Venus' Song
by Anna Duval

Women who were turned inside-out Ten times over by childbirth On the wind-washed lonely islands Lead the circle of obon dancers Through a full moon night in August The youngest girl last; Women who were up since last night Scaling and cleaning the flying fish Sing about love. Over and over, Sing about love. Love, by Gary Snyder ~ from Regarding Wave, New Directions 1970

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We humans crave rhythm.

Our bodies find trust and surrender in the heartbeat of a drum, the cooing sounds of a lover, the breath of life singing on a breezy summer’s eve.

Out hearts need rhythm, too. We need to relate to the cycles of life for some sense of comfort amidst the seemingly insane chaos. Throughout the seasons our Great Mother says, I am always here for you. Hear my voice in the wind as it sings for you, feel my warmth in the sun as it rises for you day after day after day, know my power even in the wintery months of death. When we feel the love, even in the face of death, we release the fear.

Sing about love.

Over and over,

Sing about love.

Now’s the time to be singing about love. The exquisite patterns of Venus, that bright star-planet who has always sung of love, is showing us Her face now, filled, in awe, with natural beauty. (This new moon is conjunct, in Gemini, the degree of Venus’ retrograde station, and opposed to Pluto. For more on The Kiss of Venus, see last month’s Season Teachings.) Her face is not just sweet this time, though. She’s not just nice and pretty and yummy. This time Venus is singing in opposition to Pluto, Lord of Death and Transformation. It’s not that Pluto is bad, in and of Himself - it’s what we make of him that sucks. Pluto just is, sitting over there on his underworldly throne of rock-hard ice, saying Yes, I am death. Yes, all things will pass. Yes, you will die a million little deaths in any one lifetime. You may be able to choose all sorts of things, but death is mine, and you cannot control it. The fact of Pluto isn’t the problem. The problem is our reaction to Him. It’s the fear He evokes in us that causes all the control-based, depraved behavior.

Humans tend to get manipulative, even violent, ‘cause we’re afraid. We think, maybe if we do this, or try to make others do that, we can avoid death. You see the problem.

That’s what Venus is singing to us now, in her consciousness-raising opposition to Pluto:

You see the problem!

You see it!

Wake up!

When you get greedy and try to control other people, you will have unanticipated problems beyond anything you had imagined!

When you play with guns, people (maybe you!) die!

When you use any form of violence, even in word or thought, whether towards others or towards yourself, people (maybe you!) get hurt!

You know the problem!

Wake up!

What you put out comes back to you a million-fold!

Most of us reading this are not playing with guns. But are we supporting others who do so? And we could all be asking ourselves, In our lives right now, how does love need to be sung in the face of Pluto?

***

Sing about love.

Over and over,

Sing about love.

***

Yesterday I went to a zen-sponsored event called Change Your Mind Day. When I walked in there was a chi kung teacher showing us how to pull in loving kindness from the world and let it wash down our backs, then bring up loving kindness from the earth and let it pour forth through our central core. A rhythm of loving kindness. So simple. Breathe with it. Try it - you’ll like it. It’s what every cell craves.

Sing about love.

It made me remember, from The Bhagavad Gita: Be kind, as everyone you meet is engaged in a great battle. It’s the battle with Pluto.

Over and over,

Sing about love.

Later I heard these words sung on the radio:

© 2004 Anna Duval
All rights reserved