As we enter the energy of November, it is very different - and quite the opposite - of October. We're in the energy of reassessing, and with Mercury in retrograde until November 20, it will be with us all month when you include the integration phase of the retrograde. Mercury is the planet of communication, how we see, feel and express things to ourselves and others. With that being topsy turvy, we can feel a little like we've been put in a blender. What is real, what is true, what is solid, and what isn't?
Maybe none of it is solid, and all of it is based on perspective.
We're in a critical place of questioning. Questioning where we came from. Questioning the paradigms in front of us. Questioning our participation in them. The deep, the dark, the subtle. As the feminine energy on the planet rises, we are being called further into our intuition. The sixth sense. The space between things. Noticing that it is all connected, and all of it matters.
We are lifting the lid, so to speak. Turning the coin over to see what the opposite side reveals. If we've always looked at something one way, maybe we've actually forgotten to engage with the realness, the humanness, of it; forgotten to question it and learn from it. This shows up most heavily with societal paradigms we have been expected to follow along with. Byron Katie has a teaching about this in where she thought something in the dark was a snake, but when she turned on the light she realized it was only a rope. Her whole system was in reaction to that snake, and this shift created a spiritual awakening for her. What she thought was true, wasn't. When she questioned it, she found the opposite to be true.
What thoughts, feelings, ideas, beliefs are you in possession of that you are absolutely certain are true? These are the ones we're going after this month. Question them. Flip them over to reveal their opposite. They can be as big as the beliefs that fuel the patriarchy, white supremacy, sexism, racism, cultural appropriation. Or they can be as simple as believing someone is wrong, only to discover they have a different experience, and therefore perspective than you. Maybe they have a wound informing their decisions and actions, but you only see the actions. If you don't question these, you can never discover who they truly are, or get to know them in all their abundance. If you never question these in yourself, you can never know who YOU truly are. Maybe you think you're a terrible artist, writer, musician because you haven't touched it in ages, or ever. If you question that belief, you may reveal the gold in it's opposite. Things are more than they appear. It's taking us back to the Both/And paradigm.
Like turning over a coin that has been rooted to the soil for so long you thought it was only one-sided, when you turn over, or question something that has been one way for so long, the dirt stuck to the bottom of that opposite may need a little cleaning off before you can see the shiny reality or wisdom in it. Give it, and yourself, patience and time. It can be really jarring to discover that what once felt trustworthy suddenly doesn't, or someone you thought was an enemy is actually a shy friend in waiting. And it can also be exhilarating to discover magic in a part of you that went previously unquestioned. This is the material that dissolves war, aggression, misunderstanding. Like the feminine, it's subtle energy, and yet absolutely real.
I recently met a beautiful medicine man, Walter, who taught me this lesson that goes perfectly along with the energy of November. He says, when you see a problem, focus on it's opposite: the medicine. That is causing in me a complete alteration of what I formerly believed; an ability to see both sides of something. It's a lot to take in at first, but as Walter says "get pregnant with it," which means bring it down to your belly to reveal it's truth when the time is right instead of trying to figure it out with your head.
Couple things to focus on this month:
Self Trust — When what we thought was true suddenly isn't; when everything outside falls apart, there's no where to go but inside. We are so use to accepting what we see on the outside, we are taught to do this from our very birth. To unravel this, we have to take a step back, get pregnant with it, be in isolation a bit. What is true FOR YOU before what you were taught to believe?
Sacred Space and Time — In addition to being more internal, create space to ground this awareness and anchor it deep within. Meditation, yoga, writing, creating art, dancing. This is about communicating with YOURSELF and developing a relationship with what you know to be true for you, away from the thoughts and opinions of others. This will allow you to become oriented from within, and less thrown off by the outside world.
Balance — As you move through all this discovery of what's real, not real, and what remains, there is a dance of balance. The answer often lies somewhere in between. Allowing yourself to be in the listening mode, allows the answer to reveal itself, bringing you into balance so you're not swinging from one end to the other. This isn't about everything being polar opposite, it's about finding what's true in the middle.
Be well this month as you move through this territory of flipping the script and seeing what's on the other side that's ready to reveal itself to you.
All my love, Heidi
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