KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

April 6 through April 12, 2026

Mars will move into Aries, the sign it rules, on Thursday, marking a shift in direction, a rise in our energy, and a boost to our actions. For the next two months, we will have the drive and conviction to move in creative and assertive ways. The Moon dances through Sagittarius on Monday and Tuesday, calling for an easy-going pace and greater flexibility in all we do. Things could change at a moment’s notice, but we’ll be able to shift direction with ease and grace. As far as productivity goes, Wednesday and Thursday’s Capricorn Moon will assure we meet all our goals, and in record time! Use the power of the Goat to attack that mountain of paperwork or complete a remodeling or organizing chore that’s been on the back burner. The remainder of the week is designed for fun and social activities, as the Moon skips through Aquarius from Friday through Saturday. This is a great weekend to connect with old friends, try something totally out of the ordinary, or find an inventive way to restore order to your personal world.

I Am Romany, by Terrance Lescault

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

MY YOUTH

"Dirty Gypsy!"

I grew up in a small town in England. In that working-class town there was a distinct separation of classes. Many of those who felt they were in the upper classes (often determined simply by a home address rather than any real class distinction) looked down on what they perceived as lower classes. And those who were treated as the lowest of the low were the Gypsies.

"Dirty Gypsy!"

The rocks that the other children threw at me when I was going to and from private school (that's the same as "public school" in the US) didn't hurt as much as the slurs and insults. I never understood that behavior. I hadn't done anything to them. Neither had my parents. My grandparents had lived in central Europe, so they couldn't have done anything to hurt them either.

Children can be so cruel. The constant abuse did several things to me. First, I learned how to fight. Second, I learned independence since none of the other kids would play or do schoolwork with me. But at the same time, the slurs and attacks from so many people influenced my young mind to think that there was something wrong with me simply because I had been born to one set of parents and not another. I came to hate my Gypsy heritage. Later, I realized that I had come to hate myself.

When I was twelve, my father won the lottery. He had seen the pain and suffering I had gone through. Although he had stood up to it himself, he didn't want me to experience it any more. So, like the archetypal Gypsy, we packed our things and moved to a place where we thought we wouldn't feel the bitter lash of thoughtless hate. We moved to San Diego, California.

Children, thankfully, have short memories. They can get into a violent fight with a playmate and five minutes later be playing together again. The slurs and attacks were gone. People accepted me for what I was. Nobody hated me for the accident of my birth. At least, that's what I thought. The self-hatred I felt was buried but not gone.

Having been brought up in England, and thus having a British accent (even if it was not the "proper" British accent of the newsreaders on the BBC or the out-of-place Cockney heard at Renaissance "Faires"), really helped me. Whenever a conversation got around to backgrounds, people would talk about being Irish, Italian, African, German, Japanese, Russian, and so forth. With my accent it was obvious that I was English. Nobody asked further than that. Nobody needed to know that I was what those children used to call me, a "dirty Gypsy."

I graduated high school and went to college and medical school, eventually becoming a pediatrician. Maybe something inside me wanted to be able to help those kids who had thrown rocks at me. Or maybe, in some way, I wanted to help the child inside of me who was still hurt by those childhood taunts.

MY SEARCH BEGINS

My medical practice grew and I became quite successful. In 1994 I met and married Melody, the most wonderful, talented, and beautiful woman I had ever met. We separated in 1997. As she left she told me, "I love you. But I can't stand the anger you feel about yourself, especially when you direct it, for no reason, at me. If you can ever resolve those feelings, let me know. Just don't wait too long."

So here I was, a 32-year-old man with a successful professional life but a rapidly crumbling personal life. The first month after Melody left I fell into a deep depression, only able to barely fulfill my professional obligations. But I was strong enough to realize that I loved Melody and wanted to get her back so things could be like before. No, that's not exactly right. I wanted to renew our relationship so it would be even better than before. And I knew that the only way to do that would be to get more in touch with me.

