Integration Through Service

After a very challenging week, culminating with a powerful New Moon in Pisces, we’re all due to some rest and recharge. Fortunately, this week’s motion will likely be gentler. The waters of Pisces, which often highlight the turbulent undercurrents of our collective unconscious, have come to pass. Now comes the time to integrate.

This week, we’re graced with Venus entering it’s Retrograde motion. We can easily find a lot of information about Mercury Retrograde circulating online, as is to be expected from the Messenger Planet. Unfortunately, it’s not always simple to make the nature of retrograde motions clear. We must keep in mind these are also an integral part of the Cosmic Cycle, of the Universal Clockwork. It’s not about escaping the retrograde, or holding on until it passes. It’s about understanding the nature of the motion, so we can freely flow with it. Gracefully surfing the universal waves is always the best option.

Retrograde motions are related to introspection and internalization. They’re moments of realignment, were we’re invited to look within and take a moment to consider how much we’ve changed with regards to the are of life that Planet is related to. They’re moments of integration. Venus, the Planet of Love, indicates how we express, receive and share Love, as well as pleasure and comfort. As such, Venus Retrogrades are always related to two main areas: relationships, or how we love others, and self-love, or how we love ourselves. In the esoteric sense, Venus describes the pursuit of the Divine through the experience of matter. Her lesson is that that which brings pleasure to us brings us closer to the Divine. This means that this Retrograde is also asking us to evaluate how we may or may not be indulging in excesses, whether those excesses be having too much of something we like, or being too disciplined with ourselves. A balanced approach is required to stay in Harmony, which, ultimately, is what Venus strives for.

As this Retrograde happens in Aries, this energy will be projected mainly in our impulses and acts. Being the first Sign of the Zodiac, Aries is the energy which interacts with the World in order to differentiate itself from it. The impulsive, fiery Ram can gain a lot from taking a step back and breathing deeply before making a decision. As such, consider how impulsivity, jumping to conclusions, being too assertive or imposing your personal viewpoints or will may be impacting your relationships. Consider, also, the other side of the coin: how passivity, indecisiveness, loose boundaries and too much agreeableness may be undermining your sense of self-worth. This will be a period where all of this will be brought into the forefront of our consciousness. We can either grovel in the bad vibes, or we can breathe in and use them as fuel to arrive at the next level.

We can derive further information by analyzing where Mars, Aries’ Exoteric Ruler, is stationed. A Mars in Cancer is a more harmonious, less edgy Mars, that will strive to make his way through soft power approaches. This can result in a more manipulative shadow, which will take advantage of other’s vulnerability to strike. This will likely be a recurring these for this Venus Retrograde. Curiously enough, we find Mars in Square with Venus, meaning there’ll be tension between that which we want and desire, represented by this Mars in Cancer; and that which we need and is good for us, represented by Venus in Aries. Concessions will have to be made. This configuration is a powerful opportunity to work on our internal polarities, as they seem to be in a very direct clash, and both in somewhat dissonant energies - the harmonious Venus in the fiery Aries, the warring Mars in the docile Cancer. It’s likely we’ll find answers by the end of the week, as the Moon, Cancer’s Exoteric Ruler, will move into Conjunction with Mars next Sunday. The Moon is always in a tense square with Mars, as it is conjunct Venus. It’s as if the Mother is harmonizing the siblings. We can expect messages to come from our emotional intuitive side, which will certainly reveal to us that which we need to know. Lastly, and to wrap up the planetary analysis, positive aspects to the Sun (Trine with Mars, Quintile with Uranus) suggest that shining our light onto these matters will quickly reveal solutions that we can effectively implement. Trust your intuition and guidance and allow this New Moon to propel you into the future.

As for the “Service” portion of our week, we find a shift in Axis. The Midheaven, related to how we present ourselves in the World, as well as our Work, is moving from Leo into Virgo. This means that we’ve acknowledged our gifts and skills, and are now ready to put them to use in the World. Virgo is very pragmatic, and has a deep sense of service, as she understands that to serve is to heal, and that by healing the other, we also heal ourselves. Take this into account during your week. Notice the moments where you can extend a open heart to those around you, where you can put the hard-earned lessons you’ve acquired throughout your life into proper use. This will greatly assist you in the Venus Retrograde process, which will last until mid-April.

