Qigong - an appealing solution for my Mars in Pisces

With natal Mars in Pisces, I'm forever on the lookout for suitable ways to strengthen my physical body.  I tend to run away (or collapse!) from anything that is too strenuous and dynamic.  Yoga is a fantastic option,  and I was involved in kundalini yoga for a while, however, living in the far east, I thought I would involve myself in some authentic qigong (or chi kung).  It is an ancient Chinese practice which seeks to integrate physical movements, breathing techniques and concentrated mental intentions.  I see it as a Chinese form of yoga, as 'qi' (or chi) is akin to 'prana', the life force.  'Gong' (or kung) can be translated as 'skill' or 'work', so putting it together, it is the skill of disciplining your life energy to improve your vitality.  It is also an active form of meditation to cultivate mindfulness.

My first qigong class was back in April this year.  Looking back at the ephemeris, I noticed many tight aspects to my natal Piscean Sun.

Triggers from inner planets:

t. Venus conjunct n. Sun  (I like the idea of qigong and I get to go with my dear friends)
t. Mars quincunx n. Sun   (Do I really want to spend 2 whole days on it?  Would it be tiring?)

Aspects from outer planets:

t. Pluto Capricorn sextile n. Sun  (An opportunity to shed a layer and to move closer to my solar goals)
t. Jupiter Cancer trine n. Sun  (It's a form of nourishment to my core self)

I've been going back every 2 months to work with the charismatic qigong master (our initial prediction of him being a Leo was correct, as he readily displays his playful child persona on every occasion - even though he is in his 80s!  He loves standing on the mini stage, under the spotlight, with students taking videos on their smartphones to record all the postures.)

I have just returned from another weekend workshop and found an obvious increase in my energy level this time.  Besides this, I appear to be more outspoken and not as affected by external opinions as I used to.  It seems that my natal Mercury in Aries received a little boost (trine) from the transiting Mercury-Jupiter conjunction in Leo. I can definitely see evidence of the release of my inner spokesperson.  I was able to express some hidden thoughts to my friends, which I had been harbouring for the past year.  In addition, I have been working on my inner child (Leo) which has exposed more hidden (12th) memories from childhood.

Virgo - Pisces Polarity: The Connection between Mind, Body and Spirit

I'm an avid fan of Louise Hay's work on the connection between mental thoughts and physical ailments. I have already blogged about this years ago when I was suffering from hives for over 8 months and NOTHING worked - conventional medicine, herbal medicine.....then I came across Louise Hay's work and was fascinated by the messages we receive from our bodies. Unfortunately, most of these signals go undetected.

Transiting Mars was hovering over my natal Saturn in December 2011, March (retrograde) and May (direct) 2012.  By the last hit, my cheeks were covered with acne.  My body had been attempting to communicate with me but I chose to ignore its signals by using my concealer to hide the mini explosions erupting on my face.  In the end, I consulted Louise Hay's, 'Heal Your Body', which is basically a mini dictionary of the hidden messages from our bodily symptoms, to see what my body is trying to say to me:

Skin - protects our individuality, a sense organ. 
Suggested affirmation: 'I feel safe to be me'

Skin problems - Anxiety, fear, old, buried guck.  I am being threatened.  
Suggested affirmation: 'I lovingly protect myself with thoughts of joy and peace.  The past is forgiven and forgotten.  I am free in this moment.'

Coincidentally, skin is ruled by Saturn (Capricorn).  How appropriate that my natal Saturn was triggered by a Mars transit (Mars/Aries rules acne).  This is yet another example of the ancient adage 'As above, so below; as within, so without'.  The Mars 'above' is symbolically represented as my acne 'below'.

Acne - Not accepting the self.  Dislike of the self.  
Suggested affirmation: 'I am a Divine expression of life.  I love and accept myself where I am right now.'

Fear and anxiety are related to Saturn.  In my chart, my 2nd house Saturn is associated with my self-esteem.  I was under the scrutiny of others and could feel the pressure building up.  I thought I had done enough internal work previously to withstand any criticisms heading my way, but evidently not.  For the sake of my face though, I decided to temporarily remove myself from the situation which caused me to be fearful and then plan my next stage of action once I'm healed.  I am not going to be hard on myself over this.  I've tried my best.  I decided to be gentle and kind to myself instead.

