🥄The Stir✨ imbolc

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YOUR WEEKLY DOSE OF PRACTICAL ASTROLOGY FOR REAL LIFE
BREW #108

I don't know how I'm going to do it.

All I know is that I must.

And despite my feigned ignorance, I know exactly how I'll do this. I'll do it how I've done everything else: one day at a time.

And when the day feels too big, too impossible to swallow, I'll take it hour by hour.

Minute-by-minute, if I have to.

POV: you just got news that your husband is leaving for another 8 weeks. Which means you're looking down the barrel at another 2 months of solo parenting and atlas'ing your world within the space of your own two shoulders.

There's a part of me that babies this aspect of my life: Oh, you poor thing. I dream of a day when you no longer have to be strong.

But there's another part of me—a vicious part—that does not want such pity. Her claws grow long and she bathes in the blood I've to shed and rejoices in the pain because she knows it means I'M ALIVE. We're alive and breathing, despite despite despite.

Or rather, in spite of the obstacles and inevitable shenanigans that will seed self-doubt and frustration in the future.

But right now, I'm enjoying this liminal season and this finite time our family has while my husband is still home.

Which is a perfect moment that Imbolc represents.

Imbolc is a checkpoint in the year and one I look forward to every winter! It is a threshold day, an Earth-based holy day that marks a few things for us:

  • 🕯️ It marks the end of the darkest part of the year -- we're finally emerging from it! Winter is by no means over but the days are lengthening in preparation for the equinox and astrological new year, which aren't too far off now.
  • 🌞 Actually, Imbolc marks the official halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox and with the slow return of light, we're seeing this shift in the available light everyday.
  • 🔥 We can feel the shift happening beneath our feet, too, and I mean that: Imbolc is said to be a time when Brigid, Celtic goddess and keeper of the sacred fire, wakes from slumber. Her fire brings life back into the roots of the trees and slumbering plant life still tucked under winter's blanket of snow
  • 🌻 Which is also why traditionally speaking, we begin planting in February (so if you needed a heads up of when to start your indoor seed trays -- the time is approaching! Check your zone, though.)

Imbolc is a collective waypoint for all of us here on earth, to check in together and individually, to take inventory:

What monsters came alive during the darkness of winter?
What did we learn about ourselves in that deep darkness?
Where am I feeling my fire return?
What's stirring awake deep within us?

This is your personalized breakdown of where this astro energy is hitting — and how to work with it, not get worked by it.

What's interesting is Imbolc is working through Aquarius energy this year.

We're slowly stirring from winter's slumber and casting Capricorn's restful visions into a wider collective dream for humanity (or at the very least, our close communities and inner circles).

Aquarius is another dreamer but one that asks if the How was irrelevant, what would I actually build? What's worth my attention? Where should I guide my gifts of possibility?

Ultimately, it means that what's stirring awake is connected to whatever house you have Aquarius in.


Aquarius in the 1st house (Aquarius rising) — Rise and shine, you gorgeous and delightful little weirdo! The identity you've been trying on? It's not trying anymore. This is who you ARE, and Brigid's fire is lighting up your entire presence. Quit playing coy and let yourself be seen as the future-forward visionary leader you actually are.

Aquarius in the 2nd house (Capricorn rising) — Your relationship with resources is getting a revolutionary upgrade. What you value, what you're worth, how you generate security—all of it is stirring. This isn't about more. It's about DIFFERENT. What would you build if money wasn't the constraint? You have an energetic currency that is all your own -- what are you going to DO with it? And why should the rest of us give a shit about it?

Aquarius in the 3rd house (Sagittarius rising) — Well, heyyyyy visionary baddie who knows what's possible and doesn't give a shit what anyone has to say about it! You shouldn't be concerned with feasibility right now, this season is about letting yourself be filled with a righteous integrity of what you're being tasked with doing and in the 3rd house it's what you're supposed to SAY. Your throat chakra is stirring awake. SAY THE DAMN THING, GIRL.

