The Lessons Learned During a Pandemic Year: Between Flowers & Scales

With the 2020 great Saturn Jupiter conjunction, and all the major shifts we underwent as a collective, it is safe to say that the New Earth has emerged, and that nothing will ever be the same anymore. It is time to take a closer look at the lessons learned during a pandemic year.

While some people speak of a collective quantum jump, others make sense of our consciousness evolution through the concept of DNA activation. What we know for sure is that the Covid-19 pandemic, and all the issues it brought to the light, changed our relation with others, with work, but also (and more importantly!) with ourselves.

During this year, many began to reconnect with ancient spiritual systems like astrology, in order to make sense of the world. Astrology, for instance, provides guidance, clarity and a new way of coping with the chaos and turmoil within, and without.

Today, and as part of the desire to share different perspectives on spirituality, esotericism and self-transformation on the Living Simplyy blog, I am excited to share the conversation I had with one of my friends and writer, Fatima Ezzahra. She’s the face behind the blog Between Flowers & Scales.

Hi there Fatima Ezzahra, I’m happy to have this conversation with you today. Not only do we share the same name (although it’s spelled a little differently in latin), but we also share a sense of wonder and passion for written words. For those who don’t know you, could you introduce yourself?

Hello world! I’m the face and brain behind Between Flowers And Scales. I’m 24 years old, and I currently work as a Web Developer. I started my blog to have a safe space for other people and I to be our truest and most authentic selves. I also wanted to have a platform to make people feel loved and welcome, while also discussing important social and political topics.

What’s your big three placements: Sun, Moon and Rising?

I’m a Libra Sun, Taurus Moon and Aries Rising which means I’m very flirty and indecisive, speak up about injustice, and have a dope ass personality that charms people and makes them feel loved and accepted. I might have just made that up, but it’s true!

What a lovely combination! Much could be said about your Sun opposite your Descendant. I believe this inner polarity adds to your character and represents one of your life’s callings: to express the fullness of your identity with others, just like you naturally do with yourself. Moving on, tell us, what are some of the lessons you learned this year with the global pandemic situation?

I actually wrote about this a couple of months ago here. But everyday, I’m learning new things.

I was going through a lot of hardships even before the pandemic started. These couple of years have been very tiring and challenging to me physically, emotionally and mentally. But I’ve learned to really look for positivity or even just the small possibilities in bad situations.

I also learned that affirmations do work. Whether it’s in the form of prayers or just affirmations, they help bring a little comfort to the heart and soul.

Before the pandemic hit, I was already stuck. I felt really depressed and anxious. But I was still hopeful, I thought “Nothing worse can happen”, then the pandemic started. 

This whole time, I had plans way before the pandemic, and none of them worked. Even if I thought I had everything on check, life just has a different way of doing things. That’s when I realized that having a solid plan is good, but being able to adapt and rise in every situation is better.

I’m all about self love, and the pandemic really tested that. Being on social media and seeing people thrive, then looking at myself and questioning my existence. I had to stop. I was happy by myself, it wasn’t difficult to keep myself company. It was the constant comparison, holding myself to a standard that’s not even fair. That kept messing with me.

So, I took time for myself, to focus on what’s important, what makes me feel happy and loved. This chapter was a very dreadful yet crucial period of my life, and it changed me completely. Now I’m somewhere in the bottom trying to claw myself back up, to the new old me!

Absolutely! Do you have any spiritual goals for this upcoming chapter in your life?

Spirituality has been a great part of my journey because it helps guide me through life. It may look different to everybody, but for me, spirituality is anything that helps me nurture my soul and connect with who I am.

For the next chapter of my life, I’m manifesting love, health and ease. Love for myself -first and foremost- by practicing forgiveness towards myself, and letting go of the past that’s weighing me down. And love for others, for people I care about, and people who need someone to care about them.

I also want to go back to my healthy habits, to gain strength and ease in my body. This body that endured so much while carrying me throughout the years. I want to be thankful for all that it has done and treat it with gratitude.

When talking about health, we cannot forget about mental health. I’ve always been an ambassador for mental health, and I want to take it a step further and get a diagnosis for myself. This will hopefully help me get to know myself more, and treat myself with care and attention.

Thank you Fatima Ezzahra for sharing your thoughts and words with us today.

If you want to discover more of Fatima Ezzahra’s inner world, make sure to head over to her blog and Instagram page Between Flowers and Scales.

Faithfully yours,

Fatii