🌟 Mastery, Focus, and the Courage to Change

I’m writing this under the energy of the New Moon in Gate 16—a moment when both the Sun and Moon come together to amplify the same theme: skillful expression, refinement, and the enthusiastic pursuit of something that matters.

New Moon energy doesn’t land all at once—it unfolds over the hours and days that follow, inviting us to pause, realign, and choose what we want to bring forward. I’m not rushing to name what this new cycle will be. But I can feel myself in the space between endings and beginnings—questioning what I’m refining, what I’m ready to focus on, and what no longer needs to be proven to be true.

This week’s Human Design transit—Sun in Gate 16 (Skills) and Earth in Gate 9 (Focus)—has been stirring something big in me. Not in a flashy way, but in a steady, insistent kind of way. The kind that whispers:

What are you doing because you love it—and where are you chasing perfection just to prove your worth?

Saturn just moved into Aries for the first time since 1996—the year I got married. And suddenly, I’m looking at things I’ve carried for decades with fresh eyes. My marriage. My work. My voice. My investments of time, energy, and money. And most of all: the story I’m telling myself about what makes something valuable.

This is a week for getting honest. Not with judgment, but with care.

☀️ Sun in Gate 16: The Energy of Skillful Expression

Gate 16 is known as the Gate of Skills in Traditional Human Design. In the I Ching, it’s Enthusiasm, and in Quantum Human Design it’s called Zest—a word I love for its playful precision.

This energy is about refining our gifts and sharing them in a way that moves others. It wants to practice, to polish, to express. But in its shadow, it can become indifferent—either because it doubts anyone will value its expression, or because it’s too afraid to try and fail.

In Gene Keys, Gene Key 16 moves from the Shadow of Indifference (Gullible, Self-Deluded), to the Gift of Versatility, to the Siddhi of Mastery.

True mastery, as I’m being reminded, isn’t about being perfect. It’s about staying connected to what you love, even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed.

And for me, that’s showing up most clearly in my podcast. After 78 episodes, I’m starting to feel a pull to do things differently—curate past conversations, remix what already exists, and let the work evolve. But part of me worries:

What if I can’t figure it out? What if I lose momentum? What if people forget about me?

Gate 16 says: Show up anyway. You learn by doing.

🌍 Earth in Gate 9: The Grounding Energy of Focus

While the Sun invites us to express, the Earth keeps us grounded—and this week, she grounds us in Gate 9, the Gate of Focus.

In the I Ching, it’s The Taming Power of the Small. In Quantum Human Design, it becomes Convergence.

This is the energy of intentional attention—choosing what to focus on, and tuning out what doesn’t serve. But its shadow can show up as inertia or obsession, especially when we’re unsure where to channel our energy.

Gene Key 9 asks us to move from Inertia (Reluctant, Diverted), to Determination, to the Siddhi of Invincibility.

And wow, have I been feeling this one.

This energy is especially personal for me, because my Personality Mercury is in Gate 9, line 5. So the very place the Earth is grounding us this week is also the place in my chart that governs how I communicate and express my message.

I’ve been reflecting a lot on how focus (or the lack of it) shows up in my communication—especially in places where I want to feel understood or connected. That’s been true in my business, but also deeply present in my marriage. There have been moments where I realize I’m trying to get my husband to “get it” in the way I would get it—forgetting that he communicates and processes differently. It’s humbling… and it’s also helping me find more clarity around what I need to express versus what I’m trying to control.

And with Mercury playing such a major role later this week, I’m holding this insight gently, knowing more clarity is on its way.

🌚 Planetary Influences & the New Moon in Gemini

We’ve got some major cosmic collaborators adding fuel to this week’s themes:

🪐 Saturn in Aries (as of May 25): The Courage to Claim Your Life—Without Needing to Change Theirs

This is the first time Saturn has entered Aries since 1996—the year I got married. And now, nearly three decades later, Saturn has come full circle, asking me to look again. Not just at my marriage, but at the me who existed inside it… and the me who exists now.

Saturn is the planet of structure, responsibility, and long-term growth. And Aries? Aries is about instinct, identity, and courageous self-leadership. When these two come together, they initiate a deeply personal kind of reckoning:

Where have I been trying to shape myself around what someone else values? And just as important—where have I been expecting someone else to mirror me in order to feel loved or validated?

