Happy as a Clam

When I was in grade school, my teacher asked us if we could be any animal what would we be? I answered a bird, to which most of my 5^th grade classmates made fun of me, calling me birdbrain. I chose a bird because I didn’t have a desire to be an animal at all. I asked my mom what she would be, and she, likewise responded with a bird. I asked her why. She said because they are free, flying up in the sky without anything holding them back or bothering them. I guess she wasn’t that familiar with eagles and birds of prey. Years later, in 8^th grade, my teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down happy. She told me I didn’t understand the assignment; now, older, I had the guts to tell her she didn’t understand the answer.

This is a somewhat unusual New Moon post for Pisces, because the “New Moon” passed us by a while ago – in fact, we’re getting past the full moon. My timing may seem a little off, but it’s actually intentional. Very often our sense of feeling happy or fulfilled is mired by life’s stresses and hiccups. This post serves to remind us that it’s never too late to seize the opportunity of now and to always reach for what we desire – fulfillment, unconditional love and happiness – no matter how stressful things seem or how many glasses of water you feel you need to drink upside down to rid yourself of those hiccups (it works… seriously).

It’s the month of Adar, the twelfth and last month of the lunar calendar falling under the zodiac sign of Pisces, which is considered the month to stabilize the year ahead. This is the time to really take control and make the best out of what is to come – to plant our seeds and have a vision of what we want to manifest next month.

Kabbalists say that it is our job to draw down joy and happiness from the supernal world, which offers an ever-flowing wellspring of joy, not only for the four weeks under Pisces, but the entire year. If this is our task, then my goodness, why are we waiting? The energy and influence of Pisces is HAPPINESS for us all, and if we spend our time IN happiness not only for ourselves, but all those we love and cherish, peppered with a few random strangers along the way—even better… perhaps someone you don’t particularly enjoy—the more abundant our happiness will be.

Let’s go fishing in the supernal worlds of happiness then, shall we…

Two fish, swimming in water in opposite directions, represent the sign of Pisces, and the planet Jupiter rules over it. As we have come to know, water symbolizes mercy and good fortune, and Jupiter is considered the planet of abundance; with these wonderful and powerful influences it is no small wonder that those ruled by this sign are such compassionate and generous beings. They are born to share, they are devoted and loyal—in their hearts they know that service and devotion to their fellow creatures is the purpose of life—and we know that with sharing comes great happiness.

Pisceans are renowned for having difficulties when it comes down to making a decision. The two fish swimming in opposite directions typifies the tug-of-war aspect of their inner life—the head tells them one thing, and the heart dictates something else—have you ever dined out with a Pisces…? Almost impossible for them to choose, which is why it is so important for these sensitive and devoted beings to be encouraged to act on their first hunch—their gut-feeling—in order to develop a confidence in their intuition.

Kabbalist Rav Berg explains that Pisces are connected to two worlds; the real world – the physical world as we see it, and the spiritual world – they are evolved in a different sphere of consciousness – they are aware that everything they “see” is actually an illusion. Hence this is a great time of year, which allows us to “see all” and break the illusion of what we perceive as reality. Their heightened awareness that 99% of what we see is really the illusion, enables them to strongly recognize that no matter what happens in life it will all work out in the end. Let’s tap into that consciousness as of RIGHT NOW!

The one down side to this is they lack the desire to fight for what they want. They already know it will all be fine in the end, so why struggle? They do not like to struggle. If something feels too challenging to obtain, they lack the energy to go after it. But what is life about if we don’t have desire? Desire is the fuel of life; it generates ambition and essentially changes the world. Most of life’s inventions were born out of either need or desire (I’m not sure they’re necessarily two separate things)…the wheel, electricity, Green Peace… the internet!

Rav Ashlag, the founder of the Kabbalah Centre said that the basis of living IS desire, and that where you manifest your desire is what your life becomes. We all know that behind our greatest challenges lies the sweetness of a job well done and truly earned. We must strive for what we want, especially our happiness. And one of the greatest ways to achieve this is through sharing and certainty. The energy of sharing brings us closer to the Creator, and closer to revealing our very own Light. Certainty, as we know, keeps that wonderful channel open.

The intention behind what we do in this life is paramount to everlasting joy. When we love outside ourselves, when we share and give of ourselves, that is when we reach nirvana (not the 90’s rock band sensation… but true enlightenment). When we come to truly accept and know that the world we live in is NOT the absolute; when we no longer buy into every transaction and every encounter we have, and truly come to understand that there is so much more than meets the eye, that is when we nurture our sense of certainty, and draw on the energy available in the supernal worlds.

It’s time to have a long swim in the wellspring of happiness and fulfillment… Tap into the consciousness and jump in!

JOURNAL:

If you are faced with a challenging situation today, close your eyes for 2 minutes and tell yourself, “This is not the whole picture.”
Remind yourself that we are limited with what we see.
Did you notice a shift in your perspective? If so, what was the shift?