The last few days have been a whirlwind of yin and yang energies dancing! New moon and sun both in Pisces, Mercury going direct, Mars going retrograde, Tibetan New Year of the Horse, the youth Dissent Keystone XL pipeline protest and arrests in DC, all at the beginning of Women's History Month! Pisces is perfect for diving deeply into the magical unconscious realms for healing and intuitive gifts. And Mars retrograde is a time to re-examine the shadow side of the warrior in ourselves and our culture and dedicate ourselves anew to what we believe is worth fighting for or protecting, and assessing what threats may be real and how to deal with them in ways that are in alignment with our beliefs and values, with help and guidance from the divine.
Surrender now, not to anything that feels wrong or goes against our beliefs, not to become a victim, but the healthy, sacred surrender to what we know is true, to our hearts' dreams, to
Surrender now, not to anything that feels wrong or goes against our beliefs, not to become a victim, but the healthy, sacred surrender to what we know is true, to our hearts' dreams, to
our intuitive voice, to the vision that is crying to us to come across the miles and years, to the risk of loving, forgiving, healing, letting our voice call out its inner truth. Surrender by opening to experience fully the sensations of our bodies, our deep feelings, spiritual awareness, clear thoughts, even moments of confusion, by simply accepting that they exist, without judgment, without resistance.
Resistance is perfectly appropriate sometimes. We don't need to judge resistance either. Just become interested in our inner resistance, curious about it, where it comes from, when it comes up, how it repeats and triggers other experiences and patterns. It can be welcomed into the flow of surrender. Resisting injustice is righteous! Resisting ourselves can keep us from growing, but it can also serve to create an eddy, a whirlpool where we recirculate until we are ready to move on, or until we decide what direction to choose.
Water is the element of Pisces and water can be stagnant, still, flowing, cascading, rolling or crashing, evaporating or melting, pooling or draining, healing, frightening, birthing, cleansing. Surrender can feel like any of these dynamics. It's “okay” because it's part of the cycles of life, part of human experience, even if it doesn't feel “okay” in the moment of birth with all its pain or diving into the unknown with its anxious anticipation. Paradoxically, even relaxing can be uncomfortable, unfamiliar, possibly threatening if we aren't used to allowing ourselves to let go or if we have been unsafe doing so in the past.
Creating a safe space in which to surrender is the other side of the coin, the responsibility that allows us to periodically set aside other responsibilities to attend to deeper matters. We can be both the guardian at the gate and the one who journeys within. Mars retrograde may be a good time to check in with that guard or guardian to make sure our intentions are in alignment with our own greatest good and the greatest good of all. Has that guardian become so rigid that nothing new can come in and nothing old can be released? Or has the guardian become so lax and mesmerized by the journeying within that discrimination is lacking and unsafe influences are allowed to enter?
We don't have to become hardhearted, militant or hostile to keep ourselves safe. The words hostile, hostel, host, guest, hospitality, hospital and hotel all come from the same root word meaning both guest and host, with an expectation of reciprocity. The guest is welcomed and the host is appreciated in a mutually beneficial exchange. Somewhere along the way (was it those pesky Romans?) this consensual well-being became hostile, opponents mistrusting, exploiting others.
Our guardians of the gate can protect us without demonizing others, without creating enemies or using violence. Clarity, inner authority, assertiveness and problem solving for the highest and deepest good of all can help keep us safe without hurting others. We can look to martial arts like t'ai chi for ways of moving out of the path of destructive energy or turning away what is harmful with the most respect and gentleness possible.
Others are vulnerable too, even if their protective mechanisms can become overweening and threaten our sovereignty at times. Reinforcing their enemy imaging and validating their fears that they are surrounded by threats or their habits of fighting their way out of every situation doesn't create safety for anyone. Be the soft raindrops that wear away a mountain of stone, or the moisture that rusts the sword, dissolving it, reclaiming it into the soil of the Earth. Or simply melt away like water running from clenched hands and find another current to bear you on your path to the sacred sea of inspiration and rejuvenation.
Taking time to draw a hot bath with naturally scented salts, lighting candles for softer illumination, sharing a kettle of hot soup with loved ones and friends, even holding melting snowballs in our hands or watching icicles drip can restore the sense of flow and softness. Using protective chants or rituals can help sharpen our awareness before danger threatens, and we can carefully set aside safe and sacred time and space for our deep diving to the treasures that wait far beneath the surface of mundane life and those necessary but sometimes tedious tasks and chores. In meditation, let a few words or an image arise that feels protective and recall that each day or several times a day. When you have time and will be undisturbed, step inside that safe space and venture beyond the everyday world to the depths of mystery for renewal and revelation.
I highly recommend Diane Mariechild's book Mother Wit for a wonderful variety of guided meditations as well as other helpful tools for your journey. This book has been a companion of mine for many years, perhaps the first magical book I owned, soon followed by Starhawk's Spiral Dance. Curl up with a cup of hot tea and a cat or blanket or both, and dive into these women's wise words for a gift that will take you through to the end of winter and beyond.
