January 9th ~ 16th
“Time for the Physician” by Eleanor Fortescue-Bricksdale
Most of us think ourselves as standing wearily and helplessly at the center of a circle bristling with tasks, burdens, problems, annoyance, and responsibilities which are rushing in upon us. At every moment we have a dozen different things to do, a dozen problems to solve, a dozen strains to endure. We see ourselves as overdriven, overburdened, overtired. This is a common mental picture and it is totally false. No one of us, however crowded his life, has such an existence. What is the true picture of your life? Imagine that there is an hour glass on your desk. Connecting the bowl at the top with the bowl at the bottom is a tube so thin that only one grain of sand can pass through it at a time. That is the true picture of your life, even on a super busy day, The crowded hours come to you always one moment at a time. That is the only way they can come. The day may bring many tasks, many problems, strains, but invariably they come in single file. You want to gain emotional poise? Remember the hour glass, the grains of sand dropping one by one. ~ James Gordon Gilkey
There are small moments that can also prove to be tremendous turning points in our lives. Those moments can be fleeting. A word. A comment. A diagnosis. A brief meeting. Momentary. But layered with backstories and consequences that can change the story. This Last Quarter Moon on Saturday appears to be one of those moments.
We begin to wind down the monthly lunar cycle at the Last Quarter Moon. As a result of what was being disclosed since the Full Moon on the 3rd we glean insights, and based on what we have since learned or been made aware of, we begin to clear the slate, and prepare ourselves for next steps. If something has become irrelevant, this is when we put those old notions to bed, making room for these new ideas/awarenesses/plans to be able to take root. What is unusual about this phase is that as it perfects on Saturday at 20º Libra it forms a Grand Cross with quite a few planets, as well as the centaur Chiron.
[Moon in Libra opposite Chiron in Aries] square [Sun/Venus/Mars opposite Jupiter in Cancer]
A Cardinal Grand Cross can be hard to ignore. Powerful and encompassing in nature, it stretches its arms across the entire zodiac, so that almost everyone will feel it quaking. However, the Moon is fleeting, so the momentary Grand Cross lasts mere hours. More like a tremor. But it is just this sort of brief tremor that can serve as a catalyst for the already stressed t-square (Sun/Venus/Mars opposite Jupiter square Chiron). The existing t-square which was launched with the Full Moon, lasts through the 16th of January. Overwhelming, conflicted, overextended, it opens up wounds, and scatters our lives hither and yon. Like a house of cards the tremor has the capacity to momentarily upend our lives.
With all of the inner planets (Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars) in Capricorn, pragmatic realism and common sense is key for navigating this weather. As you see your well laid plans coming undone, or your world coming apart at the seams, step back and ask yourself, Which are my most important priorities right now? What are those things right in front of me that are needing to be tended to?
Also know that what feels uncomfortable may be the very thing you are needing in order to heal old wounds, which may be physical, emotional, or both. What you are discovering now may be the very thing that gives you the courage to let go of what had previously been comfortable and familiar, in order to reach the farther shore. Sometimes in order to find our place and purpose in the scheme of things we may need to step away from prior beliefs and previous expectations.
Chiron is winding down its tenure in Aries this year. And if Chiron in Aries these past 7 years has been the birth of the soul’s journey, that would have included releasing old soul contracts that are no longer relevant for who you are now. That can include releasing old patterns and behaviors, such as: putting aside your own needs and destiny just to fit in, to be part of the crowd, instead of trusting your own knowing. Or trying to live your life according to the expectations and judgments of others, rather than your own.
Jupiter retrograde in Cancer is asking us to have the courage of our own inner truths, even if we have to risk being ostracized or judged by others in order to follow our own truth, our own conscience, and our most salient beliefs.
In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others. ~ Brennan Manning (The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging)
For this week’s horoscopes, click below: