Message for 2018
I think a great many of us will be relieved to see the end of 2017; it was a year of stormy extremes, both within and in the world around us. It was as though the very fabric of our being was being ripped up in order to be re-shaped and re-defined. There were times of profoundly difficult emotions, yet there were also moments of great joy as well. It’s often easy to see all the challenges as they shine out like beacons in the seemingly linear landscapes of the journey of our lives, yet, there is a risk that, in time, all we see are the challenges as they consume and overwhelm us. Equally though, it would be a very ‘rose-tinted spectacles’ perspective to only see the good stuff as it’s somewhat removed from the reality of the situation.
2017 was undoubtedly hard and it certainly gave many of us a good clobbering, pushing us to turn to face the mirrors of our souls. There was little room for denial or resistance as intuitively we knew we needed to acknowledge the present moment with wholehearted willingness. To be fully present was intense and painful but it also awoke our souls and unlocked compartments within the core of our beings which were locked tightly shut for years as a way to self-preserve and to maintain the status quo. Suddenly, doing so no longer made sense as it became clear the only true way to live was in harmony with mind, body and soul. We cannot deny one without harming the others. Balance can only come when we acknowledge the depths within and allow our true essence to flow freely and openly.
Looking back over the last twelve months we can each see where we’ve grown, where we’ve not and where we’ve still yet to look. 2018 looks set to bring a very different flavour to life as there is a growing sense of breakthrough and discovery when it comes to living in more balanced and harmonious ways (both within and with others). Whilst we may all want to shift the collective consciousness towards something more harmonious and nurturing, it seems clear that we each need to start this process from deep within our own hearts and souls. By creating ripples from deep within the pond, we can hope that they will ripple out, joining other ripples, and creating waves of something truly special. It also seems important to become a part of this process of change, by rolling up our sleeves and making a difference. No matter how big or small the gesture, every little bit helps.
The axis of the world has shifted over recent years, particularly in the western world, to a mindset of what we can do for ourselves. It needs to shift back now to something far more altruistic and giving, and, in many ways, it would be good to have the focus for 2018 on doing exactly this.
Some may feel that life is too complicated and busy to spare the time and energy to ‘make a difference’ but such a focus is an intention, and this intention can flavour and blend with the ebb and flow of our lives as long as we keep an open mind and an open heart. Life rarely affords us the opportunity to avoid the complexities and challenges we face every single day but this doesn’t mean we can’t become a part of the bigger picture of change. Whilst there will always be things to do, people to see and places to go, we need to try to step beyond the linear concept of time and step into the boundless realms of possibility as we realise that there is no better moment than now…
I wish you a bright, happy, healthy and joyful year ahead.
With love,
Sarah-Jane
Aries
♈
There are times in your life when you feel as though you are on fast forward, surging ahead and making new discoveries. Whilst you often get a great deal done in such phases, you can also end up feeling depleted, exhausted and somewhat confused as things have happened so quickly, you can’t quite be sure where you’ve been, what you’ve done and why. Of course, you are more than used to charging through life as you are a warrior and you thrive on the unknowable as you intuitively know this allows you to expand and evolve, grow and develop. 2018 looks set to be a year of fast movement and rapid change, but in ways which both enhance and enrich your life. You have never been one for sitting on the side lines, and, over the coming year, you will find plenty of opportunity to shine brightly. As a result, there is a potent anticipation of excitement bubbling up from deep within your heart and soul and you’ve been ready for a big shift for quite some time.
However, it’s important for you to take some time now to think about the shape of what you truly want in your life. It’s all well and good charging ahead with courage and excitement, but if you have no sense of direction, how do you know if you are heading towards your dreams? Of course, unchartered terrain is, by its very nature, unknowable, but it seems vital that you allow at least a modicum of what you truly want in life to surface otherwise how will you ever know that you’ve reached your destination? There is one thing that’s clear about you: you are not a drifter, you’re an explorer, but even explorers are looking for something. So, start thinking about what you truly want and let this shape and define your path ahead…
Taurus
♉
2018 looks set to centre around the theme of ‘now-ness’: keeping your focus more on the present moment and bringing your consciousness wholeheartedly into the here and now. There’s a lot to be said for your ability to look back and forth through different chapters of your life as this gives you reference as well as context; it also allows you to learn and evolve, grow and develop as you can use the benefit of hindsight to make choices and decisions. However, there is a risk that too much of this actually keeps you away from the present moment and this can disconnect you from occupying your life as fully as possible. In essence, gazing backwards and forwards disenables you in the here and now.
