Do you sometimes say the wrong thing? I do. 

There are so many examples, but this one especially came to mind. It happened when I was starting my path as an astrologer. A friend who is an influencer booked a reading for herself and her boyfriend. I was obviously nervous.

The beautiful power couple came to my house on a cold winter’s afternoon. After hanging their coats, they followed me upstairs into my office and sat on the mustard couch before me. They asked that we start with him.

His chart was beautiful and harmonious, and his moon was especially supported. The reading went well, and they both liked everything I told them. Then came her turn. When we talked about her moon, I found myself saying, “While his moon is so beautifully supported, your moon is very challenged.”

As I was saying it, I knew it was the absolute wrong thing to say. Her facial expression confirmed that she was offended. It’s not that it was not true; it was. I didn’t see it as a bad thing because my moon is even more challenged than hers, and these challenges are what made me an “emotional expert.” 

But putting her in a position where she feels her partner is emotionally better than her was wrong. It was stupid. It was reckless. I don’t even know why I said it. Or why do we sometimes say things we don’t even mean to say? 

I want to believe that if I said something stupid like this today, I would know how to fix it right there and then. That I would apologize and correct myself on the spot, or I would explain better the benefits and empowerment of the challenges. But then, I was still a beginner and insecure about my skills. The whole situation felt like this one time when my boyfriend and I got into an accident.

There was this moment when he lost control of the wheel, and the car spanned fast. I knew I might die, and I had nothing to do about it. 

I am sure you know the feeling, don’t you?  I’ve heard the stories of many clients and students who said or did the wrong thing. 

It is important to discuss our mistakes this week when both Mercury and Mars retrograde. Mercury rules our minds and communication. Mars rules our actions. When Mercury and Mars take a break, it is natural to say or do stupid things. 

From a spiritual, evolutionary perspective, saying the wrong thing is essential for our growth. This is when we are asked to develop self-love. Are you the type of person who holds a grudge against yourself for the mistakes you make? Do you tend to beat yourself up endlessly and feel worthless due to your mistakes? Or do you know how to apply the Sagittarius wisdom, which teaches us that we can never get it right and there is no need to? We will always make mistakes just because we are humans. We need to make mistakes to learn to forgive ourselves. 

Happiness and well-being do not depend on always doing the right thing. They rely on our ability to be kind to ourselves. 

The Dalai Lama said, “If you can cultivate the right attitude, your enemies are your best spiritual teachers because their presence provides you with the opportunity to enhance and develop tolerance, patience and understanding.” 

Can you treat your mistakes as your enemies and see them as opportunities to cultivate the right attitude? 

Embracing your mistakes with kindness will help you not repeat them. You face them; you admit that you said or did something stupid; you forgive yourself like you would have forgiven your loved ones if they did something similar; you laugh at yourself and at the human condition – how funny it is to be a human and be so clumsy at times? 

It is also a good idea to apologize to the other person and ask for their forgiveness. It is up to them whether they want to forgive you, but you can then let go of the guilt, shame, and anger you hold towards yourself. You realize that having these feelings against you does not change what happened; it does not fix anything or help anyone; it just makes you feel bad. 

With Mercury and Mars retrograde this Sagittarius week, review the mistakes you’ve made that you still haven’t fully forgiven yourself for. Maybe you want to write them all down and burn the paper to release them for good? Perhaps you want to hold them close, like your enemies, and be grateful to them for teaching you self-love. Can you apply their teaching and learn to cultivate self-love? Let me know how it resonated with you, what exercise you chose to perform, and how it worked. 

Have a wonderful week,

With love,

Yael