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| LeRoy Neiman, Classic Marathon Finish (1983) |
Today, we have a New Moon in the fixed earth sign of Taurus,
the tenacious and strong Bull. With the Moon forming a grand trine with Pluto in Capricorn and
Jupiter in Virgo, this lunation emanates a grounded, deliberate energy that can be
effective with a “steady as she goes” approach.
No quick thrusts and sprints,
no burnout or “take no prisoners!” approaches. At this time, we thrive with
gentleness, steadiness, and self-care. We open our hearts and rest our nervous
systems, trusting that all will get done in due time. Once Taurus energy gets the ball rolling,
it acquires a great deal of inertia and the result is unstoppable.
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not
stop.” ~ Confucius
Having my own natal Saturn –
planet of discipline, effectivity, and hard work– in the sign of Taurus, I have come to realize
that I can achieve long-term goals that require momentum and tenacity, taking
it slow but consistently showing up. About 15 years ago, I trained for and completed the Chicago
Marathon – all 26.2 miles of it. I wasn’t a strong runner when I began the training
program; in fact, running was a particularly difficult sport for me, which is
why I opted to learn how to do it, the long way.
I had attempted to go for the London Marathon the year prior, but
sustained a debilitating bout of runner’s knee mixed with severe sciatica and
an inflamed IT band, and had to drop out of the training program. I had been
running too many miles too fast, irritating my entire musculoskeletal system
to the point where not only could I not run, I couldn’t walk without pain for
months.
It took a long time – and a large investment in acupuncture and
chiropractic – to recover. Therefore, when I began training for Chicago (‘my
kind of town’) I pledged to go slow, train properly, and to listen carefully to my coaches’
words…
Rest on the Uphill
In prepping for long-distance runs over several months, our coaches taught us
to “Rest on the Uphill.” I was training in the hilly city of San Francisco, and
our workouts regularly included steep inclines. Instead of keeping a swift
clip on the climb, we would save our legs, our heart rates, and our sanity by
slowing down. I learned to trundle – clomp, clomp, clomp – up
those SF streets, thus avoiding injury.
This is analogous to life: when we have
a long way to go, a steep mountain to climb before we reach our goal, we can
take it easy. This is paradoxical, isn’t it? Take it easy? you say. On the toughest
parts? Well, yes. You can speed up when you’re back on the downhill slope, back
in the flow and over the hump. Remember, you’re in Life for the long haul. Rest on the uphill.
Start out Slow, then Slow Down
When running any long-distance race, especially anything
over 20 miles, we are taught to “start out slow, then slow down.” If we're not disciplined, we get so excited when we exit the chute, that we bolt. Our adrenaline
rushes, and off we go! Sprinting for the first five, ten miles. Then – uh, oh – we hit the
proverbial wall. We’re tired. We’re tuckered. The reserves are depleted. We
crash.
Therefore, my marathon coaches taught me, a wise distance runner disciplines herself to go
slower than she is naturally inclined to do at the beginning of the race. We
temper ourselves. It may feel like holding ourselves back, and we may chomp at the bit. But we remind
ourselves it’s a long, long way, and we’ll need that juice later on. Slow and
steady wins the race, just like the tortoise beat the hare. Easy does it.
The ironic
part? Strong distance runners end up completing the second half of the race faster than the first. And believe me,
after three or four hours on the course, you want to get those last miles
ticked off. Like other big feats, the project has long lost its novel appeal, and you want to move
rapidly across the finish line. You’ll be happy your body and mind have
plenty left to push you through of their own accord. That’s momentum. That’s stamina.
That’s the power of Taurus.
So, at this New Moon time in Taurus, when we're readying to start new ventures, remember the tortoise. Rest on the uphill, trust that it’s okay to
slow down. You’ll get there – not broken and wasted, but smiling and intact,
with enough energy to spare for celebration, knowing you could even do it again if
you needed to.
You did it! Right-sized, right-paced. And right for you.
“In the race for success, speed is less important than
stamina.” ~ B.C. Forbes
Erin Reese
is an author, spiritual guide, astrologer, and modern psychic reader based in the San
Francisco Bay Area. She works with clients all over the world. For
readings and spiritual counseling by Skype, phone or email, contact her
directly. She can be reached at erin@erinreese.com.
