"After awhile you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning and company doesn't mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't promises,
And you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open, With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child,
And you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans, And futures have a way of going down in mid flight.
After awhile you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much, so plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn, that you really are strong and you really can endure;
And you learn and learn.....with every good bye you learn."
(Comes the Dawn by Debra Rich)
I carried the above poem around in my wallet for years. I think the first time I read it was in a "Dear Abby" newspaper column or something similar. I recall how something stirred in me as I read and re-read the words. I was much younger, at the place where I was truly learning the difference between a "woman's grace" and a "child's grief." I actually have not seen it in a couple years. Then, the other day, I received an email for a poetry exchange, kind of a chain email thing, asking me to send an inspirational quote, prayer, etc to the next woman's name on the list, then continue it on. For whatever reason, the Rich poem came to mind and has stayed with me.
I was pondering the upcoming Virgo full moon. I still ponder Virgo much more than any other sign, though I have been trying to learn more as my son carries not only a Virgo moon but a Virgo rising. I know Virgo is symbolized by the "Virgin," a word that traditionally meant "one who belongs to herself." I also know it's energy and element are mutable earth and that she is ruled by Mercury and connected to healing, organizing and cleansing. Still, nothing ignited in my intuition.
I considered where this full moon falls in the natural wheel: directly between the Pisces new moon and Aries new moon. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I feel like Pisces cycle is intended to close the last cycle, washing the old away in her sacred rain, absorbing all parts of the past and reminding us that we are all connected. Aries, as we shall soon see, is the beginning of the active season, the young, independent, excited candle, eager to make her mark and get the party started.
If I feel these energies in my body, which Virgo rules the human body, and in the changing earth around me, Pisces is the melting snow, the spring rains that prepare the soil. Aries is the divine spark that activates the seed and blossoms to the light. Virgo full moon would then be everything between the healing waters and transforming fires. She is the seed, the earth where the seed is planted and the flower that shall soon grow.
This image brought the poem back.
"Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul."
The first part of the poem is the waters of Pisces. The realization of what has past, all that has changed, the emotion of letting go of what was. We then move into Virgo: the healer and the gardener of our inner and outer garden. The full moon illuminates our grief and cycles completed, and yet she also shows us where we have grown and how we can take the old and use it to prepare the soil to plant new seeds, seeds that have potential to spark and take flight.
This full moon has the power to heal old wounds, cleanse our bodies/minds/hearts and guide us in choosing wisely where and what to plant in the cycle ahead. Get out on the earth under this moon. Write about the last year or just the last month. Write about what you release and what you will plant. Sit or stand bare against the soil, the fertile ground. Ask to receive the healing and guidance needed for the Spring ahead.
Use the last two weeks of winter, between now and equinox, the remainder of Pisces watery rule, to plan the most beautiful, abundant, magical garden. Perhaps it exists only within, or maybe you could plan something for the outside, too. Use the next fourteen days to prepare, continuing to work with water (Pisces) and earth (Virgo) as you absorb, heal and become inspired to let your garden grow.
Full moon love & abundant blessings to you, the earth and to all beings!
