The stage of the hero’s journey directly succeeding the call to adventure is the refusal of the call. It’s built right in to the mythic narrative.
There are countless moments in each of our lives where the path we were on suddenly cracks open to reveal a fork in the road. We were just humming along minding our own businesses, happily tuning out all of the horrible possibilities that coincide with being a fragile and fallible life form, then something changes.
Sometimes these moments are obvious - we lose a job, a relationship changes, someone leaves or a new person comes into our life. At other times, the call is more subtle in nature - we sense a dead end on a current trajectory, we suddenly become aware that there is more than one plane of reality, or worst of all: we become aware at yet another level that it was always only ever ourselves that have been holding us back from experiencing a more liberated state of consciousness.
The call to adventure doesn’t arrive in a sweetly decorated gift basket.
book recommendation
In “The Creative Act,” legendary music producer Rick Rubin encourages listeners to notice the rules, or assumptions, they routinely adhere to without questioning their validity.
The most deceptive rules are not the ones we can see, but the ones we can't. They can be found hiding deeper in the mind just beyond our awareness: rules that entered our thinking during childhood programming, lessons we’ve forgotten, osmosis from the culture, or emulating someone you admire. All of these assumptions about life that stem from such inconspicuous beginnings masquerade as laws if they remain unchecked.
Rules direct us towards average behaviors, and average is nothing to aspire to. Continually challenge your assumptions in order to break through.
quote of the lunar cycle:
“Again and again in history, some people wake up. They have no ground in the crowd and move to broader, deeper laws. They carry strange customs with them and demand room for bold and audacious action. The future speaks ruthlessly through them. They change the world.”
- Rainer Maria Rilke
the path of descent:
To refuse the call is a sign that you are paying attention. You have deepened your awareness enough to sense the flimsy house of cards that your identities and belief systems are built upon. Despite the negative implication, it’s actually a sign of readiness to experience your life as an open ended adventure and a meaningful contribution to the whole.
Generally, a new moon is a good time to plant seeds or set intentions. Not only is it the beginning of a new cycle but the ground is literally more fertile. The dark moon exerts a stronger gravitational pull on the earth, lifting the groundwater level beneath the soil, the same way it lifts the tides.
But during an eclipse, it’s not as simple. The lights are flickering and the fertile ground is laced with sink holes. Eclipses are the pivot points of the year. They are an opportunity to change the rules of the game you’ve been playing and step onto a larger playing field.
If this feels easy and you’re ready to go break some rules, you haven’t located it yet. Remember, this is the call that is always refused upon first recognition.
This is not a call for transcendence, but for Thomas Berry’s “inscendence:” to descend into that situation you don’t like or the one (you think) you didn’t choose.
This new moon solar eclipse in fiery Aries invites us to align with the consciousness that did choose exactly that thing you'd rather rise above and not feel - exactly this life - the one with disappointments, rejections, betrayals, and even stubbed toes, delayed flights, and passive aggressive letters from your HOA that you previously thought were just minor annoyances on the way to achieving whatever idea of happiness you had planned out for the future.
Claim these things as your own. But don’t claim them passively or reluctantly. Don’t choose them like they’re the backup option to what you really wanted. This is Aries ♈️ we’re talking about here. Choose them like a lion chooses its prey. Choose them like the first team in the WNBA draft is about to choose Caitlin Clark.
To the parts of you that are still vacillating - still wishing for the life where you didn’t lose your job, fall short of your goals, or have a different set of childhood experiences; or you’re still waiting around for the perfect opportunity to present itself or the perfect person to walk into your life, or until you have enough time or money, or for the extraterrestrials to make a surprise landing and change the rules of the game so that you don’t have to - this is your sign to trade it all in for what you have in front of you.
All you have to lose are abstractions - unsubstantiated rules about what life should be or could be, but isn’t. Let them go my loves. Everything awaits you.
💚
Coach Laura
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stage 3 of the hero’s journey:
If you’ve already refused the call and you’re ready to move on to the next stage - meeting the mentor - schedule a free consult:
If you’re ready to let some stuff go in alignment with this eclipse but you’re not sure how, schedule a Release and Redirect Energy Tune-up. Now is the perfect time.
Lastly, it would be very much appreciated if you shared this newsletter with all of your moon-loving friends, closeted or otherwise: