Revealing What ‘s Hidden
Have you ever had one of those days or weeks where everything seems to go wrong? Your computer crashes, you have a fight with a friend, a work client gets angry over a misunderstanding, you have car problems, you come down with an unexpected illness, you lose your phone… You wonder, “Am I cursed? Is there anything ELSE that could go wrong?”
For those who follow astrological signs, these breakdowns in life tend to happen during a period called “Mercury retrograde.” This is when the planet Mercury appears to reverse its course and rotate in the opposite direction. Many believe that this causes a shift in the electromagnetic field and results in technology breakdowns and miscommunications for a period of time. The only solution seems to be to wait it out, be careful, and expect the unexpected.
As I walked around the gorgeous houseboat neighborhood of Sausalito this morning, I noticed that the tide was completely out. The houses that usually appear to be floating on the water were sitting right on the mud, and everything that’s normally hidden beneath the waterline had become visible: the debris, the trash, the neglected bits.
This reminded me of the frustrating period of Mercury retrograde. It’s not that things and relationships are randomly breaking down—those issues have always been there, just beneath the waterline. During this period, similar to low tide, such issues are revealed and become noticeable. This is a way to draw our attention to what needs to be addressed.
Imagine if your Check Engine light never came on and your car just exploded on the highway! Or what if you visited the doctor because you thought you had a cold and instead discovered you had a critical heart condition?
As frustrating as these seemingly troublesome times may be, they’re actually a gift to wake us up from our busy lives to tend to what has been ignored for far too long and needs care. Instead of raising our fists and cursing the universe for these setbacks, we should appreciate having an opportunity to make a correction and prevent something more serious from happening.
In any given circumstance, we have a choice: be sucked down in despair or discover the hidden joy.
In the coming week, what needs some tending, care, or nurturing in order to joyfully grow and continue to enrich your life?