You have long held back, sitting on the side lines, waiting for the right moment to act; and you try to get on top of your never-ending ‘to do’ list before giving your dreams any room to manoeuvre. Yet, you are stuffed full of dreams, ideas and goals still to explore, so how can they take shape and form unless you breathe life into them and let them flow, flourish and grow? Of course, there is no guarantee that you will make all your dreams come true and life often has a habit of throwing in some dead-ends and challenges along the way but, unless you try, how can you know? There’s a chance that you could, one day, happen upon the ‘perfect moment’ but what if you don’t? Do you want to keep on waiting or at least have a go? At the end of the day, the decision can only be yours, but the more you can allow the presence of ‘now-ness’ to flow in your life, the more you will realise that it’s no longer a case of if you act but when…
Gemini
♊
At any one moment in time, you are always on the brink of something new. At the same time, you are also on the brink of an ending of some kind. Life brings with it change, and change can be painful and challenging, but it can also be life-affirming and deeply enriching. You have spent a great deal of time reaching deeply into your heart and soul in order to make sense of your Self, your essence and why you are the way you are. You have also dug deeply to unearth unresolved and unprocessed pain and trauma as you have had a thirst for breaking free from the past in order to live more fully in the present. In short, you have gazed into the mirror of your soul and confronted the reality of your reflection with honesty and sincerity. As a result, you are in a fairly-well balanced space in life as the inevitable up’s and down’s don’t affect you quite so deeply as you are more than able to ride the waves willingly and wholeheartedly.
Of course, you are still frequently tossed about like a dingy in stormy seas but you are more robust these days and can take such things in your stride. It seems clear that you have come a very long way in a relatively short space of time, and you have a stronger sense of Self than you ever thought possible. Whilst change continues to be a constant in your life, you seem ready now to look beyond the reflections within, right down to the core of your being in order to face the truth of you. In essence, this means going beyond any preconceptions and presumptions you make about yourself, on all levels, in order to get a stronger, truer and clearer sense of purpose than ever before. In short, this is your moment to shine…
Cancer
♋
2017 was a kind of ‘blink and you miss it’ year for you: a year of things to do, people to see and places to go, but a year where you now wonder exactly what you achieved and why. In short, there is a sense you are feeling stuck on a treadmill and although you made some important decisions, you seem frustrated that your life seems more focused on keeping on keeping on rather than flourishing, thriving and living the life you were born to live. Well, one thing is clear: you are living the life you were born to live as you’re living it! It’s easy to see your dream life as ‘over there’ whilst you are walking the treadmill ‘over here’ but they are not distinct and separate; they are all part of the same life and the same you. There’s a chance that you are feeling disconnected from your dream life as you see it as a vision in the distance, on the horizon and maybe even out of reach.
Yet, why? Why is it ‘over there’? Have you written off the possibility that your dreams can become real? Have you grown so used to keeping on keeping on that you’ve lost the capacity to see the bigger picture and finally realise the capacity you really have for thriving, excelling and being happy? You are a vibrant, passionate, intuitive and inventive soul, so why not grab these with both hands in order to re-shape and re-define your life? The power is in your hands, and in your perception, to create a brand-new way of living and being. The treadmill is only a treadmill because that’s what it feels like, so why not make it a path with a destination? Allow the room for your dreams to breathe and know that 2018 looks set to be a year where anything’s possible…
Leo
♌
Well, that was certainly a rollercoaster! 2017 was a year of big shifts for you as the spins, turns, twists and twirls left you barely unable to have a moment of breathing space or calm. You would be forgiven for feeling somewhat dishevelled and discombobulated as you slowly begin to dust yourself down and start to steady your feet and re-focus as you find yourself back on terra firma once again. In many ways, life may feel rather flat now and you may actually be missing the rollercoaster more than you ever thought possible, particularly as there were many moments last year where you prayed so hard for this moment to come. Yet, here you find yourself in-betwixt here and there, in a period of calm where you are missing the thrill of the storm! The calm feels like a time for you to digest, process and correlate the lessons from the year behind you as you contemplate the year before you with wiser and more finely attuned senses.
You have grown on every level and you are now at a point in your life where you can open up to the possibility of new paths to walk and new terrain to discover. Your pioneering and adventurous spirit is still singing and eagerly awaiting an opportunity to take you towards new dreams and to forge a stronger connection within your mind, body and soul. You are ready to ride the inevitable twists and turns, but you are also willing to learn to make the most of the quieter times in order to re-centre and re-focus. In short, 2018 looks set to be a year where you build a stronger connection to your true essence, allowing your inner lion to roar, letting your creativity flow freely and where you finally feel as though you are living the life you were born to live…
Virgo
♍
You are often so busy in life, keeping on keeping on, trying to work through your ‘to do’ list, that you can miss out on opportunities for quiet, creative expression and spiritual nourishment. There are times when this doesn’t matter too much as you can tick along keeping on, surviving, but in the long term, this does matter as your creativity and spirituality, as well as a calmer and more centred you, allow you to thrive rather than survive. You are very good at riding the waves of life as your tenacity and vision allow you to see opportunity and possibility where others see brick walls and dead-ends.. In a way, you are one of life’s true survivalists, not so much in terms of living on a desert island (although you could if you really wanted), but more that you are able to use your many skills and talents to navigate your way through the inevitable challenges of everyday life; you thrive and shine even when seas get stormy as your inner wisdom allows you to see the bigger picture rather than becoming embroiled in the everyday tousle and tangle.
Whilst such a technique may be every day and quite normal for you, others look into your life with wonder and awe to try to see how you do it. Your year ahead looks set to present you with an opportunity to not only shape and hone your own skills but also to find ways to share your wisdom with others as you begin to shift your life beyond keeping on and ‘to do’ lists to a place of creativity, spirituality and growth. You have reached a crossroads where you no longer seem happy to tick along and you have a sense of urgency to push now as your soul is full of ideas that long to be expressed and set free…
Libra
♎
As a cerebral, philosophising and inquisitive soul, there have been many moments over the last year when you have pondered: why? Why you? Why now? Why are you here? Why? Why isn’t there an instruction manual for your life? It has been hard for you to accept there isn’t a ‘because’ to many of these questions and you have felt enraged at times knowing that most of these questions don’t actually have answers which has made you look even harder. Even though you intuitively know there are no answers, you still ask the questions as it’s your way of grappling with the bigger picture of your life. For a while now, you have been trying to gain a clearer sense of your purpose, wondering how to move forward and how to reach out more wholeheartedly into life. You feel ready to fly and soar high but you can’t quite work out how to get from where you are to where you want to be.
So, you ask these questions, not to tie yourself up in knots but to genuinely try to unravel the chaos within your mind, body and soul. Chaos is perhaps too strong a word, but the whirlwind inside of you is intensely powerful and majestic. To stop the whirlwind would be like switching off your essence as it enables you to be the vibrant, cerebral and effervescent soul that you are. Yet, you do try to switch it off as inner quiet is so highly regarded by many. Just remember, there really is no one else quite like you so ‘normal’ shouldn’t even be a part of your vocabulary! Learn to love your inner whirlwind as it’s truly special and a wonderful gift. It’s time for you to realise that even when questions don’t have answers, you can still fly high, you just have to believe in yourself as you already have wings…
Scorpio
♏
‘As you come skidding into slow motion at the end of a busy and somewhat perplexing year, there is a sense of pause emerging merged with a rush of expectation and anticipation for the year ahead’. Sound familiar? Well, these words started your 2017 forecast but they seem just as apt, if not more so, for 2018. However, this isn’t to say that you have ended up exactly where you started as that couldn’t be further from the truth; you have grown exponentially and you’re now much wiser than ever before. In short, you have come to realise that you ‘skid into slow motion’ at the end of every year as you know the importance of reflection and the wisdom of contemplation. You’re not keen to press the repeat button unless there’s a genuine need so you digest and process your experiences in order to find new ways to thrive and evolve. You have also come to realise that every year is both ‘busy and perplexing’ as that’s simply a part of being alive! A sedate, predictable existence might be fun for a little while but you’d soon grown stagnant, bored and frustrated. In addition, there is also usually a ‘rush of expectation and anticipation’ as you are looking forward to a new chapter of your life beginning as the wheel of the year turns once again.
So, using these words every year would work extremely well but could quickly become tedious. Yet, not every year is the same and 2018 looks set to be a year that stands apart from others as you seem ready to embark on a new chapter of your life to catapult you higher than ever before. Try to keep hold of that new year rush and surge of energy in order to reach new heights, explore new terrain, and to ‘boldly go where you have never gone before’…
Sagittarius
♐
Your year ahead looks set to be a year brimming with possibilities and opportunities. Perhaps not unlike other years, but 2018 is different as there seems to be a need for you to master a new art: the art of saying no. You are something of a collector in life and you collect possibilities and opportunities, placing them carefully in closets in your heart and soul for use as, and when, and if, required. Such a strategy seems wise but it has one drawback as the more you collect, the less ‘footloose and fancy free’ you can be. At heart, you are a free-spirited, creative adventurer, longing to roam the hills and valleys of life. Yet, your collection has started to weigh you down and you now drag along a backpack of almighty proportions. Surely there has to come a time and a place when enough is enough?
