threads

why threads?

We’re at the conjoining point between two calendar years - many people are about to go back to work and end their festive time off. For me, this period lends itself to a sense of looking back and forward - I often try and do some more intentional reflection, and more practically it’s when I reset all my numbers for my freelance work, because I started freelancing full-time in January 2024. (If you're looking for a reflective journalling guide, I really like At The End Of A Cycle from METHOD & MATTER).

A teacher of mine once guided a visualisation that I loved of a golden thread running horizontally behind you, then passing through you and continuing forward. This thread represents the life we are leading - with the section behind us holding all the events, people, experiences that have led us to where we are right now. The thread moving forwards is less known to us - it represents the future, where we will go, where we’re heading. And inevitably, our threads cross paths with others’ at different times. We’re all part of an infinitely complex tapestry being woven each moment - as you’re reading this your thread is crossing mine - and that has been being woven since the beginning of everything.

In my yoga practice I’m working with the theme of threads this week and considering:

• what threads have brought us to where we are right now?

• how have my own threads crossed with others’ over time?

• what am I hoping to carry (or cut loose?) as I gently move forward?

threads of life - mythology

I’m also quite keen on threads in mythology - the big cameo I’m thinking of is the Moirai (Fates) in Greek mythology, who spin, measure and cut the threads of life. There’s so much I could say about this at the moment - the idea that everything has its time, the beginning, middle and end that inevitably exist for all things.

I think winter is a time of endings - of quietness, natural pauses, things dying off ready to start again (or not!) in spring. I also think the Christmas period - if you celebrate! - (and maybe this is true of all gathering times?) can have a tendency to sharpen our awareness of things that are new, things that have passed, and things that are on pause, reforming or reconfiguring ready to go again later. So threads again - those threads of fate representing this awareness of the finite nature of everything: relationships, people, plants, eras, holidays, careers… everything.

And thinking about how nothing lasts tends to make me wonder about what actually lasts? What are the threads we carry with us always? The fabric that consistently underlies the embroidery and stitches that are our everyday actions, lives and choices. Is it our core values, beliefs, identity? Family ties, partners, friendships? While they might not be everlasting in the true sense, they can sometimes stick around for long enough to feel lasting to us.

the skies!

Then there’s the astrology! I really enjoy using astrology themes as a reflective guide - I’m honestly not interested in considering how much “truth” there is in astrological work, and I’m certain I don’t want to be thinking about it predicting anything for me. But I do think the stories we tell ourselves are powerful (ask any psychologist), and reflecting on different themes is a cool tool for self-study. And there’s a gorgeous, pre-set bunch of themes up there in the sky to reflect on. So I use them!

So - to me it feels like there is LOTS going on in the sky this week. I’m not an astrologer so no expertise here (and please correct me if I’m wrong!), only me waffling on about what I read and hear about. This week we’ve got a Venus cazimi in Capricorn, Venus conjunct Mars - also in Capricorn, Mars cazimi - you guessed it, in Capricorn, and then Venus opposes Jupiter in Cancer.

venus cazimi in capricorn

A cazimi is when a planet comes close to the sun (a conjunction with the sun) - representing a sense of clarity, illumination and awareness of whatever that planet symbolises. For Venus, that’s values, connection, love, beauty, wonder - so the energy is clarity around those themes, but grounded in Capricorn’s no-nonsense reality, practicality, and sustainability. In it for the long term! This has got me thinking about insights or realisations about relationships, values and connections - what are the threads that tie us to each other, and how do they feel?

venus conjunct mars in capricorn

Then Venus forms a conjunction with Mars - so we’ve got the planet of values & connection meeting the planet of action (even fight), defence and drive. Once again, this aspect is grounded in the in it for the long-term, looking to the distant horizon, not afraid of doing the work Capricorn. To me this says - which connections are worth the fight? The long haul, the challenging times, the effort? Which relationships are valuable enough to defend? And which perhaps don’t align any more with our sense of joy, of support, our values? Which need fighting off, or severing?

mars cazimi in capricorn

As if the skies haven’t done enough for us this week, then we get a Mars cazimi - that illuminating conjunction with the sun - giving an added boost of clarity and awareness around that sense of fight. Maybe it becomes clearer how we should fight for something, or why. Maybe there’s an understanding of connections to sever, and how to go about this. Maybe we have the courage to start taking steps in the direction of a distant horizon.

venus in capricorn opposite jupiter retrograde in cancer

Lastly Venus lands opposite Jupiter, currently moving retrograde through Cancer. This is a sort of tug of war - Jupiter in Cancer representing a recalibration of your understanding of the connections that matter. Questioning and realising which connections bring joy, love and healing; and this revelation grappling with Venus in Capricorn - relationships and connections that you’ve committed to, maybe are part of your everyday, long-term plans, or have a practical role in your life.

a physical pose - thread the needle

• Start on all fours with the toes together, knees a little wider than hip distance.

• Reach the right arm up towards the sky, opening the chest to the right side.

• Thread the right arm under the left armpit, bending the left arm to allow the back of the right shoulder and right-hand side of the face to land on the ground.

• Reach the right hand towards the left side of the room.

• Press the left hand on the ground in front of your nose to add to the stretch, gently twisting the chest towards the left.

• Breathe!

• Come back to all fours, and repeat on the other side.

You can do also this pose against a wall:

• Start standing, facing the wall, with both hands at around face level.

• Lift the right hand off the wall and thread it between the left armpit/wall

• Land the back of the right hand and right arm on the wall.

• Lean the body in towards the right arm and gently turn your gaze towards (or over) your right shoulder.

why this pose?

Aside from the obvious language parallels, to me this pose can be used to symbolise a lot of what I've talked about here! The hand reaching underneath you representing looking to the horizon & moving forward, while the hand pressing into the ground gently opposes and encourages a pause/reflection, maybe a sense of looking back.

The grounding of the arm and head feels key too - arms are so often associated with action, and our heads with our minds and thoughts. To me, this says - as we look back and prepare to move forward, how can we act and think with intention, in a grounded, gentle and patient way?