Familiar with (and perhaps dependent upon) traditional western healing practices, I started to go to a psychologist. A year later, and after seeing two different psychologists and one psychiatrist during that time, I was only slightly better and many thousands of dollars poorer. I told my disappointment to my current psychologist, Dr. Elliott. He told me that if I was unhappy with therapy, I might try some alternate approaches. He reminded me that we had discovered the main cause of my problems resulted from the abuse I had experienced as a child. I just couldn’t get over it. He looked at me and asked me what turned out to be the most important question of my life: "Who are you?"

"I'm Terrance Lescault."

"No, that's your name. Who are you?"

"I'm a doctor, a pediatrician..."

"No, that's what you do. Who are you?"

I felt perturbed. This was downright silly. "Why are you asking me this Zen question?" I think the exasperation in my voice was clear to him.

"Not a Zen question, a Zen Koan. A question meant to be pondered and thought about and which can lead to enlightenment. So think about it. You might also think about another famous Koan: 'What did your face look like before you were born?'"

I went away from the office, frustrated, disappointed, and unhappy.

THE DISCOVERY

Just as the abuse by the children had stayed with me for all these years, so, too, did Dr. Elliott's questions. Who am I? I came up with all sorts of answers. And then it dawned on my that I had missed the most important one of all. I was a Gypsy. As I said that to myself, I also heard the taunts. I realized that in my mind I was not a Gypsy, I was a "dirty Gypsy." I was wrong in thinking that nobody in this country hated me for being a Gypsy. I hated myself for being a Gypsy. Not just a Gypsy, I was a dirty Gypsy.

Dirty Gypsy.
Dirty Gypsy.
Dirty Gypsy.

And then I had the most important revelation of my life, a virtual epiphany. I had no idea what a Gypsy was. I had hated being called names so much that I had abandoned my heritage. I didn't hate myself, I hated what I thought I was. I hated what those children thought I was. My redemption, I realized, would only come when I discovered the truth about my background.

My mother had died several years earlier, so I went to my father's house and talked to him. He showed me some pictures of Gypsy wagons his father and his father's father had used. He told me a little of the history of our family. But it was all so unemotional, almost cold. It didn't even seem like he was talking to me.

I went to the library and got a couple of old books by Charles G. Leland, Gypsies and English Gypsies and Their Languages, but I found them dated and too dry. So I went to a bookstore. They had reprints of Leland. I asked if they had anything else and I was directed to the New Age section. This bothered me because I had always thought that New Age meant imaginary and unreal. But I dutifully went through the section, expecting nonsense.

I picked up a book with the word "Gypsy" in the title. I glanced at the cover and dropped it in shock. I picked it up again and looked at the cover. There, in black and white, was a Gypsy wagon just like the ones I had seen at my father's house. It was even being drawn by a horse with thick legs and large hooves, something I had noted in the photos my father had shown me since I was used to seeing the delicate legs of race horses. I turned it over and saw the author, Raymond Buckland, sitting on the steps of a Gypsy wagon. He was a half-blooded Gypsy and had written other books on Gypsies.

But as I read more, my heart fell. The title of the book was Gypsy Witchcraft & Magic. I didn't want to learn about what I usually called "woo-woo" stuff. I wanted to learn who I was. But a historian gives a compliment to the book on the back cover, saying how this really does cover gypsy life, so I decided to buy it and give it a try.

SOMETHING RINGS TRUE

The author of Gypsy Witchcraft & Magic begins by recounting the known history of the Romany people, along with the myths of why they wander. Of course, he shows that we came from India, not Egypt ("Gypsy" is derived from "Egyptian"). But then I started to read about the religious practices from an insider. It would seem that historically, Gypsies are Pagans. Many of us remain Pagan today. [Note: in reading back over this article I realized that I changed to acknowledge my Gypsy heritage by now referring to Gypsies as "we" instead of "they."]

