Hello Friends:

The Sun now in Aquarius ushers in themes of new perspectives, and big societal ideas. Aquarius is ruled traditionally by grounding Saturn and in modern astrology by unpredictable Uranus. The ‘new’ challenging what ‘has always been.'

At the threshold of the sign of Aquarius, Pluto at 1° answers the door. The planet of the underworld and the ghost-of-Christmas-past-and-future has just left Capricorn, where it transformed our structures and foundation for the past 16 years. Its energy is one of initiation and it is looking you in the eye.

Have you cleaned up your mess? Have you made amends and set new boundaries? Did you learn your lesson? Were you able to leave behind the shackles and weights, often revealed as self-imposed obligations and loyalties? Did you see through the illusions of your identity?

Mars is also retrograde in Cancer, debilitated, and unable to take confident action. It asks, “Are you sure you wanted to do this?” Frustrating, right?

Today our temps in Hudson Bend, Texas are in the 20s and it’s inauguration day. As Aquarius season portends unexpected disruptions and Pluto demands authenticity, I’ve chosen to step back—my socials are off, except for a quick post about TikTok and the missing conversations during the 12-hour drama. The news is off, the space heater is on, and meditation x 2 is a priority.

Then came the kind of surprise that only Aquarian, Uranian energy could bring.

My friend, since our sons were in private elementary school together, reached out to ask me about Shungite and its efficacy around EMFs (electromagnetic fields), which can be found in our mobile phones, TVs, and wherever electricity radiates.

Her son was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, for which she scoured several countries to find a solution outside of the recommended cancer treatments here in the States. She's open to crystal energetics now.

It’s not unusual that someone would ask me about crystals or Tarot, astrology, or esoteric tools, but this friend is on the polar opposite of the political spectrum from me, vociferous in her support of Trump, and often posting her disgust around illegal immigrants, and so on. For the record, I’m an independent in hopes of an end to our duopoly.

This friend and I would walk the nearby neighborhoods while our sons were in class. I would drop off my son at her house before daybreak so she could bring him to school while I attended culinary school in the early mornings. We had different parenting styles, but we could count on one another.

Since we went our separate ways when our sons attended different middle schools, I would catch glimpses of her son growing up, winning 4H awards, sprinkled in among her rants about the liberals and dirty free-loaders crossing the border. I never de-friended her. I understood her POV and the fears and concerns that informed it.

Yet, this morning, on inauguration day, she reached out asking about healing crystals to help her son. The other day she shared my post about my son’s needing a sublet in New York or Hoboken for the summer during his internship at GroupM, asking her friends if they knew of a place to refer. I’m going to Nature’s Treasures and Crystal Works today to see if I can find her just the right pieces. I'm choosing to focus on our love for our sons.

Because love is stronger than illusion. We all want the same essential things: health, safety, belonging, and love. Fear keeps us separated. Hurt people hurt people. I hurt people. And I’ve learned some tools to repair the rupture. Although sometimes it takes a good minute to pull it out of my shame holster. I’ve also learned about boundaries and although I ascribe to AA’s 9th step: “Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others,” as a recovering co-dependent, I prioritize ‘myself.’

Back on Track

Last night at my belated birthday dinner, I admitted to my best friend, Brian, that I hadn’t been writing. My motivation for selling my home and living secluded on Lake Travis was not happening. I blamed Mars retrograde in Cancer and questioned my direction.

Until I heard Jefferson Fisher, attorney, and communication expert, give three prompts for 2025.

I want to speak with ___. (e.g., clarity, authority, kindness…). How you speak is who you are.

I want to protect ___. (e.g., my sanity, faith, free time…). This is where you’ll need to set boundaries.

I want to share ___. This is your gift to the world that you will amplify.

My answers are: I want to speak with empathy. I want to protect my creativity. I want to share my wisdom through storytelling.

The second question hit me hard. I had been leaking my creativity by working on other peoples’ things first (hello, codependency) and leaving the last meager, tired hours of the day to work on my projects. Now I am timeblocking my creativity and projects and making it a non-negotiable. I know there’s fear hidden in the folds. But this piece of advice from Ernest Hemingway in his 1935 Esquire compendium of writing advice helps:

”In any art you’re allowed to steal anything if you can make it better, but the tendency should always be upward instead of down. And don’t ever imitate anybody. All style is, is the awkwardness of a writer in stating a fact. If you have a way of your own, you are fortunate, but if you try to write like somebody else, you’ll have the awkwardness of the other writer as well as your own.”

So there it is. Aquarius season initiated by Pluto. The deep dark door to approach to enter the emerging promise of a new day.

I’d love to know your answers to the three prompts. And what would help you feel more genuinely connected.

Here are some of my favorites to share:

I'm fortunate that Dr. Art Markman, Senior Vice Provost of Academic Affairs at UT has been my mentor since my SaaS days (he continues to support my metaphysical coming out). The latest episode, "Planning" on Two Guys on Your Head talks about how we go about our tasks determines whether we experience joy or relief.

A nice shout-out from my client, Tad Hargrave at Marketing for Hippies from my recent trip to Victoria, BC for a weeklong strategy session.

Sam Vander Wielen is someone I've supported since she started her businesses. She has a new book coming out clearly titled, "When I Start My Business I'll Be Happy: A Practical, No-BS Guide to Successful Online Entrepreneurship. After recently losing both her parents within a short amount of time, she manages to continue to inspire and I want to support her thriving.

On Sundays you can hang out with me at The Yoga Common from 6-7pm, savoring some Kripalu Gentle Yoga & Sound Bath to rejuvenate your spirit and experience coherence. There's a sweet new student special.

You can also schedule an astrology or business strategy session with me, if you're looking for some practical energy-focused guidance you can use.

I have a Substack for my writing commitment to myself. It's free until I can figure out what to do with it :)

Blessed be.

And thank you.

Monica