Ready for the New Moon in Sagittarius on Saturday, December 4? Ready or not, it’s coming for you. Fortunately, it promises to bring good tidings and positive blessings just in time for the holidays! This month’s New Moon features a total solar eclipse. Solar eclipses are extremely significant events that usher in new beginnings and bright new opportunities.
Inevitably, when something new begins, something old comes to an end. Whatever is outdated or that no longer holds a relevant place in your life is likely to be eclipsed out of it during this time. Whatever leaves your life now wasn’t intended to remain with you on the next stage of your journey. Let it go with grace, gratitude, and peace of mind.
The energy of an eclipse doesn’t exist only on the actual day of it. Instead look at the five days preceding and five days following the date of this eclipse for any significant messages, occurrences, or epiphanies. You may experience something as significant as moving to a new place, or something as small as a casual remark from a family member or friend that delivers a startling wake-up call to you.
As significant or as insignificant as these experiences may seem, they are likely to have a long-standing impact on the way you approach your life moving forward.
Examples of experiences that eclipses often bring are:
- News of a birth
- Marriage
- A proposal
- A new job opportunity
- The establishing of a business
- A home purchase
- A breakup
- The loss of a friend, family member, or pet
- Graduation
- Divorce
- Surgery
- Sudden epiphanies
Eclipses mark a major turning point in your life and this one is no different. The Sagittarius energy of this eclipse amplifies and expands this energy even further, providing you with the courage and boldness to go after what you need in your life at this time and the bravery and decisiveness to let go of what’s no longer relevant, despite how painful and reluctant you would normally be.
Eclipses provide the energy, drive, and reassurance for you to accomplish things you normally would avoid or be too timid to pursue. They also bring experiences that speed up decisions that the universe knows are inevitable for you - whether you choose to remain in denial about that or not!
Eclipses often bring the blatant and inescapable truth about a person, place, or situation right to your doorstep and psyche. Trust any hunches or gut feelings that you receive during this time, even if they come in the form of something as insignificant as gossip or social media posts, the messages that you receive and that resonate with you on or near an eclipse are extremely significant.
Lean into them.
The energy of the New Moon in Sagittarius is optimistic and positive. Because it features a solar eclipse, this energy will feel especially strong and hopeful. Carry or meditate with an empowering sacral chakra crystal, like Carnelian, or an intuition-strengthening crystal, like Amethyst, in order to make the most of this powerful energy.
If you are a Sagittarius or Gemini, you will be particularly affected by this eclipse. This is especially true for those born between November 30 and December 9, and between May 31 and June 9.
Here’s what you can expect for your sign amid the Total Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius:
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1. Aries
Expect new beginnings and gut instincts as it relates to the way you approach child-rearing, dating, flirtation, sexual and/or creative expression. You are likely to receive insights about your kids and potential lovers, Aries.
2. Taurus
Don’t be surprised if you receive revelations about your health or your job during this time, Taurus. Picking up a new lifestyle habit, exercise routine, or diet is favored by this eclipse.
3. Gemini
Are you looking to take things to the next level in your relationship, Gemini? You may find yourself falling in love. Expect to begin a significant new chapter in your relationships and with those closest to you.
4. Cancer
Your intuition will be at its height during this Moon phase, Cancer. Lean into any hunches or gut instincts that you experience during this time. Sexual experiences are likely to be deeply transformative under this influence. You may unexpectedly receive money and/or find yourself reflecting on mortality a bit more than usual. Take time with yourself and allow yourself to experience the full range of emotions that you are inevitably going to experience.
5. Leo
It’s time to expand those horizons, Leo! Lean into your natural-born courage and boldness. Whether you’re contemplating a trip to an exotic locale, registering for college courses, or exploring a discipline you don’t know much about, don’t be surprised if you decide to finally check something off of that bucket list this week!
6. Virgo
New job opportunities are highlighted for you during this period, Virgo! You may finally receive that job offer or promotion, otherwise, you’ll decide that the career you’re in actually isn’t the one for you after all. Check-in on a father figure of your life during this time.
7. Libra
Any revelation that you receive about a friend should be taken seriously now, Libra. If you’ve wanted to know who, when all is said and done, will have your back until the very end, you are likely to find out for sure now.
8. Scorpio
The time you spend alone, in contemplation or in meditation, will be especially valuable to you during this time, Scorpio. Take time to journal, introspect, or enjoy a spiritual bath. The insights you receive now, while alone, will be significant and potentially life-altering.
9. Sagittarius
You are in the spotlight during this eclipse, Sagittarius! You are likely to make a significant decision or to experience a strong epiphany ushering you in a brand new direction regarding the way you approach and experience your life. Any conservatism that may have hindered you from pursuing your truest dreams and deepest desires will be unveiled and released now.
10. Capricorn
Your focus will be on fine-tuning the elements of your life that make you feel valued and secure - or the complete opposite of that! Whatever is getting in the way of you being your best self at work or in relationships are likely to feel intolerable to you right now, Capricorn. This eclipse will give you the decisiveness and drive to go after what builds your confidence or to remove the aspects of your life that tear down your self-esteem.
