KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

September 18 through September 24, 2023

The highlight of this week will be the Sun's entry into Libra on Saturday, which will mark the start of a new season and a time of astrological "harvest!" Libra is famous for creating loving relationships, restoring balance and expanding our perception to see beyond the obvious to the hidden aspects of any situation. Monday and Tuesday we'll move under a Scorpio Moon, which will either have us exploring the mystical and metaphysical, or throwing all our focus into an intense project. Either way, we will be intent on finding out about and mastering something new. The Sagittarius Moon will cast a light-hearted energy around on Wednesday and Thursday, so we may be more inclined to goof off or daydream than get any actual work done. We'll close the week out under a Capricorn Moon, choosing to focus on our physical worlds and activities that improve our health or security. Capricorn also has its fun-loving side, so don't forget to put aside a few hours for some socializing or relaxing.

The Garden as Sacred Space, by Laurel Woodward

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

I am a magically minded person who looks at the world with an animist's perspective as I mindfully acknowledge and honor the lives of the others I encounter, from the large elementals to the tiny devic energies underfoot. I talk to my plants and hug the trees. I call out greetings to the geese as they pass overhead and stop to help the earthworm stranded on the sidewalk. There is a message in the visit from tiny hummingbird hanging on the breeze, the crow cawing loudly in the tree, the surprise sighting of a garden snake, and the colorful dragonfly lighting on a grass head. The outdoors holds both magick and mystery, and I immerse myself in its beauty whenever I am able to.

Our brains evolved in nature. When we leave our man-made environments and return to a natural setting, we are able to step out of the busyness of our lives and leave our worries behind. Being outside is a magickal, full-on sensory experience that quiets worry, eases anxiety, and grants the spirit peace.

When we immerse ourselves in a natural setting, it boosts health by strengthening the immune system. Step into nature and you step into beauty. The act of catching sunlight in your eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin, breathing in the scent of the green world from the smell of the dirt to the fragrance of flowers, or having natural sounds fill your ears, like the call of birds, the chatter of squirrels, or the rattle of the wind through the trees, are experiences that foster healing feelings of serenity and joy.

While forest bathing and hiking are popular nature therapies, gardening in your own yard, if done mindfully, becomes a vehicle to immerse yourself in nature and foster a relationship with the natural world. If you have never tried gardening you might be surprised by how therapeutic the experience is. When you take up gardening, working under the sky with the sun on your arms and your hands in the dirt, it engages all of your senses to create a place of refuge and solace. Being out in the fresh air doing yard and garden work lifts outlook and elevates mood. The activity tones muscles and makes the body feel good, and when done mindfully, the overall experience fills the heart with a joyful sense of purpose that inspires creativity and helps us rediscover our sense of wonder.

When we take an area of land under our care we nurture a reverence for nature that allows the heart to swell with gratitude every time we invest ourselves in the work, because it doesn't matter if you are a first-time gardener or a veteran—there is always something new waiting to surprise and inspire. The simple joy of discovering the seed that you planted sprouted, the surprising beauty of a mound of clematis that opened overnight, or the delicious taste of a ripe, home-grown tomato you plucked fresh from the vine deepens satisfaction and improves our sense of well-being. Step into the garden and we step out of worry and into nature's grace.

The wisdom of an ancient practice waits in the garden. If you follow an earth-based spirituality, you will find the act of gardening creates sacred space and puts nature back into the center of your practice. By caring for plants and being aware of their life cycles, we become aware of the turning of the seasons and sync with the natural rhythms. The garden becomes a window into the workings of the Universe and allows us to sense the thrumming webs of power. It is in the garden we connect to the deepest parts of our being as we become a witness to the miracle of life unfolding right before our eyes.

If you have never gardened before, you may want to start by taking a few chosen plants under your care. Identify and research each one, making note of their individual needs so that you may provide what each needs to thrive. Visit them often. Talk to your plants and shower them with attention, and soon you will find you have made a friend that may become a helpful ally in your magical practice. While some plant allies provide food or medicine, others provide ingredients to empower ritual, potions, incense, bath magick, candle dressing, and wash water. When we use ingredients from a plant that we help to grow, we delve into an ancient craft laden with wisdom and knowledge, a craft that deepens spirituality as it acts a bridge to the past to help us see beyond modern restrictions as it links us to a reality in which we are able to recognize and interpret the magickal connections all around us. The garden then becomes a liminal space where we may go to meet Deity or converse with the Universe.

My garden is my church. Step into the garden and I step out of time and into sanctuary. Being in my garden allows me to leave the troubles of the modern world behind and take up the practice of the old ways. In my garden I find peace and joy. It is in my garden where I find magick. You, too, can create your own personal outdoor sanctuary, a place of safety and wellness to nourish your soul and help you foster a relationship with your local energy web. For more ideas on how to design and implement a garden plan for your very own personal sanctuary garden, pick up my new book, Backyard Garden Witchery, a guide to help you manifest a magickal space outside your door. Backyard Garden Witchery contains a collection of meditations, exercises, and an extensive list of garden plants and their magickal properties with suggested uses to empower your magickal practice.

