Love, Joy, and the Gift of Pain
These past several months on my continuing journey of self-discovery have brought a deeper understanding of love, joy, and the inevitable presence of pain in our lives. While surrounded by an abundance of love from the amazing relationships in my life, a pain was taking hold and growing in my heart. It felt overwhelming, leading me to believe something was missing.
My Virgo brain kicked in wanting to analyze and fix things within my relationships. The thing is, there wasn't anything really wrong. Though things weren't perfect, they never are. We are here for growth and not perfection. Another important thing for Virgo to understand! To say there was nothing missing would be an oversimplification. There were things I was truly missing, but that wasn't an indication of something needing to be fixed.
The pain we experience isn't a void waiting to be filled. It's a contrast, amplifying the brilliance of light and the depth of love in our lives. This pain, in all its forms, isn't a sign of deficiency. It's a powerful reminder to be fully present during times of joy and connection. The deeper the pain we've experienced, the greater the capacity for profound love and ecstatic joy we possess. However, it's important to remember: this doesn't mean we should seek out pain in a masochistic pursuit of love, nor should we become martyrs to suffering.
The key is not to get stuck in the pain, let it define us, or take away from the immense love and joy available to us.
During this process a little voice started whispering "neroli, neroli, neroli." I anointed my heart, and suddenly, everything clicked. Neroli is the blossom of the bitter orange tree, embodying the juciness, bitterness, and beauty in life. Reminding us to see the love through the pain and the joy through the grief. Remembering that the reason the pain feels so strong is because the love is so strong.
Shortly after this anointing, one of the things I had been "missing" showed up in the most beautifully confirming way.
This has been a powerful lesson in the role of duality for Gemini season, and it'll definitely echo into the emotional Cancer season coming up. Let's embrace the fullness of our experiences, because they all make our journey so much richer.