Dear Patricia,

I'm OK but my friends are not! I'm of retirement age, but still work full time, feel I am at my peak performance level, and have excellent benefits.  However, despite my own feelings of economic security, personal job satisfaction and a great love life, I somehow can't get myself to feel good or upbeat about life.  Why?  Because all around me is pain, misery and despair.

So many people I know and care for are in various stages of depression and desperation: financially and psychologically. They are underemployed, facing layoffs, in bad health, stressed out, victims of malpractice or too high a cost of living, behind in mortgage payments, having family problems, feeling alone....you name it.

So, I find myself in a situation where all my spare cash is now going to help friends pay mortgages, pay medical bills, pay for food and gas, counseling and coaching them to have hope. And frankly, it is really wearing me down.  I feel bogged down. How can I overcome this heavy weight of gloom and despair that is all around me, draining me of money and emotional stability,  when actually I should be feeling great about my life?

Patricia's Response

You may feel bogged down but you are most certainly not stuck!!!

Being born with a Sagittarius Sun you have a bit of extra luck on your side (as your email seems to confirm). With this mutable fire sign as your center you endlessly wander and/or wonder. You are the eternal traveler and/or student with an underlying sense that all of life is an adventure. And that positive Sagittarius attitude and jovial good humor has, I'm sure, gotten you through some pretty rough spots in life. It would be good for you to consider...for you to feel the most radiant and alive you must be the Sagittarius you are and occasionally get away from those mundane details of life.

This wonderful free flowing Sagittarius core is challenged by a quite different emotional nature. Your Moon is in Virgo. This tells me your emotional nature thrives on mundane details and serving others. Being helpful to others aids you in overcoming an innate tendency toward guilt and self-doubt. Plus, you feel the most secure when analyzing problems and making a definite concrete improvement.

Additionally, the sign Libra was rising on the horizon the moment you were born. A gracious sense of diplomacy surrounds you that never quite disappears. You are a people person. People like you and are drawn to you... you project beauty and harmony.

Taking your entire horoscope into consideration I see you as a curious mix of intellect, emotion and sensitivity.  And the problem is with that sensitivity...being so empathetic you often take on other's problems as if they were your own.

Especially in these hard times, the world needs more like you. With your positive attitude about life and innate emotional nature, as well your age, financial solidity and your keen problem solving skills...you can be a wise adviser to your friends. The danger for you is your tendency to get over involved and lose your sense of boundaries.

As far as those you know who are in such dire straights, I can give you a few words of advise. Remember you are not there to provide recovery from the storm...the best you can do is provide a short reprieve and a bit of shelter. If someone stays too long...taking advantage of that shelter...analize why and what you could do differently that would help them move on. It might well be the security you provide that keeps them stuck.

Being a pragmatic Capricorn, I'm of a mind that although everyone needs help occasionally and those that can help need to contribute in whatever way they can...there does come a time when the helper needs to get out of the way. With your need to  serve others spurred on by your great empathy combined with your free giving nature...it would be easy for you to give too much and drain yourself in all they ways you mentioned in your email.

But you asked, “How can I overcome this heavy weight of gloom and despair?"  For immediate relief...pack your bags and take that “great love life” with you for periodic short adventures...your Libra rising sort of demands you don't go alone. As to where... sensitivity, such as yours, would be calmed if that were somewhere beautiful near the Sea.

Remember your Sagittarius Sun shines most radiantly and you feel the most alive when you get away from the details and rigors of everyday life.

Hope this helps,

Patricia

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