Lent and Venus Retrograde: Reflect Reawaken Realise
Reflections
There I was sitting in mass today listing to the sermon and reflecting on how similar everything the priest was saying is to what many of my yoga teachers say.
Lent is a period of abstinence. In stopping doing certain things we CREATE SPACE in our lives. This is the same as yoga practice. When we stop, breathe and become a human being.
I've always loved Lent. I love the challenge, I love life without chocolate and Facebook. They are two of my favourite things. However, life without them is lighter and there is suddenly more time and space available to do or eat other things!
This year Lent coincides with Venus Retrograde; in the sermon in mass today resonated strongly with the advice astrologers give during a retrograde. The crux of it being... when a planet is in retrograde it's a time to REtrograde the corresponding area of one's life. So with Mercury... REconsider all forms of communication. With Venus retrograde, REconsider all forms of pleasure and love.
The priest told a story today along the lines of this:
"I was on the tube the other day and standing next to a young chap. I think he was playing candy crush, it certainly looked like that. Lots of coloured circles disappearing and vanishing from the screen. Anyway, I'm not judging him but I was squashed next to him and I was observing him. He was flicking from this candy crush, looking at photos and he had headphones in too. It was just a perfect representation of all the distractions we have in our lives these days. I'm sure it was a great distraction and helped him to forget that he was squashed on a tube train. However, it made me aware that these days there isn't much time to reflect and consider our lives as we are so full of distractions."
That's the basics of it. The youth of today are practically ROBOTS! Honestly! We all think we are bad but 20 year olds can be moronic. EVERY thought goes online and it isn't selfie worthy or worth posting, it aint going to happen. To my one or two pals who read this, you'll know I'm always recommending a break from social media and turning off your phone because this not only enables us to reflect, but also to realise everything that is in our life. Another 're-trograde' word R E A L I S E.
1610s, "bring into existence," from French réaliser "make real" (16c.), from Middle French real "actual" (see real (adj.)). Sense of "understand clearly, make real in the mind" is first recorded 1775.
I think that's why I love this time of looking inwards and going without. It makes everything more real, it's grounding, calming and helps us to soak life up. It changes the way we think. Just as travelling forces us to think and slow down, changing the way we live our lives at home has the same effect.
Go ahead. Venus is Retrograde - MAKE SPACE. Have a read of the last post for more detail on what to do with Venus Retrograde.
This is most certainly a time to ground and relish it.
Big love,
Fran x