Being gentle and kind to ourselves is more important than you think.  How often do you find yourself say 'I'm so stupid' or 'I hate myself'?  Your cells in your body are responsive to your negative emotions.  Here is what Louise Hay has discovered in her research on cancer growth:

Tumour - nursing old hurts and shocks, building remorse.  

Suggested affirmation: 'I lovingly release the past and turn my attention to this new day.  All is well.'

Feeding yourself toxic thoughts and holding onto past hurt appear to be the culprit here. Tumours are associated with the astrological sign of Cancer (ruled by the Moon). Perhaps nurturing our bodies with emotional nourishment is the key, as is fully releasing the toxicity from our bodies.

I want to emphasise that I'm not shunning conventional medicine at all.  I still visit my GP when my elbow rash spreads uncontrollably.  However, once it is under control, I ask myself what exacerbated it in the first place and analyse it from a spiritual point of view. 

Each system is incomplete by itself. Different healing methods complement one another to form a comprehensive structure - not just for the physical body, but also for the mental and spiritual.  Unfortunately, once tumours are discovered in the physical body, using alternative therapies alone may not be enough to eradicate the problem.  Steve Jobs comes to mind.  I personally think that alternative therapies are for preventative measures and also as a last resort, i.e. when conventional medicine has given up on the patient.  

Siding with one and shunning the other is not conducive to the purpose of balancing the polarity. No man's an island; nothing works in isolation.  What's wrong with using both? There is definitely a place for both systems to exist in tandem in order to serve humankind harmoniously - if we are willing to be pragmatic and open-minded with the idea.

Living Astrologically: Balancing the Virgo-Pisces polarity

Think positive!

Stay calm!

Everything is OK!

Now apply them in the REAL world.

How can you stay positive when you have people in your life shedding tears before your very eyes because members of their family is dying?  How do you stay calm when you are struggling to make ends meet?  How can you bring yourself to say 'Everything is OK' when clearly it isn't?  

As a Pisces Sun, Mars and South Node oppose Saturn and North Node in Virgo native, I have taken on the lesson of balancing the Virgo-Pisces polarity: to make spirituality practical and relevant in our daily lives.

It is so easy to remain positive and calm when you are in the comfort of your own home, with your nose behind a new age book, teaching you mantras to chant to keep your mind focused on 'what you want'.  Don't get me wrong, I truly believe in the power of positive thinking but the real test comes when we integrate ourselves back into the real world.  How do we convince people of the value of positive thinking when disasters befall them?  This reminds me of James Redfield's second novel in the Celestine Prophecy series, The Tenth Insight:  Holding the Vision.  How do we hold the spiritual vision (Pisces) in reality (Virgo)?

This is how I attempt to utilise my Virgo-Pisces polarity:

• Step behind the Virgo mask and stabilise your emotions
• Listen with the Pisces heart
• Access the spiritual teachings (Pisces) embedded in your brain (Virgo)
• Articulate (Virgo) the spiritual wisdom (Pisces) as appropriate

Yes, easier said than done, but I believe wholeheartedly that everything happens for a reason.  

No matter how tough the lesson, there is a gem buried in there somewhere.  

Your heart might be breaking but the cruel reality is - the world keeps on moving whether you like it or not.  

Have a good cry, extract the lesson within and move on.  

We are all here for a reason.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Magnetic Wave Therapy

While sauntering around the stalls at the 44th Hong Kong Brands & Products Expo on the last day of 2009, I came across the following poster:

I was rather captivated by the mapping of the human body onto the hand - similar to reflexology but on the foot.  I began to snap away with my camera when a sales assistant came and gave me a leaflet with a copy of the poster on it.  She then offered us a free consultation by a magnetic wave device - a small machine with a metal probe for delivering mild magnetic waves to the hand.  If the part of the body is weak, then a numbing sensation can be felt.  If the part of the body requires medical attention, then pain can be felt.  For more information on this product, please visit http://aculifeuk.com/index.htm

My diagnosis is that I need to pay attention to my appendix, neck and to relax more (yes, the machine worked out that I have a nervous disposition!).  Also some slight hormonal imbalance - probably comes with the stress!