If you’re anything like me, you’ve been saying (or thinking about) the word “totality” a lot lately.
Totality. Said in the context of yesterday’s Total Solar Eclipse, it sounds…well, strange. Like when you say a word so many times that the next time you say it, your brain freezes and you forget its meaning for a minute. Like it’s a word you’ve never heard before.
What does it mean exactly? A quick vocabulary refresher from Merriam-Webster:
Totality noun
To·tal·i·ty (tō-ˈta-lə-tē)
1 : an aggregate amount: SUM, WHOLE
2 a : the quality or state of being total: WHOLENESS
b : the phase of an eclipse during which it is total: state of total eclipse
OK, great, that makes sense. It’s all coming back to me now. BUT, there’s more to it than that…right?
Considered another way, “the totality” has a more humbling effect. “The totality” reminds us of how small we are in the grand scheme of things, living on a spinning rock in the middle of space, governed by planetary energies both unknown and unseen.
Does that then mean “totality” means everything in its entirety and “the totality” means everything and nothing all at once, like a void? There’s this delicious tension between the two. If I’m honest, though, it’s the wholeness of it all that strikes me most.
Too heady? Well, we have a not-quite-one-in-a-lifetime-but-feels-like-it to thanks for this existential quandary. And let me tell you, the Total Solar Eclipse 2024 was one hot ticket. Magical even.
There was so much shared frenzy around it. Everyone seemed to band together in sheer excitement. Flights were booked months in advance. There were eclipse festivals that featured live performances, commemorative t-shirt sales, and NASA-sponsored booths for learning about the science of it all. Best Westerns in the Path of Totality charged $1,000 a night for rooms. People rented out their driveways for eclipse viewing. And work calls in the middle of the day be damned, almost everyone made a conscious decision to stop and watch the spectacle.
I had the honor of journeying home to Ohio to experience it, which was a lucky break because parts of Ohio, including my home town, were in the Path. When the moment came, I was surrounded by my loved ones, family members across several generations. It was my 2-year-old nephew’s first eclipse, but also my 87-year-old grandmother’s. We watched the moon move from partial eclipse into totality, screaming, crying and geeking out the whole way. Fireworks went off at the moment we’d all been waiting for, and taken aback by the magic of what we were witnessing, I couldn’t help but wonder: What is this totality trying to show us? What can we learn from the magic of this moment?
Good question. One which I did not initially have the answer to.
According to Moon Omens, the Total Solar Eclipse — and the New Moon in Aries that coincided with it — is a big astrological deal.
I’m a researcher by trade, and a spiritual being if nothing else. So naturally, I went straight to the internet to find answers of the astrological kind.
According to Moon Omens, the Total Solar Eclipse -- and the New Moon in Aries that coincided with it -- is a big astrological deal. However, where it gets scary for me is that it is set to impact Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Capricorn and Libra) “in a more significant and personal ways” than other zodiac signs.
“They are,” Moon Omens continues, “likely to experience changes, advances and calls to awakening that change their lives: they are embarking on a new chapter of their healing journey and will have opportunities to transform their lives in radical ways.”
You guessed it, I’m a Cardinal sign. Are you kidding me right now?!
Libras like myself don’t do “radical” well. Not because we don’t like change, but because “radical” tends to mean “imbalance,” even if only temporarily. And people of The Scales simply don’t play that. So, in defiance of that verdict, I sought a 2nd (and 3rd and 4th) opinion.
Feverishly searching for other possible explanations, I found the following:
Changes, advances, and calls to awakening that changes their lives
Awakening and rising consciousness
Healing past unhealed wounds that will lead to radical and drastic change in the way they relate with others.
“Change.” “Radical.” “Drastic.” “Awakening.” Um, no thank you, please. Sounds hard.
To be fair, I may be the only one not happy about this. My best friend, also a Libra, is thrilled for the chance to grow, heal and transform. We talked about it briefly over text before the eclipse started:
Me: Are you ready for this eclipse? Apparently, it’s ushering in a season of rebirth for us Libras. For six months ughhhh.
Bestie: Yasssss, I am here for that.
Me: I’m not! I don’t feel like being reborn ever again! I don’t want not a single other lesson! I’ve been through this already. I can’t do it anymore! I’m not amused whatsoever lol.
After experiencing the eclipse, though, I had to rethink my position. Someone asking me if I “felt like a new person after witnessing the total eclipse?” forced me to. Did I feel new? I genuinely did. I had been so against the prophesied changing of the tide in theory, but in practice, I didn’t hate it. What was I not seeing? Was there something I had missed in trying to define this moment in my (and our collective) life?
So maybe “totality” isn’t about a void; it’s about reminding us of who we really are. It’s a bold reminder that we can and should achieve wholeness.
Back to the internet immediately, Batman!
According to The Pattern, the Total Solar Eclipse is “A time to get clear on what your heart desires, tap into your courage and free yourself to move forward.”
“It’s more important than ever,” The Pattern continued, “to be connected to your heart, your values and your mindset so you can move forward without overthinking or getting distracted. An eclipse can set the tone for the next 2-3 years, especially if you’re able to witness it. It’s an ideal moment for planting seeds of intention.”
So maybe “totality” isn’t about a void; it’s about reminding us of who we really are. It’s a bold reminder that we can and should achieve wholeness. That yes, we are small specks of dust living on a spinning rock in the middle of space, governed by planetary energies both unknown and unseen…but we are also connected to something larger, that’s more than me and you, than us and them, than gravity and grace.
What does wholeness look like to you? How will you define wholeness in your life for the days and years to come? Now’s the time to get clear on it, and get after it. Go get yourself some totality, babe.
x, Jocelyn J