The Pause Before the Push
- Sarah Gowns
- Jul 13
- 3 min read
13 - 19 JULY 2025
Yes, it’s been a while. A long, strange stretch of cosmic quiet. The sacred pause that has felt at times like a full stop. Even though life has been moving on the surface, underneath, it has felt like treading water, sometimes in a rip. Like standing at the station, waiting for a train with no arrival time. But here’s the truth: The stillness has been sacred AF.
We’ve been in a planetary pause thanks to Saturn, Neptune, Mercury, and Chiron all stationing retrograde this month. That’s four celestial voices saying: “Slow down. Review. Reflect. Repair.”
Saturn said: Get honest about what you're building.
Neptune whispered: Clear the illusion before you act.
Mercury nudged: Speak from truth, not noise.
And Chiron reminded: The wound isn't the end, it's the threshold.
The energy has asked us to be still, not out of stagnation but out of respect for what’s about to rise. And now? Finally, forward motion is beginning to stir, not with fireworks though, more with clarity. Not with frenzy, but with intention. By next week (July 22), when the Sun enters Leo, the tone shifts. Thank the Lord!!! Our confidence starts to return. Our voice grows louder. Our choices land with more certainty.
So my friends, this is the final week of the pause. A last invitation to edit the manuscript before you send it to print. A sacred breath before the leap.
Please note that this time has been incredibly powerful on all levels. What might have felt like a delay was divine drafting. What might have felt like pressure has been preparation.
This week, we are invited to ask: What do I no longer want to carry forward? What still feels true and what feels like an old story I’ve outgrown?
My advice: Choose softly. Choose clearly. The tide is about to turn; let it rise within you first.”
🔭 Key Astrology + Soul Invitations
🪐 July 13 – Saturn Retrograde in Aries begins
Time for a life review
Where are your current structures out of sync with your soul?
Boundaries, commitments, and integrity are under revision.
Let this be about refinement, not restriction.
🦁 July 18 – Mercury Retrograde in Leo begins
Reassess how you express yourself
Reclaim your voice from performance and perfection.
Let your truth simmer before it’s shared.
Practice speaking from presence, not performance.
🌙 Energetic Feel of the Week
A strange calmness paired with inner restlessness
Desire to act… but without the full vision yet
Clarity rising in whispers, not shouts.
A strong need to clear out noise, both digital and emotional
Reflection that leads to revelation
This week is less about doing, more about deciding. It’s still an integration phase, but the light at the end of the tunnel is now flickering into view, and that's a bit exciting after this mammoth realignment.
Journal Prompts
Where have I been confusing stillness with stagnation?
What outdated responsibility or role am I ready to release?
What truth wants to be spoken — to myself or to someone else?
✨ Affirmation of the Week
"I honour this time. I root down before I rise up. I reclaim my rhythm, in soul-time"
I know this energy shift has felt like a long hallway with no doors. But something big is coming very soon. The time of a lick of paint or even a refurb wasn't enough anymore. For the dream house to be built, we needed to knock that house down and start fresh. So what now? Get excited, the rebuild is happening, it's next level and it will blow you away. Soon you will have forgotten about the hard times over the last few months, actually few years. You will be busy enjoying and living the dream.
I love you, I love me, and I love this crazy old life!
Sarah
If you would like to receive some more guidance about this week's energy, watch my Weekly Cosmic Forecast below.
CARD OF THE WEEK
Here's a little guidance for the week ahead from The Transformation Deck;
Vision
"Hold clear in your mind a vision of what it is that you want to attract and manifest into your life. Let nothing distort that vision. Stay clear and keep focused." If you would like to connect to your own inner guide and intuition, visit the Shop on my website to get your own deck today.
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