Moksha and the Eclipse Release

The final gate of this Eclipse portal includes the intensity of the Solar Eclipse on the Dark Moon on September 21st, and is completed by the culmination of the following Full Moon on October 6th. This final passage also happens to include the Autumnal Equinox, on the very next day after the Eclipse.

We entered into this Eclipse portal on the opening Dark Moon on September 23rd, and we've journeyed through the Lunar Eclipse on September 7th. Think back to those dates, and notice what has been coming forward in this time period.

Eclipses are times of transition, as are equinoxes. We knew, stepping into this portal, that things were set to shift. And even though we anticipated this period of transformation, we could not have fully anticipated what it is that is coming to pass. It is the nature of transformation. The mystery of the chrysalis.

The Moon's orbit around the Earth does not perfectly line up with the path of the Sun, and the other planets, known as the Ecliptic. The Nodes are the points of the Moon's orbit where it intersects the Ecliptic. The Moon passes these nodal points every month, but only when it lines up with the syzygial phases do we have eclipses. The points of syzygy are the Full Moon, or Dark Moon of the Moon's Synodic cycle (the phases of the Moon). At the Lunar Eclipse at the beginning of this month, the Full Moon was crossing the Ecliptic as it moved upwards, a point that is known as the Ascending or North Node. For the Solar Eclipse on September 21st, the Dark Moon is crossing the Ecliptic on its Descending, South Node.

The energy of the North Node reveals to us what we are stepping into. Our karmic destiny. Reflect back on what was arising on the first week of September as the Full Moon was eclipsed by the Earth's shadow. On September 21st, the Eclipse releases what must give way, in order for the new to come forward. It is likely that what had been coming forward was obfuscated by what we are holding that still needs to be released. This again is the mystery and the mechanism of the chrysalis. It's only once the carapace is released that the butterfly's wings are revealed.

The time has come to let the chrysalis drop away

Sometimes we don't feel clear on what it is that is ripe to be released. Sometimes, during these seasons of release (such as Autumn, or the Luteal Phase of the Menstrual Cycle) the human feelings around letting go, such as instability, loss, unfamiliarity, grief, or shame can create emotional entanglement that makes it additionally difficult to see.

As a tool to facilitate release, let us consider the Vedic concept of the Parusharthas. These Four Aims of Life include: Artha, Dharma, Kama, and Moksha.

The Parusharthas

• Artha is preparatory. This is the focus on gathering resources, training, connections, and setting up the logistics of living, including food, water, sleep, hygiene and shelter. You need all of these in order to engage in Dharma and Kama.

• Dharma is your service to the world. It's the gift you give, your work, your art, your contribution to your community.

• Kama is your pleasure. Bliss, sensory delight, fun, and romantic connection. Whatever it is that is delicious, delightful, and pleasant to you.

• Moksha is liberation. This is the dropping of the veils of illusion, and the release of Maya.

At both this time of year, and at this phase in the Eclipse process, it is appropriate to learn from the wisdom of Moksha. We are here to release, not with reckless abandon, not with agony as our beloved creations fall away, but with the wisdom of the birds-eye view that Moksha offers. I think of Moksha as a lens through which to view the activities of the other three Parusharthas. When considering that everything in this life is impermanent, and allowing some distance from our sense of self as entangled in our work, our passions, our identity, relationships, or our creations, we are free to explore, serve, and enjoy what it means to be alive.

There is nothing in this world that we can keep, in the form that it is in now. Everything that is born will come to die, everything that arises will subside. Let us hold our creations with a light and open hand. And may this energy that is present with us during this time of Eclipse and Equinox transitions help us to release with grace and ease. And with lighter baggage, and a lighter heart, may we take up the mantle of creator again and again in Artha, Dharma, and Kama. Let us join the dance again with a free and open heart, released by the wisdom of Moksha.