All Selves At Last: Sweet Expression of Being

A full super-moon and eclipse in Sagittarius shines a light on a powerful turning point of the year, as well as your own wheel of growth and development. What is beginning to bloom and change? This is not a time to turn away from the strange and luscious garden of the self, but to nurture and support it - and of course, to do the necessary weeding, watering, thinning and pruning.

Sagittarius is often depicted as a centaur brandishing a bow and arrow - a warrior of wild passions and aspirations, led by the sky and aiming for the stars. Here we see not a centaur, but a warrior of the Moroccan Fantasia. Her weapon is a gun, the same used by her ancestors to defend against invaders and colonizers. Here she also also holds a few spears of lavender - an herb that, like her, enacts powerful defense and sweet protection. The tradition of performing in the annual equestrian competition known as Tbourida or Fantasia has long been patriarchal, but in recent years this celebration of indigenous ancestral strength against colonist invasion has been blessed by the presence of female warriors too. I love that this powerful act of ancestral veneration and embodiment of tradition is, before our very eyes, shapeshifting into something more complete. This is largely thanks to Princess Lalla Amina of Morocco who passed in 2012. She singlehandedly began a campaign in 2004 to invite more women to participate in the event, which was met by some with skepticism and outrage, and by others with amazement and joy. Even to the stark dismay of some, women and femmes are indeed here to stay and as we collectively engage in equality, we become stronger - individually and together.

As mentioned above, lavender (or “timezouri,” الخزامي, growing wild in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco) comes to mind this time of year as it is a healer of Sagittarius, and as it begins to bloom in my own garden, radiating its sweet and inviting fragrance in the spring sun. Both I and the bees answer the call, enveloped in natures luxury and natural inclination to heal. Lavender is a cooling herb, calming the Sagittarian fires which may become fierce during this lunation and season of wild and rapid adjustment. On the skin (as used in my Green Earth Facial Clay), lavender acts as a defense from bacteria and inflammation. Full of antioxidants, it further protects from damage-causing free radials. Like your own personal cavalry, lavender comes to your aid to sweetly sooth the discomforts that may arise during this vulnerable time.

It’s said that hope resides at the bottom of Pandora’s Box, and is able to express itself once the many monsters make their way out. This particular lunation in Sagittarius is a lot like opening our own personal Pandora’s box, but upside down. We recently might have become lit up with sudden excitement for change, and as we should. Growth is indeed exciting. But after this warm wave of optimism may come anxieties and cold shocks of past traumas. This is a time to root into the body, trusting it as we would a strong ship in a night storm on the sea. My body has always been a powerful truth teller, giving me signals through its only language. I may feel discomfort here, a pang there, and a release over here. Recently I’ve had some new mysterious spinal pain, particularly at the base - the house of belonging. It’s an arena of life I have always struggled in, as many adopted folks might. When that foundational base of my physical grounding cord becomes inflamed, I know that there is inner work to be done. Something is asking me to bravely but gently witness and heal. Healing comes in steps and waves - and this is simply another part of my own path to meet. Rose can also be a powerful herbal ally during moments of emotional duress, offering the adjacent medicine of thorns to protect and establish necessary boundaries, while the bloom addresses gentle and powerful nurturing of the heart, and of inner child. I often will use my Holy Rose serum directly over my heart or at the base of my spine for this reason, activating and soothing all at once. However these insights show up for you, now is a very good time to be slow, listen and feel. Eclipses especially can feel like a bullet train to the spirit, and that slowness will support the rebalancing where there may be a sudden jolt of speed.

Here’s another kicker of this moment - whatever our “Dumbo feathers” are, our safety blankets or creature comforts, may not show up for us right now. Instead of panicking, know that this is a testament to your true ability to stand in your strength, simply as yourself, with faith in your own being. As old events, wounds, memories and sensations come up, so will familiar feelings and well worn emotions of the inner child. Look back at them and offer comfort and understanding that may have been absent for them when they needed it most. I have to share this because it hit me like a ton of bricks, but yesterday I watched the music video for “Sun Goes Down,” the new track by Lil Nas X, and just lost myself in tears. I can’t think of a more perfect depiction of the exact message I’m talking about, sent directly from this lunation to us in the here and now. View below:

As stated by Lil Nas X, "I named the song 'Sun Goes Down' because I feel like at night is when those thoughts you try to avoid really start to hit and you can't escape them." When the moon hangs high, our spirits begin to howl, and old haunts reveal themselves within. Surprise yourself by listening to these messages even if they chill you to the bone. Through the revolutionary sensation of acceptance, with patience, and even enjoyment, this process can begin to unfold and remain healthy as it continues. Many of our old patterns of self-preservation rely on stubborn resistance and struggle between a split self, often resulting in pain. This moment is an opportunity to change, to bring all facets of self together at last, and to heal the hurt of damages caused by old survival mechanisms.

Sagittarius is a refresher. Laughter and tears alike have every right to be big and loud if they need to be. Sink into the warm acceptance of this moment. Act as the warrior of your own soul, the defender and best supporter to your inner child, existing as the higher being and humble human you are all at once. Feel alive in your fullness. You are not a mirror of the moon's energy, but an embodiment of it.