Recently I listened to an interview with shaman-elder Agaanagaq (Uncle) Angakkorsuaq from the far north of Greenland. In the Global Ecovillage Network Summit, he said that in the early 60s, his people discovered that an enormous nearby glacier was melting – something unheard of in their history. That was their warning that climate change was at hand.
Uncle began traveling widely, sharing this first-hand knowledge with world leaders in the hope that they would make changes before it was too late. No one listened. Yet he kept traveling, as he knew there was a deeper meaning to the phenomenon of melting ice. He stayed focused on his spiritual task – given by his mother – to “melt the ice in the hearts of men.” Through stories, prayers and his loving presence, Uncle helps open peoples’ hearts so we can connect more deeply to nature, each other and our fellow creatures.
At this point, he says, the only way through our global climate crisis is to regroup in villages, closer to the land and water, the way our ancestors did – since big cities will become uninhabitable in the near future due to water shortages and other factors. It’s a sobering thought. Yet village life is also appealing, at least for us Cancerian types who long for the good old days.
I’m waxing nostalgic in part because Mercury just turned retrograde. The Winged Messenger is moving backward in watery Pisces, a sign it’s not too comfortable in, from Feb. 16 – March 9. During this time, we’re better off thinking with our hearts. When we think with our heads, much can go wrong. The mind-brain, which is governed by past (often erroneous) beliefs, places a foggy perceptual filter on top of things and calls them real. This is even more likely under a cycle like we’re having now. The heart, though, is more reliable. Tapping into your heart’s intelligence can bring true wisdom.
Remember this at the upcoming New Moon in Pisces (Sunday, Feb. 23, 7:32 a.m. PST), which is conjunct retrograde Mercury within four degrees. This will be a deep, emotional and perhaps confusing lunation. It features the usual Piscean themes, ranging from sacrifice, suffering and smokescreens to magic, mystery and miracles. Nothing will be quite as it seems. On Thursday the 20th, magnifier Jupiter sextiles mystical Neptune, setting the stage for for Sunday’s New Moon. Also on Sunday, Venus squares Jupiter, exaggerating everything, both good and bad. This New Moon could be full of revelations, but it’s not well-suited for charging ahead with new plans. It’s better for reflecting, visualizing and feeling into where you’re headed, and whatever you plan to do once spring arrives. Yet, this New Moon is wonderful for cleansing and healing your body – especially your heart.
This week I’ve been doing John Amaral’s Seven Day Challenge, in which we’re learning how to use his Energy Flow Formula to take our bodies from fight-or-flight to flow and freedom. We’ve been applying sound, movement and vibration to places of bound-up tension to recover our innate passion and energy. I’ve adapted the following process from John’s amazing work, which I discovered recently in a Netflix show, The Goop Lab with Gwyneth Paltrow, that shot him to fame. I invite you to begin this process around the New Moon to begin melting away any frozen feelings you may have buried in your heart (or anywhere else in your body). I’m loving the results so far.
Melting the Ice in Your Heart
- Lie down and get comfortable in a place you won’t be disturbed.
- Put your hands on your heart and sense into whatever is there.
- Slowly and deliberately breathe in your nose and out your mouth.
- Make some sounds that approximate what your heart is feeling.
- Keep making intuitive sounds as you imagine the frozen ice melting.
- Surrender yourself to whatever you feel; shed tears if you need to.
- When you feel complete, take a relaxing bath or write in your journal.
You may not feel much at first, but if you keep doing it regularly you could be amazed by how much better you feel. You may still be able to jump into the free Seven Day Challenge, which ends on Sun., Feb. 23. Amaral is doing great work we all could benefit from, to prepare us for whatever lies ahead.
If you’re interested in what may lie ahead for you, contact me at simone@astroalchemy.com for a Snapshot reading – regularly $95, but only $44 through March 9 in honor of Mercury retrograde!
Leave a Reply