October: Darkness Fuels The Light

ART BY: EMILY BALIVET

"I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night." - Sarah Williams 

The beginning of the month has us in a chaotic energy: our minds seemed scattered and overwhelmed by all the things we feel that we need to do. Or, we may generally feel overwhelmed because we don't know what to do. After the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Aries, we are left feeling illuminated in our need for a new direction, yet we may still be unsure about where these shifts in life are pointing us to.

The first Monday of the month starts us off with a Last Quarter Square Moon on the 3rd. This phase is a balance of light and dark, but with the dark force of nature gaining. In relation to the plant cycle it is a time when the cells begin deconstructing and preparing to fall back to the earth to be transformed. Therefore, this phase of the moon represents a time of revising our thinking and beliefs based on everything we've learned thus far in this period of our lives. The Sabian Symbol of this moon is: A Chinese woman nursing a baby where the aura reveals him to be the reincarnation of a great teacher. As we are rethinking the direction of our lives and who we are in this earthly existence, we need to recognize that there are parts hidden in ourselves that could have great potential. The outside isn't exactly what it seems, and therefore we must dive deeper to understand our true gifts, our light.

It is also a time of darkening days, and in moon focused astrology this is the time of the season cycle that represents the Balsamic Moon Phase (for a better understanding of the different phases look at: Demetra George). This phase represents a dark phase when the moon begins to disappear to prepare to be reborn at the New Moon. In this phase, we have a greater tendency to retreat into ourselves, purify, release, let go, regenerate, and transform: just like plants do when they wither away in order to release a new seed to be grown.

So, with these phases coloring our entering into this month, we can feel ourselves focusing on... well, darkness. Yet, it is about maintaining the balance (Libra energy which is the sign the sun begins in this month) of the darkness within us (Scorpio energy which is where the sun ends the month). I know that as a society we have come to fear darkness, night, shadows, or anything hidden. However, in ancient societies, the dark times were looked upon as time for transformation and regeneration; Goddesses of the night such as Nyx were even told to have created the world.
In many cultures, practices such as meditation and past life regression focus upon going into an unconscious state of silence and darkness in order to be further revealed to our true selves.

The Universe this month is pushing us to do the same. It wants us to ask:
- What do I repress within myself? What parts of myself do I find undesirable or unacceptable?
- How might I feel if I let go of being scared to embrace all parts of myself? What would that look like?
- In what ways can I shift my negative thoughts into something positive?
- What is the difference between dark and light?

Just like love and hate, dark and light are two sides of the same coin. Everything has a balance of both: the moon with one side fully illuminated and the other in complete shadow; our days with 12 hours of sunshine and twelve hours of starlight; our seasons with half the year focused on beginnings and celebration and the other half of deconstructing and transforming. We too, as humans, are a complex arrangement of dark and light, but we need to stop viewing it as bad and good. It is a time to recognize the parts we repress within ourselves and choose to embrace it! The more we embrace ourselves, the more balanced we are, the more whole we are, and the closer we get to understanding what we really need to feel at peace.

Rather than pushing to make an immediate decision about where we want to go in our lives right this second, we are being asked to slow down, understand ourselves better, and feel our way to a new path rather than think our way there. When we know what we truly desire and need, then we can take better decisive action to travel towards it and project better energy to attract it! This month we have a permission slip to expose ourselves to desires we've kept hidden, open up to passions we've denied, expand the horizons of our life and relationships, and find the creative force to empower ourselves!

Guidances for this month:
- Take time to explore in nature, find a quiet spot, and enjoy stillness. It's hard to find in these busy times.

- Find something to practice that speaks to you: yoga, meditation, dance, running, boxing, etc. Anything that will push you to focus and create more balance.

- Notice when you project your fears onto other people; when you get in a disagreement or find yourself very irritable, see how those things are actually repressed within yourself.

- Get more sleep than you normally do, as your body adjusts to the seasonal changes.

- Be open to changes in your life direction, personal perspectives, and close relationships. There may be many shifts, but trust that you're being guided towards something more aligned with what you're projecting.

- Practice shifting your reactions and thoughts towards reflecting what you want rather than don't want. Recognize times you seem extremely self critical, fear making decisions, or give away your personal power; grow from the darkness by shifting your direction.

- Be grateful: bless your meals, hug your loved ones, say a prayer of thanks for where you are right now.

- Give yourself permission to explore your dark side. It really is okay, and you might even be surprised by the potential you find there.

Let your darkness fuel your light, and vice versa. No one would ever see any stars without the night!

Radiating love your way,
Hannah.