October 18th, we have a lunar eclipse in the signs of Aries (the Moon) and Libra (the Sun). Aries, expressed positively, is self-sufficient, straight-forward, and adventurous, but expressed negatively is self-centered, thrill-seeking and aggressive. Libra is very sociable, cooperative, and considerate or indecisive, pretentious and co-dependent, going along to get along.
During a lunar eclipse it is our emotions and unconscious that call for our attention, asking us to shed light onto the shadows, on the things unseen.
Coincidentally, for this week’s Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse, the card I pulled for the week’s Focus was The Devil.
Notice how, in this image, the Fool holds up his hands so he doesn’t have to see the Devil, so he doesn’t have to face his fears and what lies in the shadows. See how the Devil wears a mask…as does the Fool. In fact, the masks are eerily similar, only the Fool’s is red and the Devil’s is gold. Notice the hour glass the Fool is sitting on. It’s tilted sideways, meaning time has stopped. For time to start moving again, for the Fool to continue with his journey, creative or otherwise, he has to be willing to look at what is frightful or uncomfortable about his current situation or creative project, what may bedevil him.
This is an interesting card to consider in relationship to this week’s lunar eclipse.
The Fool seems to want to stay where he is, within the comfortable limits of his current situation, because, as the saying goes, better the Devil you know, right?
But, the Fool is not going anywhere until he breaks himself free of the “not looking.”
For our creative lives, “not looking” could mean refusing to acknowledge where we rely on others to solve our creative challenges, like how to get our work discovered, i.e. published or produced or exhibited. Or it could mean continuing to allow the needs and expectations of others to push us in creative directions we don’t want to go, or to guilt us into stop creating altogether, going along to get along even if it denies the voices of our Muses.
Fiery Aries energy wants you to take risks and push forward with your creative project regardless of others’ needs or concerns. Libra energy will have you thinking about all your responsibilities and how you need to take care of this person or that job or that need first, until the Muse’s voice is so muffled as to be unheard. Libra will tell you it’s all about balance. Aries says “Get out of my way. I need to get started on this project NOW!” Libra says, “Let’s step back and think about this.” Aries says, “No way, the creative fire is burning and I need to take advantage of it.”
Listening to just one or the other isn’t the solution, but neither is trying to balance them. After all, look at that poor Fool, balanced and caught on that hourglass.
Like the Fool, where we get caught is by refusing to look at the challenges and fears in order to take action on them, by refusing to look at the Devil within.
This eclipse gives us an opportunity to look into the shadows. To decide that sometimes we have to be selfish and self-centered. And, other times, we have to sacrifice creative needs in service to others.
And no, it’s not a balancing act. We can’t balance it. The scales will tip back and forth, up and down. Stasis is where the Fool is in that Devil card. The Fool has to look in order to change the energy, in order to move forward. And so do you.
What masks are you wearing that keep you from seeing clearly?
What shadows are you refusing to look into that keep you from your deepest creative material?