Imagine that you were still hanging out daily with your six-year-old pals from the playground, that you were still working in the first job you ever had, or that you were still dating the first boy or girl you ever kissed. When I imagine those things, it doesn’t feel great – it actually feels alarming – for that would mean that I didn’t get to meet all the new friends I’ve met, have the new experiences I’ve had, or love the new loves I’ve loved over the years. If there is some relationship or situation that isn’t working for you anymore, relax and let it go. It may feel a little scary, but doing so will free you to meet and love new people, explore new experiences, and bless yourself in all sorts of new ways.

Not counting the holiday chaos, this should prove to be a very calm week in the heavens. With no sign changes, full or new Moons to contend with, everything should go according to plan. If we remember to focus on networking and gathering information on Monday, we’ll have what we need to keep taking action throughout the rest of the week. The Aries Moon will drive us through our endless obligations, so as long as we don’t let frustration or ego get the better of us, we’ll do just fine. However, if we carelessly step on others’ toes to get where we’re going, we’ll spend the latter part of the week making apologies or trying to clear up misunderstandings. It would be a good idea for us to stop and do a spot-check of our health and finances while the Moon is traveling through Taurus from Thursday through Saturday, just to make sure we’re not ignoring the important signals the Universe will be sending our way. By Sunday, the Gemini Moon will have us casting everyday obligations to the wind so we can immerse ourselves in holiday activities, so it’s a good idea to designate the last day of the weekend to decorate, write cards, plan celebrations and finalize travel plans.

To find out how all of these aspects will influence your own sun sign, visit the Horoscopes Hub for our daily horoscopes, weekly horoscopes, and in depth monthly forecasts.

Meditation
by Heather Tick, M.D.

“There are many different types of meditation. Some use concentration: you focus your attention on only one thing, such as a sound or mantra. Some employ mindfulness: you quiet your mind by excluding outside thoughts and plans, and you focus on the awareness of everything you are experiencing in that moment and from moment to moment. People think of meditation as something they have to sit still for. That appeals to some, but others just don’t ‘have the time’ or ‘get bored.’ Some forms of meditation involve stillness and some involve movement. ‘The real meditation,’ says Jon Kabat-Zinn, ‘is how you live your life.’”

Spirituality and Religion
by Heather Tick, M.D.

“It used to be that the terms spirituality and science could not appear in the same sentence. There was no room in science for a spiritual self. However, some recent developments in science are changing this paradigm…Research shows that people who have a regular religious practice, regardless of which practice it is, live longer and healthier lives. We can suppose that the predictable aspect of a regular religious practice and the calm and meditative aspects of it are responsible for the health benefits. Other aspects of religion often included in the discussion of spirituality are more controversial, such as intercessory prayer, the practice of having people pray for the health of others.”

Relaxation Techniques
by Heather Tick, M.D.

“Guided imagery, autogenic training, biofeedback, and hypnotherapy are all techniques that can enable us to reach deep states of relaxation. It was once thought that the autonomic nervous system and things such as heart rate and blood pressure could not be voluntarily controlled. But it turns out that with proper training we can, for example, be trained to slow our heart rate and lower our blood pressure. We can dilate our peripheral blood vessels and make our cold hands warm. This type of training can also be used to control our response to pain and thereby change our experience of pain.”

In this week’s Mystical Matters, How to Help Heartbroken Daughter, Julia advises a mother who is anxious to find a way to help her daughter recover from the loss of her first love: “There is always something you can do. You can always send those you love healing energy, and visualize them shining bright with peace, joy and well-being. We even have a fantastic process you can use whenever you find yourself worrying about someone you love. It’s called Pray For/Bless Someone. It will guide you in shedding your worries and sending positive energy to someone you care about who is going through a hard time.”

In this week’s Double Vision, Pendulum Stopped Working, Susyn and Oceania advise a woman who had come to depend on her pendulum as a source of guidance and was dismayed when it suddenly stopped working: “I don’t believe an entity has taken over your pendulum; I think, rather, that your spirit guide is urging you to practice tapping into wisdom without your oracle. Perhaps you could set the pendulum aside for a while and try answering questions without it.”

In this Double Vision column, She Forgave But Can’t Forget, our columnists try to help a woman who believes she forgave her husband for having an affair, but finds she is still haunted by the experience: “I started having dreams that this woman is making fun of me and that I am slapping her. I thought I had forgotten the incident, but dreams keep recurring and making me sad. In my dreams I am hurting her, but at the same time I am crying. I want to forget it, but I’ve been unable to. I feel I am the one who is suffering, while my husband and this woman seem to be fine. How can I get rid of this pain?”

The Amazing Story Contest is a great way to win a FREE psychic reading.  To read this week’s winning story and perhaps enter your own in our contest, visit The Amazing Story Contest. This week’s winner has won a free 30-minute psychic reading with Miranda Bilodeau (pictured at left). For the past 27 years, Miranda has helped her clients resolve perplexing issues in their lives through the Tarot. Please visit her website, MirandaBilodeau.com, for more information on her services.