By: Janette Dalgliesh – Confluence Daily is your daily news source for women in the know.
Astrologically, a Gregorian new year doesn’t really mean much (though that’s not true of the Chinese new year, which is a lunar event … but I digress!).
Having recently changed direction to move forward, Mercury is now picking up speed as he moves confidently into Sagittarius on 12 Dec at 6.42pm EST.
And you can anticipate a shift in the focus of your thinking making it far more conducive to long plans and out-there possibilities – perfect for setting your sights on 2019.
After the weeks of reviewing and re-assessing during Mercury Retrograde, it’s as though you can lift your mental gaze at last, not just up to the horizon in the distance, but way, way BEYOND that horizon. Bear in mind, of course, that Mercury is not yet free of the retrograde shadow zone, so we’re still in a build-up of forward momentum, not 100% there yet.
Regardless, as you look to 2019, you can imagine your brain and your neurology (ruled by Mercury), stretching into the vastness of possibilities you can’t even see just yet.
You could imagine your psyche like a cat stretching in a patch of sunlight, limbering up in preparation for something wonderful yet to come.
This shift in thinking, from in and down, to out and up, is a great time to leverage a little neuroplasticity (that phenomenon whereby we can literally change our physical brain – and therefore our experience of reality – by deliberately focusing our thoughts and behaviours).
Since Mercury in Sagittarius taps into the link between intellectual curiosity, and things beyond our ken, you could ask yourself ‘what do I want to learn next year; who do I want to become?’
By asking these questions after Mercury moves into Sagittarius, you’re likely to get some much more inspiring answers than you might have been able to tap into previously.
And meanwhile, Uranus comes into a supportive semi-square aspect with Neptune, just a couple of days afterwards, bringing the dynamic of unexpected change to the larger collective all-that-is.
In this instance, you might go beyond the horizon of the self, and ask ‘what things in the world are making me passionate for change right now?’
Chances are, if you’re a reader of Confluence, there is plenty to choose from.
Neptune says ‘we are all one’, waking up our empathic mirror neurone and opening the door to a sense of connectedness and compassion. Uranus wants to shake things up, to break down the status quo and create something more aligned.
It’s important to stay vibing high with this one, as it could be tempting to just want to burn it all down – Neptune vibing low might want to build a blanket fort and drink a quart of vodka, while low-vibe Uranus wants to trample, Godzilla style, through the global village just to break with the old.
But we’re not going to play that game.
And you probably know already what I’m going to suggest; find a way to think about what you’d like to see happen instead, and focus on that.
And that can feel overwhelming if you’re not sure where to start, so let’s take advantage of the Mercury-Sagittarius placement.
Remember, Mercury rules systems of communication, which includes your brain and neurological activities; and he’s associated with our innate curiosity and our capacity for self-awareness.
Your brain loves to answer questions, so as Mercury steps into this energy of exploring beyond the known, for both yourself and perhaps your community, start out by paying attention to any questions you catch your brain asking on a regular basis, and shift them into something more inspiring, something that pulls you forward into what you prefer.
For example…
- Instead of ‘why are people so mean?’ ask ‘who is activating compassion and support, and how can I support them in their work?’
- Instead of ‘why does this always happen?’ ask ‘what would I like to happen next?’ and put your focus there.
- Instead of ‘what’s wrong with people?!’ ask ‘what brilliant things are people doing right now?’
- Instead of ‘how can we possibly solve this problem?’ ask ‘what could I do, or how could I shift my focus, to bring a little simple relief?’
If these kinds of questions are new, your brain won’t necessarily know what to do with them straight away. But keep on posing similar questions, whenever you think of it, and your brain will catch on super fast.
In fact, research suggests that your brain learns you’re asking a new type of question, before you fully develop the habit of regularly asking those better questions. Your brain will anticipate that you’re likely to ask a question designed to open a door to possibility – and it will start collecting ideas and information for you, before you need them. And that, of course, makes this practice a great way to get your psyche on board with a more positive outlook overall.
So whether you’re starting to plan out your 2019, or looking to make the world a better place, or both – let Mercury inspire your thoughts and your questions to possibilities that, right now, might seem pretty out-there.
Because it’s in the out-there that some of our best solutions and ideas and inspirations lie.
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 Facebookor via her website – or you might like to pick up her free brain-rewiring resource, Identity Shift 101 here.
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