Let go of hostility and return to hospitality, perhaps even more toward ourselves than others (without guilt!) as Pisces is not the most social of signs, especially if we are feeling pressured to please others or put on a persona. Let's be hospitable and welcoming to our genuineness, and help create a safe space for others to also let the pretenses melt away and the glorious being beneath the masks to rise to the surface as it is ready. Patience, listening, receptivity and gentleness combined with protection, clear boundaries, validation and a touch of vigilance can swirl together in the cauldron of this time between winter and spring, the pause before the beginning of growth, before gathering energy again to burst forth with the indomitable vitality of the crocus and daffodil.
Resistance is perfectly appropriate sometimes. We don't need to judge resistance either. Just become interested in our inner resistance, curious about it, where it comes from, when it comes up, how it repeats and triggers other experiences and patterns. It can be welcomed into the flow of surrender. Resisting injustice is righteous! Resisting ourselves can keep us from growing, but it can also serve to create an eddy, a whirlpool where we recirculate until we are ready to move on, or until we decide what direction to choose.
Water is the element of Pisces and water can be stagnant, still, flowing, cascading, rolling or crashing, evaporating or melting, pooling or draining, healing, frightening, birthing, cleansing. Surrender can feel like any of these dynamics. It's “okay” because it's part of the cycles of life, part of human experience, even if it doesn't feel “okay” in the moment of birth with all its pain or diving into the unknown with its anxious anticipation. Paradoxically, even relaxing can be uncomfortable, unfamiliar, possibly threatening if we aren't used to allowing ourselves to let go or if we have been unsafe doing so in the past.
Creating a safe space in which to surrender is the other side of the coin, the responsibility that allows us to periodically set aside other responsibilities to attend to deeper matters. We can be both the guardian at the gate and the one who journeys within. Mars retrograde may be a good time to check in with that guard or guardian to make sure our intentions are in alignment with our own greatest good and the greatest good of all. Has that guardian become so rigid that nothing new can come in and nothing old can be released? Or has the guardian become so lax and mesmerized by the journeying within that discrimination is lacking and unsafe influences are allowed to enter?
We don't have to become hardhearted, militant or hostile to keep ourselves safe. The words hostile, hostel, host, guest, hospitality, hospital and hotel all come from the same root word meaning both guest and host, with an expectation of reciprocity. The guest is welcomed and the host is appreciated in a mutually beneficial exchange. Somewhere along the way (was it those pesky Romans?) this consensual well-being became hostile, opponents mistrusting, exploiting others.
Our guardians of the gate can protect us without demonizing others, without creating enemies or using violence. Clarity, inner authority, assertiveness and problem solving for the highest and deepest good of all can help keep us safe without hurting others. We can look to martial arts like t'ai chi for ways of moving out of the path of destructive energy or turning away what is harmful with the most respect and gentleness possible.
Others are vulnerable too, even if their protective mechanisms can become overweening and threaten our sovereignty at times. Reinforcing their enemy imaging and validating their fears that they are surrounded by threats or their habits of fighting their way out of every situation doesn't create safety for anyone. Be the soft raindrops that wear away a mountain of stone, or the moisture that rusts the sword, dissolving it, reclaiming it into the soil of the Earth. Or simply melt away like water running from clenched hands and find another current to bear you on your path to the sacred sea of inspiration and rejuvenation.
Taking time to draw a hot bath with naturally scented salts, lighting candles for softer illumination, sharing a kettle of hot soup with loved ones and friends, even holding melting snowballs in our hands or watching icicles drip can restore the sense of flow and softness. Using protective chants or rituals can help sharpen our awareness before danger threatens, and we can carefully set aside safe and sacred time and space for our deep diving to the treasures that wait far beneath the surface of mundane life and those necessary but sometimes tedious tasks and chores. In meditation, let a few words or an image arise that feels protective and recall that each day or several times a day. When you have time and will be undisturbed, step inside that safe space and venture beyond the everyday world to the depths of mystery for renewal and revelation.
I highly recommend Diane Mariechild's book Mother Wit for a wonderful variety of guided meditations as well as other helpful tools for your journey. This book has been a companion of mine for many years, perhaps the first magical book I owned, soon followed by Starhawk's Spiral Dance. Curl up with a cup of hot tea and a cat or blanket or both, and dive into these women's wise words for a gift that will take you through to the end of winter and beyond.
Let go of hostility and return to hospitality, perhaps even more toward ourselves than others (without guilt!) as Pisces is not the most social of signs, especially if we are feeling pressured to please others or put on a persona. Let's be hospitable and welcoming to our genuineness, and help create a safe space for others to also let the pretenses melt away and the glorious being beneath the masks to rise to the surface as it is ready. Patience, listening, receptivity and gentleness combined with protection, clear boundaries, validation and a touch of vigilance can swirl together in the cauldron of this time between winter and spring, the pause before the beginning of growth, before gathering energy again to burst forth with the indomitable vitality of the crocus and daffodil.