How To Survive Mercury Retrograde!
[ 21 November 2011, 10:03 ]
This is a BLAST FROM THE PAST article! Originally published in January of 2009, the information is just as pertinent now as it was then! Mercury retrograde kicks off again on the 25th of November 2011 & lasts until December 14th. Here’s my ultimate survival guide!
Oh, Mercury retrograde.
You are here. You have arrived on our collective doorsteps in all your messy glory. You are our dreaded but regular house-guest. You stagger in the door, kick over our furniture, leave crumbs all over the couch & hog the bathroom. Then, as quickly as you appeared, you disappear again, leaving us slightly stunned but much better equipped to continue with our own lives!
Okay, if you have no idea what I’m talking about, here we go. The planets are swinging around at all times, & their movements affect us all in different ways. All planets go retrograde, but Mercury’s journey seems to impact people much more than any other. (Even people who “don’t believe in astrology” often “believe” in the crazy aftershocks of Mercury retrograde!)
Why is that? It’s because Mercury rules communication, clear thinking, truth & travel, so when the planet goes retrograde — which means that it looks like it’s going backwards in the sky — all those things go backwards. They start to get ugly & tangle up. Mercury isn’t really going backwards, it’s just hanging out by the sun, but from Earth, that makes it look like it’s in reverse. It typically runs for a couple of weeks, a few times a year.
Check out these dates below & put them in your calendar!
In 2011, Mercury is in retrograde from…
March 30th to April 23rd
August 3rd to August 18th
November 25th to December 14th
In 2012, the dates are…
March 12th to April 3rd
July 15th to August 7th
November 6th to November 15th
Note: We sometimes start to feel the effects of Mercury retrograde a few days early. It’s nice to give yourself a bit of leeway on either side of the prescribed dates!
What happens when Mercury goes retrograde?
All sorts of things! It’s like everyone you know has suddenly gone mad! You might find yourself getting into bizarre arguments about nothing at all, being unable to finish sentences or barely even able to form a coherent thought. Your computer & other electronic equipment is more likely to go on the fritz. You could experience travel delays, too. Double-check your flights & take a book with you to keep you occupied while you wait for the train! We don’t tend to get all the information we need at this time, so it can be hard to make big decisions & it’s not always the best time to sign a contract, either.
Expect to hear super-loud complaining from your friends who are Gemini or Virgo, since both are ruled by Mercury! Mercury also rules a lot of industries like publishing, writing, editing, advertising, sales, public relations & anything to do with transport, like airlines, the post office & cabs! This means it can be particularly rough for Gemini train conductors & Virgo magazine editors, so be kind to any you know!
I often find that Mercury retrograde makes me want to go into hermit mode. I feel like half my brain is missing so I’m really not that interested in interacting with anyone, plus every conversation seems to go in an unusual, confusing direction. I feel much more irritable & frustrated & things just don’t seem to go how I want them to.
So that’s the bad news. Mercury retrograde can be a total kick in the teeth for those of us who normally pride ourselves on having our karmic shit together! The GOOD news is that Mercury retrograde provides us with lots of beautiful opportunities if we can just tilt our head & squint.
Mercury retrograde wants us to move back spiritually. It is providing us with a chance to re-examine various areas of our life which may need a little more work, so that we can move forward to a bright new dawn. Now, more than ever, the time is right to look at things with clear eyes. Delicious, fresh perspectives are revealed. We often have major breakthroughs — intellectual, emotional or spiritual — during this time.
It’s also a terrific period in which to tie up loose ends. So many of us have unfinished projects. Maybe that door just needs another lick of paint, or you’ll decide to put away your ex-boyfriend’s love letters once & for all. Having said that, this is also a time where it’s very common for old lovers, friends & acquaintances to get in touch! If you hear from someone from your past, get together with them & see what eventuates!
One of the best ways to cope with it — as with anything, really — is to just “go with the flow”. When you fight Mercury retrograde, that’s when life gets really ugly. Just take some time, go slowly, be careful, don’t freak yourself out by expecting to be uber-productive-perfect right now. Be good to yourself & the people around you, now more than ever!
surviving Mercury retrograde!
