By: Janette Dalgliesh – Confluence Daily is your daily news source for women in the know.
On 22 November at 4:01am Eastern Time (USA), the Sun moved into the optimistic sign of Sagittarius, where he’ll be for a month, lighting up themes of expansion, wild possibility, exploration beyond the known, enthusiasm, fun, travel (literal or within the imagination), and a fiery spark of inspiration.
And the effect is multiplied on 26 November, when the Sun lines up exactly with big, expansive Jupiter – the ruler of Sagittarius and the astrological Santa Claus of the solar system.
That double whammy can feel like a surge of ‘anything is possible!’ that can have us bouncing out of our seats with new ideas, unable to sit still for more than a few minutes.
But there’s some other energy at play which can feel like it’s putting the brakes on and working against us. It’s not, but if we don’t know about it, it can feel tricky to navigate.
First, Mercury is still Retrograde for a couple of weeks, keeping us in the energy of re-think and review, rather than moving forward and taking big action.
And second, action-oriented Mars is currently in floaty, swirling Pisces, bringing a fogginess and a softening to Mars’ usual get-up-and-go.
In other words, it can feel like a push-pull between ‘woohoo, anything is possible!’ and ‘wait, I have to think about this first’ and ‘I’m just not sure what to DO….’. It can feel like an either/or choice. But you can do both.
Embrace the fluid, flexible, anything-is-possible vibe, AND refrain from taking big risky action right now. No taking big risks while Mercury is Retrograde, please. Instead, jot down those crazy out-there ideas and possibilities, just for the fun of it, to create a smorgasbord of fun stuff to play with once Mercury turns direct on 6 December.
So what CAN a girl do when we have the Jupiter/Sagittarius energy urging expansion, while Mercury and Mars are suggesting we pause?
Tip #1
Feel it out.
Jupiter is all about expansion. But expansion isn’t always comfortable – if you’ve ever worn tight pants to a smorgasbord, you know what I’m talking about.
So as we slide into this wonderful, optimistic energy, loosen that metaphorical top button and see what wants to emerge, what wants you to begin to allow for the possibility.
Become aware of and perhaps challenge any rules-in-your-head about what’s possible for you. If you get inspired to do work to change those old rules, Mercury Retrograde is an ideal time for that, so make the most of it.
Tip #2
Actively connect with ways to increase joy – and absolutely NO happy-face-sticker faking it, please! This means accessing solid, evidence-based information about how to help your brain become more aligned with optimism and positivity. Here are some good sources to help fuel that optimism shift, while Sun is making this month-long journey through Sagittarius:
- The How of Happiness, by Sonja Lyubomirsky – a review of over 200 peer-reviewed studies into how humans can rewire their own selves for increased joy (with 12 super simple strategies that are proven to change your brain)
- Learned Optimism, by Martin Seligman – an oldie but a goodie, this seminal work by the father of positive psychology has much to recommend it
- The Happiness Advantage, by Shawn Achor – although the focus is strongly on the business and corporate worlds, with stats about productivity etc, the science and the research is great and the ideas of HOW to do happiness are really useful
Tip #3
Find teeny tiny areas of life where you can literally and physically engage expansion, exploration and fun, in ways that are easy and accessible.
Always drink your tea out of the best china. At the carwash, pick the deluxe rather than the standard wash. Take a trip to that nearby village you’ve always wanted to explore, and spend an hour meandering through its streets. Watch a documentary about people doing amazing cutting edge things with food or art or music or science or travel. Read a novel set in an exotic and unfamiliar location. When you buy groceries, even if the budget is tight, seek out just one luxury item that you like, currently on special – and relish it.
(My favourite for this last one is a wedge of Brie or Camembert or Gorgonzola – those stinky cheeses actually get more ripe (and consequently BETTER) as they age. So, two days before their ‘best by’ date, supermarkets will halve the price when the cheese is at its best … and as a result, I get to indulge in a stinky cheese treat AND save money – win/win!)
No need to rush it or push any actions, just because the expansion energy has been activated. Retro Mercury and Pisces Mars don’t support the big adrenalin-fuelled race forward. So for now, channel this inspirational energy into other realms – imagination and daydreams, research and curiosity, exploration and fun.
Bask in that sunny, beneficent dynamic and enjoy it!
(And if you’d like some help with using your own chart to help you navigate the Mercury Retro / Sun in Sagittarius mix, let me hook you up for a Mercury Retro Consult)
Janette Dalgliesh has a simple mission in life – to help every person unlock their capacity for resonant joy, and live it. A keen student of astrology, brain science, chaos magic, law of attraction and positive psychology, she serves her people through astrology consults, coaching, teaching and writing. Her international clientele raves about her wildly accurate, individualized readings, but she doesn’t do general weekly predictions – for those, Janette recommends Kim Falconer (www.goodvibeastrology.com) and Mystic Medusa (www.mysticmedusa.com). Find Janette on Facebook [link to https://www.facebook.com/
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