Cardinal energy, courtesy of transiting Saturn, Uranus and Pluto in Libra, Aries and Capricorn respectively, has been speedy. Remember the movie ‘Speed’? Speed’s plot was a moving bus, a bomb, and the only way to keep it from detonating was to keep that bus moving. That’s the logic of cardinal energy, quick to respond, act and react (the bomb could go off at any time but if we keep moving, it won’t). When the pervasive feeling of ‘initiate, act, react’ combines with an urgent need or desire to do something different, life can feel like an emergency and yet the word emergency suggests emergence – we are emerging in a whole new way. Just in time, Taurus Full Moon deliberately turns down the volume, moderating our speed.
This Taurus Full Moon supports being with your own natural pace, which can prove difficult for those of us who “can’t sit still” and “need to get things done.” Those of this ilk usually fail to see the value in our own natural pace, which probably also means we can more easily burn out, generally, or, if we are in a period of emergence and we act or make decisions to change our lives too soon, we may actually delay our growth and have to circuitously repeat the steps we could have done the first time. Despite all the poker hot emergencies/emergences during these difficult times, it’s vital to remember the demanding outer planets move very slowly and what we now need (& over the next few years) is sustained strength. Taking a cue from Taurus, at this full moon, slow down, and sink your body, mind and spirit into the pleasure and pace of terra firma. For instructive help, read on.
Discover the pace of pleasure. Taurus is present in every garden on this Earth. Gardens are the pinnacle of patient waiting. No blossom emerges before a bud, and no seed sprouts before the right conditions are set. Man can manipulate conditions to rush a flower or fruit to bloom, but when we eat those same ‘out of season’ foods or fruits, our bodies get out of sync with nature, and with modern food technology, this is what we call natural! Look at Autumn’s gardens in partial decay; this is natural. And ever notice how everything natural is beautiful – from the falling leaves to the strange habits of animals – and therefore is pleasurable and enriching? Nature can help us to slow down, calm down & appreciate both the beauty and the value of being exactly where we are in our growth process. If nature had a pace, I know it would be slow.
Make leisure a priority. I remember my first trip to Europe. Partaking in an Austrian meal with new friends for the first time was a veritable social hour lasting well into the night. The everyday business hours, well, everyone goes home at a very reasonable hour –and everyone takes Sundays off, including the grocers. What are they doing with their time off? Spending time lounging with friends, taking hikes in nature, visiting the baths and shopping. Maybe you’d think an economy that made leisure a priority would slow down productivity, but paradoxically people are wealthy, if not abundantly blessed. When the pace of life is slower; people are happier, healthier.
Do less, accomplish more. When we’re chronically speedy, over time we will inevitably grow numb to the deeper messages of our lives and we shave joy off of our daily existence. We push harder, longer, faster. Instead of slowing down, listening to what our Spirit is telling us, in our ambition we’re trying to figure out a new angle on how to be better, quicker, ever more productive and more successful — all the while complaining that what we need is more down time and a quieter, gentler life. My natal chart is packed with fiery cardinal planets; I’m probably more guilty of this than you. Ironically, when over extended amounts of time we attempt to do more and more, we get a lot less out of life. This Full Moon features Neptune’s station, turning direct, perfect for surrendering to the slow unfolding growth of being exactly where we are.
As our personal lives, and the World, stands at this prolonged threshold of change, we’re going to need strength. For those times when our head/heart is on fire, I love Julia Cameron’s calming mantra: “There are no emergencies.” Then, to take it a step further: “Since there are no emergencies in my life, since everything happens as it should when the time is ripe, what situation in my life can I allow to unfold more gently?” We can trust that there will be moment(s) when the Universe opens up and gives us that golden opportunity to step into the change we want to become, but it’s only by funding our true self with enough: calm peace & beauty, respect for our natural process, and giving value to our true experience – not for what we want it to be, but as it is today – that those new choices turn out to be viable ones. At this Taurus Full Moon we can either emulate the leaves of the trees, blowing to and fro with great winds of change, or the roots. So as you rest in this astrological window of peace, (hopefully) suspended in your own little slice of pleasure, make like a great oak tree and plant. Slow down to feel strong. No one benefits from haste and disconnection– least of all you.
image credit: erilu @deviantart.com
0 Comments