The alarm went off at 2:15 a.m. Full volume, for I’ve been known to sleep through a hurricane. Happily, I grabbed a sweater, pulled on leggings, and slid into my favorite old sneakers. Two confused dogs followed me into the yard.
I strained to see the Moon but she wasn’t visible from that angle. Slipping quietly out of the garden gate, down five steps and into the street, I found her. There I stood. Motionless. Bathing in her dimming light.
Moonlight is a gift of reflection. As the Moon orbits Earth, the Sun illuminates different portions of the Moon’s celestial surface. Synonyms for portion? Destiny. Lot. Fate. Fortune. Luck. Kismet. What is written in the Stars.
In one month’s time, we are gifted the new Moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, full Moon and waning crescent. Look up, Beloved, and contemplate the evening sky. Each phase, worthy of pause. For it is written: As Above, So Below.1
On March 14 at 2:26:06 a.m., the Moon entered a full eclipse.
This is a gift. Not rare. But infrequent enough to be special. It happens once, twice, occasionally three times a year. And this time, my Heart insisted.
In a full lunar eclipse, Sun, Earth and Moon align perfectly to reach totality. Earth moves between Sun and Moon, blocking the Sun and casting her shadow on the Moon. The darkest part of the shadow is known as the umbra.
Before the umbra, there is the penumbra or “almost shadow.” Thus, the penumbra marks the beginning and end of this six-hour event: almost shadow, partial eclipse, totality, then the return to partial eclipse, emerging finally from the almost shadow.
Barely perceptible and oh so gradual, this Almost Shadow’s dimming. We may never see the darkness coming. But oh, how we seek for the darkness to end.
The Light ahead? Its return, inevitable. But Nature’s course will not be rushed. Know this and keep the Faith, for the final passage is through the Almost Shadow.
This closing Almost Shadow grounds the Hope you’ve claimed but hesitated to believe through the darkness. And Hope allows for reflection. Reflection brings release. And release makes space, once again, for Love to shine.
“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part, but then shall I know even as I am known. And now abide Faith, Hope, Love, these three; but the greatest of these is Love.” - 1 Corinthians 13:12-13.
Sun, Earth, Moon. By 2:58:43 a.m., these three celestial bodies aligned for the maximum eclipse—that moment the shadow overtakes the Moon.
But the Moon continues her orbit, knowing she will emerge from the shadow to shine, once again. The Sun, too, sends his longest wave-lengths of Light. The strongest sunlight still filters through the Earth’s atmosphere, the Moon’s surface reflecting hues of orange and red. This, the Blood Moon. A prophecy, perhaps: “the Sun shall be turned into darkness, and the Moon into blood.”2
As the umbra blanketed the Moon, I paused and asked for Guidance.
May these words bless you, Dear Reader. In the naive, unsuspecting, innocent moments as the Almost Shadow descends. A foretelling. In the emergence from heartache, misfortune, adversity, calamity, ruin, into the Almost Shadow though which you still must pass. A retrospective.
Beautiful Child of God, you have kept the Faith. Emerge stronger yet gentler. Come out of this darkness cleansed and ready. Have a sense of knowing. A state of wonder. A way of being in this world with an understanding that understanding knows no bounds. Now you understand, have felt, a Peace that passes all Understanding.3
Let go. Release. Paths will open. Portals. Choices for your Life where, momentarily, you felt there were none. That felt like an eternity, didn’t it? But it was a blink.
This complete lunar eclipse, in which you see the absence of Light, lingers but for an hour. Gazing at the sky, it felt like an eternity, didn’t it? But how fleeting, that dark time. Soon, the Moon will emerge and she will shine once again. Delight in her.
This world in the physical is a wondrous place. And yet, you know now—have a Faith now—that there is beauty and energy and Light beyond comprehension. And the Knowing, that alone is beautiful.
Release. Trust. This time represents a shift. Leave behind the sadness, the pain. Do not carry it with you into this next phase. Recognize it. Acknowledge it. Yes. But you’ve sat with it—in it—for long enough. You are Free now. Find release within yourself.
