On Courage and Comfort Zones
By
Sarah Varcas
This aspect offers an opportunity to turn obstacles into onward movement and barriers into progress. A square always demands action of some sort. If we simply sit back and fail to intervene in the situations that rile us we experience mounting pressure and frustration. Eventually our feelings take on a life of their own and demand expression whether we like it or not. This is why, traditionally, squares (an angle of ninety degrees) are seen as ‘malefic’, because they seem to cause trouble and strife, anger and conflict. In fact it’s us that do that! Squares are just squares: moments in time when the external world and our internal world create friction that demands action. It is our unwillingness to commit to action which leads to a build up of pressure and the ensuing explosion!
So let’s not be explosive this time around. Instead let’s be proactive. Let’s take stock of the circumstances in which we find ourselves – the things that block our attempts at progress, the situations and people which irritate and try our patience – and then come up with a clear plan of action to deal with the challenges we face in a positive and buoyant way, not reacting because we simply can’t take anymore, only to regret the ‘fallout’ whose dispersal is not guaranteed.
The Sun reflects our will, our central drive that seeks expression throughout our life. It is the essence of what we refer to when we say ‘I’ and ‘me’. When squaring the North Node, which points the way to personal fulfilment, we find ourselves at a crossroads and must make a choice: do we do what comes easiest and what we may have done many times before, or do we come up with a different response born of who we are now, in this moment, not who we were last time similar circumstances arose?
Whilst it’s commonly stated that we should do what comes naturally, astrologically speaking this may not be the best advice! To fulfil our potential we have to step out of the comfort zone of doing what we do well and embrace the scary world of trying something new and finding out whether we sink or swim! When working with the North Node, sticking with what we do well can be the worst thing, for the North Node requires that we develop new skills, new ways of being; that we become someone other than who we believe ourselves to be. It takes courage and fortitude, a willingness to be a new-born again, discovering life from scratch, adopting a new perspective and fresh guidelines. Of course we can take our strengths and abilities with us on the journey. They’ll come in more than handy! But to see them as the be-all and end-all, the extent of our ‘tool kit’, is to live a half-baked life in the shadow of who we could actually be if we allowed ourselves to grow.
This aspect therefore challenges us to boldness and confidence. It invites us to try a new response to an old situation. The North Node in Virgo sees us as part of a detailed and intricate web of creation, not individual, isolated parts acting alone. Adopting this perspective on our life right now may just reveal insights previously overlooked and opportunities otherwise missed. We may be blocked because we are failing to take account of the bigger picture or overlooking seemingly inconsequential details. Likewise, the Sun in Sagittarius reminds us of the power of perspective and how changing ours to accommodate ever greater freedoms as a real possibility not just a nice idea, can unleash all manner of synchronous forces that assist our endeavours.
An aspect of great possibility which requires equally great courage to embrace it, this square invites us to bring this year to a close with a fresh commitment to trying out new ways of being rooted in novel perspectives. It may feel uncomfortable at first as we step outside of our regular viewing point, but having done so the vista will be fantastic and we’ll find ourselves wondering why we hadn’t simply checked it out before!
Sarah Varcas
{ 1 trackback }