2020 has been an intense year so far no matter how you look at it. I don’t need to recite the myriad ways in which life as we knew it a year ago seems almost like a dream. But applying the concept of ‘as above, so below,’ I’m here to tell you: there remain breathtakingly powerful aspects on deck in our lives. December isn’t over yet.
While experiencing a meteor shower is not an astrological transit (although I believe it’s an astronomical weather event), I have to say my experience of leaning against my car and staring into the vastness of space the past two evenings has felt, I don’t know – deeply significant. Humbling. Perspective enhancing.
It’s easy for us to get lost in the crises that scream for our attention day in and day out. A pandemic. Systemic racism. Shocking threats of violence. Contempt for democracy. Vast swaths of our fellow Americans facing profound food and shelter insecurity.
The pain and chaos surrounds and threatens to drown us.
And yet for the half an hour I spent staring at the sky, talking out loud to the stars, to the cosmos, requesting insight – and absent that, a couple of shooting stars – I felt an odd sense of being re-set. It almost felt like the Universe pulled the plug on my systems for several minutes and just forced everything to recalibrate and calm the hell down. Staring upward and drinking in the incomprehensible, my perspective shifted.
It helped that I saw five meteors.
Monday’s Solar Eclipse
The next major astrological transit we’ll be experiencing will be a new moon on Monday, which is always a great time to plant the seeds for whatever we may desire to manifest in our life. But Monday’s is no ordinary new moon. It will be perfectly aligned with (conjunct) the sun, resulting in a total eclipse. While it will be a total eclipse, with both sun and moon at 23 degrees Sagittarius at 11:00 a.m. ET, the classic experience of the event, complete with a corona, will only be visible from South America and locations in the south of Africa.
Sagittarius classically occupies the 9th house of the zodiac, which highlights higher education, spirituality, beliefs, foreign or long distance travel, and adventure. Something tells me that we might want to consider planting some seeds that will expand our perspectives, broaden our horizons, and encourage us to learn new concepts and ways of approaching old problems.
My sense is that our old ways of dealing with conflict and problems that not only impact but expand far beyond our everyday lives will require strategies that will permit us access to new perspectives.
I’m going to be offering whomever is interested opportunities to learn and incorporate just such strategies as we enter a whole new world.
Nope. This blog post is not about my desire for perfection. In fact, while I pretty relentlessly strive to do the best I can at whatever I’m doing, I would not call myself a perfectionist.
In fact, I think I have just enough, “Who gives a sh&*” of an attitude, to keep me honest (if not humble).
No, the title for tonight’s blog is ‘Perfection’ because of the remarkable beauty of the tree I photographed the other day.
Looking a Different Direction
Usually when Karl and I are walking along the particular stretch of road that this tree stands beside, our attention is almost always directed away from this tree. We’re almost always looking in the opposite direction.
When we look to our right as we walk along this road, our view is of vast open fields and a panoramic sky, usually occupied by at least a handful of clouds and almost always a breathtaking sunset.We are often distracted by the ever changing vista. The colors of each sunset are captivating in the variety of their unique palettes. Sometimes it’s hard not to see at least three different figures at a time in the clouds.
It’s not uncommon for us to see herds of deer grazing, flocks of geese or ducks stomping around in puddled water, and even occasionally a fox or two darting into the underbrush.
Appreciation
But the other day, I happened to look to my left. I should be clear: I happened to make a point of looking to my left and really seeing what was there. And wow.
Here it is:
An example of perfection – Photo: L. Weikel
I exclaimed to this tree how absolutely perfect it is. I gushed over its beauty and apologized for not noticing it sooner. Actually, I have given it a glance a handful of times over the years, but I don’t know that I ever had as extended a conversation with it as I did the other day.
Then I took its photo.
I do believe this tree is an example of perfection – and I told it so. But it was only when I got home and really had a chance to look at the photo that I realized it had swelled with pride and delight itself. I’m telling you: this tree responded to my compliments and appreciation, and its joy was captured in this photo.
This is a photograph of one happy, loved, and appreciated representative of the ‘standing tall people.’
Find a tree in your neighborhood. Maybe look in a different direction than you normally do. Or see with fresh eyes. You might be surprised by what you discover.
Give it some love – and see what happens. Watch it flourish. Notice how giving that appreciation to another Being makes you feel.
The Naked Heart Tarot by Jillian C. Wilde – Photo: L. Weikel
Letting Go
Last Monday, Karl and I went on our walkabout (the four miler) and picked cards from a deck I’ve been working with for just over a year: Jillian C. Wilde’s The Naked Heart Tarot*. I love this deck for many reasons, from the imagery to the turns of phrase, perspectives, and interpretations offered by the author.
