Last week I wrote about the symptoms that we can experience during this Yang building and Fire element season, and this week I was reminded how it can actually feel in the body. Lucky for me, I had an appointment booked with the pelvic floor acupuncturist in Fremont on Tuesday, so now my Heart feels more balanced and ready for the heat that's coming.

I forgot how uneasy palpitations feel. The heart beating at a rhythm that may or may not feel faster than normal but feels like it's about to fly right out of your chest. A building sensation of something being off and not quite right, often growing into anxiety. The mind racing and hard to settle, even with all the the deep breathing and calming techniques that I know how to do.

I told my acupuncturist that I'd been feeling like I should needle Heart 7 but don't love needling myself. It's exactly what I needed. As she put the needles in me, I felt everything settling into place. My mind slowed, and the Red Bird of my Heart settled back into its nest.

I woke up this morning with a heaviness. Grumpy. Feeling like I wanted to stay curled up in a cave of darkness. Nesting, protected.

My affinity for the Water element, extreme yin energy, and darkness was screaming today. It's always been my nature, but I didn't understand it quite the way I am becoming to.

Before, it was depression, sadness, dysfunction, shyness, introversion. All of those were accurate, true things about me, but they weren't the whole story. I am a sensitive soul who feel the shifts in weather & seasons strongly. And, the building yang energy isn't always welcomed.

We have a blue moon in Sagittarius in the wee hours of Sunday (totally full at 1:44 am). It's the second Full Moon in May, which is gives us a rare opportunity to let go and bring something to completion within the same month. I get a double dose of Once in a Blue Moon energy with my dad arriving onto the island for the first time tomorrow.

Sagittarius energy is about adventure, travel, knowledge & wisdom from the world outside of us. It rules the thighs, hips, sacrum, lumbar region, and liver. It's a fire sign and giving us a taste of the Summer's Fire element.

It's so interesting that my father is traveling here during this Sagittarius Blue Moon energy. He rarely leaves Texas and likes to stay within a 2 hour radius from home. It's quite the opposite of his 3 children who all have lived in many different states and countries and traveled around the world.

In my experience, leaving home and traveling is what opened up my eyes, heart, and soul to all things beyond the great state of Texas. It sparked interest in how others do things and deeply influenced my growth as a human and what I'm doing with my life. This is everything that Sagittarius is about.

As we move into Memorial Day Weekend, I wanted to pause and take a moment to acknowledge all who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. When I became a Marine, the meaning and purpose of this weekend shifted for me. Before that, it was the weekend that marked the end of the school year, beginning of Summer break, and long, hot days in Texas.

I was fortunate to serve during times of peace and don't personally know anyone who I should be remembering. My husband, Scott, however, lost a very close friend in Iraq and several Soldiers he trained with. The loss of his buddy, Chase, forever changed him and still impacts him today. I think for him, there doesn't need to be a Memorial Day. Every day is a day of remembrance that his friend is forever 22 and not getting to experience life on Earth.

Ironically, President Harry Truman proclaimed Memorial Day to also be a day of Prayer for Permanent Peace in 1950. I learned that TODAY. So, this year will be different as I intentionally bring that into my pause.

Mercury entered Gemini yesterday, which is its home sign and my Rising Sign...so I figured it was a great time to start a new structure to get ongoing communication out to you.

Mercury is the Messenger and planet that rules communication, research, curiosity, and the mind. This shift into Gemini is inviting us to rethink how we think.

I know that I'm starting this off with astrology, but my goal with this Monday Musing Newsletter is to get into the meat of my thoughts that don't necessarily connect with the Moon Cycle, which seems to have taken over my newsletters.

I have so much more to share with you and find myself cutting a lot out for sake of focus and not overwhelming you with the hydrant of information that's waiting to burst out of my mind.