Both Ego and Essence
By
Sarah Varcas
Whilst an opposition often indicates conflict, it always contains the potential for peace and this one is no exception. Jupiter in Leo embraces ego and encourages it to shine. Here we can begin to recognise the value of a healthy ego identity which enables us to live in harmony with the world around us, sure of our right to exist and equally committed to the rights of every other creature to do the same. This ego is honed by insight into the nature of the mind and the heart, into human nature itself and the natural laws to which we are all subject. In its highest expression Jupiter in Leo is the god force expressed through the personality in such an unfettered way that the self becomes a pure expression of divine presence marked out by character traits which, rather than detract from the sacred essence, simply animate it further. In the presence of Jupiter in Leo we encounter either ego that believes itself to be divine or the divine expressed through the prism of the ego. Which it is depends entirely on how well we know our true nature and how fooled we can be into thinking that life really is all about ‘me’!
Which is where Venus chimes in, for in Aquarius she is only too well aware that very little is about ‘me’ in the overall scheme of things! Here she seeks to level the playing field and connect everyone regardless of anything more than simply being alive! If you’re still breathing, this Venus wants you in on the game as much as anyone else. She doesn’t have time for the puffed up hubris of an ego which thinks it’s so much more central to the plan than someone else, and in opposition to Jupiter in Leo she turns away from any scent of pride or self-importance in favour of a more inclusive notion of what matters when it comes to finding our way through a complex world.
The opposition of these two cosmic players reminds us that the path of evolution is not about eradicating ego anymore than it demands glorifying it. We are all individuals even as we are a tiny part of the whole. Embracing both of these aspects of humanity enables us to live more fully, to create more effectively and to interact with the world in such a way that we can become a vessel for the sacred in the realm of the mundane. And anyone can be it. We don’t have to spend months on retreat or years in spiritual enquiry. We don’t need super healing powers or psychic abilities. All we need is the willingness to respond with a heart which recognises the heart in others; an intention to recognise that life is rarely as black and white as it may at first appear. Once we can set this intention and commit to living the paradoxes rather than only walking straight lines in a black and white life, we are already in touch with the sacred within and without, for it is that which sustains inherent paradox by being all things. The sacred is more often met in confusion than certainty, paradox than clarity. It confounds our minds which seek knowledge at a register misaligned with that of the divine. There are no answers when at one with the god-force, with the very ground of our being. There is no need for answers for the very questions themselves end.
In the coming days we are encouraged to reflect upon the ego/essence dichotomy. To consider how it weaves itself through our everyday life. Where does identity and ego serve us well? When does it take us in an unhelpful direction? Does it help us to let go when we need to or cause us to cling on? To react without reflection or respond with wisdom? At what points in our day do we need our identity and when can we let it fall away to reveal something more enduring beneath, which can and will never depart from us? For the world to heal the wounds caused by duality and division we must each observe the same wounding phenomena within our own hearts and minds. Any tendency to reject one aspect of the self in favour of another perpetuates the separation. Every attempt to find a place for both ego and essence, working together in such a way that neither is diminished and both are expressed in as holistic a way as possible contributes to the healing of the whole.
This astral opposition reminds us that ego identity and divine grace merge to form the human psyche. Our task is to establish the balance which allows both to flourish and play their part in the process of growth and discovery which is our life on earth. This balance, by its very nature, is evolution itself, expressed through our minds and hearts, catalysing each of us to manifest the fullness of all that we are.
Sarah Varcas
