Getting to the heart of it: Reflections at the astrological new year

I wanted to center what feels like the most expansive and creative way for me to share love with the world.

The past few years have led me to reflect on what’s guided my choices, what have really been my dreams, and what’s been me trying to gain success and validation in ways that are deemed “acceptable.” As I reflected and got honest about what truly lights me up, it became clear that writing and healing are at the center of my spiritual and creative universe. While I’ve enjoyed so many of the roles I held before, I had to commit to what was most important to me and how I want to spend my precious time on Earth.

All of the paths I’ve taken have spoken to different parts of who I am, what I enjoy, what I’m good at, or what I needed to do to make money and survive. But none of them ever were or will ever be “who I am.” No job or role is ever “us.” We are so much more expansive, eternal and sacred than any labels we put on ourselves, even the ones that feel good and bring us joy.

In knowing this, it becomes both easier and harder to define who we are; harder because there is always some grief in outgrowing or evolving away from what we and others think is “us,” and easier as we move on to even truer, more aligned and expansive versions of us. Being my genuine self feels scarier at times than any article I’ve written, class I’ve taught, table I’ve waited on, character I’ve played, or joke I’ve told onstage. And that’s exactly why I knew I needed to embrace it.

I don’t see my current career as a huge departure from every job or role I’ve held in the past. I’ve learned from all of them. I still bring humor, a passion for social justice, great listening skills, and so many other gifts and tools with me to the work I do every day. I see my personal and professional journey as a natural progression of an ever-evolving soul. In each chapter, I’ve done my best to get closer and closer to the truth. What is the most important thing for me to share with others in this lifetime? How can I help the most? What underlines everything else?

And for me, the bottom line is love. I wanted to get to the heart of it. I wanted to center what feels like the most expansive and creative way for me to share love with the world. How I got to where I am has involved privilege, oppression, trauma, hard work, luck, opportunity, deep healing, and so many other factors. I believe everyone should be able to do what makes them happy and follow the path that makes them feel the most alive, supported, and valued.

It’s been three years since I started working on my novel and seven months since I started Heronkind. I am so proud of how far I’ve come, where I am, and where I’m going. These are my creative and spiritual contributions, and I am so grateful and excited to keep growing and sharing them with the world.

Aries season kicks off the zodiacal new year and traditionally rules the First House, inviting our souls to embark on the swirling, spiritual journey of our lives. The First House rules the development of our personality, our ego, our self-image, and how others see us. Whatever sign rules our First House in our own unique birth chart will tell us a lot about how we show up in the world (our Rising Sign). But no matter what sign is there, there will be an Aries undertone to the action that takes place in that house as we work to establish what we’re about. From my perspective, Aries season is the perfect time to take stock of who we are, where we’re being called to lead, and what we desire to create in the world.

What about you? What lights you up? What are you creating? What is at the heart of your life? I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to reach out here or connect with me on social media at the links below. And if you’d like to explore your chart as we begin another loop around the zodiacal wheel, you can book a reading here.

Sending you love and blessings always.

-Lauren