So anyways, let me tell you something about ants.
There’s been this new study on ants in some university or other. In Israel, I think. I’d tell you the details, but at that precise minute in the radio story I took a work call, and I couldn’t negotiate Sydney traffic, say something sensible to a colleague and listen to the radio at the same time…so let’s pretend the details of the study don’t matter too much in the big picture of this story.
Ok. The ants.
We know that they work together in order to transport that bread-crumb or piece of cheese from your picnic table to wherever they need to. What we didn’t know is how they worked together.
(Those of you who know a little about Aquarius can see where I’m heading with this- am I right?)
The ant who found that breadcrumb knows she (and most of the heavy lifting in the ant world is done by the females) can’t do what she needs to do on her own. That’s where the community comes in.
There’s no jockeying for poll position under the spotlight when you’re an ant. Nor is there a specific hierarchy or pecking order that needs to be followed. Rather than just knowing what to do or following a leader, they actually display a mix of conforming and erratic behaviours.
Some ants go with the flow, others run around looking for a new path forward. Sometimes the direction changes markedly. The leadership changes seamlessly without argument or grandstanding. It’s a little like the ant equivalent of kids sport where everyone has the turn to be the captain. In kids sport it’s supposed to help build individual courage within the structure of a team. I’m not sure what the purpose is in the ant world- other than to get that breadcrumb off your picnic blanket and to wherever it needs to go.
This all leads me (of course it does) to the Aquarius Full Moon. It’s that balance between the individual and the collective, between self-expression and the joining of like minds, between creativity and collaboration. It’s the point where you take what you’ve created and send it out into the world to meet your hopes and dreams.
The Full Moon in Aquarius is all about acknowledging all the bits and pieces that make us individual, yet also all the bits and pieces that we have to work with in order to co-exist in society. The Full Moon in Aquarius is that point where we acknowledge that we quite simply can’t do it alone.
Socially cohesive tribes who have common goals, watch each others backs and trust each other have an awful lot of advantages. It’s not just about ants. Even fish know this. Just watch schools of fish wheeling and turning together, presenting a united front to the shark who sees them simply as entrée course. The individual is less important than the tribe. All of their differences are all brought together to form the whole…yet each still continues (assuming they don’t end up as dinner, that is) to exist and express themselves as an individual- however it is that fish express themselves, I guess…
We are also tribal. To exist we need others. To achieve our personal goals we need interaction with others- regardless of whether we like them, tolerate them, agree with them or can identify with them. It’s not surprising that the cooperative has adapted and flourished and adapted and flourished. And yes, the repetition was deliberate.
The problems begin when two groups compete with each other for something that the other wants…when egos get in the way.
From a personal viewpoint, I‘ve never felt that I fitted neatly into any pre-defined pigeon-hole. And, with most planets in my chart hitting Uranus, I’m actually quite proud of all the little weird quirks that make me who I am. Yet I always made an outward effort to conform- to the degree that is necessary for survival.
At some point over the last few years, I’ve worked out that being yourself is OK. It’s OK to embrace the quirks and dare to be yourself. It’s OK to enjoy own time and just as OK to prefer to surround yourself with others of a like mind. It’s OK to love the way you choose and the people you choose to love.
We each bring to the table something different for the melting pot. As individuals we form that conglomerate that is humanity, and as humanity we need to recognize that every individual plays a part and deserves to be treated humanely.
It’s all too easy to share with and associate with those only who reflect ourselves- the person we see in the mirror. Yet just how rich and fulfilling can it be to also identify with those who don’t?
Wherever 8 (ok, 7 degrees 56’ to be exactish) Aquarius and Leo fall in your chart is where you need to be thinking about this balance.
Given that both Leo and Aquarius are fixed signs, achieving this balance and breaking through to the next level is probably going to involve turning some preconceived idea on its head. That’s ok- it’s stepping outside the group and doing a little erratic running around that can help you find a new way forward.
You just need the courage to do so- and that’s your call.
Doing it for yourself…
By now you should know the drill. If not, check out this post and refer back to Tuesday Toolbox lesson 1 and 1.1 if you need help drafting or reading your chart.