When Creativity Goes Up in Smoke
The Moon in Sagittarius Recalibrates the Process
As my new life in Atlanta unfolds, I’m trying to cook like a local goddess, shopping at the farmers’ market, selecting summer’s delicious offerings of oyster and lion’s mane mushrooms, red peppers, figs, and of course, the star of the show--Georgia peaches. And yet, every culinary attempt in my 21st-century gleaming new kitchen ends in cosmic chaos. I could blame it on Mercury Retrograde, but I’ve overextended blame on that tiny planet for everything else.
The truth is that the electric stove is evil.
Pots boil over, smoke billows from the oven, and I brace against waves of terror that if the smoke alarm goes off, it will trigger alarms for the entire building, sending the fire department, marking me among the neighbors as the woman who ruined their lives because she can’t boil an egg.
But it’s more than transitioning from cooking with gas to electric; it’s the tools I’ve taken for granted as always being accessible. For instance, I prepared the red peppers to stuff them with chickpeas seasoned with spices and mixed with quinoa, but when I went to rinse the chickpeas, I realized I didn’t buy a can opener to open the can. When I chopped the veggies to make a mushroom bolognese, I went to open the white wine and realized I didn’t buy a corkscrew either. And sadly, I was unable to muster the magical powers to make these essential tools manifest from thin air.
For Sunday morning breakfast, I planned a treat with a new recipe for pancakes with cardamom and caramelized peaches. Outside my window, the rain poured, turning streets into rivers. And there I was, without vanilla for the recipe because I just assumed I had it in the pantry. It was in the pantry, back in New York.
Oh, how I love the smell of vanilla. And in that pause of remembering the pleasure of making chocolate chip cookies, adding the vanilla right before the chips, I realized that I’m not just cooking in Atlanta, I’m adjusting to a new rhythm of creativity.
The Creative Life
As thriving creatives, it’s easy to forget that the tools, habits, and timing that we take for granted, especially when the Moon is in the sign of Sagittarius as it is today. The Moon asks of us what we need to feel naturally creative, resourceful, and whole. Sagittarius, the archer, urges expansion, adventure, and freedom. However, these qualities of life are only made possible by recalibration—a creative process I’m currently exploring to make space for doing things differently or more efficiently, such as making a simple list. And yes, recalibration is the perfect Mercury Retrograde word, too. (see last week’s post)
As our week begins with the Moon in Sagittarius, here’s The Astro Pops Flash simmering for each of us:
What “missing ingredient or tool” in your life right now is really asking you to change your approach altogether? This is an opportunity, to use a Sagittarian word, to reflect on how you’re engaging creatively with the artist within.
Are you trying to force an old process into a new container?
That was my mistake.
And remember, Saturday is the Full Moon in Aquarius!
Until then, create a great day!