Today is Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011. The Sun and Moon are in Scorpio, along with Mercury and Venus. This week, flanking today’s New Moon (which is at 3:55 pm EDT), those two planets are squaring Mars in Leo. In the case of Mercury square Mars, in particular, we have an interesting opportunity. At this time of thin veils between worlds, costumes and masks, the transformative potential of Scorpio and dark, scary emotion, we all have an opportunity to be actors in the best senses of the word.
Please don’t confuse acting with being dramatic. In our everyday lives, ‘drama’ is a distraction from real issues and from self-inquiry. ‘Drama’ eats valuable energy, whether engaged in as an intentional power play or semi-consciously, as when we’re hijacked by emotional triggers and projections.
No, the art of acting is different. People often misconceive actors as simply ‘pretending to feel’ emotions. While it could be said that we pretend to be characters, any actor ‘pretending to feel’ instead of actually feeling will immediately stand out – and not in a good way. That actor’s performance will likely feel fake; audience members will not find themselves identifying with the character, will not be moved. To the contrary, skilled actors allow themselves to feel authentic emotions — that is the essence of the art.
For some, this comes naturally; for others, various personal blocks may need to be dissolved in order to open up to allowing genuine emotion to flow through, and there are techniques for learning this. For years, I felt like a fake when I stepped on stage. I knew what good acting was about. I also knew what most others did not, though some could sense: I had this internal block, just like a glass wall. I could see where I wanted to go emotionally, but I couldn’t get there.