Libra New Moon Solar Eclipse: October 14
Here are some insights about the opportunities and challenges that the Libra New Moon Solar Eclipse offers, which I hope helps you make the most of the moment. It includes an overview of this lunation and its unique features. The full article—available as a perk for paid subscribers—also includes calendar connections, stellar reflection journaling questions, self-care suggestions, and dates and inspirations for Moon Mapping this month.
This month’s New Moon is a Solar Eclipse. Remember that even if we can’t see an Eclipse in the sky where we live, these celestial events are renowned for being very powerful in the ways in which they can impact our lives. Oftentimes, life-changing events or reflections arise around the time of an Eclipse.
Also remember that reflective of the word itself, things are often ‘”eclipsed” around the time of Eclipses. As such, you may find yourself feeling like there is a sea change in your life, that seeds are being planted, yet you are not clear exactly how they will manifest. Know that that clarity should emerge with the passing of the coming weeks; and so, if you’re not yet clear what it is that is precisely about to be given form, that may be just as it should be.
Along with the sense that something is beginning, around the time of a Solar Eclipse there is also a striking feeling that certain things are coming to an end, so as to make space for the new that is about to take root. We should heed this feeling and attune to what seems to have reached its expiration date and is needing release. (This seems to be one of the reasons that stress levels may be elevated during Eclipse season—after all, it’s sometimes challenging when we know we need to release something that we’ve been holding on to for a while, especially if we don’t yet know what will take its place.) In addition, remember that while Eclipses, like this one, occur at an exact moment, it’s thought that the inspirations of it can be felt beginning weeks before. As such, you may have already been noticing the advent of a sea change occurring.
As this New Moon Solar Eclipse is in the sign of Libra, it’s a good time to survey your relationships and see how you may encourage them to flourish so that they can grace your life even more. Using the image of the Scales—the symbol for Libra—as your guide, weigh and assess the value of your existing relationships, considering their strengths and weaknesses. This can also help you to see not only their value but also approaches you can take to further bolster them.
If objectively seeing the ins and outs of your relationships seems especially challenging, consider finding a neutral “mediator.” This person is someone that you can talk to alone or together with your partner, someone who can help you more clearly negotiate a deeper understanding of a balanced and healthy relationship.
Our focus may also be on the notion of fairness. We may find ourselves reflecting upon the ideals of justice and how we as well as others define what this concept actually means. Equilibrium and equality may be on our mind, as we open to new ways to both understand and integrate them into our lives. Looking at the balance of give and take amongst those with whom we are in relationship may yield important realizations, leading to a greater understanding of how we want to recalibrate the way we approach the exchange of energy, resources, time, etc.
Unique Features of this Libra New Moon
During current lunation, the Sun and Moon are in opposition to Eris, the minor planet that is associated with the realms of strife and dissent. Eris carries with it a strong edge of chaos, an inspiration to create discord, whether out of upset and/or as a strategy to get what one wants.
When Eris is at center stage, we may feel rattled, whether by shake-ups within our personal life and/or events that are happening in the world. Actions that create a swell of turmoil may feel common with the chaos that inspires them potentially arising from someone’s perception that the conflict created may eventually lead to a greater sense of accord.
It’s thought that Eris reflects the urge to recognize those—or those parts of ourselves—that are unacknowledged, uninvited, and unintegrated, enchancing their recognition and bringing them back into the fold at the behest of trying to forge wholism and unity. The archetype of Eris embodies the feminine, notably the feminine warrior; as such with its prominence in this Eclipse—which features the Sun and Moon in Libra, a signed ruled by feminine-oriented Venus—a focus on women, womxn, and feminine principles may be heightened.
This astrological inspiration may have us wanting to be a champion for the pursuit of inclusion, whether for ourselves or another. Consider whether you’ve cast away or silenced parts of yourself, and focus on ways to give them voice. All the while, be open to a greater feeling of sensitivity when it comes to noticing injustices and ways that you feel pulled towards creating a slight (or more than slight) sense of tumult if you find yourself clamoring for justice, inclusion, and equality. While sometimes situations need a dose of disarray to shake up and wake up those involved, just be careful to be as conscious with this force as possible. After all, in myth, the action of the goddess Eris—for whom this dwarf planet was named—stirred up rivalries that were thought to be a major factor in catalyzing the Trojan War.