Just after Sun shifts into Virgo on September 16th, the full Moon in Pisces occurs with a penumbral lunar eclipse. This eclipse ends the unusually long eclipse portal that began on August 18th with an “almost” lunar eclipse. At the time of the full Moon (Purnima), the Moon has barely entered Pisces and will be under a degree- literally propping open the door between Aquarius and Pisces. This sandhi Moon is in very fragile and vulnerable territory, yet extremely spiritual as well.

The penumbral lunar eclipse on the 16th will be visible in much of Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, Western South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Arctic and Antarctica. It will not touch North America. The eclipse will begin at 10:54 am MDT, ending at 14:53 MDT. The maximum eclipse will occur at 12:54 pm MDT. From a Vedic perspective, it is not advised to be outside during the eclipse. Stay covered if you have to be out and about- especially your head and eyes. As the eclipse portal comes to a close, a release process is taking place. This may take several more days or weeks to integrate fully.

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As you move through this eclipse portal cycle, integrating and digesting the powerful themes of this shadowed time, there will be strong emotional body waves activated. This is a cleansing cycle, a time to move out grief and harvest rich inner wisdom that has long been covered up by your shadow. Use this Tapping Meditation as a resource for uncovering your emotional body pain, so you can find the needs underneath the big feelings. Then follow up with the Creative Ritual below. Attend to the space you've created with consciousness and presence.

Step One:

Grief Tapping Meditation

Step Two:

Awakening Inner Space ~ Creative Ritual

We worked a lot in this Space Clearing the Heart Workshop with noticing the internal landscape, what is arriving. As we continued to cultivate inner presence during the class, I asked you to notice the space within your body. Where do you feel more space in the body? Where does this space arrive within you? How does it feel? This space within is ripe with potential and possibility. It is fragile and vulnerable, but also very powerful. This creative ritual will help you continue to cultivate a relationship with this inner space.

1) Using craypas, paints or pencils, create an image of the space you are cultivating a relationship with. What does this space feel like within you? Create an image that expresses this feeling using colors, textures and shapes. Allow 10 to 20 minutes at minimum for this image. Title your image.

2) Use your image to inspire a movement exploration. Let your body move in response to your space image. Use the intention of "moving with this feeling of space in the body". What sensations emerge for you during your dance? What awareness? Allow 5 to 10 minutes for this movement exploration. I encourage you to extend this time frame as you recycle this process.

* If you are in an acute grief phase, you may wish to simply hold a shape in the body, to mirror your space image, rather than move the image.

3) Harvesting. In your journal answer these questions:
I am, I want, I need, I sense, I feel, I imagine.

How do you want to attend to this space within? What is your intention?
What am I opening to? What am I closing to?

With the August full Moon on the 18th, a series of very challenging planetary transits occur within an unusual eclipse portal. There isn't a sign that won't be effected by these challenges, though the effects will of course be different for each person.

The tight conjunction of Saturn and Mars in Scorpio has been provoking tests, lessons and all out war, since Mars began his Scorpio transit late February of this year. He has since danced back into Libra and returned to Scorpio to finish off his tempestuous battle with his enemy, Saturn. Mars will not leave Scorpio officially until September 17th, when most of us will finally get to take a long sigh of relief.

This battle between opposing forces is occurring in the vulnerable sign of Scorpio, digging up your deepest, darkest and most challenging personal mythology. It's not a time to be lackadaisical. This cycle requires deep personal development work and requests your willingness for transformation and healing. The turmoil is especially challenging for Scorpio's as this conflict is happening in their head. Equally challenged for Taurus, as relationships and the mirror of the self is being directly impacted. Remedial measures like yagyas are essential for these individuals.

Saturn is now direct, thankfully, but that doesn't necessarily ease the impact of the Saturn/Mars conjunction. Read more about Saturn in Scorpio.

Mars and Saturn are opposite energies and are aggravating decisions, choices and actions at this time. Since the end of July, Mars and Saturn entered into the 10 degree range of each other, which increases the challenges between these warring factions. As of the August full Moon on the 18th, Mars and Saturn have moved to only a few degrees a part. Mars will be crossing Saturn and move on top of the planet of grief until he finally arrives on the other side of Saturn on August 25th. At that point, the warrior planet of action will in fact be moving away from Saturn, though it will take another week before the effects are actually felt. But it will actually take until mid September for a much deeper relief to arrive.

During this intense conjunction between the planet of deep suffering and the planet of warrior action, there will also be an unusual eclipse portal occurring simultaneously. This will greatly impact the effects of this intense planetary positioning. Eclipses bring shadows to the surface and provoke a certain intensity that can't be overlooked. Darkness must come to the light, but not without facing pain and suffering directly. This eclipse portal is especially connected to self expression and visibility. Themes will be surfacing around being seen, noticed and honored. Your self worth and deservability will be questioned as well as issues connected to courage and bravery. The arts will be a potent resource for your transformation and healing during this month long eclipse portal. Use your creativity as a way to transform and re-shape your personal mythology.

Understand that this is a potent cycle of moving through grief and using your grief as a resource for awakening. Due to the challenges that will be provoked and stirred, your suffering will be impacted directly. This is a time to be consciously working with your shadow and how this impacts your ability to receive what you need in life. Grief will be moving through you- whether you're consciously aware of it or not. Grief that is yours and grief that is ancestral. How will you respond to these emotional waves? Will you lean in closer and allow them to move, or will you suppress, avoid and negate them? In order to actually release the pain, you must allow the inner waters to move.

I'll be sharing a lot more resources for supporting your grief process in the coming days and weeks. Grief is in fact your most potent tool for awakening and transforming your darkness into light. Join me for an embodied grief class.