Message for December 2017

As we gaze back over another year of trials, tribulations and challenges, it would be easy just to see all the hardship we have each endured, as well as the collective troubles we have faced as a society. Perhaps it’s the way we are hard-wired as we tend to see the struggles easier than the good stuff. We do the same when we look at ourselves as individuals, easily picking out what we feel is wrong with ourselves rather than focusing on what’s right. This could be humility and a desire not to appear egotistical, but it goes deeper than this as much of the criticism we throw at ourselves remains in our hearts, minds and souls, and so no-one gets to hear it. Yet, why? Why do we berate, denigrate and scold ourselves? Why is an inner dialogue of ‘not good enough’ acceptable? Of course, intuitively we know it isn’t acceptable but it doesn’t stop us from doing it.

As human beings, we are programmed to grow, learn and evolve, and maybe we reached a point where we only find that growth when we try to fix what’s wrong, therefore turning our focus onto the things we deem wrong about ourselves and our lives. The trouble with such a focus is the overlooking of everything else and we can reach the point of feeling unable to move on with life until the problems are fixed and resolved. The mantras of: once I've met Mr/Ms Right then everything will be ok, once I lost weight then I can be me, once I've paid off my debts I can be happy, once…you get the drift. Yet, is this wrong or is this simply human longing to be better, happier and more fulfilled? There is clearly a fine line between aspiration and inspiration, judgement and positive critique.

It’s therefore easy to see why, when we look back, we so often see the things that went wrong as they seem bigger and out of proportion to everything else. Maybe this is because of the toll they’ve taken on us as many challenges can cause shockwaves through the body which take a long time to settle. Maybe this is also because we are still trying to process and make sense of such challenges? When good things happen, we embrace them but when they pass we find ourselves back in the humdrum once again; it’s as though we join up the dots of life by the challenges rather than the good things. Perhaps if we changed this and start joining up the dots of the good stuff then our harsh inner critics will find something better to do?

We all have goals and dreams in life, and we all have a sense of our own capacity to love, learn grow and be amazing but our tendency to hide this away underneath a pile of self-criticism and judgment can mean we never allow our true essences out into the light. 2017 has, thus far, been a difficult year for a great many, but it’s important now to end the year focused on the good stuff in order to set a new tone for the path ahead. Obviously just because we set an intention doesn’t mean life will be all peachy and happy, but when we experience a shift in perspective, we can begin a process of shift away from constant self-judgement and towards a happier, more balanced life. Life will always bring us challenges, but when we start seeing the amazing (which is both within and around us), we can shift the balance of our lives and learn how to be happy, contented and joyful whatever the currents of life bring.

December is, therefore, a time to look back with warmth and tenderness, to celebrate the good things and to gently embrace the challenges with love rather than criticising and judging ourselves for not doing better. This may sound like a simple shift, and, in many ways it is, but don’t underestimate the power we each have to transform our lives from the inside, out…

With love,

Sarah-Jane

Aries

♈

Looking back over the last year, it would be easy to see all of the many challenges you’ve experienced blurring into one great big heap of stuff, leaving you feeling as though this year has been harder and more arduous than usual. However, if you stepped back and looked at all of the good bits and allowed them to merge into one, you would also see that this has been a year for positive change and shift at the same time. In many ways, this is all a matter of perspective, a bit like having either the glass half full or half empty, yet you are not really the type to embrace either concept as you tend to see the glass as always full – even if it’s full of air. This perspective has allowed you to navigate through some difficult times of your life and it has enabled you to learn some important lessons in terms of your own courage and strength, as your inner light always finds a way of shining through.

Seeing the glass as full isn’t a way of glossing over the edges or seeing everything through rose tinted spectacles, it’s a willingness to turn to face life with your eyes wide open and to deal with whatever each day brings you. This has enabled you to live more consciously and to walk through life feeling connected, awake and aware. Of course, this has presented its own challenges as you are more ‘exposed’ to the elements of life as you have been more able to touch the raw emotion of each experience, yet your courage shines so brightly and it will inspire you to embrace the next chapter of your life with passion, gusto and belief…

Taurus

♉

December looks set to bring about a much-anticipated period of shift and forward movement in your life as you near the end of a long period of uncertainty. You have been hovering between here and there, in a kind of stasis between where you are and where you want to be, for most of this year, and this has left you with a deep, almost soul-level, restlessness and instability. However, on closer inspection, it’s clear that your soul actually remains strong and steadfast, it’s just that the view has been clouded by a constant flow of challenges and hiccups. At the same time though, it seems clear that you’re not completely sure of where you want to be; you have an inkling of a sense of direction but when it boils down to it, you have no clear answer.

