Life Design
The Resilient Spirit Knows No Bounds
Our world has lately been feeling like a carnival ride gone awry. Despite all the madness, one thing bears remembering: the innate resilience of our spirit.
We are still here, and we are still standing. And we are willing, able, and capable to forge ahead. For many the move forward will be in a completely different direction than before, while for some the path has merely been adjusted to better suit us.
To be resilient is to be able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. Resilience is the ability to bounce back into shape, after being bent, stretched or compressed. This is the essence of what our spirit is designed to do.
Our spirit or soul is the eternal part of us that connects us to the Divine, Source, God, the Universe. It is the Spirit we call upon to show us the way, carry us through, or facilitate the manifesting our dreams, goals and aspirations. It is that unbreakable, unshakeable part of us that fuels us to continue to move forward regardless of circumstance.
Spirit is also the place where our hearts and minds find peace, love, compassion and understanding. Every time our spirit is stretched beyond normal bounds, and we bounce back, we are even stronger, more confident, more loving, and more certain of ourselves.
Through surviving much adversity, we also come to understand that because of this resilience, what we are made of is not meant to be broken. If anything this resilience allows to stretch even further, reach even higher, and accomplish even more.
Once In A Blue Moon
The metaphysics for this month is subject to an astrological rarity. October 2020 features what is known as a Blue Moon, or a second Full Moon in the same calendar month. This month’s second Full Moon will take place next week, on October 31st, and is traditionally known as the Hunter’s Moon. It follows the Harvest Full Moon that took place on October 1st.
As you may have guessed, the phenomenon of the Blue Moon gave rise to the popular saying ‘once in a blue moon.’ It is used to refer to something that is unusual or special, or a rare event that seldom happens.
The origin of the term itself is unclear, but it has nothing to do with the actual color of the Moon. The earliest written record of the term ‘blue moon’ has been found in an 1528 pamphlet composed by two friars, William Roy and Jerome Barlow, in which they state, “Oh church men are wily foxes… If they say the moon is blue, we must believe that it is true.” It has since become part of pop culture and modern folklore, including being the namesake of popular songs and movies.
Astrologically speaking, two full moons in a month only takes place about seven times every nineteen years, due to the way the Moon’s orbital cycle does not line up exactly with calendars on Earth. It’s a rarity, for sure.
So, what can we expect during such a rare event?
Astrological Forecast October 19 – 25, 2020
The Sun will move into Scorpio on Thursday, joining with Mercury retrograde to call on us to review, revise and go deep within, to see where clearing or change is needed. Scorpio will add intensity to our spiritual movements over the next four weeks, reminding us to honor the intuitive and soulful messages that arise during this cycle.
A light-hearted and productive week arises as the Moon travels through Sagittarius on Monday and Tuesday, followed by an industrious Capricorn Moon through Thursday. The weekend unfolds under an Aquarius Moon, encouraging us to think outside the box,. Expect the unexpected and embrace the joyful unity you feel with all those around you. Friendship is the theme, so reach out to those important people who sustain your life and support your every effort.
Empower Yourself With A Tarot Meditation
The Tarot is so much more than just a method of fortunetelling. Tarot can be used as a tool for meditation just as much as it is an aid for divination.
For example, you can meditate on one of the cards in the Major Arcana, to connect with that specific card’s archetypal energy. Connecting with the card’s energy can not only help you find the answers you need, but more profoundly it can also invite that energy into our life.
Every archetype can awaken within us certain a type of personal power. The Magician can inspire us to become more quick on our feet, as he is mercurial in nature. The High Priestess connects us more deeply with our intuition and higher self. The Tower can bring an immediate closure to a negative situation we cannot stand anymore, and so on.
Let’s focus on The Empress card with a more detailed analysis, to demonstrate how we can utilize her in meditation.
Symbolism Of The Empress
The Empress is the number 3 card in the Major Arcana of the Tarot. She is the archetypal queen and symbolizes all the riches of femininity. She is related to the planet Venus and the zodiac sign of Taurus, representing affectivity in all its fullness.
