Astrology, Luck, and Divine Timing in Business with Mecca Woods

Emily Thompson 0:09
All right bosses. I think it's likely this month that you've learned that for every pound of practical business experience and inspiration I bring to this space and have felt for years. It is paired with and has always been paired with a pound a very receptive, intuitive energy that really makes it next level possible for me and how I operate, to show up and do the work. And the last episode, I gave both a bird's eye view of times in my business when I let intuition drive the bus, bringing to life some crazy ideas that have equated to the largest moves I've made in my creative career, and some insight into an energetic practice. That keeps me free to show up just as myself. And this week, I'm sharing with you a peek into my favorite magical modality as I have a conversation with a guest who's an author, a creative business boss, and a pro on the topic of astrology. Welcome to being boss, a podcast for creatives, business owners and entrepreneurs who want to take control of their work and live life on their own terms. I'm your host, Emily Thompson. And I think we can all agree that astrology has been having a moment for about a decade plus, and it's only intensifying. Though knowing your sign has been a thing for several generations. It now feels like the whole world is on board with bow wearing mercury retrogrades and eclipses. I talk about this trendiness of astrology. With today's guest Mecca woods, along with a dive into how the planets can act as a mirror of the luck and divine timing that make running a business quite a bit more magical. I'm very excited to introduce you to Mecca, a New York City based astrologer and author, her horoscopes and expertise have been featured in places like bustle refinery 29, essence TLC and BuzzFeed. She also teaches workshops around the country and abroad on personal development and astrology and co hosts the astrology podcast stars on fire. Her books astrology for happiness and success and the cosmic coloring book series are available now wherever books are sold. This interview with Mecca was recorded earlier this month in front of a live virtual audience as a part of our guided by intuition gathering, which will soon be available for replay within the clubhouse here of the beam vos community. And because how could I not be sure to hang around to the end of this episode where I asked mecca for a bit of a horoscope for us creative business folks, as we wrap up the year that is 2020 in case you're into that kind of thing. Now before we dive in, here's a word from our sponsor.

Emily Thompson 2:52
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Emily Thompson 3:32
Hello, Mecca.

Mecca Woods 3:35
Hi, Emily.

Emily Thompson 3:36
Hi and everyone here. Super excited about being about one having this conversation with you. We've been chatting together over the past, I guess day about so many things. But we haven't been able to like really dive into your story yet. So I am very excited about diving in and we're doing it in front of our live audience of bosses who have

Mecca Woods 4:01
Hey bosses

Emily Thompson 4:03
right they've all folding in right? Okay. Mecca is wearing the most fabulous pair of glasses and her AR You are so on point.

Mecca Woods 4:15
Thank you.

Emily Thompson 4:16
I love it. I'm excited to be here with all of our bosses. We're going to be diving in with Mecca in a way that we haven't really been able to for the past couple of days. Mecca has joined us for for a breakout session and a couple of panels. But this conversation is just you and I and we're going to talk about you and your journey but also astrology because I did have to say that we have had lots of woo bosses on the podcast before but for whatever reason we've never had an astrologer I don't know like astrology I've told you as like one of my favorite. We practices or modalities or like I'm totally in there. Though we haven't had an astrologer yet. So welcome first boss, astrologer.

Mecca Woods 5:02
Thank you. Thank you. I'm happy to be here.

Emily Thompson 5:05
All right, to get us started, I would love for you to share with us a bit about your journey both in astrology but also entrepreneurially. So what has what has led you to be to be you now?

Mecca Woods 5:21
Um, I guess the best way I could describe that is kind of based off a conversation that my mom and I had recently. And she kind of came up to me out of the blue. And she was like, you know, she was like, you know, I've been thinking about you a lot. And I realize like, You're, you're the kind of woman that doesn't take no for an answer. She's like, you don't really like, like, for people to tell you no. And I feel like that really kind of sums up like who I am in terms of like, my career, my career choices, how I became an astrologer. I Well, I always wanted to, to have a job where I could positively impact the world around me. I have a very like, I guess, altruistic spirit in that regard in terms of like wanting to do things. And at first I thought it was going to be through like fiction writing, like, I thought I was going to do it, like through the publisher, which, you know, full circle, I did end up doing it with my book and my horoscopes like, so it did kind of come together in that regard in some way. But for me, I didn't find astrology until about. It's been about 10 years now, little over a decade ago. And I was working in a nonprofit and working, you know, helping people doing what I want to in that regard. But I just felt very blocked, and very stuck, and kept having, like, you know, butting heads with management, and just and being in these positions, where I was just constantly made to feel smaller than than what I was. And that just kind of really rubbed me really wrong. And I was kind of like, you know, what, what should I be doing? I don't know, we don't like very, like, at this crossroads. And that's where astrology kind of entered my life because I would for reading. Um, and, you know, it was funny, because, like, I was still even with the work that I do, like, sometimes I'm still a little bit skeptical when you know, like, this isn't really gonna work, you know, like, I, you know, what is she going to tell me, you know, like, and, you know, she blew me away, like the astrologer, you know, my having a very first astrology reading, like, she really blew me away, and was able to tell me stuff about the things that she wouldn't have known otherwise, you know, without looking at my birth chart. And that was the thing that really hooked me, you know, that, that just kind of set the wheels in motion. And so what happened, I just started to research and read and pouring all over the internet's and the blogs, and the chats and, and just just trying to find out everything that I could find out about astrology in my chart. And it just so happened that around that same time, things at work became really, really toxic at that point. And I was on the verge, like, every other week, I would be like, I'm quitting. I'm quitting, I'm quitting. But I would, I couldn't work up the courage at that time, because I was like, you know, I'm a single mom, you know, I didn't have another, another giant job lined up, even though I was interviewing for jobs, but they weren't coming through for whatever reason, the universe must have known that, like, No, you know, this is not your thing. But it was just this kind of, like, perfect storm of just being unhappy. And then also just kind of being like, you know, what, what else is there? You know, like, is to sit and suffer? Or do I, you know, short my coverage and actually take a leap and actually leave this place and do something that's more enjoyable. So, what what what happened was, um, as I started to become more interested in astrology, I ended up also finding a mentor, who taught me everything that she knew about astrology, from the business perspective, from like, the technical sense and everything of that nature. And she was one who really helped me to see that I could actually make a legitimate business out of it. Because I think one of the things for me was like getting over some of the stigma around it of like, Oh, you know, because people used to call me Miss Cleo. You know, what?

