What a relief! Mercury finally went direct and will stay that way until December.

On Friday, we celebrated the Jewish New Year. Many of my friends shared their hopes, goals, and expectations for the new year. Two posts caught my attention. One by my friend Maya Tevet Dayan, who now teaches poetry at the San Diego State University. Maya asked that we increase our expectations of life. She told a story of how before she started her new teaching position, she had been warned by colleagues that she would be disappointed. The truth is, she enjoys her new position much more than she could ever dream she would.

Then there was my friend Shefi Karni, a yoga teacher and childbirth educator, who asked us to expect less. Shefi talked about our never-ending desires to be super successful, make more money, grow spiritually, have great relationships with our family and friends, be the best parents if we have kids, and the list goes on. These expectations put us under a lot of unnecessary stress. They make us feel that we can never take a break, rest, catch our breath and just be who we are.

I could relate to both posts, even though they seem to be contradictory.

With sun and Mercury in Virgo, plus a grand trine in earth throughout the whole week, we receive the gift of practicality. At their best, Virgos know their limits. They make sure not to take too much on themselves. They know to put healthy boundaries in their relationships. They know to respect their simple needs like a good night’s sleep, healthy food, physical exercise, meditation, and some down time. They are good at making plans, working with a task list, setting up realistic and obtainable expectations, and with following through.

But earth people don’t always expect enough of life as they are very aware of reality’s limitations. To increase expectations, we sometimes need to ignore practical facts and realistic limitations. For example, when I tried to get pregnant at age 40, most doctors told me that I would never be able to conceive without IVF. I did. My family thought I could never make good money as an astrologer. I do.

On top of the external voices, there are also the limiting internal voices, like the one I sometimes hear in my head, telling me that I am not good enough to publish a book. With that, I have learned to increase my expectations of life. The more I do, life responds accordingly. There is no doubt that, as my good friend Chuck said it, I am multi-blessed.

So, what should we do then? Should we limit our expectations to be reasonable and not too demanding and stressful? Or should we increase our expectations so that we can be multi-blessed?

The key to the answer is in the upcoming fall equinox. We are reaching this special point in time when day and night are equal in length. This is a good point for finding equilibrium in our life’s expectations. Can we increase our expectations without stressing ourselves out? Of course we can! But we need to know how.

We should set up high expectations, we should expect that things would be great for us. For example, my six-year-old son is having a hard time with reading. It is challenging for him, and he hates the challenge. On our hike today, we found ourselves on a trail full of raspberry bushes. My son made a goal to find and eat 66 good raspberries. When he accomplished his mission he asked me, “Did you believe that I’d do it? I told him that I know he can do whatever he sets his mind on, and I added, “If you decide that reading will be fun and easy for you, it will”. 

The important thing is that we obtain our expectations out of joy and not out of pressure. We do not want our goals to stress us out. We must believe that we are good enough even if life does not meet our expectations.  

We can also adjust our expectations as we move along, and not feel bad about it. I was hoping to sign a contract for my book in 2023. Right now, that seems unrealistic. I modified my wish to sign a contract by next September, which seems more realistic based on my availability and progress so far. I do not see it as a defeat, on the contrary, it is because my business does so well, that I have less time to write my book.

Another important practice that keeps stress at bay, is to celebrate our accomplishments. Often, we are so stressed about what we haven’t yet achieved, that we forget to look at our success stories. Then we miss the opportunity to rejoice in them, which was the whole point for wanting them in the first place.

Success is not something to gain. Success is a feeling that needs to be cultivated. It is the ability to celebrate our achievements.

On this fall equinox, it is a good practice to celebrate our achievements, not only in our career but also as friends, as lovers, as partners, as parents, as creators, as truth seekers, and as human beings.

Suggestions for questions, journaling, and work for this last week of Virgo season in preparation for the fall equinox:

1. What are your current expectations of yourself and of life? Can you expect even more? How would it look like?
2. Do you know to keep your boundaries and make sure to sleep well, eat well and take good care of yourself? If not, what needs to be improved? Can you commit to making the required changes this week?
3. List at least three things you accomplished so far that make you proud and fulfilled. Do you celebrate them enough? Do you give yourself the credit you deserve for them?
4. Will you be happy and well even if your expectations won’t be fulfilled? If not, what can you do right now to make things better for yourself?

More Detailed Information About This Week’s Astrology:

Events of the week: sun enters Libra & fall equinox on Saturday, September 23.

Aspects of the week: Uranus & Pluto trine sun, Neptune opposite sun. All of which form a kite with grand trine in earth, supported by water.

More details:

• Sunday, September 17, sun and Mercury direct in Virgo, moon and Mars in Libra, Venus in Leo.
• Monday, September 18, moon enters Scorpio.
• Wednesday, September 20, moon enters Sagittarius.
• Friday, September 22, moon enters Capricorn.
• Saturday, September 23, sun enters Libra & fall equinox.

Have a wonderful week,

With love,

Yael