Message for July 2017

As the great big washing machine of life continues to spin, rinse, hum, whir and jiggy across the floor, there is a great deal of bewilderment, bemusement, perplexity and disorientation as we each try to make sense of the shifts and find a moment to take a breath. Yet, the storms of life continue to roll in, one after another, and it can be hard not to feel an overwhelming and profound sense of confusion. As the thunder cracks and the skies darken, the pressure of life’s challenges can feel heavy and insurmountable as there seems little respite and no opportunity to find even a brief moment of tranquillity. It’s easy to feel trapped and hemmed in by the storms as there are no clear skies visible on the horizon and a lingering air of greyness fills the soul as though all the colour has been sucked out of the room.

It’s easy to become consumed by this as the human spirit can only deal with so much before it becomes saturated and lifeless as the shutters fall in an attempt to cope. Trying to make sense of the confusion often only brings more questions to the surface as the answers seem conspicuous only by their absence, yet the urge to push and fight to reach a point of clarity and understanding rarely seems to abate and it can take on the force and power of yet another storm battering away at the shorelines of the soul. As a result, the focus shifts towards seeking out wisdom as to why things are the way they are and away from where we are in the moment. Perhaps there is no answer to this question; storms come and storms go, it’s the way of things. Maybe it’s our need to understand and make sense of things that ultimately leads to more pain as we try to seek out answers where there aren’t any?

I know I’m not alone in feeling like this but the storms in my own life have felt increasingly gnarly and tumultuous over recent weeks and months. I have felt like a little boat in stormy seas being thrown around by the waves, yet, once the storm passes, I often feel refreshed and re-invigorated, restored and renewed before the next storms begins. So, whilst it’s undoubtedly exhausting, there is also an underlying awareness of positive shift. Yet, this can be hard to capture or hold, so we can end up feeling lost in the storms without a guide, companion or compass.

It’s then no wonder waves of isolation and desolation can surface as there’s often no breathing space or room to manoeuvre as the currents keep pulling us along and under. We can feel trapped and unable to escape but if we keep our focus on this, we sink under the pressure. However, if we begin to find ways of accepting the moment rather than trying to fix it or escape from it, we begin to shift and find a new level of equilibrium. This won’t change things but it can change how we deal with the situations we find ourselves in.

Rather than focusing on the intensity of the storms and trying to fight, resist or overcome them, maybe we need to rest in the moment on the wing of the eagle (our consciousness) hovering above and just be there? Maybe we need to experience the pain of the storms in order to grow, evolve and flourish? Perhaps it’s the storms themselves that carry the wisdom rather than our desire to outflank or outmanoeuvre them? Rather than holding our focus on where we want to be or on where we feel we need to be, maybe we can just be?

There is a powerful and profound shift occurring now deep within our hearts and souls, calling out to each and every one of us to have the courage to let go of fear, to carry on and to support one another. Storms come and go, the great big washing machine spins, rinses and shakes, but it’s our willingness to carry on which is perhaps our biggest gift. Although there are undoubtedly more storms to come, as our courage grows and our awareness expands, new waves of unity, compassion, acceptance and whole-heartedness thrive…

With love,

Sarah-Jane

Aries

♈

As the winds of change continue to gather force and momentum in your life, there is a growing sense of anticipation rising up from deep within you as you begin to taste the inklings of real shift. You have been standing at a crossroads for quite some time, contemplating which path to follow and why, wondering if you should wait for a sign to step forward or trusting you will be guided when the time is right. Although you have some clear goals and ambitions, you are also quite happy to go with the flow of others in your life in order not to upset the apple cart. This has undoubtedly facilitated an easier life when it comes to keeping the peace but there is a sense it has left you feeling somewhat frustrated as, in your heart and soul, you are not really a natural at balancing apples. Intuitively you would prefer to up-end the apple cart and allow the apples to tumble in all directions as you can’t see the point of neatly stacked apples when you can eat them, bake them, juice them or make cider with them.

