I remember when I was going through the wringer with my energy sensitivity changes; there was so much learning, and I was feeling triggered all the time from all I was feeling without yet fully understanding what I had the power to do about it.

I was energetically, psychically, overwhelmed, utterly and totally.

And my then-teacher Catherine Linard would tell me: Eat, sleep, poop. Everything else is optional… EVERYTHING IS OPTIONAL.

Right now, I’m hearing many of you are feeling stretched beyond capacity, so maybe this tip will come in useful for you.

Over the years, when any added life pressure teeters me close to the edge, I remember this simple piece of advice. I believe many of us, nowadays, have upgraded our self-care strategies. We need to practice radical levels of self-care, perhaps beyond what we even think is reasonable. It’s certainly been true for me. Hygeia, Goddess of Health and Hygiene, is on the angular Mid-heaven of my solar return this year; I am in utter awe of how much time and awareness I’ve had to put into my daily health and wellness practices, routines.

Never is this self-care message more true than at eclipse time. With the Taurus New Moon Solar Eclipse 4/30 at 11 TAU and Scorpio Full Moon Eclipse 5/15 at 25 TAU-SCO the Cosmic Message of slowing down for self-care feels timely and relevant.

The classic advice for eclipse season is to not push too far ahead into activity, to double down on rest, sleep, and all things self-care, as eclipse season is a YIN time – it is ruled by the Moon. Personally, I know this is the BEST way to manage my energy during this time, so that I will wind up feeling okay, good – versus feeling like I’ve been put through the cosmic eclipse washing machine.

Although things may feel, and actually be, rough and tumble for a few more days (the eclipse occurs this Saturday 4/30), Taurus’ cosmic message is: slow down, simplify, and enjoy life. This also means for anything you encounter that feels too complex, do your best to simplify it down to its most basic elements. And I do mean basic. To the point where, if you are psychically saturated and physically over-taxed, remember that you only have to do the essentials; everything else is OPTIONAL.

It’s a “best approach, best practices” message for the moment.

I believe this Taurus/Scorpio eclipse season is difficult for the fixed signs (TAU,LEO,SCO,AQU) because their strength- their very fixity, their stalwart steadiness, stubborn persistence– becomes a weakness if it carves grooves into unhealthy, habitual, behavior. Fixed signs are the hub, or axel, of the zodiac wheel; these people are built to hold it all together. But no one is exempt from change. On deeper levels, it may be time to re-examine patterns of fixity, to decide whether those are truly giving us what we want.

Meanwhile, for many, the Cosmic Message looks basic, like this: EAT. SLEEP. POOP. DO (X) PLEASURABLE THING. REPEAT.