Welcome & Welcome Back, Witches!
Happy Tuesday, and final week of Taurus season.
Some of the biggest transits closing out the season echo April’s Jupiter/Uranus conjunction which dominated this spring so far. Over the next few days, the sun will pass over both Uranus and Jupiter, symbolizing a rebirth of each planet and reigniting the energies initiated at their conjunction.
One word has come up over and over again in discussion around these transits: possibility.
‘Possibility’ is something of a buzzword in coaching, so it’s fascinating to also see it cropping up in astrology discourse in a similar way. So today I’m stepping back and taking a deeper look at how we use (and abuse) the idea of possibility, especially in growth and self-improvement fields.
What am I waiting for? Let’s get to it!
But first! Do you ever think about filling your life with more…magic? I have! And I have all kinds of ways to support you in doing so, and I’ve cataloged them all here:
Pondering Possibility: Jupiter and Uranus Cazimi
First, let’s see what all the buzz is about. Why is everyone so excited about the sun crossing these planets?
When the sun comes together with another planet, that planet is said to be cazimi. Symbolically the planet dies and is reborn by passing through the heart of the sun, starting a new energetic cycle, a bit like new moon energy on steroids.
The energy that gets renewed in a cazimi is a combination of the sun (illumination, a path forward, how we shine out into the world) and the energy of the planet and the house they come together in. In this case, Uranus, the planet of upending the status quo, Jupiter the planet of growth, expansion, and wisdom will connect with that ‘path forward’ energy in the committed and loyal sign of Taurus.
So when we upend our assumptions about ‘the way’ things are (Uranus) and gain wisdom through expanding our horizons (Jupiter) with a dash of determination (Taurus), it’s easy to see how the idea of possibility relates to these transits.
The Ick-Empowerment Continuum of Possibility
I will readily admit, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with possibility, especially as it shows up in both coaching and astrology. Too often the vague nature of “possibility” leaves it rife for abuse by “influencer” coaches who insist the only thing holding you back is you. Or it’s used to either gloss over the challenges of planetary placements and provide a happy, glowing reading or prophecy nothing but doom.
Both versions give me (and plenty of practitioners in both fields) the ick. The
However, in the right context, possibility can be, well, powerful. The problem is that power can be tricky to illustrate (which is where the ‘ick’ can come from). A case study from a psych 101 class is one of my favorite examples of possibility.
The study put individuals in a locked room with a table full of odds and ends. Participants were instructed to use anything in the room to get out of the room. When none of the tools on the table worked, a whole group of participants simply gave up. But the remaining participants turned to other objects in the room, and most of them, ultimately, discovered that the wall sconce was thin enough to unlatch the door.
I don’t remember what the purpose of the study was in context of the class, but I do remember thinking with certainty that I would be one of the people who would have given up. And I also remember thinking how much I wanted to be someone who wouldn’t give up.
Take a look around the walls of your life and get curious: Where is your escape room sconce?
Possibility, to me, is what it takes to be a person who doesn’t give up simply out of frustration. It isn’t a rosy picture of an easy, perfect life. And it isn’t the rather self-aggrandizing notion that our mindsets are the only true obstacles in our way. Possibility is the understanding that we do tend to place limits on our options, like focusing on the tools placed in front of us. Possibility is also turning to curiosity when we are stuck, and not conflating the way we perceive things to be with the truth of how they are.
The best practitioners of coaching and astrology help you see a sconce as more than a sconce.
Explore Your Limitations
Rather than try to imagine the possibilities the universe might have in store for you as the sun crosses Uranus and then Jupiter, I challenge you to think a little differently. Start instead with your limitations.
For example, what assumptions do you have about change? What do you know about change and how it works. What do you know about how you react to change? Or when the sun crosses Jupiter later this week, consider what you ‘know’ about how the world works. What are some truths you know about how the world (your family, community, workplace) work?
Examine whether these elements in your life truly are implacable facts, and if not, whether treating them as reality is really serving you. Take a look around the walls of your life and get curious: Where is your escape room sconce?
And That’s All She Wrote!
She, of course, being me. I hope you enjoyed the read — I had a lot of fun writing it for you!
Reply to this email or leave a comment to let me know what you thought and how these energies are showing up in your life. I love to hear your stories, plus every interaction really helps the newsletter’s visibility. 💜💜💜
See you all next Tuesday for more planetary fun and who knows what else!
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