by SOL W JONASSEN

〰️ To have permission to rest 〰️

The last quarter Moon is about the release of a consciousness that is not healing nor creating anything constructive. The theme for this lunar month has been around service and surrender, how to care for others, and how to balance that with self-care. The cosmic juice is still a concoction of fire and water, and this juicy, spontaneous, feisty, passionate, and self-affirming combo centers the focus on personal needs vs bigger needs. The fire element present can easily put so much energy into motion that burn-out is very, very close. So be mindful of that.

The real question is how we serve the world. And how do we find balance within ourselves when we do? When the pressure is on, the reward mechanisms in the brain, the limbic, and very much the lunar realms of the mind can kick in. This is where the concept of injustice arises, and the hunger for nourishment and reward for all given and all served can take over.

Not many people on earth are capable of serving without expectation. The renunciation of personal needs, often a significant focus in many religious lines of thought, is not something people willingly enter into. Or should. Sometimes it can feel forced, and the duty of life can feel like a prison, especially if this sense of duty is out of alignment with what is true and basically a result of coercion.

And if this renunciation of the self happens too soon, a glitch happens, and the grief of believing not being on the list of recipients of bounty can poison the heart. The skipped steps are not to be underestimated. They will sooner or later kick in as either burn-out or depression and as a deep feeling of not existing. Surrender of the ego has to be done correctly otherwise, it is dangerous.

The Sabian Symbol for this lunar phase is «An Empty Hammock» – a hammock being a powerful image for rest in order to release tension and respect natural rhythms. Life needs a good rhythm, and if anything, Cancer is all about healing the skipped steps by returning to natural, biological rhythms. The body never lies, as opposed to the mind. And it is neither appropriate to be too active or too inactive. The attachments of either having to rest all the time or not rest at all will sooner or later turn into inefficiency. And when that happens, there is no real progress.

Cancer is a healing sign. Once you know a Cancer or two, you realize that pushing them is not very popular. They take their time. And they need that. They show the rest of the zodiac the time needed to digest life’s many experiences. These natural rhythms should not be interfered with too much if we want to function well, and Cancer is the embodiment of this natural process for us all to see and experience.

Mars and Pluto are perfectly aligned for the opening of this lunar phase. Mars keeps pushing the buttons of Pluto in Capricorn, urging us to release and let go of the unhealthy conditioning of culture and tradition. The haste. The numerous expectations. The incessant guilt. What do we believe will happen if we do not follow these unspoken rules of life? Is all success based on cynical burn-out? We know effort is needed, but to what extent? These are pertinent questions for the current zeitgeist.

A simple life is not a bad life. Maybe this is what we all realize now. We want something easy. Maybe not too ambitious or too complicated. A sweet release of the burdens carried, burdens that might not have been ours, to begin with.

Capricorn is the bigger needs, Cancer the personal needs. They should ideally be in alignment. The lunar phase ends with an opposition between the Sun and Pluto, and the understanding of the difference between service and self-abandonment and service and self-service could be crystal clear. Certain things are beyond our control, and the need to simplify and make life a little bit easier on ourselves could be the best thing to do right now.

Let the pressure go. Be human. Find a hammock and hang it up. Don’t let it be empty. Lay down and find rest. It is time for hammock therapy!

Sol W Jonassen
sol-with.com

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