Moon Monday: Astrology in real life

I’m so sick of modern astrology. Predictive astrologers drone on endlessly about this or that powerful (fill in the blank) alignment happening this week only. “It’s gonna be gnarly. Buckle up, buttercup.”

All doom and gloom, like the news and social media — it’s painfully obvious what sells. Negativity reigns supreme.

Same with personal astrology readings, the broken-record refrain is, “Oh, that planet is unhappy in the sign you have it in.” Bummer for you.

What’s the point of knowing your sun sign or diving a little deeper into your “big 3” — sun, moon and rising signs — if the messages peg you in bottomless, black holes you have no hope of escaping? How is that helping you?

Astrology in real life shouldn’t box you in. Instead, it’s meant to pry open the doors. Your chart, and how it’s presently getting activated, empowers you to walk your unique, astounding life path. No one promised us a rose garden, but armed with awareness, we can get busy doing the work of evolving. That’s the name of the human game.

Last night, the moon and sun aligned in Gemini for the new moon. Gemini, by design, pushes us beyond the boundaries of our self-imposed limitations. Ready or not — grow. Gemini’s singular focus is gaining perspective by increasing consciousness — well, that and a lot of talking, too.

Gemini asks, where are you stuck, holding yourself back? Does astrology pin you down? Bring the walls in closer? Make your box tighter?

If so, it’s time for a cosmic upgrade.

If astrology has given you insight, validation, and a thousand aha moments, but awareness alone hasn’t done jack to change your life, it’s time to lose the ethereal and get practical. These Gemini new moon vibes are giving us a needed kick in the pants.

Real-life astrology teaches us how to go spelunking in the caves of our shadow unconsciousness to free ourselves. Astrology isn’t meant to be an impenetrable mandate; instead, it hands us the skeleton key to unlock the portal.

How many astrology readings have you had that light you up, show you what’s possible, and validate your inner knowing? Only you find yourself, a week later, dejected, not understanding why you can’t get to the heights you know are there. It’s written in the stars, so what’s your freaking problem?

For years, I judged the crap out of myself for seeing the potential in my chart but not being able to live it. For smoking, TV-ing, ice-cream-ing, and numbing out every chance I got.

We think it’s us, like everyone else has got it all figured out. They don’t. We all think that, and we’re all wrong. Working with my clients, I see the commonality of our mistaken shame again and again. We think we’re freak shows, and we’re not.

As we kick off this new moon cycle in Gemini, it’s time to free ourselves. Crawl out from under our limitations and breathe. The first step is noticing where we feel stuck. What’s going on under the surface? I promise the answer is much more than you suck.

One hundred percent of the time, there’s something unconscious at play. It’s shadow work time. What do you believe about yourself that’s keeping this pattern in play? Gemini wants to expand your horizons and move you beyond self-judgment.

Change begins with self-awareness.

On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, the sliver crescent moon will slip by Jupiter and Venus. You could sit outside, after sunset, and let the celestial lineup inspire you. What comes to you when you get still under the planets and sky? What are you running from that is keeping you trapped? Start there.

As the sun enters Cancer, early Sunday morning, we move into the new season of summer. Time for new beginnings and visualizing what we want to create next. At the midpoint of the sun’s movement across the sky, our star stands still on the horizon, bathing us in the longest days. What calls to your heart that you want to envision for your life?

More to come on the solstice next week, but in the meantime, how can you take one itty-bitty toddler step, guided by Gemini, to open the door that blocks you and move a tiny bit forward?

Sheridan Semple is an astrologer and life coach who helps women untangle from trauma, shift their stuck patterns, and take practical steps to reclaim their lives. Explore her work at sheridansemple.com.