I was brought up in what we called the "C of E" or Church of England. It is also known as the Anglican church. Although I considered myself a "good Christian," I was really somewhat of an agnostic. I enjoyed some aspects of my religion, but other things just didn't "seem right." By the time I was in my twenties, I would only attend church for weddings and funerals.

But this book presented something new to me. It wasn't the silly witches of movies and TV with their nose wiggling and poofs of smoke. Instead, it was the worship of a goddess or "Saint" known as "Black Sara." The male god is not anthropomorphic and is thought of in terms of being the Sun, Moon, sky, clouds, and stars. The devil is simply a negative force and not an evil entity.

I had always wondered why God was thought of as being a male. Knowing that my ancestors worshiped the female as well as the male just felt right. The more I read, the more I felt like I was "coming home." I wanted to learn more about my heritage.

As a doctor, I am always looking for safe remedies to health problems. This book has several. I went to an herb store and purchased some herbs described in the book as well as a mortar and pestle. A week later I compounded a supposed headache remedy made from willow bark and St. John's Wort according to the directions in the book. I gave it to a friend of mine who was subject to migraines. He tried it and found that it worked for him. I don't know if it will work for others, but it did work for him. There were also herbal cures for eye problems, ear problems, mouth problems, asthma, common colds, stomach problems, bladder difficulties, and many more. I intend to investigate all of them with the help of friends and co-workers.

As I continued with the book I became more and more fascinated. I went past the section on using magic to get money because I have all I want. The next section had a part that intrigued me. Gypsies, of course, traveled in their wagons (or vardos) and would simply find a place to stay. A friend of the author's who went around with some Gypsies always found that the place they would pick would take on a "special ambiance that made him feel that they had picked the best campsite ever." This, he discovered, was because the tribe's Witch or Shuvani would use a broom called a besom (made from the twiggy growth of a birch tree) and "walk all around the camp sweeping outward, away from the vardos...brushing away the uncleanness, the badness...[it] had the power to turn any place into a warm and cozy campground." (p. 86-87)

Okay. I'm a well-educated, modern man. But I decided to give it a try. I went out and purchased a broom (I don't know if it was birch or not) and went around my house, sweeping from the center of each room to the walls. Then I went outside and swept from the edge of the house to the edge of my property. With each sweep of the broom I focused my thoughts on trying to send away any sort of negativity. I just imagined it in my mind. Of course, there was a scientific part of me that felt this was silly and wouldn't work, but I tried to keep an open mind about it. I went back inside and lit a fire (it was a cold night) and continued to read the book by the light of the hearth.

As I continued to read, I noticed that the room "felt" different. Maybe it was subjective. Maybe it was objective. But what I was reading was ringing true for me.

And I felt different, too. More secure. More strong. More sure of who I was. I was not a "dirty Gypsy" any more. I was —I am— a full-blooded Romany, a Gypsy, with a history that goes back many hundreds of years. For the first time in my life I was proud about who I was. I felt powerful. The taunts of those children no longer hurt me. It only made them look foolish, insecure and weak. They did not defeat me—I had survived and come out stronger.

THE RESULT

The major result from my experience with making practical use of Buckland's book is that I am a healthier person—mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I would encourage everyone to look into their personal past to discover the spiritual nature of their culture. I would also encourage everyone to study the cultures of others, too, with books like Gypsy Witchcraft & Magic. Through knowledge comes understanding, and through understanding comes peace.

And that new, inner strength brought me more peace with myself than I've had in a long time. In fact, I had a long talk with Melody about this and we're getting together later this week for dinner. I've really changed and I hope she will see it. Wish me luck.

Editor's note: Quotes used by permission. We do not suggest changing the use of any medicines without consulting your medical practitioner.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2001. All rights reserved.

My husband is an Aries, I'm a Libra, and we have a three-year-old Virgo who has been running the show ever since he arrived. He was actually due in late October but was born on September 18 by emergency C-section. Did his early birth mess up the sign he should have been? I've been wondering about medical interventions like emergency C-sections and induced labor and how they may impact a baby's chart. Thanks!