Mecca Woods 9:33
They used to call me Miss Cleo, and they used to, like, make jokes and things of that nature. But I was it was something that I was really like interested, but by the way, reading about Miss Cleo, like she's actually a boss, you know, herself like she was actually a boss herself. So now I take it as a compliment, you know, when people make jokes like that, but But yeah, people used to like, he was like, oh, but but I could, but they were also blown away at the fact that I could read this Very well into actually had a gift for it. And that was the thing that also kind of kept me going because I was like, No, there's something to this, like I actually am doing this pretty well. And so long story short, I found my mentor, I quit the job Finally, because everything kind of just kind of blew up that part of my life. I ended up moving back home with my mom because my mom, you know, she's definitely like, both my parents are very supportive. Like, you know, you don't have to take anyone's shit. You know, like, you don't you know, like, you know, if you need a place to stay like you know, come in, packed up my, you know, my daughter, we went, we moved back in. I took a couple of side jobs for a little bit for a little while working in like customer service, you know, just to have like an income while I was building up my practice. And eventually, I started to write for bustle, like it just started to like, grow. Like, the more I would say, like, the more I like, didn't take no for an answer. And the more I just kind of like, believed in myself and believed in like this path that I was on, the more things started to open up for me. And eventually, it became a full time practice where I became a full time astrologer.

Emily Thompson 11:14
There's so many pieces of this that I want to dive into that is such a not to discredit by any way your experience, but this is mirrored and so many ball stories that I hear were like things just start falling together. Like you're met with some difficulty. You find this thing that's helpful you obsessively dive into it, someone walks into your life that's going to help you and then the world just kind of opens up. Yes, I think is is something that I want to dive into. But I also want to ask you talk about getting that first reading. So you work is difficult. You're looking for answers. Why was it an astrology reading? Do like have any recollection of why that was the way you needed to like get the help that you needed?

Mecca Woods 12:01
Yeah. So it was actually a two twofold kind of situation. So it was work, my work life wasn't wasn't working. And also my love life wasn't working. And it just so happened that the astrologer so how I how I found the astrologer and got the reading was I picked up her book first. And it was an astrology book about like loving relationships, because I was trying to figure out, like, you know, why am I constantly running into the same pattern, and you know, why, you know, attracting the same kind of person over and over again, and you know, all of that. And so I had loved what she had to say in the book so much that I was like, Well, let me get you know, and I saw that she was offering readings, like, you know, in on her website, and I was just like, Oh, well, let me let me check it out. And let me see, you know, if there's anything, anything to this, and so, I was really I went open, but I also was kind of like, Alright, you know, is this, you know, like what is she going to tell me kind of thing. And like I said, like she she was able to look at my chart and explain it in a way that felt empowering. And I think that that was the thing about Shakeology, that really just that really drew me in, because I felt like astrology gives you the tools for you to kind of put yourself in the driver's seat, you know, and not feel like you're the victim of like unforeseen forces or circumstances. So like, even when things that you know, are tough, or like outside of our control, right? astrology can show us like how to navigate those things and how to weather the storm, if we have to batten down the hatches, you know, and kind of say, it can also give us like a timeline, you know, and say like, okay, you know, for the next six months, we know, things are going to be a bit rocky or shaky. All right, let's try to just like, do the best that we can to kind of get through this, this, this tough period. But I know that there's a light at the end of this tunnel, right. And so then with that kind of being armed with that kind of knowledge, you know, was really crucial for me, because it really helped me to kind of plan and kind of like, you know, and also validate why I was feeling the way that I was feeling you know, like that. I think that's the thing too, that when it comes to astrology, why people are so turned on to it and why people look to it during times of uncertainty because they want to be able to feel validated. Like, you know, there's so many people that I talk to, you know, the clients that I have on like one on one basis, and I tell them things like no you're supposed to be on this path or no, no, you're supposed to be this or no like, you know, like don't a lot of my a lot of my conversations are around like telling people like not to take no for an answer to you know, like no for an answer when it comes to dealing with the world at large and also like being mindful of telling themselves No, you know, when it comes to certain things, and so yeah, like that. I think astrology because it showed me how to Unpack my who I was in, like, how to like work with what I have and like, turn that up, times 1000 things to get you to get where I wanted to go. That was the thing that drew me, drew me in.

Emily Thompson 15:15
I love what you're talking about there. Because several pieces of this complete, I agree with everything. But several pieces of this really stand out to me. One of which being that light at the end of the tunnel, like there's timelines that astrology gives you, that allows you to really, to really see that there are ins to hard times right to live in. I have connected to that before for sure being able to see like, I feel like shit right now. Or whatever. But it's not my life like this right? Pluto sitting on me.

Mecca Woods 15:51
Right, exactly, exactly. Right.

Emily Thompson 15:53
So I think that's really huge that has always, I've found that sort of external validation of my own feelings and that light at the end of the tunnel, very important and is one of the reasons why I love astrology. But I also love what you're saying here around, at least at the moment, one of the things that you find yourself doing a lot is telling people not to take no for an answer. Right, right, right. And the thing that I find super interesting here is that astrology can help can help us with whatever, like conditioning or deconditioning we need to do around whatever is happening in the modern world, is the themes and astrology are timeless. Right? Right, right. So the timeless themes, it doesn't matter, like what the problem is of the moment, right? astrology will always help pull you out of it, because those themes traverse all times and conditions. And at the moment, the thing is, don't take no for an answer. But it makes me wonder, like, what was the thing that all the astrologers were saying in the 80s or 60s, because I bet it has shifted through each decade or generation. But astrology is always there sort of holding this equilibrium of like, he was how the world needs to function. Here's how humans need to get out of their own way. Whatever it is, however, it is whenever it is, right like that truly fascinating.

Mecca Woods 17:18
Yeah, no, absolutely. And I mean, you know, that's a conversation that I find myself having with a lot of folks who always want to know, like, well, how, you know, how are you guys making the predictions? And like, you know, is there really anything to this and, you know, talking to people who might be a little bit skeptical, you know, which, of course I encounter over the course of my, you know, my work, but my thing is, like, you know, it's not that we're like pulling things out of the air, we're just looking at the patterns, we're looking at the past, right, and we're looking, we're saying, like, you know, if these kind of conditions, you know, these planetary conditions were existing, back, you know, you know, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, hundreds of years ago, right. And it's happening against because everything you know, is a cycle, right? everything kind of comes around full circle at some point or another. I have a friend, my friend, Janelle Burrell, Belgrave, who's also an astrologer, you know, she was talking about how, you know, we live in a closed circuit, you know, nothing is ever really happening, you know, at random. And so when we talk about that in context, to, you know, timing and time and things of that nature, it's all very cyclical, you know, and so, so we can use that to kind of look back and say, Okay, this was going on, and we can learn from the past, you know, we can try not to make the same mistakes that we've made in the past, you know, and try to choose differently. But yeah, like, a lot of the things, the themes and, you know, issues and things like that, like, these are not new things, you know, that we're dealing with, but but the astrology can give us a tool in terms of like, how to make new choices, you know, or handle things in a in a new or a different way. So that that's where, you know, I feel like there is that intersection, you know, when it comes to like, the past, and the present and the future and like trying to, like, collect, you know, convincing the timeline in some way.

Emily Thompson 19:14
Right. Tasha over here is mirroring this saying that astrology on its surface is exactly the thing that gives me the relief, that everything is cyclical. The ebb and flow and nothing lasts forever good or bad.

Mecca Woods 19:28
Right. Right. Right. Absolutely. Absolutely. agree with that.

Emily Thompson 19:32
Okay, I do want to go back to your story just a little bit. Because one of the things that you are talking about is this idea that, you know, your your job was getting real sucky. Yes. Yeah. You were not happy with it. Right. You ended up getting this reading and not only getting this reading, but like almost gaining an obsession. Yeah. At this time as well. You met this mentor. You sort of navigate the switch. It sounds like, it sounds like divine timing. Yeah,

Mecca Woods 20:06
yeah. Yeah. And I, when I look back at the transits, you know, the plant, like what was going on, you know, for my chart at the time, it was absolutely divine timing back then. Which is interesting, because we're having sort of the inverse, you know, like this, like, so like sometimes like, so how do you explain it? So, back when I decided I wanted to become astrologer, we were having an eclipse cycle on the Gemini and Sagittarius access. So, eclipses, we're talking a lot about them yesterday, I was telling people not to charge you the crystals underneath them. But eclipses eclipses are game changers, you know, like, they force us to grow any forces to evolve. And when they hit your son, you know, because your son is your identity, your sun is your energy, your sun is who you are authentically, right, and your ability to feel comfortable in your skin. When the eclipses land on your sun, you know, it forces you to be like, Where am I going my shine? You know, where am I living in authentically? And where do I need to start, you know, being the real me. And so when that was happening back then, you know, it really forced me to level up and say, like, you know, I'm not happy where I am, I don't feel like I'm utilizing my talents, I feel, you know, taken for granted, I feel small, like it was just it just like the the way the astrology you know, the way the stars align for me, back then, definitely showed me that I needed to step it up, you know, and, and then and I think that's the thing with astrology too, like, it shows you the work that you need to do and the ways in which you need to show up for yourself. And it can give you the guideline, you know, or like the blueprint on how to do that. And so we're talking about, like, how we're sort of in a similar pattern. So like, you know, we're we started the Gemini and Sagittarius eclipses again. So over the next, you know, 18 months, you know, US savages, and Virgos and Pisces and Gemini influence people, you know, we're going to be coming up for new changes, you know, again, so So yeah, yeah, definitely everything kind of came together is definitely a perfect storm.

Emily Thompson 22:22
Knowing things like this eclipse season coming up, and that it is on the same axis, though opposite of where he was previously. Right. Does that make you feel? Do you get like, anxious? Are you glad? You know, do you wish you didn't know? Like, how do you feel about like, having this sort of insight?

Mecca Woods 22:42
Um, no, it's sometimes a gift and a curse?

Emily Thompson 22:47
Right?

Mecca Woods 22:48
No, sometimes I do. Like when it comes to different things, sometimes I do at times, need to kind of take the astrologers hat off a little bit and just kind of allow myself to lean into whatever the energy is coming out without necessarily having to have every step planned and plotted out, you know, and I would say that that's a big been a big theme for 2020 it's definitely going to be a theme for 2021 for all of us when it comes because there's a lot of lot more changes ahead. I mean, there's always change, like changes, the only constant I think, but yeah, just like this ability to be curious and to be open, to be, you know, to have some plans in place, but to not be so fixated on certain outcomes, or so rigid in our approach, that we don't allow the room for the flexibility and that's very Gemini and Sagittarius, you know, we're the mutable signs, you know, of the zodiac gem, Gemini, Sagittarius, and Virgo, and Pisces, you know, we go with the flow and kind of adapt to the situation at hand. And that I would say, is probably going to be the best approach that all of us, you know, are going to need to take going forward, because things are going, you know, I mean, you know, you see it now, like, every other day is an interesting twist, or turn, you know, we haven't even gotten out of 2020 yet. So, um, I think, in terms of, you know, like, knowing things, and being plugged in is helpful. But I also try not to, like I tried it, you know, there's a fine line that I walk in, and I also kind of, like, encourage people, like, Don't lean too, too heavily on the astrology either, you know, like, there, there definitely has to be an ability to kind of like, go with the flow and trust what's happening without needing to know every single step that's coming up. Because, um, and also, sometimes you just can't, you know, like, sometimes, you know, I've seen things that I'm just like, I don't know, I don't know what that means. We'll see what happens. You know, like, sometimes you have to be very honest to about about that kind of situation. But yeah,

Emily Thompson 24:56
for sure. I definitely heard of astrologers who have to take breaks. From her work who have not read any more charts or not look and see what's happening, because they just need to, like, just go with their own flow. And I would imagine that that diving in especially as often as like a professional astrologer dies, when sometimes require that like turning off. Yeah, absolutely, just not. And if someone is sort of obsessed with reading horoscopes, right, there can be a sort of giving over of your power of your own without really leaning into them a little bit too much.

