Navigating Eclipse Season

To do magick during the eclipses or not — seems to be a big question.

I am a person who likes to follow my gut when it comes to spellwork. After all, when I’m aligned, that tends to make things go better.

But are eclipses the trickiest? Will things go haywire? Is it like a Mercury retrograde when folks often hear that everything and anything will go horribly wrong?

Well, I’m just one witch, but…I think we need to worry a little less. And tap into what is true for us a bit more.

(With the caveat that being careful is always kind. Mostly to ourselves.)

Shadowy Eclipse Times Call for Observation & Care

(This blog is adapted from a newsletter I wrote for the New Moon at the end of April 2022, but it still applies to this time.)

Depending on who you ask, this time gets messy. Tangled. Confusing. People are impacted, so being with humans is tricky. Or it could be.

Or not.

Some thrive in the chaos. The place of mystery and unfolding.

The familiar.

(And even if you don’t find this blog until after the lunar eclipse on May 15ish, 2022, there are eclipses every year. Really. Things aren’t as rare as some folks would make you think.)

But what I might also offer is that no matter what ‘tricky’ time the stars might have in mind, patience and care are always helpful. Thinking about how you communicate is always smart.

Thinking about how you backup or store or sign important things is ALWAYS a good idea. No matter if things aren’t in retrograde.

For me, it makes a lot of sense to approach life with a bit of caution. Not in the ‘not take a risk’ sort of way, but in a careful, measured, even grounded way.

• What do I really want?
• What resources do I have?
• Am I clear about my intention?
• What are some fears I have about this?
• Is there any personal work, shadow work, or therapeutic work I need to do before I take on this new magickal venture?

And if not doing something during an eclipse sounds like the thing to you — or it’s how you’ve been taught — great. Stick with that.

I personally think if you need some magickal support, it’s always the right time.

No matter where the moon or sun or you are.

What You Can Do Now (and During any Eclipse)

Here’s what I would offer: 

• Find nature. Drink it in or uncover your feet and get closer.
• Seek out the things that make the world feel right. You know what these are for you. I’ll be back on one of my favorite hiking trails, spending the early hours in silence or listening to some song over and over until it becomes a trance and spell of my own becoming.
• Wake up and ask yourself what you can do for yourself to feel like you’re a priority. Maybe it’s getting some alone time. Or it’s turning up the music and dancing with your beloved. Maybe it’s letting the cats (or dogs) remind you that naps are rest – and rest is a beautiful gift.
• Slow down and be quiet(er). You may not want to be quiet. But I might offer that it’s a good moment(s) to carefully consider what you want to release into the world. Do you really need to say that thing? Do you really want to start that conversation? Can it be a journal entry? Can it be a letter you burn? Could it be composted to see what emerges from its settling?
• Get that treat. I don’t know what this means to you. But I know mine looks like vegan ice cream and/or an early bedtime after a long shower.
• Just be with yourself. Even the ick. Even the questions. Let things be. Let things arrive. Let things be uncomfortable. Write down what makes your heart itchy enough to tingle with excitement/dread. Listen to the secrets that linger in a shadow that happens because of being in a certain place at a certain time. A time when you are ready. Maybe it’s the right time. Maybe you don’t have a choice. Just listen. Maybe learn. Maybe document. But do not struggle or fix or appease or argue or shove into the corner.

Blessings to you on this magick. And all of your magick.

All of the time.

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