Here’s the thing: I’ve written and deleted this post at least four, maybe five times over the last few weeks. By the time you read it, it might have been deleted some more. Oh, and it also is a post that has very little to do with astrology.
Anyways, here’s what’s been happening.
Last time we spoke, I’d just completed the Milford Track in New Zealand. It was challenging; day 3 was brutal; and it was also (especially in hindsight) rewarding. I walked up a mountain, had a bit of a look around, and walked back down. Then walked some more. It took me a while to fully process it all, but the full day-by-day breakdown of the hike – as transcribed from my daily journal – can be found here.
I’ve also been in the middle of a succession of Saturn transits. While I was climbing Mackinnon Pass, Saturn was conjunct my Midheaven and square my Ascendant. I’m now feeling the approaching square to my Sun. Suffice to say there’s a lot happening – none of it easy – and my energy reserves are such that I’m trying to concentrate them where they’ll be doing the most good. I’ve also not written a word on my fiction since the Saturn transits began. It’s like I’m being forced to live in the real world for a while – rather than the world of my imaginary friends characters.
And that leads me to my next piece of news. About an hour or so before the New Moon last week, we signed an agreement with a real estate agent to sell our house. This New Moon fell, for me, in the 9th house, square Mercury. Mercury is, of course, about contracts. In my chart it rules the 4th and 7th houses: home, family, relationship.
This, however, isn’t a simple move – square aspects never are – it’s a huge step away from pretty well everything. It’s why the timing – at the New Moon – was quite synchronistic: New Moons are about steps out into the darkness, the unknown, and that’s what this one is.
Hubby has finally officially retired from his employer of nearly 37 years. The last couple of years have been messy and pride-sapping and shown clearly just how much little big business values loyalty, and how personal integrity and ethics can be dismissed in two simple words: ‘it’s business.’ In any case, it’s all over now and we can move forward with the plans we haven’t been able to talk freely about until it was all over. I suspect in hindsight it will be one of those things you say ‘was the best thing that could have happened’…although we’re not there quite yet.
We’re leaving Sydney behind and moving over 1000km north to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Miss 18 has chosen to come with us – even though Sydney is all that she’s ever known. In typical Aries style, the whole move has now become her idea.
It’s a real sea-change and, if you want to take the symbolism of the New Moon into it, a real 9th house move. My birth family is here in Sydney, as is my work. We have a fabulous circle of friends and are just a few hours drive away from hubby’s mother. It’s been a huge decision, and feels like a fresh beginning – for us as a couple as well as us as a family.
We were supposed to have our first open home today, but I had a minor panic attack meltdown about the whole thing. It wasn’t so much that I’d changed my mind about what we were doing, just that I was still so tired – in body and spirit – and the whole thing was overwhelming and too real (hello Saturn!).
The trigger point was when our (very lovely) agent suggested we didn’t put our Christmas tree or decorations up – as they would make the space look smaller. The idea of having to keep the house pristine for strangers to come through at a time when I wanted the chaos that comes with Christmas – our mismatched tree, the unexpected visitors, the Christmas baking and entertaining, the wrapping paper and cards – was too much for me.
We’ve compromised and spent last weekend getting the house and yard ready for the real estate photos that were taken during the week. (I’ll share some of them on and anyways in my weekly wrap-up tomorrow.) The contracts have all been drawn up – the astrologer in me had to have all of that done well before Mercury turned retrograde – and the house will now hit the market at the end of January. I feel like I can breathe again.
So, there you have it. This year has been chaotic: everything has changed around us, and it’s those changes that have pushed us into making this change that we otherwise probably wouldn’t have made…yet. But, I guess, that’s the thing about change and comfort zones – you tend not to do it until things become uncomfortable. As difficult as things have been, the losses this year have created possibilities like this one. We have an opportunity to do this now as a family, so we’re taking it – and we’re all excited about it. That’s the other thing about years like this one – we all still have each other…and that’s way more important than anything else.
Now that the immediate pressure of getting everything ready is off, hopefully I’ll have some time to catch-up with posting, emails, newsletters and everything else that’s fallen behind over the last couple of hectic months.
I suspect at least the first half of next year will be as chaotic (if not more) so I’ll also be taking advantage of this space to put in place some structures for creating and scheduling content here and on the author blog. My personal blog – at and anyways – will continue to be the place where I can ramble freely about anything and everything. Speaking of which, you’ll find posts over there wrapping up November, a lot of stuff about Queenstown, my Milford Track diary, and a glimpse at the Victorian High Country.
Ok, must run – I have content to write, posts to schedule and parmesan shortbread to bake.