Eclipse Catalyst: A Guide to Personal Change

Eclipses are pivotal moments of change. 

Sometimes they look like the end of the world when the Sun is blotted out by the Moon and the world transforms in an instant from daylight to midnight.

Sometimes life looks like that too. Sudden earth shattering transformations that you never saw coming. 

Other times, eclipses occur and we’re blissfully unaware - this mostly depends on your chart configuration.

What usually happens is something in between.

Today I’m going to talk about navigating change. Not little change like picking up a new hobby but course corrections to your life kinds of changes.

There are things going on in the sky right now that let me know that people are going through some pretty big life changes, or they're on the outskirts of the changes that others are making - whether they know it or not.

While I am going to talk very briefly about the astrology, this episode is for you regardless of when you find it if you feel stuck OR you’re on the verge of a breakthrough.

I’m going to talk about the astrological themes in general but remember that you also have house topics that will give you more information that is specific to you in addition to the topics that are highlighted in general. 

Alrighty.

It all began with the Lunar Eclipse in Libra on March 25th.   This bad boy had a lot to do with releasing old patterns, especially as they related to relationships and personal values and it is the energy we are still in and part of what happens before any new beginning. 

Since then, Mercury has stationed retrograde in Aries - where the next eclipse will be. Mercury retrograde is always about reconsidering all of the things. Reflecting on your actions, words, conversations, relationships, decisions, etc. Especially as they have to do with those old patterns and relationships.

So let’s start with what you don’t want anymore.

What you don’t want

What you want changes over time, but you may be too busy to notice on any given day.

This applies to people at work, obligations, your house, your parents, your lover, family, and even things like what you find desirable, what you want from a partner, who you want to be in partnership. 

None of it is static. 

We tend to think of all of it as fixed points, unchangeable personality traits, or lifelong preferences. But those are just lies your brain tells you because what is familiar is comfortable and what is new is scary and might be a bear just out of hibernation that is hungry and thinks you’d make a good snack.

Lots of things can change what you want. 

You might read a book and realize there are options that you didn’t even know existed - this one happens to me all of the time. 

Or an ice cream flavor you thought would be with you forever might suddenly vanish leaving you with the option of allowing yourself to want something new or being miserable for the rest of eternity. 

This one happens a lot and you’d be surprised how many people decide to forgo ice cream forever rather than get out there and see what flavors might delight them. I mean, how do you know for sure chili peppermint ice cream isn’t infinitely better than the rocky road you’ve grown accustomed to if you never give it a lick? 

I’ll let you decide how literal I’m being with that one. 

Anyway. The point is what you want isn’t fixed. It can and does change and when you allow that change in, you open up opportunities for new beginnings that you could have never imagined when you were limiting your exposure to new options. 

Eclipses have a way of taking away our favorite ice cream flavors or making us realize that we’re lactose intolerant. It might still have a familiarity you crave but do you really still want something that makes you sick every single time? Probably not. 

It’s just your brain craving that familiarity.

There are realizations that occur, for a variety of reasons, that suddenly make you aware that you need to let go of something. A person, self concept, objects, patterns and ways of being, ice cream, or whatever. 

And it can be sad and scary - but it’s still necessary for growth.

What are you ready to finally be free of? What can you finally give yourself permission to be done with? 

Those are eclipse questions.

This could be something you’ve been holding against yourself or a grudge against someone else. 

It could also be letting go of a person or multiple people who you’ve outgrown. That doesn’t mean they suddenly suck, it could just mean you stopped growing in the same direction.

Pretty much anything that you’re not a hell yes for should be put in this category.

If you’re listening to this in real time, spend the next couple of days really thinking about this and give whatever needs to leave your life permission to leave.

Because then you can ask the most important question.

What do you want?

Nothing will stop a conversation faster than asking someone what they want. 

Unless you ask them what they long for, what they desire, what they crave so deeply that they refuse to think about it so they don’t have to feel the agony  that living without it creates.

That’s the Venus in Aries with the total solar eclipse of it all. 

But it’s also a pretty phenomenal way to always be thinking about all of your life choices. 

If that cookie doesn’t make you do the happy puppy dance in your chair, why’re you eating it? 

If that person doesn’t make you feel alive and energized, why’re you spending time with them? 

If your work isn’t allowing you to create joy in your world - why aren't you finding a new job? 

You’ll notice I didn’t suggest jobs should necessarily be something you deeply desire, although this is exactly the job I started working towards about 12 years ago without knowing it. Nevertheless, the bar should absolutely be that the job lets you create joy in your life.

