I had the good fortune today to listen to an online talk entitled Bearing Witness Together in Troubled Times, given by Roshi Joan Halifax and Frank Ostaseski, offered by Wisdom 2.0. It was moving and pointed, with these two wise souls sharing beautiful and heartfelt insights that helped me to find another level of center during these uncentering times.

I share this with you not only to encourage you to turn to their work should you be looking for some Buddhism-inspired wayfinding during this time; both are esteemed teachers whose work with grief and dying is quite powerful and profound. I share this too as I could clearly see within their teachings ways of navigating this moment, notably reflected in the astrological hues of this time, including this week.

This week we have the Sun tying into the radically transformative Jupiter/Pluto Conjunction. And with that we may further find that our egoic self is challenged as we deal with issues such as losing control. This has been an ongoing theme that has surrounded many, as we connect to the ongoing perception/experience that we may be losing a part of our identity as people and/or things—whether our health, our loved ones, our jobs, our social engagements, our financial security, our routines, etc.—slip away and a sense of uncertainty fills the air.

Roshi Joan Halifax shared how difficult it is to be with uncertainty, but how uncertainty is what is true and present. And reflective of her Buddhist perspective, that being with not knowing is how we can awaken, being present to the present moment, awakening us to being able to be of service to others. She also spoke about how, when you are meditating, it is important to pay attention to your posture, because it reflects how we uphold ourselves. She shared that we should maintain having a strong back/spine, reflective of a sense of equanimity, and a soft front, so as filled with compassion by being open to things as they are. (Her sharing about posture had me further think about Capricorn, which is where Jupiter and Pluto are currently residing, as it is the sign that governs the spine as well as alignment; this gave me another way to frame how transformative it is to maintain the integrity of our posture, to stand tall in both our joy and suffering.)

This week we also have messenger Mercury uniting with Chiron, the celestial body that embodies the archetype of the wounded healer. So much of what Frank Ostaseski spoke of felt imbued with the potentials of this planetary alignment. As he talked about all of the fear and loss we are experiencing, he noted that living well is not about eradicating our wounds or weaknesses but instead turning toward them as they help us help others. As we allow ourselves to be “lovingly aware” of what occurs when we experience loss and grief, he said that we become a “trustworthy refuge” for both ourselves and other people. If we can be honest with our grief, we may find that we have an experience in the coming days where it actually serves as a healing balm not only for us but for those around us.

May this week provide you with strength and healing,

Wishing you all my very best,

Stephanie

PS. They will be offering this series of conversations again over three days through the Upaya Institute and Zen Center. You can find more information and register here.

Astrological Highlights

April 14

Sun/Pluto Square

April 15

Mercury/Chiron Conjunction
Sun/Jupiter Square

April 18

Mercury/Venus Sextile
Mercury/Mars Sextile

April 19

Sun enters Taurus

All days reflect Eastern Daylight time zone (- 4 hours GMT)

Stellar Insights: April 13 - 19, 2020

Astrological Highlights