A Bruja’s Guide to Navigating Eclipse Season

Eclipse season is a time of year when major shifts take place internally and externally. Indigenous peoples from the Americas, the Caribbean, and Latin America paid respect to the land, the sun, and the moon during this rebirth and transformation. Traditions practiced for thousands of years are honored, creating a powerful connection between the physical and spiritual world.

The interconnectedness of all things is a strong belief within many Indigenous groups as a way of life. Eclipse season is a time when that connection can be strengthened and confirmed to Spirit. The energy is powerful whether it’s a solar or lunar eclipse, partial or full. Modern times have disconnected many of us from the interconnectedness of all things that are foundational beliefs of Indigenous peoples. We can regain it by honoring the spiritual traditions passed down through generations by our ancestors.

A total lunar eclipse on March 14 will follow the Full Moon in Virgo’s peak and will be visible throughout the United States and South America, as well as parts of Europe and Africa. On March 29, we welcome a partial solar eclipse, which coincides with the New Moon in Aries. This creates an excellent time for manifesting and gathering in community with others to raise the vibration here on Earth.

What is a Lunar Eclipse?

A lunar eclipse is a dance between the sun, moon, and Earth. The Earth takes the lead, moving between the sun and the moon and casting a shadow on the moon. Lunar eclipses, whether partial or full, only occur during a full moon, which creates heightened energy on its own. Spiritually, lunar eclipses are respected as a transformative time. It brings the shadowy sides of ourselves to the surface to be healed.

What is a Solar Eclipse?

A solar eclipse is another kind of astrological dance when the moon leads, passing between the sun and Earth. Partial solar eclipses happen when the moon blocks only a portion of the sun. Whether the moon is blocking the sun fully or partially, it casts a shadow on parts of the Earth. The energy can be felt across our planet. Like a lunar eclipse, solar eclipses hold spiritual significance as powerfully transformative times. As the moon momentarily blocks the sun, we can honor the shadow work that is so essential to spiritual growth and healing.

What Indigenous Spiritual Rituals Are Done During a Lunar Eclipse?

Indigenous people often practiced deep introspection during lunar eclipses. Many traditions include fasting, abstaining from sexual activity, staying indoors, prayer, and meditation. Their stillness was a way to show respect to Mother Earth and the Great Spirit for the significant cosmic changes and renewals taking place during the lunar eclipse.

Palo Santo and Copal are great during this time. You can even mop your floors with a mixture of warm water, Florida Water, and Rue Water. Rue, or ruda, has been used for centuries to remove evil energy from spaces and people. It cannot be consumed but is quite powerful as a cleanser or in spiritual baños or limpias.

After your space has been cleansed of negativity, stagnant energy, and blockages to joy and inner peace, it’s time to fill your home with gratitude and love. Consider gathering everyone who lives in the home together to meditate and pray. Hold hands in a circle and tune into the energy that is created. Deep breathing together and even long embraces can improve the flow of energy in your home, community, and the world at large. It begins within us and will naturally flow outward.

What Indigenous Spiritual Rituals Are Done During a Solar Eclipse?

Solar eclipses are honored and respected in similar ways to lunar eclipses. Some Indigenous groups believe staying indoors shows respect for the sun’s symbolic death and rebirth during the eclipse. Other traditions include being outdoors during the eclipse and dancing under the sun in celebration of its life-giving energy or partaking in naming ceremonies to honor new life. When the moon casts its shadow over the light, engulfing the planet in momentary darkness, silence, prayer, and meditation occur until the sun’s rays return.

In Western civilization, we often wear protective glasses to marvel at solar eclipses. But Indigenous traditions believe the opposite. As a sign of respect for this display of life’s cycles between the light and the dark, Indigenous groups did not look up at it but instead turned inward to connect with it on a spiritual level and allow the energy of the eclipse to flow through them.

The upcoming March 29 partial solar eclipse would be a great time to celebrate as the sun shines and then revert into stillness as the moon casts its shadow. Think of yourself as a plant that has survived winter. You may have to prune the parts of yourself that have died or are dying. This could be old ways of thinking, patterns, or even people and places you may have outgrown. Dig deep to find the parts of you that are no longer needed and remove them so the other parts can grow strong and healthy. You could write a list celebrating your journey, who you are becoming, and what you need to let go of or remove to fully be reborn during the solar eclipse, which follows the March 20 spring equinox.

Herbs to Work with During Eclipse Season

Herbs act as allies during eclipse season. Whether you’re using them as an ingredient in a spiritual baño or limpia, or sipping it in a tea, plants are intelligent beings. They can maximize the robust energy exchange that occurs between us and astrological transits. Here are some herbs to consider incorporating in your spiritual rituals:

Mugwort: to deepen meditation and enhance dreams.

Ginkgo Biloba: to strengthen spiritual communication with the divine.

Skullcap: to ease a running mind and deepen meditation.

Chamomile: to calm the nervous system and heal mother wounds.

Sage: for cleansing your space and yourself from blockages, stagnant, and negative energy.

Crystals to Work With During Eclipse Season

Solar eclipses are a great time to charge your crystals. After praying and setting intentions for your crystals, you can place them on a window sill or someplace outside. Holding them in your hands during eclipse meditations and prayers is also super powerful. Here are some go-to’s for the eclipse season:

Black Tourmaline: for protection and to shield negativity within or from another.

Flower Agate: for a deeper connection to Spirit and to embrace new beginnings.

Sunstone: to amplify the sun’s energy within your soul and build confidence.

Red Jasper: to ground and connect deeply with Mother Earth.

Selenite: for protection, clarity, and honoring your higher self.

Essential Oils For Eclipse Season

Our sense of smell can deepen meditation and assist in soul-journeying through aroma therapy. You can amplify your eclipse ritual by rubbing a little oil on your wrists, behind your ears, third eye, or heart chakra. You can also use incense or a diffuser if you prefer not to have it on your physical body. Here are five essential oils that act as a powerful support for eclipse season spiritual rituals:

Frankincense: to deepen spiritual connection and support along your life’s journey.

Vetiver: for grounding and connecting to Mother Earth.

Peppermint: to calm the nervous system.

Patchouli: to enhance psychic abilities and honor your intuition.

Ylang Ylang: to combat anxiety, stress, and sadness and enhance feelings of joy.

Tarot Cards to Work With During Eclipse Season

If you are into tarot cards, you can display a card that coincides nicely with the energy of eclipse season. The card you choose to display acts as a symbol of your intentions for your eclipse spiritual ritual. Here are some examples:

The Hermit: to symbolize the need for an intentional pause and go deeply inward for spiritual guidance.

Death card: a representation of a symbolic death taking place within yourself, giving way to a new way of being and living.

The Moon: to reveal hidden emotions and illusions and dive deep into the subconscious mind.

The Hanged Man: to truly let go and surrender.

Prayer For Eclipse Season

Great Spirit, I pray for profound transformation and clarity during this eclipse season. I honor Mother Earth by quieting my mind and tuning into her frequency as the moon and sun dance in the sky. I am aware of the significance of this season and honor ancestral medicine as a way to find balance in my life and continue the traditions passed down through my lineage. I am one with the Earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars. By honoring the elements, I honor myself, you, Great One, and the constant shifts and changes that this life brings. As above, so below. Thank you, thank you, thank you. So, be it.

Zayda Rivera is a PS contributor. She has been a professional writer for more than 20 years. Z is a certified Reiki Master-Teacher, yoga and Zumba instructor, mindfulness and meditation guide, tarot reader, and spiritual mentor.