In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, I'm restarting my personal mission to remain complaint-free for at least a week. That's right. An entire week of no complaining. Not even for entertainment purposes.
A couple years ago around this time, I saw a video from one of my (then) favorite astrologers about her attempts to join a Complaint-Free World. At the time, transit Saturn in Virgo returned to its original position at the time of my birth - yep, my first Saturn Return. With its persistent belief that perfection is within its grasp, Virgo is one of the most idealistic signs of the zodiac. Since nothing in life is perfect, Virgo's busy work is finding (and, in its higher state, fixing) flaws. What do we do when reality doesn't match up to our ideals? We complain!
Saturn is the grumpy taskmaster of the Universe. Add Virgo to the mix and we get the classic case of a chronic complainer. No one can out-bitch Saturn in Virgo. If Virgo could get paid per worry and complaint, all of us with Saturn in Virgo would be billionaires.
So Elsa's description of an initiative to rid the world of complaints intrigued me (when not too busy complaining about others, Saturn in Virgo is all about the dogged pursuit of self-improvement.):
At the time, I was going through a break-up with someone whose chart is loaded with Virgo energy (rising, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, North Node). My nickname for him was Mr. Pity Party. No matter what good fortune lay at his feet, he could pick it apart until all that was left was a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom waiting to happen.
My relationship with him served as a clear mirror for me. I may not have complained with his same level of intensity or frequency, but I definitely pulled up a chair to more than a few of his Pity Parties with my own list of gripes.
So this idea of a complaint-free world spoke to me.
After viewing the video, I visited the website and purchased a three bracelets - one for me, one for my Virgo-loaded-soon-to-be-ex and one for my mom (with her Jupiter in Virgo, she's no stranger to complaining, either). I'm not going to lie. The first day was hard. Not only did I switch my bracelet twice but I also gave myself a snap on the wrist for a particular lengthy gripe session during rush hour traffic.
Over time, though, I found that I was able to fill in the absence of complaints with more workable solutions.
With each new proactive solution, I no longer felt despair at not being able to overcome what seemed like insurmountable problems. Chipping away at a huge problem empowered me. People with Saturn in Virgo are easily weighted down with fears of failure and can suffer from the condition known as "paralysis by analysis". Through my efforts not to complain, I learned that it's better to count even the smallest steps in the right direction as wins in order to remain motivated. (My mom with her Jupiter in Virgo put this to me in a way that I could understand and accept.)
I learned that lesson two years. However...Lately, I have found myself complaining a lot about complainers. By virtue of having my ears and eyes open every day, I am deluged with constant complaints from people about everything from major problems to the infinite minutiae of their lives. Their constant complaints dampen my spirit and make me super angry super fast (blame that on my Sagittarius rising). Honestly, I wish they would all just shut up. Because complaining is more contagious than the common cold. Fact: It infects any listener within earshot of the complainer faster than swine flu.
But...instead of continuing my rant about complainers, I have decided to be proactive and commit an act of service: spread the word about this goal to people so they can hop off of the complaint track.
It has (almost) worked for me.
Click here to order A Complaint Free World bracelet. If you know someone who complains way too much for their own (and your) good, buy one for them, too. Or share this post with them.
Related Posts:
Saturn in Virgo - September 2007 - October 2009
To learn more about how Saturn works in the other signs, click here.
Random Rhyme & Reason: Fear of Failure Is So Yesterday