The thing is, you have to be really paying attention and willing to make changes to move forward.

You are never locked into a choice for the entirety of your life, even if society tells you that you are.

You change, what you do and don’t want changes, and that means your choices are allowed to change too. 

You had almost two weeks of sitting with the emotions, old patterns, relationship things, and whatever else came up for you so that as Venus storms through Aries you can explore what it is you really want.

And the solar eclipse in Aries is the beginning of figuring that out (for now)

With Venus now in Aries she is all about what SHE wants. And she, is you. Even if you’re a dude.

Venus is love, relationships, artistic inspiration, creativity, pleasure, partnerships, femininity, luxury, comfort. 

But not in the abstract way. In a very very personal way.

It’s how you prefer to give and receive love, what’s romantic to you, how you show up in relationships and how  you want others to show up for you. 

It’s what you experience as pleasurable, delicious, delightful, tempting, seductive and how you want to give pleasure, how you seduce and tempt, and how you create delicious experiences for yourself and others.

It’s what you find beautiful, what you want to spend your money on, how you want other people to spend their money on you, what inspires you, and what femininity means to you. 

There’s no wrong way to do or be when it comes to Venus, there’s just the way you are now. 

This current perfect iteration of you that exists now, in this moment. Not who you were five years ago or fifty years ago.

And with Venus now in Aries, she’s less concerned about compromising on what she really wants - which, of course, is what YOU really want. 

It’s ok if right now you don’t know what that is. 

Mercury is going to be coming back to talk to both the Sun, her, and the eclipse point as we move through this month and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to figure it out. 

Pay attention to what you crave, what you find yourself missing in the quiet moments before you fall asleep or while you’re out walking your dog, and what you delight in unexpectedly.

It doesn’t have to be practical and you don’t have to know how to get the things you want. You just have to recognize that you do have desires that are currently unmet and that their existence isn’t something to be ignored or denied or their absence to be endured endlessly.

They are the inspiration for the changes that are on the horizon.

Beginnings and Endings

I’ve been talking about all of this through the lens of this eclipse, but the truth is there are catalysts for change happening all of the time. If nothing else, you get a pair of eclipses every six months.

And while most people think of beginnings and endings in terms of the highlight reels of their lives such as weddings, births, deaths, and major world events - most changes begin and end with a whisper.

When you sign up for a course that fundamentally changes the way you view your life, you make the decision to join a dating app and end up meeting the love of your life, or when your special interest and obsession ends up helping you to become a bestselling author.

But that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.

Pushing yourself to make space to learn something new, carving out the time that tends to be filled with tasks for everyone else, and then funding it with money that “should” be used for more important things are all uncomfortable and even one of those hurdles can cause someone to stop. 

And joining a dating app? Please. You have to get over your last situationship, work on yourself, prepare yourself mentally and emotionally to put the most authentic version of yourself out there, and do the ongoing work of not taking rejection personally and navigating the overwhelm of all of the social interactions. It’s way easier to sit at home in your comfy house, eating your favorite food, and watching your comfort show than to deal with all of that. 

Then there’s going all in on a special interest that everyone else thinks is a waste of time, effort, and attention that should absolutely be spent on them and their priorities. Oh, the drama. Way easier to just do what you’ve always done and passively learn about it on social media in between making dinner and washing clothes. You for sure wouldn’t want to be so selfish as to spend your time on something you enjoy. The nerve. 

It’s easier to stay still than to figure out how to move forward. Always. 

But moving forward is more fulfilling and it all starts with recognizing what you’ve outgrown and what you want more of in your life.

Alrighty. Before we end, let’s review.

Eclipses are like our personal launch into the unknown—sometimes it feels like a shock to the system, and other times, it's more about slowly realizing there's a whole other ocean you'd rather be exploring.

Today, we've talked about letting go of the old—ditching grudges that have overstayed their welcome and reevaluating past favorites, that just don't delight us the same anymore. 

It's all about embracing what's next, allowing your wants and needs to evolve from what's comfortable to what's delightful. 

Here are some questions to get you started.

• What is one thing you realized you're holding onto that's preventing you from embracing new opportunities or joys in your life?
• How have your desires and dreams shifted in the past year, and what does that tell you about your current path and direction?
• What’s one small action you could take today to nudge you closer to the main character energy you secretly (or not so secretly) crave?

If any of this sparks a thought, an eye-roll, or an existential crisis, feel free to send it my way. 

Until next time, my wish for you is a life that fulfills your deepest desires and exceeds your wildest dreams. - Robin