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August 26 through September 1, 2024

Mercury will finally turn direct on Wednesday, followed by Venus entering Libra and Uranus turning retrograde. With all the musical chairs the planets are playing this week, we'll need to pay closer attention and practice some flexibility to get through our days. A Gemini Moon hangs overhead Monday and Tuesday, highlighting communication, social interactions, and a tendency to surf the information highway in search of new ideas and answers. Mercury will turn direct on Wednesday after a three-week run, and though it could still cause a few glitches for the next week or so, we'll also be entering the “aha” cycle of the retrograde when answers to problems or questions will finally come to light. Venus will dance into Libra, a sign it rules, on Thursday, and spend the next three weeks turning our thoughts to relationships, love, and a tendency to daydream about the future. With the Leo Moon in charge Friday through Sunday, our generous natures will prevail, encouraging us to uplift and attend to the needs of others. Uranus will turn retrograde on Sunday, which makes any plans somewhat futile. Just plan on going with the flow as this planet changes things up on an hourly basis for the next few days.

Dealing with Emotional Tension: Discover Clarity for Tackling the Big Problems and Making the Big Changes, by Ann Todhunter Brode

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

The mandatory time out and social distancing of the past few months have given us an opportunity to look deep and evaluate what's working and what's not. Unresolved emotions are floating to the surface. Unresolved issues are demanding attention and calling for change. As a result, the need for both personal and communal healing has become loud and clear. But, before we're able to address the issues, we need to process the emotions.

With one thing piling on another and no end in sight, most of us are dealing with low-grade emotional overload. The side effects are easy to spot. Your chest is tight. Your hands are sweaty. You wake up tired and carry a bit of angst in your belly all day long. The slightest thing gets you irritated. Your vision is fuzzy and your mind is buzzy. Regardless of intentions, fielding a bunch of fear, grief, and anger affects your ability to handle a challenging situation. As neuroscientist Candace Pert explains in her book, Molecules of Emotion, triggered emotions block neural pathways, undermining clarity and compassion. Perhaps the first step in healing our community is healing ourselves.

We're all in the same fix. With questions about social unrest, climate change, political morality, financial security, and what the future holds, the stakes are high. Just tune in to your body right now and, chances are, you'll find an undercurrent of doubt, despair, and uncertainty. In this state, you really can't think clearly, listen compassionately or make good decisions. Although it feels imperative to sort things out, your perspective is impaired. In order to bring an open mind and open heart to the table, you'll need to address what's happening in your emotional body.

Although the emotions surfacing right now may feel calibrated to this novel situation, they probably have a taproot deep in your psyche. This isn't the first time in your life that you've felt unhappy about what's happening and uncertain about what's happening next. Chances are, then and now, you've ended up trying to manage your negative feelings with negative behaviors. In the long run, this doesn't work. As somatic healers know: when feelings come up and don't move on, they get tucked away and become the body's tension patterns. Based on this understanding, anywhere there's habitual tension, numbness, or agitation (forehead, jaw, stomach, chest, neck, and so forth), there'll be an emotional component.

Stored emotions play it forward. As you go through life, a random comment, piece of music, or certain smell can stir up old feelings. A movie, news item, or unexpected sound can bring up old traumas. Confronted with a worldwide pandemic and isolating protocols, it makes sense that your body would anchor down and go on high alert. Instead of trying to ignore what you're feeling, this is an opportunity to pay attention and do some emotional healing. If you feel comfortable, just ask the following questions with an open mind and listen to the answers with an open heart.

• "Where do I feel it?"
• "What does it feel like?"
• "What does it sound like?"
• "What does it look like?"

Staying focused on the physicality helps you identify the emotion without judgment or interpretation. Adding expression helps the emotional energy move out of your body, releasing in pure form. As Rachel Naomi Remen, MD says, "The only bad emotion is a stuck emotion.” Like weather coming and going, the natural state of all emotional energy is fluid and moving. Emotion= E+motion.

