Weekly Astro Weather

Mercury is currently cruising through Scorpio's waterways in a classic detective coat and hat, asking serious and probing questions in the hope of uncovering buried secrets. Since Mercury is in opposition to Uranus in Taurus, our attempts at communicating in an honest and open way may come across as disagreeable or self-centered this week.

Mars in Libra is helping us come up with creative and inspired ideas, but in Libra, Mars' pull is weak. You may find it hard to commit to any idea or particular vision at this time because you would rather not upset the status quo.

But,

the Sun (ego, will) in an uncomfortable square to Saturn (limitations, structure), is asking for commitment, even if you do feel blocked or are not entirely convinced you can pull off that brilliant idea.

The Invitation

The Universe's invitation to make adjustments and corrections continues this week, with a particular focus on communication.

The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - Bernard Shaw

Most relationships - personal or otherwise - fail because of poor communication. We fail at communicating properly because of conditioning.

Part of our conditioning is we want to be right and we want to get our way. We can either let those motivations determine how we’re interacting, or we can be aware of them, which then lets us connect with deeper and purer intentions, like wanting to understand others better (compassion) or wanting to work together.

Conversation - whether in person or online - is a dynamic interplay between each person’s choice to speak or listen. If we are conscious and respectful then our conversations tend to be enjoyable and productive.

But, if we choose to respond in an automatic or robotic way because we're not fully engaged and following our own agenda, our conversations will be stressful.

Conscious communication means getting clear on your intentions - like wanting to understand and wanting to show kindness - before speaking or responding.

Here are 3 quick tips to better communication:

1. Pause. Gather your thoughts before speaking or responding.

2. Ground yourself in the present moment by becoming aware of your body. If you are thinking about what you're making for dinner tomorrow night or what happened yesterday at the mall, you are not fully engaged and listening.

3. Slow down. Don't speak in a hurried way. Check your tone and remember you are speaking with someone and not to someone.

How are you building better relationships? What adjustments can you make to the way you communicate?

xo

Yolanda