Intentions for Growth

For this week, the Earthbound Oracle graced us with some interesting insights. The cards drawn where Protect (How to better integrate this week’s motion?), Voice (How to extract more wisdom from it?) and Time (How to better serve others). Here are the drawn intentions for our week:

“I protect my own being with peace and grattitude”

“I voice my inner knowing with courage”

“I respect other’s Time, as I respect my own”

Given this week’s energy revolves around Venus’ retrograde in Aries, which is the Sign that defines the Self, it felt adequate to voice these affirmations in the first person. We want to understand how we can improve ourselves, so that we can then share ourselves with others better. One can’t fill from an empty cup. As such, let’s consider not only how we can fill our own cup this week, but also how can we plug any holes that might be draining us unknowingly. As the last affirmation states, sometimes presence and respect are the best gifts. Let’s take that in mind, and remember that we are enough.

Runic Wisdom

For this week, I decided to expand the newsletter and include a weekly rune. I usually draw this rune to better understand what the Earthbound Oracle’s cards mean. The runes are a very telluric energy. They’re the alphabet of our planet, working in a much similar way to astrology - only down below.

This week’s rune was Gebo, which means gift - a very fitting rune for our particular context. Gifts had a very central role when it came to relationships in Iron Age Scandinavia. They were seen as social currency. If you wanted to engage in a relationship with someone, say a Lord or a fellow farmer, you’d approach them with a gift. Unlike in medieval Europe, where these gifts were seen as offerings, the Vikings understood that receiving a gift meant giving something in return. As such, this back-and-forth of exchanges was usually the best way to establish connections, specially considering the rough climate conditions that those people had to live through.

This concept was also at the core of their religious and spiritual practice. If we wanted to ask something of the gods, we must give them something, so they heed our request and give us something in return. This was often done through sacrifice. The vikings would sacrifice, crops, animals, even human beings. Those were different times, in a different culture. We can, however, learn something from this idea that if we want something, we must give something in return.

As such, this Gebo indicates that we must, indeed, sacrifice in order to achieve our desires. And it’s up to us to decide what we’ll part ways with. It’s often said “if you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice”. We must also be honest in our offerings. How would we feel if we received a gift that was not sincere? That’s the same type of approach we must take when offering to the gods. Ideally, we want to give something we value, something we cherish, something we don’t really want to part ways with. There’s a degree of effort associated with a good sacrifice.

Personally, I’ve found that changing behaviors is usually a very powerful form of sacrifice. It requires perseverance, focus, and effort. We must do it every day, may times throughout the day. Think of how Christians approach Lent, or how Muslims approach the Ramadan, or how Ascetic Yogis approach their libations. There’s power in self-restraint. There’s power in giving up something we love. And what do we love more than our vices and toxic behaviors? We love them so much that we keep doing them over and over again, even though we are aware of how bad they are for us!

For this week, consider what toxic trait you’d like giving up in order to improve your relationships. Be real deep and honest with it. Perhaps you’re too clingy, or emotionally unavailable, or have a hard time giving the other space to speak their mind. Accept this part of yourself, own it. Acknowledge how much you actually enjoy being that way - and if that raises some difficult questions regarding your sense of self, even better! That just means you’re doing some real work. And then, let that go. Make a commitment to change that behavior. To get a little bit close to the person you want to be.

Try this technique out. I’m sure you’ll be surprised 😉 

Weekly Affirmations

This week’s affirmations revolve a lot around letting go. Whether it’s doubt, pride, old patterns or behaviors, there’s a clear sense of challenge when correlating each affirmation with each sign. I’d say this indicates the retrograde energy is alive and strong within these.

As for how to work with the affirmations, I’d suggest taking a few moments, either in the morning or before bed, to contemplate how they may relate to you in any way. Allow the practice to unfold organically in the way that comes naturally to you. Some will meditate, some will journal some will record them and take a walk. You can even dance. The key point is working the dissonance between the affirmation and whatever it is you’re feeling this week. Remember we’re working a retrograde motion, an integration motion, where newly acquired lessons will have to push through and make their way towards our well-established foundations. We’re bound to face friction. It’s less about being easy, and more about being with it ☺️ 

And if you haven’t already… 🙏