Lifestyle
Astrology Forecast April 26 – May 2, 2021
Today’s Scorpio Full Moon, also known as the ‘Pink Moon,’ may throw us a bit off-center for a day or two, as its intensity can tend to bring hidden fears to the surface or make us doubt our current course. On the upside we may feel very sensual, adventurous and even courageous to try new things, but we may also be prone to passionate drama, overreaction or conflict. Combined with Pluto turning retrograde in Capricorn on Tuesday, the first part of this week therefore is a time for practicing caution and refraining from making any hasty decisions or taking impulsive actions one way or the other!
Things ease up considerably under Wednesday and Thursday’s Sagittarius Moon, when a more lighthearted energy emanates from the heavens. Staying focused in the moment will help bring things to right size again and eradicate a feeling of being overwhelmed.
It’s back to work the remainder of the week, as the Moon travels through responsible Capricorn from Friday through Sunday. Time to tackle the workload and chores that keep our worlds running smoothly as we transition from April into May. All in all, even though things may start out on a somewhat challenging note, we’ll be able to reclaim our balance and equilibrium later in the week and become very productive.
The Capricorn Moon Trine Venus in Taurus on Saturday will have us in a very loving, happy mood with the desire to care for friends and family and have everyone get along in peace and harmony without conflict or arguments. This amicable energy makes the weekend a good time to build family connection, rekindle friendships and cultivate a sense of belonging.
How To Practice The Art Of Gratitude
My life has not been without its challenges. Nevertheless, I love my job, have a beautiful son, an adorable husband and supportive friends and family. Therefore, irrespective of current world events, I genuinely have a lot to be grateful for!
Gratitude is beneficial for all of us, including physically, emotionally and spiritually. For one, appreciating the good things in our lives helps us to be more tolerant and forgiving, with a higher sense of life satisfaction. Grateful people also tend to have more hope and inner peace and feel less anxious and alone.
God, Spirit, the Universe loves gratitude! Those who are sincerely grateful are blessed with even more to be grateful for. Like attracts like.
How does one ensure that you practice the art of gratitude ever day? The following guidelines should help:
Seek Out The Positive
In my own personal research into positive psychology, I became aware of something referred to as negativity bias. In case you have not heard of this, it means that our negative thoughts tend to be more dominant than the positive ones.
An excellent way of counteracting this negative way of thinking is to seek out at least three things in your life every day that you are well and truly grateful for. Try to make this a daily habit. By doing so, it should have you smiling in next to no time!
I remember when I was about 26 years old and in a particularly challenging place in my life. I was advised by a psychic, whom I reached out to with my troubles, to watch the film or read the book, The Color Purple by Alice Walker. It is some of the best advice I have every received. Once I had read the last chapter, I felt so grateful for whatever I had in my life.
Put Down The Phone And Start Living
I used to walk around the lake in the small town where I used to live. It was a picturesque hike that took you all the way around a large body of water that fed into the lake.
It was also a popular camping ground. Many city folks came to our little rural town to camp. Day after day, I saw them walking their dogs around the campsite, or relaxing on the park benches overlooking the water.
But nobody seemed to be appreciating much of the beauty of the natural surroundings. No, they were all too busy looking down at their phones!
In the good old days, people used to love breathing the fresh air, watching the children playing, looking for baby lizards on the sunbaked rocks, admiring a newlywed bride dancing on the beach, or marveling at the curious formations of the clouds above. These many beautiful nuances and subtleties in the world around us, are what make life joyful and precious.
Sadly, even seeing people walk their dogs saddens me these days. Everyone appears to be obsessed with their phones only. The dog owners hardly notice their own dogs, never mind anything else around them. They miss out on their dogs’ cute moments of joy and excitement.
Someday, when their dog is no longer around, they might regret missing these precious moments. So many lost opportunities and forfeited memories. Or maybe they will still just be staring at their phone.
Once, I saw a couple at the lake. They were also campers. They were lounging by the water, with their chairs far apart. Of course, this was of no concern to them, because they were both far too busy on their phones to even notice.
I’m sure they were posting pictures they took in front of the lake on social media. By the time they leave, they would have only those photos, but no real experiences or memories of ever being there. They were not at the lake, they were in cyberspace – the cell phone rabbit hole.
True Love Has No Time Limit Or Deadline
We live in a busy world where most of us have gotten used to a very hurried life. Everything is on a strict schedule and time limit, because we now judge everything this way. We have become a restless society demanding instant solutions and immediate gratification in all things.
If the line is too long at the supermarket or fast food restaurant, some of us get upset. If we have to wait for our doctor when we have an appointment, we become annoyed. Some cut in front of others, or even cross streets while the light is still red, because they hate to wait.
Similarly, if we do not get an immediate reaction from our latest love interest, some of us do not become just a little restless or anxious. No, they get really upset!
If this kind of hurried, rushed way of life plagues you, then you may definitely need an major attitude adjustment. Because your naturally loving heart and your capacity for love and romance may be in serious trouble.