(Print it off & stick it in your diary or on your wall!)
Be sure not to take things too personally. People will often say offensive things they didn’t mean around this time, because their thinking is clouded & their communication skills are on pause! If your best friend suddenly became the most insensitive person in the world, give her the benefit of the doubt.
Back up your data!
Don’t purchase any big ticket items, because they will often have flaws or issues that you weren’t aware of! Of course, life doesn’t stop just because of wacky planetary movement, so if you absolutely have to get that car, computer or iPhone, TRIPLE-check all the paperwork, & make sure you have a warranty!
Take things with a grain of salt. Everyone is a bit confused, & people are much more inclined to change their mind once Mercury goes direct. Mercury can be a bit of a trickster — could it be that the next few weeks are a big karmic joke?!
Read the small print on any contracts. Ask lots of questions. Again, you can’t put your life on hold just because of some silly planet, but adapt your lifestyle a bit so that things run more smoothly. Communication can be a mess right now, but do your best to get as much information as you can.
Finish things you started a while ago. Home improvement projects? Wardrobe re-organisations? Short stories? Love affairs?! This is an excellent time to tie up loose ends & file things away forever.
Get together with old friends, reminisce & laugh!
Double-check any information you’re given, especially as relates to travel arrangements! During one particularly formidable Mercury retrograde, I actually caught a cab to the wrong airport! Check times, delays, baggage allowances, reservations… everything!
Allow Mercury to nudge you in unusual directions. If you seem to find yourself “back to the future”, don’t just try to wriggle out of it — look at what the universe is trying to show you. What can you learn from this situation? This is a fantastic time to re-examine, accept & move on.
Use the things you’ve discovered in the past to create a dazzling new vision so that you’re ready to blast ahead when Mercury goes direct!
Fingers crossed for the next few weeks, & best of luck to you!
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Mystic Medusa 2010 Horoscopes
[ 11 January 2010, 10:28 ]
If you’ve been reading iCiNG for any real length of time, you should know by now that my favourite site on the entire web is Mystic Medusa. It is seriously the best, & always the first one I check. Additionally, Mystic has been really good to me, sends me signed copies of her books & puts up with me constantly emailing her links about weird astrology-related products that I find in my incessant browsing! (Like constellation cuffs & zodiac panties!)
We were having a little chitter-chat the other day when she asked if I’d like to post her 2010 forecasts. Would I ever! These are meant for subscribers only (so keep it on the hush!), & mega-delicious. She writes these for In Style magazine; pretty fancy, huh?
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! Mystic has this excellent subscriber service called Daily Mystic, where every morning she emails you about what the planets are doing, what you can expect from the day & what kind of action to take. I have been a subscriber for ages & think it is totally brill. She’s offering a super-special price to nonpareils for a 6 month subscription. Details at the bottom of the post!
Here are Mystic Medusa’s predictions for what magic is heading your way in two-thousand-&-amen!
Style: Always the Alpha-Girl, you’re about to reinvent yourself yet again. An innovative new era starts in June. For the first time in 80 years, rad planet Uranus will be in Aries. Let your look lead the way via a make-over. Scheme for a mid-year relaunch: Honed bod from mega-fitness, scarlet, diamonds, tan, clean, eco, sporty & a sci-fi style scent concocted with ground-breaking technology. Nothing naff, chintzy nor old-school and the same with accessories.
Happiness: June to September sees you blissing out with Jupiter, the luckiest planet of all. Anticipate peak experiences as you assert yourself more stylishly. You’re soul-mining until March 11, as Mars Retrograde hypes spiritual life. Yoga, retreats & spa hols do brilliant work. Your professional life needs to be approached as a non-stop transformational junket. You’re incapable of stagnation there and things screw up fast if you try to go it in slo-mo.
Love: After April, you’re compelled to set better relationship boundaries. An uncertain phase lingering since October 2009 ends in July and serious deepening of commitments is on your agenda: Marriage, children, a business together or a casual flirtation ramping up into more passionate scenarios. However, you’re not in the mood for immature game-playing. If necessary, you’ll ditch scrappy love affairs and set off to seek something more sophisticated.
