Meteor Shows and a Chance to Reset

I grew up with, what I now realize to be, a pretty local expression of "got hit upside the head". When you grow up with slang expressions like that you sort of understand the general meaning of the phrase without thinking a lot about it. Then you move somewhere else, mention it sometime and realize the other person has no idea of its meaning, hear it again, or go to write a blog, and you start to really examine what it might mean. Often there are a lot of individual interpretations of the expression. Frequently  the meaning changes a bit over the years.

The expression probably has some pretty dark roots embedded in family violence and therefore schoolyard violence as well, but it has changed to refer to a less literal meaning of being struck in the head.  When I heard it the other day, it was used to portray that feeling of a having a sudden revelation.  It refers to the moment when  an idea, or a thought, just seems to come out of nowhere and causes you to stop for a minute and suspend all thought.  Your whole world, or certainly your brain, feels scrambled for a moment. You had no time to prepare for the incoming message. It strikes with force and surprise. It changes how you think. Hmm...

"Getting hit upside the head", isn't necessarily a bad thing, although it is shocking for sure. It's the shock of a new idea, a lightening bolt force, an unprepared for attack or force that because of it's impact and speed stops your pattern. You don't have a chance to slow down, to change direction, to brace yourself, adjust your helmet, or consider alternatives. You are stopped. Suddenly and totally. For a brief moment in time you see stars, or darkness, or something in between. You stop thinking. You don't process.

When the stars clear and your vision returns, you "pick yourself up" (another expression that is interesting in that it suggests quite an out of body ability) and carry on. But you don't just go back to what you were doing or where you left on when you get hit upside the head. Something inside you changes and you are often provided with a clarity that allows you to pick a new direction, adopt a totally different behavior, or embrace a new idea. You are changed. After the stop you are re-set.

In the world of Bach Flower essences, Walnut is considered the remedy for change.  It is said to provide protection from change and outside influences.  It's helpful for changes in life such as teething, starting school, puberty,leaving home, menopause, divorce, moving, job changes, or retirement.

But there is another aspect to the Walnut essence. Julian Barnard, in Bach Flower Remedies Form & Function, writes that Dr. Bach developed the Bach essence to protect people from outside influences that were interfering with their soul purpose. He believed those who could benefit from Walnut had definite ideals and ambitions in life but were sometimes tempted away from their goals because of strong opinions or convictions of others. Barnard writes about the remarkable similarity in appearance between the walnut fruit and the human brain. The hard shell looks very much like the human skull and the soft inside of the nut also looks remarkably like the inside of our brains- with two hemispheres connected in the center.

Walnut might be the "hit upside the head" your are looking for that shakes something inside you so that you can find your realignment once again.  It can help you stop what you are doing so that you can start again- fresh and on your own enlightened path.

I guess, just like it takes an external influence to take us away from our goals and inner knowing, it is often an outside influence that helps us re-set so we can get back on track.  That's the force of being "hit upside the head".

Maybe we are getting some universal help with this enlightened that comes from seeing stars.  From tonight, August 10th, till August 16th, we are being treated to a Perseid Meteor shower. It happens every year from mid-July into August but the peak this year will occur over the weekend. We are in a waning moon phase right now so the absence of a strong moon glow enhances the ability to see the streaks of light. The earth is passing through debris from a particular Comet right now and those "comet crumbs" hit the earth's atmosphere and burn up because of the friction encountered in the hit.  We see the burning glow for several seconds and that's what the showers are all about.  As we travel through the comet debris field we kept getting hit and taking glancing blows.l

So it would seem that when the earth gets "hit upside the head" we get the benefit of the light show of stars.  Maybe that's a chance to re-set.  Maybe it's worth your time to stop whatever it is you're doing, lie down in the cool summer grass, star up at the night sky and benefit from the re-set value.  Maybe you'll find your inspiration, your enlightenment, your chance to readjust under the glancing blows of comet debris. Maybe it won't even hurt a bit!

Happy star gazing!