Eclipses can bring accelerated change, unexpected turns, and events that seem to arrive out of nowhere.
Sometimes we feel the shift coming. Other times, something happens that stops us in our tracks and suddenly makes the energy of the moment feel very real.
Yesterday, I felt this when I heard the news that Dolly Parton had died.
I first heard this news from a notification on my phone. A few minutes later, my daughter called, distraught. Then later, my son called.
Within a short period of time, I had heard the same news from three different directions, and each time it landed with that strange feeling of, "Wait. Is this really happening?"
Dolly has been a beacon of hope in my life for as long as I can remember.
My mother has always loved her, and that love was passed down to me, my siblings, and even my children. Dolly was one of those rare people whose presence seemed to reach across generations. She was part of the soundtrack of our lives.
Dolly was legendary, but what I loved most about her was how completely herself she seemed to be. She was authentic, funny, beautiful, generous, compassionate, caring, and loving. She used her success to do so much good in the world, including her lifelong commitment to helping children and supporting literacy through her Imagination Library.
In a world that can feel filled with uncertainty, Dolly was a light.
She brought hope, inspiration, humor, generosity, and joy. She reminded us that we could be successful without taking ourselves too seriously, that we could be glamorous and grounded, and that our gifts could become a way of giving something back to the world.
So today, as I sit with the news of her death, I am thinking about the strange mystery of life.
Someone can leave this world and still remain so deeply present in it.
The songs remain. The stories remain. The laughter remains. The goodness remains.
The love moves through the people who were touched by it and continues into the generations that follow.
And suddenly, the message of this Pisces Full Moon Lunar Eclipse feels even more poignant.
The Medicine Of The Moon
Tomorrow's Pisces Full Moon Lunar Eclipse marks the closing of the Pisces/Virgo eclipse cycle that began in September 2024.
For me, this has been far more than an astrological cycle. It has been a deeply personal journey through love, loss, surrender, and transformation.
September 2024 marked the beginning of my father's health decline. When the Pisces eclipse returned in 2025, it fell on the 40th day after his passing. This year's eclipse season has coincided with the one-year anniversary of his death.
I have deeply lived the medicine of Pisces during these past two years.
Surrender became something I had to practice because there were so many things I could not control.
Trust became necessary when I couldn't see what was coming next.
Compassion became essential as I moved through a level of grief I had never experienced before.
There were many moments when I wanted answers, certainty, or some way to make sense of what was happening. Instead, I was asked to soften into the mystery of it, to feel what I was feeling, and to let grief move through me rather than trying to move around it.
That is part of what Pisces teaches us.
Some things in life cannot be fixed or figured out. They can only be felt, surrendered to, and eventually integrated into who we are becoming.
Maybe that's why Dolly's passing touched me so deeply.
Her death arrived unexpectedly, but the love she gave has not disappeared. It continues through her music, her generosity, her humor, her stories, and the countless lives she touched.
The same is true of the people we love.
My father is no longer physically here, but the love, memories, wisdom, and experiences we shared continue to live through me.
Grief has taught me that losing someone does not mean losing everything they gave us. In time, what we've received from them can become part of what we carry forward.
Their presence remains and continues to guide our steps in the mystery of life.
Where This May Land In Your Life
As we reach the end of this Pisces eclipse cycle, perhaps this is part of what we are being invited to consider:
What has this chapter asked you to surrender?
What has it taught you about trust, compassion, love, or letting go?
And what are you ready to carry forward?
This eclipse portal also marks the beginning of a new eclipse story. We began with the Leo Solar Eclipse, and we are now turning toward the Leo/Aquarius axis and eclipse cycle.
There is a beautiful movement here: water to fire (and next year, air.)
Pisces asks us to soften, surrender, feel, release, and trust what we cannot yet understand.
Leo invites us to bring our light forward, to create, express, live from the heart, and have the courage to be fully ourselves.
Dolly's life feels like a beautiful example of this movement. She allowed her gifts to become light for others. She created, expressed, loved, gave, and brought joy into the world. Her light became part of the lives of people she would never meet, including generations of my own family.
Perhaps that is the invitation as we remember the Leo fire that began this portal:
After everything we have surrendered, felt, learned and lost,
What light are we ready to carry onward?
Where This May Land In Your Life
Find a quiet place where you can be undisturbed for a few minutes. If you can, sit near water or simply imagine yourself beside a body of water.
Take a few slow breaths and allow yourself to acknowledge what has been moving through you during this eclipse portal.
Then ask yourself:
What am I ready to release?
What am I ready to receive?
What do I want to carry forward?
And finally...What light is asking to move through me now?
You don't need to force an answer. Let whatever comes arise naturally.
It might be a word, an image, a memory, a feeling, or even something you cannot quite explain.
This is the space between water and fire.
A place where we can let ourselves be changed by what we have experienced, while remaining open to what is beginning to emerge.
Let the water soften you.
Let the fire call you forward.
A Blessing for the Pisces Full Moon Lunar Eclipse
May the waters soften what you are ready to release.
May your heart remain open to what life is asking you to receive.
May you carry forward the love and wisdom that have shaped you.
And may you have the courage to let your own light shine.
Here's to your unique and radiant light,
Aurora
Over To You...
So, how are you feeling in this eclipse portal?
I would love to hear from you in the comments below. Share what is moving through you, what you are releasing, what you are sensing, or even your favorite Dolly memory.
I truly love hearing from you, and your replies are one of my favorite parts of sharing these Moonletters!
And if you are local to Jacksonville,
I would love to gather with you at The Turning.
The Turning is a seasonal gathering to step out of the busyness of everyday life, feel the energy of the season, ground it in your body, and experience it in community.
As we move through this final Pisces eclipse and toward the Leo/Aquarius eclipse cycle, we will create space to release what is ready to be released and make room for what wants to emerge.
We will also honor the Pisces energy with a simple water release ritual, allowing the water to carry away what we are ready to let go of. We'll also deepen in with the season of Late Summer and learn about foods, practices and qi gong to support us this season.
Learn more and register HERE for this free event sponsored by New Age Hippy!
Come gather. Come ground. Come be supported by friends.
And before you go, I want to leave you with the song that inspired the title of this Moonletter, Dolly Parton's “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.”
It feels like the perfect soundtrack for this moment of moving through the waters of Pisces and toward the light. I love this rendition of Dolly singing with other amazing artists that she inspired!
Enjoy, and may you find your own clear blue morning.