"The Only Way Out is Through"
This is the final post in a series on the three micro-seasons within Summer. For an introduction to the Summer season as a whole and to the first micro-season, see this post from June.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Welcome to the Virgo micro-season, friends. Can you feel its diligent, discerning texture in the cold mornings? Can you see it in the emerging oranges and reds of the chrysanthemums and other Fall blooms?
Inside Virgo season, we enjoy the last fullness of the Summer and transition into Autumn. One of the oldest examples of Virgo energy is the process of harvesting wheat and the work it takes to separate the outside husks (the chaff) from the inner seeds, which are edible. If you’ve ever done this work or seen it up close, then you know it’s tremendously time-consuming. Virgo helps us remember that the most important work often takes our concerted effort.
There is a lot of work in front of us, isn’t there? When we’re at Point A and know we need to be at Point B, C, or D, it can feel pretty overwhelming. When I’m in a tough place like this, one of my mentors always tells me:
“The only way out is through.”
How do we go from the flaming disaster that is our society right now to a culture of care, where everyone has their basic needs met?
On a personal level, some of us are wondering how we’re going to get through this (seemingly eternal) period of being overwhelmed by balancing work, kids at home, and daily necessities.
Others of us are wondering how we’re going to go from struggle and pain in our careers into work that feels meaningful and supports us financially.
What’s your Point A today? And where’s Point B?
Virgo can teach us a lot about how to stop avoiding the work that needs to be done and move along the continuums that feel like progress to us. And it all starts with your inner flame.
In ancient Rome, there was a class of women called the “vestal virgins.” These women were still stuck in an unjust and patriarchal society, but this role offered them independence that other women in Roman culture weren’t afforded. Their role was to tend to the sacred flames within Rome’s holy temples, creating space for the divine to dwell.
Fire shows up in the Virgo archetype in another way as well, which is through the Tarot. Virgo is matched with The Hermit card in this ancient deck, and on many iterations of this card you’ll see a lone figure holding a dimly lit lamp, walking carefully along a dark path.
The path from Point A to Point B is rarely well-lit and obvious. We can get wrapped up in frustration about that or we can simply take one sure step after another, releasing the need to know how everything is going to work out.
As we survey the amount of work to be done in our lives, I want to invite all of us to simply start where we are, respecting our inner guidance system and letting it lead us.
If you care about what’s happening in the United States today, be encouraged by the fact that thousands (millions?) of others are taking small steps toward a better society right alongside you.
If you’re totally blitzed by the weight of pandemic life, claim your right to tend to your inner sanctuary and take one small step toward relief at a time.
If you’re out of work, afraid of being out of work, or tired of the feeling of malaise at work, consider that your “job” right now may be to tap into your desire to serve once a day and offer it your loving attention.
In Virgo season, we can learn what it means to be of deep service, contributing in the ways that are most meaningful to us - some small, some large. As we offer our work up to the higher good, we help create an atmosphere where healing and rejuvenation are possible, one dimly lit step at a time.
This micro-season’s suggested inquiry:
What tiny, aligned step am I being invited to take today?
Suggested actions:
At the risk of making this seem too linear, you may want to spend some time identifying what your “Point A” and “Point B” are right now.
Before you take any steps between Point A and Point B, check in with your inner flame. What does it feel like in your body when you know you’re on the right track?
Each day, take a moment out of cycles of overwhelm or fear to ask yourself what the next small, aligned step is for you. And then take it. Start tiny if you have to. As long as the action feels in integrity for you, it’s creating meaningful momentum.
The changes we need are many. We need universal healthcare. We need free early childhood education. We need real gun control. We need to ban the use of fossil fuels. There’s no shortage of work to do, and all of this is happening in tandem with the work that needs to be done in our personal lives, which includes our careers.
“The only way out is through.” In this late Summer period, we’re invited to experience holistic healing by taking small, daily steps to become the kind of people who will create the society we so desperately need. Part of that process can include identifying where you’re being invited to serve and contribute right now, and offering that up in whatever ways feel manageable.
I encourage you to start wherever you are today, and remember that while it’s your own path to walk, you’re not alone in the seeking, the pain, or the growth. You’re part of a momentous, emergent wave of change.
I hope this orientation to the upcoming micro-season has felt helpful to you. To receive the next micro-season summary as soon as it’s available, join my email community.