nature's zodiac

The only Blue Moon of the year will also be closest to earth this Wednesday, August 30th.. Something rare and precious is within reach.

It will be in the gentle vibrations of Pisces and close to the contractive forces of Saturn which is also traveling through the sign of the fishes. 

Though it has been in this sign for months, I have only just recently begun to connect with this Saturn in Pisces transit. I asked the question: how can I discipline myself (Saturn) in a gentle style (Pisces)?

My boy is four and a half and lately we have been dipping into a few too many battles of the will. Every time my anger rises and dips into my voice, I feel my credibility slip right out the door. He simply stops listening to me.

Luckily a book I am reading has some good advice. “Hunt, Gather, Parent” author Michaeleen Doucleff draws from ancient cultures around the globe and finds some surprisingly effective strategies. She writes that in many cultures, parents believe that one of their key responsibilities is to help children learn to calm themselves down.  The best way to do this is to interact with them from ‘a place of the utmost calm.’

“Think lying-facedown-on-a-massage-table calmness. Or the way you are feeling after taking a long, hot bath. Think Mister Rogers, stoned.”

The next time a power struggle started to rear up I slowed down into my own version of  honeyed cannabis. Utmost calm involves few movements, few words, allowing instead for a gentle presence of connection. I offered quiet suggestions while making sure to connect through touch and some hair tousling. I must admit the results have been great. He is very ready to negotiate just so long as I am using this universal language of tender care. It’s been a humbling experience. I think about him strengthening his skills to calm himself in the face of stress, and how great such a skill will serve him.

This is the power of discipline (Saturn) through gentleness (Pisces). When I am gentle, all of my authority as a Mom comes rushing back, as natural as the summer sunshine. When the goal is about connection and understanding, the ‘right choice’ is not a battle to be won but a welcomed shift in our chemistry.

When the Moon is full in Pisces, the world is bathed in exquisite gentleness. Mother nature is mystical. The earth buzzes in a wash of cricket symphonies and frog acapellas.

My boy was born under a Pisces Moon. His poetic gentleness is always making me swoon with utmost effectiveness, saying such things as “you’re my darling.” 

Gentleness is natural and oh so effective. Nature knows that sweetness is effective. Plants use sweetness to spread their seeds. Bees are hard at work making sweetness in the hive. 

A taste of something sweet enough to dream about can make a path take shape like a choreographed ballet. A gentle touch is the mother language of nature, universally recognized to be effective in its quest of understanding.

As Jane Austin writes, “there is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.”

Enjoy this rare event! Nature will celebrate with you, just listen for their songs.