combatting conditioning | mars in gate 1 | october 31st - november 8th, 2023
Welcome to Combatting Conditioning, a brand new blog series :)
Periodically, I'll be popping onto the blog to zoom in on a major gate transit and sharing some journal prompts for effective shadow work & deep de-conditioning.
Today, Mars moves into Gate 1, The Gate of Creative Self-Expression, which is ruled by Scorpio and lives in the Self Center. This gate asks us to get honest about our conditioned habits, patterns, beliefs, and behaviors around how we embody our most authentic creative expression.
Shadow Work/De-conditioning Questions to consider:
Which end of the fear frequency spectrum to you more frequently tend toward: aping or atrophy? Does this vary depending on the situation (when you're alone versus who you are in romantic relationships versus in familial relationships versus in friendships versus in professional settings)?
Aping: Read the quote above from Thich Nhat Hahn. How does the above quote land with you? Think back to your childhood or teen years. Were you able to safely creatively express yourself (think personal style, how you identified, which extra-curricular activities you were involved in, etc)? Or did you feel safer/more accepted mirroring back an identity that was expected of you? Or did you feel safer mirroring back the identities of those who you perceived as “accepted”? Why? Were your choices to mirror a part of the process of finding your personal most authentic self-expression? Or did the mirroring (and the feeling of safety and/or acceptance that came with it) feel more important than being authentically self-expressed? How did this self-abandonment feel in your body? And how did these early experiences shape how you embody your most authentic self today?
Atrophy: Think back to your childhood or teen years. How was creativity and honest self-expression modeled for you as a child? What messages were you sent by the adults and caregivers in your life about the importance and the sacredness of your most authentic, creative inner fire? Or did the adults and/or caregivers in your life behave more in line with the fear frequency of creative atrophy? How did their disengagement from their own creativity and authenticity make you feel? How did it impact your relationship with your own identity and creative self-expression? What did their behavior teach you about creative self-expression and authentic embodiment? Are these beliefs serving you now as an adult?
Mars and defeating Mundanity: What is your relationship with your own creativity now? What is your relationship with your personal style? What would you like it to be? What creative projects fire you up? Are there subject areas, hobbies, projects, or opportunities that are energy givers (and serve to reinvigorate you) that also feel deeply aligned with how you identify? Are there opportunities to add more time and space to give your self this gift of creative expression more frequently? What micro actions could you take? What bigger shifts could be made?
Book Recommendation for Mars in Gate 1: The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I’m currently working through it myself and WOW is it a powerful practice :)
Are you finding this Combatting Conditioning series supportive? If so, watch this space! The first volume of my book The Rebuilding Year is dropping so soon and I cannot wait to tell you all about it!
In the meantime, thank you for nerding out with me 🤗
Do you have Gate 1 activated in your chart? How is this Mars transit affecting you? Let me know in the comments!