Week of July 14, 2025

“It feels like I’m being punished.”

I heard this exact phrase twice last week from two completely different people in two completely different contexts. The first was a client describing a series of delays and roadblocks in a project she’d been pushing forward for months. The second was a friend talking about how every time she tried to make a big decision lately, something seemed to intervene and slow her down.

Both times, I found myself saying the same thing: “What if the universe isn’t punishing you? What if it’s protecting you?”

I ask this because what I know about cosmic or divine timing is that sometimes what feels like resistance is actually redirection. Sometimes what looks like punishment is actually preparation. And this week, we’re getting a masterclass in exactly that kind of divine intervention.

THE WEEK’S ENERGY

There’s something seismic happening in the collective field right now.  It’s like the universe has pressed a pause button to slow down and really examine where we’re headed and why.

If you’re not familiar with this energy, imagine you’re driving toward a destination you’ve been excited about for months, and suddenly your GPS reroutes you through what seems like the longest, most winding path imaginable. You want to argue with it, override it, take the direct route anyway. But what you can’t see is that your original path had a massive accident up ahead, and this detour, however frustrating, is actually saving you from something much worse.

That’s the energy we’re moving through for the foreseeable months. You’re not moving backward as much as reviewing, reflecting, and making sure your foundation is solid before you keep building.

What makes this particular period fascinating is that both our practical minds and our spiritual knowing are asking us the same question simultaneously: “Are you sure this is the way forward, or are you just moving because you think you should be?”

WHAT IT MIGHT FEEL LIKE

You might find yourself suddenly hitting walls where there used to be open doors. Or projects that were moving smoothly might have some unexpected delays. Even decisions that felt clear last month might suddenly feel murky. Anything you’ve been chasing might seem to be moving further away instead of closer.

And yes, it might feel like punishment.

But what if those walls are actually guardrails? What if those delays are giving you time to get information you didn’t know you needed? What if that murky feeling is your intuition finally getting a chance to speak up over the noise of your ambition or desire?

I watched this pattern with clients all last week. One of them had a business launch that kept getting postponed and it in that delay she discovered a major oversight in her contracts. She was shocked!  

Another client whose relationship was hitting roadblocks realized she’d been trying to force compatibility where there really wasn’t any. The delays weren’t the problem. Actually, they were the solution to problems they didn’t even know existed yet.

You might also notice a quality of impatience with yourself that feels different from usual. Like you’re suddenly aware of all the ways you’ve been rushing, forcing, or pushing when you could have been flowing. Think of it as self-awareness finally catching up with self-action.

There’s also this weird relief that might surprise you. Like some part of you has been waiting for permission to slow down, and now the universe has officially given it to you. You don’t have to feel guilty about taking your time anymore. The cosmic forces are literally requiring it.

SOUL PERSPECTIVE

Okay, here’s what I’m sensing from the field: we’re being asked to distinguish between divine timing and our personal timelines. For months, maybe years, many of us have been operating under the assumption that faster equals better, that momentum means progress, that if we’re not constantly moving forward, we’re falling behind.

This cosmic review period is here to challenge that entire paradigm.

The deeper intelligence moving through right now is saying, “Your worthiness isn’t measured by your productivity. Your progress isn’t measured by your pace. Your success isn’t measured by how quickly you can make things happen.”

This is about learning to trust the rhythm of your soul instead of the tempo of society. It’s recognizing that sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is pause, assess, and realign rather than push, force, and override.

We’re being asked to inhabit productive stillness which is kind of non-movement that actually moves you forward in ways that frantic action never could.You’re not giving up or giving in. You’re getting aligned.

No, the universe isn’t punishing you for wanting things. What it’s doing is protecting you from wanting the wrong things for the wrong reasons at the wrong time. It’s making sure that when you do move forward, you’re moving from clarity instead of compulsion, more wisdom, less willfulness.

HOW TO BE WITH IT

Work with the cosmic divine current instead of against it. When you feel that familiar frustration of things not moving as quickly as you’d like, pause and ask: “What am I supposed to be learning in this space between wanting and having?”

And then use these delays for data collection. Maybe more research. Instead of seeing setbacks as failures, treat them as intelligence gathering. There’s probably information that’s available to you now that wasn’t before. Think about the perspective you’re gaining from this unexpected vantage point.

Also, practice the ability to find stability in the slowed down delays rather than security in the push. That means trusting that stillness can be just as productive as action.

And most importantly, question your urgency. When you catch yourself thinking “This has to happen now” or “I’m running out of time,” get curious about where that pressure is really coming from. Notice if it’s intuitive guidance or anxiety? Is it soul wisdom or social conditioning?

YOUR WEEK IN ONE SENTENCE

“This week, I trust that what feels like resistance might actually be redirection, and I let the universe’s timing inform my own.”

MINI PRACTICE FOR COSMIC PATIENCE

(I love the feedback I’m getting from ‘you’ to these mini practices, so I’ll keep writing them.) 

When you feel frustrated by a delay or obstacle, take three deep breaths and ask yourself: “What if this pause is exactly what I need right now?” Then spend two minutes (that’s a long time) listening for the answer without trying to solve, fix, or override anything. And finally, notice what comes up when you stop fighting the flow.

Later this week, I’ll probably hear that phrase again—”It feels like I’m being punished.” And I’ll keep saying the same thing: the universe isn’t punishing you. It’s protecting you from a future you can’t see and preparing you for one you can’t imagine yet. The kindest thing life can do is slow you down just enough to save you from yourself.

Trust the cosmic divine review period. Your soul knows what it’s doing, even when your schedule doesn’t.

Jonni