Welcome to the tail end of the Astrological Year, also known (by me at least) as The Dark Sun Phase.
Yes, The Sun has phases, just like the Moon. Obviously, these phases are not generated in the same way the Moon's phases are but they have similar impacts on us even if we live in places that don’t have stark or dramatic seasons.
What is The Dark Sun?
The Sun Phases are based on the quality and level of light we experience throughout the year. The closer you get to the equator the more distant you become from being able to "see" The Sun's phases BUT, we're all sensitive to its cycle just the same.
The Dark Sun is similar in nature to The Dark Moon. It is about being in The Dark more than we are in The Light. It is about endings and about letting go of the things that aren't for you in a more powerful and permanent way.
During The Dark Moon we're Magically called to banish what is no longer needed or helpful. It is a time to set strong boundaries around things that are harmful to us and it has a lot of protective energy. The Dark Moon is also about going deep, deep within our emotional center to reconnect with self. It is a time of composting our emotional and instinctual trash, which builds up during the lighter and brighter phases.
The Dark Sun is similar but the focus is on more Sun-related WeRK (see: the keywords of The Sun like ego, vitality, purpose, life force, etc.).
During The Dark Sun, we have shorter days and longer nights. And, for many, even when it is daytime it's still darker or gloomier due to storm clouds and rain. This is the time when animals and plants tend to be entering into their "death" cycles; which can be everything from hibernation to actual death. The trees and plants enter deep sleep (tho, some come awake at this time for obvious reasons too). Notice how stark the leave-less trees look over the next seven days. Notice that you don’t see many birds or animals running around anymore. The energy feels heavier and we're called to rest more.
Now, we don't often listen to these calls, especially with capitalism and patriarchy calling us into the frenzy that the HollerDAZE have become. What should be a time about resting and being introspective has become a stressful time filled with fake lights and forced joy and running around like a headless chicken. Now, I know it's hard to give up the nostalgia about this time of year but it's important that we look at that more closely, and you know I will.
Sure, maybe YOU don't feel stress or dismay this time of year. Maybe it's really joyful and wonderful for you. If that's true, great. But, you may want to examine the layers of privilege you have around it before you get upset at the folx who are trying to call out its toxicity too.
And never mind the extreme levels of oppression, appropriation, and environmental destruction this time of year creates. Whew. Call me a downer if you wanna, I am used to it. And, I’ll still keep doing it cuz that's definitely my brand. If we aren't willing to sacrifice the nostalgic things when we learn they are harmful we will never be able to change in any meaningful, permanent way. That's just facts.
But, enough about that for now. Let's put our focus back on The Dark Sun. It is calling you to do internal WeRK, just like the monthly Dark Moon does. The difference is the focus is on more Sun-related topics; ego, purpose, vitality, and our force of will.
Looking at these parts of our SELF in the dark can be very heavy. But it can also be a time that feels cozy and contained. We're nuzzled up (or sometimes trapped) indoors. We cannot go do things outside as easily so we're more likely to nap or rest. This time allows us to review the lighter parts of the cycle from our cozy caves.
This is why it's become the time of year that we start thinking about our resolutions for the new year; because we’re not thinking about mating, raising lambs, planting seeds, tending gardens, or harvesting fruit (ya know, if we were still farmers anyway). There is little to do when you’re holed up in your cave but think about your SELF and what you’d like to do better when the mating, growing, harvesting energy returns.
Most of those resolutions end up being about our egos, our purpose, our vitality (health), and our force of will. This tradition of preparing for the new year is rooted in the fact that we're sitting in The Dark Sun’s energy.
This is one of the reasons I was so excited to discover things like the Witches The Wheel of The Year and The Astrological Calendar. They reconnect the tracking of time to the Seasons and the Moon (which are actually based on the quality of light throughout the year). I have rooted my Astrological studies and programs, as well as my own life, in The Astrological Calendar and it’s been such a huge source of healing.
Join the Astro101 WeRKshop. New Live Session Start after December 21st
If you want to learn more about how Astrology is a language that originated in the Season, check out my Astro101 class in the ComMOONity NetWeRk. That WeRKshop is obviously about Astrology but/and everything is taught thru a Magical Lens that originates in the Seasons and the Elements.
