Yes, I am asking you to think about your father and Venus.You’ll see how important this is as you read through this post.
Do you want to awaken compassionate imagination about your experience of your father and find peace in seeing into the mysterious purpose of how you were fathered in this life? No matter how old you are do you want to find resolution for your complex feelings around your father?
Do you want Father’s Day to be more than a day of sentimental recognition and remembering of our fathers. More than a day of commercial celebration for buying cards, gifts and food. I love all of this “specialness”, but I love more the diving deep into archetypes, seeking real meaning, working with karma, and following an enlivening quest for wisdom.
No father is perfect. No devoted fathering can meet all your needs for fathering. Every good father has a shadow. Working with the imperfections of your unique father-child realities requires a profound reverence for yourself, your father, and your relationship. Reverence is neither sentimental nor magical. It honors the meaning, the unity, and the purpose of the individuals and the relationship that exist beyond the memories.
Rudolf Steiner declared that to get anywhere near the sacred truth of a relationship, an event, an answer, or a mystery, we need at least twelve points of view. I love this wisdom!
In this blogpost, I am going to present the planetary point of view. I am going to ask questions about our fathers using the planets and energies of the Greek gods the planets are named after. The Planets/Gods are full of surprising insights.
You don’t need to do this work on Father’s Day. You can do it any day or over many days of contemplating, conversing, and journaling. If your father has died you can have a spiritual conversation with him…just listen for his voice. He has been waiting for this conversation.
I notice that I am using the past tense as I write. Your father may still be living, but the major impact of his fathering happened before you were 21.
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Knowing Your Planetary Father
My father encircled me like a a planet encircling the Sun. My father was a god to me. Until he became real in his absence. His impact was huge in good ways and bad. Working with the planetary gods and the questions they inspire helps me understand it all. The questions also help me shape an inner father that protects, provides, directs and names me even now as I continue to become myself.
I am only working with the gods that are also planetary. The encircling planets reveal the spheres of soul-shaping forces that we journey through as we enter into a new lifetime. They stamp us with our karma and our destiny. Not only will you learn about your father as you work with this point of view, you will learn about everyone in your life…including yourself and your mother! The planetary gods offer powerful perspectives.
Also…Be playful. Be open to surprise. Be raw and courageous. Resonate with the possibilities. No one will be grading or judging your efforts. Your truth is not a betrayal of your father…spiritually, he wants you to own the good father and the bad father.
The Moon Father
How did he reflect you as you developed? When was he full and glowing with his sense of you? When was he dark and void of any attention to you?
The Mercury Father
How did he communicate with you? How did he teach you about engaging with others? Did he ever lie or cheat?
The Venus Father
How did he embrace you with love and warmth? Was he seductive? How did his sexual self impact your sexual self?
The Sun Father
How did he shine light and life on your destiny? Did he support you in shining your light on the world? When did he warm you to the core of your being? When did his warmth grow cold and distant?
The Mars Father
How did he protect you? Was he strong? Was he violent? Physically, emotionally? Socially? Spiritually? Did he teach you how to be strong and self-protective?
The Jupiter Father
Did your father have authority and power? Did he use it wisely? Did he have a good sense of humor? Did he support your visions?
The Saturn Father
How did your father maintain structure and form in his life? Was he rigid? Did he expect you to be like him? Hold faithfully to his worldview?
The Chiron Father
What wounds did your father carry? Did he offer you compassion and healing when you were hurt and wounded?
I know Chiron is not a planet, but his role as the wounded healer is so significant, I had to include him.
The Uranus Father
How was your father surprising? Did he stay calm in chaos? Did he go to extremes? Did he encourage you to be wild, unique, creative? If your father is full of Uranian qualities, you may have found him embarrassing or supper cool.
The Neptune Father
Did your father live in his imagination? Was he a dreamer? Was he fluid in his thinking? Was he interested in your dreams?
The Pluto Father
How did your father address the mysteries, shadows, and transformations of his life. Was he open to your mysteries? Did he encourage to to explore your spirituality?
