Now that we are fully into Cancer season, it’s the perfect time to think about keeping still.
Hexagram 52: Keeping Still is associated with this section of Cancer.* I like how Hilary Barrett refers to this hexagram as “stilling,” which is a verb. This emphasizes that stillness is a process and is active.
Here is some more of her commentary:
“To still yourself is to come to rest in your own right place. …Attaining this kind of stillness means firmly, even stubbornly, resisting the forces that would disrupt your equilibrium”
She goes further to say that even if you feel you ought to be constantly sensitive to others and their needs, “in a time of Stilling it is no mistake to exclude all these things, and be quiet within your self.” It’s like you “simply not see the other people there, because you hold yourself still and do not resonate with them.”
In typology terms, it is dialing down the extraverted feeling (the “friendly hosting” function per Dario Nardi) and tuning into your introverted feeling (the “appraising” function per John Beebe). This helps you focus more on your inner perspective.
It can help to ponder questions during stilling periods, which will also help you get into that state. Here are just a few prompts:
- How well are you able to live in the present moment? How often are you instead preoccupied with the past and the future?
- As you still yourself, do you have an increased awareness of purpose in your life guided by your inner wisdom?
- How much of your life is in response to external demands? Reflect on how you can make a stronger connection between your outer and inner life.
If you have natal planets in this section of Cancer (my ascendant ruler Jupiter is here), you can include that as part of your journaling and reflecting as well. If you don’t have natal planets there, the Sun is currently visiting there and shining light into that area of your life as indicated in your chart.
When we retreat from others to strengthen the connection to our inner wisdom, we emerge with more compassion for, and understanding of, others. As Henri Nouwen said, “solitude is the ground from which community grows. …In solitude we discover each other in a way that physical presence makes difficult if not impossible.”
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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.
References:
I Ching: Walking Your Path, Creating Your Future by Hilary Barrett
You Are the Beloved by Henri Nouwen