Mecca Woods 25:33
Right? Yeah. Like I have had a, you know, some situations where I've had people email me when they didn't see their horoscope or didn't get their horoscopes. And I was just like, I on one hand, I'm flattered, you know, like, right, like, and this and this happened last year, because I had an injury where I had, had had a fall and broke my wrist. So I couldn't write. And, you know, people were telling me like, Hey, where's the horoscopes? And I had to be like, I broke my wrist, there's a human being behind these horoscopes. You know, like, I broke my wrist, I injured myself. And they're like, Oh, you know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But I'm like, guys. This is nothing hidden, unknown, or below, I promise you, I promise, like, it's okay to just to live your to live your life without necessarily, you know, having been knowing either, you know, so

Emily Thompson 26:23
for sure. Okay, I do want to pick your brain a little bit for someone who is not as familiar with astrology, or someone who, you know, maybe who doesn't read horoscopes that like, not at some point in their life picked up, like even even my dad will sometimes go through and read horoscopes or, you know, talk to me about them on the phone, it's very funny, and he's not, he doesn't put any stock into those kinds of things. But wait, there's so accessible, that really literally everyone has, has read, there's I'm sure, at some point or another, but I would love to hear from you. If If you have this on top of your mind, like how does it work? Like what is happening with the planets that like, affects, like, in your words, what is the magic that is happening, that causes a transit to do something or like when Pluto is sitting on your sun, or whatever it may be like, right? How is that working?

Mecca Woods 27:18
So I guess the best way that I can describe it, it kind of it kind of goes in alignment with that phrase, As above, so below. So I think that, you know, is human beings living here on this planet, you know, we're a part of the natural order or the natural cycle, you know, of life, you know, and that also includes whatever's going on in the heavens, or, you know, out there in, you know, in the universe. And so when we talk about, like, you know, planets, you know, things in the horoscope, when you're having a transit, I tell people that it's not so much that the planet is necessarily doing anything to you, it's just that it's providing a language for what is going on in your life, you know, it's providing some context, you know, in terms of what's going on in your life. And so, as astrologers what we're doing is we're looking at the cycles of these planets, right? And we're looking at our own, you know, and using that those cycles to define our own, basically. And so when we talk about, like, you know, Pluto is, you know, fighting with the moon or you know, you know, eclipses or whatever, we're just giving a language to what is happening Yujin you basically using, like, the natural, you know, order of life, essentially. And so I think when people are thinking about horoscopes or thinking about planets, it's important to know that we do have some freewill, you know, we do have some some choice in terms of what happens to us. And like I said, like, you know, even for the things that are outside of our control, or things that we can't necessarily, you know, do anything about. The astrology can give us some tool or some language on like, how to like, what's happening, first of all, like, Okay, why do I feel, you know, this way? Why is this happening? But then also say, okay, you know, this is how you get through this.

Emily Thompson 29:21
around Being Boss, we don't care if you're reading Astro charts, designing websites or coaching people on how to be a better public speaker. We just want you to make money doing work you love. There's two key things there. You got to focus on doing work you love and you have to make money. Finding the work you love is up to you. And my recommendation is that you try a lot of things and find something that lights you up and makes money and when it comes to that money part, there's a little simple business truth that works real well here, no matter what you're slinging, always be collecting, which today means send your invoices which is why we love fresh books, cloud accounting. Counting, they make it easy for you to get paid during Freshbooks today and get 50% off your first three months just go to freshbooks.com/beingboss and enter Being Boss in the How did you hear about us section?

Emily Thompson 30:16
I think that's such a great definition. And I'll even say I've used I wanted, can we talk about my Saturn return? Yes. Because this for me, my Saturn return was probably my first intro into astrology. I remember someone, one of my clients even was like, she was like, how old are you? And I was like, 27 and just go, there's no returns coming or something. I was like, What are you even talking about? And so I go and Google it. And I'm totally entranced. I read all about it. And I discover that this is like some, you know, it could be so amazing upheaval that could really define who it is that I become next, like all of these things. And I remember reading that and seeing it as an opportunity. Right of like, Yes, I could just like stay, I could do nothing. For sure, I can also take this whole like, bit of divine timing of you want this, like little bit of luck that I've like, had this is been brought to my consciousness at just the right time that I have the ability to gain the awareness as to what transit is happening, that I can actually take it into my own hands. And I very consciously rearranged my life into more of what it is that I wanted it to be, whereas you know, oftentimes, and even the things that I was reading around Saturn returns, everything was like, you know, it's a very trying time, it's going to be so difficult, like all these things. And I was like, Oh, yeah. Let's see what kind of fun I can have. And I ended up just changing how it was that I was working, where it was that I lived, how it is that I lived, like I, I initiated a fleet upheaval and rearrangement of my life that really set me on more of an aligned path, because I knew it was coming, if that makes sense. So yeah, another way how you can use it, I, I don't love the word empowerment. And anyone here who's like, subscribe to the newsletter you've potentially read, I probably should probably should turn into a blog post or an episode, because I do have this very sincere issue with the word empowerment. But I think because of the world we live in, for me, having that knowledge empowered me, right, to make changes to see that as this as a time that could be like, divinely aligned with making some shifts in my life that I needed to do. So I will say, like, there is this As above, so below, that is a little bit that can be very just cause and effect, but you can also be the cause that causes the effect with this sort of inner knowing. Yeah, however, knowing of what's happening.

