All These Places

Everything in the universe at this very moment sings of new beginnings. This was the thought I had as I went to sleep last night, determined to wake up this morning, veins filled with this promise. Instead I snoozed for about an hour and woke up feeling like I had ruined it all. I easily talked myself out of going for a run and started to talk myself out of sitting at this computer and writing down these thoughts. I made coffee and the filter collapsed, filling the precious first cup of the day with grounds. I wanted to write this with confidence. I wanted to take all of these signs for a new beginning and wrap them around myself like the comfortable sweater that I donned to fight the chill of fall in the air these days. My friends, I wanted to project this air of new beginnings to you from a place of such good energy. But the truth is, that I am getting my butt kicked by this concept. But I shall present it to you nonetheless.
In the past couple days, we have seen the autumnal equinox, a new moon and also Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish New Year. Each one of those events is about starting fresh, making changes, acknowledging mistakes, moving forth. If you’re the type of person that believes in such things, and believe me, I believe; then you have to know that the universe is virtually pulsing with the plea for you to get up off your ass and make some changes in your life right now. Pulsing, I said. Where shall I begin?
Last year at this time, I went walking with a friend and she told me of the Rosh Hashanah services that she had attended. I had never known much of what this Jewish holiday signified and trips to the great world wide web has not produced the words quite as beautifully as she presented them. But she told me that this holiday gave one a chance to take stock of the previous year and all of the mistakes it contained. She said that we took stock of the mistakes, the slips and trips and falls, the fuck ups…not so that we could continue to beat ourselves up about them, but rather so that we could forgive ourselves for them and then move forth. It reminds me of one of my favorite phrases—“Take the lesson and drop the packaging.” This New Year is a chance to take the wisdom that’s presented like a gift from those slips, trips and falls; and then tie a little ribbon on that package and be done. Be. Done.
Now excuse me while I switch gears and drop some astrology on you—the new moon just moved into Libra. Do you not know what that means?? Well, I didn’t either. But apparently, there are no crazy planetary things happening with this moon, meaning it’s a very quiet time, a chance for stillness, an opportunity to breathe, reflect…pause. The past few months of full moons have been ‘super moons’ which tend to be emotionally charged and filled with drama. Now, the stars and the planets and all that good stuff are all giving us a chance to chill out for a little bit and recharge. This, too, is a great time to take stock of who we are, where we’ve been and where we wish to go. Nothing from that drama of the supermoons was a waste, but now we get to figure out what to do with it.
And then, pfew, the equinox….it’s the first day of fall, a time when our Hemisphere slowly slips from a time of light to a time of dark. While some of us (me) may be tempted to get a little sad at this seasonal change and the promise of cold that it contains, this is a good time to really think about the dance between darkness and light. One can’t exist without the other; we must have struggles to have wisdom, we must have some pain to get to joy. Frustrating, isn’t it? The equinox is also a hugely auspicious time of transition. Definition: if you feel like you need to do something a little different in your life, by god, try to do it now. Every little particle in the air right now will be urging you forth with good juju. At least I like to think so.
So here I sit from the perch of my computer, still drinking coffee filled with grounds, urging you to make the most of this time, urging myself to do the same. Because we always get the chances for new beginnings…but why would we waste this one? Be well, friends–tie up that package, recharge and move comfortably forth into a place that you want to go.