Anna

Astrea:

This is one of the most interesting astrological puzzles, but it's pretty easy to explain. I've always thought that early or late births are just as they should be. People are born when the time is right - when they are done. Many times with a Caesarian birth, the baby may seem to come early, but that baby gets here exactly when it is supposed to be born!

Take my own son, for example. He was born a week early, which made him a Libra instead of a Scorpio. The Universe in its infinite wisdom was well aware that I was poorly equipped for a Scorpio child, so Libra he is.

He didn't want to have an Aries Moon, so my labor stalled for eight hours until the Moon moved from void of course to Taurus. How did this affect him? He's stubborn as a mule but he's a very sweet boy once you get under that shell. As a Sag myself, I don't know if I ever could have understood him or even communicated with him if he'd been a Scorpio boy.

My Daddy is another example of not coming on time. Until two months before he was born, he was diagnosed as a TUMOR! My grandmother told the doctor, Well, when you open me up and find my third son in there, just sew me shut and leave him be.

She was pregnant with Daddy for ten months, making him a Cancer. He always said he had three Sun signs: two Gemini twins and one Cancer crab, and his personality truly reflected that! He could multi-task before anyone had even heard of multi-tasking because he had the influence of all three signs.

The fact remains that we get to choose when we are to be born before we get here, and this includes which Sun Sign we want to be. This is easy to detect in small children because you can plainly see that their personalities are what they want them to be. We all come into the world with clear personalities already in place.

Of course, we can help our babies to be born when they want to be by listening to our own feelings and intuitions. I've even suggested to women coming full-term to move furniture to avoid a Sun Sign they feel they don't want to have at home for 18 years, or in the case of Leo children, for life!

So before you have a Caesarean, induce labor or do anything else that may affect the time of your baby's birth, check your calendar and forecast the baby's Sun, Moon and Ascendant, and honor your own feelings about your options.

This is NOT cheating, I promise! You may even be surprised by how many medical professionals will be on board for something like that; these days, even doctors know about astrology.

*****

Susyn:

If, at the age of three, your son is already the boss in the house, then he is running true to Virgo form. Through many years of astrological work and study, I've found that whatever time a baby arrives is the right time. The planets carry lots of influence over the exact time of birth. In fact, in most natal charts, a skilled astrologer can see a propensity for an early or late arrival based on the planetary locations at the time of birth.

My own son arrived six weeks late, causing him to be born under the sign of Taurus instead of Aries, and he definitely carries all the traits of a dyed-in-the-wool bull. Even when outside influences such as medical interventions or emergencies change the expected time of arrival, these babies always come when they are destined to be born, for they display the characteristics associated with the sign of the zodiac of their actual birth date and time.

Though you and your husband are the adults in the house, this little one will disarm you with his mental prowess and ability to evaluate and communicate when things are out of order.

I have a Virgo nephew who, at 18 months, went into my sister's pantry and spent over an hour rearranging all the food, lining up the cans so the labels faced front and all the contents matched, and he couldn't even read yet! Then he proudly announced to my sister, as if she were incapable of doing it herself, that he had helped her out by fixing the pantry for her.

Virgo children often end up running the household at an early age, especially when they are an only child. Virgos are quick to assess situations and discover ways to get what they want or need. They have a great sense of humor, a keen mind and a big heart. Virgos are very talkative and friendly by nature. By the time he is five, you can ask him to help you set up electrical or computer equipment, for he has an inborn talent for details and loves to know how things work.

On the flip side, Virgos can be worriers and often fret about things they have no control over. They also become bored easily. You'll want to make sure he is involved in a number of activities that keep him physically active to balance his intellectual nature.

You can expect your little Virgo to have a few run-ins with his Aries dad as he gets older, for they both have a stubborn streak a mile wide. Luckily, as a Libra, you will be more amused by his antics than frustrated, and give thanks for the humor and bright wisdom your little guy shines your way each day.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.