Although this could be said for most individuals, it seems important for you now to re-focus and re-define the concept of ‘destination’ in order to sharpen and distil the image more as this will enable you to bring about a much clearer sense of inner knowing, as well as helping you to hone your inbuilt navigation skills, as you step into pastures new over the weeks and months ahead. As one year comes to an end it’s easy to look ahead to what the following year may have in store for you, but it seems important that you first condense your experiences of this year and then allow a clearer vision of what you truly want from your life to emerge, allowing this vision to steer and guide you as you boldly go where you have never gone before…

Gemini

♊

Life is a bundle of random, incongruent, haphazard and indiscriminate moments. It’s sometimes easy to feel as though you are the master of your own destiny but there are other times when you feel more like a pawn in a universal game of chess: knowing that, in the scheme of things, your life events are happenings of chance and not some part of a grand plan. Of course, it’s only natural to feel as though you are the force that makes decisions and choices, and you are the one who has goals, dreams and ideas, therefore it would perhaps be prudent to assume that ‘you made your bed so lie in it’ suggesting you have created the world in which you live by the choices you make.

In many ways, this is true but it is far too simplistic a perspective as it takes away the actions (and inactions) of others which sweep into your life whether you want them to or not. It also doesn’t consider the notion that ‘stuff happens’; as much as you may want to believe that you are the master of your own destiny, intuitively you know that life sometimes has other ideas - you could choose to blame yourself entirely or see it as a piece of the jigsaw puzzle of your life knowing you will grow from the experience however it ends. There is a lot of self-blame in the mindset of feeling as though you have exclusively shaped and carved your own life as it removes the fluidity of being part of a living, breathing whole. December looks set to be a month where your perspective on life shifts, allowing you to feel more in tune with the randomness of the universe and, although you cannot make complete sense of it all, feeling happy anyway.

Cancer

♋

As you continue to contemplate what constitutes a ‘good’ life, there is a growing sense that your feet are growing more and more itchy as you feel as though there must be more to do, see and be. It’s not that you have a particularly ‘bad’ life, it’s more an inner sense of restlessness that something is missing or out of alignment and, even though you’ve been unable to put your finger on what this is, you cannot help but know things aren’t quite as you would want them to be. In many ways, you would be quite happy to ignore all of this and continue keeping on keeping on but this inner niggle just won’t shut up or go away. Perhaps, in order to get some peace, you need to spend some time at least exploring what you truly want from your life and then decide if you are already living that life or if you need/want to make some changes.

Of course, the whole concept of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is also something you should maybe look at as compartmentalising your outlook in such a black and white way makes it likely you will not notice the middle ground of contentment all around you; life is rarely perfect, after all. There is a strong sense of a new direction forming in your life but until you open up to wanting that direction to take shape it is unlikely to do much other than wave at you from a distance. Yet, ‘wanting’ that direction to take shape means believing in yourself, tapping into your formidable strength and not trying to dismiss the ‘good’ life as out of reach or somehow impractical. Life is what you make of it and this is your moment to redefine and reshape yours from the inside, out…

Leo

♌

December looks set to trigger the beginning of a period of shedding the old and embracing the new are you turn towards your heart and soul in order to find a new way of living and being. Such a transformation has been on the cards for quite some time as you have been hovering between the life you once lived, the life you are living and the life you intuitively know you were born to live, but the pace of change is increasing now as you feel ready to live in a more fulfilling and rewarding way. Even though you have, at a deep level, been aware of this shift, you haven’t, as yet, given much thought to what this really means for you and your life. It’s as though you’re packed and ready for the off, but without knowing where you are heading or why! So, if you don’t know where you’re heading, how can you pack? How can you know what to wear or what to take?

In essence, there is a need for you to trust the process of shedding the old but it seems important to at least try to gain a stronger sense of embracing the new as this is your life and making some conscious choices and decisions as to what you want, and don’t want, is crucial if you are to remain focused and motivated. You are not, and never have been, a piece of driftwood floating randomly through the seas of life; you have always been able to fashion some kind of sail and rudder as that’s your true nature. Of course, life doesn’t always bring you what you want, but having a clearer sense of purpose and destination will help you to surge forwards with passion, confidence and courage

Virgo

♍

Your journey through life has had many twists and turns, as well as many ups and downs. Opening up to your full potential is something you have always strived to do but life has frequently got in the way with distractions of people to see, places to go and things to do. Although this has thwarted your progress, you have discovered and learnt a great deal along the way. Exploring your full potential and prioritising your true needs hasn’t been easy as you so often bend and flex in order to help or accommodate others, and this has seen you walking down pathways and avenues you may not instinctively have chosen. However, every step you’ve taken in life has wisdom and an opportunity for growth, so you tend not to see these choices as deviating from your true path but as part of the bigger picture of your life.

