Lifestyle
Protect Yourself From Negative Energy Attachments
A neighbor once asked me to smudge her home and bless it, because she felt there was a lot of negative energy there. She could just ‘feel it.’ People lived below her that she could hear arguing until late hours in the night, using foul language. They would chain smoke too, to the extent that it would rise up through the floorboards. It made her feel sick and caused her to have migraine headaches. Apart from that there were also some old ‘cobwebs’ of trapped negative energy that she wanted me to some and clean out.
She had been dealing with the ups and downs of depression for as long I’ve known her. She is one of the sweetest people you could ever hope to meet, let alone have as a neighbor. She is very kind and always there if you need her. She would be very social at times, inviting friends from church over and entertaining friends regularly, for several weeks, and then she would suddenly feel overwhelmed by the chaos and drama of the people around her, feel drained and depressed, and withdraw from everyone. Then you would not see her for weeks, sometimes months.
I told her I felt that she needed to protect herself energetically and shared with her ways that she can do this. I explained to her that sometimes, when we engage with people, we can pick up some of their negative energies. Even if they are seemingly good people, who go to church and so on, it doesn’t necessarily mean that these people are free from negative energies, or worse, unwanted spirit attachments.
Astrology Forecast July 17 – 23, 2023
The week begins with a gentle Cancer New Moon today, which will instill us with the desire to nurture ourselves and others. Under a Cancer New Moon our emotions take center stage and our sense of compassion, kindness and tolerance becomes elevated. This evening’s Cancer Moon trine with Neptune in Pisces will add to our heightened empathy and understanding.
Make the most of these energies by reaching out to someone you care about, or step up to make the peace with someone you have been at odds with.
Tonight will also be a great time to catch up on your spiritual practice with some meditation, prayer for others, oracle card or rune reading, or journaling.
Our love-and-belonging mindset will escalate even further tomorrow and Wednesday, as the Moon glides through big-hearted Leo and inspires us to lean in and reconnect with those closest to us.
We’ll also have to do some productive work this week, of course, and the Virgo Moon will make Thursday and Friday’s the ideal days to take care of responsibilities and tasks we cannot postpone until next week.
The Sun enters Leo on Saturday, heralding a four-week cycle of self-love, generosity, and strength of heart. A few hours later, Venus will turn retrograde, kicking off a six-week cycle of romance and relationship energies that we’ll need to pay close attention to. This aspect can bring lovers back from the past (not necessarily for a reconnection) or create the opportunity to magically connect with your soulmate.
If you’re in a relationship that has run its course, this will become more apparent in the weeks ahead, and if you have been neglecting a valued relationship in your life, this will become equally apparent. Expect changes in your relationships over the next month and a half. Being more mindful with your partner, loved ones and friends will work in your favor during this time.
Astrology Forecast July 10 – 16, 2023
Mars transits into Virgo today, heralding a two-month cycle of detailed and deliberate action, strong intellectual energy, enterprising ambition and increased productivity.
Whether you’re doing research to write the next Oscar-worthy screenplay, mapping out a plan for a big remodeling project, or setting up a new business, the next two months will prove invaluable to set the stage of the next chapter in your life.
Tuesday will be the most powerful day for productive work and business success. Mercury will move into Leo to add to our Mars-in-Virgo inspired ‘star power’ by further elevating our ideas and inspirations.
Tuesday morning’s Taurus Moon sextile with Saturn in Pisces will also chime in to add to our sense of responsibility, goal-oriented action, and organizational abilities.
In the afternoon, the Moon’s conjunction with Jupiter in Taurus will reward our efforts with heightened social influence and financial gains. So, take advantage of this powerful window of opportunity to shine tomorrow!
We’ll take a step back on Wednesday as the Moon moves through Taurus, to ground, center and rebalance, before moving forward.
Thursday and Friday’s Gemini Moon will lure us into more social activities to connect with friends, or brainstorm with colleagues..
Give yourself permission to embrace the free-flowing, easy-going vibes of Saturday and Sunday’s Cancer Moon. It’s okay to take some time out from all the planning, analysis and deep thinking for a relaxing weekend after all the mental gymnastics of the week.
Reflections
Sitting on the porch. Rocking. Yes, rocking in my willow rocking chair, surrounded by the smell of petrichor – that delightful odor the earth gifts us with when fresh rain is coming down after a long, dry spell. The aroma of the freshly hung chile ristras greets me in the Santa Fe, New Mexico tradition at this time of year, when the growing season is done and the picking of the season’s ripe offerings has begun. Richness abounds with the aromas of the petrichor and the strung pods of red chile blending in the softness of the evening breeze.