The Dark Sun is what compels us to make resolutions and to set goals for the new year AND, just like The Dark Moon, it's not a time to actually activate any of those goals.
During the Dark Moon, we shed the decayed layers and we honor how they served us. We prepare the dead for burial knowing they will be composted into new soil in spring. We tend to the roots and to the core of our emotional self. This dark phase allows us to let go without the fear of being seen in our most vulnerable states. During the New Moon we clear space for where new seeds can be planted but we do not actually plant them until just before the First Quarter Moon arrives to activate us.
The Phases of The Sun are similar in that The Dark Sun Phase is about shedding the decayed layers of the self and honoring how they served you over this last cycle. Before you can set a resolution you’d benefit from this kind of deep, vulnerable introspection.
Here are some journal prompts/ questions to ask your self
- Who are you after this last year rolled over you?
- How can you tend to the roots of who you really are?
- What is at the core of you now that you’ve survived another cycle?
- What do the quiet and The Dark want you to know about YOU?
Is it a challenge to be this vulnerable? Absolutely! But doing so allows you to truly find what’s holding you back and banish it from your heart. It allows you to see those old, useless thangs that are holding you back as the compost for what you hope to accomplish as Spring and Summer return.
Using this energy is tricky because we really have no good models for it. Even most Magical people are unaware of the usefulness of The Dark Moon (or they’re ignoring it because…ShadowWeRK, gasp!) and more don’t acknowledge – or even know- the usefulness of The Dark Sun.
So, what can we do with this Dark Sun Phase?
When does it even happen? The Dark Moon Phase is at its peak around the middle of Sagittarius Season or December 12th. It lasts from December 12th to December 20th but I consider all of Sagittarius Season to be The Dark Sun Phase (which all Sag’s absolutely HATE, lol) but it is the darkest part of the year so we have to consider that truth even tho it’s a time of year that’s ruled by the party deity Jupiter. Which, sidebar, is why we have so many damn holidays that center around overindulgence this time of year.
It has been getting darker and darker since June 20th, aka the Summer Solstice, and will continue to get darker until the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year, on December 21st. This dark week ahead (12/12-12/20) is a huge opportunity many of us miss because this culture has us hustling and bustling. AND if you think that was an accident, well… keep doing the WeRK to unfuck your brain from capitalism babe. It’s not an accident. This culture does not want you doing ShadowWeRK. It does not want you shedding, composting, introspecting, or burying the parts of you that are no longer useful. It does not want this because all of that WeRK makes you stronger and more in love with your truest self.
This fucked up system only wOrks if you hate your self. It only wOrks if you can’t see the value in the Shadow. It’s time to change that.
It’s time to make hibernation useful again. And so, we will spend some time this Winter Season looking at the Phases of The Sun. Join me in the ComMOONity NetWeRK where I will discuss this in more detail in the All That Witch Shit Circle.
We will enter The New Sun Phase when Capricorn Season arrives on December 21st but before that happens how will you use the next week to do some Dark Sun WeRK?
I can’t wait to hear about what you discover once you enter this Magical ShadowWeRKing space.
Much love to you and yours!
May the light return with Many Blessings and Good Tidings for the new cycle ahead!
xo, Dianna
Are you ready to dive into this WeRK more deeply?
Many have asked me if I am ever going to do any WeRKshops on ShadowWeRK and Magic. This has been a question I've pondered for a while and to be honest, I have been resistant to it. I’ve had some questionable experiences in Magical education spaces, as I have mentioned. BUT, once I discovered that I could connect the personalized Map of Astrology to a program about ShadowWeRK and Magic that changed. I created a new Membership Series called Mapping Your Waypath. This series is a year-long, 1-on-1 program that connects all the Astro and Magic to YOU. Helping you plan your own journey based on your own map. I am so fucking excited about this y’all. Like beyond. If you have any questions about it please let me know. I hope to see a few of you in this cycle of WeRK. There are only SEVEN spots available.
Check out this new Membership Series I created. Part of its origin story came thru as a way to merge the Astrological Map with our Magical Gifts & Tools. This thirteen-month series is more than just Astrology Sessions and I am so over the Moon excited about it!