In other words, you have reached a stage of your life when you are no longer content to sit within the four walls of your everyday life, with your focus on keeping on keeping on, you are now ready to reach into unknown terrain in order to create a more enriched and fulfilling world. Whilst there is nothing wrong with polishing a stack of rosy red apples, sometimes you know there’s more to life as it’s hard work constantly trying to maintain the status quo. Change happens whether you want it to or not, and you do seem to want it, so why not embrace it and see where it takes you…

Taurus

♉

Deep within the core of your being resides a slightly dusty, but pristinely preserved, piece of twinkly essence. This essence is your true self, that part of you that transcends time and space, bringing your gifts to life and inspiring you to live the best life possible. It’s dusty because you don’t often let it shine brightly as it can feel a tad onerous at times as it can conflict with your everyday focus of keeping on keeping on. Dreams and aspirations do that, they keep smiling and waving at you, reminding you of their presence in the hope you will one day manifest them into reality. Of course, it’s not that you don’t want to make your dreams come true, it’s just that life has had a habit of taking away prime opportunities for you to focus on them and you end up spending most of your time on the business of getting from A to B. Undoubtedly there is little magic in keeping on keeping on but it pays the bills, keeps food in your tummy and helps you get from where you are to where you want to go.

Yet, here’s the rub, how can you truly know where you want to go if you don’t allow your sparkly essence the room to dance and shimmy across the dance floor of life? Surely, getting from A to B just becomes a habit when you don’t allow your aspirations to flow freely? What does ‘B’ mean to you, is it a destination or is it the place where you live the life you were born to live? At the end of the day, only you can answer this question but it’s an important one to ponder as it seems time to dust off your twinkly essence in order to let it sparkle once again…

Gemini

♊

‘Space: the final frontier.’ Or, so Star Trek would have you believe. Is space the cosmos, all we see in the starry skies and beyond? Or is space more far reaching than this and entering mind-bending ideas of what lies beyond the universe? It’s easy to look upwards and outwards when we think of space, but perhaps the most important space is the space within your heart and soul? You have spent a great deal of time contemplating the meaning of life and trying to make sense of why things are the way they are. You have tried to shine a light into the dark nooks and crannies of your soul in an attempt to cleanse your pain and find the truth of your existence. You have ‘boldly gone where no one has gone before’ when it comes to trying to find answers to your many questions. Yet, despite your quest for truth, there is a sense that you have sought out context and reference from your own pain and rationalised this with the actions, thoughts and beliefs of others.

Your enthusiasm to explore the final frontier of your own heart and soul has not been quite so high on your agenda as diving deeply into the unknown within leaves you feeling slightly disconcerted and discombobulated. The reason for this seems to be connected to a desire to answer life’s questions and it somehow seems easier to try to explore the far reaches of space for such answers than it does to go within yourself. This isn’t to say you are avoiding your inner space but you seem reluctant to dive in and become one with your true essence. You are vibrant, passionate and compassionate, don’t fear your depths, love them and believe in yourself to cross into the final frontier of your heart and soul…

Cancer

♋

July looks set to be a month of creative thought and inspired ingenuity as you begin to look at your life from a fresh, new perspective. For a long time now you have held a fairly narrow focus, trying to get from where you are to, well, where you are. You haven’t really had a clear destination or goal as you have been so focused on trying to keep on keeping on. As a result, you have been treading water more than you have been moving forward and, despite using a phenomenal amount of energy to achieve this, you understandably feel frustrated that you don’t seem to be getting anywhere. However, before you berate yourself for not doing more, achieving more or being more, try to realise that, as a species, we are designed to focus on survival so your tendency to lower your head and push forwards is perfectly understandably as it’s a perfectly human thing to do.

Yet, intuitively you know there’s more to life than this, you know treading water takes up just as much, if not more, energy than striding forth into unknown terrain, and your heart and soul longs for this: an opportunity to lift up your head and take a big, deep breath of life. Surviving is one thing, but thriving and blossoming is quite another. You have worked hard and pushed ahead even when the going has been tough but you no longer seem satisfied to simply go with the flow of the tunes everyone else plays as you are ready to find your own unique musical masterpiece now. Your tune may be different, it may sound out of tune to others and it may involve you doing a bit of dad-dancing but it doesn’t matter as it’s your willingness to let you be you that’s important now…

Leo

♌

There are things you know and there are things you don’t know. There are also things you know you don’t know as well as things you don’t know you know. Of course, there are also things you don’t know you don’t know, in fact, due to the infinite nature of the universe it seems likely that there are more things you don’t know you don’t know than anything else. Most of the time you accept this, sometimes you learn by making mistakes and other times you use your wisdom to side step a dead-end street. However, as much as you would like to have the head start, there are times when you simply have to dive in as you just don’t know what the likely outcome is going to be. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t be cautious or sensible, but when you find yourself standing on a precipice between where you are and where you think you want to be, do you hold back in case it’s not the right time or do you trust your instincts and go for it?