Aquarius in the 4th house (Scorpio rising) — Home and foundation are getting dismantled and reimagined. What does home even MEAN to you? Not what you inherited, not what's expected—what would you build if you were designing it from scratch? The 4th house is lineage and ancestry and I think you're forgetting that YOU will one day be a part of that. What legacy do you want to leave? If you don't start acting like the badass ancestor you are, how will anyone remember you that way?

Aquarius in the 5th house (Libra rising) — Your creative life, your pleasure, your self-expression—all of it is getting zapped with possibility. But here's the Aquarian twist: your joy isn't just personal, it's POLITICAL. What you create, how you play, what you allow yourself to celebrate—it gives other people permission to do the same. Brigid's fire is asking: what would you make if you knew your pleasure was an act of resistance? What would you express if you understood that your authenticity creates a blueprint for collective liberation? Stop shrinking your joy to make other people comfortable.

Aquarius in the 6th house (Virgo rising) — Daily life, routines, the way you work and serve—it's all stirring toward revolution. You're not here to optimize yourself into oblivion. You're here to build rhythms that actually honor your humanity. What would your days look like if you designed them for YOUR nervous system? What would happen if you prioritized based on being an actual freaking human being and not a machine? These are the small, philosophical pivots in how we operate that create massive ripples outward.

Aquarius in the 7th house (Leo rising) — Howdy Partner! Not to be too on eth nose, but your partnerships are waking up. Not just romantic ones—ALL of them. Your soul sisters and closest homies are also a part of your 7th house and right now, you're realizing you don't have to partner the way everyone else does. What role do you play in the relationships in your life? What if your job WAS to be the visionary one? The optimist and progressive thinker? What if collaboration looked completely different? What if you attracted people who matched your actual frequency, not your performance? What then, huh?

Aquarius in the 8th house (Cancer rising) — The deep shit. Transformation, intimacy, shared resources, power dynamics—all stirring awake with Aquarian detachment and vision. You're learning to hold intensity WITHOUT losing yourself. You're learning that vulnerability doesn't mean dissolution or weakness --- it's POWER. And this season you're restructuring how to share power, resources, and transformation in your closest relationships. How much of your power have you been giving away because you thought being soft meant being small? What would it look like to be both tender AND untouchable?

Aquarius in the 9th house (Gemini rising) — Your belief systems are getting an electrical storm. Everything you thought was TRUE is up for examination. Not to destroy it—to liberate it. What would you believe if no one had ever told you what to think? Your philosophy is waking up and the coffee is smelling rather revolutionary.

Aquarius in the 10th house (Taurus rising) — Career, public role, legacy—it's all stirring toward something that feels IMPOSSIBLE right now. Good. Aquarius doesn't do probable. You're being called to build something that doesn't exist yet. Stop trying to fit into existing structures and start letting yourself think outside the box. In fact, light the box on fire. Your brain works better without 'em anyways.

Aquarius in the 11th house (Aries rising) — Community, collective vision, future-building—this is Aquarius's HOME, so this hits DIFFERENT. Your people are stirring. Your vision for what's possible is clarifying. You're remembering you're not here to go it alone. You're here to build the future WITH your people. So start having conversations: what's the vibe out there? What's your temp check on your community? Let that inform your path forward.

Aquarius in the 12th house (Pisces rising) — The unconscious, the spiritual, the shit you can't see yet—it's all waking up with electric downloads. You're getting messages from the void. Dreams are getting LOUD. Pay attention. Brigid's fire is burning in the liminal spaces, showing you what's been hidden. You know what's coming, you're feeling it in ways nobody else is right now. This is an intuitive gift that not everyone will understand but you're still allowed to use it for your own benefit.

From Ash's Corner

The whole house has been living in a state of bliss and nervous system recovery for the last month (since hubby's been home, honestly) and we're all quietly dealing with the news of his next out-of-state training sesh.

Me? I'm allowing myself to just soak in this season of rest and recuperation and love.

But there, in the back of my mind, I know. I know it's coming. I know it'll hurt. But you can't frontload grief, ya know? I can anticipate it, I can create space in my house for it, prepare for her arrival. But I can neither prevent it nor avoid it.

And I know this.

I dropped an informal Waypoint with a friend in September when we both realized that September through March was going to be a season of absolute intensity for the both of us.