11. Aquarius
Expect significant news and messages via text, social media, or from siblings and neighbors. Take whatever information you receive now seriously, Aquarius.
12. Pisces
Your family arrangement or living space is likely to be spruced up or changed altogether, Pisces. Home purchases, signing a new lease, a new roommate, or a new addition to your family are highlighted during this eclipse.
Here’s to bold moves and fresh new beginnings this December!
Featured image by Getty Images
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While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Feature image by Leon Bennett/WireImage
Thinking about them kinda-sorta inspired this piece because they caused me to reflect on the times when some of my clients have come to me, semi-freaking out, and it was because their thoughts about someone had gone beyond “Hey, she’s pretty” or “Hey, he looks good.” Instead, they were starting to fantasize about certain folks, and they weren’t sure what to do about it, especially when some of those fantasies were transpiring while they were engaging in sex with someone else.
You know, it’s been reported that somewhere around 50 percent of people do indeed have fantasies about other people while having sex with another person. And that is definitely a high enough number to tackle some things about the topic here.
If you’re someone who fantasizes about other individuals, especially sexually, here’s some intel into why that could be the case, along with when it gets to the point and place where you might want to consider actually doing something about it.
What’s a Fantasy and What Exactly Causes Them?
GiphyWhenever you think of the word “fantasy,” what immediately comes to your mind?
Personally, what I find to be interesting is the fact that the dictionary says that there are actually a lot of things that can be considered a fantasy: your imagination, hallucinations, visions, ingenious inventions, illusions — I mean, there is even a genre of fiction that falls into the fantasy category. However, when it comes to what we’re going to discuss today, a psychological term for fantasy is “an imagined or conjured up sequence fulfilling a psychological need; daydream.”
And yes, before we get to the end of all of this, that definition is going to answer quite a few questions as it pertains to the topic of this particular piece. But first, more about the origin story of fantasies.
Apparently famed neurologist, Sigmund Freud spent some time analyzing fantasies and came to the conclusion that, more than anything else, a fantasy represents something that is either a suppressed urge or desire and when you stop to think about what you imagine, what your visions are, what you may long to invent — that certainly tracks. However, something that you should also keep in mind about fantasies is that, oftentimes, they are rooted in few boundaries and can even go well beyond what is considered to be reality (which is something that is based on facts and truth).
Oh, something else that needs to be kept in mind about fantasies is that they are typically relied on as a mental form of escape from something or someone (bookmark that).
And now that fantasies are more clearly defined, if your immediate question is, “Is it wrong to fantasize?” — no, I certainly don’t think that. What I do believe, based on what a fantasy is, though, is if you are fantasizing a lot about a particular person, place, thing or idea, it would be a good idea to ponder why that is the case — why is that a suppressed desire for you, why are you using that as a mental escape and perhaps, the most important question of all, does your fantasy come with any limits?
Now let’s build on top of this…
Now What Causes Folks to Fantasize About Other People?
GiphyAs I was doing more research on the topic of fantasies, I came across an article entitled, “What Happens In Our Brains When We Fantasize About Someone.” The author of it started the piece out by talking about a cool connection that she made with someone on a plane, only for her to find herself fantasizing about him once they parted ways. As she went deeper into her story, she mentioned a word that definitely needs to be shared here: heuristics.
If you’re not familiar with it, heuristics is simply a mental shortcut. For instance, if you find yourself needing to make a quick decision (check out “Before You Make A Life-Altering Decision, Read This.”), you may rely on heuristics to do it (even if it’s subconsciously). The challenge with that is oftentimes heuristics will only provide you with a limited amount of data and information, and relying only on that could cause you to not make the best choice, if you’re not careful. And boy, when heuristics jump into your fantasy space — well, something that immediately comes to my mind is celebrity culture.
Ain’t it wild how people will be on social media, speaking so confidently, about someone—or someone’s relationship—as if they personally know them (when they absolutely don’t)? I mean, just because someone is attractive or you’ve seen them carry themselves well in an interview or two, that doesn’t automatically mean that they are the ideal person or that they are someone to set your own dating standards by. If you’re not careful, though, heuristics and fantasies may encourage you to think otherwise.
That’s because the combo will try and get your brain to jump to all sorts of conclusions and, if you don’t keep that in check, it could result in you making premature, counterproductive, or even straight-up reckless decisions — because remember, a fantasy tends to be about suppressing an urge or desire.
Honestly, whether you are in a relationship or not, if you are fantasizing about a particular individual, understanding why you are doing that should definitely be explored.
However, if you are with someone and you’re fantasizing about someone else, you really shouldn’t ignore what is transpiring because, although by definition, there’s a good chance that whatever and whomever you are fantasizing about will never come to pass, the fact that it’s taking up some of your mental and emotional space, that needs to be acknowledged. Because if there is something that you want or need, and you seem to believe that your fantasies are better at supplying that for you than the reality of your relationship, why is that?
Let’s keep going…
What Does (or Could) It Mean If You Fantasize About Someone Else During Sex?
