The New Year is here and if your social media feed is anything like mine, you are probably seeing lots of your friends setting big intentions and resolutions for the year ahead. If you find yourself feeling not so into that right now, you are not alone.

Here are 4 Reasons to Trust Your Gut and let yourself take your time with New Year’s Plans:

1. It’s Winter. I live in NYC and in the Northern Hemisphere its cold. There aren’t any leaves on the trees (unless they are evergreen). Animals are hibernating. And guess what? Humans are also animals. With all the modern conveniences we have, society tends function as if nature doesn’t exist. Everyone pretty much expects us to be just as productive in January as the rest of the year. But our bodies aren’t built that way. If you are craving more rest, you should 100% honor that.
   
2. There are 3 major planets in retrograde right now. Mars, Uranus, and Mercury. Retrogrades in Astrology mean that planets appear to be moving backwards, but more specifically, we experience these as times when there is some disruption to the normal flow of things. As a result, when a planet is in retrograde, it is a good time to reflect on the areas of life that that planet governs and to heal old patterns around those areas. It is not a great time for forward progress. Mars governs energy, action, and desire. Uranus rules surprise and all things unexpected as well as the future and new technology. Mercury rules communication, travel, and technology.
   
3. It is currently a full moon. Which means we are in the middle of a lunar cycle right now. New Beginnings are best initiated with the New Moon and the first New Moon of 2023 is 2 weeks away!
   
4. You are still working on projects or goals from last year. You don’t have to pull the plug or start again because the New Year is here. If things are feeling good trust that!! You can set new goals any time you like. And if you want to abandon the Gregorian calendar altogether, I’m totally down with that!!

So in short, if your gut is telling you to slow down or you just aren’t generally feeling enthused about planning right now, that’s a great sign. That means you are in tune with nature and your own intuition which is the best place to be!!

Now for those of you who are addicted to planning or going with the crowd (that used to be me too), if you are feeling anxious about not starting anything yet, but want to honor the slow energy you are seeing and feeling around you, give yourself permission to explore what you want but without committing to putting anything in stone yet. You can even set a date for yourself to make a decision and take action. Hint: The New Moon on Saturday January 21st is a great one!!

Much love,
Natalie

PS: And if you are looking for a little support to ease your way into the year, check out BE in 2023, a series of free and low cost offerings to help you get intentional and start 2023 with EASE.