A Full Moon Lunar Eclipse Navigation

Hello Moonchild :)

The first Lunar Eclipse of 2025 is on Friday, March 14. The Indian festival of Holi also falls on the same day. Although this eclipse is not visible in India, the effects of it are felt everywhere. SInce this is followed by a Solar eclipse on March 29, we are entering the powerful eclipse season!

In India, the total lunar eclipse will begin at 11.57 AM IST, reach its maximum at 12:29 PM IST, and conclude by 1:01 PM IST. Due to its occurrence during daytime hours when the Moon is below the horizon, no rituals and restrictions are prescribed.

Irrespective of visibility the eclipse impacts all, it's effects noticeable days before and after. Eclipses bring forth destined events that fuel much-needed transformations in life. The call for release and ending a chapter is strong. Eclipses amplify the energy of a Full Moon, so watch out for magnified emotions and feelings at play! However, if navigated well, they are powerful portals for elevating consciousness and furthering your spiritual growth.

BE MINDFUL OF THESE :)

• Know that there is a tendency to react and blow things out of proportion. That definitely is not the right thing to do, for you then miss the deeper lesson. Adopt the attitude of a witness and be patient.

  
  

• Avoid taking any important decisions today and the next few days. The encouragement is to approach anything crucial from a place of grounding and calm. Allow that state to come to you with your awareness and rituals/practices.

• There is a high chance that something or someone is forcing you to change the way you think, perceive and act. Your natural tendency is to resist or react or maybe even cut the person off (i.e. you fall back on your patterns). And that is what needs to be released/transformed. Pause to absorb this.

HOW CAN YOU NAVIGATE THESE DAYS AROUND THE ECLIPSE?

Before I share the ritual, I'd like to put down some of the simple yet very powerful things you can easily do as part of your daily life to bring in grounding, calm, clarity and also to raise your frequency so that you do not get swept away and just remain a witness to erratic energies. I have been doing some of these and they have kept me centred :)

• Cleansing/decluttering your home and work space, organizing things that you own, unhoard and let go of things that you have not used in a while, infuse fresh life into dull corners, clear the attic or storage areas and similar activities

• Do things around your home that you have been putting off for a long time. For eg., painting a wall/getting new bed linen/repairs/rearranging/anything else

• Spend time in nature, walk barefoot on the Earth, do some gardening, work out of a park, bring in some green into the house, go for walks

• Listen to mantras or music that elevates your energy levels

• Eat/drink/sleep well

• Use devices sparingly, instead explore a forgotten or new hobby or do something that moves your body and the prana within!

Simply put, find immense joy in the mundane! :)

Walking barefoot :)

WHAT IS A RITUAL YOU CAN DO?

You will need: A quiet room, about an hour, journal and pen. If you have a favourite deity or an altar, let these be part of the space you are practising in. You can do this ritual anytime. It will be even more powerful after moonrise.

(To know Moonrise timings, I use the My Moon Phase app)

Sit in a meditative posture. Centre yourself by observing your connection with Mother Earth. Remember your ancestors and Gurus and seek their blessings. Visualize a Full Moon in your eyebrow centre. As you inhale and exhale a few times, ask the lunar energies to flow through you and guide you.

1. Body work to shed: Intuitive Body Movement + Massage

Start by lying down in whatever way you are comfortable.

Notice your breath and breathe into your belly and out for a few rounds till you feel calm and settled.

Run awareness through various parts of the body.

Pause at parts where you sense discomfort/tension/tightness/aches/pains/numbness.

You can move or sit up and touch this part to connect with the sensation.

Ask yourself, what kind of movement will help ease this out. The body has an innate intelligence. Allow yourself to be guided by that. There is not right or wrong here. And this can be any kind of movement, not necessarily asana. The only thing you need to make sure it that you breathe well all through.

Attend to the body, part by part till you have spoken to every little ache or niggle. These may not fully go away but there will definitely be a shift after this practice.

Sit down and take a few breaths as you run your palms over your whole body. Be supremely grateful for this gift of your body.

After this, gently massage your whole body, sensing every nurturing touch, knowing that you are feeding yourself with fresh life force wherever you touch. You can exert as little or as much pressure as you would like to. Cover the whole body with this touch/massage.

2. Womb+Heart Meditation

Sit cross-legged or on a chair with an erect spine. Observe the natural flow of your breath. Equalize your inhales and exhales to a comfortable count. Take 12 breaths.

Shift your awareness to your womb space (deep lower belly region) and heart space.

As you breath in, visualize prana flowing from your womb space to your heart space. As you exhale, visualize it going back to the womb space. As you progress, when you inhale, associate it with lifting your authenticity and power from your core, your sacred womb space. When you exhale, see it as taking love, compassion and kindness from the heart space to your very core to further nourish the sacredness and strength of that region. Do this for 14-21 breaths. Stay aware, be a witness to whatever may feel and anything that might unfold for you, without judgements, with compassion.

After this, take awareness to the breath at the nostrils, then to the parts where your body is connected to Mother Earth. Make some gentle movements and open your eyes.

3. Journaling

Reach out for your journal and pen. Start writing with the prompt:

'I am being guided to...'

Write continuously for 3-5 minutes till you have expressed fully. This final expression comes from your source, so it is important to not activate the thinking mind. Allow flow. Write without inhibitions and more importantly, without stopping. Then read what you have written, continuing to be a compassionate, non-judgemental witness. Sit in silence, with eyes closed, absorbing the experience.

4. Affirmation & Gratitude

Write down and read this affirmation aloud 3 times.

I TRUST MY INTUITION TO GUIDE MY JOURNEY.

I TAKE STEPS FORWARD WITH BELIEF, CONFIDENCE AND COURAGE.

Close the ritual by offering gratitude to your ancestors, your Gurus, the Moon and Mother Earth.

What is your way forward?

1. Keep referring to the journal every few days. Add on experiences, new thoughts, observations and insights as they surface. Let all of this guide you towards your actions.

2. Stay open to insights-they may come to you in meditation or when you wake up or through people you interact with or even as dreams.

Be patient, remain an observer and stay close to the plan of approaching everything from a place of calm and grounding. The eclipse season will more than reveal it's magic to you :)

Wish you a deep and soulful Full Moon Lunar Eclipse practice and a very Happy Holi! :)

Gratitude

Sheetal