Retrograde

It’s a scientific fact that if you take your foot off the gas, you’ll lose momentum. The same applies if you cease to continue applying yourself to forward motion. To your home. To your job. To your relationships. To your physical, mental and/or spiritual health. It’s not all uphill, but ongoing effort is required.

Was it George Washington who said complacency is democracy’s greatest enemy? Somebody said it, and democracy is one thing. A large thing, granted, but the statement fits all to which we mortals aspire. I don’t mean to chide anyone for skipping a nightly prayer or a daily vitamin here; this isn’t a reprimand. It’s a theory.

My favourite villain at present is the bad guy in Sleepy Hollow. He’s a super-successful industry magnate who has recently gained immortality through nefarious means (he sold his soul to the Devil, then reneged on the deal by stealing the Philosopher’s Stone). During a dream sequence at the start of one episode, he pontificated on humanity’s need, nay desire, for a shepherd. He talked of our reluctance to apply ourselves to the labour of self-government, our abhorrence to think for ourselves, and our inherent propensity to take the easy route. That route, regrettably, leads to complacency. From there, society goes downhill pretty steadily. Eventually, we lose what others fought to preserve or achieve in hope of creating a better world for us—their children. Finally, when enough momentum has been lost, things like the US election and Brexit happen, and we all wake up in the 1950s.

Are we truly going backward? Have we allowed our society to regress beyond redemption? Do we really have to start over, to regain ground first broken for us then lost through our own negligence? Sure seems like it ... but maybe it’s a matter of perception.

Every once in a while (too often for my taste), the planet Mercury goes into retrograde. This happens when Mercury’s orbit, which is smaller and faster than Earth’s, takes it past us and into a spin that makes it appear as if the tiny planet is moving backward across our night sky. It messes with technology and communications (don’t ask me how) until Mercury catches up with us ... or we catch up to Mercury. Again, it’s a matter of perception.

And that’s my point. We may appear as if we’re moving backward, but in truth we continue to move forward. Even as hatred and avarice seem to be gaining strength, the majority who oppose these recessive traits are amassing to fight them. At the very least, we’re maintaining orbit, and in time, when enough collective energy gathers to push us ahead once more, we’ll come out of social retrograde.

In the meantime, maintain your cool. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to others. Blame no one. Take responsibility. Work hard. Remember your divinity. Express gratitude. Breathe. Tell someone you love them. Be the change you want to see. Trust your heart. Let’s continue moving forward, wide awake and aware.

With love,