Tuesday’s Solar Eclipse Might Force You to Realize You’re the Monster Under Your Own Bed

Tuesday, July 2, 2019 marks a solar eclipse in Cancer. This means that at approximately 7:16 P.M., the moon will obscure the sun as it passes on its typical rotation around Earth. This blockage will result in a complete lack of direct sunlight. Usually we get to see a cool, eye-of-Sauron type of diffused ring surrounding the moon, which is v dope.

Eclipses (solar and lunar) actually happen more frequently than we think—typically 4-6 times a year, though sometimes they throw in a curveball and we get an extra. I love that. It’s like a big, leap-year-in-space where sometimes you just get an extra day/event and have to roll with it.

Anyway, eclipses are a time for swift and decisive action. They inspire change, and speed up energy and demand attention. They bring to light our unsexy tendencies of resistance, procrastination and general anxiety. We stay in the pain we know because it’s so much easier to deal with the big, dark, scary unknown.

I mean, have you ever noticed that when the lights go out, we all change? As individuals, but also as a group. It’s like most of the existential-noise of being alive suddenly disappears. That’s why nighttime is the typical time we call up people that are bad for us and ask if they want to get a drink or send them pictures of VERY cute animals. Or we all crowd a little closer in a bar or at a house, and talk about things that don’t always have a punchline.

Darkness means change and truth. Eclipses force us to look underneath the bed for monsters. While the eclipse is set to last less than five minutes (4 minutes and 32 seconds, because let’s be PRECISE, OK?)—these effects and understandings we gain can last the rest of our lives.

Lights, camera, action. This solar eclipse, what will the darkness reveal?

Aries –

One way to dissociate from Bad Feelings is to constantly live in the past. To stick to old routines and ways of doing things, and live in a constant cloud of nostalgia. This solar eclipse will show you that honoring the past is important—but the presence can be wildly and rewardingly different, if you let it. Don’t let fear and anxiety keep you on in a perpetual Groundhog’s Day loop. Good things are coming.

Taurus –

We spend the first 20 or more years of life learning. A lot of our knowledge is super helpful—like how much is reasonable to spend on a bag of apples or a really excellent pair of jeans. But a lot of it is bullshit. When the lights go off, let yourself unlearn everything else that makes you feel gross or unworthy. Your body doesn’t have to look a certain way, and you don’t need expensive beauty treatments or a new hairstyle in order to be happy.

Gemini –

Busybusybusy is a mantra for you, Gemini. But busyness is just another term for distraction. Face it: Half your schedule is obligations of your own making. You could downsize your business, feel lighter, and the world wouldn’t end. You already know that. So try doing less. It’s scary, and you’ll have to face the big stuff without the comfort of constant action. But you’ll be so happy you did.

Cancer –

TV and movies and media always make cool, calm and collected look like the sexiest way to be. It’s a way to try and get us to shut up and buy things and be complacent. I like your feelings, and the way you lean into them. This solar eclipse, I hope you like your feelings, too. How holding an old sweater can bring back memories and feel like a real-time poem. You don’t need to change how you see the world—just yourself.

Leo –

It’s human nature to label and categorize stuff. That’s left over from when we were all running around naked, trying not to get eaten by big hairy things that liked to chomp on meat. But now we just use labels to make buying clothes impossible (how can I be an XS in some stores and a L in others? What is my body?), and to usually box ourselves in. This solar eclipse, try to think of specific labels you’ve given yourself (unflexible, not photogenic, etc.)—LIGHT ‘EM UPPPP, and let ’em go.

Virgo –

Just because you’ve always been anxious/sad/fill-in-the-blank doesn’t mean you have to be. We all have different baselines. I require constant exercise and validation from loved ones and green vegetables in order to complete basic functions. That’s just my genetic code, and I’ve stopped apologizing for it. Understanding what you need is half the battle. Addressing your scary parts head-on will do more for your general well-being than any self-help book or well-meaning advice ever could. What do you need to function?

Libra –

Being alone isn’t the same as being lonely. I think myself—and a lot of people—often feel the most alone when we’re in a big group of people and can’t find an honest connection. What makes you feel lonely or unsupported? Because that shit will literally kill you. Humans need other humans. So, what kind of connection do you need? Romantic, friendship, familial, etc. This solar eclipse, I want you to feel connected to something bigger than yourself.

Scorpio –

Don’t hide your scary parts. Being honest and sharing is the only way to really let go of your shit. When we just try to bury stuff, it always resurfaces. Everything we ever put in the ground will always come back. Bones or flowers, it doesn’t matter. Let it all see sunlight, even if you’re terrified. The good people won’t be afraid. They’ll face it all with you.

Sagittarius –

Sorry, Sagittarius, but sometimes you have to force yourself to do the things you know make you happy. And this solar eclipse will show you clearly what you need to be doing. It’s some real bullshit that it’s so hard to do things that fulfill us, (getting the energy to work out, see friends, clean our dirty kitchen, etc.) but that’s the real work! Doing the things that we know are good for us. That’s self-love. Knowing you are worth the momentary discomfort. So go fold your laundry and call your grandmother.

Capricorn –

It’s OK to not be OK sometimes. You don’t have to rush through the bad parts to a happy ending. As a goal-oriented person, middles can seem like the most terrifying thing ever. But I want to be done, you tell yourself. Too bad, Capricorn (sorry, I love you, mean it, promise, etc.). Nothing is ever really done. We come back to good and bad moments, forever. So if you’re not OK, then settle in. It will pass, but only after you’ve surrendered.

Aquarius –

When everything seems bleak and too hard, I try to just collect small moments of goodness and letting them permeate my life. I think about a cute, drooling baby I saw at Costco and I make my mouth do the smiling thing. I text my friend something dumb and funny even though it kind of feels pointless. This solar eclipse, I want you to collect those moments too. Let them build. Keep them in your pocket for when you need them.

Pisces –

Stop holding yourself back from life. Dreaming is not the same as doing. Because here’s the thing: Putting yourself out there hurts in the moment. It’s a sharp and stinging pain. But holding yourself back from everything to avoid that minute and manageable pain—that does lasting damage. It’s a paper cut versus deep tissue scarring. Take a baby step, but do something. Let this solar eclipse be a definitive moment where you let yourself move forward.

Why are we so afraid of the dark? What do we think is out there? I used to think it was three-headed dragons and our embarrassing moments and all the lies we tell both others and ourselves. But now, I think we’re just afraid of our own bodies and minds in the darkness. What they’re capable of, and how much we have learned to hide just to survive.

But I like your scary parts. Show them off. This solar eclipse, change everything but yourself.

Love, love, love.