As an earthly partner of the Emperor, her archetype represents the earthly plane achievements and pleasures of the physical body, including motherhood. There is also a connection between the Divine Feminine or Divine Mother archetype, represented by this card, and the Earth as Gaia, our nurturing mother.
Spiritual Ascension 2020
When we experience a big shift or breakthrough, it will often feel like our lives are falling apart in order for something greater to manifest. The year 2020 is a prime example of this. It continues to be an extreme year on all levels, and it has truly been testing our inner and outer world.
I believe there is a spiritual reason for all of this. We are shifting into the Age of Aquarius. Our purpose, spiritual connection, relationships, and physical bodies are in the midst of a major spiritual awakening that feels like an intense storm or crisis for many of us.
We are now becoming more aware of the people, places and circumstances that no longer serve us. It is an opportunity to strengthen our intuition and re-calibrate our inner compass.
Emotions are also running high this year, since we are constantly being triggered, but it’s happening to get us in touch with who we really are as spiritual beings, and to help us navigate through the fears connected to our past traumas.
It is meant to integrate the light and dark aspects within each of us, and to embrace it wholeheartedly, without caring what other people may think.
You may also have been noticing certain ascension symptoms. For example, your body no longer wants certain foods, and substances, so be sure to cut back on anything that makes you tired or irritable, or causes you physical discomfort. Drink lots of water, keep a health journal, get some exercise, and eat a healthy, wholesome diet. It will help you be more calm and mindful during these demanding times.
There will continue to be days of anxiety, anger, impatience and frustration, so be sure to acknowledge when any such negative emotions surface, so you can find a moment to breathe and re-direct your energy into something that helps you find greater peace of mind.
Astrological Forecast October 12 – 18, 2020
Mercury goes retrograde in Scorpio on Tuesday, so we need to be alert and stay on our toes, especially in aspects of communication, technology, legal agreements and travel. And because Scorpio is a water sign, this will also be a time of intense emotional introspection and clarity.
Interestingly, Mercury will resume its normal forward motion again on election day in the United States, on November 3, 2020. This may affect voter turnout, the functioning of voting equipment, early ballots being lost, and delays in the final results. Not the best timing, Mercury! Even without the retrograde preceding the election by three weeks, it is sure to be an interesting time, full of twists and turns!
The Libra New Moon on Friday will set the stage for two weeks of new beginnings, and potentially redirect us if we’ve lost sight of our current goals. This is also a strong lunation for relationships and the possibility to create new ones, or re-balance current ones, and embrace new potentials.
Practice extra caution over the weekend, as the Moon travels through Scorpio. It has a tendency to create an illusion, or throw us off balance, so be as mindful as possible at the end of this somewhat restless, scattered week.
Multi-Tasking Does Not Cultivate A Quality Life
I’m sure there has been a time in your life when you may have been too active on a hot summer, day without adequately hydrating, or juggling far too many tasks at once without taking a break. While you may have crossed the finish line, or pleased your boss by checking off all the tasks you completed, your sense of well-being was probably rock bottom, and your nerves frazzled. You possibly also questioned whether or not the best version of yourself showed up for life the next day.
Although many of us have found ways to multi-task our hectic lives, research is increasingly showing that effective multi-tasking is in fact a myth. Working on multiple projects at once doesn’t necessarily make us high achievers, or a successful super humans. Multitasking for most individuals merely replaces quality with quantity, and often leaves us feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from our deeper purpose.
As a spiritualist, I make it a practice not to judge how others achieve their everyday objectives and goals. But I do counsel many people who seem to have traded quantity for quality in their lives, and are missing out on the gift of savoring the sweet taste of personal achievement that is purposely focused and uninterrupted.
While old habits are tough to break, each of us has the innate capacity to build new processes within our mind. Psychological tools, such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) for example, can be used to re-program the mind to think differently.
Metaphysics and New Thought spirituality also teaches that through positive thinking we can manifest healthier outcomes in all areas of our lives. Many indigenous peoples also have a long tradition of spiritual practices, such as vision quests, dream interpretation, divination, and rituals and ceremonies, to help seekers find their best path.