Maybe your heart never got the memo that there was no need to constantly hurry up and adhere to time limits and deadlines. What happened to dating? Romantic chats? Patiently anticipated expressions of affection? Dozens of love letters, and more recently emails and test messages? The joint holidays and weekends away? The looking forward to new adventures together?
What happened? What happened to living wholeheartedly in the moment? What happened to just enjoying the ride without constantly watching the calendar or the clock?
The one joy that we all desire and cherish is being loved and feeling special in someone’s eyes. To be affirmed, to be accepted and appreciated, to belong. It gives us an inner peace and happiness that cannot be found in any other way. Love and belonging is a fundamental necessity in everyone’s life. No matter how busy you are. Continue reading
Astrology Forecast April 19 – 25, 2021
Today the Sun moves into Taurus, the sign that will inspire us to manifest our dreams over the next four weeks. Creative ideas will turn into tangible movement and we’ll have the power to reclaim our physical and financial balance.
Later today, Mercury will also join the Sun in Taurus, adding our logical and practical sides to this creative energy for the next couple of weeks. Problem-solving will become child’s play and accessing the information we need will be as easy as typing the issue into a search engine. Today’s Moon-Neptune Trine will further stimulate our creative impulses and imagination!
The Moon will travel through Leo on Tuesday and Wednesday, calling for us to make ourselves the priority. If we’ve been lacking in self-care, now is the time to regroup and put our own needs first. If you are highly sensitive, especially take heed the Leo Moon in opposition to Saturn in Aquarius on Wednesday, as it can trigger a low mood, or even sadness, loneliness or depression. If such feelings arise, reach out to someone you trust and remind yourself that you are never alone. There are kind people in this world who care.
Detailed work is best done on Thursday and Friday under the meticulous Virgo Moon. On Thursday Mars will move into the sign of Cancer, which tends to slow outer movement and direct us to work on our inner selves for the next two months.
Regrouping and restoring balance will be the theme this weekend as the Moon dances through Libra and illuminates where our focus needs to be; mainly on our relationships and personal surroundings.
Cleanse Your Chakras With The Water Wheel
The chakras are the energy centers of the body and they sometimes become imbalanced or blocked due to toxic energy influences and negative emotions like fear, envy, anger or lust. When this blockage occurs we tend to feel ‘bogged down with no energy to get to where we want to be, be it mentally, physically or emotionally. A chakra cleansing helps to open the door for that built up energy in the affected chakra areas to dissipate.
Working with clients who request chakra readings I like to use an energy cleansing technique I invented that I call ‘The Water Wheel.’ Water is a great cleanser. Its fluidity and continuity makes it one of humanity’s most formidable allies or our worst enemy, depending on how Mother Nature chooses to express herself. Our bodies consist of 98% water and similar to the cycle of the ocean’s tides we are subconsciously also very ‘moved’ by the power of water.
The Water Wheel exercise signifies motion. It goes in a circle, but it also goes forward within that circle. The Water Wheel cleanses the chakras with the motion of water and the movement of the wheel. The Water Wheel is a visualization exercise in which you go from one chakra to the next and mentally see the colors of each as colored water. The key is create vivid visualizations and to practice, practice, practice!
The base or root chakra is associated with the color red, the sacral or naval chakra with orange, the solar plexus with yellow, the heart with green, the throat with blue, the third eye or brow chakra with indigo, and the crown chakra with violet. It is these colors one has to focus on during the Water Wheel chakra cleansing.
The colored water that you see at each chakra point should reflect the color that corresponds to that chakra. For example, when you start at the root chakra you would visualize bright red water and as you move to the sacral chakra the water would turn to a brilliant orange.
Cleansing Your Crystals
If you regularly use crystals in your spiritual practice, it is vital to have a regular cleansing routine for them to work at optimal levels.
Crystal energy work uses the subtle energy vibration emitted by a crystal, for example to rebalance the human aura or energy field for mind-body-soul health and wellness.
Crystals have a vibrational frequency based on its geometric structure giving each crystal a unique default wavelength known as its oscillatory frequency or its ‘energy signature.’ It is a stable energy emission that is applied to rebalance and heal our own energies.
The human body also has its own oscillatory rate or energy frequency, but our vibration is constantly shifting and changing due to various internal and external factors, including our thoughts, beliefs, mood states, nutrition, sleep, lifestyle choices, relationships and our environment.
The difference between the energy frequency of humans and crystals is that while ours fluctuates and is constantly changing, the vibration of a crystal in its natural state remains constant, stable and unchanging. It is like the factory settings on a brand new computer.
However, like a computer or the human body, crystals can also become contaminated with negative energies, much like viruses or malware. For our healing crystals to continue working the way nature intended, it is important to cleanse them properly or a regular basis.
Some practitioners cleanse their crystals and stones after each session, and this is not a bad idea, considering we expose them to all kinds of energies, no matter how unintentional, every time we handle them. Think of how many smudges and smears you create on your phone screen or glasses every time you use them and then imagine what the many energy imprints your crystals must endure with regular use.