holiday
Looking Within – A Message From My Guides
As the holiday season starts to ramp up around the world, everything becomes more and more hectic. Travel plans are made early. Gifts are purchased. Party invitations are extended. New outfits are bought. Menus are set. Baking is done. It is a wondrous time of year, to give thanks and to show appreciation to family, friends, neighbors and colleagues.
Under these circumstances, it is understandable that stress abounds too. For some people, in addition to all the excitement, there is a real feeling of obligation. The expectations of others can be overwhelming and, of course, it is impossible to please everyone. There is also the feeling that time is running too short to accomplish everything on the to-do list. Demands on your time can seem endless and unreasonable.
For others, the holiday season can be a very quiet and somewhat lonely time. Old memories can be triggered. Losses can become more heightened and a sense of sadness can prevail. In the Northern Hemisphere, the days get shorter and sometimes much colder, so sunlight isn’t as prevalent to perk you up and lighten your spirit.
Whether you are run off your feet or living a more solitary lifestyle, we recommend that you make some time to look within. A daily meditation habit can do wonders to give you a sense of peace, calm and gratitude. A quiet mind at the start of your day can prepare you for the remainder of each day as it unfolds. A peaceful feeling can help you to put things into perspective so as not to worry, overreact or panic unnecessarily.
Everyone has a ‘little narrator’ inside their head who is constantly chatting up a storm. If this little chatterbox was a real person sitting with you in your living room or in the car, you would eventually ask him or her to stop talking for a while so that you could think, read, watch TV, listen to music, converse, drive, and so on. However, because everyone has grown quite accustomed to this little tag-along giving constant commentary throughout the day, you carry on in spite of the continual interruptions.
December 2019 Weekly Astro Forecasts
December 2 – 8
Jupiter makes its grand entrance into Capricorn today – a sign that promises great change ahead for the next two years. Though the shifts may be subtle at first, Jupiter in Capricorn signals a return to stability, security, responsible action and justice for all. So with that in mind, important happenings could manifest during this cycle.
Monday’s Aquarius Moon could make for a scattered day, so agreeing to follow the whims of the Universe will keep you from feeling frustrated, or put-upon. Just trust that Spirit has a better plan, which may not make sense until later in the week.
Things calm down under Tuesday and Wednesday’s Pisces Moon, calling for us to go internal and focus more on spiritual matters and gratitude.
When do we get our energy and drive back? That would be Thursday when the Moon moves into inspiring Sagittarius and urges us back on track. There’s plenty to do before the holidays kick in, and you may actually find Sunday to be your most productive day on a personal level, as the Taurus Moon grounds and directs us forward.
December 9 – 15
The week starts off with Mercury moving into Sagittarius, finally leave the sign of Scorpio, where it’s been hanging out for the past nine weeks. This transit will add a light-hearted and holiday-spirited tone to our thoughts and communications.
We’ll need to finish up any lingering tasks under Monday’s Taurus Moon, as it could be the last day of the week we’ll be grounded enough to complete them.
November 2019 Weekly Astro Forecasts
NOVEMBER 4 – 10
The week will start out with a bang as the Moon travels through unpredictable Aquarius, so stay alert and expect the unexpected. By Wednesday the energy cools and you will dive into your creative and spiritual side, as the Moon drifts through Pisces for a few days.
Don’t worry if you wake up Friday morning to discover you haven’t gotten a single thing done, as the Moon will charge into Aries, and combine energy with the intense Scorpio Sun. You’ll get caught up in no time! Plus, as the Moon hangs out in this action-oriented sign all weekend, you will be inspired to clear out clutter, take on new projects and enterprises, and start gearing up for the holidays.
All in all, this week should flow smoothly, once the Aquarius Moon shifts our path, which in the end, will be a good thing!
‘Decoration Day’ At The Old Home Place
Memorial Day, which we referred to as ‘Decoration Day’ in my family, is full of precious childhood memories and nostalgia for me. My folks were of Southern heritage mostly, although I grew up in Oklahoma. We lived in the country, on an acreage we called ‘The Old Home Place,’ because it had been handed down for generations.
We had big ole vegetable gardens. In fact, we called one of them a ‘truck patch,’ because it was so large. Soul food, ya know. Nothing better! The truck patch covered five acres. A truck patch is when so many vegetables are produced, there’s enough to truck them out commercially, although we never did. We gave all our friends and relatives what we couldn’t preserve (can) and store in the cellar. In those days we all shared whatever we had.
We also had a small vegetable garden right behind our house, for every day fresh veggies, such as beds of lettuce. In front, we had a potato patch. In other areas there were blackberry bushes, a pecan orchard, a fruit orchard, plums, blueberries, and so on. We were pretty much self-sustaining.
All of the vegetable gardens were plowed by hand with mules, in rows for planting. I used to help with the planting and canning when I was just a little girl. We also butchered our own chickens, pigs and cattle, and made lye soap in a big ole iron pot outside on a wooden fire…all in the old ways. I don’t miss butchering the critters and to this day, I can’t eat animal flesh, except for fish and seafood.
Dealing With Dysfunctional Family Dynamics
Family dynamics can be tremendously complex. These relationships are multi-layered and may have played out for ages. Next to love relationship, and then business, family relationships are at the top of the list for many of my clients.
For many family is a love-hate scenario, which can be particularly challenging. It is said we cannot choose our family, but we can choose how and when, or if, we interact with them. However, severing family ties is a big step and not one taken lightly. By the time this happens the drama, or abuse has been ongoing for years – many times beginning in childhood. A childhood that in spite the passage of time is as fresh and painful as it was when it occurred. If money and or control are woven into the mix, the matter doubles in complexity.
It’s an unfortunate truth that many of the people that I speak with, especially empaths, intuitives and highly sensitive people, have family histories that are rife with conflict, and often also abuse. They often share a feeling of not belonging, being singled out, or being the scapegoat of the family. The suffering is long-term and tragic, with the scars running deep.