Today the moon moves into the expansive, warm, friendly sign of Leo, and tomorrow it joins up with the sun to make a new moon. Here are Donna Cunningham’s Leo affirmations from Moon Signs:
I release the need to be the center of attention.
I let go of pride, ego, and self-centeredness.
I carry myself with confidence and dignity.
I accept myself as lovable, capable, and worthwhile.
I feel the love the divine heart of God has for me.
What I want to focus on this month:
I release the need to be the center of attention.
I have the planet Venus in the sign of Leo in my chart, which makes me love the idea of the limelight more than the actual limelight itself. Last year I charted out my relationship with performance, and was not surprised to find that it’s been a story of frequent approaches to performance situations, from which I quickly back away as soon as I’ve had the experience I needed. So I’ve done one opera recital, and one self-written one-man show, I’ve been briefly in one rock-and-roll band and one Morris dancing troupe. I sang one time with Seattle Tudor Choir, one time with the Seattle Chamber Singers, performed once with an avant-garde gamalan ensemble.
Apart from the quite self-effacing world of Gregorian chant performance, my one steady gig over the last twenty years or so, my desire to be seen is regularly overcome by some deeper need that keeps calling me away from performance to work that is more inner, more private, and less public.
In this most recent phase of my life I see a similar dynamic at work, with some interesting shifts. Moving into work as a spiritual healer and teacher, it feels very important to me *not* to call attention to myself. I don’t think marketing in any traditional sense is a good idea – much better to let the connections form organically, as they need to. And in general this is my approach. As much as I can (though I am working against some patterns within me, and some imposed pretty fiercely from without by society) I am seeking to allow my students and clients to come to me. Nevertheless, over time I do feel a calling to make myself visible: through the writing of this blog, for example, or through the Soul Cartography class I started teaching earlier this year. As I say, there are old patterns there, and at times I fall into the “please look at me” state of mind. But in terms of my intention and my way of practicing, what I’m doing now is really quite different from past adventures of seeking attention. There is much greater clarity about *why* I am seeking this attention, and also *what I will do with it* when I have it. It is now crystal clear to me that I have healing work to do, blessing to offer, wisdom to impart. One of the shamanic concepts I love is the practice of being a “hollow bone” – or as we used to sing in my childhood evangelical days:
Channels only, blessed Master
Of thy wonder-working power.
Flowing through us, thou canst use us
Every day and every hour.
As a channel, or a hollow bone, I can call attention to my work, invite others to participate in my work, without my needing to be the center of attention. This is showing up more and more clearly over time: that makes me pretty happy!
