The main theme for November is “THE UNKNOWN.”
The Unknown is what you cannot see, hear, feel, know, second- guess, expect or control. There is no instruction manual and nothing familiar. The comfort zone is being eroded much like being in a swimming pool where all of a sudden the sides of the pool disappear and you find yourself in a vast body of water with no edges in sight. You will either sink or swim and this is the nature of this month. Fear will cause you to sink.
The willingness to be in a new experience will keep you afloat.
The UNKNOWN is like the dark. The creative mind goes wild without the reality check of the seen world. This can create the possibility for great delusion, fear, and physical, mental and emotional discomfort. On the other hand, when there is no reference point, the creativity is boundless and it can be much easier to think outside the box and eliminate limiting thoughts and beliefs as well as old patterns.
Thinking outside the box and bringing in your imagination can be freeing but tricky at the same time. You need to have some reference points and reality checks so you don’t simply fall into the void and get lost in your own delusions. Community will be important this month especially being with people who are on the same page as you are. If you are not in the right environment, workspace, relationship or community, it will become painfully obvious. If you are not able to make the changes you need to, don’t be surprised if spirit arranges it for you.
This could be a difficult month to navigate especially for those that do not have a good internal reference point and compass of their own spiritual practice. Whether it is participating in an organized religion or following a personal spiritual practice, it will exceptionally important to rely on it this month to guide you.
The time brings tremendous possibilities to recreate just about everything in your life. When you are dealing with the UNKNOWN, you can either hide in fear and wait for the night to be over, or you can explore the possibilities by opening your eyes, making friends with the shadows and using your other intuitive senses to “see” in the dark.
Darkness is the perfect canvas for the imagination and we all know that imagination is one of the building blocks of manifesting.
The exciting thing about this month is that we have the perfect opportunity to break through that membrane that represents a limited physical reality and expand ourselves into a larger container. We will need to move our security point from being defined externally to our internal knowing and sense of ourselves.
Your heart is the best compass you have and it always knows deep down inside what you truly want, who you truly are and what makes you happy. Trust your heart not your mind this month and beware of the mind trying to masquerade as the heart. At no other time has it been this imperative that you keep “don’t know mind”.
One of the biggest lessons and challenges for some of you will be to let go, really let go, of the need to know, the need to be right and the need to control. These three needs are needs of the mind and will derail you from the true power available this month.
Watch the stories your mind tells you in the attempt to understand this great dissolving of the known container. There is a fine line between delusion and reality. The reality this month is the great UNKNOWN. Delusion is just another expression of “the need to know” creating a new story that you can get attached to that may or may not manifest.
You may witness those around you dealing with the UNKNOWN in different ways. Some will have a difficult time of it especially if their shadow has to do with their self-worth. Some will become almost manic in their creative new stories, some will withdraw in deep fear, and others will be able to walk that tightrope, keeping their eyes open, trusting their instincts, doing their daily practices and honoring the path of the heart.
This month supports the healing of our deepest fears. When the shadow surfaces, as it will for all of us, the discipline will be to starve it of any power by facing it with a “don’t know mind” and humbly turning the whole process over to spirit. This is allowing the heart to lead instead of the mind. The heart can face the UNKNOWN with way more wisdom than the mind can.
How can you make the most of this month?
- Turn your fears into delighted anticipation of a great surprise that is supportive and satisfying beyond your wildest imagination.
- Release the past, forgive the past, and dissolve old beliefs and patterns.
- Drop the need to know, the need to control, the need to be right.
- Trust the heart, be creative, and dream big! The sky is the limit.
- Be excited and inspired rather than fearful.
- Face the unknown with confidence and a willingness to have everything turn out well. Watch Martyrdom. You are never the victim.
- Get help when you need it. Your support people will be your best reference point when you feel lost.
- Rely on your spiritual practice whatever that may be. Do something daily.
- Be compassionate around others who are having a difficult time without matching them. Make a separation. Don’t be afraid to say no to what does not feel right.
- Trust spirit and the larger order of things. Anchor the belief that it will all turn out OK.
(The monthly support Mp3 is a very helpful)
(Jose’s Mp3 “The Nature of Fear” is helpful and offered at a discount this month)
How the month shows up
YOU PERSONALLY
Working with the unknown this month will have many faces. You may experience the surfacing of parts of your shadow that were unknown to you before. This is a good thing as what comes to the surface can also be more easily eliminated. You may revisit childhood fears recognizing that they have no power over you. You may gain a deeper understanding of what is yours and what belongs to someone else.
