I did something kind of raw today and made a video in which I talked about my own experiences with “social distancing” and social isolation. As I said before, I do think I have a jump on this in comparison with most other people and that there might be something I could add to the conversation surrounding the psychological impacts of all this coronavirus self-quarantine, which are very real.
It’s one thing to read poems and to talk about one’s writing process; that’s one kind of vulnerability. To talk about a difficult personal experience is yet another level of vulnerable, and I think you can tell from the video that I was searching for words and trying to be honest about my own experience. If that helps you make sense of what’s happening to you, then it was time well spent for me. I decided not to edit it and to just leave it as it is, because it’s just me talking, without a lot of forethought, and once you start editing something to “package” it, it probably loses any of the original virtue it may have had.
I tend not to hold anything back when I talk about my own unusual journey because I don’t want to leave it up to someone else to tell my story for me. No one is more of an expert than you or I on our own experiences. You can visit Wordplay’s Facebook page to see the video.
Showing posts with label psychology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psychology. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Aquarius Rocks, Evidently
Do you ever read those horoscope descriptions of your birth sign characteristics and wonder, “How do they come up with this stuff?” That happened to me last night. Since Aquarius is my sign and we have just entered it, astrologically speaking, there are a number of articles floating around the Internet describing what Aquarius people are like, including tests to help you figure out how you stack up against your fellow Aquarius people. Like me, you probably can’t resist looking at these articles now and then, even though you don’t really believe in horoscopes. You just want to see what they’re saying about you.
I read one article last night that was so flattering about Aquarius people that I thought, “Wow, I guess I’m really kind of cool. Who wouldn’t want to be an Aquarius?” Of course, it left the less flattering things out (and I see no reason to enumerate them here either). I thought that it sounded so much like me that I was truly amazed, the way I was one time when someone “did my chart” and said a lot of things about me that seemed surprisingly accurate. “How does that work?” I wondered. I still don’t know. Though some people say that there is a science to astrology, I sometimes wonder if astrologists don’t have a lot in common with mediums in that they are just very good at reading people and casting their charts accordingly.
Someone once told me that I was very down-to-earth for an Aquarius; I gather that, along with their other good qualities, Aquarius folks are supposed to be zany. I wouldn’t describe myself as “off-the-wall,” and I doubt if most people who know me would either—playful, maybe, but not zany. Some of the things I read in the article sounded a lot like a description of an INFP, which I also am, but there are plenty of INFPs who do not fall under the Aquarius sign. INFPs, and introverts in general, are inwardly directed and do not rely on other people to tell them what to do or how to be. This is apparently a hallmark of Aquarius as well, as they are famous for moving to the beat of their own drum.
I did succumb to taking a test to see how “much of” an Aquarius I am and was pleased to find out that I didn’t match up to the standard too closely. Why be predictable, right, even in unpredictability? I guess what it boils down to is not wishing to be pigeon-holed, or stereotyped, or placed in a category determined by someone else. Whether or not the stars and planets have any influence on our psychology, one always wants to feel that he or she is making his or her own way through life, mistakes and all, moondust and stardust be damned. Cassius was right: The faults do lie in ourselves, and not in our stars—and, hopefully, all the good qualities do, too. I suppose it’s barely possible that old Uranus is in some tiny way responsible for the Aquarius reputation for seeming to be from another planet. But I’m pretty sure the stubbornness and lack of biddability come from being Mary Hackworth.
I read one article last night that was so flattering about Aquarius people that I thought, “Wow, I guess I’m really kind of cool. Who wouldn’t want to be an Aquarius?” Of course, it left the less flattering things out (and I see no reason to enumerate them here either). I thought that it sounded so much like me that I was truly amazed, the way I was one time when someone “did my chart” and said a lot of things about me that seemed surprisingly accurate. “How does that work?” I wondered. I still don’t know. Though some people say that there is a science to astrology, I sometimes wonder if astrologists don’t have a lot in common with mediums in that they are just very good at reading people and casting their charts accordingly.
Someone once told me that I was very down-to-earth for an Aquarius; I gather that, along with their other good qualities, Aquarius folks are supposed to be zany. I wouldn’t describe myself as “off-the-wall,” and I doubt if most people who know me would either—playful, maybe, but not zany. Some of the things I read in the article sounded a lot like a description of an INFP, which I also am, but there are plenty of INFPs who do not fall under the Aquarius sign. INFPs, and introverts in general, are inwardly directed and do not rely on other people to tell them what to do or how to be. This is apparently a hallmark of Aquarius as well, as they are famous for moving to the beat of their own drum.
I did succumb to taking a test to see how “much of” an Aquarius I am and was pleased to find out that I didn’t match up to the standard too closely. Why be predictable, right, even in unpredictability? I guess what it boils down to is not wishing to be pigeon-holed, or stereotyped, or placed in a category determined by someone else. Whether or not the stars and planets have any influence on our psychology, one always wants to feel that he or she is making his or her own way through life, mistakes and all, moondust and stardust be damned. Cassius was right: The faults do lie in ourselves, and not in our stars—and, hopefully, all the good qualities do, too. I suppose it’s barely possible that old Uranus is in some tiny way responsible for the Aquarius reputation for seeming to be from another planet. But I’m pretty sure the stubbornness and lack of biddability come from being Mary Hackworth.
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