Tomorrow, March 8, we have a Total Solar Eclipse, a New Moon, in the
mutable water sign of Pisces, the Fish. Attempting to write about this lunation as the energy crests
is like trying to write a manuscript 20,000 leagues below the sea, wearing full
scuba gear. It honestly feels impossible to engage the rational mind long
enough to convey a coherent thought. With the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Neptune and
Chiron all lining up in the most sensitive, spiritual, transcendent of signs,
we are drawn deeper into our very selves, our souls, and our hearts.
This is a time when emotional and spiritual intelligence run the show. Probably the most ineffectual use of this energy is to struggle and fight to accomplish, to achieve, to push. We can let the limbic system
lead, and trust the intuitive, vast wisdom of the body.
So much is occurring below the
surface right now, in the collective consciousness. Two weeks ago, you may recall, I wrote about preparing for
this time. I advised taking care of some essential business details where
possible, because this week and through much of March, we can only flow. We
cannot force. There is tremendous power available, and we are not separate from
it.
At this time, yogis
around the world are celebrating the great night of Shiva, known as Maha Shivaratri. Shiva is the god
of creation and destruction, a
fitting ruler of Pisces, the grand finale of astrological signs. Shiva carries a trident staff, which is also the glyph
of Pisces’ planetary ruler Neptune, lord of the oceanic depths.
Neptune dissolves. Neptune shape-shifts.
Neptune changes form, an endless dance known as tandava. Shiva’s power animal, the cobra, winds around his body,
reminding us of the power of kundalini life force as well as endless cycles of
rebirth. The skin is shed, and a new shape emerges. Endlessly changing according to the perception of the moment.
On the exoteric level,
Shiva is the “Hindu God,” (the Supreme Deity for many) who superintends the
forces of dissolution. In esoteric and tantric traditions, Shiva is seen as All
Pervading Consciousness, the One Reality that we are all part of (or that we
actually are). As “destroyer,” Shiva the energy that releases the burden of the
ahamkara, the “false ego” that
experiences itself as separate from everything and everyone. As the great or
Maha Yogi, Shiva embodies the power to break out of illusion and become free
from “grasping” or “dependency.” ~ Rick Jarow, author of In Search of the Sacred and Creating
the Work You Love
Imagine: you are surfing the Ocean, and you ARE the Ocean, simultaneously. There
is a direct, fully conscious perception – a knowing – that there is no separate
central operating mechanism running the show. Everything is occurring as a
conglomeration of an infinite number of causes and effects, a collision of
past, present and future, over which no one single person – no single
perception – has ever had entire control.
The ego is the appearance of a me, a “doer,” which is a drop
of water in the entire Ocean. Whatever the “me” is doing, or not doing, arises
out of the entirety of Consciousness. When the ego makes an illusory attempt to usurp the power
of the limitless ocean of consciousness, suffering is experienced. The end of
suffering, here, is the end of the belief in the separate volitional power of a separate "me."
So, whatever happens at this Piscean eclipse time – welcome it.
Know that is Evolution ~ Shiva dancing his tandava ~ doing its thing, of which you are a part of, not
separate from it. Whether the cresting wave is a surprise to you, or you had a hunch all
along, know that it is exactly perfect. You are the participator and the
co-producer, along with Existence. Individual agency is
not problematic so long as it knows it is part of the collective.
If we listen closely, if we lean into the wave, we experience
the thrilling ride of the dissolving separation between self and other. There
is seeing, a feeling, a visceral knowing of the boundless capacity for unconditional love -
a universal love that encompasses the personal, familial, worldly, and divine. Resistance is futile. Open your heart, and let it flow.
Erin Reese
is an author, spiritual guide, astrologer, and modern psychic reader based in the San
Francisco Bay Area. She works with clients all over the world. For
readings and spiritual counseling by Skype, phone or email, contact her
directly. She can be reached at erin@erinreese.com.
