THE HOODWITCH: WITCH TIPS & HOROSCOPES 11.22-28.2017
Artwork by Miguel Marquez
Witch Tips
This isn’t meant to be a stable time; it’s a time of growth and change. We are being confronted by the ways that our allies and friends fail, but we're also making true progress. As shadow issues get hit with light, they cannot stay the same. Hold grace for your process of waking up to the parts of yourself that can be better. Hold yourself as you look at the pains you once avoided and the problems that caused. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to carry every torch, but now is the time to show up and try. When you truly try, it’s easier to hold space for other people’s learning curves. There’s no one among us who isn’t someone’s ‘bad guy.’ When you do your best, it’s easier to see it in others.
As Saturn is in it’s last weeks of Sagittarius, and Mercury enters the shadow period that comes before it’s Retrograde on December 3rd, it’s time to look within. There is very little justification for cruelty and very little peace in resentment. Look at the truth this week, lovers. Allow yourself to see the good, the bad, and the ugly with an open heart. There will be time enough to figure out what to do with it. Now is the time to sit with it, even when it’s uncomfortable.
On the 24th-26th, Mercury will form a harmonious trine to radical Uranus. Both of these planets govern the nervous system, so be ready to feel excited, inspired, and restless. This is an excellent time to connect with friends, see new possibilities, and have fun.
From the 26th-28th, Mercury will sit on top on the consummate wet blanket, Saturn, and that’s the one to watch out for. This transit can make you feel lonely and stuck, and it can reinforce your sense of things being hard. During these days, it’s likely that you’ll see the glass as half empty, and conversation may take a heavier tone.
So which is true? The openness you feel with Uranus or the rigidity that comes up with Saturn? You get to decide, my love. The language that you use shapes your thoughts, and the thoughts you focus on shape your feels. Be kind to yourself and others. You don't need to look on the bright side or to stay stuck in the shadows - instead settle on the closest thing that you can find to the truth. Heal what hurts in your thinking as a foundational step to healing what hurts in yourself and in the world around you. Things can be complicated and messy, and that doesn’t have to define you. Act from your best self, especially when it’s most tempting not to, my love.
ARIES
March 21-April 19
There’s no crime in not knowing a thing, Aries. You’re not supposed to be all seeing, and it’s OK to have blind spots. This week the key is to not fake it. Know yourself well enough to know what you’re good at and when you need help. Being strong doesn’t require you to be perfect or to be a self-cleaning oven. If you collaborate with the right people, it only serves to make you more whole. Lean into what you don’t know so that you can better explore it this week.
TAURUS
April 20-May 20
Your body is a tool that you can use with intention or you can take for granted – it’s your choice. Your anxieties may be through the roof, but there’s a bigger picture than the one you’re looking at. Get calm before you try to get clear, my love. Ground into your physical body, the present moment, and the safest, most pleasing physical environment you have access to this week. Align yourself with the available support that you have before you indulge your desire to find a fix for things, Taurus.
GEMINI
May 21-June 21
You have a right to exist because you’re a person. You have a right to your perspectives, actions, and attitudes. What you don’t have is immunity to consequences. It’s time to stop defending and explaining yourself away, and start owning where you’re at and what brought you here. Take stock of your choices – the passive and proactive ones – this week. It’s time to answer for how your actions and attitudes have impacted the people you’re close to, Twin Star.
CANCER
June 22-July 22
There are some very real problems between you and others, and you may find that this week they’re bringing you down. Instead of recoiling from your hurt feels, try to sit with them, Moonchild. It’s not possible to show all the way up for your relationships if you don’t first show up for yourself. It’s time for you to assert your boundaries, and be humble if part of why you’re so emo is that you’ve overstepped them. Listen kindly to yourself and others, my love.
LEO
July 23-Aug. 22
You don’t have to fix a durn thing, Leo. When you’re in pain, it’s tempting to rush to find the quickest way to get out of it, but it’s not always wise. Slow down, and take a listen to the stirrings of your heart, my love. When you let go of trying to control how you or the people around you feel, you can actually gain more freedom. Don’t seek the ‘answers;’ seek the truth. When you're living authentically, the answers can’t help but find you.
VIRGO
Aug. 23-Sept. 22
If you could unencumber yourself from negative thoughts, what would change, Virgo? Would you do all the same things, only with less stress? Would you start something new? Do your worries provide a service? Do they keep you safe? This week you could decide to just let go, or not. The choice is difficult, but it’s also really simple. Every time you catch yourself in a negative thought loop, find the neutral or positive version of it. If you’re gonna work, work towards happiness.
LIBRA
Sept. 23-Oct. 22
If you’ve been feeling scattered, this week is a great time to get grounded, Libra. Don’t get so caught up in the details that it separates you from the big picture. What you want will require compromise, but not all compromises are equal. Realign with your primary objectives, and remember this bit of truth: you don’t need everything all at once, and not having it all right now isn’t evidence that you’ll never get it. Refocus on your long-game, my love.
SCORPIO
Oct. 23-Nov. 21
Where’s the line between self-care and selfish, Scorpio? The truth is that you can’t please all the people all of the time, but if you aren’t pleasing yourself, you’re unlikely to be happy. Seek the wholeness of joy instead of the passing satisfaction of pleasure. Seek the pain of healing instead of the suffering that comes from a rut or destructive actions. Living in accordance with your values is the path to invest in your best life. Choose change rather than just doing more of the same.
SAGITTARIUS
Nov. 22-Dec. 21
The truth may set you free, but nobody said that it’d feel good. This week you’ve got two big jobs to do: The first is to gather yourself together and take ownership of the good, the bad, and the ugly of your vibes. The second is to tend to what you’ve got. This isn’t a good time to take on anything new because Saturn is trying to get you to confront the value of what’s already on your plate. Pace yourself through honest self-reflection, my love.
CAPRICORN
Dec. 22-Jan. 19
Here’s the thing, Capricorn: the Sun shines bright. You can turn towards its light, or you can turn away from it – that’s your choice. Your attitudes and the things and people that you choose to give your attention to shape your experience of reality. Make certain that your feed is filled with inspiring, challenging, and progressively engaging content. Feast your eyes and spirit on what gives you life rather than what dulls your spirit this week.
AQUARIUS
Jan. 20-Feb. 18
Practice sitting with things this week – the good and the bad. Yours is the sign of the future, and when you’re an Aquarius, it can be hard to keep your mind trained on the present moment. You may find that you’re surrounded by some pretty frustrating social situations, and it will take all of your faculties to determine how best to participate in them. Strive to take on only what you can handle without resentments or self-sabotage, my love.
PISCES
Feb. 19-March 20
You don’t have to be anyone but yourself, Pisces. When you compare yourself to others, you stop listening to yourself and let go of your own best discretion. This week, I challenge you to name the three things that you’re the most grateful for about your own body, actions, mind, or heart – aka you. Don’t compare the progress or setbacks on your path to anyone but you. Embrace the lessons and loves that populate your life, and build from there.