Divination: Unveiling the Mysteries - The Transformative Power of the Solar Eclipse

By Melanie Paquette

Greetings, fellow lovers of folk wisdom! I’m so excited to share this month’s divination as we move through the lingering energy of the recent solar eclipse.

When the Moon momentarily obscures the radiant face of the Sun during an eclipse, the Earth is enveloped in a transient cloak of darkness.

It’s a potent fusion of opposing energies – a convergence of light and shadow that offers fertile ground for introspection and divination. In the realm of divination, eclipses serve as portals to deeper insights and hidden truths.

While any eclipse brings powerful transformative energy, this one was especially potent because the Sun and the Moon were both in Aries. As the first sign of the zodiac and a fire sign, Aries embodies the spirit of initiation and bold beginnings. Aries is a cardinal sign – representing fire in its most direct, raw form. It is the seed of transformation, the spark of creativity. Under this fiery influence, the eclipse energy amplifies, sparking flames of sacred transformation within our souls. And if that isn’t enough, Mercury was (and is) also in retrograde, bringing a heightened focus on internal dialogue and self-awareness.

I had originally planned to travel and spend the day in the path of totality, but the night before the eclipse, I felt strongly called to stay home to witness the event with the spirits of place that surround me all the time. So I honoured that calling, and spent the afternoon in my backyard, making eclipse magic. 

In the weeks leading up to the eclipse, I had been exploring the idea of sacred transformation – treating myself as sacred and considering how acknowledging my own sacredness could lead to transformation in different aspects of my life. Divination, and tarot in particular, is a big part of my magical practice, so it was important that I use the wisdom of the tarot at this powerful time to reveal the mysteries the eclipse had to offer about sacred transformation. I used a deck called The Sacred Web for this reading – it’s a relatively new deck for me, and it seemed like the perfect time to break it in.

After I drew the cards, it became so obvious that while my question seemed like a personal one, the answer was for all of us and needed to be shared. So this month’s divination is brought to you by the great cosmic mystery of the solar eclipse. 

As the moon started to cross the sun’s path, I drew the first card – the Two of Fire (Wands). This card is associated with Aries (how appropriate). The image of the armadillo cocooned within a circle of light and geometrics immediately brought to mind feelings of protection, introspection, and incubating something beautiful and creative.

You wait at the portal of your own potential. At rest beneath the cosmic sky, you nest in the absolute power of the void. Take this time to nurture your creativity and your dreams. Consider what you want to explore next. Know that you are safely held within a healing container of your own making. Within compassion as your guide, you can wait here until it is time for you to step into your next adventure. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect message.

As the eclipse reached its maximum point (98% in Ottawa), with the moon almost completely obscuring the sun, the temperature dropped, the light faded, the night birds started to sing, and I drew the next card – Awakening. In a traditional tarot deck, this card is called Judgment and is the trump of the fire element. So just as the Aries moon eclipsed the Aries sun, I drew the trump of fire. Both cards so far, just perfectly aligned with cycle and the question of sacred transformation. Judgment is typically about our ability to be discerning and to use good judgment to choose our path. But the card has additional meaning in this deck.

Rise up in celebration. Let the song within help your soul take flight. You have woven your way out of the depths of the unconscious, through the spiral web, and have come to this moment of profound realization. Released from judgment and suffering, you are free to be who you truly are – spirit embodied. The dream of your heart – your desires, longings and hopes – awakens here in this moment, cradled in the circle of your soul.  

As the moon continued its movement and the sun was re-emerging, I drew the final card. And was … confused. This card was like nothing I’ve seen before. It had no number, no name, nothing to tell me what it was, other than what I could feel from the image – a being floating in the cosmos, merging with stars, looking towards the light. So I turned to the book to find out about this mysterious card. 

When you talk to people in this amazing Ninth Wave Arts community, you’ll hear many of us say “you can’t make this shit up”. We are constantly noticing synergies and verifications of events and messages that happen to us personally in the larger community. It’s so much more than coincidence – evidence that magic is real. And this mysterious card provided yet another example of how true that is. The Sacred Web deck has an extra card, and it’s called … The Sacred Cosmic Self. So as I sat in my yard, witnessing a cosmic event, contemplating the nature of the sacred self and sacred transformation, drawing tarot cards from one of over 50 decks I have at my disposal, I drew a card that doesn’t exist in any other deck and it’s called the Sacred Cosmic Self? Magic is real my friends. And the message is absolute perfection.

When darkness holds the space for light and light rejoices in darkness, it is time for you to make your way home. It is time to return to the inner sweetness of your child self. Open your heart to the wisdom and the divine magic that you are connected to something that is beyond but that is also within. Surrender any pain or doubt for these are simply illusions. Lift your face to the stars and remember that you are the invocation. You are the blessing. You are the sacred light.

I might have cried a little.

I’m so deeply grateful to have been able to witness this powerful event and to be able to share the beautiful messages that came through the tarot with all of you. I hope you’ll find as much magic and inspiration in them as I have and use the words and images to remind yourself of your own sacredness, power, and beauty. Darkness holds space for light, and light rejoices in darkness, and when we hold ourselves within the darkness and the light, we are home, and we are whole.

Melanie hosts workshops and offers Tarot readings. Check out her offerings on our website.