Style: Emerald is both your colour and birthstone, with ornate & velvety sensual styles becoming you best. Being ruled by sexual allure & beauty goddess Venus, you care far more for feminine appeal than tricky little fads. Recent years have demanded a strongly directional wardrobe. But in 2010 you’re back on the fun & relaxation track, requiring flattering leisure & lounging around gear. Think: Modern-day siren, totally comfortable and yet silkily gorgeous.
Happiness: Energy channelled into chez Cow repays with riches and peace of mind. But, for domestic bliss, hold off on home projects and big real estate spends until March 11. Rather than grumbling about a lack-lustre social life, take radical steps to broaden friendship circles from late Jan to May. Social life brings career blessings. Amazing opportunities to do with overseas or academia, which were hinted at last year, transform your life unbelievably in 2010.
Love: An erotic spring fling? Fateful love affair the likes of which you have never experienced before? From Sept 9 and for the rest of the year, you have your ruling planet Venus in the House of Love. It’s an extraordinary time for you in romance. Expect the most amazing synchronicity to connect you to people with whom you experience an instant and intense attraction. If you’re pair-bonded, temptation from an outside person may be an issue.
Style: Girlish in-a-good-way, on message with trends & lithe-figured, Gemini is the Zodiac Fashionista. As career takes off from late January, you’re inspired into a sleeker work wardrobe & polished presentation. You are your greatest investment. Pearls are your signature astro-jewel, wear-anywhere and always divine. Late April to June is your zone for zapping yourself into a whole new level of looks, charm and clothes-savvy. Un-rut yourself and live large.
Happiness: Personal freedom increases in 2010, along with fantastic career openings, prosperity and general success. You finalise an ongoing home, ex-lover or family situation by April. July is financially momentous: a new biz, marrying into money or bigtime promotion are all potential themes. Creative Geminis enjoy a huge degree of inspiration and recognition in the second half of the year. From Sept, work life takes on a strangely sensual and flirtatious edge.
Love: Thanks to Saturn at play, you are now way more cunning and manipulative in dating. You refuse to engage with anyone won’t afford you the respect you require to feel cool. Fertility & children could easily be an issue. Solo Gems are highly likely to meet a major love interest (not just a weirdo or player) in late January/early Feb, late May/early June. But all 2010 you enjoy fantastic social encounters and intense flirtations that flare up in seconds.
Style: Yours is the most classic and romantic look of all. Fresh fashion with vintage styling suits your old-worldly beauty along with intricate archetypal jewels & accessories. Your flowers are the pink lotus, symbol of spiritual love, the lily and white rose. Silver is the Cancerian metal & moonstone the jewel of your soul. In 2010 you streamline the time-money equation by happening upon a designer who so totally gets your ideal look that it’s like clairvoyance.
Happiness: From late May till September, you benefit from sugar-dad Jupiter and radical Uranus in your vocational sector. This is the start of a cool and more prosperous new era for Crabby careers. Shake off rusty old limitations – dream big. The main themes of your year is travel, long-distance love, the higher mind and realising your most visionary dreams. September and November are extra brilliant for overseas junkets, business trips and finding yourself.
Love: A calmer and wiser you beams radiant, sexy self-reliance to the world and it affects your romantic realm for the better. Since late 2008, your love life has been way more passionate and karmic, a vehicle for your transformation. This process continues and if you have not yet, you begin a brilliant, intense and fulfilling Big Love story in 2010. September onward is hot, thanks to Venus in mystical mode. Fate reconnects you with someone from your Past.
Style: Suitably, for luxe-loving you, your lucky jewellery is gold and yellow sapphire. Wear both to enhance your gilded Leo beauty. Cash flows from May and you may enjoy money from unexpected sources. All the better to fund your unabashed love of beauty, art elegance & pleasure. Good living is not at all shallow to you.You make it an art. Your taste is singular, expensive & often ornate but you enhance the world and brighten the very air around you.
