What Have We Done – Before the Full Moon
“All that i possess for a moment of time.”
-reported to be the dying words ofВ Queen Elizabeth I
Often times, the Moon looks and feels more full the night before it exacts its opposition with the Sun. В Rightly so in many ways. В After all, when anything reaches its peak, the becoming part has already ended and started to move the other way. В Indeed, for those of us in the Western Hemisphere when we look up tomorrow night, that will have been the case.
Tonight, therefore, those of us fortunate enough to have clear skies will view the fruit of Luna just before ripeness and may have good cause to take a bite and reflect. В How long it seems since the last one (August 5th/6th), when a penumbral lunar eclipse ended a long and trying Eclipse cycle. В A lot of us came out of that period of trial drained, battered, and bruised. В Many of us suffered loss. В All of us, in one way or another were challenged to start anew (mentally, physically or both) in a new place (literally, figuratively or both), on the other side of a lengthy wormhole.
So, how have we acquitted ourselves since then? В Have we sought to be aware of our pain and loss or have we kept ourselves numb and oblivious? В Have we taken care to clean the wounds or have we allowed them to become infected? В Have we availed ourselves of the chance to heal or have we directed our energy away from it? В Have we reached out to others washed up on the beach by the ecliptic tide or did we head inland to fend for ourselves? Have we accepted the helping hands hands offered to us or did we wander aimlessly back into the waves? В What have we done?
The Moon also joins us in contemplation. Last night in North America, the Aquarius Moon swept over the still-powerful triple stellium in the same sign. Eric has often commented on the creative power of an Aquarius moon. He has also spent a lot of time on the historic triple conjunction. В Luna’s aspects as we slept may well have left an impression on us this this morning. В How were your dreams? В Did the conjunction with Jupiter magnify somehow? В Did the hook up with Chiron bring attention to a flaw to be healed? В Did the roll over Neptune make you want to roll over and go back to sleep? В Did the Lunar review of the Tres Amigos cause you to wake up asking “what have i done”? В If so, no matter how it feels, take heart – you are in the flow. Perhaps the night’s reflection can lead to a renewed sense of creation.
Given that Sol is in a semi-sextile with the abundance of Venus (fired up in Leo), the way may well be lit. В As ambivalent as we may feel, as torn as we may be, tempted to look back and asking wherefore we have come, the moment may instead be right to look out and beyond as we near another monthly summit.
Queen Elizabeth I was one of the most powerful people to walk this earth. В A monarch when absolute monarchies still existed, she was accountable to no mortal. В A visionary who fueled her empire for centuries to come with an economy of production (as contrasted to Spain’s economy of hoarding). В A leader respected, admired and served by more than a generation of profoundly gifted men. В Yet, near the end, all that she had gathered had not the weight of a moment to simply be.
So, on this day, in this moment you are so lucky to have, that a queen would В have traded everything for, ask yourself “what have i done?”. В Not while holding your head in sorrow and remorse (as is so often portrayed in our culture) but as a call to vision the growing light.
Offered In Service,
Len Wallick
To simply be.
Len:
I’ve been meaning to comment on this thread all day, but I’ve been busy DOING all day that the moment to just BE here, now, has just arrived as I sit in contemplation after a long day’s journey.
One of the hardest things I had to learn as an actor was from one of my most intense and hardest acting coaches. She made a statement to everyone in class one night that had most of the women in tears.
That statement was: “You are enough”.
If anything this society teaches us, particularly, its that we have to accomplish something: a body type, a success story, a bank account, an impressive dwelling, in order to be “seen”. The question is: Who is actually looking? Who sees you?
If you just ARE, are you really there? In other words, are we enough?
This is what struck me so much about Elizabeth Tudor, a foundation of the Western Imperial world, and her statement of such weight, carrying the burden of having to DO as Female Prince, instead of BE as female person. I can understand the weight of the burden, her burden, and the fierce desire to run and find your own damn self for once.
Today, in preparation for tonight’s entry into this thread, I spent time after work really focused on my dancing. My feet ache, and shins and calves have cramps, but I feel me. Just me.
This summer many things around me have changed. My mother had a fall. My bro-in-law blew up his marriage, my daughter and her husband began having marital problems culminating in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder for her husband. Another brother-in-law is hitting bottom after 20+ years of caregiving his invalid wife. Positive developments out of these situations include my sister and my mother having more assistance in their household; my bro-in-law coming to be with us as he works through his divorce process; my daughter and son-in-law are getting marriage counseling and he is getting help with his bipolar disorder; and, my other bro-in-law honored me with his confidence and trust by sharing his feelings with me in a pretty comprehensive discussion of his feelings about his marriage. What I am learning from these situations is that ‘less is more,’ in other words, ‘don’t rescue, relax and LISTEN, and the right action will come in good time, or not if it’s not appropriate.’ In fact for me, I discovered the urge to rescue lies atop fear, causing me to over-react. My husband said “It’s like you’re the eye of the storm.” This week I am taking a break with a friendly virus.
Thank you, Len, for filling in for Eric while he is at Burning Man. I have enjoyed reading your blog comments for quite some time and each morning over the past several days I have been given a nugget of wisdom in your writing.
Thank you!
Mia