Welcome to Stars and Stillness.
A journey within and beyond.
As we begin today's practice,
I invite you to take a quiet moment with yourself.
Before finding a seat,
Stand before a mirror or bring a mirror to you.
I encourage you to simply look.
Me your own reflection with compassionate eyes.
Notice the lines that tell the story of your laughter.
Notice the places that have changed with time.
Notice the confidence you carry.
Even the insecurities that quietly linger beneath the surface.
Allow yourself to see all of it.
This face has lived.
It is loved.
It is lost.
It is hope.
And is healed.
Take one slow breath.
Now gently place your hands over your heart.
Feel the steady rhythm beneath your palms,
The heartbeat of a lion.
The heartbeat of a lioness.
The courageous heart of Leo.
A heart created not to perform but to love.
Not to impress,
But to live fully.
With each breath,
Silently repeat or say out loud.
I am courageous.
I am worthy.
I am enough.
Now notice which of these words feels completely true.
I am courageous.
I am worthy.
I am enough.
Which ones become quieter,
Less certain,
More fragile?
Snotus.
This is where your eclipse journey begins.
When you feel ready,
Gently find a comfortable seated position or maybe lying down.
Allow your eyes to close.
See if you can still remember your reflection.
Only moments ago,
It appeared clear.
Now without a mirror.
The image begins to soften.
The details become less defined.
Almost as though the person you are looking at is beginning to dissolve into light.
The familiar image of yourself begins to fade.
Just as the moon slowly moves across the face of the sun.
This is the gift.
Of a south node eclipse.
It is not here to take something from you.
It is here to lovingly remove what you no longer need to carry.
Whether that be identities,
Expectations,
Roles,
The masks.
The stories that once protected you.
But no longer allow you to fully live.
Take a slow inhale and exhale completely.
Begin bringing your awareness into your body.
If you are seated,
Feel the weight of your sitting bones resting on the earth.
You're lying down,
The weight of your body and the space beneath you holding you in place.
Allow your attention to travel to the base of your spine.
The hips,
The pelvis,
The tops of the legs,
The knees,
The calves.
The ankles,
The soles of your feet.
Imagine the earth receiving every ounce of tension you no longer need to hold.
As you scan upward,
Noticing the rise and fall of the belly.
The lungs expanding like great wings inside a ribcage.
The ribs opening and softly returning home.
Feel the quiet strength of your heart.
The collarbones widening,
The shoulders softening.
Awareness flows down the length of both arms,
Through the elbows,
The wrists.
The palms,
The fingertips.
Notice your throat.
Begin to relax the jaw.
The cheeks,
The eyes.
Across the forehead.
The crown of your head.
Your entire body resting,
Breathing,
Listening.
Now ask yourself gently,
Where in my body am I still holding on to an older version of myself?
Allow the body to answer.
Perhaps it is in your chest.
Your throat,
Your belly.
Your jaw,
The hips.
Trust the first place that quietly calls your attention.
Now visualize a cord of light extending from that place.
Follow the cord.
Notice where it leads.
Perhaps it connects you to a younger version of yourself.
A role you played.
A relationship,
A fear,
A dream,
An identity that once kept you safe.
See them clearly.
Notice their courage.
Maybe their innocence,
Their determination.
Everything they carried so that you could arrive in this moment today.
Silently whisper thank you.
Thank you for protecting me.
Thank you for helping me survive.
Thank you for bringing me thus far.
Notice if grief appears.
Or maybe it's fear.
Resistance,
Perhaps relief.
Whatever arises,
Allow it.
And when you feel ready,
Imagine a pair of golden scissors appearing in your hands.
A tool of liberation.
Take one final look at this older version of yourself.
Smile.
Bow if it feels right.
To gently cut the cord.
Watch as the energy begins to dissolve into thousands of tiny particles of light.
Nothing is lost.
Everything is transformed.
Notice if your body becomes lighter.
And your breathing becoming fuller.
Your heart becoming more spacious.
Where the cord once existed,
A radiant golden light now fills the space.
Stay here for a few quiet breaths.
Receiving and trusting.
Now slowly open your eyes once again.
Stand before the mirror.
At this time.
You are witnessing.
Look deeply into your own eyes,
Not at your appearance,
Your presence.
Can you see the person who is emerging?
Perhaps nothing has changed,
And yet everything has changed.
Face is familiar.
But notice if the energy is different.
Less striving,
Less performing,
Less proving.
More truth,
More softness.
More courage.
Remember there is a difference between being visible and being witnessed.
Visibility can be created.
But being witness begins the moment you allow yourself to be fully seen.
Breathe into your heart space.
Feel the warmth of the sun within you.
Even during an eclipse,
The sun never disappears.
Its light is simply hidden for a moment.
Your light has never been lost.
It is only waiting.
To emerge in a new way.
As you continue to hold your gaze,
Gently bring your hands back to your heart.
Feel its steady rhythm once again.
The heartbeat that has carried you through every season of your life.
Take a slow,
Deep breath and allow a gentle smile to soften your face.
Notice how even the smallest smile begins to shift your energy.
Feel that shift travel from your heart throughout your entire body With each breath,
Sense yourself moving closer to the person you are becoming.
Not someone new.
Someone more true.
Feel strength rising from within.
Feel the confidence replacing the need to prove yourself.
Feel courage expanding through your heart like the first rays of sunlight emerging after the eclipse.
You are not returning to who you once were.
You are emerging as the brightest,
Most authentic version of yourself.
The darkness doesn't diminish your light.
It reveals it.
Carry the strength.
Carry this confidence.
Carry this courageous heart.
Carry it with you as you step into your next chapter.
May you no longer seek only to be visible.
May you have the courage to be truly witnessed.
And may the light that now rises within you continue to illuminate your path ahead.
