Embracing Your True Heart in 2017
What’s your sign?
Yeah, we’ve all heard that line, either as a lame pick-up or as the butt of some tired joke.
But, seriously, what’s your sign?
That archetypal, maligned part of ourselves we either shrug off, embrace wholeheartedly, or deny with everything in us.
“Okay, so I’m a Gemini. But I’m nothing like the flighty, ditsy Geminis described in those astrology books.”
Maybe you’re not. We are, after all, made up of so much more than our Sun signs.
Yet, at your heart, at your center, don’t you take delight in your boundless curiosity? Aren’t you longing for true intellectual stimulation? Don’t you have a mental agility bordering on the phenomenal? Or do you let your ideas and thoughts scatter themselves whichever way the wind blows?
No?
Maybe you’ve mastered that part of yourself so easily bored. Or maybe, just maybe, you mask it well. Even from yourself.
Our Sun signs, while definitely archetypal, are still an integral part of our identities. They represent our core.
Our heart.
In the upcoming year they can also aid us in defining our own, unique to us, goals. Obtainable goals, reflecting our true essence. Our true self.
But first you have to delve into those murky, astrological waters to discover the truth behind your personal archetype. You need to be willing to shine that light on both the positive and negative traits. To be willing to ask yourself how those specific characteristics apply to you, and how they might aid or possibly hinder you along the path you’ve set for yourself.
I’m a Pisces.
Absentminded. Dreamy. Psychic.
To an extent, those terms are accurate. At least as far as a recital of possible Pisces traits. What those words don’t show is how those traits actually manifest in my personality. How I put them to use to further my goals, to enrich my writing, to align my goals with my heart.
The absentmindedness goes with the space-cadet dreamer. I do use calendar reminders, and they work wonders as long as I don’t turn off the task before I’ve completed it. But I’ve discovered, to my irritation, I can’t run my life by the calendar.
In terms of projects and writing goals, I’ve tried scheduling the year out in advance. X number of words per day, X number of scenes in a week, X number of chapters each month. I failed miserably within the first month. So then I tried scheduling a single month at a time. Hah! Even a few days out is a joke. Yet I do meet my deadlines. Occasionally I’m pushing right up against that deadline, but I meet it.
Although this took a great deal of soul searching and frustration, I finally realized I needed to accept and acknowledge my Piscean Sun. To work with myself rather than fight against my heart.
I’m a dreamer. A bit of an absentminded mystic. That’s who I am. I need to disappear into that creative well, to drink deeply, to return when my internal timer says it’s time, to complete that specific scene not when a notation appears on my calendar saying it has to be done today or the entire story will suffer, but to complete it when I feel the scene is ripe. By accepting that part of myself, by giving it reign, I’ve found I write more freely, more joyously, and I meet deadlines with more grace and confidence in my product than I did when struggling with the calendar.
And no, I’m not saying this was easy. I fought hard. Those were tried and true methods I felt should have worked for me. Tried and true by other people. I had to find my own method. One that worked with my Piscean heart. One that uses calendar reminders to curb the absentmindedness, with several reminders in case I’m deep in a daydream, but allows each scene of each story to unfold itself in its own framework, regardless of any perceived structural pathway.
Now I write about psychics. About Dreamwalkers. About characters and situations pulled from my own dreams.
Am I advocating all Pisces writers write about these subjects? Nah. That works for this Pisces, others may have absolutely no interest. Which is fine, because this is about what works for each of us, as individuals.
What Pisces writers should do, in my opinion, is hone their intuition. Pay attention to their dreams, and most importantly, give themselves time to daydream. To figure out what their dreams are telling them. Yet do stay aware of the possibility of becoming lost in those dreams, of stagnating there. Keep some kind of hold on reality so you can share your visions with the world.
Now, if I were a Gemini, I wouldn’t have to be a flighty one. I could be a mentally agile one, ten paces ahead of everyone else, and I could use that agility to keep boredom at bay, to keep my writing fresh and interesting, to both my readers and myself. Work that mental angle, keep that mind stimulated. Gemini does need to stay aware of the propensity to scatter their energies, to chase glow-flits. Stay aware and brainstorm strategies for staying on target.
Although each sign is as fascinating as the next, there isn’t room in this blog to do justice to all twelve. For the purposes of this quest, though, a good resource to check out is the classic book SUN SIGNS by Linda Goodman. You can even get a kindle version of just your sign. On the web, one of my favorite sites is Café Astrology. On my own website I have a few blog entries breaking the archetypes apart. In addition, starting in January, I plan to post each month on a different sign. I’ll also be teaching BEYOND SUN SIGNS: DEVELOPING THE HEART AND SOUL OF YOUR CHARACTER in March at the California Dreamin’ Conference.
Since I’m sure at least Gemini and Aries won’t want to wait on me, you might want to check out the other resources I listed. Then ask yourself, in regards to your own Sun sign, the following questions. Delve deep. Get to know your Sun. Your core. Your heart.
As a/an ____, who am I?
What part of ____ do I embrace?
What part do I push away?
Why?
How does that part of my denied ____ Sun sabotage my efforts?
Can I turn that perceived negative trait into a positive one, one that supports my efforts and goals?
If not, what’s my strategy to keep that trait under control, to keep the self-sabotage in check?
As a/an _____ writer, does how I write incorporate my Sun’s energy signature? How can I harness those energies to find a more balanced center? To find joy in the actual writing process?
Understanding ____ in this personal-to-me way, what are my goals for 2017? How can I use my ____ Sun energy to achieve those goals?
For some, these questions may feel a bit out there, but give it a try. Read through the list of questions again. Jot down a few thoughts. Keep these questions at the back of your mind. Give your subconscious permission to run with this.
Find your own core essence. Discover the joy of your true heart. Let those strengths buoy your goals. And find ways to combat the self-sabotage ever lurking in the shadows.
Become aware.
May 2017 bring all your heart desires.
An astrologer for most of her adult life, Pamela Moran has been known to see auras & the occasional ghost. With a cop husband and a special agent best friend, is it any wonder she writes psychic romantic suspense? Add in her haunted home and life can get quite interesting.
To learn more about her class, Beyond Sun Signs: Developing the Heart & Soul of Your Character, you can click here.
You can find Pam at her website www.PamelaMoran.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pamelamoranauthor