Lunar Eclipse in Libra; Letting Go of Harmony and Balance
The title of this post may sound a bit odd. Why would there ever be a need to “let go of harmony and balance?” If you ponder this question more deeply, perhaps you can think of situations where you have “overdone” harmony and balance. Especially if you were raised female. Our culture often teaches us to be rooted not in our own needs, but in the needs of the Other; that the most important thing is to be kind, nice, cooperative, “get along,” and to find a way to make peace in every situation. But is peace always appropriate? When does it go too far? Have you ever found yourself bending over backwards to accommodate another person or situation so much that you lost track of who you are, what you want, what is important to you from a soul perspective? That is the shadow side of the energy of Libra where we have our first eclipse of the season on March 25.
Eclipse season lasts about 6 weeks, though the effects of each eclipse can be felt for up to 6 months afterwards. Eclipses come in pairs and bring karmic corrections to our lives--the losses and letting go that can come with South Node eclipses and new appearances and arrivals that accompany North Node eclipses.
The eclipse on March 25 is a South Node Lunar Eclipse at 5 degrees of Libra. Like all lunar eclipses, it happens at the Full Moon and fleshes out themes that arose with the New Moon 2 weeks ago.
The South Node is a place of release in the chart and is associated with moments when we are asked to “let go” in some area of our life. On the material level whenever there is a South Node eclipse, we may experience a loss in the part of our chart where the eclipse happens. For example, if the eclipse happens in the 11th house in your chart, you may find yourself letting go and leaving a group or organization to which you belong, or if it happens in the 4th house you may encounter a situation where you have to let go around something having to do with your family, home, or ancestry.
Libra flavors the eclipse by adding a sense of the archetypal themes that may have caused you to stay in a situation past the point where it served your Soul’s purpose. Libra is an air sign ruled by Venus, the goddess of love. It is the sign of the diplomat who works to balance different needs and find harmony in relationships. A South Node Libra eclipse can bring karmic lessons that require us to let go of situations where we have lost track of our own Soul’s needs—where we have accommodated others rather than being firmly rooted in own sense of who we are and what we need. The remedy for the shadow side of a sign is often the energy of the opposing sign. In this case, it is Aries, a fire sign ruled by Mars, the god of War. Aries energy allows us to establish a foothold in the world, to proclaim the importance of our own individual existence and carries the energy of “I am,” “I need,” and “I will assert myself to protect my needs.”
The theme of letting go of our tendency to privilege harmony above all else fits with the New Moon from 2 weeks ago. You may recall the New Moon had a strong Aries energy. It happened just after Mercury, the god of communication entered Aries. It called us to new creative beginnings and urged us to find our confident, self-assertive voice in the world. Now, 2 weeks later, we may find ourselves experiencing the consequence of asserting our creative individual self in the world. When we act out of our Soul’s true self-expression, we fulfill our destiny AND learn the sometimes difficult lesson that standing in our own integrity can lead to losses to the extent we have stayed in situations or relationships that do not fit with who we are. There is no right or wrong about whatever may transpire with this lunar cycle, it is just the cyclical reality of life—we step into something new, and it brings a shift that may include a letting go of that which no longer suits our Soul’s path.
The good news is the relationship between the two benefic planets (Jupiter and Venus) in March 25’s Eclipse Chart is quite positive, suggesting that whatever loss we may experience will ultimately feel like a step in the right direction. Venus is in a lovely flowing sextile to Jupiter and both planets are in “mutual reception,” meaning Venus is in Jupiter’s sign and Jupiter is in Venus’s sign, giving them each the power to help each other out. Jupiter is the god of optimism, expansion, and encouragement for growth, and Venus is the goddess of love and right relationship. Venus rules Libra where the Eclipse is happening, and with Jupiter’s help, there is a sense she will be supported throughout the karmic shifts that the Eclipse may bring to our lives.
South Node Lunar Eclipse Chart, Washington D.C., March 25, 2024
As with all transits, the March 25 eclipse will affect each of us differently. If you have a personal planet (Mercury, Mars, Venus, Moon, or Sun) on or near 5 degrees Libra you may experience this eclipse more profoundly.
How you experience any loss or letting go depends on how receptive you are to the rhythms of the moment; if you can align with the truth of the moment, then letting go may bring sadness and grief, but also an understanding of the reality that it is a time of ending and release. In contrast, if you resist letting go out of a sense of fear, you may find any loss more difficult to bear—your ego may protest against “what is” and you may suffer more as a result.
If you’d like to know more about how you might be affected by this eclipse season, there is a link below where you can book a reading to explore your birth chart and how it connects with this season’s eclipse charts.
Keep an eye out for my next post which will cover the North Node Solar Eclipse on April 8, called the “Great American Eclipse” because it falls over a large portion of the United States. That Eclipse will be a Total Solar Eclipse and may bring big changes not only in our personal lives, but in the life of the United States as well.