Choosing to choose

By Anita Ashland

Grace has been a favorite word of mine since childhood.

When I was born my grandmother gave my parents a framed print of an explanation of what the name Anita means and it hung on the wall of my childhood bedroom. Anita means grace and that resonated with me.

So I was happy to see that Hexagram 22, Grace, of the I Ching, is our hexagram host for this next week. It describes grace as “beauty of form” and that which brings order and pleasantness.

The image is of fire at the foot of the mountain. This shows how grace has limitations, however. Fire here does not shine far; grace only brings success in small things and should be used sparingly. It’s the strong element of the mountain that takes the lead and is the decisive factor.

I’m reminded of one of my favorite James Hollis quotes:

I sometimes call myself “a recovering Nice Guy.” We were all raised to be nice, really nice. A reflexive “niceness” is a pathogenic loss of connection to the soul, and is not nice. The opposite of such a reflexive niceness is called authenticity, or integrity.

The planetary archetype associate with grace is Venus. Appropriately, Venus is exalated in Pisces and will be joining the Pisces party in about a week.

The opposite of Venus is Mars, which will enter Pisces at the end of the month.

The combination of Mars and Venus can help us turn niceness into authenticity and integrity. If you look at where both planets are in your natal chart, you will see what that specifically looks like for you.

From a typology perspective, developing a stronger connection between your hero (dominant) functon and inferior (anima/animus) function creates more integrity and authenticity. Jungian analyst John Beebe, my favorite typologist, says individuation is ultimately about integrity, not about the transformation of character.

With Saturn, the planet of responsibility, in Pisces for two more years or so, and soon Venus and Mars to join Saturn and the Sun there, it seems fitting to close with what Jungian analyst and astrologer Christina Becker says:

In life, being authentic means that you own your life and take responsibility for it, and this bears a striking similarity to the definition of integrity. Being inauthentic suggests an “unowned” life. The German philosopher Heidegger suggests that “authenticity is a matter of choosing to choose, that is, of making one’s choices one’s own and so being answerable and responsible for one’s life.

Remember it’s OK, though, to add a dash of grace once in a while.

REFERENCES:

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm