We are now in what I like to call “eclipse season.” The actual dates of the eclipses are April 15th and April 28th, but I have found that we begin to feel the energy about one month prior to the actual eclipses.  Added to this energy is the ongoing Mars/Rahu close conjunction, along with Saturn, in the sign of Libra. Those born in the sign of Aries (April 14th-May 14th) and Libra (October 17th to November 17th) are being directly affected by this energy.  Those born with either the Moon or Ascendant in Aries or Libra are also being strongly affected by this energy.

 

However, the eclipse energy impacts most beings on the planet in some way or the other. This is the last eclipse in a cycle that started about eighteen months ago and happens right before the major transit influences begin to change signs which will change the nature of our challenges and opportunities.  The primary transit influences are the slower moving celestial influences of Saturn, Jupiter and Rahu/Ketu (the eclipse points). This year is unusual in that within a six-month time period, all three will change signs.  This begins on May 31st when Jupiter moves into Cancer, followed by the Nodal points moving into Virgo/Pisces on July 11th and ending with Saturn moving into Scorpio on November 2nd.

 

I will write more on the meaning of the specific changes in a future posting but wanted to first take note of the new cycle we all will be experiencing this year.  Many of us are beginning to feel the change that is coming and are looking to put an end to the current challenges by making changes in our lives right now.  It is not necessary to be ahead of the curve because the current energy will bring the unexpected all by itself without our input.

 

Due to the movements of the planets, there is already a feeling of instability, and we are already surrounded by enough people forcing change through impatient decisions.  It is much better if we can use the energy, especially the eclipse energy, to consciously finish out the lessons of the past two years so that when we move forward into the new cycle, we have left the past in the past and are wiser for all of the experiences of this ending cycle.

 

This is a good time for therapy, yoga, exercise, contemplation and other healing modalities to release, understand, and heal before we move forward with new plans or relationships.  It is not a time to allow our stress levels to climb or to over-react to the mundane world.  There is an empowerment that comes from being able to not react while we observe the world around us and as well as our own emotional perspective to the people and events which show up in our lives.  Eclipses are known for digging up the emotions that lie buried beneath our conscious minds.  For the next couple of months, many will be experiencing an active dream state as the past is processed out to make room for the new. It is much better to spend time on healing and understanding than to try to initiate actions related to the changes we sense are coming our way.

 

It can be helpful to keep a journal during this time period to jot down our random thoughts and/or our dreams.  The appropriate actions should be taken via diet, herbs and exercise to keep our nervous systems strong so that we do not over-react to people and events for the next couple of months.  Conscious breathing is both cleansing and calming which makes it a perfect and convenient technique for everyday but especially for this time period.

 

Five to eleven minutes each day spent doing the “complete breath” will be very helpful.  Complete breath is done by inhaling through the nose making sure the stomach moves out, holding the breath and then exhaling through the nose, gently pulling the stomach towards the spine  – – it is important to make the count equal;  if the inhale is to the count of five, the hold and exhale should also be five.  Yoga as well as Vedic astrology teaches that the chakras are important energy points.  If the complete breath is a technique to be used during this time period, it is easy to add a “mudra” to the practice.  Place the palms of the hands together and place them right at the center of the chest (“prayer pose”). This subtly works with the fourth chakra which is not only the place of compassion but also is the balance point between the lower three chakras and the upper three.  By working with the mudra, you are working to bring in both compassion and grounded balance.

 

This is not a “bad” time – – it is a time of change which is one of the biggest fears of human beings.  Those who don’t understand the energies of the time appear to be experiencing great amounts of fear, and if we don’t protect our own nervous systems, it becomes easy for us to pick up on those fears.  None of us need to take on the fears of others, and all of us deserve the inner peace which defines our true being.