5 ways to nourish intuitive clarity
How have you been? Are you feeling Aquarius sensations yet?
I have to be honest, I absolutely love air signs but will admit that I tend to struggle with their energy sometimes more than the other elemental signs. Although I have equal parts air, water and earth in my birth chart (with one fire sign = Aries), air tends to get to me a bit.
If you're unfamiliar with the 12 zodiac signs and their generalized energy, here’s a quickie :
Fire signs : Aries, Leo, Sagittarius - these signs are about action, movement + passion
Earth signs : Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn - these signs are about groundedness, stability + nurturing
Air signs : Gemini Libra, Aquarius - these signs are about abstractness, social + communication
Water signs : Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces - these signs are about fluidity, emotions + intuition
Each actual zodiac sign has its own individual qualities but as you can see, the core elemental energy it stems from is the same. The signs rotate throughout the calendar year with each sign or “season” lasting about 30 days. Beginning the zodiac year is Fire (Aries), then cycling through the next elements in order: Earth, Air and finally Water (ending with Pisces). This is so our energy moves through the year with some sort of energetic balance. Each sign has it’s time corresponding to it’s elemental energy.
When air season comes around, it tends to cause me more roadblocks than normal. It could be because I struggle with self - worth and confidence from time to time and really get into my own head about it. But, since I’ve done so much personal work around this wound, it also could just be the time of the zodiac when my shadows are the worst according to my own personal birth chart. You can run yours free here. Air signs rule the nervous system and that of the brain. It’s a quality they all have in common. That is why it is extra important to seek stillness for clarity in your intuition during these times.
Aquarius season is all about how we show up in groups, communities and for humanity. Aquarius signs tend to be more eccentric, outgoing and downright weird. This is a time to let your freak flag fly! To be unapologetically you.
But, what happens if you sometimes struggle with the voice in your head? What if you find you are more likely to step on yourself than hold yourself up? When it comes to listening to my inner voice and intuition, I am finding it more difficult to hear it through all this thick air. So I’ve been devising some strategies to ground myself during this season. Here are some of the strategies that have been helping me ground through this very, very Aquarius air season …
Prioritize Introspection v. Analysis
Since Air signs carry heavy energy around thoughts, it is important to continue to always turn inward from a non-judgmental and gentle place to sooth your own brain. Analyzing can be a strong power of any air sign and Aquarius is known for loving the challenge to solve the abstract, but it is important to catch yourself when your tendency to analyze becomes an obsession or leads to over analysis. Logic can be helpful but it can also be a distraction from what we need to communicate from and feel in our hearts. You’ll know for yourself when it becomes unhealthy. You’ll see it or feel it and can look for helpful indicators in your own birth chart. As someone who has Virgo in their sun sign (sun sign is how you’re meant to show up in the world), over analysis and worrying tends to be a difficult characteristic I tend to be challenged by. It's one of the main reasons I can be susceptible to overactive air energy. To counteract rampant and unhelpful logic try getting into your heart space and focus on your emotions. Ask yourself the following :
What feelings are present in me right now?
How can I hold space for letting these feelings exist as they are?
How can I simplify the challenge I am facing?
What are my emotional needs and how can I ask for help with them?
Change the flavor of the Air around you
When you get a little too in your head an easy fix for me is to change the energy of the actual air around you. Lighting candles can help. Candles are amazing at neutralizing air because they bring in that Fire element and could also be scented which is a bonus for waking up a different physical sense we have. You could also use sound such as music or a singing bowl to get any stagnant air flowing in your space. One of my primary tools for moving stagnant air and energy through my home is lighting incense. Even though incense bares an air quality, the scent you chose can help ground your energy body and shift your mind. During air seasons, my favorite is frankincense because of its ability to awaken our third eye chakra - our House of Wisdom + Intuition and window between the inner and outer world, located between our brows. It feels so cleansing to light a stick of frankincense when I feel a little down or my anxiety flares up.
Full disclosure : I am not in any way a licensed professional in mental health and if you are struggling with depression or anxiety, I encourage you to reach out to a trained professional. Here is a link to finding resources for help through the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA). If you need immediate help or are experiencing suicidal thoughts please call 1-800-273-8255, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Rest the body + mind a little more than usual
Resting is just as important as taking action. This is a lesson I learned a couple of years ago when I was struggling with the push and pull of my commitments to others and the need to find time for tending to my introverted side. We live in a society where productivity is valued over rest and many find trouble in idle hands. But, what about the idea that resting is a productive task? Studies show that frequent breaks from work and taking naps can increase individuals ability to be productive. Even our bodies often tell us to slow things down through navigating ailments from the common cold to skin rashes, upset stomachs and other weird physicalities. Taking time to rest our minds and bodies is so crucial to our survival. It also helps us to get out of survival mode.
With Aquarius season I am finding it difficult to manage my social calendar. I tend to overcommit myself and forget certain aspects of myself that might cause energy issues and exhaustion. With air signs it is especially important that we take mental breaks to restore our nervous system. Taking time to practice mindfulness is one way I am striving to slow down. Instead of trying to create a new routine, I love taking a routine I already have and making the experience more mindful. For example, brushing your teeth, taking a shower or taking a mindful walk can all be activities that you are probably already doing but could probably slow down a little and really engage your mind with the sensations. Although I find it difficult to regularly practice meditation, I love taking a shavasana pose on the floor or bed for even just five minutes a day. This feels so restorative to me, especially during air season. Having boundaries with things that interfere with making time for these grounding practices can be a great place to start.
Limit your exposure to stimulants
If you’re like me and you struggle with keeping your brain relaxed, you’ll know just how important it is to limit the amount of stimulants you consume on a daily basis. One stimulant I’ve completely cut out of my life for quite some time is high amounts of caffeine. I used to drink regular coffee loaded with sugar all the time. I had no idea how much it was affecting my ability to concentrate from a place of clarity. I also had no idea how it affected my brain when it came to engaging in restorative practices like sleep. Today, I only drink decaf coffee about once or twice a week and tend to enjoy the daily AM green tea instead. Most of my favorite teas are decaf and I’ve learned what works better for my body now instead of the straight morning coffee. If I start to feel a little sluggish in the afternoon, I try to eat raw nuts to give me a quick protein boost or I’ll sip on a cup of decaf mint tea to pep myself up.
Sugar is another stimulant I am exploring with cutting back on. This is a difficult one because there is sugar in EVERYTHING. If it is processed, most likely there is sugar in it. I’ve cut back on fruit, packaged food and beverages containing any sugar including sugar substitutes and natural sugars. I’ve also cut back on the amount of carbohydrates I eat including bread and pasta. Since there is a lot of sugar in these items, I try to limit my intake. I am not perfect and I don’t strive for perfection. The reality is I love bread. The other reality is there are consequences for me when I eat too much of it. Sugar causes inflammation in the body and makes it hard to gain momentum on keeping my energy up. With inflammation comes pain, sluggishness, exhaustion and even my sinus issues flare up pretty bad. I’ve found that every 5 or 6 days without sugar has made a huge difference in maintaining a positive level of health and wellness. You’ll have to assess what’s right for you.
Another stimulant that I am working to limit my time with is my electronics. This includes being on the computer too much doing any mindless activities, scrolling through social media without any clear objectives or watching way too much TV. I love binge watching Netflix but sometimes it just turns me into a cooked vegetable. Something that helps me navigate this is cutting off any services I don’t need like cable TV or streaming services with commercials. I find that if there’s commercials involved I am less likely to take the time to actually sit and digest what I am watching. I think this is because programs with commercials make it easy for me to multitask with. Like doing dishes or my journaling practices. I figure I’ll just turn on the TV for background noise and do the work during commercial breaks. But, it’s incredibly unproductive and the opposite of helpful because I am overconsuming during times I should be more mindful of the experience.
Breathe
My last suggestion is overtly obvious - breathe. During Air seasons, we can tend to get carried away by our own intellectual nature that sometimes we forget to take deep breaths and get back into our bodies to support our physical wellbeing. Focusing on your breath through practicing breathwork is so important anytime of year, but especially during Air seasons when we can become a bit ungrounded and mostly in the head. Bringing your awareness back to your supporting breath will really help you stay sharp when it comes to nourishing your intuition and the clarity of it. When you are receiving plenty of oxygen and allowing it to be fully circulated through the body via your blood, you can focus from a place of rest and digest ( a parasympathetic nervous system response ) versus a place of fight or flight ( a sympathetic nervous system response ). This will always help support the nourishing of your intuition because when you can choose to respond to a situation versus react, you can make well informed decisions that support your need to limit stimulants, take a break and take a rest, and prioritize introspection versus jumping to analysis.
These are the 5 strategies I find really helpful in nourishing clarity with my intuition during this Aquarius (Air) season. I hope sharing these was helpful to you and where you’re at in your own journey. Remember, we all have our own blocks and strengths when it comes to navigating the demands of life and managing our energy and intuition. The important thing is that you are learning what works or doesn’t work for you.
keep planting and keep breathing,
jamie
If you found this piece helpful in navigating the energy of Aquarius season and the element of Air, then join the Collective Inner Garden Community. Every email I send is carefully curated for the energy of the times and can help you no matter what season we’re in. <3