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April 18 through April 24, 2022

The Sun will move into Taurus on Tuesday, turning our attention to our physical and material worlds for the next four weeks. Taurus is an earth sign and so will channel the Sun's energy into tangible change, alerting us to where we need to up our game in regard to health, finance and security. This is often a time of attainment, where after much effort, we will reach important goals. (For example, graduating from High School or College or finally purchasing a home or other big-ticket item.) The week starts off with a Scorpio Moon on Monday, where things might seem a bit ethereal, but take heart, as once it moves into Sagittarius on Tuesday, things will become much clearer. Thursday and Friday are the days to mark your calendar for productivity, as the Capricorn Moon can aid in any projects or work obligations you've been meaning to get to. We'll relax over the weekend under an Aquarius Moon, seeking out friends, family and new acquaintances to connect with and share fun times with.

How to Use Affirmations That Work, by Amy B. Scher

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

I've never been a fan of standard positive affirmations; my clients are always shocked when I tell them this. In fact, for some people, not only do affirmations not work, but they can also make things worse. I know this may be a little surprising after reading pretty much everywhere that if we just repeat positive things, our lives will turn to glitter and gold.

Affirmations are not bad, but we are all different, and affirmations work best when they are made specifically for each of us based on our needs.

Why Most Affirmations Backfire
The idea behind an affirmation, whether it's in the form of a verbal statement or visualization (which is really an affirmation, too), is that you are affirming positive thoughts or images—things with which you'd like to be in alignment. What often happens, though, when you focus on something positive that doesn't feel true to you in any sense is that the opposite thought or image comes up. This is common, and often subconscious. These are what I refer to as a "Yeah, but …" statement that automatically get triggered when something feels very far from your current reality or truth.

For example, let's take the affirmation, "I am in perfect health." While this is obviously a very positive statement, it is typical, if you are not feeling this way, to have an automatic internal response of, "Yeah, but I'm sick!" This may be conscious or subconscious response. In this case, along with that affirmation, you would actually be repeating (even if just at a subconscious level) the negative statement of, "I'm sick!" as many times a day as you repeat your affirmation. Yikes, right? It's most likely too far a reach from where you currently are, or you probably wouldn't even be trying to use an affirmation like this in the first place, right?

How You Can Create Affirmations That Work
During my own healing, I read so many positive healing affirmation books that ended up in a pile on the floor. While I liked the idea of them and every guru from here to the moon was professing they were the cure-all, the suggested affirmations being taught were just too "out there" and unattainable for me.

All hope is not lost, though. Affirmations will be very effective when they hold some type of truth or resonance for you. In order to make affirmations successful, we need a way to baby-step our way to believing what we are saying. We need to make sure we don't have those, "Yeah, buts…" that might end up sabotaging our efforts.

I'm going to each you exactly how to find affirmations that will work. Remember, if you repeat an affirmation such as, "I am perfect, happy, and healthy," but you are not feeling that way, it’s likely to backfire. However, you can make it work for you by revising that affirmation to something like, "I am excited to feel perfect, happy, and healthy." This statement is positive and could still feel true for you. There is no risk of accidental negative affirmations getting attached.

Examples of Effective Affirmations
You are probably familiar by now with the standard affirmations out there. Now, I'm going to share some alternatives to those. Here are some great examples of effective affirmations that may be more effective for you:

• I am willing to believe in my ability to create healing and happiness.
• I allow myself to believe I deserve to heal.
• I allow myself to believe I can be content in this moment.
• I allow my body to become an environment for health and healing.
• I am able to process, metabolize, and release all emotions that do not serve me.
• It is time to heal!
• I choose to be in alignment with my body's way of healing.
• I am able to see the good in myself.
• My health is moving in the right direction.
• I have everything I need.

Affirmations like these are not likely to cause an unintended opposite reaction, because they are subtle. As you feel better about yourself, and your health, you can continue to revise them so they are more and more positive, as long as they still resonate with you.

Quick Tips For Creating Effective Affirmations
Making your own affirmations can be very effective, and also fun! The key is to create affirmations that feel good to you. These affirmations will ideally be something that feels possible for you—maybe not in the moment, but in the near future. It is best when it's something you can relate to, understand, and appreciate the importance of in relationship to your own journey. Some helpful tips for creating effective affirmations are: <ul

• Use words like "choose," "time," "allow," and "willing" so they imply a decision made by you (it's very hard to resist our own decisions).
• Make sure they are believable to you at some level.
• Make sure you use only positive words—no words with negative connotations (like illness, stress, etc.).
• You can write them on a sticky note and tape them to your bathroom mirror, jot them down in a journal, or put them in another obvious place so you are reminded to say them every time you see them.

