Penumbral Eclipse in Libra: Resolving Karmic Contracts

The full moon in 5°07’ of Libra on March 25th (3:00 a.m. CDT) is a penumbral lunar eclipse. 

Eclipses are evolutionary catalysts that accelerate our growth and present opportunities for quantum leaps. This eclipse can be viewed in parts of Antarctica, the western half of Africa, western Europe, North and South America, Japan, New Zealand and the eastern half of Australia.

A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth’s shadow is cast on part of the moon, symbolizing a more profound illumination of something that is reflecting back to us. This lunar eclipse will cast a faint grey shadow instead of a red moon. 

Eclipses always come in twos or threes. Eclipse season is defined as a time when the sun is within 18° of the transiting of the nodal axis. During this time, a portal of energy opens. Time seems to accelerate. The energy is amplified around the archetypal themes of the signs that the moon’s nodes are in, often bringing chaos, redirection and wild possibilities. 

This penumbral lunar eclipse in Libra seeks to restore balance in our lives by revealing our relational patterns. Unconscious assumptions we have been making in our relationships come into our awareness now, allowing us to see ourselves in a new light and understand more of what we need. 

We recognize the environments and relationships that aren’t nourishing and where we have abandoned ourselves to meet the expectations of others so that we can create a new beginning.

“As we look deeply within, we understand our perfect balance. There is no fear of the cycle of birth, life and death. For when you stand in the present moment, you are timeless.”

Rodney Yee

In March 2005, there was a full moon in 5º of Libra with the moon nodes in the Aries-Libra polarity, as they are now. That said, the moon nodes were too far from the full moon polarity to be an eclipse. Thus, the last Libra south node lunar eclipse was in April 1987.

South node eclipses show us situations and cycles that are far past their expiration dates. We begin to see where things have run their course. We may find something removed from our lives that no longer aligns with where we are headed.

We are guided inward to restore balance and attune to what deeply resonates.

This eclipse initiates the required changes we need in our lives and will continue to transform and expand during the solar eclipse in Aries on April 8th. We will be integrating these changes over the next several months.

Mercury Enters Its Set-up Phase

Mercury entered its set-up phase at 16° of Aries on March 18th and will begin its 3.5-week retrograde phase on April 1st. This energy will bring up themes around freedom, advocacy, identity and self-discovery. This eclipse asks us to cultivate the courage to be our authentic selves, which will then help to set things in motion for a potentially significant transformation. 

This lunation also shows us where we have cut ourselves off from connection. When we disconnect from our intuitive knowing, we lose trust in our ability to understand what is true for us and, as a result, may struggle to let others in.  

Our Relationships Offer Liberation

Relationships are our mirrors, our teachers. Through engagement in human intimacy, we can discover new aspects of ourselves. This eclipse highlights patterns that have inhibited our growth and invites us to review how we show up in our relationships and see how we might transform them.

We are asked to not only reassess our relationships, but also our roles within them to determine whether they support our current authentic expression. This may either bring natural completions to relationship dynamics that have run their course or strengthen a bond firmly planted on solid ground. We can think pragmatically and clearly about what is out of balance. As we allow what isn’t working to fall away, we allow space for new inspiration and spark to enter our lives and purposely redirect us toward our heart’s desire. 

In reflecting on the dynamics in our relationships, now is the time think about where we have given our power away to another, abused our power, or found ourselves in a bond with another that isn’t on equal footing.

This lunation offers a reset in our relationship dynamics so that we can come into balance. This will permit us to not only thrive in our own lives, but also to see how we might use our influence to encourage others to flourish.

We consider what we need to protect our peace. When do we need to speak up and share truths to advocate for our needs, even when it puts us in uncomfortable conversations? What is the price we pay to keep up old appearances and harmony? As we gain access to new levels of self-esteem, what are the new edges of growth? Remaining silent or not directing our attention to where we are called is a choice; however, experiencing dissonance allows us to understand ourselves and our underlying patterns in new ways. What kind of peace is worth fighting for? 

When we have been hurt in love, we often push through the pain and into the next entanglement, not taking the time to integrate what we have learned. Or we may choose not to engage in partnerships at all, protecting ourselves from potential hurt and the work that arises through the grid of relating. This can be purposeful for a time, but it is important to consider our motivation behind the choice and if it is healthy and really serving us. Since this eclipse activates the polarity of freedom vs. partnership and independence vs. collaboration, it is essential to consider new ways of identifying our needs and letting ourselves be supported, as well as creating the space and freedom to individuate. This cycle guides us to what needs to be released and integrated in these areas so that we can move forward.

“You have to learn to get up from the table when love is no longer being served.”

Nina Simone

We can now maintain emotional objectivity, observing how we show up in our lives and coming to a new understanding about our patterns and behaviors. The unhealed parts of ourselves require our compassion and presence.

We are increasingly waking up to how we may have been overly compliant, codependent, and pleasing based on what we have been conditioned to believe was expected of us but may not even be true in our reality.

