Demystifying Eclipse Energy, Redefining Abundance & Reweaving the Sacred
Today, 8/8, is the height of a portal called “Lion’s Gate:” when Earth aligns with the Sun and the star Sirius. In Ancient Egypt, the re-emergence of Sirius after a period of invisibility meant the return of the Nile’s waters (where all of life begins), and marked the start of their New Year. It was a celebratory time & one their lives depended on; a highly anticipated period of rebirth and abundance.
Astrologically, the Sun is currently in Leo (symbolized by the Lion), where it’s at its brightest & most potent. Moreover, the energy of the Lion is being further emphasized with Jupiter also in Leo right now (for better or worse- read more on this transit here), as well as the South Node, which is where our Solar Eclipse will happen next week, on August 12th.
Translation: there’s a huge surge of solar energy at this time, encouraging us to embrace the abundance available to us, live a life that feels most authentic in our hearts, and to release how we might be getting in our own way from doing so.
Sounds great, right? Yes AND unfortunately many modern day spiritual and healing communities seem to have lost the plot in how they’re portraying this period of time. Something I’ve noticed (and I know others are also picking up on), is how, through a capitalistic and hustle culture lens, we’re selling this as a time to optimize and manifest even MORE into our lives, losing touch with the sacred all together. Messaging that this particular cosmic line up of Lionness energy is one to be taken advantage of, with an undertone of urgency [and a little desperation].
We’ve somehow gotten to a place of commoditizing our connection to the divine. Ritual that’s meant to be centering and offer renewal is something we’re being sold as a way to course correct; implying that where (and who) we are right now is insufficient. That if only we manifest properly, we can finally get to a place of enlightenment and abundance.
There’s also a lot of messaging around eclipse season that reinforces the idea that we need to anticipate or even attempt to get ahead of something that could drastically alter our lives. OR, if we don’t fully jump on this opportunity for deep transformation, we’re going to miss out on something.
What’s driving these messages, at the root, is fear, not love.
What I want to offer here is a reframe: a grounding back into what eclipse energy actually brings, what abundance might actually mean, and an attempt to weave the sacred back into it all.
Let’s start with what an eclipse is and how to work with this energy. An eclipse occurs when one celestial body moves into the shadow of another. In a Lunar Eclipse, the moon passes into the Earth’s shadow; this coincides with the Full Moon, when we experience a culmination or release point. Solar Eclipses happen when the moon passes in between the Sun and the Earth, casting a shadow on the Earth, so that the Sun’s light is partially or fully blocked for a time here on Earth. Solar Eclipses happen during the New Moon, bringing new beginnings.
As you can imagine, eclipses were often met with fear in ancient times, as the Sun’s light was blocked and our ancestors didn’t know what was happening. This trepidation runs deep and is still part of how eclipse energy is presented in modern astrology (i.e. click bait). And although it is true that eclipse season is a time when the energy is unpredictable and often chaotic, eclipse season happens every 6 months, and is a normal part of how every year unfolds. As the saying goes: the only constant is change. That is not a new concept & is part of being human!
These are also fated changes we’re talking about, that we are not meant to try to control. Where eclipses happen is wherever our “Nodes of Fate” are currently sitting, linked to karmic shifts. In other words, the changes that transpire during eclipse season are thought to be destined and not something we need to actually make happen. We may be prompted to choose or act differently, but it’s not something we need to go looking for—it will clearly come into our awareness.
Furthermore, because we are, by definition, fully or partially in shadow under eclipse energy, there is information that we simply don’t have access to during this time. Things we cannot literally or figuratively see. Which is why it’s not advised to manifest under eclipse energy or try to will something into being, because we don’t actually know what we’re asking for. If we try to make something happen, we’re bound to get a result that is not what we expected. Lion’s Gate this year is in the pre-eclipse shadow, meaning we also don’t need to work to call something in.
