This past week has been a week of simplification. I had several clients who presented issues they’ve been struggling with for some time. Habits they needed to change, wanted to change, but the emotional elaboration on those made them nearly irrecognisable as just that: a bad habit.

Really, the only “bad” thing about bad habits is that they compromise one’s happiness, which feels bad.

The reminders to view something we are struggling with, as simply a habit, made me recognize how easy it is to make things overly complex when our emotions, minds and external energies get involved.

A habit is a neutral thing. Then we overlay it with self-judgment. Other people’s opinions. Shame. Guilt. Suddenly something totally within our ability to address and change becomes impossible!

A habit of self-sacrifice takes on an overly complex life of its own when we load it up with the energy of “maybe I’m codependent.” A habit of going to social media when we feel bad, (which only makes us feel even worse) is compounded when we think the legitimate emotional consequence -feeling so much worse than we did five minutes ago- means we should feel anything other than shitty. Then we judge our self for feeling that way.

Then there’s that complex thing we call “karma”, which we translate as some big overpowering destiny type thing that is outside of our control. In the spiritual community, there is a tendency to think something difficult is happening to us because of karma. Like: It must be my karma to attract narcissists! No, it’s your habit to let people walk all over you. Will I always attract narcissists? Try making yourself the center of your universe…and see. Karma is just a habit. Habits can be changed. Viewing “my karma” through the lens of habit can be clarifying and empowering.

Taurus is the sign of keep it simple, sweetheart. Taurus surely coined that cute phrase. Here’s the prescription for a life well-lived, courtesy of Taurus: Get some sunshine every day. Shove some healthy whole food down your mouth, at least occasionally. When you get all wrapped up in your head, or tangled up in your emotions, take a break. Go for a walk. Cook. Eat. Or go to the beach, or watch a movie. Rest. When we see a child with a tantrum coming on, we know they are tired and a nap will cure the passing mood. This is literally animal logic. Truly. Animals are not complex, and neither is the human organism.

We are all looking for happiness in our life, a simple request, really, which can seem so hard to attain. When we reframe a behavior that is moving us further away from happiness, as just a habit, we move from complexity into simplicity. We stop doing the behavior, and do something else, something more pleasurable, instead.

As Chinese philosopher Confuscius said: Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.

Taurus Intuitive Energy Practice

We are in the middle of Taurus season.  Which means there is absolutely no reason to get all in a muddle (unless it’s a cuddle muddle, because Taurus just loves hugs). Cuteness aside, Taurus New Moon is the perfect time to get back into your pleasure-loving animal body. Are you living in and feeding all of your senses — or are you stuck in your head? Are you even in your body? It’s a serious question.

When I asked one of my clients what she could do instead of the habit that was making her unhappy, she replied, you know how it goes, I’m so in my head… So I suggested she get out of her head.

The next time you are in your head, decide to get out of your head and into your body. Instead of doing –fixing, solving, thinking, processing or any permutation of those things — focus on being. What would feel pleasurable and good, to your body senses, right now? Gentle yoga? A hot bath? A hike? Ice cream?

(Many a form of emotional hell can be ameliorated if not altogether eliminated by chocolate ice cream).

Witness how making the decision to be in your body, not doing in your head, changes everything.

Being present and in the body can shift us into the awareness that we are okay, good. Striving is one of my habits, and it just doesn’t work with energy practices. The more I strive for enlightenment, the further I get from it. I decided to go for a hike in the rainforest, instead… where I intentionally focused on simply being. No thought, just physical sensation. Voila. Energy cleared, negative emotional state evaporated.

Save the complexity for the upcoming Scorpio Full Moon. For now, keep it simple, sweetheart.