I’ve been feeling kind of like my life is zooming off without me this week, and I’m running after it, trying to catch it so I can redirect toward my preferences. But the more I chase after it, trying to catch the pieces falling in my direction, the further away everything seems to get. I’m a little stressed today (and the last few days). I’m not a fan of feeling pulled along against my will (even though I care about the things pulling me) when I had my agenda set on poring my energy elsewhere.
Anyone else feeling the same? I’d love to hear about it in the comments, if so.
I probably shouldn’t be surprised at this, given the current astrology (a facet of which is an annual occurrence). And yet the intensity this year has caught me off guard.
Part of what’s up astrologically is the Sun making its annual alignment with something called the Great Attractor: a deep-space phenomena that lies in the direction of mid-Sagittarius (from our perspective here on Earth). It’s the apparent central gravitational point of the Laniakea Supercluster of galaxies; our own Milky Way galaxy is part of this supercluster.
The Great Attractor, which we cannot see due to galactic material in the way, appears to be pulling all these other galaxies toward it. At the same time, the Great Attractor itself appears to be moving toward another galactic supercluster.
We’re talking big, powerful, and impossible to observe directly. We’re talking “far out” — in all senses of the phrase.
I’m not saying that the Sun aligning with the Great Attractor is “causing” facets of my life to feel like they’re quickly sliding out of reach with each step I take to grasp them. But it makes one hell of an apropos metaphor. As wise sages are fond of saying, “As above, so below.”
We also have some additional astrological factors describing some of the challenges I am feeling (and possibly you, too). The Sun is making a square aspect with a centaur planet named Nessus (boundary transgressions, “the buck stops here”) in Pisces, and a square with asteroid Juno (unmet relationship needs, questions of social justice) in Virgo. Squares describe inner tension that needs to be resolved by taking action.
I’m asking myself some questions related to these themes, which might be helpful to you, too:
Where am I feeling tension around a sense of some inner boundary being ignored or breached? Does this relate to an old wound or a repeating pattern?
Am I feeling frustrated with myself for not having a clearer sense of my own energetic, emotional, or psychological boundaries, to better avoid getting to this point to begin with? Am I judging or criticizing myself for this, thereby increasing the sense of stress?
Is my ability to serve the needs of a relationship (whether to a person, a group, or a shared vision) at odds with my own needs for self-expression right now? Can I give myself permission to press the “pause” button and re-center myself?
Am I focusing on details at the expense of a more ease-creating perspective? If so, what are some ways I can shift or reframe things to find more space?
When we’re feeling overwhelmed by events seemingly (or actually) out of our control, it’s easy to forget the pieces that **are** in our control — like taking a walk, or trying a mini meditation / deep breathing break before replying to the latest urgent email; or turning off phone notifications and putting it in another room for an hour or two.
Faced with a situation that’s massively bigger than we are, it’s easy to forget that we don’t have to hold all of it ourselves, especially if we’ve already started trying to. We don’t have to match it in size. We’re allowed to say, “This is the piece I can understand and handle.”
While the Sun hangs out in line with the Great Attractor, it’s also forming a harmonious trine with the centaur planet Chiron in Aries. Chiron can act like a lens bringing something into focus, and it often represents an event that raises our awareness — generally so we can engage in some process of healing. That increased focus and awareness is not always comfortable but is a useful pathway.
So I am asking myself: how can awareness of my current situation support choices and actions that feel more centered and true to me? Where am I feeling others’ support? What can be healed or repaired or reinforced if I can slow down and notice it?
Chiron in myth was a half-human, half-horse centaur: just like the archer represented by the sign Sagittarius, aiming its arrow high. Perhaps, while the Sun is aligned with the Great Attractor, part of the message is to pick up our eyes — and imaginations — from the stressful pace of life, and look a little further, a little deeper, a little higher.
It’s like looking out the side window of a car: close objects whiz by in a blur but the landscape at a distance seems to saunter at a slower pace — even though you, in the car, are moving at one single speed. If looking at objects close to the car makes you dizzy and stressed, you don’t have to stop the car. Just change your gaze and your focus.
Perception and a shift in perspective can sometimes make all the difference you need to get back on track and be present. After all, no matter how fast life seems to be racing you can only live one moment at a time.
One moment, where you are: on this planet, in this solar system, in this galaxy…even while that galaxy is rushing off across the universe. You are here, and you are not alone in your experience.
With love,
Amanda
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