Happiness: In mid-January you initiate your most stunning health and chic physique metamorphosis ever. This year you’re also learning to love the biz side of creativity & your life. Until March 11, be tactical with everyone, especially career v.i.p.s. Play things strategically enough and March to June represents a jubilant professional phase in which you lap up lavish reward and recognition. A mid-year work trip or offshore biz interests are out of routine but so worth it.
Love: Romance is more mystical, strange and inexplicable than ever. You attract the most fascinating of lovers and there is a deep dimension of soulful emotion running through even the most seemingly simple of attractions. Destiny is at play and your dreams message you many clues as to your relationships. Pair-bonded Leos may be tempted by outside potential partners and ambiguity of attachments. Mid-2010 is off-the-scale hot for sudden love affairs.
Style: A sophisticated eye, ability to edit and fastidious fashion details consciousness ensures you are always chic. You’re a jewellery diva – jasper and peridot are your cosmically assigned rocks – but you favour subtle genius over overtly flash bling. The craft is all, as it is with your clothes. One brilliantly devised & rendered item of anything trumps a thousand cheap bits of tat. This year, especially from September, you are more overtly sensual in your image.
Happiness: Ditch people who drain your Qi or otherwise take your goodness for granted. Artistically, it’s time to put it out there. Anticipate dramatic changes in friendships, with some surprise re-entries back into your life. Bizarre but brilliant alternative health practices benefit beauty, well-being and peace of mind. Many of you are clucky, having babies and/or loving chez Virgo and family life more than ever. From July, you reinvent yourself as a biz whiz.
Love: It’s your absolute most officially lucky phase for true love in 12 years. For the first time since 1998, you have got lucky Jupiter gracing your relationship sector. The optimal times for love: January 18 till June 6 and then September onward. Existing partnerships are blessed – you two can definitely profit together. Solo Virgos meet a new person who is extremely good for you, an official ‘catch’ and adoring of you. A positive attitude helps unlock the luck.
Style: As your appreciation for gorgeous clothes and cosmetics testifies, Libra is the archetypal sign of beauty. In 2010, you have Saturn in your sign to contend with. This is your cosmic cue to add in a strategic element to image and grooming. Self-control and planning bring brilliant results when aligned with your natural-born feminine prettiness. Saturn also signifies investment jewellery and the desire to measure time with a meaningful watch.
Happiness: Saturn in your sign only happens once every 29 years, prompting you to unleash courage and a steelier persona onto those who would underestimate you. Don’t let them mistake your incredible charm for weakness. You enjoy fabulously transformative home stars and the chance to radically alter chez Libra so that it is far more you. Jan and July coincide with significant shifts in real estate, your key residence, attitudes to family and décor concepts.
Love: A mid-year love quake may manifest as a surprise suitor or your sudden yearnings to be emancipated. This astro-passage only occurs once every 84 years and it’s affecting you from June. Think fast change, a thrilling romantic life and unconventional relationships. eg; A way younger lover, someone who lives far away. However this plays out, expect that your boredom threshold is going to be much lower. Pity the person who tries to fence you in.
Style: Scorps are either witches skulking in sheep’s clothing – yoga wear, urban warrior conservative office uniform – or they’re insanely charismatic and dramatic. With macho Mars dominating your public image sector until June, you now switching to full stun mode 24-7. Think in terms of your cosmic colours –blue and purple – with extreme design that only you could carry off. You’re adept at scent warfare and topaz is your personal powerstone.
Happiness: You’re ultra-fertile, both mentally and physically. Kids play a magical role in your life and you in theirs. You get off more than ever on your world, becoming a bona-fide life enhancer. Money merde fades from February and you enjoy a pioneering new sense of ease in career realms. June onwards is about awesome work opportunities and the chance to operate from a position of hyped freedom, if not total autonomy. You’re taking charge & feeling hot.
Love: From January 18, you have auspicious Jupiter beefing up fun and romance. You also have a high chance of meeting thrill-seeker style guys chez work. Options are multiplying non-stop. Your new relationship mantra? More fun – less fear. But the most significant love developments actually occur from September and into early 2011, as Venus spends way longer than usual in your sign, a wonderful omen for happy times and true love.
Style: Gorgeous citizen of the world that you are, your signature style is ravingly eclectic. Yes, turquoise is your official and lucky stone but you’ll grab anything that takes your fancy and make it your own. The Sagg speciality is combining haute and low, to devastating effect. eg; faded old jeans with a diamond tennis bracelet. A long gown for dinner by the beach with sandy bare feet. You’re getting wealthier in 2010, all the better to manifest your unique vision.
Happiness: You are renowned for candour and this obviously does not make you the greatest corporate player in history. But this year you enjoy a far greater degree of basic smarts when it comes to biz and work situations. Use April to June for redefining your vocational stance and upskilling if appropriate. Sensational opportunities arrive in July; Be prepped. Any time from September is spectacular for a retreat or deeply personal journey of discovery.
Love: Late May through to mid-August is when the fun begins. Think: Sudden romance, lust at first sight and exciting trips undertaken in the name of love. From September, you are in a situation where your relationship life feels blended with spiritual pursuits. As your ruler, lucky Jove, is in the home sector, you’ve a huge chance of hooking up with a new love interest via your family or a childhood friend. It’s also a prime time for fertility and babies.
Style: Capricorn is cosmically blessed with beautiful bone structure, good taste and the ability to look younger with every year. Your gem is the gorgeous garnet and platinum your appropriately power-vibing metal. You are in Phoenix mode all year, particularly in February and it is time to slough off vestiges of out-moded routines, much-loved but no-longer-you accessories and wardrobe. Unclutter so that fresh energies of renewal can enter your life.
Happiness: Life gives you the chance to be absolutely and radiantly yourself. It’s individuation to the max. You crave to be appreciated for nothing less than your authentic self. This attitude permeates every aspect of your life. Tres deep and oddly enough, profitable. You attract like-minded peeps to work and play with. The Solar Eclipse in your sign on January 15 is major; your real New Year and the best starred time to set some serious goals.
Love: Relationships that are basically fake, for convenience, to show that you can ‘get’ someone or inequitable dissolve. You’re not interested in wasting time on go-nowhere flirtations or dysfunctional lovers. Oddly enough your empowered new boundary-setting has love interests falling over themselves to pursue you. If you are looking to meet someone, Sept to November is your zone and it will be a relationship of immediate significance and depth.
Style: You discover or create a signature style early on in life, and constantly retweak it to suit where you’re at right now. That’s the Aqua way. You’re always eco-conscious, avant-garde and trend-forward of course. Your serenity-enhancing stone is the Amethyst although if you could tile your bathroom-sanctuary in lapiz lazuli, you would. In this year of more demand for your expertise, organise your wardrobe so it’s auto-chic, no angsting on your part.
Happiness: Jupiter, the luckiest planet of all, is in your $$$ sector from January 18 to early June & then again from Sept 9 for the rest of the year. These phases coincide with magnificent money scenarios. It only occurs once every 12 years so do your utmost to co-operate with the cosmic largesse. In early June, Jupiter meets your patron planet Uranus. This is the best time in ages to launch a new enterprise or be daring in any regard whatsoever.
Love: Whilst a significant romance may seem to stall in the first few months of 2010, it is all back on track with Mars Direct on March 11. 2010 is a joyous and thrilling years for romance ever, especially April/May. Remember that this sort of astroscape, whilst exciting, does not so much favour steady and regular loving, as it does a surfeit of pleasure and fun. The New Moon on August 10 is your cue to clarify the direction of a relationship.
Style: Jupiter affords you far more options for lavish living than you have had in a while. So take advantage of these celestial blessings to better define your look. Think; fresh make-up strategies & the symbolic new beginning of an extreme lingerie makeover. The Piscean gem is the Aquamarine and all variations of the colour become you as well. The part of the body ruled by your sign is the feet; beautiful shoes are thus vital to spiritual wellbeing.
Happiness: Pluto in your Social Sector transforms every element of your friendships. People whom you thought would be in your life forever may fade out for a while and you form fantastic new connections with enviable ease and speed. If you can consciously think in terms of expanding your social networks, the benefits are unbelievable. Jupiter in Pisces is about your self-confidence and opportunities blossoming. You’re particularly prosperous in mid-2010.
Love: Since late 2007, you have been under the pump, learning untold love lessons, thanks to Saturn in the relationship sector. Now, apart from a little flashback from April to July, you’re done with angst and are ready to shift into a more fun and flowing romance reality. But keep the emotional self-reliance & sophistication you have picked up. Magical months for romance include Jan/Feb and from September onward and into January 2011.
To gain access to rad tidbits & special offers, as well as daily emails in simple but hilarious language that detail what is going on in the sky, how it affects you & what you can do about it, nab a six month subscription to Daily Mystic! Click below to find out the secret price! (You won’t be charged unless you decide to actually buy!) P.S. It is usually $55!
To you from me, Pinky Lee!
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lifeLightcasting Day: April 2009!
[ 24 April 2009, 14:49 ]
Eeeeeep! I almost forgot! Today is Lightcasting Day wherever you are on the planet — the day of the new moon, the day when it’s most powerful to do some manifesting & visualising & think about what it is you want out of the next month!
If you’re new to lightcasting, I wrote a guide to it a few months ago. Each sign has something different to focus on each month, so here’s what you might like to meditate on today or tomorrow!
Aquarius Start from the ground up. Take stock of the environment you grew up in, your early childhood, & how you treat yourself today. Choose to heal, to grow & leave the past behind.
Pisces How do you react to the world around you? How could you change the way you behave in order to alter your current reality? Try writing it out or talking about it with someone you trust; see what you can come up with.
Aries Give some thought to how much you value yourself, your time, your health. Basically, this weekend is about self-esteem. Every choice we make has a direct correlation to how much we love ourselves, so what are your choices saying about you?
Taurus Who do you think you are? It’s time to create a new persona & a new ego. Do you want to be wild or mild? Sweet or crazy? Honest or shrewd? Throw it all into a big mixing pot & start living it.
Gemini Switch up your routine & break rotten old patterns. If someone always talks to you in a way you don’t like, start reacting differently. Change habits which are unhealthy or make you feel bad about yourself.
Cancer Are you a social butterfly or a homebody? This coming month is all about your position in society. Think about the kind of social life you’d like to have, then start making it happen!
Leo How do you feel about your work? Does it fulfil you or does it leave you feeling empty & drained? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? This weekend, visualise yourself living & loving you ideal work.
Virgo Our beliefs are fluid, they change as we do. The things that used to be true for you may not be any longer. You may have thought having a job = security, but that’s not true any more. Don’t be afraid to shift your perceptions!
Libra Where do you draw the line with other people? Do you have trouble saying no? This month is all about boundaries & intimacy — it’s time to create new boundaries that make you feel good.
Scorpio You’re re-evaluating everything you’ve been connected to for a long time — like relationships, work, friends & even how you treat yourself. Heavy stuff! Try not to overburden yourself though, just ruminate!
Sagittarius When you change your day-to-day life, everything else changes too. It’s the perfect time to switch your routine, what you eat, how you exercise, & who you spend time with.
Capricorn Your inner child wants some attention! Our inner child is the part of us that dreams really big, with no regard for how to do anything. Listen closely this weekend & you’ll remember what it is you really want!
You can get a whole lot more information about your individual sign here! Enjoy your weekend!
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lifeAstro-Weirding Courtesy Of Retrograde Venus
[ 16 April 2009, 23:24 ]
Some of you may have noticed that the past little while has been… well, WEIRD, for lack of a better word. Especially in the romance universe. Mixed messages, insanely indecipherable behaviour & strange incompatibilities are all rife. It’s maddening. Why? Because Venus has been in retrograde, & has been since the 6th of March. This could explain a few things, hmm?! When planets retrograde, we often feel stuck or confused & unable to move forward. While this is extremely frustrating, it’s a great time to learn & reflect on our old patterns so we can change them & surge onwards to a bright new dawn.