Mecca Woods 33:03
Yeah, no, absolutely, I absolutely believe that we co create with the universe, you know, that we're that we're co creators. Absolutely. And I think that, that is that it's importantly, you know, astrology kind of shows us how we can be, you know, and how we can do that, as best as we possibly can, you know, based on our gifts, you know, based on our talents based on on who we are just, you know, innately. And, you know, my Saturn return also was kind of like the catalyst for me in terms of like becoming a an astrologer, you know, like, I'm, like, shortly after, I saw the white messenger wizard, and it was funny because I got a promotion at the jobs that I hated. And was making more money and, you know, do all this. And then suddenly, I realized I was like, actually hate this, you know, like, I actually am not happy here. And it was funny because we're, I was having my Saturn return, it was going through both my, my first house, which is all about my self image, right, and, you know, how I'm interacting with the world. And then it was going in and it starts to go through my second house, which is the zone that has to do with like, your values, you know, and your income and like, what you feel is most important to us, including, like, you know, your worth, and Saturn was like, um, you know, what you use, are you happy, like, this is what you really want and I was like, No, and you know, it, you know, Saturn you know, pushed me you know, to do that to do that work. And you know, and that's kind of like a thing too, like we talked about like the difficult transits you know, or the difficult you know, astrology, you can let go, you know, or you could be dragged, you know, you have an option.

Emily Thompson 34:51
That is such a good design that you can let go or be dragged 100% right choice. You have choice. Wonderful. Okay, so I want to go into then this idea of divine timing or luck. Because I do think that those are just like other terms for lots of things, honestly. But how do you and maybe you even began touching on this with this idea of as above? So below, but maybe my question really is, how can we work with that? Like, what does it look like to lean into letting things happen? Do you need to be reading astrology a lot? Or do you just Is there something else that you need to be doing? Like, what is it? What does it look like for you to show up for luck, or put yourself in the place of luck, or otherwise, like, expose yourself to divine timing?

Mecca Woods 35:46
I think I think it's a combination of like, of head and heart, basically, right? So many, so many of us. And I find myself talking about this too, a lot with clients, because so many of us are split into, you know, like, our head says one thing or heart says another, and we can never really get them in agreement. And what I've found is that the way in which we align those two sides of us really has to do with listening to what our heart is telling us, right? So if we're not happy about something, or maybe there's something that excites us, and we're like, oh, wow, look, I want to go after this thing, or I want to do this thing, then we have to get our head behind it by saying, Okay, this is possible, right? Or, okay, this is the, you know, the the hard decision that I need to make in order for me to get to this, this good place, or this or this, or this nice place, right? So that's usually how I see it, it's about kind of, you know, having the expectation, right, that good things can happen, or that good things can come to you that you're deserving that you're worthy that, you know, life has, like, lots of good things to offer. And then the other side of it is, you know, actively putting in the work, right? So it kind of, it kind of reminds me of this Bible verse, which, you know, I'm glad this is meta, meta Sagittarius, I'm sorry. Sagittarius, you know, where was preaching from the pulpit somehow. Or another magical Carpet Ride, but it reminds me of the, the idea that faith without works is dead, right? You know, so it's like, you can't have the dream, right, or you can't have like this belief or this expectation, without putting in some work behind it. And so the, it's kind of like a comp, like a combination. So you put in the work with the expectation that that work is going to pay off, or that or that thing is going to come true. So it's kind of it's kind of it kind of goes hand in hand. And that's usually like the way that I tried to approach life too. Because I have my moments to where I'm like, I need this thing to happen, or I want this thing to happen. Or if it doesn't happen, I you know, like, or whatever, or like, What is this thing? You know, did this, this thing gonna be over? You know, I get I can get quite impatient and quite willful, you know, again, I don't like to take no for an answer, right. But, but but at the same time, I'm kind of I, you know, I, I try to practice what I preach. And I try to say that, like, you know, if I'm doing the work, if I'm showing up, if I'm having the expectation that things will work out, eventually, then that's the energy that I need to constantly like, lean into. So the minute that we start, you know, trying to control every aspect of our life, the minute that we are doubting, you know, or being like, Oh, that's not going to happen, or Oh, I shouldn't try or, you know, the minute that we put like fear or desperation onto things, that's usually where we're out of alignment, you know, or, or, you know, we're just kind of, we're in that sort of that, that fractured, you know, sort of place, you know, but the minute that we say, you know, no, I'm gonna I'm going to do the work and trust that the universe has my best interests at heart, you know, regardless of how things turn out, is because sometimes, you know, that things that quote, unquote, bad things that happen could sometimes be blessings in disguise, you know, the mean, or the redirect that we need in order to get back on the path, you know, that we're supposed to be on. So, you know, like, you were saying, like, there's no such thing as like, it was good or bad, or, you know, negative and all of that. It's just experiences, you know, that we're having in this body in this lifetime. And so when I think about that in context to you know, luck or timing, I think part of it is what we do and the energy that we're putting into things and also the expectation of things, you know, to come.

Emily Thompson 39:56
I agree with all of this. I often think that You make your own luck, right, which is very similar to what you'd like you have to show up, you have to put yourself in that place, you have to put in the hours, you have to like, you have to be there, you have to go to luck, you have to make that journey, right? You have to put yourself in a place where you can like meet that mentor or get that opportunity or you know, meet that person, whatever it may be. Oftentimes, I'll hear people get lucky, or like, gray ever gonna come to me, whatever. Usually those people are the people who are just like, sitting on their couch scrolling, or whatever it may be like they're not, they're not making their own luck. They're not showing up for it. So it doesn't matter what's happening in the planets.

Mecca Woods 40:38
Right, right, right,

Emily Thompson 40:40
or any of those things. If you're not up, like engaging and contributing and showing up and all of those things. Nothing is going to be happening in your life, there is a co creation

Mecca Woods 40:54
absolutely, like one of my favorite examples to use with that is like, you know, when people talk about oh, you know, I want to find love. Okay, so what are you doing to find love? Like, are you going out and meeting new people? Are you you know, socializing? Like, are you doing things that are going to put you in the path of like, your next partner, you know, are you staying home, you know, are you avoiding people? Are you energetically closed off? You know, with that, because you're like, I don't want what has happened in the past. That happened to me again, you know, and so it's like, you can have all these wonderful transits. You know what I mean? Oh, my God, like, I've looked at people's charts before and been like, oh, because this this is, this is great. That's why it's coming. But unless you actually do something with it, it'll definitely go to waste. For sure.