This is what’s coming up for me now—not in a dramatic way, but in a deeply honest one. For a long time, I’ve tried to be mindful of not losing myself in partnership. I’ve worked hard to stay true to who I am. But recently I’ve noticed another layer surfacing:

In my desire to be fully seen and understood, have I subtly expected him to become more like me?

That realization landed hard—but also opened something up.

My husband doesn’t always respond the way I want him to. He doesn’t move through the world the way I do. And that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. It just means… he’s not me.

Saturn in Aries is reminding me that radical self-trust doesn’t mean needing someone else to mirror it. It means being true to who I am, while also allowing the people I love to be fully themselves—even when their expressions of love look different than mine.

This transit is asking all of us:

• Where am I taking things personally that aren’t personal?
• Where am I building meaning out of mismatched expectations?
• Can I be in relationship without trying to rewrite someone else’s story to match mine?

Saturn in Aries wants us to take full ownership of our truth—not to prove a point or win a battle, but to create relationships that are rooted in real understanding. Ones where both people get to be whole, even when they’re wildly different.

🌑 New Moon in Gemini (Gate 16): Reimagining the Way We Express Ourselves

As this blog goes live, the New Moon in Gemini has just taken place—within Gate 16, the very gate the Sun is highlighting in this Human Design transit.

While Full Moons tend to stir things up before they peak, New Moons often come alive in their aftermath—in the hush that follows the cosmic reset. And that’s exactly what this one feels like.

Gate 16 is about refinement, enthusiasm, and the art of skillful expression. And Gemini adds its signature curiosity and flexibility, asking:

What if the way you’ve always communicated no longer fits who you’re becoming?

That question has been circling for me, especially around my podcast. After 78 episodes, I’m feeling called to do something different—not because I’ve outgrown the conversations, but because I want to shape and share them in new ways. I want to create containers that are more accessible, more intentional, and maybe even more aligned with how people receive and process information now.

But change is rarely without fear.

Will I do it “right”?

Will people lose interest while I find my rhythm?

Am I equipped to do this in a new way?

That’s the edge of Gate 16—where versatility meets vulnerability. And this New Moon is inviting me (maybe inviting you, too) to release the need for perfection and re-root into the truth of your expression. Not because it’s polished—but because it’s real.

The New Moon in Gate 16 isn’t just asking what you want to say—it’s asking you to fall back in love with how you say it. And to give yourself permission to experiment, explore, and evolve your voice without rushing the outcome.

This is a beautiful time to set intentions around:

• Practicing without pressuring
• Communicating with clarity and compassion
• Honoring your unique voice, even when it doesn’t sound like what you thought it would

Because the mastery Gate 16 points us toward? It’s not found in being flawless. It’s found in being fully expressed.

🌊 Root Pressure Rising: Channel Activations from the Moon

As we move deeper into this transit cycle, the Moon adds extra texture to the week by activating two powerful format channels—both connecting the Root to the Sacral, and both amplifying the pressure to do something with our energy. But they show up in very different ways.

🌀 Moon activates Channel 52–9 (overnight 5/28–5/29 in the U.S.)

This is a logical format channel, bringing a kind of pressure that feels sharp, mental, and focused. It wants us to sit still and zero in—to concentrate, map it out, plan it, execute it.

But if you don’t know what you’re focusing on—or if your body’s not ready to be still—this can feel incredibly agitating. Think: lying in bed with your mind buzzing at full volume, running through lists, ideas, edits, fixes. (Yes, that was me.)

If this hits you in the middle of the night, you’re not broken. You’re being activated. Let your body help regulate your mind—breathe deeply, stretch, journal, or gently move your energy rather than trying to wrestle it into stillness.

This energy is here to help us refine—not to punish us for not being productive.

🌒 Moon activates Channel 42–53 with Venus (later 5/29)

Later that day, the Moon joins Venus in Gate 42, briefly completing the Channel of Maturation (42–53). This is an abstract format channel—also Root to Sacral—but instead of logical focus, this one brings emotional momentum, storytelling arcs, and cycles of growth and closure.

It’s not part of the emotional circuit, but it can feel emotional because it’s so tied to the sense that something is beginning… or something is ending… or both.

