Hold Onto Your Hats, My Friends

Oh, what a time it is! Those who know me well can imagine how devastated I feel at what I see unfolding in the larger society. You will also, though, have reason to guess that I am not only devastated. To the extent that I am able, I refuse to let despair claim me. 

I want to believe that humankind can turn this around, for ourselves and for the other beings who occupy this glorious planet with us. I don't know if we will, but what I do know is that it's best to act as though we can. Not in a passive form of trusting all shall be well, but in an active way, as in "If we're to turn this around, with my disposition and my gifts, what role will I play?" 

Let us pause now for a message from our sponsors. There is so very much happening in the sky right now that can offer a helpful perspective for what is unfolding around us. For readers who find astrology silly, feel free to scroll through your phone for the next few paragraphs. 

The outer planets have a special significance in astrology. Less personal that those closer to the Sun, they are seen as having particular impact on the larger society and can lend insight into the way the collective functions. These planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. 

Because of their distance from the Sun, their orbits are lengthy. For example, it takes Jupiter 12 earth years to orbit the Sun, while Pluto takes a whopping 248. Just like Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars move through the signs of the zodiac as they orbit, so do the outer planets. However, because these planetary giants take so long to orbit, they remain in a particular sign much longer as well. 

Each zodiac sign has its own unique qualities, as does every planet. When a planet transits through a particular sign, its own energy takes on the hues of that sign, its particular signature, for example making Pluto feel very different in Capricorn than it does in Aquarius. 

Given their societal effects, when these planets move from one sign to another, they often signal significant cultural shifts. For the first time ever, every single one of these planets will have changed signs in a mere 9 months. Transformational Pluto moved into Aquarius in November, mystical Neptune will slide into Aries at the end of March, structure~driven Saturn enters Aries in May, expansive Jupiter will be in Cancer come June, and rabble~rousing Uranus becomes a Gemini wild card in early July. 

For those who credit such things, this is recognized as truly astounding. Over a very short period of time, each and every planet that informs the collective will have begun a remarkable shift in energy. Hold onto your hats, my friends. That much change is bound to be destabilizing. And yet, if we commit ourselves to the long view, destabilization doesn't have to be bad. Not at all. When things~~structures, attitudes, perspectives~~have served their purpose, they must fall apart so something new can be born. 

Okay, let's come back to Earth after that brief foray into our own small slice of cosmos. What's a human to do when faced with that kind of change, change that may feel~~and be~~life~altering? For starters, we would do well to find ways to steady ourselves. 

Think of a spinning wheel. If we place ourselves on the rim, we will at the very least become dizzy, though it's more likely we'll find ourselves needing to grip hard, white~knuckled and holding on for dear life. The hub of the wheel is a much more stable placement. In terms of our current discussion, that means centering ourselves frequently, dropping down into that which is eternal amid all that is jumbly, uncertain, and shifting. 

If you have spiritual practices that provide this, use them often and with greater commitment at this time. If you don't, it is time to develop some. We needn't go through this on our own. The guidance of the ages ever offers itself to us, particularly in times of great change. Meditation, prayer, immersion in nature, pausing to breathe with full awareness, enacting gratitude moment by moment, deeply sharing with others...any of these and more are available to us. We need them now and in the days to come. 

Grounding ourselves is the first essential step. The next is where it gets exciting. We get to decide the part we will play in what is unfolding. When we don't offer our dollop~full of energy to despair, fear and anger, we can give it to that which is life~affirming. 

We return now to the question posed at the beginning of this essay: "If we're to turn this around, with my disposition and my gifts, what role will I play?" While I don't have it all figured out by any means, I do have an inkling of my own answer. 

I will remember that, if hate is contagious~~and I think we can all see now that it is~~love must be as well. I will practice love. I will open actively to my personal conception of the Divine through the avenues available to me. I will reinforce my intention to hold that connection to Spirit more fully, day in and day out. 

I won't expect perfection of myself or others, and will allow space for us all to be the perfectly imperfect humans we are, recognizing it for the challenging task it is. I will practice forgiveness. I will speak my truth. I will seek solace when I succumb to despair, and then open once more to Spirit. And if there is more for me to do, and I am guessing there is, it will be made clear to me and the pathway illuminated through that connection. 

And if it all goes to hell in a handbasket? Well, I'll know I've used "my disposition and my gifts" to do what I could. I don't believe it will though, not when I hold the the long view. I choose to believe in possibility. I continue to commit to hope. 

Which leads me to this quote from Krista Tippett: "Hope for me is distinct from idealism or optimism. It has nothing to do with wishful thinking. It is a muscle, a practice, a choice: to live open~eyed and wholehearted in the world as it is and not as we wish it to be." 

Yes, I will do that. I would love to do it with you. Together, we can buoy one another. Together, we can practice love, love connecting to love, love strengthening love, love awakening love in the hearts of others.

Much love,

Leia