Denial Ain't Just a River in Egypt

Moon in Cancer asks, "How much more can I love?" The eighth lunar day asks, "How can I see gray rather than just black or white?"

it's thursday, october 24, & moon is in cancer, in the starspace (portion of cancer) called pushya. cancer is ruled by the moon, planet of selfless love, of unbounded compassion. in "the journey within," radhanath swami shares a story about being at the airport in florida, exhausted after "an arduous week of lectures & meetings" & thus wanting to be left alone, only to be approached by a distraught woman. he thought his well was dry, but guess what? turned out it wasn't, that he was able to find the compassion to minister to her. ok, we may not all have as deep a well as he does, but our wells are deeper than we realize.

"our task is to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures & the whole of nature & its beauty."—albert einstein

"love & compassion are necessities, not luxuries. without them humanity cannot survive."—dalai lama

pushya is the star of nourishment, the kind of nourishment a mama cow gives to her calf, her udders always holding more, always being replenished. what kind of nourishment do you need? what or whom are you nourishing in your life, & what is the quality of that nourishment?

it's the eighth lunar day (tithi), the eighth phase of the waning moon, which is the halfway point between full & new, when moon is equally light & equally dark. it's a reminder that nothing, including us, is black or white. this tithi supports us in embracing our own complexity & that of others, of the world, in having a more nuanced mind-set than, say, "if you're not with us you're against us," "this candidate good, that candidate bad," "you are either in lock-step with the administration's policies or are a right-wing nut case." can you embrace both shadow & light—yours & others'? you know what "they" say: there is no darkness without light & vice versa, the one informs the other, allows us to see the other. we actually live in the gray zone of a venn diagram, where black & white intersect & overlap—to pretend otherwise is denial. as mark twain said, "denial ain't just a river in egypt."

thursday is ruled by jupiter, who gives us the ability to expand our world view, zoom out to see the big picture of our life, trust in the wisdom of the universe. it's a good day to resource by connecting to teachers & mentors & other wisdom sources, like uplifting reading material.

TL;DR

tap deeper into your well of compassion. • nourish & be nourished. • expand your mind-set so you can embrace your complexity & the complexity of others & the world. • connect with the wisdom sources that allow you to see the big picture of your life, trust in its enfoldment

.& that’s your daily bliss! IN-joy! 🌓🙏✨