Go Gently
Like a lot of compulsively driven types, I move a bit roughly through the world. Whether it’s along my career path or on a trip to the supermarket, I focus on the destination and pay scant attention to the journey itself. Down to the smallest gestures, my approach is instinctively direct and graceless. I’m hard on the physical world, breaking, tearing, staining, or chipping nearly everything I touch.
But I have a pet indulgence: spending hours browsing through design Instagram feeds. I enjoy this glimpse into clean, spare, modern spaces and colorful, artfully cluttered bohemian dwellings alike. I savor the small, elegant touches that appear in unexpected places, the gestures of someone who is attentive to each tiny nook and responds to it creatively. There’s something graceful about these details, the evidence of someone paying attention to each moment instead of rushing to the finish line.
At this week’s Libra Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse (March 25, 2024, 12 midnight PDT), I’m seeking an elegant oasis in a world that feels like a pretty rough place. If you’re the kind of person who pushes yourself hard, relying on the off-gassing of harsh self-talk to propel you, it’s especially difficult to live in a world that mirrors this pitiless inner landscape. It’s a very human instinct to meet brutality with greater force, exponentially, until before you know it presidential candidates are all but coming to physical blows on a debate stage.
This morning, though, as I prepared to swing my legs over the side of the bed and throw myself into the day, I was stopped by a tiny whisper that I can only assume was the dawning influence of the upcoming Libra lunar eclipse: “Go gently.” Instead of leaping to my feet and cursing my painful morning back, what if I stood slowly and gave a little stretch? I tried it. Good stuff.
What else might happen today if I were to go gently? What if I dressed with more pleasure, chose a nice shirt and a pair of socks without holes in them? What if I took my time making breakfast instead of rushing around as though I’m competing in an episode of Iron Chef? Set the glass down carefully instead of smacking it against the coffee table? Took the time to coax the cat from under the chair instead of losing patience and grabbing her?
“Going gently” sums up Libra’s approach to the world. It appears as elegant touches in unexpected places, moving with grace, choosing the nice shirt, setting things down carefully, coaxing the cat. It’s in the little ways of approaching life with a spirit of beauty and grace, smoothness and quiet.
Libra is the sign of relating, and heaven knows the world could use more of Libra’s skill in this area, because as a species we’ve been treating each other pretty roughly for a while now. It seems some days as though we’re engaged in an ongoing contest to see who can be the most callous and rude, as though mistreating others were a badge of honor.
It’s pretty clear that things have gotten out of balance. Everyone seems angry all the time, and there’s a sense that we’re fighting for basic survival. We’re in serious need of Libra’s balance and grace, and this eclipse will show that need through relationship upsets and imbalances.
Living gently isn’t the same as rolling over, though. The Moon’s North Node, the path of growth, is moving through Aries, highlighting the importance of assertiveness and standing one’s ground. But the Libra eclipse is a reminder that you can be assertive without being aggressive, and stand up for yourself without grinding others down.
Tin Can
In the wake of the Libra Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse, you might feel like a tin can that’s been tied to the bumper of a car and dragged along for a few miles. You know what you need? You need a little Venus. And on March 28, she arrives to make a sextile aspect to Uranus (6:58 am PDT).
Sextiles show up as invitations, meetings, correspondence, visitors – and they all offer opportunities. And when it’s enchanting Venus who’s issuing the invitations, they’re all but impossible to refuse.
Venus in Pisces woos with enthralling music, flickering candles gliding in a bowl of fresh water, a cool glass of wine, and sweet-smelling incense. Just what a dented tin can of a person might need just now.
The first of two eclipses (the other is on April 8) has given us a good shake and shown us the path forward. Venus’ sextile to Uranus fortifies us for the journey with love and a thoughtfully chosen mix tape, sending us off on a road trip with a nostalgic, imaginative care package.
Writing and images © 2017-24 by April Elliott Kent
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