Of course, such wisdom has enabled you to expand your creativity and inspiration despite the twists and turns, but there is a sense of frustration within you that you have not, as yet, reached your full potential and found your way ‘home’. As you know, potential is a force that is perpetually shifting, expanding and evolving; as a result, the concept of ‘full potential’ is perhaps a misnomer as, like the horizon, you never actually get there. So, maybe it’s time to stop thinking about your full potential and instead start to close the gaps between where you are and where you feel you need to be, realising that you are actually far closer to that strived-for place of full potential than you have noticed? Life isn’t about ticking boxes, it’s about reaching a point of equilibrium where, whatever path you take and decisions you make, you are still thriving, growing and evolving…

Libra

♎

As you continue to keep your focus on the here and now rather than on ‘over there’ and ‘what if’. Your mind often meanders through the infinite array of possibilities in life and although this inspires you and brings you great ideas, it can also swamp you as it leaves you frozen in a haze of thoughts and deliberations. It’s undeniably hard for you not to let your mind wander, after all, your probing, questioning noddle (head) is the force that drives your life forwards. However, you have also realised the rewards of present moment awareness, so focusing on the ‘here and now’ is your way of trying to find peace and contentment in such a space. Inevitably you can find yourself oscillating between being here and not being here because your mind is everywhere else.

If someone else looked into your mind they would see a whirlwind of thoughts, ideas and contemplations rocketing around at a million miles an hour; to anyone else, this would be quite disturbing but it’s your natural way of living and being. Yet, you often feel it’s somehow wrong to have such a mind as the ‘best’ way is surely the way of being in the present moment and less in the mind? Who says so? Maybe, if the whirlwind is your natural way of being then why not embrace it and find a way to merge the whirlwind with the here and now? What a force that would be! In essence, this is about not getting lost in the currents but finding your strength from them and so inspiring you to let your true strength shine brightly in each and every moment by being the whizzy, phenomenal and extraordinary whirlwind you know yourself to be…

Scorpio

♏

As the pace of your life continues to dance and swirl with a rambunctious, pixie-like, cheeky mischievousness, there is a sense you are beginning to find peace with the free spirit within you as you are allowing yourself to have a little fun! As you connect to your creativity and spirituality at a deeper level, you are realising that you have been taking life far too seriously and, as a result, you have lost sight of the lighter and more carefree aspects of being you. Although you are often very serious and focused, the rambunctious and lively side of your nature needs room to breathe otherwise it can build up into restlessness and frustration. You may not like to admit that you can be a bit cheeky and mischievous at times, but this isn’t dark or malicious, it’s playful and high-spirited.

In many ways, you find a stronger connection to your true essence when you allow this side of you some room to manoeuvre as you are allowing all aspects of your nature the room to roam more freely. Of course, there is a time and a place for the rambunctiousness, but it seems important for you to stop denying this side of your nature as your true power lies at the heart of this and it seems time now for you to lighten up, let go and dance with carefree abandon. This isn’t about letting go of responsibilities, nor is it about being naughty and creating chaos, it’s about finding the fun and the joy in everything you do, and it’s about lightening up the seriousness and re-energising the heaviness you’ve been feeling lately. This is your moment to re-shape the dynamics of your life and to re-inject some oomph and va-va voom once again…

Sagittarius

♐

As the ‘to do list’ of your life grows ever-longer, there is a sense that many of the items on your tick list are perhaps not quite as important as you sometimes like to believe. You are a possibilities kind of person and this philosophy filters into your list as you don’t like to cross something out in case, at some point, it becomes useful. It’s as though you keep hold of all of the things you think you could, should or ought to do and just build on this rather than reviewing it and letting things go. It’s not that you are some kind of self-flagellating hoarder of things to do as, at heart, you are a free spirit, but you carry this weighty ‘to do list’ around with you like a chain dragging around your neck. Perhaps the most important question to ask here is: why? Why do you have so many things to do? Is it because you never get anything done or is it because you take on too much? Or, is it perhaps more of a distraction technique, a kind of subconscious strategy where you cannot focus on anything beyond the list thereby keeping your dreams and gifts out of reach?

