A lesson in patience from an insatiable Aries
by Zoe Leadley-Meade
For the last year I have been learning more about the cycles of the moon and astrology and it has given me a new perspective from which to explore and reflect on aspects of self, identity and patterns of behaviour. As an Aries sun I have a fiery passion which drives me through most experiences in life, and as we approach the Full Moon in Aries I find myself reflecting on the ways that the speed at which I move can be both of benefit to me and at times a hindrance when it becomes the default without thought.
I have an ability to move through challenges at great speed, I slip into a solutions focused mode and seek out the quickest and most straightforward way through any challenge. But the pace at which I move can leave little room for contemplation or reflection and I have found myself burnt out more than once.
As I move into an appreciation of the non-linear, cyclical nature of life and reconnect to the cyclical nature of my own body, I am learning to appreciate that there is a time for burning through and a time for cool contemplation before action. Slowness and intentional movement through an experience is not only useful when facing a challenge or confrontation, but also useful when opening to acceptance or moving towards an object or state of desire.
As I lean into my desires, and burn through another layer of self-protection no longer needed, the release of all that once weighed me down and held me back feels like the release of tension in a bow. The arrow of me wants to shoot forward into a future life built on the foundations of my true desires, but before the release the archer of me lingers, not out of hesitation or fear, but as an intentional pause to slowly trace their eyes over all that lies ahead before taking aim.
I have lived with anxiety for as long as I can remember, but now I have practices and tools which support my body, heart and mind to reach a state of trusting calm. When I am grounded in this peaceful state, instead of fearing what lies ahead as I once did, I am filled with an insatiable curiosity for life and a desire to live fully. Instead of seeing limitations, restrictions and obstacles, I can feel the potentiality of life and the availability and choice of it all. In my haste I want it all, but this is a shallow wanting, seeking immediate gratification which goes as quickly as it came. In my slowness I feel into deep desire as discernment, as conscious intentional choosing.
So, this Aries is learning to let the flames soften, to conserve some of that heat for the long journey as I move towards my deepest desires, trusting that my intentional choices will set my heart aflame like never before.
I invite you to consider where a slowness or a stillness could invite a new experience of being and moving into your life. Where can you actively choose to pause? How might this connect you to your deepest desires?
Balancing (Taken from my poetry book Apeiron)
To be awake and yet asleep
Asleep and yet awake
Life is balancing on the edge
To know when to be one and not the other
The other and yet one
To be still and yet move
Moving and yet still
Time for slowness
Time for quick action
Life is on the edge, balancing
Both and none
Neither and one
Freedom is on the edge, resting, waiting, to come.
Zoë (They/Them) is an educator and poet based in South London. They write poetry through the experience of their body as a way to reconnect to the parts that were forgotten or have been silenced in the past. You can follow their creative explorations and reflections on
Instagram: @zoe_as_i_am
Website: www.skriptura.co.uk