Emily Thompson 41:43
Okay. Yeah, let's turn this then towards business. Because I feel like we've set up this really great foundation of how this works and what you have to do and all these things. But what if it What does this mean for business? And maybe even the direction I want to take us in is, what sort of things do we need to look out for? How do we need to show up? Like if we are looking at our at our horoscopes? Like, what are those real juicy times for those, like creative business owners of us? What does it look like, in application to your work?

Mecca Woods 42:17
Yes. So one of the things I guess this, this is a perfect example. So like retrogrades, for example, right? Um, a lot of people fear retrogrades. When you hear about retrogrades, you know, mercury, or Venus or Mars, like Mars is retrograde right now. Mercury's going retrograde in a couple of days, you know, people freak out. Because retrogrades technically are known for making things the energy very wonky, because retrogrades are for revisiting the past and not about moving forward. Right. So one of the things that I tell people, especially like business owners, because, you know, we were, I think we're a different breed, and in the sense that, we're always just trying to, like, hit that next goal, that next target, you know, like, I gotta make this happen, you know, because if I don't make this happen, I don't, you know, like, we're constantly, you know, in this very forward thinking place, and I think on the one hand, it's a great thing, because, you know, it gives us the ability, you know, we have the preparation, and, you know, that foresight and like that, you know, the imagination, that vision, you know, to keep, you know, to keep moving, but you know, again, everything goes in a cycle. So there are times we do need to slow down, we do need to like revisit, we need to do need to go backwards a bit to kind of reorient ourselves, right and kind of figure out, okay, should I be doing this is this does this make sense, you know, maybe this, I need to revise or update this, or, you know, maybe this doesn't work, I just need to completely let this go. And then you know, when we have a clearer idea of, you know, what the game plan is going to be, when the planet starts to talk turn forward again, then we can start to go forward to, you know, with a, with a clear head and with a clear mind in terms of like what we're going to do next. So I would say like, you know, in terms of like, retrogrades try not to fear them, the best way to work with them is to slow down and to think about what you're going to do first, you know, don't try not to have that like FOMO, you know, the fear of missing out, you know, you're not really missing out on anything. And that also has to do with the timing too, right? Everything happens when it's supposed to happen, not when we necessarily think it's going to happen, right? So if you're if you're finding yourself coming up against like, delays and you know, you know, quote, unquote, missed opportunities or, or things that just seemed like they're not coming together when you when when you think that they're supposed to, you know, it probably more than likely, you know, especially because this year has been a year full of retrogrades. You know, probably wouldn't likely it's just not the right timing for it. In must, you know, especially when we talk about like a Mercury Retrograde because Mercury Retrograde tends to happen a lot more frequently we tend to be, they tend to be a lot more noticeable on than I say, they're obviously like, any of the other planets. Although when Venus and Mars go retrograde, which they don't do very often, that that energy tends to be also noticeable as well. But like, for right now, you know, especially as we go in deeper into, or as we're finishing out, 2020 like, we're deeper, no, we need to need to close out between

Emily Thompson 45:35
Dig ourselves out of that hole, please.

Mecca Woods 45:38
Right. Right. So, um, so yeah, so as we close out 2020, um, it's really going to be important that we take it slowly, you know, and not try to like speed through things or, you know, rush things or overcommit or, or even beat ourselves up, because we were not at 100%, you know, this year, in general, energetically has been incredibly tough on everyone. And I think it's important for all the bosses to have some self compassion, you know, and to be very gentle with ourselves. Because I mean, you know, we're all kind of going through this collective trauma, you know, and it requires, it requires a certain amount of healing in time and space, and strengthen in all of these things, and, you know, to get through it, and sometimes that means that you just might not be able to send out that newsletter, this week, you know, you might not be able to meet that client, you know, tomorrow, you might not be able to get these emails out, you know, at a certain time, or, or whatever, whatever the case may be. And so I would say like, if things feel slow, if things feel frustrating, you know, it's not going to be forever, but to really take that time to slow down, and to sort of redirect your energy into some things, especially, you know, because Mars, you know, the Mars retrograde is going to be going on until November 13. And Mars is energy that is about motivation, that's about like, you know, keeping us moving, essentially. And when Mars is retro, it's not a time for like that full word, you know, hard driving momentum, it's a time for slowing down, taking a break, taking a breather, you know, again, redirecting your energy into other things that might need your attention right now, as opposed to, you know, that email or that newsletter, or that, you know, particular thing. So, that's my huge advice, I think, when it comes to timing for, for bosses, not to not to force things, you know, like, sometimes we need that, that stop, that's that that big, glaring stop sign, you know, in front of us. Because you never know, like it, it can help you with taking better care of yourself. It can help you to discover something or see things in a different light that you might not have seen before. It could help you millage, let's say, for example, you decide not to take that client and decide and said, I'm going to meet with a therapist, you know, that you don't like that meeting with the therapist could then catapult you into something else, you know, like, maybe you get some advice that you can take back into your business that can actually you know, help you to flourish, you know, it really is about honoring that sort of intuitive, more receptive, more going with the flow energy as opposed to like, all of that, like very enough. And that's also Venus to like, Venus is receptive, Venus is attractive. Venus doesn't fight to get what she wants, because she knows that she's the shit. So it's going to come to her anyway. Right? Mars is a little bit different. Mars is like, I'm gonna, you know, I'll murder people if I have to. And to get my way. And that's not to say that Mars is it useful because we need more as you know, when it comes to like, you know, being motivated or standing up for things or you know, that kind of stuff, like Mars helps us to get shit done. But Venus, you know, which is kind of tied to the feminine principle is really about letting things flow to you and letting things come to you and not having to fight and, and scrap and hustle for every single thing that you get. And is, you know, that really lies in that ability to kind of like take a breather, Take a chill, listening to your body doing things that are pleasurable, you know, because when we're in a space of pleasure, that raises our magnetic, you know, a vibration to help us like with attracting things that we want. So I would say that is where I would really go With that,

Emily Thompson 50:02
with astrology, there really is so many places you can go on a given topic. I think that is a beautiful, I think that is a beautiful set of ideas and astrological comparisons. Because one of the a couple of things, one, this idea that retrogrades are like they're happening, right? It's happening in the, in the planets. Why isn't it happening within us? Right, this idea of like this time when we're slowing down, we're being retro sprang from, literally retrospective. retrospective. We're revisiting things you mentioned, like it gives us It gives us a chance to take care of ourselves. But in terms of business, like let's think about Mercury, Mercury Retrograde, which in a second, I would love to know if you have any thoughts around why mercury retrogrades are so in our consciousness right now, like, so we'll get to that in a second. Okay. But this idea of mercury retrograde is giving us an opportunity to go back and look at our systems around how it is that we communicate, like, right, like, what if we literally just took Mercury Retrograde not as a time to send newsletters, but as a time to sit back and take a look at how we've been sending newsletters and if it's actually the best way in which we need to communicate with our people, right? We can almost use these as times to really, to really look back and make stronger in a way the things that we're building. I will say to Mercury Retrograde has gotten such a bad rap lately. Yeah, I was born with mercury retrograde and I love mercury retro.

