Showing posts with label career. Show all posts
Showing posts with label career. Show all posts

3/19/20

Between A Rock and A Hard Place - Tightrope To Compassion


How many times in life have you felt like you were between a rock and a hard place? A situation arises and every option you consider does not appear to have a good outcome. If you say something to this person, another person you love gets upset or vice versa. Or perhaps it is a subject matter that seems filled with rocks. Speak about this, advocate for that, express a dream or desire and you are certain you are putting something you love in the guillotine. I know this has happened to me many times in my life.

So how do you handle these experiences with grace? Do you avoid speaking, so you can keep the peace? Do you stand there listening, fuming inside, but saying not a word? Do you walk away entirely because you are certain there can be no good outcome? Or perhaps you have been silent too long and find yourself exploding, which only makes matters worse, the rocks become harder and the tightrope to compassion and peace becomes so long you cannot even imagine how you could get to the other side.

When situations like this happen you will most likely react with a pattern cemented from your childhood. Perhaps you adopted the same pattern you saw your Mom or Dad use. Some of us witness a parent lying to someone on the phone. Maybe saying they cannot do something because they are not feeling good, or someone else is sick, or they need to do some other task. But you know the real reason is they are planning to watch a movie or game or something else.  If you ask why they lied, they tell you that lying is better than arguing or being persuaded to do something they don't want to do. And besides, they say, it doesn't hurt anyone. It's just a tiny white lie.

Wanting to please your parent, you may accept this as the way to treat similar situations. What you could not realize as a child, is this would begin building a wall that would not support you, but would crush you later in life.

Let's look at an example.  The phone rings. You pick it up and it's for your Mom. You start to say, “She is...”and your Mom frantically signals to you to say she is not home. So you say. “Mom's not here, I'll let her know you called.” then you hang up.

This is a typical sequence that seems utterly unimportant. But inside you don't feel good about it. This type of experience may happen many times in your childhood, and you may come to accept it and begin to use it yourself when you don't want to talk to someone. If you go down this route you may find yourself creating excuses for lots of things in your life. Doing this builds a wall that in time will trap you as you grow and your world becomes much more complicated.

When we recognize that every person is important, we will choose to honor them. Petty lies do not honor anyone. They create separation and build disrespect for both parties. Though this seems like a very small wall, it is the foundation that one builds on, and after a few decades will create automatic responses that impede understanding and intimacy. Later in life, you may find yourself troubled by your own reactions when you need to tell your Mom, your boss, a friend, or your spouse; “No, I don't want to do that,” or “I don't like you doing this?”

As we grow, people we love change, new people come into our lives for many reasons and though they may be aligned with us on some levels, they are not on others. This creates new issues and we find ourselves wondering how to honestly speak to someone we love when we know their belief system, or their morals, or their view of the world are not aligned with ours? Or worse yet, we are uncertain of what their response might be because we have played the role we think they wanted us to play. A role that is not who we really are.

It is at these times that we stand between a rock and hard place, and we feel stressed to communicate. But we need to realize that we have built these rock walls, and we can dissolve them because they are only made of our fears. Fear that our words will cause someone we love to leave us. Fear that how we look will keep us from a place of importance or honor. Fear that our actions may be perceived as aggressive or lazy, or too feminine or too masculine, or too stupid or too whatever. Or even worse, fear of being physically harmed.

Every step on the road to compassion begins with awareness. This is true for every advancement in consciousness, awareness is key. We must first be conscious of where we are, and what we have been doing before we can make change. So if you want to tear down the walls and increase your joy, ask yourself : “What do I fear?” “What would I do or say if I were not afraid?”

An honest examination of our fears begins the process of dissolving the rock wall.  

Let us take a look at one of the most common fears: Fear of what someone will think of us. Ask yourself why is this important to you? Doesn't this signal you are uncertain of your own value? That you may be performing to gain appreciation or recognition from another is actually an act. You have strayed from knowing you are valuable in simply being who you are. We must recall the basic premise of life. The eco-system of this universe flows because of every individual being. Each implicitly valuable to its manifestation. The key word being, 'Every.' That includes you! If you are performing for praise, you have misplaced your own worth.

