The Deep Illumination
"Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness." - Anne Frank
During the hot, dry days of summer in Idaho…back when I was green with youth; my friends and I would drive up the canyon.
Winding around the narrow two lane highway, following the twisting, turning reservoir below us.
Our destination, a local watering hole.
A place where kids would climb high up the side of rocky ledges, only to plunge deep into the cool waters below.
Have you ever done that?
Cliff diving?
It’s terrifying and exhilarating simultaneously.
Standing on the edge of a mountain cliff, the hot sun beating down on your bare shoulders.
The scorching, jagged rock beneath your feet urging you to move.
The water below, seemingly a million miles away…a deep blue, breaking in small white peaks.
And then the moment comes.
It’s like your mind, your reason, flees your body for a split second.
And in that second, your knees bend and your legs catapult you into the air.
Suddenly you’re flying!
Ecstasy!
…And then you’re falling…
And the place where your stomach once was, now, is in your throat.
Your body breaks through that dark blue barrier and plummets down, into its depths.
Cold water swirling around you, embracing every particle of your being.
There’s a moment, right after that downward descent stops, when your body becomes completely suspended.
Free from gravity.
This is the moment of magic.
It’s as if, for a second, you’ve crossed over into another realm.
One of secrets and mystery.
Where an ancient knowing begins to reawaken in your cells.
One that whispers, “You’re not alone in this place”.
And you know, in that moment…if you were to reach out your hand, your fingers would touch the mystery that is there beside you, floating there, in the dark.
But instead, fear settles in your heart and you kick your legs, moving your body up toward the surface.
As you break that barrier once more, the sunlight cascades onto your face, lulling that ancient knowing back to sleep again.
December 3rd brings with it a super full moon in the sign of Gemini, and also marks the first day that Mercury goes retrograde in the sign of Sagittarius.
Mercury will stay retrograde from December 3rd until December 22nd.
The energy of these two astrological events will be ushering us to the cliffs of our own psyche.
Asking us to leap off the edge and into the dark blue waves of our subconscious.
This year has predominantly been about change.
The death of old cycles and the birth of new ones.
December’s energy is giving us one final opportunity to tie up any loose ends that may be floating around in the depths of our mind.
Left over pieces of thoughts and emotions from the monumental shifting that we have all gone through over the past twelve months.
Let’s look at the aspects of each of these events a little bit closer:
Super Full Moon
The moon moves along an elliptical orbit around the Earth.
When the full or new moon phases coincide with the precise moment that the moon is closest to Earth in its trajectory, it’s considered a “supermoon”.
Thus being named after its seemingly enlarged or “super” size.
This full moon will be acting as a beacon of light.
Shining down on us from the sky, illuminating the truth of what’s hidden in the dark corners of our subconscious.
It carries with it a positive and helpful energy, one that promotes self-growth and inner expansion.
But, even with the supportive air it possesses, we may find it uncomfortable to look at those things that have been hidden within our hearts for so long.
If there are things that you need to look at during this time, be assured that they will be presented to you.
Mercury Retrograde
Retrogrades occur when a planet is moving past the farthest point from the sun on its orbital trajectory, which is either slower or faster than Earth’s orbit.
The difference of orbital speed between planets creates an optical illusion, that the planet is seemingly moving backwards in the sky.
All planets go through a retrograde phase at some point, but Mercury’s retrograde phase is known for causing disarray.
However, this cycle is going to be a little bit different due to the energy that the moon is bringing to us.
The moon is in the sign of Gemini and Mercury is the ruling planet of this sign.
These two energies are going to work together in harmony and Mercury is going to lessen the intensity of the full moon.
Instead of the moons energy shining on us like a harsh spotlight, it will instead fall on us like the soft glow of a street lamp.
Still illuminating what we need to see, but in a less threatening way.
Mercury is in the sign of Sagittarius and that brings with it a curiosity and a desire to explore and truly understand what has been revealed.
This will allow us to sift through, and lay to rest any emotions or thought patterns that are preventing us from moving into alignment with our highest good.
The next few weeks are going to bring with it a raw clarity.
Some days may feel like we’re taking two steps forward and one step back but trust in the healing process that is surely happening underneath the surface.
There’s going to be a lot of energetic influence surrounding how we think and communicate.
We are in a retrograde cycle for the planet that rules communication, during a time of deep inner reflection.
It will be important to express any thoughts or emotions that may come up, in a healthy way.
But because communication with others can be misinterpreted easily during this time, my suggestion would be to explore those areas solo, through journaling or meditation.
Once Mercury goes direct again, after the 22nd, you will be able to clearly express any thoughts or ideas with others, without the likelihood of being misunderstood.
Retrograde cycles don’t have to be a time of discord.
When you move into them armed with the knowledge of how they can affect you, you have the ability to use that energy in an empowering way.
So, take this time to do the due diligence that your subconscious is asking for.
Dive off that cliff and enter the world below.
And in that moment of magic, when you’re suspended in the waves of thought and emotion… reach out your hand.
See what is there beside you.
Embrace it.