Year of Strength, The Lion

Reciprocity Part 4

We are in Leo Season, the Leo lunar cycle, and the year of Strength (the Leo card). 888 all around. This is a time for uplifted spirits and confidence and creativity. We know the drill with Leos. I have about 3 Leos I can tolerate, the rest are a little much for my Scorpio heart. That being said, I have been working with lion energy specifically for 3 years now, especially when I leave the home. The confidence, courage, and bravery from this animal helper is strong and intense.

Now that we are 2/3 of the way done with our Strength year, I am having some thoughts… reflections… connections, if you will.

Once again, reciprocity has come up for me this week. I know, I know. I need to move on from this topic, but also… do I? In this fast paced world, it feels good to slow down and stick with one topic for a while. Truly.

I was talking with my partner last weekend and how my hiking partner is so devoted to his family, despite the relationships being one way streets. I have such a hard time understanding the loyalty and devotion to a family that refuses to be part of the reciprocity in our lives. My hiking partner is fine without his family. He doesn’t need their support or anything. It’s like this generational attachment (and probably a bunch of Capricorn traditionalism) that has him hanging on. I’ve been saying for years, “Your mom and sisters don’t deserve your generosity and care. They never give anything in return, not even a smile.”

I had to stop myself and make sure I wasn’t thinking a tit for tat way, which I talk more about in this love letter, and no, I wasn’t. Reciprocity is like an infinity sign (imagery credit to SunStar, which brings me back to our Strength year. The 8 and infinity symbol are the same thing just one is upright, the other lies on its side. Reciprocity is the infinity sign, ease and flow going back and forth from one to the next. Again, it does not need to be “You sent me $50 for electric while I was down and out, now I will send you $50 back.” Instead, it may look like “Hey! I’ve noticed your energy has been off. I’m here for you. Would you like to talk about what’s going on? Would text, a phone call, or FaceTime be best?”

Right? It can be so much more than just paying back. Knowing that my super giving, super generous, super loyal hiking buddy can’t even get the return of respect and gratitude out of his family drives me bonkers.

This situation and this conversation with my in person besties reminded me so much of the infinity symbol lesson from SunStar that this love letter was born.

In this year of Strength, reciprocity has come up again and again. It is a lesson that continues to surface. I can’t help but feel the lion’s energy of authenticity running through this lesson of reciprocity. When we look at life through the lens of reciprocity, we quickly see and learn where inauthentic energy lies.

Inauthentic people or energy can look or feel transactional, draining, like walking on eggshells. When we open up to authenticity and alignment, reciprocal living lights the path.

As I continue on with this move, I am finding myself far more open to these lessons. I have until August 30th to give my 30 days. That gives me 3 weeks to back out of this move if I need to (I won’t, but if you know me at all, you know I need an escape plan, which is why marriage is NOT an option for me). If this path turns out to be completely unaligned, I need to know and know quickly. Looking through the discerning lens of reciprocity rather than co-dependency will highlight anything that feels too out of alignment or, goodness forbid, unsafe.

In this year of Big Cat, it is hard to see a life that is unaligned where kittens are involved. Please… I know… I know. I have had cats most of my life, and much of my life has been wildly unaligned.

I think there is this white American (female especially) misconception that living through love is the same as being a yes man, living within the confines of co-dependency, never having boundaries. I know that I am still fighting this societal conditioning, but living within the path of love, through love is actually strength, discernment, alignment, reciprocal living with every being you encounter (opening the door, smiling, acknowledging, giving that stranger on the bus a safe space to process for that 10 minute ride, looking up the time the next bus comes, giving a few bucks, pouring your extra water on the roots of a tree, picking up litter, etc).

The path of love isn’t for the feint of heart, and while I never thought that I was feint of heart, this path is showing me otherwise. This resentful, angry, sting first talk later Scorpio has a long road ahead of her, but this is the lesson of the Strength Year: Walk within your authenticity, alignment, love, reciprocity.

We are 2/3 of the way through the year, and I now know that my word is reciprocity. Brb, gotta go make that word pretty on some paper.

Did you have a word for this year? Does it still resonate? What lesson has stuck out to you so far this year?

Wishing you well this week! May your life offer what you need in this moment.

With love,

Aventurine ✨