Clear Your Mind and Put That Bucket to Use

What did Abraham Lincoln, Ferdinand Magellan, Galileo Galilei, Thomas Edison, Charles Darwin, Frederick Douglass, and Franklin D. Roosevelt have in common?

They were all leaders, visionaries, free-thinkers, idealists, and people who changed the world through their passion and vision of the future. 

And…they were all Aquarians.

Aquarians are the visionary rebels. But they don’t seek change for the sake of change (or to instill chaos). Rather, they want to change the world for the better through original thinking and by defying convention. They are known in the cosmic realm to be a channel for improving the world—the do-gooders of the cosmos—standing for justice, challenging power structures, and speaking for those who cannot.

Such is the power of the Light of the new moon of Aquarius. Each month has its own unique gifts, and Aquarians brings new energy and the possibility of reparation, of setting things right. It’s there for all of us, but we need to know how to not just access it, but how to use it.

Cool, clear, water

The image associated with this month is a bucket pouring an abundance of clear water. Both are gifts from the Creator, who created the vessel and its contents. 

The water symbolizes the ever-present abundance available to us all this month. We all know when we come into life, we’re given blessings of greatness, knowledge, awareness, and consciousness—the clear waters of our soul. We are constantly connected to the source of all these gifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

As we go through life, those waters don’t stay pristine. We muddy them through our desire to receive for the self alone. So every time we act in a way that’s unkind, selfish, hurt someone else, or with anger or jealousy, our waters grow murky. We lose our clarity, perspective, and struggle with doubt. We hesitate about making choices. We actually feel unclear. We’ve lost access to the precious gift.

That’s why this month is so powerful: we can clear away the muddy water. We can take back all those actions. We can learn, start anew, and feel refreshed. And, yes, this requires some work.

That’s why we all have a bucket. To go back to the well, so to speak. To get more “water”— knowledge, awareness, and desire.

When any of us start pursuing anything in life, even a spiritual path, we can easily get into a routine. And even a spiritual routine is still… a routine. So day in and day out, we do the same things, over and over. And sometimes, ironically, we lose sight of what we’re seeking. If that happens, maybe it’s time to rethink how you’re spending your time. Your choices. We aren’t meant to do things as we’ve always done them. 

Here’s an example from my life. Several years ago, I went through a period when I looked closely at every path I had chosen. Whether it was running marathons, practicing vegetarianism, studying homeopathy—even rethinking what I learned in my study of Kabbalah— I realized if I didn’t stop to question why I chose my path (and do this regularly), it would grow stale. I would lose enthusiasm and purpose. I wouldn’t grow. If you sleepwalk through your days, you won’t be open to blessings that come along with them. 

That was a powerful realization for me. You can only tap into blessings if you understand why you’re making the choices you are making. 

Boredom is a sign

So often I hear people say they’re stuck in their lives. They’re uninspired by their work. They’re going to school because it’s the “right thing to do.” They’re working at a job that may pay the bills, but every Sunday night, their hearts sink, dreading going into the office on Monday. They’re doing what they’ve always done but not reevaluating whether it’s the path they want to take or who they are now… or why. It’s just routine, and there’s a great danger in that. 

It’s our responsibility to dig deep. To go further, deeper, and question everything we think we understand. 

We need to use our bucket.

The Rav always said that is the number one message: consciousness is everything. What will keep us motivated and excited to do this necessary spiritual work? What will it take to constantly learn, relearn, expand our consciousness? If you want to receive all of the blessings that come through all of your actions, you must take a moment to rechoose your path. If you want to understand the world around you in a different way five or ten or twenty years down the line, you need to use your bucket to go back to the well to get more water.

If you think you have enough water to get you through the next month or year and it sustains you, you don’t need to go back to the well. But if you consciously think and know that water has served you well, but there is more consciousness, understanding, more water for you… then you need a bucket. 

Maybe a big bucket. 

And that’s how you’ll find the clear, cool water.

Rethink Moment: 

Every day this month, consider the following:

• Remind yourself of your connection to the clear water.
• Employ your bucket to strengthen that connection.
• Wash. Rinse. Repeat.