When and How To Use Affirmations
There are no rules for when, how, or how often to say them. For clients who want to use affirmations, I typically recommend saying them a few times a day on a regular basis and tied in with daily routines. For example, when you brush your teeth in the morning and at night. You might say each affirmation a couple of times before or after that activity. When you state the affirmation, state it "loud and proud!" Put some emphasis on it and try to get energetic about feeling that way. This will help activate the emotion behind it, which will help you more easily manifest it.

Now that you understand the components of a really effective affirmation, you can revise affirmations that you already use to be more specific to you. Or, even better, have fun creating your very own that you love!

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2016. All rights reserved.

Do you believe that everyone is psychic, or at least has the potential to be? If so, is there any reason someone should not pursue the development of their abilities, or any preparation one should undertake before doing so? I've been interested in this subject for a long time, and am thinking about developing my own psychic potential, but am a little nervous of getting in over my head and not knowing what to do. Thanks!

David

Susyn:

Everyone has psychic abilities or at least the potential to develop them. Some people ignore or explain away their abilities for the exact reason you cite: They have no one to advise them in this arena, and they feel nervous exploring this realm alone. Many people's psychic gifts show up at an early age. How the people around them react to this often dictates whether they embrace their gifts or try to repress them. If they end up repressing or ignoring them, their abilities may reemerge later in their adult lives.

Luckily, these days learning to nurture and promote your psychic abilities is much easier than it used to be. There are endless websites, internet forums and local communities through which you can get guidance as you explore the world of metaphysics.

I recommend you make a list of different methods available for people who want to explore and expand their psychic gifts. Pay attention to which ones you feel drawn to. This will give you clues as to which avenue of psychic development you'd like to pursue. For example, you may be drawn to tarot, but shy away from channeling. You may have had experience with intuitively knowing what is going to happen next, but not much luck trying to interpret dreams. Once you zero in on your personal skills and interests, you can narrow down the field of study you should concentrate on first.

Although you can work to develop your talents on your own, I don't recommend it, for it will limit your growth and can also lead you down some unsettling paths. When we open up our psychic abilities, we also naturally open up to the spirit world. If we're lacking in knowledge and preparation for this sort of interaction, we're inviting trouble.

As you begin to explore your psychic gifts, the first and most important thing you must learn is how to protect yourself. Most psychics begin by surrounding themselves with a bubble of white light to raise their vibration and energetically align with only the highest and best experiences. One common mistake people make when first starting out is assuming that all psychic information comes from themselves. It takes knowledge and training to tap into a specific source of psychic information.

There are many good books on the subject, but it would be much better for you to find a mentor or group of spiritual seekers who can walk with you through this process. They will be able to share their own personal stories and validate what you are experiencing. Like any area of study, the more you learn, the more you will be able to develop and effectively use your psychic gifts. Good luck to you!

*****

Oceania:

No two people are exactly alike, not even identical twins. When it comes to abilities of any kind, each of us embodies a unique combination of strengths and weaknesses. Being psychic falls on a spectrum, just like being creative or athletic: some people demonstrate the ability early in life, others develop it over time with training and practice, while still others struggle or take no interest.

To be psychic is to have keen intuition, which is a combination of awareness, sensitivity, empathy, receptivity to input from the the unconscious and Spirit, and seeing from a holistic perspective. You can begin to exercise your intuition in small, simple ways. When the phone rings, guess who it might be. Before glancing at a clock, guess the time. Before someone speaks, guess what they might say. The idea is not to think, but to merely notice what enters your awareness.

You might choose a tarot deck you feel drawn to and gaze at the imagery on the cards. Notice how each card makes you feel and what message it conveys to you. I recommend you also work with the great spiritual tools in Kajama's Spiritual Toolbox, for the better you get at entering and working with this level of awareness, the more you will be able to consciously access intuitive guidance.

You mentioned that you're afraid of getting in over your head and not knowing what to do. It's true that developing your psychic abilities can lead to some rather unusual moral dilemmas. For example, aspiring psychics sometimes ask whether they should share unsolicited advice with others. If your aim is to be of service, then you should focus on attraction, not promotion: if someone sees you as a role model of how to live a wonderful life, they will proactively seek your input and advice.

You might be similarly worried about getting in too deep if you were developing scientific, business or political power to the point where you could help or do harm to others with it. You can relax and feel confident about moving forward if you commit to using your abilities within the context of your own spiritual values, assuming that you desire whatever is for the common good.

I believe psychic abilities are enhanced when we live by the principle of ahimsa, which is Sanskrit for do no harm. This means avoiding violence in thought, word and deed. Do your best not to impose suffering on your fellow earthlings. To participate in harm, even indirect harm, requires denial and turning off your empathy. I believe your studies will be enhanced if you consider them a sacred journey, and practice ahimsa as your guiding principle.