Knowing When We Don’t Know
By
Sarah Varcas
But for this to happen a new perspective is called for. A rapid maturation of attitude which shifts us from ‘how do I manipulate life to make it give me what I want?’, to ‘how do I get out of life’s way to allow it to give me what it wants and needs me to have?’. There may be a gaping divide between the two. So certain are we that we know best, we can easily shut down to life’s nudges and messages which tell us there may just be another way we’ve dismissed or ignored for too long. As the darkness of this Moon resonates with the shadowy corners of our psyche, we can become acutely aware of neglected possibilities and seeds of potential in what once looked like the worst case scenario!
Darkness can be an object of fear or the bringer of safety and rest. Sweet dreams are bidden as darkness falls, just as the monsters of nightmares may rear their ugly heads. We fear darkness not only literally but metaphorically. We prefer to be clear and sure, certain in our view and decisive when faced with challenge. But often it simply doesn’t work out that way. We may find ourselves confused, blind-sided, ill-equipped to face what we must. It takes time and patience to come up with a plan or gain enough clarity to know that, in fact, nothing need be done. Knowledge is rewarded in our societies: you’re an expert, a master, a guru, a teacher. People look to you for advice and support. To say out loud ‘I truly have no idea’ marks us out as ignorant, uninformed, of little use and no interest.
And yet to know when we don’t know is a wise and noble abiding. It takes wisdom to know our limitations and courage to reveal them to others in a world where knowledge is king. If we know when we don’t know, we can similarly know when we do. Rather than complicating things further with a frantically constructed response born of great haste and little foresight, we can acknowledge we have yet to gather all we need to discern the way forward. And then we wait, or we seek out information to fill the gaps. We ask those who do know or seek insight deep within. We act only when the time is right, not simply to ease our anxiety or sense of urgency. We become aligned with the situation, not fighting or forcing it.
A New Moon in Aries is a time of high energy, with Aries being the first sign of the zodiac and a New Moon heralding new beginnings, something Aries is particularly fond of! However, this time around the energy requires patient consideration and a willingness to stop and reflect before we step out and do. We may well be tempted to act first and think later, but could well regret doing so! The wisdom of this New Moon is accessed in the quiet of inner reflection and the strength it takes to admit when we simply don’t yet know.
Within this admission lies the magic of possibility, the alchemy born of releasing our stranglehold on life and allowing it to unfold all around us rather than desperately trying to direct the show. It enables us to bow to the greater wisdom that is life itself and surrender to a more penetrating force that shapes our life from the inside out, from our very core, radiating forth its energy and potential to become manifest on the outer plane. If we are still waiting for things to improve, for life to buck up and meet our demands, this Moon affirms it’s not all about us, but we are all about life. The key to fulfilment is found in living for life not the other way around, expecting the universe to respond to our decree.
The biggest obstacle to making this shift is often the belief that we know best, that we KNOW how things SHOULD be if only they’d be it! ‘Not so’ says this Moon. There is so much we have yet to understand, and what we don’t know right now is knocking at the door demanding attention. It will challenge what we thought up to now and past certainties may dissolve in its wake. Nothing is quite as it seemed and much is not even close! It’s time to wipe the slate clean of expectations and let life lead us step by step, gifting us wisdom as we go.