Moon Mondays: Stop crossing your own boundaries 

I should’ve seen the burnout coming. I ignored every sign. Totally fried, I knew I needed rest — real, full-stop, nervous-system-downshift. But … when I heard a friend was struggling, I ignored my inner warning signs. They didn’t even ask for my help, but I heedlessly jumped in anyway, abandoning my need for downtime to support them. Can you relate? 

With Venus entering Cancer this week, now’s an excellent time to examine how and why we do this. Venus is the planet of the feminine power: embodiment, beingness, receptivity. In Cancer, she turns toward the sacred art of nurturing, caregiving, and mothering. When we haven’t learned how to mother ourselves first, we fall into the familiar pattern of over giving, rescuing, and saying yes when we really mean no. 

Boundaries are up for exploration this week: not boundaries with others, but with ourselves. 

We throw the word “boundaries” around a lot these days. It’s a common buzzword, a self-help cliché. Here’s my definition of what boundaries really are: what’s OK for you and what’s not OK for you. Period. Boundaries are super personal and self-honoring. Most of all, they’re your responsibility. 

I’ve learned through my astrology life coaching practice and lived experience: If our boundaries are getting crossed, we’re the ones crossing them. (Cases of violence and abuse not included.) 

That’s exactly what I did to myself. I didn’t honor what I needed: a timeout, stillness, and alone me-time. I slipped into my Venus in Cancer pattern of considering others before focusing on myself. With my stellium (sun, Venus, and Mars) in Cancer (and Jupiter currently amplifying it), I’m not surprised. My vital job is to pause, notice, and course correct. I’d crossed my own boundary, without even being asked. That’s some Cancer shadow head trash right there. 

Jupiter also passing through Cancer teaches us this lesson well. Jupiter doesn’t just “bless” everything it touches. It objectively expands it, good or bad. Sometimes, that means we get a spiritual aha. Other times, it means our dysfunction gets so loud we can’t ignore it anymore. Jupiter might be magnifying what’s unresolved in Cancer for you: the urge to over give, to tend to everyone but yourself, and to self-abandon in the name of care. 

What happens when we override our own needs? I don’t know about you, but I get resentful. Irritated. Short-tempered. One of my therapists (yes, I’ve had many) used to say those emotions are like check engine lights. Something under the hood needs our attention. 

The astrology backs that up this week. Alongside Venus entering Cancer on Wednesday, we also have Chiron, the wounded healer, stationing retrograde. This is a potent cue from the cosmos to look inward, to get honest about where we learned to give past our limits. For many people, especially those of us who survived trauma, the need to keep the peace and prioritize others was how we stayed safe. But those survival strategies don’t serve us now. 

Leo season is in full swing and with it comes the invitation for radiant self-love. Leo says, “I matter. My voice, my heart, my needs, they matter.” On Thursday, Mercury meets the Sun in a cazimi (an exact alignment or conjunction), bringing the potential for deeper clarity and spiritual downloads around how we communicate, care, and think about ourselves. 

Consider this your sacred nudge from the stars to tune into your boundaries. Ask yourself: Where am I saying “yes” when I really want to say “no”? Where am I accepting things that don’t feel good to me? What part of me still believes I’m only lovable or safe when I’m giving? 

You don’t have to change everything at once. Start with one small boundary. One clear “no.” One momentary pause before you respond with a kneejerk “yes.” This is how we reclaim our power, by tending to ourselves first, not last. 

If boundaries are a lifelong struggle for you, then you’re not alone. Many of us never learned how to hold them without guilt. Guilt in this context is actually a good sign you’re on the right path. 

Clearing out the old mental and emotional gunk, especially the hidden trauma-based programming, that’s been holding us back is the path to freedom and honoring our own boundaries like a boss.  

Next week, we’ll explore the Aquarius full moon and Mars entering Libra, another sign devoted to others. Excellent timing to deepen the conversation around boundaries, this time in our relationships. 

Until then, may your boundaries with yourself be strong and solid.  

Sheridan Semple is an Astrology Life Coach and the founder of Moon Sisters Circle. She helps women find their “no” and their “hell yes,” so they stop betraying themselves to keep the peace. You can find her work at sheridansemple.com or reach her at sheridan@sheridansemple.com.