GiphyIt’s pretty common that a random song will come to mind whenever I’m writing an article. Today? It was Guy’s “My Fantasy.” Then a sitcom did — King of Queens, and the episode when Doug and Carrie were talking about his sexual fantasies. The song is about images that the fellas randomly have about beautiful women. The episode was about Carrie wanting to dictate to Doug what and whom he could fantasize about because some of his sexual fantasies made her feel uncomfortable or intimidated.
And both of these are a pretty solid intro into whether there is something wrong with sexually fantasizing about someone, especially while having sex with someone else. Well, before getting into all of that, I think another article that I read on the topic brings up a pretty good point — that it’s important to think about where your fantasies are coming from: your imagination, things you see on social media, porn that you may have watched, people who you actually know…and if it’s the latter, is it someone from your past or someone from your present?
Yeah, knowing the source of your fantasies can definitely help you to understand how “deep” into your fantasies you might be.
What I mean by that is, seeing a beautiful man one time and randomly thinking about what it would be like to have sex with him on some beach vacation is quite different than constantly thinking about your ex, the sex you used to have with him and then fantasizing about it For one thing, the beautiful guy, you will probably never have access to. That ex, though? Well, at the very least, that is a bit more realistic, right?
Then there’s the fact that, again, a fantasy is a suppressed urge or desire. When it comes to the beautiful man, is it his looks that you long for, or is it something deeper? And that ex of yours? Lawd, now why, when you have your own man in your own bed, is your ex “scratching some sort of itch”? Because we all know what they say — “he’s your ex for a reason,” so why is he creeping up into your intimacy space now that the relationship is over? Is something unresolved?
Are there sexual needs that he met that your current partner isn’t (check out “You Love Him. You Prefer Sex With Your Ex. What Should You Do?”)? Is something currently transpiring in your current relationship that you are using fantasies about your ex to escape from?
You see, although when it comes to the topic of fantasizing about others when you’re having sex with someone else might seem like the a cut-and-dried, “Don’t do it, end of discussion” — as someone who works with couples for a living, I think the bigger concern isn’t if another guy comes into your mind during sex with your partner…it’s more about WHY is that happening to begin with. Because if you need to escape from where you are, if you can’t be present with your partner, something is definitely up.
When Should You Be Concerned About the Fantasies You Are Having?
GiphyDuring the last several months of breaking up (because we all know that sometimes breaking up is a process) with the last boyfriend whom I will have in this lifetime, I recall fantasizing about other people while having sex with him. It’s because I really wasn’t attracted to or interested in him, sexually, anymore — but I was a bit fearful of what it would mean to let the entire relationship go.
And boy, is that a huge red flag because I wasn’t fantasizing about some random famous person one time during sex — I was relying on images, my imagination, and previous experiences with other people to literally get me through the act. NOT. GOOD.
Y’all, one of the greatest and most profound forms of communication and connection between two people is sexual intimacy, and so, when it transpires, it really should only be about the two of them. That said, should you freak out over a thought about someone who creeps up into your mind every once in a while? Chile, more people have that happen than they will ever admit out loud.
On the other hand, should you worry if you’re like I was? I’ll put it this way — you should definitely be concerned because the last thing that you should be feeling during sex with someone is like you are suppressing what you need and/or that you want to escape from the moments that you are experiencing with them.
And yet, if that is indeed the case, though, what should you do?
Start with doing some sex journaling. Write down your fantasies, the sources of them, and why you are leaning on them in this season (check out “The Art Of Sex Journaling (And Why You Should Do It)”). If they are tied to unrealistic situations, be real with yourself about that. If they are rooted in potential possibilities, do some journaling about how much you are “feeding into” that reality and what you think would be the wisest way to move forward, both for your sake as well as your relationship.
Talk to your partner. Each relationship is different, and so, while I’m not going to recommend that everyone just blurt out that they’ve been thinking about having sex with their co-worker or college sweetheart while having sex with their partner, I do think that the suppressed urges and desires (in general) should be mentioned. Sometimes, fantasies are birthed out of boredom (check out “If You're Not Having Great Sex, This Is (Probably) Why” and “Common Sex Problems Couples Have (& How To Fix 'Em)”) and doing something like creating a sex bucket list (check out “This Is How To Create The Best Kind Of ‘Sex Bucket List’”) can breathe new life into your bedroom.
Plus, sharing some of your deepest thoughts, feelings, and needs (in a kind, thoughtful, and mature way) can cultivate more emotional intimacy with your partner, and that can definitely be a good thing.
Consider seeing a sex therapist. If, after doing both of these things, the fantasies seem to be getting stronger and louder, you might need to make an appointment with a reputable sex therapist (check out “Have You Ever Wondered If You Should See A Sex Therapist?”). They may be able to help you to “connect some dots” about what’s going on that you wouldn’t have considered without their help, because sex therapists are trained in helping individuals sort out the mental and emotional sides of intimacy, not just the physical ones.
____
Are fantasies bad? They aren’t. However, when it comes to sexual ones, a quote by Benjamin Franklin absolutely comes to mind: “If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.”
And that, right there, should be a guiding message for how you should process the fantasies that you do have.
Amen? Sho’ you right.
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