Another face of the Unknown is the opportunity to redefine and recreate yourself. This is tricky as the tendency for some of you can turn to the extreme, and you will need to be conscious of that. Remember that the body does not do well with extremes and a gradual process of change is sometimes easier.
Some of you may feel that you are at a crossroads where you need to make a choice. This choice may be internal such as around a belief or pattern that no longer serves, or it may be external, causing you to leave a job or a relationship or other environment. If your life is too static, you may find yourself making a choice or decision that will bring you into the unknown. If you get locked up in fear, spirit may give you a little help. If this happens do not feel victimized by it but see it as the change you created.
RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships are a container for learning, growth and karmic lessons. Beware of rash decisions and always give the benefit of the doubt this month. Trust the heart and “keep don’t know mind” whenever you feel confusion about the unknown quality of whatever may be happening in your relationships.
It is a good month to step into new ways of being in relationship. Working on your self worth, self esteem and ability to have what you want will manifest in these new relationship containers. Observe where you give your power away to old beliefs based on past experiences and work on eliminating and dissolving those old patterns.
Watch for paranoia around your relationships when the quality of the Unknown is present. This is where you need to trust your heart and to trust that whatever is the right thing will happen. If others around you are acting out, you may not be able to fix it. Relax.
ENVIRONMENT
Make sure your environment somehow expresses ways that you are recreating and redefining yourself. Be very aware of how symbolic your environment is to how you are dealing with your life right now. Pay attention to it daily, as it is your reference point in this time of the unknown. Bring beauty in, eliminate clutter, and make changes that support your movement forward. Make sure that your personal environment feels like a sanctuary and includes comfort and security. These are important when everything else may feel like uncontrolled chaos and confusion. You need to have a nest where you can re ground and reset yourself when you need to.
On a larger scale, the greater environment will also be acting “outside the box”. We may see anomalies in weather or planetary events. Things that have never happened before may bring up fearful responses and the attempt to understand, control or be right. The positive approach is to be delighted and excited, awed and empowered by these new developments. After all, the planet is very creative and we are in the Unknown.
HEALTH/PHYSICAL BODY
One of the lessons to be learned here is that the body is a highly adaptable, creative and responsive organism and it will respond just as powerfully to fear, as it will to positivity, optimism and a belief that anything is possible. Be very observant of what instruction through your beliefs you are giving your body every day. Refining your instructions could be your focus of change and recreating yourself for the month.
Our minds LOVE to define everything! We especially love to define physical conditions and diseases. This is our addiction to “the need to know”. Beware of definitions and diagnoses. Worrying about the safety and survival of the body is one of the surest and fastest paths to fear. If you “think” you have something going on or may possibly in the future have something going on, turn this thought into a “don’t know” attitude and allow for the unknown to be a positive container for your health and well being instead of a breeding ground for fear.
Challenges this month may be around kidneys (as they are related to fear), digestion and skin rashes. Remember that when there is a challenge it also presents itself as an opportunity for healing and getting beyond what the symptoms represent.
This is a good month to get some acupuncture, energy work and shamanic healing.
BUSINESS/PARTNERSHIPS/PROJECTS
Just when you think you have it figured out, spirit will throw a monkey wrench into your carefully planned and well-organized project. This does not mean it is a negative or challenging thing so watch that you don’t react negatively or fearfully. Throwing aspects of a project or business structure into the unknown can be very positive as it may force you to think outside the box and be a little more creative with your solutions. Of course this may lead to a restructuring or redefining of goals and values but that can also be a positive outcome. Watch that you don’t get too extreme or fall into a delusional place.
The UNKNOWN climate this month can breed great excitement, inspiration and enthusiasm. It is a great month to start something new. Just make sure you are not using old ideas and beliefs about how it should be done. Keep “don’t know mind” about the details while at the same time “knowing” in your heart through your own level of excitement and inspiration that you are on the right track.
There are aspects this month that make it a good time to examine your resources and move beyond your limiting beliefs about those resources. It is an excellent month for manifesting as long as you can eliminate any negative, victimized and limited thinking.
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The author of this commentary, Lena Stevens, is the co-founder of an international school and consulting firm dedicated to the study and application of shamanism and wisdom. Lena Stevens has co-authored books with Jose Stevens, Ph.D., such as Secrets of Shamanism:Tapping the Spirit Power Within You. Their website is http://www.thepowerpath.com