We are currently in the midst of a conjunction or meeting together of the planet of communications, perceptions, early relationships and siblings (Mercury) with the planet that deals with subconscious intense experiences which lead us either to a negotiation with deeply buried pain. We can deal with this pain through ongoing resentment or find a transformation of perspective (Pluto) through facing the dark and painful reactions we meet through the experience most especially through accepting and grieving the wound. I touched on this subject in an earlier post.
When I read about this conjunction the other day it made sense of the deep pain I went through between Friday and Sunday. Today I feel I have come out into a clearing where I can see the deep, deep resentment, pain and anger I have always carried at a deeply subconscious level as a result of repeated abandonments, many of which took place at this time of year. The abandonments go way, way back to my earliest childhood and I see the repetitive theme as it has played out over at least 50 or more years. The intensity of the pain on Friday and Saturday felt for me almost too powerful to contain. Certain avenues of support were pulled back due to the rage that came out of me and other avenues of support opening up (thankfully) as I am not sure I could have contained the experience on my own, without both validation and an awareness of others who could help me raise my own perspective.
I guess that our psyche in some strange way arranges for us, experiences in which we get to discover our wounds. There are wound awakeners around us who catalyse old pain in intense ways. Through this experience we get to learn more about ourselves and the unconscious impact of our past on us, through them we get set up for an encounter with our wounded self or inner child.
According to abandonment expert, Susan Anderson the way we deal with our abandonment which may be largely unconscious is to act out in outer child behaviours. In this state we are age regressed, emotionally hijacked, no longer in our adult mind at all. We are just overcome powerfully by an intense experience of pain, rage, discomfort, disappointment, anger, anxiety, emptiness or dread.
Susan uses the acronym of S.W.I.R.L. for how the abandonment depression affects. First we feel Shattered, blown into a million pieces, dissociated or numb, secondly we Withdrawour energy into ourselves like a wounded animal with a painful splinter lodged in its paw, thirdly we Internalise the pain in our body and suffer from depression, loss of energy, heartache and interned helplessness and anger, fourthly we encounter Rage at the abandonment or loss, we rail against the injustice, we may go on binges of eating, drinking or sexing, and through our rage we can touch base with old pain and grief which we can then feel once we begin to let go of the powerful hold that rage can have on us.
Finally once we have negotiated all of the four stages we have the chance Lifting out of the abandonment experience but only if we can get help and development of working through the initial stages. I would refer readers to Susan’s book The Journey from Abandonment to Healing for a more detailed exploration of the stages of S.W.I.R.L.
Suffice to say for the purposes of this blog I know I have negotiated all stages since my marriage ended 12 years ago and then worked out more with the second relationship gone wrong 5 years ago. Lately I have experienced times of lifting out of the abandonment depression but I was retriggered into it most intensely last week by a friend letting me down and then my therapist having trouble containing me on Friday. Luckily for me I have another therapist I could turn to today. I was able to be put back in my adult mind and self by talking through everything with her today. We worked on some strategies to use when I felt over come. I then talked it over with my mother and sister and they offered me empathy, validation and support but not the connection back to my childhood, that is and has been my work.
This afternoon I feel in a stronger place. I know tomorrow when I meet my therapist I will be able to express my pain and disappointment not from the regressed outer child but from my adult and inner child. I will be able to apologise but I also think that for now I have met the end of the road with Katina for a little while. Mercury goes retrograde soon and that is a time to put the stops on too much outer activity and time to reflect deeply on past issues. I want to spend some quiet time with myself and my inner child over the net few weeks.
Today I also bought Louise Hays’ book The Power is Within You. I want to use her advice to get in touch with my best self and begin to make real efforts to demonstrate and practice self love and unconditional acceptance towards myself. I no longer want the rage or negativity to dominate my life and relationships. I know facing my deep rage and anger has been necessary, now I need to put things in place to set good boundaries for my outer child. I am at a critical phase of my healing and Mercury’s meeting with Pluto has lanced a boil that was simmering away inside me and needed to be purged, a wound that needed to burst open so that toxins could come out and healing energy could enter. I know this most absolutely as a strong conviction within my inner self which I am learning is the true source of all love.
I want to be force for the love and light of this inner self in the world from now on so the wound no longer dominates by keeping me in withdrawal as it has in the past. I know the withdrawal was a necessary stage, but now I want to re-engage with life and relationships, from a far clearer place than I have previously been able to occupy.
Emerging From The Dark Night 