By Angel Lopez:
Everyone seems to be in some sort of major transition mode—whether that’s expressed through some obvious external shifts in a relationship, job, or home—to a more mental or emotional one where a great metamorphosis is struggling to occur. And the cosmic energies want us to go the distance, to fully engage in an "out with the old, in with the new" mentality. It’s been the theme of the year. And we’ve been making changes and flirting hard with the newer versions of ourselves that are emerging amidst all of these changes. But a flirt doesn’t always lead to a commitment. It can just be a playful dalliance that ultimately takes us nowhere substantial. So, we all gotta try a little bit harder with these shifts that are in process and not kick them out the second they get comfortable. We have to invite them into the foundation of our lives and make them a deeper part of who we are.
If we want to evolve, we must root these changes into our core, like scientists dabbling with our own DNA.
We have to say goodbye, officially, to our immature ways of offering integrity to our fears, doubts, or self-limiting beliefs. Because a lot of us have built a home for our hearts on an infrastructure made from these defeating materials. So anything you bring into it, even the most exciting of your manifested dreams, won’t stand a chance to thrive on this fractured, shaky ground.
Challenge yourself this Cancer Season to build a new home for your heart, made from materials that will help you flourish.
Perhaps you need walls made of confidence or a roof of self-approval. Whatever the case, make sure this home honors the brilliant You that is tackling your current transformation with a beautiful bravery.
Read for your Sun sign but also check your Rising, if you know it.
ARIES
Your heart needs a structure built from joy, playfulness, and levity. You’d be wise to go back to your childhood roots, to remember what it is that brought you happiness when no one else was around. You could use an infusion of childlike wonder, of playing outside until the sun goes down. Watch some cartoons. Have playdates with friends. Explore places you’ve never been with bold enthusiasm. You may have had a crappy childhood or don’t entirely remember those days, but do your best to invoke the authentic kid in you and let them out to have some fun. Even if your schedule is hectic with work and family, you need to structure in time that is solely meant for your own sense of creative freedom. You have to come home to your purest essence right now, and the only way into that is through evoking your brightest, silliest inner light.
TAURUS
Your heart needs a structure built from stamina, determination, and agility. The world is asking a lot from you right now, pushing you to show up in ways that aren’t always in your comfort zone. And it’s all a bit of a marathon, as this year is going to continue to call on you to show up and show out. So you have to do what you can to maintain your energy. Try your best not to let your head get the best of you. It’s easy to feel worked up by the outside world, but it’s actually your own overactive mind and thoughts that are draining you of your precious life force. Beef up your mindfulness practices and don’t let yourself think and grumble over any challenges. Meet them as needed and then bounce on to something else. You’re not always the best at letting go or moving on, so try to build up that skill so you don’t grow overwhelmed before you’ve reached the finish line.
GEMINI
Your heart needs a structure built from imagination, insight, and worth. Your life is moving in magical directions right now, even if it isn’t always doing so at the rate your mind prefers. Use this time to tap into the greater dream for your life, the one you know you deserve, and create a vision for how you want to get there. Try pairing that brilliant brain of yours with some spiritual sensibility so you can get in tune with what your intuition wants and not just your ego. Allow that deeper sense of you to be in charge of some decision-making. It would also benefit you to take on the advice of any trusty friends or partners. You don’t have to go the road alone, which isn’t your preference anyway, but make sure you actually take in another’s wisdom and utilize it. You may find that combining their ideas with your own will help you dream beyond the perimeters you’ve been unknowingly confined to, a box that is ready to be broken open.
CANCER
Your heart needs a structure built from audacity, pleasure, and a sense of community. You’re generally one who likes to stay comfortable, though lately you’ve been finding yourself challenged to break the mold of how others have seen you. In fact, everyone has sort of gotten used to thinking of you in one way, but you know the ways you’ve continued to evolve and change. It’s time to show everyone what’s up and let the outside catch up with the inside. Break through any rigid structures you’ve been living within for far too long. Be bold in your choices and make surprising observations that both shock and inspire. And discover new luxuries that you might’ve once thought were too lavish or unnecessary but feel just right to you now. There’s also a level of relationship building available to you, encouraging you to broaden your personal neighborhood of friends and to find insights from unlikely sources.
LEO
Your heart needs a structure built from intuition, foresight, and motivation. There’s a conversation to be had with your soul about how to more fully express and manifest your purpose. Your greater goals and direction may have shifted since you first placed a definition on that specific purpose, so now’s the time to get a clear understanding of where you stand with it. If it has evolved, then can you commit even more greatly and apply more ambition toward your path? Perhaps you need to do a farewell ritual to the old intention, or even do some grief work around letting it go. Or deep down you know your first passion is the real passion, one that you’ve abandoned. Maybe now you need to reconnect with your one true love and give it another go. It’s never too late to actualize the dream.
VIRGO
Your heart needs a structure built from faith, connection, and curiosity. You aren’t one to easily proceed without some facts and a grasp of the road ahead. For you, a map is no accessory, it’s a given necessity. But you find yourself at a moment where the pathway isn’t so perfectly drawn, where you have to give over and give in to circumstance and time. Thankfully, you’re not alone in this hazy moment. You’ve got plenty of folks around you who are also moving forward with their mission without a real sense of how they’re gonna get there. So team up when you can. Say yes to friendly gatherings and workshops of interest. Go to the street parties and take nomadic strolls through unfamiliar places of worship and ritual. Find yourself in the weirdest of ways. You have the power to gain some solid clarity around the loudest questions in your head. Your thoughts won’t help though. It’s the observations that’ll sing new truths to you.