We are uncovering generational patterns of how love was modeled, and how we may be compelled to keep up appearances or how we may be overly concerned with what others think of us. We release our old ways of inhabiting roles that may have given us a false sense of validation and self-esteem but now are no longer working or aligned with our purpose.

A Call for Transcendence

This cosmic weather is calling for us to upgrade how we act in our relationships. What have we outgrown about the ways we engage with others? Are there any behaviors or habits that diminish our value rather than affirm it? In Libra, we are learning that our values must be congruent with our choices. Sometimes, our sense of value can be intertwined with our desire to be liked, accepted or needed. We learn this through our early relationship models and the specific things we did to earn validation or approval. This early conditioning can cause us to turn our attention to the needs of others, abandoning our own.

Libra is often stereotyped in pop culture for its famed indecision. This archetype’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm may naturally lead them to acquiesce to the needs and preferences of others. Still, when we are pulled too far from our self-connection, there is an invitation to go within, reassess and call ourselves back home. In Libra, we often travel along this spectrum of the other and ourselves, learning through contrast. And when we are rooted in our sense of worth, listening to our needs and living our values, we can make a choice swiftly and clearly.

In a patriarchal culture, we are taught early on how we are expected to behave and what is considered appropriate, typically connected to the gender roles that we were born into. This eclipse guides us to surrender old forms of conditioning and feel into what is actually true for us, making space for new beginnings and forms.

We are reminded to trust in the unfolding of who we are becoming, live beyond assumptions, and meet others fully to listen and understand. This allows for our individual needs to be met and for us to be accepted for who we are. We can reestablish new relationship boundaries and agreements that genuinely consider the needs of all involved. 

“I can do nothing for you but work on myself, you can do nothing for me but work on yourself.”

Ram Dass

This time in our collective evolution summons us to heal and live beyond victim consciousness. For each of us, one of the most vital things we can do to transform our relationships and the world is to work on ourselves. It is a natural human instinct to blame someone for something that has happened that has felt unjust or unfair. We may feel victimized, and sometimes we may even desire revenge or vengeance for a painful experience.

This cycle invites us to transcend blame, shame and victim consciousness and look at our lives through the lens of the soul. Our soul learns through our life experiences that inform and support our evolution but doesn’t perceive life as fair or unfair. We are now being asked not only how we want to experience relationships, but we are also being encouraged to name how we want to receive nourishment, and to respond to life circumstances in a healthier way.

“Victim consciousness tends to be self-perpetuating. If you believe yourself to be a victim, you vibrate at the frequency of a victim and energetically draw to yourself experiences that will confirm in your mind that you are a victim. One key to breaking this cycle is to release blame, for blame places you vibrationally at the frequency of victim consciousness. We may more easily release blame when we take responsibility for having agreed to our life plans. Such self-responsibility is the fertile ground in which expanded consciousness and self-knowledge blossom.” 

Robert Schwartz 

We Clarify Commitment

This cycle offers insight into what we truly want to commit ourselves to, whether it is a partnership that we feel will challenge us to be our best selves or a creative longing that has been wanting more of us. We are asked to marry our intention with our will and show up fully for what we truly value. We are called to take action toward something truly meaningful and consciously decide if it is worth our time and presence to move it forward. 

We live in a world determined to hijack our attention with cute animal videos, clickbait articles and advertisements. It is easy to lose meaning in the present moment along with our agency. What wants our unconditional presence? What feels inspiring and meaningful? Something is arising in our awareness that we are longing to express but we haven’t fully allowed it to come through us, as it would require a new level of power that would shake up our roles and disrupt the status quo. Are we working hard to hold up appearances? What would happen if we didn’t? This lunation is an essential time for us to challenge the assumptions of how others need us to show up and bring more attention to how, when and to whom we choose to give. In the highest expression of Libra, we open to becoming an instrument of divine love, listening deeply to where and how love wants to direct us to give.

This eclipse offers an opportunity to reclaim and step into a new dimension of our soul’s purpose. In order to do this, we may have to risk disappointing others to honor our own truth. We must discern what lights up our hearts and beckons us to our next level of growth and make the conscious decision to bring our discipline and devotion to it.

“when you do not seek or need external approval, you are at your most powerful.” 

Caroline Myss

The Invitation

We have an opportunity to evaluate our relationships, our needs and our boundaries within them. We release our attachment to outside validation and approval so that we can summon ourselves back home.

“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.”

Maya Angelou

We are invited to be flexible, accept what is ending, cultivate the courage to look at our part without shame and step into the unknown. By being rooted in self-connection, we can create the space to listen deeply and make choices that align with our values. 

Eclipse season is a time to be redirected and to make space for synchronicity to guide us to our soul’s intention. When we practice the power of surrender, we can more easily align to new possibility. And if we allow the wave of transformation to guide us, we can move toward an exciting new beginning.