intensity Archives - Life Coaching by Christine Gipple

When you don’t recognize yourself, it’s time for a [RESET]

Today, I had a brief, but intense conversation with someone, after which I found myself blurring around a wooded path like Jason Bourne on amphetamines. I’d crossed my own line, again.

After replaying the conversation in my head, I thought, “Who WAS that?”, and I was referring to myself. I made a request that immediately left me with regret, and in retrospect I knew if the same was asked of me, if I’d had the same information this person had at the time of my request, I may have responded with confusion too.

If communication feels confusing (or infuriating!) during this Mercury retrograde, I’m right there with you. Perhaps life feels like it’s unraveling, turning you upside down and you can’t seem to get a grip, or maybe you’ve left your house without your keys or something critical you needed, or you blew through a red light or turned the wrong way down a street you’re on every day. During this retrograde, take the time to slow down, give yourself the gift of breathing. Mercury is the planet that rules communication and when it’s retrograde, you can expect the unexpected.

I’ve made a whirlwind of choices and decisions this past month that left me second guessing, doubting myself, and not paying attention to my own needs, boundaries, and desires. I’ve been in reaction mode, and ignoring my intuition, not making conscious choices.

Today was my final catapult back to me, and to trusting myself. The retrograde is a time for reflection, and it brings up stuff to be healed. I don’t need to be an astrologer to know when it’s in retrograde – my body and my emotional state reminds me, if I’m paying attention. And I realized I haven’t been paying attention.

I’ve been spreading myself thin, running from one activity to another, not handling priorities that needed to be handled, and have been reactive to emotions that have been overflowing in me. Though my sun sign is a Capricorn, my rising sign is Scorpio and, somehow, I know that’s adding some intensity to what’s already here.

When you notice you’re on auto-pilot, you’re showing up in ways you don’t even recognize, you’re hearing words escape your mouth that you immediately regret, be gentle with yourself.

The real “gifts” of a retrograde, any retrograde are to remind us to slow down. So, give yourself a little extra compassion. Know that you can reset. You can always reset.

Every moment is another opportunity to connect within.

I’m going to take my own advice.

I’m pressing the big fat PAUSE button.

Retrogrades, Relationships & Resetting Priorities

Are the retrogrades messing with your relationships? Do you feel like you and your partner might actually be on different planets?

Considering six, yes, SIX planets are in retrograde right now, it’s a good time to press pause on the panic button.

So what exactly is happening?

Right now, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn & Pluto are in retrograde. In a retrograde, things come up for review, processing, digesting and completing. It’s a time for tying up loose ends and details, and not necessarily a time to start a slew of new projects. You’re invited to complete those incompletions once and for all. When one planet is in retrograde, we can feel off, rushed, like things are more out of control than we’d like, but when six are in retrograde, it’s even more important to pause.

Even if you don’t believe in astrology, it may be hard for you to ignore some of the events that have been transpiring for the past few months. Things might feel more amped up or intensified than usual.

Personally, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to feel productive, clear, to stay on task with projects, or to have any type of communication with my partner that doesn’t end with us walking away frustrated and frazzled, and feeling unheard.

Here’s a little scoop on each of the planets and how they might be affecting you:

Mercury Retrograde – (6/26 to 8/19/18) Since Mercury is the ruler of communication, it’s definitely a great time to double check details. Have a spare key in your wallet, fill your gas tank, check your oil and fluids in your car, make sure you have a few bucks cash on you, etc. Just the other day, I walked out of the house without my keys, left the house with $1 in my wallet, and got to a show without tickets I already purchased, and it was “cash only” at the door. (Thankfully, I had a spare key in my wallet, and the girl at the desk knew and trusted me when I told her I purchased tickets, and she let me in.)
Mars Retrograde (6/26 to 8/27/18) When Mars is direct, we typically can communicate more clearly, take direct decisive action and more fully trust ourselves. But when in retrograde, we can doubt, not trust our instincts, and internalize emotions and events, feeling more pressure. Be gentle with yourself if you need more rest than usual, if you need more time to think about things and process what’s happening around you. Good self-care is critical right now. Here’s a little more on the Mars Retrograde.
Jupiter Retrograde – (3/9 to 7/10/18) Consider this to be the Yin/Yang for change. Change can be scary, especially when we don’t see it coming, yet, change is often the very thing we need to get us to our next level. Since everything is energy, and energy is always changing, it makes sense to surrender a bit and go with the flow. With Jupiter in intense Scorpio, you may experience your own upleveling so just observe what’s here for you, change what you can, and let go of what you cannot. There’s no rule that says change has to be painful.
Pluto Retrograde – (4/22 to 9/30/18) Pluto is all about looking at what needs to be healed, what’s lurking beneath what’s really going on, and what needs to be transformed. Pluto is the peeling back of our subconscious layers. Since retrogrades are a review of the past events, when Pluto is in retrograde, we’re invited to look at all those subconscious behaviors, shadow beliefs, choices, and patterns that are calling us to change. You may feel challenged beyond your comfort zone. That’s ok. It’s a time of review. So, Review, Re-Evaluate and if needed, Re-direct your energy and focus.
Saturn Retrograde – (4/18 to 9/6/18) As a Cappy (Capricorn), this is my ruling planet. Saturn is all about perseverance, tenacity and growth, and setting things right on the karmic path. What we put out is what we get back, so this lesson is amplified during a retrograde. We’re given the opportunity to really set things right if we’ve been off course.
Neptune Retrograde (6/19 to 9/26/18) Emotions may seem to be too intense for you right now. Neptune is one of the rulers of Pisces, a water sign that can be emotionally charged. During a retrograde, and especially if this happens to be your ruling planet or your rising sign, you may feel a bit more pressure to dive into the uncomfortable waters of the unknown. Trust. Stay with it. There’s growth here. If you feel the urge to run from this intensity, understand what’s here for you is an invitation to go a little deeper to resolve what’s been hidden. It’s also an excellent time to call on your creativity and intuition which may feel heightened. Trust your gut by going within and making the changes you need to make.

Action Challenge:

Two steps to prepare yourself physically and emotionally during the retrograde

Take 20 minute power naps to reset yourself as you need to. I can hear you saying, “But I don’t have 20 minutes….”, so I challenge you…Instead of surfing social media for 20 minutes, or eating when you’re not hungry, or starting a “conversation” with your partner when you’re already tired or spent, excuse yourself. Set your phone timer for 20 minutes and nap. I guarantee you’ll feel a new perspective when you re-engage. Just notice if you start to spiral, if you’re not breathing, or if you feel particularly uneasy with the changes happening around you. If so, nap, nap, nap. Every day. 20 minutes. And let me know what shifts you notice.
Take Action with any or all of these. Put an extra spare key in your wallet. Allow plenty of time for travel. Double and triple check details before clicking “send”. Have back up directions printed before going on the road to a new destination. Make sure you have at least $5 to $10 in your wallet of cash before leaving your house. Charge your phone or devices before leaving the house. Purchase a charger for your car and keep it there. Press the mental pause button before replying to a heated conversation. Let go of something you’ve been holding onto (a grudge, a personal belonging, an issue that’s causing you anguish, a belief that’s not serving).

Leave a comment below or email me telling me what you did, and what happened as a result. 🙂

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Until next time, Press Pause on the panic button. Breathe. And trust. You’re right where you need to be.

x’s and o’s

Chris

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Want to learn more about this particular retrograde cycle? You can do that here and here.