LIBRA
Your heart needs a structure built from resilience, flexibility, and a feeling of triumph. You’ve weathered a ton of growth these last couple of years and have expanded your ability to acknowledge just how capable you can be. And that’s increasingly important these days, as you’re being called upon from all directions and are never the best at telling someone, “No.” Adapt as needed to incorporate major balance into your life. You need not be overworked at this time if you employ your helpful talent of delegating with a smile to others. Use some of that non-work time to reconnect with important friends for afternoons of mindless joy. Take some needed breaks from being serious. It’s okay to have a focus on career but also find moments to relish in all you’ve already accomplished. You’ve come a long way, baby. Make sure you’re enjoying it.
SCORPIO
Your heart needs a structure built from self-assurance, mischievous inquiry, and hugs. Honestly, the hugs are the most important ingredient of this recipe because you may not always be the one to initiate some cuddle time. Sexy time, sure. But a few more silly squeezes from beloved and solid sources could offer you an infusion of playful energy that would do you wonders. You could also just use some reminders of what a bad ass you are, and surrounding yourself with people who love you invites outside affirmations that can strengthen your important inner confidence voice. It also wouldn’t hurt you to lean into some non-work passions and let these joys refill your vitality well. You may even discover some new ones right now. You know that you’re more than any of the labels your family, career, or society put on you. Find ways to show yourself how. Expand the definition of You in ways that challenge even your current perception.
SAGITTARIUS
Your heart needs a structure built from forgiveness, well-being, and time away from your comfort zone. You need to seek beyond your familiar spaces and reveal new sources of wisdom and play. Your inner child wants to delve into an adventure and it won’t allow you to ignore it. Have intriguing conversations with strangers in unique clothing choices. Change your mind on opinions you’ve held about how things were handled in the past. Release mantras you thought were working for you but actually have just been complacent thoughts masquerading as verbal symbols of personal growth. You can always be surprised by your evolution. In fact, actively seek out where you could be wrong and how to make changes to your usual daily life that can reflect these fresh epiphanies and understandings. Also, it’s cheesy to say, but more self-care. Remember that doesn’t just mean a bath. True self-care is a full-time job. Time to clock in.
CAPRICORN
Your heart needs a structure built from wonder, partnership, and profound awakening. It could feel like you’ve been asleep to important pieces of yourself, as they’ve taken a backseat to the needs of others. And that’s because you’re a natural born leader with an eye on the prize who also keeps an eye on the well-being of those around you. When they’re in pain, you feel it so deeply that it also becomes your pain to bear. But too much of that can keep you from connecting to and processing your own emotions, which only detaches your heart further from its foundation. So take some time now to turn to others and vulnerably give them your troubles. Ask them for support, to be a tender ear for you. They will be more than happy to oblige. This could also allow you to feel lighter and create space for you to remember what it is that makes you smile. And to reconnect with your passions in a way that brings more joy.
AQUARIUS
Your heart needs a structure built from healthful habits, unconditional love, and cozy blankets. It’s imperative that you get into rituals that support the strengthening of your self-worth. These may be old ones that you’ve been pushing the snooze button on or brand-new ones that you’ve been avoiding like an obnoxious cousin at a family gathering, Either way, move toward practices that remind you just how grateful you are to be a living being on this Earth. That also comes with a need to secure your home environment more and to really make it a sanctuary in which your brilliance can replenish. Do what you can to make changes to your space that will better support your utmost well-being. Remove clutter. Dispose of old aspects of you that exist in the form of dingy furniture or unsuitable décor. If you can create a space of peaceful solitude for yourself, you can then approach the rest of the world with a similar kind of serenity.
PISCES
Your heart needs a structure built from humor, mindful presence, and the courage to believe in yourself. You’ve been under pressure to take yourself and your actions a bit more seriously, but you must remember that you are generally motivated by imagination and play. You can’t avoid whatever responsibilities are being asked of you right now, but you can do better when it comes to making time for your creative, free-flowing heart to get what it needs to feel alive and thrive. Make more time for the things, experiences, and people that bring your pure sense of joy to the surface. Allow your inner kid to have free days, when they can just follow their whims and call the shots. If it’s ice cream for dinner, then so it is. Call in sick and go to an amusement park. Take a long lunch and see a movie. Whatever you need to reconnect with the most whimsical version of you, welcome it in.
Angel Lopez is a film producer, writer, astrologer, and co-host of the podcast, THE SPIRITUAL GAYZ alongside his husband, our Spiritual Guru Brandon Alter. Angel has been studying and working with both tarot and astrology for twenty years. He hosted the astrology web-series, ASTRO TALK WITH ANGEL, and writes the blog ASTROLOGY REALNESS. He has also had pieces published on Upworthy.com and The Huffington Post.
On the film side, Angel produced the Sundance Film Festival award winning film DEAR WHITE PEOPLE, as well as the features THE DINNER and STATE LIKE SLEEP. He also wrote and directed his own short film, I CAN’T WITH YOU, which had its premiere at the 2016 HollyShorts Film Festival, and he recently finished producing filmmaker Justin Simien’s second feature, BAD HAIR. Visit www.thespiritualgayz.com to learn more. To sign up for The Spiritual Gayz newsletter click here.