The month of Taurus is one I appreciate, not only because Taurus loves a cozy blanket and a good cup of tea but because it actually invites us out of our comfort zones.
This steadfast earth sign values not just comfort but security and stability, and while these things are necessary for a fulfilling life, life itself is varied and full of surprises! This is why you don’t need to be born under this sign for the thought of discomfort to inspire feelings of dread. No one loves being outside of their comfort zone, but it is exactly where we will find our growth, blessings, and expansion. The New Moon in Taurus asks us to examine where and how we are living in comfort and where and how we are being asked to step out of it.
Now, when I say comfort, I don’t necessarily mean wrapping yourself in the softest clothes or luxuriating in relaxation. That type of comfort is definitely valued by a Taurus (and pretty much anyone!), but the comfort I am referring to is the comfort found in routine, predictability, and control. Taureans have a reputation for stubbornness because being flexible and taking risks means abandoning the comfort they find in knowing what’s coming, knowing the plan, and being able to anticipate any and all scenarios. While this is understandable and makes them deeply reliable, it presents them with a unique challenge: learning to see the gift in plans that go awry. I’m sure we can all recall a time when our best-laid plans went out the window, and we were left feeling frustrated, even angry.
When these moments arrive, we have two choices: marinate in all the ways we believe things should have gone or look for the gem hidden in the unexpected change of plans.
Let’s look at it this way: through the eyes of your morning routine. You wake up in the morning and can predict, more or less, exactly how it will go. You’re going to shower, get dressed, and head to work. On the way, you’re going to stop at the coffee shop, you know exactly what you’ll get, and you know you’ll have just enough time to get to the office before your morning meeting. Easy!
But wait.
The road you normally take is closed. The coffee shop ran out of what you usually order. A truck is stalled on the highway. Now you’re late. You get to the office, your usual parking spot is taken, you barely make it to the meeting, and as you arrive, you find that the CEO has dropped by the meeting. You walk in, harried, trying to compose yourself, and find that the meeting itself is already running behind schedule. On top of that, the CEO was there to apologize for being late and is having coffee ordered for everyone.
Your plan was a good one, but it wasn’t needed today. And even if the outcome wasn’t pleasantly surprising, there’s still gold in those hills. This month is all about learning to feel the frustration, acknowledging it, but then exploring why you were so attached in the first place. Wondering where you can be more flexible. Asking why you might be so afraid of not knowing, of doing something new, or taking a risk.
For clarity, I’m not saying that plans are bad or naive. They are not. However, when we become too attached and comfortable with our planning, we don’t leave room for something bigger. How can we co-create our life with the Creator when we don’t allow space for things to go differently? When we feel the need to ruminate on why things went wrong, or we lament that things shouldn’t have gone the way they did, we are placing our focus in the wrong direction. Instead, we can look at the change of course and ask, “How is this positive? What can I gain from this unexpected experience?”
Whether the answer is made clear to you or not, asking the question helps you to take your trust off your ideas of comfort and place it back with the Creator. Our fulfillment, happiness, and joy are not things that can be found in the external world. They are created in our inner world and are made manifest in the world of effect. The physical world is simply a manifestation of our thoughts, feelings, and actions. When we look to external sources for our comfort and safety—our plans, our known experiences, all of our tools for comfort— we will always be left wanting.
Growth, transformation, and even our most desired blessings cannot occur without the discomfort of change. Therefore, discomfort is a good sign that you’re aligned with your purpose. Challenges provide us with so much good information if we’re willing to look at them from all sides. A fraught interaction or conflict may give us valuable insight into someone in our life, giving us the knowledge to avert a much greater issue in the future. Being late to that meeting might have meant dodging a car accident. Not getting the job you were hoping for could be leaving space for something even better than you imagined. This is where placing total trust in the Creator and in the process of life becomes a powerful practice.
This month, when you find yourself angry that things didn’t go your way or you feel like a victim of cruel circumstances, take a breath. Bring your awareness to the present and remember that it is happening for a positive reason, even though you may not be able to see it yet. Use the opportunity to connect more deeply to certainty and remain open to the growth, the possibility, and the chance to learn something new. In so doing, an even more authentic version of you and your life can begin to emerge. All the blessings trying to come down might finally have a place to rest, right among the ruins of your best-laid plans.
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