In metaphysics there is the understanding that like our solar system, where the Sun is in the center and the planets revolve around it, so too are each of us a solar system. We each are the Sun in the center of our own solar system and those we love, from family to friends, orbit around us. If we allow one of these planets to move into the center, we have given away our power and our universe will eventually collapse. So when we allow someone else to be the center of our universe, we experience everything from sadness to depression, to feeling completely lost and not sure of our direction in life.

Now there are many levels in our universes. There is the intimate family level which includes our furry animal friends, and may even include our homes and personal property. Then there is the level of extended family and friends and the level of career and colleagues, then finally acquaintances.

At each level we may find how we value ourselves differs. At home your immediate family may praise you, while at work you may have a boss who pushes your buttons, and it is more comfortable to lie to him than tell the truth. Doing this is like eclipsing the Sun in your universe. You will eventually have to speak, walk away, or be fired because by not speaking truth, you are collapsing your universe at that level. You know this innately as you will find yourself loathing your job, your boss and most importantly yourself.

Thus we must always stay true to who we are – to what we feel is right for us.

Our hearts have their own brain centers, separate from the brains in our heads. Metaphysically we have always known this, for it has been written in every nation, over centuries, “Follow your heart.” But now, even science has proven the heart has its own brain. Well, the heart's brain always knows right from wrong. It knows truth from illusion. We must learn to be aware of it, to rely on it, and to listen to it. As soon as the mind rationalizes or reacts to a situation, often re-enacting performances taught in childhood, we lose the path of self-love. Without self-love, we eventually find ourselves
between a rock and a hard place. A place without balance, filled with frustration and fear. A place that becomes a tightrope to compassion.

So before you take any action, you must listen to your heart!

The physical world is a complicated place. Medically the gamut from AMA practice to Holistic and homeopathic practice can be universes apart. Religious and spiritual belief systems span from the natural cycles of nature to fundamentalist dogma that instills fear and prohibits taking action in some areas while requiring specific actions in others. The disparity between pathways has been the cause of war for centuries, and it continues to this day.

When someone we love walks a different path medically or spiritually, or politically, or in some other way, and we need to assist them, we may feel we are up against a wall – between a rock and a hard place. We may feel deeply challenged to take over, to direct, or to avoid, to hide, or to not participate because we do not want to activate conflict.
How can we show love, and still feel good inside, when we have so many deep-seated differences? How can we stay out of fear, the fear of a wrong choice we think they are making? How can we remain free of judging their choices?

The heart knows LOVE – it only knows Love. 

When we leave our mind and its fears at the door and we let our heart's brain speak, we will find the only thing we can express is Compassion.

When we speak from Love, we honor the individual in all the complexity of the personality they wear in this lifetime and thus the journey they are choosing to take. We will not argue their choices but lovingly honor them. If they ask for our opinion, we can speak from the heart and ask them if they are following what  their heart is telling them. This is the encouragement we can give, and it will give them peace in their choices and that, will give us peace.

Too often we struggle to find the right choice, the right direction, the right answer. Stop looking outside for it. You are using your mind – not your heart.

The heart's brain is connected to the 360 degree view of  your Divine Self – the soul that is you.
Your mind is only the computer which gives directions based on all the input from childhood and on. The mind's software needs to be upgraded often. It needs to be checked for viruses. Mind viruses include, how we are reacting to situations and people, as well as how we may be following the directives of others, or performing for love and praise.
This is where the words from an old song I used to sing back in the 70's can be very useful. When your brain is filling with words, before you begin to speak, take a deep breath and go through those words asking yourself:

Is it true? Is is necessary? Is it kind? 

If the answer to any of these is, “No,” then latch onto your heart center. Take a breath through your heart and let it speak love without fear, love without limits, and love without control. When we do this the rock and hard places dissolve. Balance ensues and we find ourselves easily across the tightrope to a place of peace in the rainbow of compassion.

Questions and comments are always welcome.. more minds means deeper understanding. pm me at 
@michele.avanti  or visit my FB page: Astrology Metaphysics & Spiritual Tips

Michele Avanti CAP is an ISAR Certified Astrology Professional with nearly three decades of experience consulting, teaching and lecturing on astrology. She is passionate about helping others and teaching future astrologers. For more information about Michele, click this link: Michele Avanti 



5/28/09

Astrology - Finding A Career or Vocation

Tweeter F asked this question:


I would like to know what the future holds for me in terms of finding my vocation.


