
One afternoon last week while driving down a peaceful boulevard in my neighborhood, I passed a slow-moving car. To my shock, the driver sped up and began aggressively tailgating me – all the way to my house! As I got out of my car, the red-faced woman screamed at me, calling me a danger to the neighborhood. I am a good driver. Clearly, she was having a bad day. But did I sympathize with her? Hell no! As she ranted on, I told her to shut up and let it go – while slamming the gate behind me.
The incident rankled for days. I almost never get into altercations like that! It was not my finest moment, to be sure. Then I happened upon an article called “Loving Ourselves Unconditionally” in the February Science of Mind Magazine. In it, Molly Kate Brown observes that the fever pitch of discord that’s currently happening around us is akin to the tantrum of a three-year old who wants to destroy everything in sight. “She needs the unconditional, loving hug of Grandmother,” says Brown. “No amount of shaming or blaming will calm her; however, the loving embrace of Grandmother can.”
Our culture’s searing divisiveness, she adds, perpetuates an inner discord which has been building for generations. Brown recommends that we put on a “suit of unconditional love” that can hold all parts of ourselves and others without judgment, the way a loving grandmother would. Only that kind of embrace, she insists, can stop the madness and bring us greater peace – since it allows us to be with our inner pain and shed the tears our ancestors could not.
The upcoming Leo Full Moon (Feb. 8, 11:33 p.m. PST) offers a potent opportunity in which to practice self-love. Fiery Leo rules the heart, seat of compassion and courage (derived from coeur, the French word for heart). Emotions run high around any Full Moon, even when cool-headed Aquarius is involved. As the Aquarius Sun sextiles fiery Mars in spirited Sagittarius while the Leo Moon trines Mars, we receive the energy, motivation and courage to open our hearts to ourselves and others – even while avoiding or transforming any reactivity. The objective is to balance head with heart.
We recently experienced one such incident just as Mercury entered its shadow phase and began slowing down prior to its Feb. 16 retrograde. The communication planet dipped its toe into the murky waters of Pisces on Feb. 3, and the next day brought great confusion at the Iowa caucus. Logical Mercury is in both detriment and fall in the emotional sign of Pisces, where it will remain for ten weeks. During this time, we may struggle to balance logic with feelings. It may be necessary to go on faith, without the rational answers we seek. Yet this cycle can also enhance our right brain feminine consciousness and intuition, as it takes us within to feel deeply as we sort out the past. Still, there are bound to be more confounding incidents ahead.
What to do? In my case, I’m leaving shame and blame behind, and sending a big virtual hug to that agitated driver – as well as myself. Do you know someone who could use an unconditionally loving embrace? How about you? We can all make good use of the heart-opening energies of Saturday’s Leo Full Moon. So don your suit of unconditional love and give yourself and others a big embrace. You’ll make Grandma proud.
Love the pic of your Nana, definitely beaming joy and love. Thank you for the wonderful reminder. ❤️❤️
Thanks, Tina! She definitely was a loving soul. 🙂
Thank you for affirming the retrograde ‘noise’ and electronic craziness. I am on a business trip and just checked into a prestigious hotel. When I arrived in my room I found a shirt hanging in the closet and a suitcase on the chair – neither of which were mine!! I called the front desk and they promptly came up to retrieve the items. They assured me that no one else would have a key to my room. Five minutes later I received a call from the front desk telling me that they had actually booked two individuals into the same room and that they would send a bellman to move me to another room. Of course I had already unpacked and was settled in. No worries but I would certainly appreciate my grandmothers hug!!
Egads! You poor thing. Rather typical of this incoming energy, though. I see your Grandma wrapping her arms tightly around you now!
Dreadful experience for you! With all the angry negative energy circling around us these days, it’s no wonder you responded the way you did. Many times these drivers trigger our reptilian brain; we’re quit literally frightened for our very lives. A woman driving in a car following you to your door, dreadful! Your advice to embrace oneself lovingly is exactly what one should do after an incident like this.