You are a gifted, talented and inspirational soul yet you seem bogged down by your list and this denies you the ability to breathe deeply and consciously into life. If you take a good look at your list, many of the items on it really aren’t that important and it’s time to ask yourself if they are truly more important than you reaching for your dreams. Thought not. It’s time for a mini-revolution, to focus on what’s really important and to stop procrastinating and using the list as a reason ‘not to’. This is your moment…

Capricorn

♑

As you continue to ponder and contemplate the meanderings of your life, there is a sense you are beginning to think more about how you live your life and why. A question is beginning to emerge and bounce about your consciousness: do you live your life wholeheartedly or do you let life lead the way? In other words, do you grab hold of life with both hands or do you take a more passive, reactive role? This question is an important one for you to ask as you are naturally a wholehearted kind of soul but life has slowly chipped away at your passion and belief, leaving you feeling a sense of doubt, possibly even cynicism, in connection to what wholehearted living really is. In some ways, you feel it’s a bit flouncy and silly to live wholeheartedly as you wonder if it’s not genuine and too far removed from the nitty-gritty of everyday life. Yet, who thinks it’s flouncy other than you?

Wholehearted isn’t naïve nor is it looking at life through rose-tinted glasses, wholehearted is a willingness to have the courage to live the very best life you can live. It’s only flouncy if you do it half-heartedly which somehow defeats the object. It’s only wishy-washy if you lack conviction and self-belief, and you have both by the bucket load, yet you do still doubt yourself and December looks set to challenge you to let this go now in order to set a new flavour for your path ahead. Living wholeheartedly isn’t some new age namby-pampy nonsense, it’s an opportunity for you to live your life with all of your heart, all of your gifts and all of your passion. In short, it’s your chance to be the you you’ve always known yourself to be…

Aquarius

♒

December looks set to be a month for you to find a deeper sense of peace with the wanderer within you; the force that desires change, movement and new horizons. This force is behind your enquiring mind and inspirational ideas but you seem to frequently doubt your capacity to explore these and hold back, preferring instead to follow a more trusted and accepted route. Who decides which route is best? Who decides a path in life is more ‘accepted’ than another? Of course, society as a whole conditions and shapes this to a great extent but you have also bought into beliefs and ideals of your own that getting on with the business of life has to be practical, sensible and within certain boundaries. If you stepped back to look at this you would inwardly smile as you spend your life contemplating a life without boundaries and a world where freedom of thought, speech and inspiration is abound. Yet, you have silently bought into something far more conformed and restrained without really noticing and, as a result, you are the force that restrains your inner wanderer.

All is not lost of course, as your wanderer hasn’t given up and you haven’t stopped noticing this energy within you as you still regularly contemplate the bigger picture of your life, sensing the infinite capacity of your inspiration and intuition. This may leave you feeling a little conflicted as you seem to be pulling yourself in two different directions but it is possible to create unity and balance once again: the key is in believing that you can do so. The wanderer within you thrives on new horizons and on the opportunity to grow and learn, and this is what lights up your soul, so maybe it’s time now for you to untie the restraints and see where it takes you… 

Pisces

♓

As you continue to seek out answers to the many questions you still have in life, you are beginning to realise that when the answers do come, they tend to bring more questions. At the same time, you have also discovered that many questions simply do not have answers; the answers either haven’t been discovered yet or the questions are just too complex or imprecise to have answers. Over recent weeks and months you have found yourself questioning the bigger picture of your life, wondering why you exist and what your true purpose is in life. Such existential ponderings are likely to have knocked you slightly off balance as these questions really don’t have any clear-cut answers that would satisfy your longing to understand and this has led you into a cycle of even more questioning. Although you are wise enough to know life doesn’t have all the answers, there is still a part of you frustrated at the nebulous nature of being human.

This is even more challenging for you as your life hasn’t been making much sense recently and the harder you have sought out a logical resolution, in many ways, the further away you have felt from understanding. The main reason for this is you are simply looking too hard to make sense of things that don’t make sense. Life isn’t an equation and, intuitively, you know this, but when life gets challenging, you move into a kind of default mode where you switch off your tenacious and free-flowing intuition, preferring to push for a definitive answer. You already know this strategy hasn’t been working for you but you’re human so don’t beat yourself up. So, instead of pushing so hard, it’s time to focus more wholeheartedly on the here and know, trusting the answers will come when they’re ready…