- Image: “Born of Magick and the Lotus” by Gary Rosenberg
Playing Around Our Wounds
by
Sarah Varcas
We face a heavenly paradox at present, which could go in any direction depending on how we manage the prevailing energies. The Sun, Mercury, Chiron, Uranus and Pluto form what is known as a shield whilst Jupiter and Venus form a trine. Think Conan the Barbarian meets the best night out you’ve ever had and you might get some idea of what we’re dealing with! Of course, the good news is the best night out you’ve ever had could win and then it’s party time!
This shield formation denotes defensiveness – our own or that of others. It may, however, be hidden behind bravado or deflected by attack, rendering the fundamental insecurity at its root hard to spot. Needless to say, attack invites attack, bravado prevents true connection and we can become dislocated from our environment and those who inhabit it. The potent mix of planets involved in this current configuration could well lead to conflict and aggression if we let it. But we don’t have to. Such defensiveness arises not out of confidence and self-assuredness but from a sense of lack, a vacuum inside which tells us we have to keep everyone out, prevent at all costs both intimacy and the exposure. We cannot allow our soft under-belly to be revealed for fear that it will trampled upon before we have time to draw breath.
This state of mind, something of a siege mentality, may be prevalent now. It can easily take over if we let it, but if we can soften around it when it arises within us, and meet it with clarity when it comes at us from others, we can, together, begin to dissolve its rigidity and allow it to transmute into something altogether more connected and heartfelt. No matter how it looks on the outside, this kind of defensiveness speaks with the voice of a child who feels vulnerable and alone in an adult world that makes no sense. Most people can relate to that feeling at some level. We’ve all felt out of our depth at some point, uncertain where we fit in, whether we can make the grade.
Sometimes we need to be the shield for others so they don’t have to use one against us. If we can recognise their vulnerability and uncertainty, the sting of lack of confidence and low self-esteem we can shape our response to protect their wound, not worsen it, to cover not expose it. We don’t even have to make a big song and dance about what we’re doing, but simply do it anyway, reducing any perceived threat we pose by listening more closely, by acknowledgment, by changing the energy with a smile or a moment of shared thoughts or feelings. At this time there are wounds to protect and emotional pain motivating behaviour, but each one of us can introduce a tiny bit of healing simply by remembering this and tapering our responses accordingly.
Which is where the best night out you’ve ever had comes in, because attempts to de-escalate and reconnect are supported by the cosmos right now and there exists the potential to replace strife with fun and insecurity with a deeper sense of belonging. The alignment between Jupiter and Venus reminds us of the importance of letting our hair down and not letting our ‘issues’ get the better of us. If we feel inclined to assist someone else whose issues may be getting the better of them even better still! There’s plenty of fun to go round if we care to steer ourselves and other people away from the cliff edge and towards the party. We’ve done enough suffering and struggle this year! Right now we have a very clear choice to step away from it and into a lighter way of being. Jupiter brings us confidence and Venus pleasure, and in fire signs our hearts can be set aflame with the blessings of being alive not burdened with the struggles.
So in the coming few days remember there are sensitivities afoot and hidden insecurities abound, but they don’t have to have the last wry laugh. If we see them for what they are and treat them kindly, letting them be but not calling the shots, we can all enjoy some fun and experience the power of play to heal and unite
Sarah Varcas
