Written by Jessica Lanyadoo

Witch Tips

These are unstable times, and so many people are suffering. It’s so hard to see the pain of others without turning away, especially when you’re bombarded with news and images through your devices and social media. Turning away is the last thing you should do though. In order to have a strong spiritual life, it’s important to confront the realities of this world and to stay whole while doing so. This is a time where not only is there so much pain and suffering but also more documentation of it than ever before. If you find that your anxieties are too great to bear, remember to breathe. Gratitude is a good anxiety-killer, so start a practice of naming nine things that you’re grateful for every day, once a day. Another thing that helps is action; if you have resources to share locally or with those at a distance, please do! If you don’t, there are other ways to help. Prayer, energy work, and loving thoughts are valuable. Give a signal boost to causes that you believe in and voices that you are inspired by. Smile at strangers, show compassion and grace to people and situations you don’t understand, and when you need a break, take it.

This week is gonna be super intense! On the 28th, expansive Jupiter will sit opposite iconoclastic Uranus. This is the last pass of the transit that began on 12/26/16 and reoccurred on 3/2/17. The tension between these two planets is all about the spontaneous and rigid desire for freedom. This energy can be dogmatic, entitled, and oppressive – all in the name of liberty. It represents the drive to be unfettered by restraints and obligations, and if you’re not careful, it can compel you to act out in the name of freedom without concern for the costs.

This is an excellent time to break free of an oppressive situation or a dynamic you’ve outgrown. This energy will help you to boldly take risks – just make sure that they’re well-considered and won’t cost you more than they’re worth. This can be an explosive time for growth. Ask questions, explore, and be open to changing your mind.

On the same date, Pluto will go direct in the sign of Capricorn and this is a meaningful shift. Whatever you do, don’t lose track of your humanity, my love. You may need to dismantle rigid systems, unlearn broken principals, or stand up to structures that you once believed in. Do it, but make sure that you are guided by your inner light and not the shadow-side of others. Your soul is your most precious ally – guard it with your whole heart.

 

On the 29th, Mercury enters into indecisive Libra, and from the 28th-30th, compromising Venus opposes idealistic Neptune. Neptune and Venus govern your ideals and values respectively. This opposition is likely to illuminate whatever gaps exist between what you want to believe and what you actually believe. Pay special attention to your relationships around these dates; you are likely to have to assert some boundaries or have to respond to someone else’s. In the wise words of Diamond Dorris, “you have the right to say no. Never apologize for your decisions — explain yourself only at your discretion. Never feel pressured to defend your choices.” Make sure that you’re falling in love with a real person and not the potential that you see. Honor your needs and let others do the same, my love.

 

xo

 

ARIES

March 21-April 19

Opportunity is a test of how well you know yourself, Aries. This week you’re likely to have plenty of chances to connect with people, but the quality of those intimacies is totally on you. The drive for attention or distraction is totally human, but is it the drive that you want to be making relationship decisions from? Temper romance with sustainability, and co-create dynamics in which you can be truly yourself with people you genuinely admire.

 

­TAURUS

April 20-May 20

You’re changing, Taurus, and you can focus on what you stand to lose or what you stand to gain; either way it’s kinda scary. Don’t confuse your anxiety over the unknowable with pure instinct. The first is a reaction to fear, and the other comes from your deepest self. If you keep your eyes trained on the big-picture, it’ll be easier to tolerate your nervousness this week. You’re ready for change, and it’s totally worth it to confront your worries to get there.

 

GEMINI

May 21-June 21

If you’ve let your finances slip or fall totally out of control, they’re likely to catch up with you this week, especially at home, Twin Star. There’s no shame in struggle and striving, but what you’ve got to get on top of is your own choices. What you spend your resources on is a reflection of what you value (or what you fear). Check in with your relationship to money, and see if you can get it to better reflect the security and abundance that you want it to.

 

CANCER

June 22-July 22

Pay attention to the role that anxiety is playing in your decision-making this week, Moonchild. It would be easy for you to try to run on empty, but it’ll only generate more disquiet for you. Tend to your basics before you strike out; that means feed and water your sweet, sweet body, and remember to breathe. You're on the verge of creating something truly lovely for yourself or the world around you – don’t do it at your own expense when you can do it with your whole self, my love.

 

LEO

July 23-Aug. 22

You are constantly creating yourself, and in concert with your circumstances, you’re co-creating the life you’re living. Sometimes it’s beautiful, and other times it’s heart-wrenching work. This week, consider what you intend to birth into your world. This doesn’t have to be a material thing – it may be time for you to quit a habit or to start smiling at strangers. Actively strive to make your life one that you feel good about living, Leo, one choice at a time.

 

VIRGO

Aug. 23-Sept. 22

You can’t always make sense of your feelings, Virgo. Your feelings may be inconvenient, difficult, or even painful, but they’re there for a reason. Instead of figuring your emotions out so that you can change or move beyond them, strive to be kind to yourself and interested in what they are about. One of the beautiful parts of our human condition is that we have messy, complicated feelings. The best way to take care of your feels this week is by feeling them without an agenda or judgment, my love.

 

LIBRA

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

If you’re stuck in the past or you’re obsessing on the future, you can’t appreciate the present, Libra. It’s time to get fully checked in so you can make use of what you’ve got and improve upon it. You’re likely to be in a very emotional state this week, and this will only make it more important for you to stay in the here and now. Feel your feels so you can heed their wisdom, even if they’re telling you something that you’d rather not hear.

 

SCORPIO

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

There is power in stillness, Scorpio. This week you may have a million things to do, but you will be happiest and even most effective if you take some time to yourself to get grounded. Anything that you build from a protective and gentle place within you will be marked by those acts of self-assured strength. Don’t be bullied by your anxieties, your friends, or your deadlines. Find your own motivation, or change the script, dear one.

 

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

Make sure that you don’t drive the car over the cliff, ‘Tarius. This week is all about chance, so take risks with clarity of intention. Your life is a gift, and you can do so much with it if you can avoid scattering your energies over too many things. Make choices based on your most earnestly held values instead of on how things look from the outside. Grab at opportunity that helps you to be more whole, and if you don’t know what that looks like, it’s time to get to investigating, my love.

 

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

If you allow yourself to get caught up in other people’s dramas because you believe in their cause, that’s one thing, but it’s a whole other to carry someone else’s torch for them. In the wise words of Paulo Coelho, “an immature person seeks revenge, an intelligent person moves on, allowing karma to take care of the problem.” Whether you believe in karma or not isn’t quite the point – don’t take poison and expect the other person to get sick. Invest in your wellness by committing your thoughts and actions to it.

 

 

AQUARIUS

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

Be careful what you say, Aquarius! The truth is ever so important but not always easy to communicate in a productive way. Breathe through all of your feelings so that you can figure out what part of the truth is most important to you this week. Your relationships are at a somewhat critical point, and you may need to take a bit of a stand, or sit down for some real talk. Speak the truth, but make sure that you’re saying what you want the other person to hear and not just what you wanna get off your chest.

 

 

PISCES

Feb. 19-March 20

When you let others put you on a pedestal, you are basically allowing them to not really know you, which is fine when it’s all bonbons and sweet days, but it’s not great when you need a friend. Love yourself enough to show up as your true self this week, Pisces. Allow for the messiness of what you really are to be loved by the messiness of the people you’re close to. Conversely, you may need to accept what other people tell you about themselves, even if it contradicts what you believe.