I had the same experience a few years back with a rather humorous ending. I once slowed down to take a freeway off ramp and a young woman tailgated me, pulled in front of me, stopped her car, and got out. She was ranting before she even got to my driver’s side door. Evidently, I too was driving too slowly for her. I was furious! But, unbeknownst to this young woman, I am six feet tall and to say the least formidable. I silently got out of my car, stood over her diminutive stature and let her have it. You should have seen the look in her eyes! Suddenly, the young woman shut up, got back into her car and drove away. I got back into my car and sat shaking from the encounter. I, too, processed the incident for days afterward.
The sad part of this story is I intuitively picked up on this woman was taking drugs. Many times, the illicit ‘fun drugs’ people are using to numb themselves from the world around them can cause serious mood swings during the following days.
My advice to anyone finding themselves in this type of situation is to take a long soak with oils and salt to release the experience from your energetic field. A nice white sage cleansing would help too.
Thanks so much for your post. It reminds all of us to be gentle with ourselves. We deserve it!
What a great story, Mary! And an interesting observation about the drug-taking. My lady didn’t look like the recreational drug type, but there still might have been a medical imbalance fueling her rage. And yes, the first thing I did was sage myself and take a hot bath with Epsom salts. Thanks for your sympathy, it’s really appreciated. Such things can surely rattle the soul!
Brave you to have shared this experience. It happened with me no less than FOUR times in a week. I own, I own, I own my part (Sun conjunct Uranus; Mars in Leo 11th House), apologies asap, etc. Two of my four immediately threw their arms around me, owning their part also. The other two? gawd no! – and that left me with me, sending virtual hugs as you say, and they with themselves. Somewhere in the unconscious they feel us, our innocent, inadvertent trespass. Perfect scenarios for allowing others their journey, and who knows what benefit came of it for your woman, and mine? It hurts to hurt an Other, perhaps even more for the “perpetrator” than the “victim”. It happened. Not feed guilt, trust bigger picture, continue.
Thank you so much for this, Simone.
Mea culpa on the Sun-Uranus, and Mars (+Jupiter) in Leo! I do not like to waste time getting to where I’m going. 🙂 Four times in a week, though? Wow, that’s impressive! No doubt you were having a transit to one of those planets. Interesting that two of your four copped to their part in it! Love your take on the deeper meanings of such events. Like, what good (or awareness) may have come of it for the other person. It’s all grist for the mill for me as a writer, of course. And you too, perhaps. Trust the bigger picture, indeed! 🙂
Such a beautiful photo of you and your mom. Thank you for the loving reminder. So much Love to you Simone <3 oxo
Thanks Francesca, though it’s actually my grandma with my cousin’s little boy. Much love to you as well, and happy full moon!
What a good time to remind ourselves that at this Full Moon, with the Sun in Aquarius, then Leo, becomes the opposite, “sign of detriment” for our moon, our emotional body! So, if we don’t also take it into consideration…balance always!…then it’s not surprising so many are upset at this time. And since Leo is the Sun’s ruling sign, and the sign of our heart, then it’s a good time to remember and intend to “sit in the Heart Chakra”, with that Divine energy behind us, radiating it’s Sunlight thru us into the world. Just about everyone on earth right now seems to need that energy of pure Love and Compassion, (beginning with ourselves!), and with the Power of the Sun radiating thru us, we can navigate this particular Full Moon as a point of Light, and not as a magnet for conflict and distress…And even if we do attract some disturbed soul(s), we can remain centered in clarity, and perhaps diffuse what could become a difficult or dangerous situation…Stay conscious everyone!
Thanks for your input, Sarona!
This is beautiful. 6 months ago hours into the scorpio moon my grandma ascended to greatness. I miss her so much and I would do almost anything to have one more conversation with her. Today is my venus return and I’m taking this article as a gift from my grandma. Thank you for your work. Hopefully I’ll see you Friday.
So sorry for the loss of your beloved Grandmother, Diana. I’m sure she’s still with you. Happy Venus return, and I’m glad the essay was helpful! Many blessings, Simone