Your Higher Self is present, activating your powers of reason and intellect. It asks you to develop clarity and objectivity when looking at your life, rather than interpreting events through the murky and distorted waters of emotion. Strive to see the reality of what happened in the past so you can acquire a more accurate understanding of what’s going on. You may notice things that make you uncomfortable or challenge your ethics. Ask your Higher Self to give you the courage to stand up for your truth and address difficult situations at their core, rather than distance yourself or pretend you don’t see the real problems because they make you uncomfortable. Like the child in the fairy tale “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” your Higher Self is motivating you to not only see life more deeply, but to also share your perceptions with those around you.

This is the time, for example, to address your unbalanced budget and look for ways to cut corners. It’s also the time to acknowledge your ever-expanding waistline and seek out what’s really eating at you. This is when you need to step away from your emotions and dispassionately study the problems at hand so that you can come to a solution without blame and projection. Ask yourself what the problem is, not who the problem is. Only then can you begin to find real solutions with productive outcomes. Your Higher Self is sharpening your perception and clarifying your view so that you can make important and necessary changes at this time. As Carl Jung once said, “When the diagnosis is correct, the healing begins.” And your Higher Self’s message is: “Look for the truth behind appearances.”

Your Healer Guides surround you and lovingly embrace your momentarily injured spirit. They want you to recognize that all attacks, betrayals, or injuries you’ve suffered (whether they were through the unconscious behavior of others or through your own misunderstanding or poor choices) have left you psychically wounded and fragile. It’s no wonder your guard is up! It’s difficult to trust even yourself at this time, but you must. And the only way to do so is to stop blaming yourself or others for what has occurred, and forgive all the way around. Learn from your experiences, and strengthen your boundaries and judgment.

All human beings make grave, and sometimes terrible, mistakes. It’s not your fault that you feel violated; it’s a lesson to learn from. Nor is it weak to acknowledge that you’ve been hurt. Denial may serve you in the midst of crisis, but it only handicaps you if you stay mired in it. Admit to your injuries and disappointments, and allow the nurturing forces of your Healer Guides to step in now. They’re able to soothe your soul and reweave your aura with their loving light and nurturing forces. Trust their influence by dropping your defenses and acknowledging your wounds. They urge you to seek support from capable, caring professionals who can help you learn from these disturbing experiences and show you how to prevent them from occurring again. Their message: “The danger has passed; you are safe. It is time now to heal and learn from your experience.”

Our culturally perverse notion that “doing, doing, doing” is the correct use of time, and that “doing nothing” is a complete waste of time, has indeed made us a sick society. Your overwhelming desire to back off from this whirlwind of activity and take a break—even throw in the towel altogether—isn’t crazy or unrealistic. It’s a direct summons from the Holy Spirit to withdraw your attention from the outer world and reconnect with your soul. Your life is not to be frittered away in meaningless and unexamined activity. You came in with a purpose, and specific soul intentions that are being neglected. They’re now knocking at the door of your attention, reminding you that you have commitments to keep. If you don’t heed this call and begin to self-examine, you may even enter a dark night of the soul, a time where nothing feels meaningful.

Listen to the Holy Spirit and open your heart to its direction. Take lots of time to be alone, and get in touch with your soul. Write in a journal, seek counseling, and pray. Allow yourself to be in direct contact with the guiding wisdom of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. Withdrawing from the world—whether through contemplation, meditation, or even a sabbatical—is the most powerful way to use your time right now. The Holy Spirit is guiding you in your quiet moments. Its message: “Make time for yourself.”