Today the sky lights up with a full moon in the sign of Virgo. Virgo is an organizer, so the moon will pull focus on places where we can clear out clutter and better organize ourselves for what’s coming next.
For me, Virgo represents my twelfth house, the area of my chart (and my life) that is about what’s behind the scenes.
Astrologer Chani Nicholas explains that the placement of this full moon in my chart may be commenting on my need for restoration and recovery; deep, nourishing rest.
Calling you to take a moment for yourself, this Full Moon is prescribing deeply restorative down time and an escape to the places and spaces where you can let go and give way to an energy greater than yourself.
The astrology of the moment is a reflection of the messages I’ve been receiving through every other channel.
My body has been hurting. My brain has been fried. I often feel lately like I’m burning the candle at both ends, and the wick is running out.
My trampoline coach observed that the harder I try to execute a trick, the worse I perform it. That’s a pattern that shows up in many places.
The message is clear: take time to rest.
Deep, soulful, nourishing rest. Lay-on-the-couch, gaze at the ceiling rest.
The kind of rest that feels incredibly indulgent, irresponsible, and uncomfortable.
Of course, rest is important.
Nobody needs to tell me the benefits of rest. I’m well-versed in the research about rest. If I weren’t, I could look to this blog and the dozens of posts I’ve written about rest, or the many books I’ve read extolling the virtues of rest.
I have a deep cognitive understanding of why rest and restoration is not just beneficial, but crucial, to performance, productivity, and just basic wellness.
And, cognitive understanding is not the same as embodied practice. Understanding is not the same as doing. Or, in this case, not doing.
Fears and Beliefs About Rest
What makes rest so uncomfortable for me and many of us is that we have been conditioned to believe that resting is for the weak and lazy, that rest means you’re not serious about your work, or you’re not driven or motivated.
For those of us conditioned to work hard all the time, rest is at the edge of our comfort zone.
The more I explore the nature of my conditioning, the more I expose the fears I have around rest, including fears like:
- If I give into rest I’ll lose my edge.
- If I rest I’ll fall behind.
- If I stop to rest I’ll never get started again.
- If I rest I’ll miss out on opportunities.
All the evidence points to these fears not being rooted in reality. But, as with every other important thing in life, this is a place where external evidence doesn’t really hold much power.
No matter how many books I read or how much cognitive understanding I have about the benefits of rest, the only way to truly know those benefits is through experience.
One of my mentors says, “you have to do the do.”
Or, in this case, “you have to not do the not do.” (Or something like that…)
Rest is a Practice
A lifetime of conditioning to work hard doesn’t get erased in a day or a week or even a year. Although I’ve had moments of deep, embodied, knowing of the benefits of rest, I also know this isn’t a once-and-done thing. It requires constant and consistent practice. Especially in a culture that continues to beat the drum of doing.
If my Apple Watch had a ring for rest, I assure you that I’d be a pro by now.
Until then, I’m on my own: forcing myself into the discomfort of putting down work and putting up my feet, meeting my edge as I stare at the ceiling, defying my conditioning to work hard as I embrace the discomfort of not doing anything at all.
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