Dealing with E-motional Tension

1. Find a private time and place to sit quietly. Tune in to your body and get honest with what's going on. Where do you feel tension? Is your jaw clamped shut or tongue pushing against your teeth? Are your stomach, shoulder or calf muscles tight? If so, there's probably an emotional connection.
2. Without trying to construct a story or analyze the situation, notice how the tension pulls your body into a certain expression. What feeling does its shape imply? Your response will be very personal. For instance, a tight stomach might be linked to anxiety, anger, fear, or …? Just go with your first impression; don't try to over-think this.
3. On the next three exhales, make a sound that represents the tension. If the tone seems sad, mad, scared, maybe it is. Don't hold on or try to interpret it. Just let it go.
4. Now, use your hands to brush away the energetic residue; wiggle a bit to disengage any leftover tension. Don't worry about sending negative energy out into the world. Once released, there's no toxicity—it's just energy.
5. Pause. Take a moment to feel the peaceful opening where there was turmoil. Align your body-mind-spirit to be in this moment with clarity and compassion.

Following the outline above is one way to get your emotions moving and moving on out. Some other ways to deal with E-motional tension are going out for a brisk walk/ run, exercising strenuously, dancing with abandon, and working in the garden building up a sweat. And, as your body moves, breathe out the negative emotions and breathe in the positives.

Taking the time to heal your emotional body unblocks your neural circuitry. The results are tangible. Even if you're not triggered by something specific right now, just be aware of what's happening in your body when you listen to the morning news. If you end up feeling agitated, tense, or on hold, take some time to do some body-based emotional healing and evaluate the results. Once the E-motion got moving, were you more relaxed? Could you breathe more freely? Was it easier to stay in present time and be positive? Did clearing the energy lead to perspective, compassion, insight? Breaking up the blockage can be the breakthrough that helps you see the forest and the trees.

Maintaining emotional clarity in these turbulent times is an ongoing process. If your feelings get triggered along the way, get them moving and moving on out. Then, you can show up for what's happening with an open mind and open heart. Hearing what's being said, responding with compassion, and having spiritual perspective is especially important in times of upheaval and change. So, whenever you read something, watch something, or hear something that makes your body uncomfortable, it's asking you to do some emotional healing. And, when you walk away from a tough conversation, feeling anything other than interest or empathy, it's an opportunity to do some more.

Take the first step. Your commitment to healing makes it possible to show up and stand up for necessary changes. Whether about racial equality or environmental justice or reordering the dynamic of a personal relationship, the Covid-19 time-out has put us at a crossroads. As messy and uncomfortable as it may feel, remember: when feelings surface, a wound is ready to heal. Seen as a therapeutic process, clearing the fear, impatience, anger, despair, sadness, shame, and helplessness is a powerful way to embrace change. If we all take responsibility for our own healing, we can show up to tackle the big problems and make the big changes.

Please note: If you don't feel comfortable doing this alone, ask someone competent to help. If it's not the right time, put it off. Perhaps, diving in to the emotional stew is not for you. Adding the intention of clearing emotional energy to your regular practice of meditation, biofeedback, yoga, tai chi, or simple breathing exercises can achieve the same goal.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2020. All rights reserved.

Here's a head scratcher: I firmly believe that the Universe has placed me in certain situations, jobs and residences for specific reasons. I also know that I have met various people who have helped me or "hurt" me for specific reasons. A few years ago I went through a depression. I curled into a shell for a period until I was strong and well enough to deal with life again. Since then, I've steadily grown more excited and ready to welcome new people into my life. I've learned so much about myself, and I know I can be a better friend than I ever was before. (I wasn't so great). The thing is, I can't seem to connect with anyone now. In fact, I seem to be repelling people. This has happened with people I meet as well as with people I've chatted with on the internet. I can assure you it's not that I come on too strong. I am pretty reserved, but I love to joke and laugh and can be as charming as the next person. I am also a great listener! Because I truly believe from experience (and instinct) that the Universe protects me from those who are "unhealthy" for me (and vice versa), I have to accept that the Universe is somehow behind this absence of real connections. I even had one reader tell me that a couple of benign spirits were keeping others away from me because they wanted me all to themselves. (?!) That seemed ridiculous, but then again, I really can't wrap my head around why it has been so hard for me. Before the depression and the self-imposed exile, I had very little problem meeting people. What do you think is going on? Many thanks! (Virgo Sun/Leo Moon/Cap rising)

Dreamchaser:

I am very glad that you have told your story in this forum. I cannot tell you the number of people who just "go to sleep for a little while." Fortunately, during that sleep time you evolved and grew spiritually. When you got up, you were a new person. You are now enlightened.