Mecca Woods 51:38
I know I was born with mercury retrograde too,

Emily Thompson 51:40
right. And so, love that. So too, and I think I've heard that like a quarter of the population is born under a Mercury Retrograde or something if I'm not mistaken, like how much of a year is covered in a Mercury Retrograde a quarter a third?

Mecca Woods 51:56
Um, probably a quarter because mercury goes retrograde about three times a year. So we start this we open a year with the mercury retrograde, then there's a Mercury retrograde in the summer and then there's one like in the fall winter. So yeah,

Emily Thompson 52:14
so about a quarter of the population then is born under retrograde. And yet we're all told to despise it for Yes, yeah. retrograde is when we can be like we can finally communicate the most clearly.

Mecca Woods 52:27
Yes, yes, yes. Yeah. Yeah. I always like it's always funny because when mercury retrogrades happen, I rarely have issues. But it isn't until mercury starts to go forward again, that's when I start to get things because I'm not like I'm naturally a Mercury Retrograde person. Like, that's my that's my wheelhouse. You know, like, that's my damn Yeah,

Emily Thompson 52:49
yeah, I often find that when Mercury is direct I, anyone, especially anyone who's here who usually does live things with me, sometimes I have a hard time turning my thoughts into words. Or like literally, sometimes I play let's fill in Emily's blanks with the people here and they'll like type in the words that I'm missing in the chat box because they understand what I'm saying. I just can't say it out my mouth. Um, but during Mercury Retrograde that's less of a thing. Like my ability to process thoughts and words is significantly better whenever it is in retrograde, because that's how I am personally wired. So I will say I would encourage everyone to like, really think about your position on Mercury Retrograde, don't just take the conditioning of like, modern, you know, blog posts. Write that you should conduct yourselves. But I will say is don't sign contracts under Mercury Retrograde. Like I understand that in the world, Mercury is still retrograde. And I'm not going to do things like signing contracts or making big deals and those kinds of things during that time.

Mecca Woods 53:54
Right, right. Yes, yes. Yeah. Well, I would even say to like when it comes to contracts, because sometimes sometimes they're a little you can't put them off. Like, you know, like, sometimes it's pressing, like you have to sign or you have to make that agreement. And I would just say just be very clear on what it is that you're signing, you know, like when it comes to retrogrades especially Mercury, because Mercury is about communication and, you know, details and facts and figures and, you know, being very, you know, being very, very clear, you know about what it is that you're saying and doing and so I would just say like if you do find yourself having to sign you know, a lease or an agreement or a contract or anything of that nature. During a Mercury Mercury Retrograde, just make sure that you're very clear on what it is that you're that you're signing or getting into and that maybe there is room for being a renegotiation or, you know, like an update or something like that if if it comes up if it's necessary.

Emily Thompson 54:57
Perfect, completely agreed. And I think I also love that I get to work with people who all get Mercury Retrograde. So there have literally been times I'm like, literally, I'm gonna sign this in like two weeks. I agree with everything but just hold off and they're like, Oh, yeah, Mercury's in retrograde, right. Yes, yes, yes. Yeah. No, I love it. I love how, you know, it's become a little bit more popular, you know, for people to say like, oh, let's hold off or Let's wait or let's come back to this, you know, after the retrograde. And that makes me happy as an astrologer because I'm like, Okay, now you're speaking my language. Yeah, right. You're getting my it's not just speaking, you're actually getting my language is wonderful, then I would love to go back to that question then of like, why do you think that maybe one horoscopes and really astrology has actually served a huge purpose in the shaping of our world, right? Like, think about all of the world leaders in the past who have had astrologers as part of their as part of their support teams, and like, some of them killed their astrologers, once they were found out like that was also a thing. But it's, it has always been such a huge part of, of humans like traversing the world. One, what are your thoughts are around that if you have any? And two, why do you think it's coming up so much in the consciousness now, or maybe even like all of this Whoo, stuff in general, Taro or crystals and all those, but I also feel like astrology is becoming more and more accessible and approachable than ever before. And part of that being like everyone says it was mercury in retrograde these days, like, everyone has that bit of language? Where do you think it's coming up so much in the consciousness of, of the world at the moment,

Mecca Woods 56:49
I think it has a lot to do with how much uncertainty there is in the world right now. And I think it also has to do with the generation that's gravitating towards it, right. So we know that a lot of millennials are gravitating towards astrology using it. And I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that it just gives them more, like I was saying before, like, it just gives them more tools to utilize, you know, as opposed to maybe some other like traditions or faith where it makes you feel like everything that's going on is your fault. You know, or that you're responsible for your failures. And, you know, you know, like, you're the, like I said, like a victim, you know, have some sort of unseen force, you know, or things that are outside of your control, like, Oh, well, you know, this is just the way it is kind of thing. And I think that astrology does kind of show people that they have more power, you know, like, No, you don't have to just sit there and take it, no, is not necessarily your fault. You know, and I think that that's a huge thing, too, especially for folks who might not have like, access to certain resources, you know, or access to certain things that other people might have more access to. And I think it's important to recognize it's, it's kind of kind of goes both ways of kind of saying, like, it's not your fault that you're in this position or where you are, but you also have some leverage, like the stars can show you like, you know, there is a way that you can change things, you know, or there's a way that you can, like, navigate out of this space or or navigate into better spaces, right. And I think that historically, the reason why astrology has lasted this long, right, because it's been around for centuries. It's an ancient, you know, practice. And it keeps coming back in ways because I think it's the thing when it works, you know, you know it there's something actually to this, but I think it also has to do with like, how much it gives people in terms of like being like the the masters of like, their own domain.

