Get dirty and grow something
It was the New Moon in Pisces. An eclipse, too, with lots of strong and rare configurations in our solar system. While the new moon is traditionally a good time for new intentions, this particular set up begged us to slow down and pay attention.
Winter has all but disappeared in my part of the world. It was a cool morning but sunny so I decided to spend a little time repotting a few plants. Then I carried out all of the plants I overwinter inside. One thing led to another and I cleaned and clipped and rooted and repotted geraniums, begonias, my sprouting fig twig and the first avocado tree I've ever managed to grow from a pit.
When the work was complete and the plants were all watered, enjoying their outing, I looked at the time and it was late afternoon. How did that happen? Where did the day go?
Gardening was not on the morning list I made, and yet, that's what I did. So, that's what I was meant to do and when I brought all of the plants in and set them on clean windowsills, I was pleased. Still, the time I'd set aside to work was gone. Oh, well. Can't get it back.
That being said, playing in the dirt with plants was probably the best way to weather the Mars (War)/Uranus (Chaos) conjunction, just one of the heavenly configurations of the day. I surrendered to my intuition and threw myself wholeheartedly into the the earth and green life so that I did not notice time passing.
Mars and Uranus. War and Chaos. Sound familiar? If you're awake or just waking up now, I recommend that you do everything you can think of to ground yourself. If you're well-grounded, you're more likely to be able to respond to rather than resist whatever comes your way and that will do you and the rest of the planet a world of good.
Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul.
—Thomas Merton
A few ways to ground yourself
- Get plenty of rest. That includes sleep.
- Go out in nature and walk.
- Garden. Indoors or out. If you don't have plants, visit a nature or garden center and wander around.
- Turn off all of your electronics and devices.
- Sit still and focus on your breath. In. Out. Slow it down.
- Stretch your body in any way you can. It will help you remember that you're a living, breathing being in a body on Earth, not an incessant, cascading array of thoughts. Also, it feels pretty good.
- Apply a good essential oil of a tree to the soles of your feet then massage what's left at the back of your neck. Inhale what's left on the palms of your hands.
Good essential oils for grounding yourself:
White Fir
Frankincense
Melaleuca (Tea Tree)
Each of these oils has a unique grounding expression but my go-to grounding blend is dōTERRA's
Balance (with Frankincense, Spruce, Ho Wood, Blue Tansy Flower and Blue Chamomile). I use this on the bottom of my feet every morning before donning my socks and shoes to leave the house.
Essential oils are literally the quintessence, the energetic vibration of plants. They're the aromatic compounds each plant uses to protect and heal itself. They're also nature's gift to us, to help us protect and heal ourselves.
If you're interested in learning more about how these essential oils can help you with self-care, please email me. We can set up a one-on-one call plus, I'll be hosting an online class in the next month or so if you'd like to be notified of online classes for self-care with essential oils, sign up here.
On the last day of the world
I would want to plant a tree
—W.S. Merwin, from Place, The Rain in the Trees