Over the past decade, I’ve created several changes in my life that have endured. These include a daily morning exercise practice, a daily blog, meditation practice, and daily writing practice.
Many people ask me for the “secret” to creating sustainable changes.
One of the best “productivity hacks” I know is to seize the natural energy of a cycle — to work with the energy of the moment rather than against it.
If you desire to create a change in your life (and even if you don’t), now a great time to start.
What makes this time so potent for change?
Right now, 5 factors are aligning at the same time to support us in making changes that can withstand the test of time.
(1) Autumn Season
We just had the autumn equinox. Any seasonal change is a good time to initiate new practices, rituals, and habits. But autumn, specifically, tends to feel like a good time for this. It’s “back to school” time, even if you don’t still operate on a school schedule.
Many people orient their big changes to January 1, the start of the Gregorian calendar. But this date has no energy behind it. In the Northern hemisphere, you’re in the middle of winter.
Looking back, I’ve noticed that almost all of my major changes that I’ve sustained for long periods of time — from my daily workouts to this blog — started in the late summer or Autumn.
Think of it this way: if you start now, by the time winter comes around, you’ll be be working within the momentum of an established practice. It will be much easier to “weather the storms” and the cold snaps.
(2) Libra Season
The autumn equinox also brought the start of Libra season. Libra is a cardinal sign. It initiates things. Any of the four cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) are excellent times for initiations and changes.
(3) New Moon
This week we had a new moon — in Libra. The new moon is also a harbinger of planting new idea seeds and creating intentions for what is to come next. It’s our monthly “reset” button. But not all new moons are equal. A new moon in Libra combines two powerful celestial energies to support our change.
(4) Rosh Hashana
If you like to start new things at the start of the year, you’re in luck. Rosh Hashana is the Jewish new year. One translation for this term is “head of the year.” But there’s also another meaning to this phrase.
The word “shana” comes from the root that means “change.” We can therefore understand “Rosh Hashana” to mean “head of change” or “the start of change.”
This year, Rosh Hashana coincides with the new moon in Libra (sometimes it falls at the new moon in Virgo). This adds an extra layer of support to the “change vibes.”
(5) Mars Trine Saturn
This year, we get an extra bit of planetary alignment to support our efforts to change, as Mars forms a trine to Saturn.
Mars is the planet of action. Saturn is the planet of boundaries and time. These two planets often get attention when they meet in an opposition, conjunction, or a square, which can cause inflamed tension.
A trine is a helpful angle — it creates a triangle, which is the most supportive structure in nature.
For a change to be sustainable over time requires that we take continuous action over time. If you want to creat a daily workout practice, you can’t do it for a week or even a month. You must continue to nurture the practice daily for a long span of time.
It’s that dynamic — the long arc of time — that causes people to fail.
Mars trine Saturn helps with this. This signature supports us in taking persistent action over the long term to create change. It helps us play time for the long game.
What change will you make?
With these 5 factors aligning to support you in making a change, there’s only one question:
What’s the change you seek to make?
Share in the comments or tag me on social media (@reneefishman) to let me know.