Emily Thompson 59:13
I agree. I agree with every bit of that. And I love what April is saying over here, that it's not your fault, but it is your current reality, right? Yeah. Yeah, like astrology does a great job of like giving you some context of what it is that you may be experiencing. And I think you're right to it gives you options, we may not have like, totally grasp that you had options, right. It gives you some options and I think language to for dealing with whatever it is that you may be undergoing at any given moment. Yes, yes, absolutely. Okay, so to wrap this up, I would love to know if if you see anything on the horizon that bosses should be considering, like what is happening in the plans over the next couple of weeks or months. If you you're not too afraid to share, I'm also like a little afraid of even asking this question. But almost if you could give us like maybe a little horoscope, like, what should we be looking for? What, what? What may be happening? Should we hide?

Mecca Woods 1:00:14
I, Oh, goodness gracious. Um, I would say. So we still have a quite of a lot of gnarly sky to get through between now. And the end of the year. When we get to November, Eclipse season is going to start up again and Eclipse season. between November there's a big Eclipse on November 30. And there's another Eclipse on December 14, those Gemini saj eclipses that I was talking about. and Eclipse season in general can be very anxiety inducing, you know, it can also drain your energy, because the sun and the moon are getting together for kind of like a big cosmic download, if you if you will, where the energy is just really charged, you know, and the reason why is because there's a big change in transition that's coming coming through. And so I would say, you know, with all the changes that are coming through the twists and turns, you know, the retrogrades and, you know, trying to navigate it all, I think this is really a time, like I said, to not push too hard right now, um, you know, do what you can, I would also advise, like, maybe scheduling, if you can, maybe scheduling some time off around the eclipses, just to kind of give yourself a break, like I blocked out like that week, you know, for both, because I'm like, I, you know, I'm getting a clip. So you know, if your chart is getting your chart gets heavily eclipsed, it does zap your energy. So you know, it's good to kind of take off that week, or, you know, or those couple of days, that surrounding Eclipse, so November 30, market calendar, Eclipse in Gemini, and it's the lunar eclipse, full moon Eclipse, so that's really a lot of energy coming in. And then on December 14 is a solar eclipse a new moon, in Sagittarius. So try to take it easy, you know, this is a good time for doing things that have meditative quality, you know, or therapeutic quality to it. Because anytime we talk about eclipses in Gemini and saj, they tend to really fry the nervous system. So, um, try to Yeah, try to try to take it as low as possible, and use these delays or these roadblocks, as, like the breaks that you need, you know, like you use them as, as the moments to kind of take a moment and chill. But I will say that in terms of like, harnessing the energy and ways that you can use it, this is a great time for studying new things, you know, learning new skills, because anytime we talk about Gemini and Sach, it's the axis of learning and knowledge. So, Sagittarius is associated with travel, and we can't really travel right now, but we can learn. So you know, this is a great time to sign up for classes, it's a great, great time to brush up on your skills or to learn some new skills that you can add to your your toolset. This is a great time for connecting and networking and meeting new people and, you know, building your community and building like, you know, teams like teams, you know, and collaborating with folks, this is a great time for that. And it's also a great time to just like, like I said to to kind of like be flexible. So you know, you can have your game plan and you can have your vision for things that you want to see happen. But try not to be so attached to it was also like fixated on it, that you don't make room for some of the other things that might come in because it could actually be things that could actually get you to where you want to go quicker. So yeah,

Emily Thompson 1:04:01
wonderful. Thank you so much for that. I hope that everyone takes that, listen to it, embrace it, see and find the opportunity. And otherwise rest.

Mecca Woods 1:04:11
Yes, please do. Yes, I have. I have four retrograde planets in my chart. So that's why I'm always like, and you know, telling people, the Ministry of rest.

Emily Thompson 1:04:23
Same same, I think well, you and I need to do a chart comparison, I think yeah.

Mecca Woods 1:04:28
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

Emily Thompson 1:04:32
Wonderful Mecca. Where can people find more about you?

Mecca Woods 1:04:36
Sure. You can find me on my website at my life created that calm. And my book is there my book Shakeology for happiness and success is everywhere that books are sold. I have my line of coloring books out the cosmic coloring books. Same thing everywhere books are sold. I'm on Instagram, at one mechanism on twitter at the mechanism but If you go to my website Everything is there and you can just find all the links that you need.

Emily Thompson 1:05:04
Perfect And my last question for you Mecca. what makes you feel most boss?

Mecca Woods 1:05:11
What makes me feel most boss um when

Emily Thompson 1:05:17
I love when people giggle like that before they tell me I can't wait to hear

Mecca Woods 1:05:22
I think I think okay so we started out talking about my my my earring choices and you know what when I'm when I'm looking good, that makes me feel boss that makes me feel really confident. I'm a Leo rising so I need I need to fashion chart in the chart. No, I'm just living Machado. So yeah, that's that's what makes me feel.

Emily Thompson 1:05:46
I love that. Thank you so much mecca for coming and hanging out with us.

Mecca Woods 1:05:50
Thank you. Thank you. It's my pleasure. And thank you to everyone for listening in and for the compliments and for following Thank you. I'm very, very touched.

Emily Thompson 1:06:02
And there you have it, our first dive into the story of an astrologer boss, if you loved it, there's more where this came from. hear more from Mecca and my squad of boss experts including Brigette Esselmont of Biddy Tarot educator and tarot deck creator Pamela Chen and author and editor at Tasha Harrison and the replays of the guided by intuition gathering available in the clubhouse tier of the being boss community in just a few days from this episode airing. You'll also be introduced to community members Kary Hess designer of the spark tarot deck and Alexandria Rollet astrologer and Human Design expert who will even be giving a free Human Design webinar to the community in just a few weeks. You can learn more and join in at being boss dot club slash community when we have all the fun. That's being boss dot club slash community. And until next time, do the work. Be boss