Venus is the planet of love & creativity. It also rules beauty, aesthetics, friendships, marriages & pleasure, so when it goes retrograde, it can affect us in various ways. Arguments, misunderstandings & epic miscommunications are everywhere you turn, romances hit rocky territory, artists lose their mojo & writers feel uninspired. Ordinarily outgoing people want to hide in their houses, & even shopping for clothing or furniture can become a frustrating trial. Ex-boyfriends might start emailing you out of the blue — sentimental thoughts are higher than usual. You might be re-evaluating all your past relationships, as we often find ourselves being forced to deal with old issues during this time, & we could be drawn to more unconventional relationships (or people!) than would normally appeal to us. Yes, it can be a trying time. To see what Venus retrograde has really struck for you, this page from Cafe Astrology outlines what particular areas have been affected for each sign.
The good news is that Venus is going direct again this Friday/Saturday depending on where you are on the planet (see below). Even better, at the time it goes direct, Mercury trines Saturn, meaning mental powers are heightened & we all feel super-conscious & lucid.
Venus goes direct again at…
12.25pm Friday 17th April in Los Angeles
15.25pm Friday 17th April in New York
20.25pm Friday 17th April in London
5.25am Saturday 18th April in Sydney
7.25am Saturday 18th April in Wellington
(If your city isn’t listed, this time zone converter should do the trick!)
Hallelujah!
Mystic Medusa sent out a great message on her mailing list the other day with a couple of ideas of rituals you could do to usher in Venus going direct, & as I read it & thought ‘What a great idea!’, it occurred to me that there were a lot of other ways you could do this that were less pagan/squiffy/“new age” in nature. We are not all comfortable lighting a candle & waving around a stick of incense, right?
Firstly, though, why would anyone want to do a ritual just because the planets are changing? Well, really what it’s about is making a conscious decision to end a chapter in your life & start on a fresh new course. So often people say, “Okay, time for a change!” but it never comes to fruition. There are a multitude of reasons for this, but when you decide to do something, it can be really helpful to make a dedication to it through your actions. You can write a list of goals, you can restructure your time, etc., but you can also kick it all off with a ritual to get you on the right track. Plus… rituals can be really fun, always a good reason to do anything!
In this case, Venus going direct is a time to commit to what it is you want in the areas of love, friendship, creativity & pleasure. We create our own lives, after all — this is just another way of making that happen.
When you do a ritual of any kind that is intended to bring about change, really what you want to do is focus on what it is that you want while performing an action which helps crystallise your thoughts. Visualising is an awesome way to manifest things, but at the same time, it’s very “up there”, which means that a lot of people feel like they’re not really doing it right. Visualising while moving your body with intent is a great way to bring manifesting into the here & now & make it more concrete. (Ah yes, all that dabbling in wicca at age 14 — despite the fact that it concerned my parents a LOT — had its uses!)
Visualise can be a scary, new agey word to a lot of people but I’ll let you in on a secret — it’s really just a fancy way of saying “imagine”!
Here are a selection of ways that you can unite body & mind. Just remember to keep your intention in your head as you do them! Think about what it is you want to create in your own life, specifically in the realm of love, friendship & creativity. Maybe you want to patch things up with your boyfriend, heal old relationship issues, make new friends or start writing a book. Whatever it is, just fantasize about it as you do one of the following, or something of your own creation — I’d love to hear what you come up with!
Re-examine your creative space. Clear it out. Take down all the old pictures, fortunes, trinkets, clean them off & then add in some new things which fire you up in fresh ways.
Make a list of all of the beautiful things you can think of — then come up with a bunch of ways to celebrate them when Venus goes direct.
Write a letter to your ex. Be as angry as you like. Spew total filth. Throw blame around, feel the fury, wallow in it. Then read it aloud, & BURN IT. As you burn it, allow those problems to disappear with it.
Write down all the ways you can be a love letter to the universe, & choose a few to action!
Glue heart-shaped crystals to your face & go out dancing.
