Finding the ‘Ecstasy in the Laundry’
Re-Enchant Your World Under Pisces Full Moon
Rarely is a Full Moon’s cosmic message so clear: it’s time to figure out how to bridge the gap between your spiritual life and your day-to-day actions.
The meaning of this week’s Pisces Full Moon is captured by its Sabian symbol:
“A prophet carrying tablets of the new law is walking down the slopes of Mount Sinai.”
What’s a Sabian Symbol you ask? Well, these 360 oracle images evoke essential qualities of each degree of the Zodiac. Clairvoyant Elsie Wheeler channeled the Symbols nearly 100 years ago at the urging of the well-known astrologer Marc Edmond Jones.
The image for this week’s Full Moon recalls the Bible story in which Moses encounters God as a burning bush on the mountaintop, then carries the ten commandments down the mountainside to the tribes below.
It’s the classic tale of having a “peak” experience (pun intended), then trying to figure out how to return to the day-to-day demands of living in the 3D world.
Or as the Buddhist author Jack Kornfield described it: “After the Ecstasy, the Laundry.”
In this lunation “the Ecstasy” is symbolized by the fully illuminated Moon, drifting through watery Pisces accompanied by the sea-god Neptune. This week, perhaps you’ve felt a longing for spiritual solace, or a desire to retreat into solitude…
Or maybe you’re just craving an escape to anywhere but here. (I mean, who can blame you, have you seen the news lately?)
On the other side we have “the Laundry” — the Sun with energized Mars in Earthy Virgo. Together, Sun and Mars want to get moving, to turn their efforts into something tangible and practical. They want to make a difference, even if they aren’t sure how (and doing the laundry is better than nothing, right?)
How do you navigate these opposing desires — to be engaged in the world, or to flee what seems too overwhelming?
Unfortunately the “lords of the lunation” aren’t offering much clarity…
Pisces’ ruler Jupiter continues along his year-long trek through his home territory Sagittarius. He’s optimistically fired up by his grand visions, though not always willing to see the reality staring him in the face — especially when it conflicts with his ideas about what should be true.
Virgo’s ruler Mercury is also in his own sign, but in the very last degree. Some astrologers call this the anaretic, or killing, degree. So Mercury’s feeling unstable, even anxious, about his chances of actually making a dent in whatever pile he faces.
In other words, it’s a recipe for having a grandiose vision, and no plan to manifest it. That in turn produces (subconscious) anxiety which may manifest as a desire to run away even further to escape the tension…
Ouch.
That doesn’t sound ideal… so let’s imagine another way, shall we?
In his book, which is actually titled “After the Ecstasy, the Laundry,” Kornfield wrestles with the “coming down the mountain” question himself. To find an answer, he interviews spiritual leaders of different faith traditions for their own insights.
Their consensus solution is this:
The only way to live spiritually in the world is to embrace the sacred dimension of everyday life.
To see even doing the laundry as a spiritual exercise.
For many, it’s a radical shift in our habitual way of seeing. But it’s one that can help us re-enchant our worlds.
Mindfulness meditation is a wonderful tool for getting started on this transformative journey. So, too, is a daily writing practice designed to help you “spiritualize the material, and materialize the spiritual.”
Studies show such practices can not only reduce stress and anxiety, improve your immune system, and lead to a happier, more contented life. And it’d completely and totally FREE.
So, the real question is… why would you not want to add such simple habit to your own life, when the benefits are so great? What stops you?
So, full disclosure, I had this week in mind when I planned my free training “How to Create a Real Book of Shadows to Accelerate Your Magical Journey.”
It’s about the practical tips I’ve used to turn my daily writing practice into a tool to help me “wake up” to the magic present all around me.
These are the techniques I use to stay positive and centered, no matter the ups and downs of the cosmic “weather.”
Today’s your last chance to catch this FREE training live… just click here to reserve your space (or so I can send you the replay!)
