Hi friends,

I've talked before about Chiron, the wounded healer, and this afternoon it enters Taurus beginning a seven-year cycle. Chiron carries themes around self-worth (or inadequacy), money (or scarcity), and security (or instability). You might feel strong emotions come up around those. I sure am.

The past few weeks I've been feeling really pleased, and I've been crediting it to holding onto the thought: I am always in the right place at the right time. That even though I don't have control over how long things take, I do have control over how I perceive situations. And I've been choosing delight. (If I've seen you recently, I probably told you how the silly memory of spotting a pickup truck absolutely overflowing with watermelons has had me giddy for days.)

But this morning, a lot came up for me. I found myself getting caught up in little things, trying to control of the narrative, mentally tallying what I need to fix or improve.

And then I remembered my built-in guidance system: my emotions. I realized that the thoughts that I was thinking were creating emotions that were guiding me towards feeling bad. And that there is great benefit when I consciously and intentionally feel good instead.

I've mentioned that I've been re-reading Ask and It Is Given, and this is a central theme. The book offers an emotional guidance scale - a map of how allowing or resisting you are in any given moment.

For example, this morning I watched myself let frustration about a situation turn into disappointment, then spiral into doubt, then worry. And then I caught it. I'm not looking to judge my feelings, but to use them as awareness. Even if I can't leap from worry straight to optimism, I can reach for the next best feeling. Worry to pessimism. Pessimism to boredom. Boredom to something that feels neutral, then good. My emotions tell me where my thoughts are headed.

I know that many things can be true at once, and it's easy to find evidence for anything based on the lens you're looking through. When I use the lens everything is always working out, I can see growth where I might have seen misfortune. I can find reasons to believe in a better future instead of cataloguing reasons it won't arrive. From that vantage point, I can move with more clarity and integrity.

Chiron Releasing Ritual

Looking for a witchy ritual to do for funsies? Here's one based on @bellainter that I'll be doing:

• Light a candle and a stick of incense. Use the incense to clear the energy of the space
• On a piece of paper write down a belief you're ready to release around money, self-worth, or abundance
• Below it, write "I am ready to receive what matches my true value."
• Read it aloud, then fold in half toward yourself, turn 90 degrees clockwise, and fold in half toward yourself again
• Take a few deep breaths, breathing in love and releasing what no longer serves you
• Blow out your candle and keep the paper somewhere safe for the next month

Sending you love.

xo, Christen