Photo by Adrian Boliston (cc)
As I was talking with Keesha the other day during our Uranus in Aries set, it occurred to me that I have a very reflexive reaction to using a lot of regular personal-growth or new-ager talk. When I back away from certain terms, it’s a visceral thing for me… more like, “Yuck! Back off the hippie talk, Shannon!”
I realized, though, that I don’t want you guys to take this the wrong way. Modern astrology is all about personal growth by definition.
Here’s my deal- I want to be real with you. I don’t want to just throw around terms and buzzwords to sound like an expert, and I also feel that so many of the catchphrases in personal growth—”expansion of consciousness” was the phrase that set me off on the radio this week—have been so overused that they’re almost meaningless for a lot of people. I know if I read something that has too much of the fluffy stuff in it, my eyes start to almost slide over the page and it’s hard for me to filter out the good stuff; even when I know it holds a real gem of a concept. So it’s a personal bias. It’s not you, it’s me. 
As far as flower power goes, I have nothing against hippies, be they aging, ageless, reincarnated, or otherwise… my own parents married in a park in the early ’70s, wearing crowns of daisies and matching hand-embroidered linen tunics. I dig. I just want to make sure that the truth of all these things doesn’t get dismissed out-of-hand by people who have lost patience with the cult of positive thinking that can be part of the new age worldview. Plus, I have Saturn. I can’t get too Neptuney-woo for long without a hard landing back on earth!
In the wider culture, being connected to spirituality can often be seen as being disconnected from reality, or even just being batshit crazy. And yet, people hunger for truth; look at Eckhart Tolle’s meteoric rise after his appearances on Oprah, or how the west has embraced yoga and eastern teachings in recent years.
How do you talk about truth? Do you try to translate, or figure that the right people will mesh with you anyway? Have you found an entirely different approach?
I like:D I was reflecting lately how I am sick and tired of the words “nourishing” and “transformation.” Explanations do have to be real. I try to catch myself when I start to slip into newagerisms.
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..I’ma Be Me Astrology =-.
Twitter: astrofix8
“newagerisms” …cut. Print!
I hope I don’t come off as though I’m bashing “lightworkers” and “goddess guides” and all those folks. Some people are completely authentic when they talk that way… I’m just not one of them.
I think my frustration largely comes from feeling like I have to invent new terms to describe the same concepts.
Twitter: clover
Yes! Truth is awesome and wonderful but I prefer mine with a healthy dose of sass, it’s real-life, everyday edges showing and a cocktail.
Yes yes. Cocktails for everyone! Even Shirley Temples are pretty.
Twitter: clover
Hi Shannon
I used to dilute what I wanted to express but now, heck I just go for it! I have come to believe that what I have to share and how I share it will resonate with my Right People.
There are people that I ‘found’ on the net last year but dismissed their message, mainly because I was like, whoa, kooky but that was because I was suppressing my off-kilter ways. Now I read them daily, nodding enthusiastically, having ah-ha moments.
I get what you mean though, some language become buzz words and therefore off-putting, causing the ‘gems’ to be missed because of how they’re packaged.
Hiya Nats!
You’ve really found your voice, too. I loved your blog when I dropped by. My struggle now is to find ways to speak the truth in a way that feels authentic to me, and not just use newagerisms (!) as a crutch. When I talk that way it sounds fake. Yuck.
Off-kilter is splendid. Rock on!
Twitter: clover