New Moon Solar Eclipse in Aries
A Ritual for a Breakthrough + New Moon Download
Sorry folks, no voice over for today as I’m already wayyyyyy late to leave for a work trip. [A week long Somatics workshop! I try to integrate bodywork as much as I can into my client sessions because it’s just so much more effective than just talking]. But! I wanted to get this out to you before I left so I hope you enjoy!
Initiates!
Should you work magic on an eclipse?
Many people say no. They say the energy is too volatile. Only masochists would use nitroglycerin and dynamite in their love potion. (Which, hello? Been there).
Eclipse energy is volatile because…
… one of the most ancient and fundamental principles of astrology is that light is life. The luminaries – the Sun and Moon – are the life principle, so when they are eclipsed, the life principle is disrupted.
In Ancient times, the health of the King was tantamount to the health of the nation. The King was the embodiment of the people, like a mascot to the power of 10 (that could order people around and tax them). Eclipses portended the death of Kings, and, at least by the powerful people in the court, that was not considered a good thing.
But for us, it’s different.
In astrology, the Sun is our Daimon, an enduring, bountiful force, often expressed through our ego (the way we see ourselves, and the way we want to be seen).
The Moon is, among other things, the changeability of life, it speaks to our fortune, what has influenced us, and our circumstances. Also it refers to our unconscious mind, our patterns and our habits.
So, when the Moon eclipses the Sun, our life force and ego is blotted out by our unconscious habits, our fortunes change.
Personally, I have had habits that were the bane of my existence, some of which were:
Staying up late and then getting up too late to get as much work done as I need to
Drinking coffee instead of water
Forgetting to eat (because ADD and coffee) and then eating popcorn or other quick, un-nutritional fixes
Falling for brilliant, difficult people with poor relational skills who blow their trauma around like dynamite
The good news is that we can use the powerful spirit of the eclipse to BREAK HARMFUL HABITS…
… we can work with eclipse season to observe what habits are getting in our way, why we have them, and what we need to do to change them.
Now, of course, we can’t overcome every habit at once. So below I’ve created a manageable practice for using the volatile energy of eclipse season to recognize the habit in your life that you currently have the capacity to break — and then, break it.
Eclipse for the win! Kill the King (of harmful habits)! Let’s do this!
Love,
Amanda
P.S. Don’t forget to scroll down to the end of this email to get your New Moon Download for Taurus Season!
Aries New Moon Eclipse Habit Breaking Ritual: Instead of ___, I Choose To ___
One of the things I work on with my clients is shifting our focus from what we want to get rid of, to what we want to create.
A lot of the time we’re so focused on what makes us miserable that we forget about bringing things into our lives that make us happy. But we’re not breaking bad habits just for the hell of it, we’re doing it so we can bring in more of what we love! So here’s the magic to do it…
On the day of the New Moon eclipse, spend some time journaling about – or discussing with a friend– the habit that has been most painful for you since the last lunar eclipse, on November 7th and 8th of 2022.
Write about the reasons why you’re ready to let it go.
Write about all the things that letting go of this habit would allow you to do. Get vivid with the details. What would it feel, smell, sound, taste, look like if you were spending your time doing things you current habit won’t allow you to enjoy.
Go through your tarot deck and choose a tarot card to represent the bad habit, and another one for the practice you’re ready to call in.
Create a New Moon altar, using your intuition for how it should be made.
On the left side of the altar, put the card that represents the “bad” habit (really I should say the habit you’re ready to let go of), on the right side of the altar, the card that represents the habit you’re calling in.
In between these two cards, put a sheet of paper with a line down the center. At the top of the paper write, “By the powers of the luminaries, I call in the capacity to release old habits, and call in new practices that serve my highest good.”
On the left side of the paper, write the words: INSTEAD OF… and below that write a list of all the behaviors that go along with your “bad” habit. For instance, drinking coffee before water in the morning. Not eating breakfast. Focusing on understanding people who don’t show up for you (rather than requiring your needs to be met).
On the right side of the paper, write the words: I CHOOSE TO… and below that write a list of all the delicious, fun, wonderful things you get to, you CHOOSE to, do instead of the old habit. Things like: checking in with your body first thing in the morning to see what it needs (probably water!), preparing delicious breakfasts the night before (hello overnight oats with berries and cacao!), expressing out loud the needs you have that are non-negotiable.
On your altar, give offerings to your daemon, whatever you think would help support you on this journey (do you need will power, offer a candle/fire. Do you need clarity of intention, offer a crystal. Etc.).
Over the coming eclipse cycle, pay attention to what comes up regarding your habit in your daily life. At the end of every day, write a few sentences about your daily practice in your book of shadows.
On the next Full Moon / Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio, cut the paper on your altar in half. Tear the left side up into little pieces and bury it under a heavy rock. Burn the right side and mix the ashes with water and put the mixture in a plant near your front door.
Questions? Feel free to ask me in the comments below.
Mystery Cult Event Calendar
Tuesday, 4/19/23: New Moon Solar Eclipse in Aries [Witch Guide Download]
Thursday, 4/27/23, 6pm: Essay Club. Reading – What Happened To Western Shamanism, by Chas Clifton. An essay discussing the history of shamanism and the differences and similarities between shamanism and witchcraft. (Keep in mind it was written in 2009 - if it had been written today it’s very likely that some of the content would’ve been modified). I’ve linked to a scanned PDF here, but if you’re interested in similar topics I highly recommend the book it comes from: The Paganism Reader by Chas S. Clifton and Graham Harvey.
Sunday, 4/31/23 7pm PST: Petitions Due for Beltane Eve Candle Blessing Ritual for Founder’s Level Subscribers. Make sure that you have your 40 word petitions in for your candle blessing. The theme of this blessing is jouissance, which means physical or intellectual pleasure, delight, or ecstasy. I’m going to be doing a honey spell for y’all, so LOOK OUT WORLD.
Thursday, 5/4/2023 6pm PST: Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio [Ritual] Scorpio Full Moons in Taurus Season are about finding deep healing and traveling through our inner worlds SO THAT WE CAN find pleasure and ease in our daily life. Link to join sent out day of. Hope you can join us for this ritual!
* Want to join the Mystery Cult but can’t afford it? Scholarships for those experiencing financial need are available upon request. Simply email guardian@oracleoflosangeles.com and let us know your situation.
NEW MOON DOWNLOAD: TAURUS SEASON
Inside:
Focus Guide for Taurus Season
Journal Prompts
Tarot Spread
Glamour Spell
Spiritual Ecology Recommendations
Creativity Prompts
Community Practice
A Special Recipe (lemons, yum!)
Correspondences and Ways to Use them