Here is the natal chart, and naturally the natal chart gives many pictures of the kind of career that may not only satisfy the individual but also if they will be successful at it, what the inherent challenges may be and of course the talents.


So let's take a look.




When looking for the vocation of an individual we need to examine the 10th, 2nd, and 5th houses, the signs and then the placement and aspects of the planets that rule those houses. This will give us a variety of possibilities that will work for the individual.


We have the sign of Aries at the Midheaven, Leo on the 2nd, and Sagittarius on the 6th. All fire signs, which alone tells us the individual is driven in some creative or physical way.


Aries is ruled by Mars, which is placed in the 12th house in the sign of Cancer. It is opposite Neptune in the 6th house in the sign of Capricorn. Mars is also sextile the Moon in Taurus in the 10th house of Career, while the Sun in Gemini sits near the Mars/Moon midpoint in the 11th house, the house of hopes and dreams.


So we immediately identify the issue this individual comes in with, which is that his mother and father will not agree. He will be loyal to his mother and his mother will be supportive of him, but in the long run this loyalty will sabotage his dream of a creative career. And though he is frustrated and stressed by his father, his father is opening doorways for him as a gift from a past life.

So where is the real conflict, or is there one?

Tweeter F has a drive to be seen and to compete on the world stage (world of course may be different for people depending on how and where they are raised.)

The normally physical planet of energy Mars is not in a very energetic sign or location. Being in Cancer, and in the 12th house of Pisces, Tweeter F's Mars becomes over-protective and may sabotage his career due to an inner struggle with illusions, religion, spirituality and or learning. Yet, this individual should have every opportunity for education.

They have a challenge to know what is best for them, so it is no wonder they have asked this question, it has been with them since birth.

The trine between Mars and Pluto in the 4th house, while Pluto opposes the Moon gives a real clue to when the individual will take the reins and run with their vocation. It indicates that when the individual transforms emotionally, which may come later in life as a result of a transformation of their mother. Or if they choose to work on these issues now they may speed up the process and release themselves from what holds them back. (Though I have to tell you Moon in Taurus is the most stubborn, over loyal Moon. It is this type Moon that does not know how to let go even when there is nothing there to hold onto.)

If we simply view the chart for what might be a good profession for this individual, here are some of the pictures that emerge.

The workplace should be a worldly place, a university, or place of higher learning, a spiritual environment, or a legal one. There is also a possibility that they may work internationally, and should have much opportunity to travel, move about freely and experience a vast variety in their career. Might also be a place of media, which might include radio, television, film, or advertising and marketing.

Additionally the individual should have an excellent voice, and may be a fine vocalist, announcer, DJ, or voice over person.


How will they make their money?

The answer to this question comes from the second house, its ruler and the aspects to that ruler. In this case the second house falls under Leo, ruled by the Sun in the 11th house of hopes and dreams, sextile the North Node at the Midheaven.

Having Leo on this cusp is nice, it gives some stability to the income when the ruler, the Sun is well aspected, which it is in this chart. Though there is frustration with the dream of becoming a world leader, the Sun's aspects to the nodes indicate the individual comes in with a past life connection the father, which will provide a home, and stream of income, or source of values that lead to both the dream and the income.

Since the Sun is in Gemini, the sign of communication, we get another signature indicating this individual should be a strong communicator. Twitter F is filled with ideas, knows innately how to network and is not afraid to ask for what they want. Their income stream may come from their Father, their creativity, children, hobbies, investments or lovers.

So when we add all these factors together, Tweeter F has a great potential for good. They may become an international voice for children, a legal advocate or liason, a teacher, actor, musician, artist. Most assuredly they are talented, and out-going with an inquisitive, creative, fast paced mind. And as they go through life, many of these scenarios will most likely play out.


When Jupiter conjoins Twitter F's Progressed North node - 8 degrees Aries beginning in March 2011, they will know the answer to this question and be on the road to achieve what, they as soul chose for this life.