I thought I would pop you all a line as it’s been awhile since I last posted. Theo and I are still medically sheltering in place and so life has been very contained at home and we find we enjoy the peace and quiet of just us. But having said that I am deeply grateful too for my online work as it nurtures my heart connections to my clients and the wider world. However it also feels very strange to be in this nowhere place of nowhere to go and not knowing quite where this is all going. I am sure we all relate to that feeling!
I heard a podcast from Brené Brown who used the term Day Two to describe the stage we are now living in worldwide. Day Two is the in-between stage when the novelty and focus on the new happenings have worn off but there is still a way to go before completing the process. We are confronted with difficulties, challenges, and obstacles and there is no end in sight. We can’t go back to the old normal and we have no idea what the next normality is going to be. We find we can’t rush to fix things quickly as we would prefer in this culture to do but need to accept the vulnerabilities and hardships of the present moment and allow life to unfold.
This matches beautifully with the astrology of the moment as on September 9th, Mars in Aries becomes stationary retrograde (until November 14) and during its retrograde phase forms a square with Saturn for most of September. Mars stationary has a feeling of energy with nowhere to go, or energy being confronted by the solid no way zone of Saturn and feeling frustrated and blocked. I’ve been thinking of a graceful way to navigate this time of outer and inner world difficulties and frustrations and it strikes me that finding a way to open up the space, to ask curious what if-questions by using our imaginations to dream a different inspiring future would mean we could use the muted and difficult fire of the Mars retrograde in a way that opens to possibilities.
Saturn is boundaries and structure and although we may feel very constrained right now I also know that I am way more creative if I have some framework to work with whereas an empty, too open palate means I never quite start the project. If we could balance our imagination with gentle action, cultivating a patience towards the blockages, and applying dollops of hope I feel this next six weeks or so could bring a different feel to our world. The photo above was taken by a friend and I love its sense of balance and proportion with the contained candle flame of Mars burning in service to what will be dreamed and meditated into being .
As the picture also suggests with its glimpses of the pastel hued dawn sky of Kalk Bay through the windows is that nature offers space for healing to us all. Theo and I now have favourite out of the way benches alongside the coastline that we visit. We sit listening to the sounds of waves, birds and wind whilst eating our picnic lunch and it brings us back into balance with all of life, just two tiny humans sitting in the immensity of False Bay, the wintergreen clad mountains behind us and the fierce cold wind roaring through the cloudy grey sky above us.
I am on a winter break but taking bookings for the 15th of September onwards. Book while there are still slots in the calendar! This is a time for deep conversations, explorations into where you are right now and what you could imagine into being filling your life with meaning and passion and nurturing this precious world of ours with vision and love. I look forward to hearing from you!
With love and blessings
Susan
