Moon Mondays: Saturn and Mercury talking turkey

As Saturn and Mercury both station direct (end their retrograde cycles), our minds, bodies, and lives move forward again. After an offseason of peace, quiet, and fall reflection, the pace of life starts picking up — right on cue for Thanksgiving and our annual defibrillator-shock jumpstart to our holiday-packed on-season. Mercifully, we got a teeny bit snow!

As life speeds up, so can our triggers — especially the ones tied to family dynamics. This is the moment to get curious about your boundaries, your old stories, and what you need to stay grounded as the holidays and ski season surge like a storm front rolling in (fingers and toes crossed).

For decades, I dreaded going home for the holidays. Weeks beforehand, I’d already be hurricane-level spiraling — rehearsing fictional conversations in my head, bracing for imagined criticism that hadn’t even happened yet. I’d slip right back into my childhood self before I even arrived: small, insecure, already convinced I was failing the unspoken test of not being “good enough.”

I was judging myself, beating everyone else to the punch. Deep down, I sadly believed I sucked — leftovers from early trauma. My inner critic was ruthless, heartless, echoing ancient voices from my past. I’d walk into family gatherings armored in battle gear made of defensiveness and shame — ready for combat but really just praying to survive.

It took years of self-inquiry to realize the real pain wasn’t my family’s behavior — it was the limiting beliefs steering my own bulletproof rig. Once I began to recognize those hidden stories and nurture the scared little part of me, the dynamic began to shift. The holidays became less about bracing for impact and more about staying true to myself — even just trusting myself enough to hold my ground.

This week’s astrology mirrors that same process of integration and growth.

On Thanksgiving Day, Saturn stations direct in Pisces, inspiring us to absorb and apply our emotional learning. Saturn represents boundaries, maturity, and adulting — the inner authority that quietly says, I get to decide how I show up.

Ask yourself: How do I want to show up this holiday season — for myself?

On Saturday, Mercury stations direct in Scorpio. Venus and Mars are both traveling behind the sun — symbolically journeying through the underworld — inviting emotional detox. A Scorpio-initiated Mercury cycle offers the oft-needed opportunity to become more aware of our inner patterns: the bad habits, limiting thoughts, and over-reactions that block our forward motion.

Really, what better time than the holidays to notice what still needs healing? Nothing brings buried stuff to the surface faster than family dynamics.

These planetary shifts mark the cosmic green light for the holidays and on season in our demanding ski town. Life begins moving quickly again — as do we getting immediately pummeled. Saturn’s reminder still stands, forward motion without self-awareness can pull us right back into our old patterns. The invitation is to hold your center, even as the world — and our town — start spinning faster.

Before you dive into holiday gatherings, take a few mindful moments to check in with yourself.

Reflection prompts for the week:

• What shadow belief about yourself still gets activated around family? (For example: I’m not good enough, I have to earn their love, or I’m too much.)
• Where do you feel that belief in your body when it surfaces? Our bodies carry the blueprint of everything our minds try to rationalize. Simply noticing that tightness or ache can bring awareness all on its own.
• What boundary can you set with yourself to stay grounded in your adult self, instead of collapsing into your childhood roles?
• What would it look like to bring self-compassion into your holiday experience this year?

Saturn says: Hold your own authority.
Mercury says: Speak with awareness — including how you talk to yourself.

Together they remind us that healing isn’t about changing our families; it’s about staying true to ourselves.

As Saturn and Mercury turn direct and life speeds up again, remember that the holidays don’t have to be a test of endurance or perfection. You get to slow down, breathe, and choose how you want to engage — from love, not fear; from awareness, not autopilot.

This Thanksgiving, may you meet the chaos with grace, stay rooted in your truth, and choose compassion — especially for yourself.

Next Monday, we’ll explore the Gemini Full Moon, a chance to lighten the mood, have some fun, and stretch beyond your comfort zone — the perfect follow-up to Thanksgiving before the next round of festivities begins.

Sheridan Semple helps women turn family triggers into opportunities for better boundaries, self-trust, and confidence. A bold feminist astrologer and certified astrology life coach, she’s the founder of Moon Sisters Circle. Discover more at sheridansemple.com.