By designing your own unique garden setting, and implementing features that speak to you personally, you will manifest a sanctuary to nourish your soul. Keeping a flower garden, an herb garden, a vegetable patch, or even tending a collection of patio pots allows interaction with nature and opens a doorway for us to experience her amazing wonder. By working, and planting, and tending the earth, the garden becomes a liminal space to nourish our spirituality and connect us to the larger world. When you become a gardener, you become an artist working with nature to create amazing beauty, and as life sprouts and grows under your care, it opens the heart to wonder and solace as it provides flowers or herbs to use in your practice, or food to nourish your body, and the results bring an incredible sense of accomplishment. Gardening is a remarkable rewarding experience that has nourished mankind since the beginning of time. It has the power to change your life. If you have never gardened I hope you give it a try.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2022. All rights reserved.

Lately I've been having some very clear, accurate psychic visions and perceptions. What I'm wondering is how you know what to say when you're doing psychic readings. I see all this seemingly random stuff in my mind, and it comes so fast that I don't know what to do with it all in that moment. Sometimes it's just a quick glimpse, and other times I just have very strong feelings around certain people. What I don't know is how to translate this into meaningful words and messages. Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated.

Sarah

Astrea:

Putting psychic visions and intuitions into actual words in order to communicate them to others in a way they'll understand is one of the most difficult things to learn.

It requires a sincere lifelong chase for the Light and the commitment to keep chasing. Finding just the right language, words and expressions is never easy, but every reading you do will deepen your discernment.

As improving your ability requires practice, you're wise to do thousands of readings. With each one, your psychic vocabulary will grow.

Learn to slow the flashes down and examine them, and block some of those feelings. A psychic does not have to experience everything in a client's past, present and future to do a reading. Also, be courageous in what you say to your clients and friends.

Using a tool might help, and anything you're drawn to use can help you. Even rocks or pieces of colored string (which are much easier to carry than rocks!) can be used as divination tools. Experiment with lots of different things until you find something that speaks to you in a language you're able to translate.

Even if you don't get much from tools like tarot or astrology, using processes that follow a sequential order can help you figure out what to say. Combining tools can create another checkpoint in a reading.

Find tools that speak to you, and remember that you don't have to know why something works as long as it does - by which I mean that the person getting the reading finds the answers that are needed.

To me, the most important answers come in response to specific questions, as these help me focus what I'm seeing more than anything else. I feel it wastes time to speak about vague, general information when most clients are seeking specific guidance about some aspect of their lives.

However, if I'm answering a relationship question and I see an automobile accident, I SAY SO. I don't let something like that go by.

If you see, hear or feel something that could be a disaster for the client, and you communicate that even if she didn't ask you anything about that subject, you empower her to change the outcome of that negative event and perhaps prevent it from happening at all.

I'm sure a lot of readers will tell you that when they first started out doing readings, they were tentative. Each person learns things differently and in their own time.

You can learn how to say what you're seeing and feeling to others and feel confident that you're correctly passing on that information. Start with one or two readings every day, and build up from there.

*****

Susyn:

This is a challenge for most psychics and mediums when they first start out, as the rush of information that comes in can definitely be overwhelming. Your e-mail reminds me of the first time I started scrying or trying to read my crystal ball. At first, the images came in so fast I couldn't get a clear take on them. It was as if the Universe had the remote control and kept flipping through the channels so fast I couldn't even tell what was on.

As your skills develop and your trust in what you are hearing or sensing grows, you'll be able to slow down these visions so you can tell what the messages are and whether or not to share them.

As a professional psychic, I can tell you that not all the information we receive or the visions we see can or should be shared with the person we're reading for. This of course also goes for people we cross paths with who may spontaneously evoke psychic information. It's very important that we approach others with a clear sense of purpose and awareness.

For example, you might have a dream or vision of your neighbor that seems very profound, and based on how open your neighbor is to metaphysical matters, you may choose to share your dream, or you may just sit back and see if the vision comes to pass.

We all have experiences with messages, insights or visions that confuse us. I wonder how many people began sensing the events that unfolded on 9/11 long before they occurred. From what I have witnessed and others have shared with me, these visions were clouded in obscurity because this event needed to come to pass, without interference, for a higher purpose.

In fact, I had a tarot student call that very morning, really upset because she had pulled three cards: the Tower, the World and the 8 of rods (which often represents air planes or travel). I wasn't sure why she was upset until she told me to turn on the TV.

I encourage you to hone your gifts more through practice. This will give you the power to slow down and get more information. You may also want to strengthen and validate what you are sensing through another medium, such as tarot, astrology, or a crystal pendulum.

With practice, you can even ask Spirit to give you more information, clarify what you're seeing, and advise you on whom to share what with based on whether or not they are ready to hear it.

I also suggest you find a lapis stone necklace or bracelet to wear, as this stone has the power to bring your visions and subtle perceptions into a picture or form that will be easier for you to interpret.

I wish you the best of luck in mastering your psychic gifts, Sarah!

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.