My intention when shuffling the cards and putting my breath into them was to ask for additional guidance or assistance in fleshing out, if you will, the Medicine Cards I’d chosen on January 1st, which set the tone for my year, which I’ve yet to write about. (I’ll share that within the next few days.)
My pick was pretty intense: Judgment (XX) on top with The Tower (XVI) underneath.
As we walked and I was reading out loud the author’s take on these cards, I felt a prickle of wariness flutter up my spine. There was a clear, interconnected theme to these two cards, that was unmistakable. Yet I didn’t – couldn’t – see where this would play out in my life. Knowing that astrologically, last week, we were approaching the full moon and eclipse in Cancer, with additional rock-the-boat-powerful aspects arriving today (January 12, 2020), I uneasily accepted that the impact of these cards could come from any direction.
The Messages
The top card I chose was Judgment (XX).
Instead of paraphrasing, I’m just going to quote directly from the “LWB” (Little White Book) – meaning the book that accompanies the deck. (In this case, however, it is black and not as little as one might expect). I’ve discovered that authors of card decks usually received insight directly from the card archetypes as they’re creating them. And while a reader’s intuitive interpretation of cards is essential and should always be heeded, it’s often helpful to take into account the deck’s creator’s hits as well.
The Naked Heart Tarot – Photo: L. Weikel
Judgment (XX) – A New Awakening
“The butterfly broadens its wings expanding into a new level of consciousness where it has awakened with eyes wide open. The butterfly flies upwards; one step closer to spiritual attainment, releasing the ghosts of butterfly’s past behind, as it rises to new heights.
The Message: The Judgment card represents forgiveness, letting go of past mistakes, and things that haunt you. Butterfly energy encourages transformation through acknowledgment and transition. It is about having the courage and facing the demons that you bury in the shadows and recesses of your psyche. When you willingly choose to conceal the secrets of your past and shameful moments in your life, it causes metaphorical scar tissue to grown on your soul, making it harder to heal and release old wounds.
This card is asking you to bring forth these ghosts and address them so you can move forward with freedom from the past. Accepting the things you can change and legging go of what you cannot control. Forgiveness is the act of knowing things could not have been any other way.
This card represents significant transformation and rebirth of spirit. When you step outside your past and enter the present with newfound clarity, healed wounds, and a new awareness, the world takes on a new perspective. It is lighter, different, anew.
Additional Meaning: Transformation, release, letting go, rewards for past efforts, clarity, rebirth, resurrection, judgment, forgiveness, new purpose.”
The card underneath, which I interpret as ‘fleshing out’ or adding context to the card on top, was:
The Naked Heart Tarot – Photo: L. Weikel
The Tower (XVI) – Sudden and Unexpected Shift in Energy
“Lightning suddenly strikes the tree, setting it ablaze. It causes burning pieces to fly off, creating a ripple effect setting the surrounding area on fire and then it is washed out by the devastation of a flood. The abundance of fire and water are out of control removing everything from their path creating a clean slate for new beautiful growth.
The Message: The Tower represents a time when all that you know and recognize now becomes unrecognizable. As fast as the lightning strikes the tree, you will be hit with an immediate awakening of truth. You may feel out of your comfort zone and are left with a raw and vulnerable sense of unknowingness. Nothing feels like it makes sense and all may feel lost. Your beliefs may be called into question, as there is a sudden shift in perspective, and energy.
The Tower may be a sign that the Universe is taking action for you towards something you have been unable, or unwilling to see or admit. You may have been hanging on to something for too long, and going against your better judgment or choosing to not see a situation or yourself through the eyes of truth. The upheaval of The Tower will provide you with the necessary growth and expansion you need to move forward aligned with your higher calling. It is an opportunity to release old familiar structures, release and heal wounds, and rebuild a tower of strength within yourself; relying firmly on a new found awareness. It may seem fearful or confusing when you are in the thick of the emotional turmoil. However, as time passes and wounds heal, you will have a better understanding of why things happened. You may even feel grateful that they did.
Additional Meaning: Sudden change, upheaval, shocking truth, breaking apart, emotional outburst, turmoil, destruction, new beliefs, new growth.”
Upshot
In astonishing and truly lightning bolt (Uranian) fashion, I believe this did, indeed, play out in my life over the past few days. To be honest, I’m still reeling. But I’m dedicated to practicing what I preach and thus intend to deeply reflect not only on the events and revelations of the past few days, but also my feelings, my understandings, and ideally, my ability to find forgiveness. It may be an intense week.
