There is a saying in Spanish: “No hay mal que por bien no venga.” We might translate this as, “Every bad thing comes for some good purpose.”
I learned this dicho years ago from a Spanish professor during my time at university. She was one of the most cheerful and optimistic people I’d ever met, and a wonderful teacher. The day she taught us this phrase she told us she was ill. Although sad and anxious about her diagnosis, she truly believed that something good would come of it.
The rough equivalent of this saying in English is, “Every cloud has a silver lining”; another is the currently popular saying, “It’s all good.”
Studying astrology changes you; it is unavoidable. One inevitable conclusion is that we are not in control of things. I wrote about this idea a little in my post, “The flowers are in the crayon, waiting.” I’m aware that this not a popular idea. It goes against the very fashionable modern belief that we create our own reality. But the very fact that we can predict things with astrology argues otherwise.
After completing my natal apprenticeship I had some great conversations with friends, debating and discussing these ideas and their implications. If we don’t have any control over what happens to us, then how do we understand free will? I don’t have a good handle yet on this complex question. What my friends and I did conclude, however, is that we can choose the attitudes we adopt about a situation. We can work to cultivate positive responses to life’s situations and events as they unfold. I say ‘work’ because even this may come more easily to some than to others, based upon who they are as individuals.
We can choose to believe that no matter what happens, it’s all good, even the so-called bad stuff. I don’t mean this in any facile or superficial way, nor do I mean that it is easy to achieve--just that it’s possible, and a worthy goal.
I remember reading what one of the 911 widows said about her husband, one of those who acted bravely on the plane that went down before hitting its target. She was able to see that his sacrifice had served a noble purpose, to the benefit of many. Because of this she was at peace with his death even as she continued to grieve for him.
Finding meaning in things: this is what can help us in difficult times. Just today I read an article addressing this idea and referencing the life and work of Victor Frankl, the Austrian psychiatrist and concentration camp survivor who carried out some of his greatest work after that horrific experience. His Man’s Search for Meaning is a book that everyone in my field of mental health is familiar with, at least by title. What a remarkable man he must have been!
What does this have to do with astrology? Everything, of course :) Astrology teaches us that there is meaning imbued in every moment of time; that nothing is random. Everything is as it should be, and everything is unfolding perfectly according to the Divine plan.
With those thoughts in mind, I invite you to read the article that inspired me today. If you are struggling with anything difficult, may it help you come to peace with things as they are.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/theres-more-to-life-than-being-happy/266805/
For more on these ideas I also highly recommend the movie “Silver Linings Playbook," which above all else is a great love story.
First published March 6, 2013 on silvestreastrology.blogspot.com.
PHOTO CREDITS:
Images are from Pixabay (CC0): https://pixabay.com/