When this activates, life might feel like it’s speeding up. You could experience a surge of creative energy, or a deep urge to finish something you didn’t know was unfinished. This might even be the energy that helps you finally wrap up a project that’s been lingering—or realize you’re ready to begin something you’ve been holding off on.

It’s not about forcing a clean conclusion. It’s about noticing what season you’re in, and trusting the rhythm of that cycle.

🗣 Mercury’s Journey: Expression, Clarity, and Emotional Activation

Mercury is especially active this week, bringing mental insight, communication shifts, and storytelling energy right into the heart of this transit.

🗓 May 29: Mercury joins the Sun in Gate 16

When Mercury aligns with the Sun in Gate 16, it brings your mind and voice into sync with the energy of refinement, skill, and expression. This can spark new awareness around what you’re learning, how you want to share it, or how to articulate something that’s been on your heart for a while.

I’m looking forward to using this energy to gain more clarity around the direction of my podcast. I’ve been sitting with the idea of shifting the format, revisiting past conversations, and creating something more focused and intentional—but the vision hasn’t fully landed yet. My hope is that Mercury’s presence in Gate 16 will help me find the language for what’s been quietly taking shape beneath the surface.

🗓 May 30: Mercury is Kazimi the Sun (Conjunct) in Gate 16.4

When Mercury is Kazimi—sitting in the heart of the Sun—it brings a moment of pure clarity. In line 4, that clarity often relates to how we externalize our gifts or communicate something that others need to hear.

I’ll be paying close attention to what surfaces around this time—what truths want to be named, what insights suddenly make sense, and whether I feel ready to share something I’ve been processing privately.

🗓 May 31: Mercury enters Gate 35

From there, Mercury moves into Gate 35, connecting with the North Node in Gate 36 and reactivating the Channel of Transitoriness (35/36). This is a channel of emotional manifesting—a surge of desire for new experiences, emotional storytelling, and forward momentum.

This may be the spark that helps move something from idea into action. Not because it’s fully formed, but because it’s ready to be lived into.

✨ Reflection Questions

• Where am I being asked to balance passion with precision?
• What skill wants to be refined—not rushed?
• Am I focused—or fixated? And how can I return to flow?
• Where am I measuring my value through outcomes instead of presence?
• What am I willing to learn—even if I don’t do it perfectly?

🌀 Radical Self-Trust in Practice

This week is not about performance. It’s about presence.

Gate 16 invites us to show up for our skills because we love the craft—not because we need applause.

Gate 9 grounds us in what matters—not what distracts.

And Saturn in Aries reminds us that the only way forward is through courageous self-trust.

If you’re feeling scattered, behind, or uncertain—breathe. These transits are not mandates. They’re invitations to get more honest, more curious, and more intentional.

You don’t have to do it all. You just have to do what’s true for you.

That’s where I’m landing right now. I’m still clarifying my direction. Still refining how I want to share my voice. Still letting go of the parts of me that thought being good at something only mattered if it “produced” something tangible.

But this week isn’t just asking us to get clear on our next steps.

It’s asking us to respect our skills, even when the results aren’t immediate.

It’s asking us to focus on what truly matters, even if no one else sees it yet.

It’s asking us to trust that our quiet commitments—the ones we practice behind the scenes—are shaping who we’re becoming.

So if you’re looking for something to anchor into this week, let it be this:

👉🏽 Choose one skill, one area of devotion, one part of yourself you’re ready to honor more deeply.

Not because it will make you money.

Not because someone else needs to understand it.

But because it’s yours. Because it matters to you.

Let your focus become an act of devotion.

Let your refinement become a prayer.

Let your self-trust become a quiet revolution.

✨ And if you’re still circling questions about where to go next—what’s yours to hold, what’s ready to be let go—I’d love to support you through it.

There are just a few days left to book a Clarity Chat, available through the end of May. It’s a powerful, intuitive space to sort through the noise and find your way back to what’s true for you.

📅 Book your Clarity Chat now before the doors close. 

🎥 Transit Talk with Jess Tilly & Me airs Tuesday, May 27 at 12 PM Eastern—Live in the Intuitive Human Design Facebook Group. Come join the conversation or catch the replay!

#RadicalSelfTrust #SimplifyIn2025 #ShineYourLight