The automatic flood light and the blue laser lights have come on, as they do every day at dusk, to illuminate the waterfall in the garden, although it’s still a bit early for them to shine their brightest. Not quite dark enough yet, but soon it will be. I just fed my precious four-legged fur daughter her dinner. Now that my day is done and another week has gone by, I am contemplating whether or not I have done well this week.
Yes, I believe so! I have learned so much and have grasped many new concepts. I also renewed my awareness of some familiar concepts that were in need of repetition, so I could complete some hard earned lessons. And I found resolution to some newer viewpoints on old issues. Whew! I feel I’ve been turned wrong side out in just one week, only to realize it is the other way around. I was wrong-side-out before. Now I’m right-side-in, or more so at least.
I look up from my musings to see the lights. It is dark now and they’re shining brightly against the dark night sky. The lasers look like blue fireflies as they pinpoint their magical presence. The synchronicity feels deeply significant. At the end of another week, after much breaking down of old thought patterns, I see the flood light and laser lights reflecting the realization that I am different now than last week, or at any time before.
Astrology Forecast July 3 – 9, 2023
A Capricorn Full Moon sets the scene today for a potentially temperamental, irritable start to the week. The Moon’s opposition to Mercury in Cancer is likely to add to this ticking time bomb. So, take care to center yourself!
Tread lightly at home with significant others, find your inner peace before you venture out, and try to avoid unnecessary contact with relatives, as this lunar energy is notorious for its tendency to trigger family conflict and drama. You may also have a ‘bad hair’ moment this morning, and feel very indecisive about what to wear. Just keep it simple and go with that go-to favorite outfit.
A calm, focused state of mind is especially vital today and tomorrow to ensure that we will complete obligations, tie up loose ends, and release it, as once the Moon moves into Aquarius on Wednesday, we want to be ready for the next cycle to pursue new projects, adventures, and goals.
The key to bringing our dreams to life is to begin within, nurturing them energetically, before manifesting them in the physical world. The Moon in Pisces on Friday and Saturday will prove a great time to do just that.
By Sunday we’ll be ready to take action on our new plans and ideas. Spurred on by the Aries Moon, we should see great progress in the days to come. It’s not typical to see such powerful activity when the Sun is in Cancer, but all the planets seem to be aligned for an assertive shift forward, so go ahead and dust off those manifesting skills this weekend.
Are You Ready For The Unexpected?
It has been quite the saga with the dishwasher in my apartment! It has not worked properly for over a year now. The maintenance crew here at the apartment complex has been able to keep it going, but it keeps flooding and breaking down. They have however grown somewhat weary with the ongoing dish drama, but I still manage to gain some sympathy for my struggles.
The last time they came by to repair the temperamental kitchen appliance, it took three weeks for them to show up after I put in the maintenance request. They took me by surprise, but I am not sure who was startled more – me or them. You see, I sometimes like to work in my pajamas, and therefore I was not at all prepared for their visit! Fortunately, I was able to retreat to my home office and merely close the door.
It got me thinking about our everyday readiness to embrace the unexpected in life. As spirit beings we signed up for human adventure riddled with many twists and turns, as well as some adversity and unforeseen surprises. The only way to safely and successfully navigate all these ups and downs is to be guided by the higher self with the support of spirit.
When we raise our vibration through spiritual practice and a conscious lifestyle, we build a foundational state of readiness that empowers us to calmly expect the unexpected, and to always be prepared for anything.
I think of it as ‘Father Readiness.’ In The Bible, Matthew 24 states that “no one knows the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
The Robin Outside My Window
Birdwatching has become a favorite pastime for me over the last year or two. This morning, I noticed a robin building a nest on one of the air conditioning units on a neighbor’s deck, directly opposite my window.
I was overjoyed! We’ve had very dry weather here in my state since mid-spring, causing robins to struggle finding nesting materials.
Some years ago, I found a newborn chick on a sidewalk while out for a walk. I could not tell for sure what species of bird it was, but it looked like it might be an American robin. I found no nest nearby to put it back into and had no idea what to do with it, but take it home. Sadly, it did not survive.
Since then, I’ve had some ‘robin guilt’ and wished I could have done more to save it. I suspect this stems from another robin incident, when I was growing up. Back then I also tried to care for older fledglings that ultimately didn’t make it. Should I have let nature take its course, instead of trying to take things into my own hands?
Last fall, after the breeding season ended, I purchased some mealworms and placed them by the forested ridge at the end of the complex where I live. The hungry robins were very appreciative, especially after the first frost. It warmed my heart! I plan to continue helping the robins around my apartment complex as the drought continues.
The deeper truth is that robins always remind me of my father. The Latin name for the American robin is turdus migratorius, because it is a migratory songbird that is free-roaming and very sensitive to environmental conditions. However, because they are highly adaptable, their migratory habits tend to be sporadic, even random.