Permission to Rest

take the time you need

Aug 17, 2023

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There’s been a lot happening in the skies, on the land, and in the swirling energies of this season. Last Thursday (the normal day for Hedge Mystic to arrive in your inbox), I wrote about Ripening, the season of becoming a crone. But then, on Sunday, I sent you an extra edition of Hedge Mystic because I couldn't let some of the fascinating and richly symbolic astrological, astronomical, historical, and mythological correspondences of August 13th go unnoticed. You can still read Hecate, Venus, and The Virgin Mary: a peculiar harvest time connection if you missed it.

Now we are here, back to our usual Thursday missive. It’s August 17th, 2023, and after so much happening, things feel quiet, like a beautiful pause after a burst of energy or necessary rest after hard work.

We’re currently lingering in the dark of a new moon in Leo, meaning that the season's robust, shining, and center-stage Leo energy is taking a little break, hidden behind the curtain backstage. There’s time for a little privacy and an opportunity to get out of the public eye. As affirming as it is to be seen, it is also nourishing to be hidden, protected, and safe so you can be yourself. Not your polished, best-foot-forward Instagram self, but your real self. Take some space to be the self that gets tired, can get irritable, needs to retreat, and stays in pajamas all day once in a while. Be the self that is flawed but authentic, and love her.

These ripe, lazy dog days of August flood our bodies with the desire to rest. Sit on your porch or in your yard. Listen to the crickets and cicadas. Look at the flowers and weeds chaotically sprawling, having shot up under July’s searing sun and now done growing luxuriantly; they are messily spread out everywhere, from gardens to curbside strips and patches of land at the margins of parking lots.

Let it all go. You’ve done what you could; time to rest.

I struggle with giving myself permission to rest, yet over the years, I have learned the importance of rest at a deep level. Some people cannot sit still; they’re more focused and happier in motion. That might mean thinking or meditating while walking or knitting while watching TV. That’s simply their normal neurological wiring. That’s not me, though. My unease around rest was unconsciously taught as a moral imperative growing up.

My mom, who was a very hard worker, exemplified this. She would never leave the house for something enjoyable like shopping with a friend, visiting, going to the beach, or doing crafts unless the house was completely clean. Kitchen cleaned, dishes washed, beds made, floors cleaned and vacuumed, laundry folded and put away, dusting done. She also never rested during the day. I never saw my mom nap until she was much older, and her health declined.

I can remember, as a child, my brother and I helping my mom get the house ready for “the holidays.” This entailed washing the floor of our rec room, washing down the walls with Panel Magic spray, moving all the furniture, dusting it, vacuuming the sofa cushions, cleaning the windows, and reorganizing the closets as decorations were brought out. We began right after breakfast, took a quick break for lunch, and worked until dinner, when we were rewarded with pizza from Lizzies. We didn’t get any breaks but worked steadily until everything was done. This wasn’t cruel child labor, it was certainly doable, but it was a lot of work, and work was valued over rest.

When I got married, I was stunned when my husband had a different approach to work. If he were painting walls, building raised flower beds, or a deck; he would work for several hours and then announce, “I’m going to rest for a while.” He’d head for the sofa, take a 40 or so minute power nap and then return to finish working for the day. I was completely baffled. How? How can you stop working before the job ends or the day ends? He felt absolutely no guilt whatsoever in taking a needed break, which astonished me.

Over the years, my husband has taught me the wisdom and importance of rest. He reminds me there’s no shame in resting when you need to, and it’s good for you. It’s taken me years to absorb this wisdom and put it into practice, and it’s still a challenge, to be honest. But I know he’s right; rest is good for us. Not laziness, not using rest or sleep to escape problems and challenges, but rest that is needed to refresh body and mind as we go about our days.

So here we are at what always feels like a time of natural rest in the cycle of the seasons. Lammas is winding down, and the initial burst of first harvest energy subsides. We have a few more days until Virgo Season arrives on August 23 and another few weeks until the autumn equinox and the second harvest are ready to be gathered.

Are you ready for a rest?

What’s your relationship with rest like? Do you get enough rest? Do you, like me, feel guilty about resting? What do you learn from rest? I find greater balance and inner calm when my work-rest axis is balanced.

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Permission to Rest

take the time you need

Let it all go. You’ve done what you could; time to rest.

Are you ready for a rest?

Discussion about this post