Your tenacity, courage and determination hold you in good stead as they enable you to think quickly and navigate unfamiliar terrain. You have the skillset to be a pioneer but it’s easy to slip into a somewhat easier (but infinitely less rewarding) life of keeping on keeping on; never really lifting your head above the parapet and not trying to expand your horizons by discovering more of what you don’t know. Sticking with the familiar is inherently human but you are not a sheep, following the flock, you are lion. It’s time to reconnect to your passion and roar as you stop thinking about what you don’t know, do know or want to know and instead start to live, breathe and thrive in each and every moment…

Virgo

♍

However busy your life gets it’s important to find moments to pause and take a big, deep breath. Whilst this won’t fix anything, it will help you to re-centre and re-focus.  You are a very practical, determined and focused soul but you can easily get caught up in the swirling currents of life if you forget to remain grounded and centred. You know this of course but it’s easy to forget when life distracts you and grabs your attention and energy, and, despite your well-earthed nature, you can easily become disorientated if you’re not careful. There are times when getting lost is a rather wonderful thing as you discover new pathways and explore new terrain but there are also times when meandering through fields and meadows holds you up and frustrates you. It can sometimes be hard to discern when to stop meandering or when to start as you have greatly enriched your life through new spontaneous discoveries but it’s important not to over-think this and to trust your intuition to lead the way; if you start to plan a meandering then it no longer becomes meandering as you’ve plotted the course!

Why not take a big, deep breath and let your intuition guide you; you have covered a lot of new ground recently and taking some time to process and digest this could be helpful as it will give you a little bit of space to think about what you truly want from life. You don’t often ask yourself what you truly want as you’re usually so busy with the business of living but it’s important to listen to your heart and soul in order to acknowledge the need for you to thrive, blossom and evolve on every level of your being. Let go a little and enjoy the ride…

Libra

♎

The concept of finding out ‘what you are not’ looks set to continue in earnest throughout July as you discover a great deal about your tendencies to people please and aspire to many ‘ought’s’ in your life. You have spent a lot of time trying to be the person you’ve thought you ought to be and you have also invested a lot of time and energy trying to live up to the perceived expectations of others. In fact, you have spent so much time trying to get life ‘right’ you have lost sight of your own inner light as it twinkles and sparkles from deep within. It’s easy to become constrained by ‘ought’s’ as the world is full of them, yet no two people are alike so how can we all conform to the same narrow pool of expectation? The process of discovering ‘what you are not’ may sound slightly strange as it appears to take the focus away from all that you are but it’s important to peel back the layers upon layers of expectations and ‘ought’s’ in order to get back to your twinkly, sparkly self.

In many ways, it is only by moving beyond the ‘ought’s’ and discovering ‘what you are not’ that ultimately allows you to know yourself wholeheartedly, this is because your probing, ever-questioning mind never lets up pushing the boundaries of your life. Your head is filled with aspirations and ideas to do a million things and to try an ever-increasing bucket list of experiences; this won’t ever change but what can is a willingness to let your inner light sparkle and lead the way towards living the life you were born to live. One thing is for sure: you are not an ‘ought’s’ kind of person and never will be, so just be yourself and love yourself for it…

Scorpio

♏

As you continue to step beyond the boundaries of the four walls of your everyday life there is a growing sense you are beginning to see a powerful shift in your perspective. You have, for a long time, tried to be the version of you that glides through life with the least resistance or friction. It’s not that you want an easy life but, in truth, you want an easy life. Who wouldn’t? Resistance suggests challenge or pain, and it suggests moving against the currents. Whilst you are a fluid soul it is hard for you to submit to the concept of an ‘easy life’ as it’s really not in your nature to glide. Of course, you do not seek out challenge but you do thrive when placed in situations that see you rise up and flourish. Gliding is fine for a while but it doesn’t sustain you as you find tedium in the predictability and frustration with the lack of personal growth.