Maybe you will come to use everything you’ve collected or maybe the collection is simply an avoidance technique which takes you away from having to focus on what you truly want in life? This may sound odd, after all, why would you want to avoid what you truly want? Well, there’s a chance that, by placing this dream on a pedestal for so long, that once you get it, it may disappoint. There’s also the chance that, once you focus wholeheartedly on the dream, you realise it isn’t really what you wanted after all. No one ever said being you was easy! It seems clear that you need to make some space in your life in order to re-connect to your true essence, allowing your dreams to re-centre and be re-defined. This space will help you to focus on that dream rather than on juggling all of those other possibilities for a while. Say no to the clutter and let your true gift lead the way…
Capricorn
♑
As you continue to create a balance between contemplation and action, there is a sense you have been erring on the side of contemplation recently as you have been unsure exactly how to move forwards in your life. As a result, you have found yourself questioning your choices and decisions, often leaving you doubting yourself. At the same time, you have found yourself almost frozen in contemplation as you cannot see a clear way forward. Contemplation is a hugely important factor in life but so is action. To have too much of one upsets the apple cart of your life leaving you feeling discombobulated and out of kilter; often feeling on edge but without knowing why. Sometimes, contemplation is just a politer way of saying ‘over thinking’ and maybe this is why you have been out of sorts as you don’t usually procrastinate and dawdle?
Trying to make sense of why things are the way they are is understandable but doing this at the cost of rolling up your sleeves and forging ahead seems very out of character for you. 2018 looks set to be a year to establish a much clearer sense of balance between contemplation and action as you begin to re-focus on your hopes and dreams. It’s time to ask yourself two important questions: what do you truly want in life? And, perhaps more importantly, why? The second question is important as clarity helps to hone your intention to something sharp and crystal clear. So, what do you want in life? Be bold, be wholehearted and let your true essence shine! Why do you want it? Be honest and be openhearted. You’ve always had an inkling of what you want, but it’s time now for you to make a clear statement of intent to the universe as a way of declaring your readiness for the next chapter of your life to unfold…
Aquarius
♒
As you continue to gaze deeply into your heart and soul, there is a sense you are beginning 2018 with a stronger, brighter and more resolved sense of purpose. It’s as though you have awoken from a slumber and you suddenly feel more energised and invigorated. As a result, your head is filled with ideas about how you want to live your life. At the same time, your heart is also filled with ideas about how you want to live your life, and spiritually you are very much aware you are being asked about how you want to live your life. The challenge for you in 2018 is to bring all three together in a harmonious way in order to live a richer and more fulfilling life. Simplicity is something that appeals deeply to you even though you are a complex soul, you long for a life without the ‘white noise’ of modern living: you’d rather have pen and paper than a keyboard, books rather than e-books, real food rather than processed, human contact rather than virtual.
In many ways, you find such ‘noise’ distracting as it clogs up the clarity you strive for when it comes to knowing yourself in such a profound way. Of course, this noise is an inevitable part of living in the modern world but there are ways in which you can limit your exposure and it’s time to seek some of these out now. This seems particularly important for you as you are on the verge of a new beginning in your life and too much noise or clutter could get in the way of you forging a clear vision as well as getting in the way of you finding the balance between mind, body and soul. Living in a unified way is your goal now and you already have all of the tools you need to thrive…
Pisces
♓
You have worked hard over the past year to listen to yourself more; you have allowed your intuition more room to manoeuvre and you have let your spirit dance more freely when it comes to letting your creativity and spirituality flow. Of course, the essence of you is certainly hard to contain as you are a fluid soul but you have let go of the ‘nuts and bolts’ thinking behind this as it only ever becomes mind-bending as you cannot get your head around the idea of being limitless. However, mind-bending aside, there is a sense you are still struggling to come to terms with your true majesty and sense of self: who are you? What are your gifts? Why are you here? These are big questions and you are right not to jump right in without due care or thought, but, at the same time, it’s important you don’t procrastinate for long as life is for living, not just thinking about!
You may find it hard thinking about the bigger picture of your life as you have spent so long trying to be everything to so many others and, as a result, you have lost sight of you. Although you still do try to be everything to everyone else you have, more recently, realised the importance of being everything to yourself as well, and this is a monumental shift – as long as you do more than just think about it! 2018 looks set to be a year of positive change as you allow yourself the freedom to become one with your dancing spirit. The more you allow your spirit to soar, the more you will realise just how creative and gifted you really are. Yes, you find this hard to acknowledge and even harder to own, but it’s time now to embrace 2018 with passion, exuberance and enthusiasm as you finally allow what’s inside of you the room to step into the light…