notes on venus retrograde, the niyamas, the waiting, & who we need to be when we re-emerge...
this blog was originally published 5.13.2020.
An astrological retrograde is when a planet starts to look like its slowing down so much that appears to be moving backwards in space. During this time, whatever aspects that planet governs goes a little haywire. We usually hear about all the mishaps, of Mercury retrograde. Mercury governs mental processing, communications, and transportation which explains why we get to blame Mercury for every miscommunication and meeting we were late to.
Over the past few years, my teachers & guides (yoga + astrology respectively) have invited me to use retrograde times to slow down and review. I’ve heard a few people dub it the “Retrograde Rule of Re’s” meaning that during a retrograde period we do all the things that start with “re”: review, restore, rejuvenate, reevaluate…..But now that it’s Venus that we have to reckon with instead of Mercury, what is there to “re”?
Venus governs among many things our connection to beauty & aesthetics, our dollars, and the who, what, and a little bit of the how of love. Venus boils down to how we are in relationship with ourselves and the world. And how we value our relationships. And at a core, Venus is our values.
Venus stationed retrograde on May 13th and will stay that way until June 25th. I’m using this time in my life and in my classes to “rule of re” my/our values & how i/we choose to live them out (ie our virtue). This time of Venus retrograde spans Philadelphia’s latest level red stay at home orders that go through June 4th/// well through any thoughts or whispers of transitioning back towards “normal” daily life.
In yoga, the first two limbs give us practitioners a lot of sweet venus retrograde subject matter to chew on. These first two limbs are the ethical precepts of the practice-- the yamas: our outer virtues and the niyamas: our inner observances/values.
The yamas guide our virtue and ask, “what’s the quality of our relationship to others/ the collective/ and the uppercase Self?”
The niyamas guide our values and ask “what’s the quality of our relationship to ourselves/this vessel/this heart and the lowercase self?”
There are 5 yamas and 5 niyamas and they are all qualities of shri. Shri is that which is life affirming, life enhancing, beauty, abundance, of value…...sound familiar or at least a little Venusian?
Because here’s where it all ties together: the yoga + the stars + the you/me/we + this waiting + the “normal” we left behind + the new “normal” we must create.
you/me/we are expressions of shri too and we can cultivate and nurture and nourish these qualities, these values & virtues, these ways of relating. And the more we cultivate the less we do them, the more we become them.
So while we’re in this waiting, what do you want to cultivate? What do you want to offer when we “go back”? Who do we need to be when we emerge?
During this unprecedented time much has been unearthed and magnifyed. And it’s become even more apparent (revelation) that our connection to our values & to each other is of the most importance, literally life or death. The consequences of how this coronavirus/COVID-19 is playing out once again lifts the extremely thin veil that white supremacy and therefore capitalism and patriarchy tries to cloak our society in:
That the us that we were before was fiiiiiiiiine. (Because order >>>> equity)
That productivity == worth.
That it’s normal….admirable even… to hoard money, resources, land while folks go hungry and workers are exploited because y’allll….the American Dream, duh. Just work a little harder.
That cishet/white/able bodied normativity is the standard.
That all lives matter….so shhhhh.
I could go on and on….
Some folks (Black, brown, Indigienous, trans, & disabled folks in particular) have been peering through this veil for a while now. Using this xray vision to squint and see what really is... because survival.
We as individuals and as the collective need to reckon with the fact that either…..
The “normal” that some folks are rushing//dying to go back to:
was so deeply misaligned with our true values that we can’t think of going back there now
Our values don’t really matter that much or aren’t what we thought they were. That virtue is just too hard or at least not worth fighting for.
Where we’re going is inextricably tied to who we are. It’s with great faith (ishvara pranidhana) that i hope that you/me/we can ALL….ok ok enough of us....can accept option #1 as a fact and take a good hard, honest (satya), compassionate look at ourselves (svadhyaya) here and now. And most importantly, not forget that we are shri. We can nourish and nurture and grow what the “new normal” we value will require from us.
So in this waiting, what do you need to cultivate for you/me/we?
//////
Personally, rule of re’s starts with reflection.
here are the niyamas + reflection questions + related quotes + errant thoughts
Niyamas :: inner observances :: relationships to self
Saucha -- cleanliness; ecology == self / world balance; making space (=unlearning)
what is your balance between self and other like?
with all this time at home, what have you noticed about your relationship to your space?
What do you value in a space?
Santosha -- contentment;
what’s your relationship with contentment especially during these times when there’s so much to be discontent with?
If and when you find moments of contentment, what do they look/feel/taste/smell like?
is there a place where you can find joy right now in this moment?
Tapas -- stamina, endurance, sustainability;
“None of this will be easy and we have to do it anyway” - Michelle Cassandra Johnson
“What is sustainable is easy. Birds coast when they can.” — adrienne maree brown
“...the revolution will be led by well-rested people.” @thenapministry
I believe sustainability requires rest, where can you reclaim rest in the waiting?
Svadhyaya -- compassionate curiosity of the self & Self;
Can you witness yourself (both light & shadow) without story or judgement? If not, what might that feel like to give yourself that grace in self inquiry?
What’s the quality of your inner voice?
In the waiting, what have you learned, noticed, or uncovered about yourself?
Ishvara Parnidhana -- surrender; devotion; great faith;
“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time” - Angela Davis
What is your faith for?
& in the moments it gets dim, what softly supports it? What fiercely reignites it?
Other questions I’ve been asking:
What are your actions (virtues) you showing yourself that you value?
What’s your relationship with each of the yamas and niyamas? What resonates with you? What falls flat or feels hard?
Where in your life are actions in alignment with your values? How can you expand this center of alignment in your life?
Where are the misalignments between your intentions and your impact?
References:
Mariel Freeman --- years in her classes and “Comparative yoga philosophy and patanjali’s yoga sutras: notes, facts, opinions, interpretations, and other musings”
Pantanjali’s Yoga Sutras
Jessica Lanydoo -- various podcasts and articles
Chani Nicholas --- various workshops and articles
adrienne maree brown -- Emergent Strategy & Pleasure Activism inform all
Michelle Cassandra Johnson - Healer. Activist. Author.