A few thoughts about facing our fears and just letting things go as we move into 2024….

I’ve had a slight break from social media recently – mostly due to what I thought was from fatigue at the end of a very busy year, but also a proactive choice to be more mindful of the amount of time spent on devices and in front of a screen.

However, the few days running up to Christmas brought another perspective, especially as I adore the festive season and revel in Christmas music, movies, decorations and fairy lights. I soak up Christmas spirit on every level. Yes, every level!

In the week before Christmas I came down with an awful head cold, although nothing a few paracetamol couldn’t handle. However, what re-emerged was a painful tooth I’d been ignoring for most of the year. On Thursday I ended up with an emergency dental appointment and am now minus an infected wisdom tooth! I cannot tell you the relief I now feel. Any soreness from the extraction was nothing in comparison to the pain beforehand. My fear of dental treatment was again nullified  – my dentist is incredible. I’m now learning to chew on both sides of my mouth again, which unconsciously I’d been avoiding for a long time. Ok, I have Capricorn Moon rising so this all makes sense in addition to Pluto transiting through Capricorn, the sign of teeth and bones. But I also had transit Saturn square natal Neptune exact, echoing the classic Saturn Neptune midpoint for illness. This was the third and final pass, the first being in April when my tooth started niggling a little, then September when I mentioned it to my dentist but nothing showed up on X-ray. He did tell me to book an appointment straight away if it got worse, but of course I didn’t….until a few days ago when it became intolerable.

I’m now a few days on from the extraction and feel lighter and more pain free than in a long time. A huge pressure has been lifted. This has made me consider how much pain we tolerate on not only a physical, but emotional and metaphorical level. Often what prevents us from confronting it is the fear that the solution, or extraction, might be more painful that the end result. More times than not, avoidance creates more pressure and proactively dealing with anything causing us pain or pressure, being brave and ripping the proverbial sticking plaster off relieves us. Often, until this is done, we won’t realise how free and unburdened we can feel.

So as we move into 2024,  it might be worth thinking about anything rotten, painful or stuck that you might be afraid to deal with. Sun and Pluto are building to a conjunction in Capricorn on 20^th January 2024, the last in our lifetimes – it won’t occur again until 2254! Rip it out, extract it. Anything that is no longer useful or is toxic to your vitality, just let it go. You might never get this opportunity again…..

Finally, as we are moving into a year where Pluto finally completes its journey through Capricorn, I can’t finish without mentioning Auld Lang Syne which simply means “times long past”. If we live in the past we can’t move to the future and therefore risk losing tomorrow…..

Lianne McCafferty 31/12/2023