Witch Tips

Written by Jessica Lanyadoo

It’s been a lot lately. In the wake of the Eclipse, everything is all shook up and fertile, which can make things feel extra chaotic, magical, or scary, depending on where you look. Happily, this Mercury Retrograde is just about over – its last day is on the 5th.

 

The trick is to not try to run before you can walk. From the 1st through the 4th of September, we have some pretty exciting transits happening, but I should warn you – not all that glitters is gold. When you want to see something, you seek it, even if you do this subconsciously. Be on the lookout for idealistic thinking, and be weary of your desire to jump to conclusions. First we’ll have go-getter Mars form a butterfly kiss (that’s a Trine in Lanyadoo-speak) to radical Uranus. This marks an opening and a powerful shift that can yield creative potential. The trouble is that this transit is happening in concert with a bunch of other, less reliable astrology, and that means that if you’re not careful, anything can come through this doorway. Clarify your intentions and own your choices. If you’re going to birth a thing, make it be beautiful and true. Wasting this energy on pettiness is a bigger miss than you might think it is.

 

On the 2nd-4th, inquisitive Mercury will sit on top of more-than-sometimes-selfish Mars. If you’re not careful, this transit can rob you of your objectivity and lead you down a pretty defensive path. Don’t allow yourself to be goaded into BS because the S is likely to stick to you. The best use of this energy is to better understand your own ego drives. Dig deep into your motivations, and make sure you’re not defending something you need to let go of. If you have to be brave, this transit will give you the push to do it. It’s OK to start something in this period, but you’re likely to have the most success with plans that you vetted before this week.

 

By the 3rd-5th, things get weird as the bright-light Sun sits opposite dark and foggy Neptune. The effects of this are complicated and make the energy before and after it a little hard to predict. This opposition can produce confusion, anxiety, disillusionment, and false starts. It can also mark a couple of days when you feel sleepy and lowkey depressed; if that’s the case, don’t worry about it as it’ll pass quickly. Fortify your bod and mind with solid self-care, and carry on.

 

The real risk here is dogma. Wars are started, torches are lit, and hearts are broken over firmly held beliefs that the feeler feels spiritually entitled to. No matter how connected you feel to a purpose larger than you, this is not the time to abandon common sense and empathy. Having boundaries, fighting, and other necessities can be executed with cruelty or compassion; make sure you’re not acting as though your emotions or connection to the Divine are any more or less important than anyone else’s.

 

We’re all family, and we’re all in this together. Strengthen the whole and you strengthen its parts.

 

 

ARIES

March 21-April 19

It’s time, Aries. You’re changing, and your potential is great. The problem is that if you bring your old ways with you, you’ll only succeed in shifting the way things look on the surface instead of how they really are. Having big feels is an undeniable part of big transitions, so be patient with yourself if you’re kinda freaking out this week. You’ll need courage to follow through, but if you’re not stepping out of your comfort zone, you’re probably not doing it right, my love.

 

TAURUS

April 20-May 20

When you’re stressing, it’s hard to have perspective. This week you need to take a gentle step back from your concerns in order to better deal with them, Taurus. You’re ready to make some changes, but if you’re not thoughtful about what they look like, you’ll end up creating chaos in the very dynamics you’re trying to make sustainable. Slow down and reassess your attitudes and your situation. This will allow you to make sure you’re on the right path before you commit yourself to it.

 

GEMINI

May 21-June 21

You know what you want, but you don’t know if you can get it, and that’s an uncomfortable place to be. You run the risk of vacillating between big confidence and small thinking this week, and it’s no fun. The first step in front of you is to clarify your big picture goals. Once that’s done, dial back the things you need to do to get to that point. You can’t have it all right away, but you can have it all if you’re willing to let it come to you in pieces, Twin Star.

 

CANCER

June 22-July 22

A meaningful aspect of your life is gonna need your bravery, so show up for the good, the bad, and the ugly this week. It’s not the time to wait for the absence of fear; it’s time to step into your fears and better understand what they’re trying to tell you. If you take your anxieties too literally this week, you’ll end up way off track. Breathe into them, Moonchild. Show yourself compassion for your splintered parts because that kind of kindness will help you become a more united and whole person.

 

LEO

July 23-Aug. 22

If you’re being true to yourself, you may have to disappoint some people some of the time. This week you’re unlikely to want to be alone, but you kinda need to be, Leo. If you’ve gotten too wound up lately or are simply attached to getting a certain outcome regardless of the process, it’s time for a time out. Realign with your priorities and, more intimately, who you are at your essence. Who you are in tumultuous times says a great deal about your character, my love.

 

VIRGO

Aug. 23-Sept. 22

It’s time to take a real pause, Virgo. If you’re willing to confront the truth, you’ll see that you’ve lost your way. Luckily you’re just a smidge off the blue line of your map app. Sadly, you’re so caught up in what you think you’re supposed to do that it feels like an impossible course correction – even though it’s not. Change is an inevitable part of life, especially if you want to grow. Empower yourself by considering all your options, even if some of them feel scary to consider right now.

 

LIBRA

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

Just because you can’t see what’s next doesn’t mean that you have anything to worry about. What I have to say may be confusing; you need to be strong, Libra, and have confidence that you can pull off your vision. At the same time, you’re on call to release your attachments; they’re getting in the way of your ability to go with the flow. The upshot? Have the strength of character to be changed by what comes to you as you go for your dreams.

 

SCORPIO

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

If you don’t believe in yourself, you’re kinda screwed. No one is confident all of the time, but you need to be able to separate out all of your anxious mind-chatter from your intuition and inner wisdom. This week is a great one to get into meditation or step up your mindfulness game. Remember to do the little things like breathe, drink enough water, and sleep enough so that you have access to your most reliable inner resources. Finding peace is an inside job.

 

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

You don’t need to figure it out, Sagittarius. If you’re upset and don’t know what to do, take the space you need and do nothing. There’s a big shift in energy this week, and if you allow yourself to get caught up in your feelings and blindly react, you run the risk of making mountains out of molehills, my love. Don’t rush so impetuously to find the answers that you ignore the feelings that are getting kicked up within you. Act with integrity, not out of impulse alone, my love.

 

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

If you’re too willful, you won’t get what you want – you’ll get what you’re most scared of. This week you may find yourself having some really good luck, but it may be easy come, easy go. Your best move is to be careful about what you wish for. Distill what you think you want into its most essential bits, so when opportunity knocks, you have a way of evaluating whether it’s a shiny bobble or as valuable as 24K gold. Seek the feeling, not the thing for once, Cappy my love.

 

 

AQUARIUS

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

you don’t need to posses a thing in order to understand it, and you don’t need to understand a thing in order to value it. This week your willingness to show up is required. You can go through the motions, but if you strive to be emotionally present, you’ll find that you organically make connections that you’ve been trying to force. If you’re willing to grow beyond where you’ve been, you can gracefully move leaps and bounds ahead, Aquarius.

 

 

PISCES

Feb. 19-March 20

When you get pushed around, it’s easy to want to deflate, but that’s the exact opposite of what you should do. Trust yourself, Pisces. Rely on your instincts and have the confidence to follow through with what they tell you. Around mid-week you may need to take a break from everything and commit to some good old fashioned self-care. Don’t pressure yourself to be anywhere other than where you are; do what you need to do to be right with yourself, sweet one.