Sweet talk

In the northern hemisphere, the first days of August are historically tied to festivals expressing gratitude for an abundant, problem-free harvest. The Pagan observance of Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-nah-sah) falls midway between the Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox; it is also known as Lammas¹ (Loaf Mass Day), when bread was baked from the first cut of wheat and ceremonially delivered to the local church – still a symbolic feature in traditional Christian harvest festivals across the UK to this day. It could well have been the proto-Great British Bake Off and an excellent example of early Christian church appropriation of pagan ritual. On your marks, get set, ye Pagans, bake!

The festivities would normally have been marked at the full moon, which, for those with an astrological bent, is housed this weekend in the sign of Aquarius. The full moon was, and remains, an objective marker in the skies each month of the celestial rhythm to which all things dance. As astrological observance has developed over millennia, full moons have come to be interpreted as periods in which we harvest the fruit nurtured from the seeds of intent sown at new moons. It can be rewarding to observe the fortnightly transitions between setting new moon dreams in motion and their progress toward manifestation under subsequent full moons. This cosmic tidal rhythm sets the tempo with which these columns are written and shared each month.

This week’s Aquarius New Moon carries a shedload of planetary influence: Uranus, Mars, Pluto, and Saturn are all playing their part with a smattering of retrogrades², not least that of the quicksilver communicator Mercury. In very generalised terms, the astrological focus seems to be on our individual voices and how what we’re thinking and saying and then doing serves the collective. Equally as important, how do collective behaviour and cultural norms serve us as individuals trying to express ourselves?

The mind is everything. What you think, you become.

(Gautama Buddha)

With Mercury retrograde opposite Pluto, we’d do well to watch out for emotional baggage surfacing for release in group and intimate settings (that’s a good thing but not always a comfortable ride). Even more likely are instances of wounds in communication, be that inflicted wounds – intentional or otherwise – or unhealed wounds from the past wanting to make themselves heard whatever the circumstance.

All of which suggests we should be choosing our words very carefully over the next fortnight. It’s likely we'll manage to upset people without quite knowing how or why, potentially undermining relationships that represent the societal power structures in our lives: partners, parents, work, bosses, government, law and how those structures are maintained. This is not the week to push the buttons of anyone in authority, or changes in our previously unquestioned status might be forcefully imposed upon us.

To continue with the harvest metaphors, we are more likely than usual to reap what we have sown under this Aquarius Full Moon. Our words may come back to haunt us, as the law of cause and effect provides³ an instant reflection of our thoughts and verbal output. If we take a negative approach in thought and word, the outcomes will be negative. Similarly, a positive thought and comment will usually lead to positive outcomes⁴ – mostly everyone feeling a bit better about themselves.

So perhaps this is the week to take every opportunity to spread a few kind words wherever you find yourself. In the unrelenting discipline of only speaking positively, essentially finding the good in all circumstances however challenging, one trains the mind to follow suit. This is not a denial of the crappy stuff, merely a reinterpretation of its influence on our life experience. Positive words encourage positive thoughts, which encourage positive actions, begetting more positive thoughts, words and actions. It's one of those exponentially expansive, cyclical win/wins that I love and, under this Aquarius Full Moon, could go some way to countering any potential communication/relationship difficulties.

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.

(Marcus Aurelius)

As always at a full moon, our emotions and instinctive behaviours (conditioned responses) tend to feel exacerbated. A conscious effort to recalibrate any prevalent negative default settings to full-on, full-moon positive might help us align with the ever benevolent, ever expanding nature of existence in joy and abundance. Accordingly, we offer a couple of positively phrased do's and don'ts that might help sweet-talk the testing aspects of this Aquarius Full Moon into a boundless, bumper harvest.

Do get positive. Upon waking each day for the next fortnight, consciously train your mind to exercise positive thoughts and words. Share them, in person or by text, with anyone that is with you or that intuitively comes to mind. "What a beautiful day... I love the incessant rain; it allows plants to grow and keeps us hydrated." Repeat the thought until firmly believed.
Don't contribute to or endorse other people's negative narratives. If you suspect an iffy whinge is in the offing, find a way to diplomatically walk away. Negativity will eventually start to feel like an ill-fitting outfit – so why not strip off the pessimistic corsetry and slip into something a little more comfortable?
Do mind your language. Words are a powerful tool. Make sure they are used only to good effect. If you're in danger of commencing a verbal downer, STOP! Keep your mouth shut until confident of picking up your positive thread.
Don't swear. Most of us are liberal with our effing and blinding (this column being a regular case in point). However, it is a good exercise once in a while to consciously cut out all profanities as an act of mindfulness.
Do keep a swear/negativity box. For the next fortnight, charge yourself a quid every time you cuss or find yourself returning to patterns of habitual scepticism.
Don't cheat. Donate the proceeds to a worthwhile cause.
Do switch off the news apps and outlets. It's a relentless stream of negativity that most of us would function better without.
Don't kid yourself that you're keeping up to date with current events. It's somebody else's editorial decision about what's important in life that has little to do with you at all. Nothing is more important than you. You are the narrative. You are the story and it's a daily miracle. Be your own editor. Switch that other shit off. (That was a quid well spent btw…)

Be discriminating about what images and ideas you permit into your mind. If you yourself don't choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will, and their motives may not be the highest.”

(Epictetus)

Do end each day by sitting quietly and recalling the day's activities with gratitude, regardless of the challenges that may have been faced.
Don't underestimate the power of positive thinking⁵.
Do remain consistent in your intent by already assuming the abundant harvest is heading your way once your imagination has clearly pictured what it is that you want to manifest. A good farmer doesn't keep unearthing the seeds he's sown to check if they're germinating – that would be the quickest way of stopping growth in its tracks. Nurture the soil of your soul, then have faith in the process you have instigated.
Don't doubt or undermine the creative dynamism of your wishes by digging up poisonous unworthiness, life 's-not-fair, or victim-mentality guff. They are the mental equivalent of glyphosate, killing the roots of everything good you seek to cultivate.
Do encourage and nurture yourself and others through positive thought, word and subsequent action. It is a simple definition of love and makes the world a better place to be.
Don't say don't...

Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behaviour. Keep your behaviour positive because your behaviour becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.”

(Mahatma Gandhi)