“I’m so tired of feeling like I’m in a rut, running around in circles, doing so much but not doing the things I want…”

Does this sound familiar?

It’s been a common theme in the conversations I’ve been having with people this season. It seems like we’re all so…busy. Busy catching up, busy watching the clock, busy checking emails, busy with the errands and the chores and the plans we’ve made…

And as soon as a window of time becomes available to be alone, at home, with nothing to do…another invitation, text message, or task appears to fill that space.

It’s not always easy to carve out time to step back and look at the bigger picture of where all of your energy is going each day.

If you’re pouring yourself into the things you love and want to do, it’s a lot easier to go with the flow and feel aligned with the hustle and bustle.

But if you’re feeling resentful, burned out, over-committed, under-appreciated…

If you’re realizing that days, weeks or even months have gone by since you last had time to work on your art, read a book….

…or just have a day where you could do whatever you wanted, without having to watch the clock or plan your whole day around a specific schedule…

The days ahead give you a window of opportunity to step back and take a bird’s eye view of where your energy is going, and whether it’s time to redirect it elsewhere.

The New Moon in Sagittarius arrives on Tuesday, November 26 at 10:06 am. This is a new threshold in the rhythm of life that encourages you to reconnect to creativity, freedom, and spontaneity.

In today’s world, “freedom” can make some people bristle: “How dare you even think about working less, doing less, or saying no when we are all supposed to be producing, hustling, and available at all hours?”

But that’s the issue, isn’t it? The relationship we have constructed with time, productivity, and efficiency  is so entwined with guilt that some of us have forgotten that we’re allowed to question why we do what we do.

Here’s the thing: Change is always possible.

It doesn’t have to be drastic, or dramatic. It doesn’t have to happen overnight. It doesn’t have to rock all the boats in your dock…but it may cause a wave or two.

That’s okay. The fiery energy of Sagittarius offers a boost of confidence to create a little more freedom, fun, and excitement in your life.

Mercury went retrograde last Thursday, October 31 in the sign of Scorpio, where it will continue to backtrack until Wednesday, November 20.

This year’s Mercury retrograde periods have all taken us through the watery depths of the zodiac. First it was Pisces, then Cancer, and finally Scorpio this fall. These periods have been ripe for intuitive development, self-reflection, and heart-centered decision making.

Take a moment to reflect on the kind year 2019 has been for you, as well as what you’re noticing in the world around you.

Maybe you’ve taken a big leap of faith this year.

Maybe you’ve started to make changes in the way you think or make decisions, especially if you tend to ignore your heart and listen exclusively to your head.

Maybe you’ve reconnected to your spiritual self, or awakened to a spiritual side you didn’t know you had.

This year has been a strange ride in many ways, but I think for many of us it will also be one that we later look back on and see as a major turning point in many ways, too.

Mercury retrogrades always get attention when they happen. We start blaming all kinds of things on them: travel delays, busted computers, lost emails. But what’s important to remember is that all astrological events, including Mercury retrogrades, are part of larger cycles and stories.

They are not stops-and-starts along the path, and are not meant to be looked at as isolated incidents. They are part of the seasons of your life, and part of the fabric of the collective and universal energies we all experience together.

There may be things that have happened to you this year that were painful and confusing. When Mercury travels through the element of water, things get distorted. People aren’t always thinking as clearly, or presenting themselves as honestly as they could be.  

Misunderstandings arise because it’s hard to hear when your head is under water, which is what is happening to us right now. Mercury rules the mind, and it’s swimming in the ocean right now.

These are the times when you really start to see that not everyone thinks like you do. Or feels like you do. Or wants what you do.

And that can lead to personal transformation that comes in many forms.