The Magic of Darkness

Y’all, this week is going to springboard us into a powerful season that is going to deepen our insight, illuminate our spiritual path, and strip us of all that we don’t need. The whole universe is conspiring to send us deep into the darkness, in the best of all possible ways.

For those who don’t already follow these things, here are a few of the events that will be happening this week:

• September 20 at 7:54 PM EST: The Harvest Moon (the full moon that is closest to the autumnal equinox each year); full moon in Pisces.

• September 21 at 11:12 PM EST: Moon crosses from Pisces into Aries.

• September 22 at 3:20 PM EST: Autumnal Equinox, aka Mabon (in the northern hemisphere) and the Spring Equinox (aka Ostara) in the southern hemisphere.

• Also on September 22: The start of Libra season.

• September 23 at 8:38 AM EST: Moon crosses from Aries into Taurus.

• Also on September 23: Venus and Uranus-in-retrograde are directly opposite each other relative to the Earth.

• September 27: Mercury goes retrograde in Libra (until October 17: the last Mercury in retrograde period of 2021).

• Current planets in retrograde:

  • Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius.

  • Uranus in Taurus.

  • Neptune in Pisces.

  • Pluto in Capricorn.

  • Chiron (a comet, not a planet) in Aries.

So, that is a LOT of action… and what’s particularly powerful about this particular convergence of events is how many of the bullet points listed above carry similar messages and medicine.

Full moons in general represent a celebration of the light that has come, yes, but more than that they represent a celebration of the gifts that will come from the coming darkness. Full moons invite us to go within, direct our focus inward, and ready ourselves to step into the magic of the unseen, the shadowed, and the hidden.

Guess what the gifts of Mabon are? A celebration of the harvest and the many gifts of summer, yes… but (you guessed it) it is also a celebration of the gifts that will come from the increasing darkness and cold as we move into autumn and towards the coming winter.

Having a harvest moon so close to Mabon will even further amplify the gifts and wisdom to be found within each transition into the shadows. Having a harvest moon so close to Mabon when the moon is in Pisces is just about as deep of an invitation into connecting with the mysteries and poetry in the world as we are likely to get.

Libra is an air sign, and air signs invite us deeper into our Mind and our ability to discern for ourselves where we need to go (through, you guessed it, our deep inner knowing, helped largely by Mabon and the full moon!), as well as what we need to say and how we need to move through the world. Libra season holds many gifts, including the insight needed to manifest balance and to move towards our ideals.

Libra is also represented by the Justice card in the tarot. Think about the way that Justice is often portrayed: blindfolded, yet confident and wise. This representation of a wisdom that is comfortable in the dark? Yep, that’s some real strong Mabon/full moon energy right there! As Rachel Pollack has written about this in the section of Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom regarding the Justice card, this card brings forth “a process of withdrawal from outer concerns to awaken the inner vision of ourselves and our life” in a way that also maintains “an equilibrium between understanding and action.”

Neither the full moon, Mabon, Libra, nor the Justice card are passive at all: the welcoming of the darkness is not a lethargic process! Traditionally, the two weeks following the full moon are the best time to harvest the roots of plants, as their energy is likewise reaching downward and will therefore yield the most powerful medicine; the two weeks following the autumnal full moons are also the best times to plants the bulbs and roots for the following year.

Mabon further represents the harvesting of summer fruits and produce that have not yet been harvested, as well as the preparation and preservation of this harvest… and the composting of all that needs to decompose in order to make next year’s harvest more fruitful.

Meanwhile, Libra and the Justice card invite us to accept and share the gifts that are available to us, to focus on the relationships and energies that are our highest priorities, and to withdraw from and let go of all that no longer serves us.

Meanwhile, the faceoff between Venus and Uranus that will happen on Thursday encourages us to take time to breathe deeply and honor the boundaries that we need to do the inner work that the entire universe is inviting us to do.

Meanwhile, the moon crossing into Taurus (which will also happen on Thursday) is all about rooting our energy while remaining receptive, diving into the darkness and the loamy earth to do the literally grounded work that our spirits need. ,

Meanwhile, Mercury in retrograde offers us gifts, too (regardless of what is most often said about Mercury in retrograde). When Mercury is in retrograde, we are invited to slow down, root into ourselves, and be very discerning about where we direct our attention.

Basically, the whole fucking universe is telling us to dive into ourselves, to dive into the very earth, to be intentional, to step towards the unknown and unknowable, and to get in touch with our deep spirit-level sight that stares into the depth of darkness and still finds its way.

Are you ready? Go deep!

(One last thing: you have just under 24 hours to sign up for my Pelvic Portal Discussion series that will be starting on Tuesday, September 21 at 6 PM EST. And no, it’s not an accident that we’re diving into a 4-week series about the pelvic portal in the midst of all of the universal magic happening this week! Check out my whole post about it at https://www.thewildwithinhealing.com/journal/upcoming-course-pelvic-portal-healing, and register at https://www.positiveforcemovement.org/groupmovement!)