Last night was the longest night of the year… figuratively as well as literally.
I appreciate that this is not my normal MO, but this is not an upbeat post. I’m feeling a lot of things lately: regret, sadness, worry, and even a little heartbreak. I’m not feeling particularly upbeat.
But of course that’s to be expected on a night for confessions with Venus in retrograde and a world that seems to be rending itself to bits in front of our eyes. I spent the evening comforting my son (home for knee surgery as well as the holidays) and, well, having a bit of a cry. What I told him was that it’s OK to feel sad at sad things and so I’m trying to take that advice myself.
I also told him that his knee would be better soon and that he’d be in better position to discover and seek out his goals (he blew out his knee and shredded his ACL back in the summer). I also tried to take that attitude myself on a morning for road opening with a surprising clear and lovely dawn and morning sky.
Sometimes we’re going to feel what we’re going to feel. Whether it’s the space weather or injuries or extended family drama. In fact, things have been very challenging for me for some months, in ways that shouldn’t be apparent to any of you kind folk because I’m not in the habit of getting too personal here. Mainly stuff with my parents and sister rather than my immediately little household (who, despite injuries and some stress are lovely and awesome and for whom I’m so grateful).
I’m bringing it up because I think it’s only fair so say that life has its share of sadness and heartache and that’s true regardless of our attitudes and magic and good intentions. Sometimes we just need to BE SAD. We need to regret and remember.
For months now I’ve been telling my clients to Go Heart First. It’s my new mantra. And I think it’s critical advice. After all, if the forces aligned against us want anything, they want us to ignore what our hearts tell us. They want us worried and afraid and stressed. They want us fighting and angry and separated. But what does your heart tell you?
You heart doesn’t tell you to put up with abuse. It wants you to love others AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF. Sometime people focus too much on the loving others part and not enough on the loving yourself part. But going heart first means that sometimes your heart gets injured. It gets bumped and bruised from being out there in front, taking point.
And when that happens, you need to take the time to nurse your heart and feel sad and express that pain. And that’s what long nights are for really.
The astrology of the next few weeks is, challenging, but I say lean into it. Feel the feelings. Cry if you need to. That’s how we get through to the clear, lovely dawn. That’s how we nurse our hearts like we do an injured knee… gently, but also with PT and stretches, so it doesn’t stiffen up and becomes stronger as well as more flexible.
From my heart and hearth to yours, have the holidays that you need to heal and mend. Find the balm and stretch that heart muscle. I will see you in the New Year.
Love, Ivy
