QUIXOTICALLY SOBER
Word Of The Week
Quixotic
quix·ot·ic
adjective
foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals
Why argue that the glass is half empty or half full when you could just drink the water? In a world of smoke and mirrors it’s nearly impossible to find truth, let alone common ground (which I believe to be one and the same). Emotions are water and water is unsuspectingly powerful and can bring life just as quickly as destroy it. It’s a common belief by now that we are not our thoughts, but the observer– what if we applied this to our emotions? I like to think of thoughts as the mind and emotions as the body, or thoughts as the conscious and emotions as the unconscious, or thoughts as the masculine and emotions as the feminine. **Note: please know when I use the term masculine and feminine I am in no way referring to the ‘man vs woman’ idea that society created. We all have an inner masculine and feminine; it is impossible to exist as a human without them.** If emotions are the heart of our unconscious, it would mean that the vast majority of our actions are a result of our emotions, and modern science believes that at least 95% of our brain activity is unconscious. Our emotions behave in such a way that we completely identify with them, and oftentimes don’t even realize it (hence ‘unconscious’). For this to continue, it is essential that thoughts remain separate from emotions– in other words, that the mind remains separate from the body. I don’t mean to villainize emotions or suggest we reject them. In fact, I think the acknowledgement and care of the emotion itself is the first step toward reclaiming our power. It is in marrying our thoughts with our emotions, our body with our mind, our conscious with our unconscious, our masculine with our feminine, that we find clarity and truth.
If the year has been emotionally taxing and confusing so far, consider this week the climax. Good news is: we’re finally getting out of the woods and onto stable ground. This week could provide a deeper look into what we truly desire, what needs more attention, and highlight the rewards reaped from work we have invested. Bad news is: we could get lost or distracted quite easily, further prolonging our stability. Idealism and sensitivity runs high; be prepared for mood swings, hopeless romance, blind optimism, taking things personally, and imposter syndrome disguised as a god complex. Most of the astrology I’m looking at takes place from April 8-11th. On Thursday, April 8th, Jupiter and Neptune begin their conjunction in their home sign of Pisces at 23º. Together, they’ll also be in an exact sextile to the north node in Taurus and trine to the south node in Scorpio. On the same day Mars meets the asteroid Juno at 25º Aquarius where they’ll exactly sextile Mercury in Aries. And that is only the beginning of the weekend. So what does it all mean? Let’s break it down one at a time.
If Aries is the first of the zodiac, symbolizing the self and identity and beginnings, then Pisces, the last of the zodiac, symbolizes the undoing of the self, the collective awareness, and endings. Aries is grounded and one track minded, while Pisces prefers the intangible and bigger picture. Both Jupiter and Neptune are ruled by Pisces. Jupiter is the planet of philosophy, expansion, higher wisdom, spirituality, fortune and collective thinking. Neptune is the planet of dreams, visions, the unconscious, shadows, and illusion. I touched on this more in my blog post a few weeks ago, Feeling A Bit Maudlin? Feel free to reference it if you’d like to go more in depth about what it means for the two planets to be in their shared home sign at the same time, but I’ll keep it brief here. The main takeaway with their conjunction is optimism, confusion, perspective shifts, idealism, manipulation, expansion, creativity, broader vision and grandeur… so pretty much equal parts challenging and helpful. The fact that they are positively aspected to the north and south nodes kind of just adds an exclamation point to this weekend. I read this as the things that come up for us this weekend are far more significant than they may appear, and are directing us onto our intended path. Meanwhile, Mars and Juno in Aquarius sextiling Mercury in Aries seems to be an anchor of sorts; a reality check and reminder to keep our feet grounded but flexible. A quixotically sober influence, if you will. Aquarius symbolizes analysis, understanding, progression, society, authority, and intellect. Mars rules instinct, action, fight, motivation, work, and attraction. Juno represents commitments; usually referring to relationship commitments but with Mars looks more like anything we commit our physical energy to. Positively aspecting Mercury in Aries, this provides mental clarity and precision in relation to what we are committed to and what we wish to break ties with, decisiveness in what it is we truly desire and the ability to create a plan of action to receive it. If commitments are not right for you this will be made apparent (possibly painfully so) and if they are aligned with your highest desire they will be celebrated and reinforced.
Remember it is impossible to control what happens, but by respecting and listening to both your body and mind you can choose to respond from a place of truth. Our response to what happens around us is the only thing we can control, and if we can find the strength to react from nothing except our own inner wisdom and love, we will always find our way home. TLDR: Expand your awareness and dreams, find optimism and hope and plan for the future you always wanted, but make sure you stay grounded and connect your mind where your heart is. Together they will show you the path you’ve been searching for.
LOVE, JENNA
