New Moon in Libra & The Power of Patience

via @matialonsor

New moon blessings to you. This New moon lands at 7:05 AM EST in Libra (Western) and Virgo (Vedic astrology) on Wednesday, October 6th.  

What have you been noticing? How have you been feeling? 

With three planets retrograde (Saturn, Jupiter, and Mercury) I’m feeling a strong pull to stillness, patience and allowing the natural unfolding of things. If you’ve been feeling challenged, this week in particular, know you are not alone. 

Mercury is super strong right now, retrograde until October 19th, the time it is closest to the Earth and exalted, bringing even more power and strength to Mercury in our field, which could enhance communication, or on the other hand, lead to over-communication, (ie) saying things we may later regret. Let’s remember to take a pause when reacting to a situation and find our center before responding.

It also doesn’t surprise me that we saw the kind of technology outages like with FB and instagram yesterday. Mercury is so strong right now, it literally short-circuited several modes of our primary communication. 

Saturn has been retrograde since May, so depending on where Saturn is transiting in your chart, this energy can bring change, challenge and/or transition (homes, careers, health, social circles, etc). Saturn can also make things feel like they are moving painfully slow, so we will start to feel relief and movement in our lives again when Saturn goes direct October 11th. Hang in there, there are just a few more days of feeling such a strong Saturnian influence. 

With all these powerful and strong planets aligning with this New Moon, I see it as a time to come deeply home to ourselves. Can we give our outer circumstances space to unfold in their own divine timing, rather than trying to push or force our own agendas? Can we nourish our bodies and our hearts in the meantime? 

Let’s dive deep into self-care, meditation, and inner reflection. Making home made meals, taking baths, being in nature, are just a few ways we can work with the energies of this new moon. 

Enjoy this article, one I wrote a few years ago on patience.

With love,

Meredith

Yin Yoga for Patience & Trust

Join me for another Yin yoga practice while we are at home in “shelter in place.” In yin yoga we hold the poses longer, anywhere from 3, 5, 10 minutes to stretch the connective tissues, the ligaments that join the bones and balance the meridian system.

In this video we explore themes of patience and trust as well as celebrating Mother Earth for the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day.

May you be happy. May you be well. May you be full of peace.

If you'd like to send a donation, you are welcome to at http://paypal.me/MeredithRom or venmo @meredith-rom

Have a beautiful week,
Meredith

Is Patience Really A Virtue?

I am the kind of woman who likes to get stuff done. When I have an idea, I sprint into action. But when my idea doesn't manifest as my reality right away, I often get frustrated and upset.

Recently I saw this attitude permeating all areas of my life.  I found myself asking questions like, "Why isn't my business growing faster than this?" "When will I ever be able to buy a house of my own?" and "Will I ever get married?" 

Sound familiar?

Then I was invited to a friend's house for a meditation. I did the best I could to stay present with my breath through the hour we practiced, but often found my mind wandering into the future.  Thoughts like,"Should my next blog post be about self-care or relationships?" "How do you know when it's time to hire a virtual assistant?"  and "Would I have reliable wifi if I lived in Bali?" crossed my mind.

At the end of the practice, my friend pulled a book off the shelf, opened to a random page and read a dharma teaching aloud to us.  He said:

There once was an old man who was very devoted to his guru. He had been meditating for over twenty years and just knew it wouldn't be long before he became enlightened. He went to his guru and asked, "How much longer until I become enlightened?" 

The guru looked at him and said, "It will take you three more lifetimes." 

"Three more lifetimes!" the old man exclaimed. "That is ridiculous!  I have been working so hard, meditating for twenty years, and it is going to take me three more lifetimes! I can't believe this!" 

He stomped his feet and left.

Then, a young boy who was watching nearby came over. He went to the guru and asked, "How many lifetimes until I become enlightened?" 

The guru looked up at a nearby tree and said, "It will take you as many lifetimes as there are leaves on that tree." 

The boy looked up at the tree and gasped when he saw there must have been hundreds of leaves on it.

He took a deep breath and replied, "I'm so glad to know that I will become enlightened. I can surely count how many leaves are on that tree. That means, one day, I really will become enlightened!"

He was simply in the joy and eagerness of receiving what he wanted, without being attached to it.

The boy left and the story goes, that very day he became enlightened. Because he was willing to wait and be patient, all was granted to him.

I thought about this and realized when we get what we want, we are usually excited for a little bit of time, but soon there is emptiness.  Shortly after, a new desire arises and takes the place of the old one.

I wondered, What if the joy in life is actually in the waiting, rather than the getting of what we want? What if the best part about getting what we want is the anticipation itself?

If we are willing to be in the process, to fully be present there and to be in our growth, there will be joy.

And when we are willing to be present and find joy in the process, it will be easy. There won't be  a struggle because we're not trying to skip steps and jump further ahead than where we really are.

I saw that the struggles I had recently faced were happening because I was pushing before I was ready. I didn't trust in the process. And with this new knowledge, I knew I could be patient. If you are willing to be patient in the joy of waiting, you might even get what you want right away.

It's okay to wait for your ripeness

It’s the time of year where blackberries are ripening in my backyard, however, many of them are still not ready to come off the vine. Have you ever tried eating a blackberry when it was not quite ripe?  

Even if there's just a little bit of resistance to pull it off, it will be sour.

However, if you are patient, the blackberry ripens and will be so sweet, and so easy to pull off.

I've been taking the wisdom of the blackberry to heart this summer and reminding myself it's okay to slow down and wait for my ripeness.

I've been remembering that the times in my life where I pushed before I was ready, it felt like a struggle.  

If you are willing to be patient, willing to wait for your ripeness, it will be easy.

Where have you been feeling a struggle in your life?  Could it be that you're pushing before your ready?  Maybe it's time to listen to the wisdom of the blackberry, to be in the joy of waiting for your ripeness.

I have lots of projects, ideas and creations in the works now, including a new one-on-one offering  for creative, wild & free women with an entrepreneurial spirit.

I'm excited to share more as these projects come into their ripeness.  Stay tuned for more info coming soon...

With love, gratitude & patience,

Meredith