelming to see all the suffering in our world, especially if you are compassionate people. But if we don’t process the grief, or work with the feelings, they do paralyze us.
So allow yourself to feel wholeheartedly and broken-heartedly, with all of our beings. We hold our hearts open to feel it all because the only way out is through.
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Intense Libra New Moon Solar Eclipse
Welcome to the new moon in Libra — solar eclipse edition.
Libra is a peace-loving, in general, and justice-seeking sign, where you have Libra in your birth chart, you have more of a diplomatic approach in that area of life.
Libra isn’t a “Good Vibes Only” sign. What Libra teaches us is the interconnection between and within us, that nothing happens in isolation, everything is relational to each other. When you have an imbalance somewhere, it will have an impact on the well-being of the whole. A Libra new moon is an invitation to seek out disharmonious aspects and address them in our lives. It’s intimidating. It does take courage to stand up for peace. And how you are in a relationship? And Is this a surface-level peace? As we all know, “Peacefulness” can be a mask of dishonesty, but we feel the undercurrent of unrest. With a Libra New Moon, we’re encouraged to negotiate a better deal — which is fair for everybody involved.
A new moon is effective for about a month, but an eclipse has six months. So it is to say, you do not need to rush into action. Let it come to you. Eclipses are emotional typhoons, you don’t clean up in the middle of the storm and you also don’t start planting seeds in your garden either. You may get something later but you might also get knocked down by the debris. So don’t do any manifestation work during an eclipse, for you wild witches out there. Instead, you should find a safe spot, keep an eye on the storm, let it pass, and see what is there to do.
Eclipses obscure the light, the life energy is being interrupted and it sounds scary. And on some level, they bring intensity, peaks, and acceleration to our lives. And what to do when fate knocks on the door? It’s difficult to outrun fate, So you open the door, let it in, if you are nice and polite— offer a cup of tea and see what it wants of you. We don’t try to control the energy, we work with it.
New Moon Solar Eclipse in 21˚ Libra 07’ on October 15, 2023, at 1:54 am Hong Kong time.
This is an intense new moon. October is a big emo month. And when we are emo we do weird things to ourselves and others because we’re just trying to feel better.
New Moon in Libra / the nodes square Pluto in Capricorn.
Libra is a relational sign, and because all things are in relationships with each other it’s gonna have an impact on human relationships. And when we’re in conflict with someone, it’s kind of like a sore. And if you don’t acknowledge them, and cover it up with a bandage, they get infected and bigger. And this new moon, with the help of Pluto in Capricorn, things may get extreme because it can feel like it is about survival and power struggles, how do you negotiate with your boss or CEO of the company or the head of state? There is an obvious imbalance here, but there is always something we can do. Pluto on this chart also squares the nodes, and the nodes represent an evolutionary change. You don’t have to be an activist, but you don’t have to be a victim either. There are other roles you can play in the negotiation in the stream of change. Pluto is transformative, roll with the energy.
Venus in Virgo opposite Saturn in Pisces
Venus is the ruler of this New Moon, and traditionally, Virgo is not Venus’ happy place because its nature is to get along and be liked. Venus is Virgo is the feminist—it is more concerned with what’s right and wrong than being liked. Venus here does not overindulge with pleasure. Venus here is the warrior princess, fighting against injustice. Saturn, traditionally, does not love being Pisces either. Because Saturn is about boundaries, foundation, and structure, and it’s hard to do that in moving water.
So their opposition to each other is interesting. Two planets in dire situations are in conflict, which can trigger major insecurity and loneliness. But it can also bring creative solutions because the limitation crushes our hope for perfection and to do hard things. Both Virgo and Pisces are the signs of devotion, so perhaps, it will require sacrifice in the exchange and activate our special power that weren’t aware of before. “The answer is love!” or something similar theme as they conclude at the end of The Sailor Moon.
Further down the road, Mars is coming to an applying opposition to Jupiter (peaks at the of October with the Lunar Eclipse in Taurus ) you feel the pressure building up to make a drastic change, make a move, and take a stand. Sometimes it indicates rash action. I’m telling you now so you don't jump to conclusion and do something you might regret later. Mercury will be traveling with Mars for the next few months, it's not
A lot is going on with this solar eclipse, so emo, so overwhelming and so hard. The only way out is through. The world is a hard place these days and I say this all the time but it’s worth saying again that not everyone will be impacted the same way by the eclipse— if you are fine and dandy and in the position to help and offer support, please do. Nobody is an island. Nobody is free until all of us are free.
Questions/journal prompts for reflection on the Libra Solar Eclipse:
- Conflict can be a path to peace. If fighting is inevitable, can I show up to the fight with grace and fairness?
- When the world feels impossible, horrific, and lonely, how can stay true to myself and my values?
- What am I willing to sacrifice/let go for my real needs and value?
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Muscular Hope
"I talk about hope being a muscle.It’s not wishful thinking, and it’s not idealism. It’s not even a belief that everything will turn out OK. It’s an imaginative leap, which is what I’ve seen in people like John Lewis and Jane Goodall.
These are people who said: 'I refuse to accept that the world has to be this way. I am going to throw my life and my pragmatism and my intelligence at this insistence that it could be different and put that into practice.'
That’s a muscular hope.
So, to your question, I don’t always feel robustly hopeful. Depression is something I’ve struggled with. I’ve found the world an unbearable place for months at a time in the last two years. But at the same time I don’t feel like there’s a place in my work for my despair."
Read the full interview
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Techno Music from Palestine
The last track is called— NO WAR.
This video featured a side of Palestine we didn’t get to see often. My hope is we remember their humanity and we get to see them and event like this again —Beautiful people dancing and having a good time, being themselves, and surprisingly no phones. I’m rarely in a techno mood, but this set is amazing and has great energy.
Here is an interview with Sama Abdulhadi if you want to learn more.
-That’s it for this new moon solar eclipse, I hope you’re kind to yourself and others.
Sending you all extra love and my best, Wai.