Starting Monday, Mercury moved back into Aquarius while on Wednesday, Mars (action) and Venus (love) will conjunct within Capricorn’s domain. Occurring onward for a month, the world will experience a range of energetic modalities during a retrograde-free period for all planetary palaces. Past this upcoming weekend, the United States will have its Pluto Return and we are moving into Pisces on Friday. Amid these many astrological markers, the afternoon of February 16th rang in the Full Moon in the sign of Leo. With Love on the mind due to Valentine’s, there is additional magical thinking afoot, brewing an auspicious blend especially sweet for healing.
Peering closer, concepts of action in the realm of love bring up an important principle we all could use a brush-up on. Renewing our connection to Self-Love is an appropriate theme not just for Valentine’s week, but a practice that enriches us for our entire existence. The beginning of the year has felt sluggish for many; we have lived day-to-day under constant threat in pandemia and are yearning for change. Promoting health and happiness to assist in the challenges we face, Self-Love is the most integral device in our internal tool kit. It spawns a range of foundations with which to grow from. Without Self-Love, we are unable to create stable ground or to process the inevitability of stress and loss that comes with Life.
But before Self-Love comes the radical act of Self-Acceptance. Active engagement in dispelling negative talk, breaking down comparisons and inferiority complexes conjured through power-hungry society, is a task on its own. Accepting situations is part of this task. To navigate our future (and even our present), we need to be honest but objective about our past. Cultivating an outlook of understanding gives us a sense of perspective in what “happens to us” no matter where in time the event occurs. We may not always feel “in control” or connected to the world we live in; sometimes we have little to no say in events that unfold. Though we are actively part of our stream-of-consciousness, mindfulness starts at the base root: what we tell ourselves. We do not have to internalize every negative piece of internal information or external experience we come across.
We can not control the world around us but we can decide how we respond to it.
Self-Acceptance is knowing and loving ourselves at our most simple and pure cores. This often requires undoing falsehoods we’ve been told or have told ourselves… about ourselves! When we are able to see our worth, or be humbled by the magic that is existing in this world, and the balance in-between, we are able to perceive everything around us in a different light. The cliche that “it all starts within” rings loudly. To be proud of yourself and to have awe in living is a fundamental building block to loving yourself. Pride is not always about Ego; it can also be about Appreciation.
The daily task of course correction within one’s own mind is a winding windy path, yet an extremely rewarding journey to walk. It is a blessing that many of us have the choice to decide how we feel about ourselves. It is empowering to realize that the voice in our head is our own. We can choose to direct that voice by counteracting certain thoughts that do not serve us. Self-Love essentially begins by training your brain, steering the ship away from self-indulgent woe while also allowing oneself the space to honor initial feelings, then explore these reactions and thoughts without attachment.
You choose what you give attention to and the manner in which you entertain your thoughts. You are literally the host of the ideas within your own mind. When you become aware of your own direction and power, you are able to conduct the kind of gathering you’d like within your mind. You are the operator of your own brain after all! Choose wisely, protect yourself and you will learn to protect what is good in the world around you.
Illustrations: Tiger Tateishi
THE FEMME MOON 