She's travelling the world while dealing with the emotional fallout of an almost 2 decades-long relationship coming to a close (and reckoning with who is she now, outside of that relational mirror being present? Who has she become?).

I am navigating a season that's asking me to expand my capacity for what I think I'm capable of: the sometimes painful expansion of my sense of Self as Life stretches me into who I need to be this season AND showing up as the leader I know I inherently am.

We're both being tested and leveled up.

So when we were all celebrating my husband's homecoming in December after 12 weeks away...I was silently counting down to how much time I'd have to replenish my energetic stores before the next required sprint of resilience (because my intuition said MARCH! I knew it wasn't over yet!).

All that to say, shenanigans are once again happening soon.

The silver lining is that this next stint is only 8 weeks. But there will always be more, such is the nature of his industry.

So! I've been cataloguing my shenanigans because a.) it makes me feel like a badass. I started calling these my Baddie Files -- every time I have to deal with a situation that makes me go "ugh, this sucks! But you're the baddest bitch alive and you can do this" -- it goes in the Baddie Files. ✅

I've also been casually chronicling these on Insta but I've been wanting to be creative and really go for it with something like a Shenanigans Report.

Here's what I'm thinking: a bulleted summary of the Shenanigans that are popping up in either my life or my client's and how I/they are dealing with it. What practices, habits, affirmations, spiritual approaches we're using to navigate forward no matter what chaos (shenanigans!) are unfolding.

Would you be interested in something like that??

If you have more than a one-word thought on that, feel free to hit reply and tell me! I LOVE hearing from you!!

DO YOU NEED TO DROP A WAYPOINT?

If you're reading this and thinking "fuck, I need to figure out where I actually am before I can figure out where I'm going"—that's exactly what Waypoint Sessions are for.

This is the work for when you're:

  • In the thick of a transition and can't see the forest for the trees
  • Carrying too much and don't know what to put down first
  • Feeling the pull toward something NEW but don't trust yourself enough to follow it yet

We'll map where you are, what's actually stirring awake (hello, Imbolc energy), and what needs to happen next. Not in some vague, "trust the universe" way—in a practical, you can actually do this way.

If you're wanting to drop your own Waypoint to feel into what's most alive (or coming alive) for you this season, I'm opening my calendar for Waypoint sessions starting next week! Waitlisters are getting early access to a potent bonus (it's a workbook -- we all know I'm a slut for reflection)!

Thanks for reading!

Peace & love & thriving out of spite ✌️,

One Last Sip 

for the week of Mar 16th, 2026

CURRENT ASTRO SEASON 🪐 

UPCOMING BIG SKY EVENTS 🌛

We’re in the amniotic waters of Pisces season, to dream one last dream before the birth of Spring and forward momentum at the start of Aries season later this month. Expect inspiration, daydreams, strong intuitive sense, and nightmares. Pay attention to what symbols pop up for you right now. These are keys to your expansion and indicators for how you’ll take action once we get that Aries fire in our engines. 

Even though the eclipse portal is now closed until we experience the Fall eclipse portal (that will actually start at the end of August), we’re in what’s called an eclipse shadow period – which just recognizes that we just experienced a shake up of energy and it’ll take a few days or weeks for us to adjust to how it feels and find our footing. Drink water, rest up, be kind to yourself. 

HOW TO WORK WITH ME 🤠

AFFIRMATION OF THE WEEK 📚

I have one spot for monthly coaching opening up next month in April. I'm looking for a leader deep in their own season of uncertainty who doesn't want to navigate it alone. You want a thought partner who takes the science and the magic equally seriously — nervous system work, neural pathway rewriting, and self-trust repair — and who meets you exactly where you are. More info here if that’s you. 

The work of the mature person is to carry grief in one hand and gratitude in the other and to be stretched large by them.

— Francis Weller

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Hey, I'm Ash Burnside

I help smart, sensitive, spiritually-curious humans navigate the sacred aftermath of success, change, and burnout—so they can reconnect with who they are, reclaim their rhythm, and move forward with clarity. My work blends astrology, real talk, and modern self-growth tools to meet you where you're at and help you come home to yourself + find your next step (no matter what else is going on).