Likewise with this Solar Eclipse in Leo being next to the South Node, this is about releasing something that is preventing the next chapter from naturally coming in. And because this is Leo we’re talking about, these messages will not be quiet (so we don’t need to worry about missing something!) In fact, it’s probably something we’ve been biting our tongue on for some time, a way in which we’ve been holding ourselves back for awhile. And this eclipse energy is saying: no more of that. Be you. Our job is to allow ourselves to be changed. Not in a way of “being better,” but by simply being more of who we’ve always been, and to no longer deny, hide, or dim that.
In sum: this upcoming Solar Eclipse in Leo will be about releasing (South Node) the ways we are being held back, naturally initiating a new chapter (New Moon), in which we lead from our hearts & our truth (Leo).
Not about manifesting more, but coming back to what’s been here all along—our hearts, our bodies, our true nature—and having a different appreciation for these things.
Bringing me to my second reframe: how we define abundance as a culture is changing, and what it is we’re seeking to create more of in our lives. In the capitalistic, hustle culture that we’ve all been shaped by, the machine encourages more, more, more. Go, go, go. Grow, grow, grow! And thus, many of us have internalized that bigger is better. That material wealth is the goal and that we should constantly be striving to improve. (Again, this reflects some of the shadow tendencies of Leo & Jupiter here). But what many of us are realizing is that the scripts telling us to constantly optimize are exhausting and unsustainable. They’ve led us to continuously override our bodies and exploit our planet.
This is, in part, becoming more obvious because of the high concentration of fire and air elementally (all of our outer planets moved into fire & air signs in a short window of time); an energetic combination that is very fast and dynamic. Which is great (and necessary) for catalyzing a new era, but is also very overstimulating to the human form. In response, we are remembering the age-old wisdom that actually less is more sometimes. There’s a newfound appreciation for the softer, the slower. A recognition that being in constant motion and wanting more is often opposite of healing, and is [ironically], a huge part of what’s making us sick.
People are, more than ever, being called back to the organic. Becoming more discerning of what & who gets their time, energy and attention. More easily saying no to what just doesn't feel right. Recognizing the importance of being present and enjoying what's here now.
Through these cultural shifts, we, ourselves, are changing, too. And this is the redefinition of what true abundance is:
That maybe it isn’t about more money or status, but how well we’re sleeping. How settled we feel. How connected we are. Maybe the best “glow up” is being in charge of our own schedules. Feeling free to express ourselves authentically. More time to play and savor.The freedom to choose less, not strive for more.
And that, I believe, is what’s sacred and what we’re trying to get back to: having gratitude for the small things that actually become what matter most. To appreciate all versions of ourselves, understanding that (as cliche as it may sound) it’s about the journey, not the destination. And finally realizing that if we’re constantly seeking more outside of ourselves, we never can sink into the goodness that’s already here.
To understand what’s sacred means slowing down long enough to see how fleeting time is, how precious this life has always been. It brings a new meaning to abundance and to what’s beautiful when we can appreciate the cyclical process of all things in nature: in order for something new to come in, we must first let something else go. If we rush past that, we miss the moment to take in the unfolding, the process, the purpose of it all. Without the exhale, without the ending or the death, there’s no pause for true reverence. No time to appreciate or acknowledge the eloquent design that just transpired.
Bringing it back to Lion’s Gate & Leo energy—what the number “8” actually represents: abundance through reciprocity. The infinity loop symbolizes the ongoing balance of what we take in, and what we give out. A sacred relationship. As within, so without. Give and receive. Create and rest. Wax and wane. The natural order of things: cycles, seasons, all leading and feeding into the next. And knowing that one part of this process is no better than another. All necessary, all sacred.
Now, you may be in full agreement with me up until this point. Nodding your head along as you read. And I want to acknowledge that these are huge cultural shifts that we’re living through. The kind of remembering that doesn’t happen in one go (so the pressure is off on that)! Old narratives die hard because they live in our very tissues. This is why I created my 1:1 coaching container for women—because I know that getting off the hamster wheel, getting out of the spiral of shame, coming back to your body and inherent nature is not an easy task.
My offerings are not to get you to an “optimal state” that I think you should strive for, but to guide you back home to yourself & your own rhythms, so that you can live the life that’s been yours all along.
Take care out there.
-Sam