One of the side effects of being an enlightened human being is a tendency toward a more solitary lifestyle. The reason for this is a) "mortals" (people who are not enlightened or do not want to be) cannot relate to you and think you are strange and b) you cannot relate to most human beings anymore either. You find dealing with most humans draining and unfulfilling.

Before your "exile," as you call it, you were more willing to accept ANY treatment and to allow any type of human around you just to have someone there. You felt that your worth as a person was reflected by the number of people who knew you. You are starting to see, as difficult as this lesson may be, that it is better to be alone than to have an "energy vampire" or someone you cannot relate to or trust around.

I found myself in much the same place you are in, and "oddly enough," I too am a recovering Virgo. We Virgos tend to live relatively solitary lives; when you add spiritual evolvement into the equation, we become almost reclusive. You can find like-minded people. You just have to be ready for them. I feel that for the time being, you are still learning how to live your new life, and you are still in the process of evolvement. I feel that you will stay rather solitary for some time. If you have a Unity (not Unitarian) Church nearby, you should look into going. It is a church that thinks like you do, and you would feel so blessed there. You would also receive guidance on how to live in your new self.

You are being taught to find what you need on the inside of yourself. You are being taught to be a fully self-sufficient human. Your gut gives you all the answers you need, and you do enjoy being alone and spending time by yourself. We crave human companionship for a number of reasons, but one is to prevent loneliness. If we can find contentment in aloneness and in ourselves, then our relationships with others take on a whole new meaning.

You are correct in saying that the Universe is working in your life. Who you need and should have will come into your life. Just work on "being here now," and allow the Universe to do the rest. Buddha did not sit under the tree with 50 friends. He sat under the tree alone.

I wish you self fulfillment.

*****

Astrea:

After going through the kind of depression you describe, many people find themselves starting a whole new life. This means that new friends, new people and new GOALS present themselves. You're going through that difficult transition, and you are going to have to learn to be very self-reliant. Yes, the Universe and your Angels are still around to help out, but you've got to make your own choices and decisions now.

Your Sun, Moon, and Ascendant are all working for you in your quest for new friends and experiences now. Your Leo Moon would make you more sociable than most people, so that is probably the part of your personality that craves the attention of others. The Capricorn in your chart will help focus and center your Virgo drive. You have so much going for you astrologically that it will become easier as time goes on to find the right people to share your life.

I agree that the suggestion that SPIRITS are interfering in your search for new people to welcome into your life is pretty ridiculous. I really doubt that Angels and Spirits find us as interesting as all that. I'm sure it's flattering to fantasize about being "held captive" from relating to others by Celestial Beings, but I don't see how any rational person could believe in that for long. That sounds like an easy answer given to you by someone who didn't really know what else to say.

If you want to believe that the UNIVERSE was behind every move you've made up to this point, that's fine, but you should also accept that you had Free Will and Free Choice - even during the times you were depressed. Sure, it was easy to meet people when they felt that you were weak and vulnerable, but now that you're strong and whole, people who would have come into your life to USE you before will steer clear of you now. You're having a much harder time meeting the kind of people you want, because, sadly, there aren't too many of the nice ones out there these days. It takes a lot longer to make friends when you're looking for high quality, mutually beneficial relationships.

Take the time to listen. You ARE indeed a good listener, but you must make sure you're listening to your OWN Inner Voice as you meet, greet and welcome new things and new people into your NEW life. Now that you're all better, YOU are the force behind your choices and decisions. Take that as a GIFT and use it wisely. The Universe doesn't owe us a thing, and doesn't hand things out, either. We have to ask for what we want and do the necessary work to create and keep it.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.