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Read more in Solstice Fire and the Art of Service, by Eric Francis.
Today’s Oracle takes us to the Taurus weekly for Dec 24, 2010
Pluto in Capricorn raises questions about the role that religion has played in shaping your worldview. Remember, like many things, that role could be invisible — till you look. Religion is more than ‘about itself’. Far from being a closed system, it’s about all of existence, not merely taught in a house of worship. Its effects reach into every aspect of life, most particularly, how we are supposed to feel about ourselves, and how we feel about sex. Its ideas are, to this day, defended with guns, armor and constitutional amendments. Have you investigated this topic lately, on the most personal level? Have you questioned the extent to which any of the psychological patterns you would love to change are connected to the religious beliefs and practices of your parents? In what ways are your values shaped by religious concepts, among them the supposed necessity of guilt, the ‘institution of marriage’, faux conservatism, or the notion that God is powerless or vengeful? These days you seem determined to embrace life with your own philosophy. Do you give yourself the freedom to be who you are, nd who you want to be at your best?
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I know a couple of people who are so identified with the notion of service that they actually lose their own wellbeing. They find meaning in struggle and pain as they seek to be a part of others suffering, physical and emotional, identify with it, talk about until it becomes a part of how they view life. One person got injured helping someone. But it was as if she used it to add importance on how hard her life was and how everyone is struggling.
Instead of feeling empowered, she felt in pain and sought to get others attention by talking about her injury and then all the mess in the world. As much as I love her, she even came to me concerned that I was quiet and feeling down. I was so surprised because I actually felt fantastic!
Hugging — that is interesting, and a little disturbing. Fascinating how easy it can be sometimes to confuse sacrifice with service, or to confuse an attachment to pain and need for attention with “empathy.”
Good lessons in your anecdote!