Write a letter to yourself, explaining why you’re so fabulous & what you are thankful for.
Hold hands with a friend & recite affirmations together.
Conjure up images of all your ex-lovers in your head, & instead of seeing them as the person who caused this or that, choose to see them as a flawed person who did their best to love you.
Similarly, think of the people who surround you currently & decide to focus on their best & most positive qualities. No point dwelling on what could be different!
Buy a corkboard & pin up a bunch of pictures which symbolise what it is you want to attract into your life. Put on fun music, go mad with scissors, enjoy yourself! (Corkboards are good for making vision boards because while you want to see them regularly, sometimes you don’t want other people to see them… So you can always put them in a closet or under the bed when you have company!)
Make a little speech as you dedicate yourself to beauty & integrity.
Go through old love letters & throw them out — just ditch that cobwebby energy — OR pick the best ones, & frame them as an example of what it is you’re seeking. Just remember not to attach to the person who wrote them, unless of course you want them back!
Create a playlist of your favourite music, grab your hula hoop & headphones, go out & dance in the sunshine & revel in the wonder of the everyday.
Invite your lover — or someone you’re having issues with — & tell them that you both have fifteen minutes to get past garbage off your chests. You can make notes in preparation if you want. You have fifteen minutes to say your piece, & when the clock strikes half past, you have to both let it go & make up. Use your imagination!
Repot old plants & see them as a symbol of change, growth & evolution.
Meditate.
Dress in pink & throw yourself a belated Valentine’s Day-esque party.
Journal. Ask yourself questions, & answer them. What could you let go of to bring more positivity into your life? What fears are holding you back from doing that? In which areas are you willing to make change?
Think of an old conversation you had — one that is affecting you to this day (most of us have hundreds we can draw upon in a heartbeat) — & recite it as accurately as you can. Then recite it again, but this time, imagine it went a different way — a way that would have left you feeling good. Visualise this actually happening as clearly as possible. Then let it go.
Think about the ways you can take action in your life to change what has been bothering you for the past couple of months. Venus retrograde is really about observing & becoming aware of problems, not necessarily taking any concrete steps towards change, so consider what you could do now to shake things up.
Write notes to your friends outlining why you love them & what you appreciate about them.
Clear out the space in which you typically “get busy” — whether that’s your bedroom, kitchen (oh!), or the back seat of your Jeep… Get rid of dying plants or flowers (bad feng shui!), bring in some colour, vacuum, make it somewhere you really want to be!
Dispose of all the old energy following you around by getting a bit OCD on it. Clean everything. Change your bedding, wash your clothes, take off all the jewellery you wear regularly & clean it, dust, mop, etc.
The most powerful time of the transit is the hour that Venus goes direct — so the half hour on either side of the times stated above. So if you’re in London, kick off at about 8pm, & see if you can draw it out until 9.
Best of luck!
Extra For Experts:
If you want to come up with your own way of celebrating or ritualising Venus going direct, these resources might help you!
How to Create a Ritual or Ceremony from Spiritual Integrity.
New Moon Manifestation Ritual from About.com. This is new moon specific but still useful.
Ritual & Ceremony by Zan Benham.
Dance as ritual & transformation from The Hindu newspaper.
A Self Love Ceremony from About.com.
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[ 15 April 2009, 12:02 ]
I am so excited to announce that I have teamed up with the infamous SoulGarden Collective! Meetings at technicolour swimming pools & glow-in-the-dark Mexican restaurants sparked off a wonderful friendship, & the upside to this is that you can now watch your daily horoscope right here on iCiNG! Wooooooooooooo!
If you glance casually to your right, you’ll see a SoulGarden icon, or you can just click here & go straight to it. Bookmark that page! Christopher does video horoscopes for each sign EVERY day — Monday through Friday — so you can hit it up any time for an instant astrological fix!
The player kicks off with the AstroWeather, but you can click the little two-prong icon to access the menu & go directly to your horoscope!
I hope you enjoy this new development, I’m so thrilled!
P.S. This player uses Flash, so if it’s not working, you might want to try checking for updates!
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