All of us do it. We end something- sometimes a big something- in our lives to make way for something new. The more we grow, the less trauma is associated with the endings and the less time there is from ending to beginning. But we still activate these cycles.
Why do we do it? Why do we implode and uproot things? And is there a way to experience these overhauls in a non-negative (or at least more holistic) way?
I am an astrologer of almost 10 years- so I look to the cosmic psyche to answer these particular questions. In our current sun season, There are a few things that “go to work” in the underpinnings of major overhauls in a person’s life. We see similar things going to work in collective/mass transformations- but these usually take place over a longer period of time and for the sake of this article, it is more beneficial to do the inner work so to speak and examine ourselves. For we find that the collective is a reflected reverberation of our own selves.
So, why is there at least some (obviously, exceptions exist!) human tendency to destroy a whole part of our life- and is this healthy? To answer this (and honestly, most of life’s bigger/deeper questions), I look to the fundamental structure and most basic motions. The fundamental structure an astrologer looks at is a wheel chart- this has been true since the development of astrology by the Babylonians and is still true no matter what tradition an astrologer reads from. This chart is designed to show cycles and motion, and ultimately, growth over time.
Destruction and transformation are not the end of an astrological cycle- the end is seen in the same area that rules dreams, the unconscious, and intoxication (this is an area called the “Twelfth House” ruled by the twelfth sign, Pisces, and associated with the planets Neptune and Jupiter). Destruction and transformation are ruled by the Eighth House- Scorpio, Pluto, and Mars.
It is in fact, archetypally recognized even by ancient people, as a “more than halfway” through a cycle type of event, if we see the life of a person as moving from childhood in the First House through death in the Twelfth House. It appears to be an innate part of what people move through- for some, there will be many activities in this realm and for others maybe just a couple or maybe very “light” experiences of transformation.
Why do we uproot to begin with- why IS this a part of our cycles? I again bring us back to some fundamentals. Looking at what happens just before and just after a major change, we almost always see a huge perspective shift (just before), then experience or cause a transformation as a way to make manifest and tangible (e.g. to match our reality to our thoughts) that perspective shift, and then we decide whether the change is “good” or “bad”.
Sometimes we like the new things we have created. Sometimes we lament getting rid of what we destroyed. The more practiced we are at cultivating our own mentality and learning to interact with other individuals (these are covered astrologically in the First through Seventh Houses), the more we are able to bring about positive transformation and experience it as a “good” thing with a “good” or desirable result.
Is this healthy- and can this be non-negative or more holistic? YES! Absolutely, 100% yes by taking responsibility- by realizing that you ARE creating experiences. The other way is to shift your perspective about the results of the transformation. Results are not inherently “bad” or “good”, that is all about what lens we are using to view them!
Don’t worry or force a perspective shift, it may not be possible or even beneficial to shift it from a negative all the way over to a positive- but maybe see things from an altogether different way. Give yourself some distance and space from what you’re experiencing and see what else you see. This can be refreshing and really get you out of repetitive cycles.
