combatting conditioning | venus in gate 59 | october 9th - 14th, 2023
Welcome to Combatting Conditioning, a brand new series from me, Jaclyn Michelle of interior creature.
Periodically, I'll be popping onto the blog to zoom in on a major gate transit and sharing some journal prompts for effective shadow work & deep de-conditioning.
Today, Venus moves into Gate 59, The Gate of Sexuality, which is ruled by Virgo and lives in the Sacral Center. This gate asks us to get honest about our conditioned habits, patterns, beliefs, and behaviors around intimacy of all kinds (i.e. not just sex).
Shadow Work/De-conditioning Questions to consider:
Which end of the fear frequency spectrum to you more frequently tend toward: disengaging or smothering? Does this vary depending on the situation (professional relationships versus in romantic relationships versus familial relationships versus friendships)?
Disconnection: Think back to your most treasured (as well as your most challenging) relationships. What role did “disconnection” play within this relationship? Which of you had a tendency to disconnect more often? Why? What was the event or circumstance that would most frequently trigger the disconnection? Did these instances of disconnection serve the relationship? Why or why not?
Disengaging: How was disengaging modeled for you as a child? Was there an adult or caregiver in your life whose behavior was in line with this fear frequency? How did their disengagement make you feel? How did it impact your relationship? What did their behavior teach you about relationships? Are these beliefs serving you now as an adult?
Smothering: Read the quote above from Esther Perel's Mating in Captivity. In her book, she argues that modern relationships have a tendency to expect one person to do the emotional labor of what was once provided by an entire community. How does the above quote land with you? Has it been difficult to give the gift of separateness to your relationships? Which ones in particular? What fear lives behind this difficulty? What conditioned beliefs inform this tendency?
*offer expires 10.14.2023 @ 11:59pm ET
Are you finding this Combatting Conditioning series supportive? If so, watch this space! The first volume of my book The Rebuilding Year is dropping so soon and I cannot wait to tell you all about it!
In the meantime, thank you for nerding out with me 🤗
Do you have Gate 59 activated in your chart? How is this Venus transit affecting you? Let me know in the comments!