Must you decide to stand up and move out of this era of darkness? No, just as the Moon doesn’t decide. For she waits peacefully for the darkness to pass and she rests in the shadow trusting the next phase will present.
This is the last of the dark days. You are emerging. Coming out of a moment in time when your life was eclipsed. By oh so many things beyond your control. This life, it has always been yours. You are at last coming into your Knowing. Inner Knowing. Eternal Knowing. Boundless Knowing.
Release the dark days. Acknowledge them, for these have uncovered who you are, so that you may know your strengths and your flaws, your beauty and your darkness. Be Free, Darling One.
Now. In these final moments of this full eclipse. Know that you are Loved beyond anything your human mind can even begin to comprehend—just as you cannot even begin to comprehend Creation, its magic and its power. Beloved, be Free. And trust. These shifts are coming and they are coming fast. Rest in the learning but continue moving as the path unfolds. Oh, how you will shine. Again, you will shine. Be Love. Be Loving. And live into Only Love Today.
Having received this blessing, anointed by the moonlight, there was closure.
By 3:31:26 a.m., the full eclipse ended. (That’s 1 hour, 5 minutes, 20 seconds from its commencement. In case your brain, like mine, won’t rest until it knows. You’re welcome!) Heart at Peace, mind quiet, I settled in for the sweetest sleep.
Have you ever tried to take a picture of the Moon? I’ve yet to find a way. But like the Moon, sand reflects Light and shadow, forming art.
Dear Reader, a postscript: If the Moon could speak, this is what she might say.
Notice, Beloved, that even in the darkest shadow, I continue to seek Light. Though eclipsed, my path is ever steadfast, undaunted, true. For by now I have come to understand that in time. Soon. I will again shine.
In the velvet silence, the eclipse feels like Eternity must. Did time seem to stop? Oh, but it’s just an hour. A moment. A breath, caught and held. Then slowly I emerge. One long exhale.
Still, Earth continues her annual path around the Sun, ever spinning on her axis. Still, Sun remains ever shining as he continues his orbit through the galaxy. And I, Beloved, still I never cease my orbit around the Sun, continuing to receive and reflect the Light.
So may you also continue moving about the Earth and through this Life. So may you also receive and reflect the Light.
Today, this March 29, 2025, we are given a new Moon and a partial solar eclipse.
An eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and Sun. In a lunar eclipse, recall that it is the Earth’s movement that makes it so. In a solar eclipse, it is the Moon’s movement at play. Look up.4
Tides, formed of the Moon’s gravitational pull.
Dear Reader, you may notice these posts coming through less frequently. I am hard at work on two larger projects—one for the Joy of creating, another for the Joy of life. But I’ll keep showing up and I’m ever grateful that you keep doing the same. XO, Ash
“As above, so below” paraphrases the second verse of the Emerald Tablet, a Hermetic text. As to Hermetica, this is a curiosity thread I’m going to have to pull.
With this phrase in the Old Testament, Joel 2:31 foretells “the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” In the New Testament, Acts 2:20 repeats this very phrase, “the Sun shall be turned into darkness, and the Moon into blood,” to speak of “the great and glorious day of the Lord.” In Revelation 6:12, as the Lamb of God opened the sixth of seven seals, "the Sun became black . . . and the Moon became as blood.” Judgment Day, a Biblical illustration of the Buddhist and Hindu principle, Karma. Terrible or glorious, which shall it be?
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything . . . let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds . . . .” Philippians 4:6-7.
While on the subject of planetary movement, also today Venus—the planet of Love, of course—re-emerges as a morning star. And on March 30, 2025 Neptune—the planet of intuition and illusion, creativity and compassion, and (my favorite of course) universal Love—moves into Aries, a sign of bold energy, passionate (sometimes impulsive) courage. The last time Neptune moved into Aries was 164 years ago; the following day, the American Civil War began. Buckle up, y’all, a collective ideological shift is indeed possible but may be hard-fought. Look for the signs.