You are clearly a complex individual because you do not want ‘easy’, you want your boundaries to be constantly pushed and you thrive in unchartered terrain. The challenge comes because you feel you ought to want an easy life and feel you are somehow undermining yourself when you move against the currents yet if this is where you truly thrive and blossom then why would you deny yourself? It seems there is an archetypal perception of what you think life should be like and how you think you should act but this is contrary to your own beliefs. Intuitively you know the only way to thrive is to be true to yourself so why try to be any different? Listen to your inner wisdom and enjoy the journey however you choose to travel…

Sagittarius

♐

Capricorn

♑

As you continue to contemplate the many unanswered questions in your life there is a sense you are beginning to let go of many layers of frustration when it comes to not finding the answers. No matter how hard you can try, some questions cannot be answered; it’s a frustrating part of being human that we exist in an inherently unknowable and unpredictable world. It’s only human to want to understand and make sense of why things are the way they are but when you realise this just isn’t possible you can begin to move beyond the frustration and learn how to thrive despite this. In many ways, this is not about the unanswered questions, it’s about your willingness to live more fully in the present and to be somewhat less cautious when it comes to living your life. This isn’t about throwing caution to the wind in carefree abandon, it’s about accepting you cannot always have a ‘cost, benefit analysis’ with guaranteed returns as life doesn’t work that way.

You could sit and wait for the perfect moment, hoping for that point in time when suddenly all the planets align and everything makes sense. A moment where you know exactly what to do, when and what the outcomes will be, but this is likely to make for a very long wait. It’s understandable you are cautious though as life has come and bit you on the behind on more than one occasion but is this a reason to sit on the periphery? Surely, it’s more reason to dive right back into life in order to make the most of every single moment? It’s time to let go of the frustration and open up to living the best possible life in the here and now…

Aquarius

♒

As you continue to open up your eyes to the rich diversity and depth of colour in the world you are beginning to sense a new level of awareness rising up from deep within you. It’s as though you are moving beyond the black and white hues of the humdrum, mundane everyday world, and opening up to a new dimension of potential, possibility and opportunity. You, more than most, appreciate the concept that opportunities are created when you create the possibility for them to be created; you understand the complex dynamic between being open to change and how this can shape and define your path ahead. Ultimately it is your own perception that gives definition to your experiences and so, when you start to see colours and textures, this is a sign that you are opening up your heart and soul towards living in a more engaged and connected way.

In many ways, this changes nothing, but, at the same time, it changes everything because you step beyond the humdrum and into a world where you no longer feel stuck within the boundaries of the black and white. Living in a vibrant spectrum of colour allows for your true nature to blossom and evolve, encouraging you to re-connect to your goals and dreams; life is for living and you seem ready now to break free from the beliefs and ideals that have structured and shaped your life for so long. July looks set to be a month for adjusting to your brand-new world; every sight, sound, smell and thought seems clearer now and this will take a while to acclimatise to. Although this has been a gradual process of change, the pace has picked up over recent months as you approach a crossroads where you have some important decisions to make about what happens next…

Pisces

♓

There are days when you feel as though you are gliding along, resting of the helm of the mighty and majestic clipper ship of your life. There are also days when you feel as though you are a piece of driftwood being carried along by the currents. On the surface, both actually seem quite pleasing to you as you are such a fluid soul. However, it’s important not to forget the times in between these extremes when you can feel like a dingy in stormy seas or a little rubber ducky thrown into the sea and going around and around, stuck in the ocean currents. Of course, there are yet more times when you dive through the waves like a dolphin or the times when you can just float in calm waters, restoring your sense of self. All of these represent different states of your being; different moments in life.

Obviously, life is constantly changing for everyone; yet, despite the water theme in the above, and knowing you are a Pisces, there does seem to be a reluctance for you to accept the role of water in your life. This isn’t literal, it’s metaphorical and spiritual; water is your soul, it’s your life blood. You are most at home in the creative world of the imagination and emotions, yet you can find it hard to dive deeply into this as you frequently feel that this is a luxury not a necessity. You then end up so focused on ‘the necessary’ (the everyday world of keeping on keeping on), you forget the vast pool of potential and possibility all around, and within, you. Don’t limit yourself by believing you are anything other than who you truly are; embrace your true essence and let this lead the way as you set sail for pastures new…