KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

November 21 through November 27, 2022

The Sun will move into Sagittarius on Tuesday, opening our minds and hearts a bit wider as we set aside our usual schedules for the next four weeks and embrace a more flexible and patient attitude. A Sagittarius new Moon occurs on Wednesday, and we'll spend the next two weeks embracing new possibilities and finishing up anything that stands in the way of free movement. Resolution is often an outcome of this Moon, so if there is anything that's been hanging over our heads, this next two weeks could bring the answers we seek. Jupiter will turn direct the same day, removing blocks to attainment and setting us on a brighter course for the future. Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. will unfold quite smoothly under the fun-loving Sagittarius Moon, but watch out for over-indulgence, as this sign is famous for pushing the boundaries! Our industrious sides will emerge over the weekend, as a Capricorn Moon encourages us to take action on the things we've been procrastinating on. Clearing out clutter, reorganizing files, or simply engaging in more physical activity are all ways to embrace the grounding power of the Capricorn Moon.

by Sam Bennett

You have so many great ideas, and you can’t decide which one(s) to follow through on. Or maybe once you finally settle on one and get into it, you get bored and drop it like a hot potato for something new. I know.

One of the side effects of being a creative genius is that you have a billion great ideas and a lot of skills and talents, so it can be difficult to figure out where to focus. This is so often what happens: You get a brilliant idea. It appears instantly — so full and rich and detailed and vibrant inside your mind — and you just know it’s a truly 
great idea. And then — just as quickly — you feel stuck, overwhelmed, defeated. You have no idea how to move forward. Thinking about the thing in its entirety is just too overwhelming, so you get stuck before you’ve even started.

Here’s the thing: your brain is a beautiful machine especially designed to look for patterns and solve problems. It works like a charm. Pose almost any question to your brain, and it will present you with an answer in no time at all. Genius, I tell you.

But if there are too many unknowns or too many variables, the machine grinds to a halt. Or it gets stuck in a loop, going around the same block over and over again. “I want to do X, but maybe I should do Y first, but I can’t do that until I do Z, so maybe I shouldn’t even try...but I really want to do X, but maybe I should do Y first...” Exhausting, right?

Breaking It Down
Let’s say your big, beautiful idea is “I want to redo the whole house!” And you can see it! Gorgeous and gleaming. A full, rich, detailed vision of your house completely redecorated appears in your mind.

In this situation some people recommend creating a Vision Board, which I think is fun because I love gluing things onto other things. A Vision Board is a fun, artsy, self-actualization project — it’s a collage you can make of images and words, usually cut from magazines, that, posted prominently, serves as a visual reminder of your goals and dreams. You can also make one online, which is fun, too. And if a Vision Board helps or delights or inspire you, then go ahead. But artists usually have no problem articulating a clear vision. Their vision is usually quite detailed and complete and often features sequels, theme parks, and a worldwide grassroots social movement.

As you consider this beautiful vision of your redone home, you feel the gears in your mind begin to grind: Where to begin? How to afford it? Is now the right time? How do I know if a contractor is trustworthy? What if the paint comes out ugly? Where do I find those cool glass tiles? I don’t know how to tile! Ack!

Too many unknowns and too many variables.
So if you can limit the scope of your project — take it bit by bit — you will be doing your brain a big favor. Tackling, say, just the carpeting in the upstairs bedroom will allow your brain to start searching its files for carpet in the same way that your computer can search for and find information easily once you give it the right name or search term. And now that your brain is whirring away on the idea of carpet, it might just remember that there’s a carpet store over by the lunch place you like, and it might remember that your cousin Denise just redid her house — and maybe she’ll have a few ideas for you — and hey, is that an ad for a carpet sale in today’s paper?

If you have some Vision Boards that are just hanging around making you feel bad about not having achieved your goals yet, for crying out loud, get rid of them. Inspirational tools are just that — tools to inspire you. The minute they quit inspiring you, lose ’em.

Breaking your project down into manageable, bite-size bits makes it something you can actually do, as opposed to leaving it a big, overwhelming, untouchable vision that leaves you stuck. Think of it this way: If you find yourself procrastinating, your project is too big!

You can see how you might be able to make some real progress if you break you projects down into smaller chunks and spend a little time on them every day, yes? But this still leaves you with the all-important question, How do you know which project is the right one? For starters, you have to discern which of the projects matter most to you, and ditch the ones that don’t. Here’s a little quiz-type exercise that will help you do that.

We often downplay the importance of desire in our lives, but I have noticed that the things we really want to do pretty much get done. And the things we do not want to do pretty much do not get done. Have you noticed that, too?

Exercise: Five Quick Questions
Call to mind one of the many projects you are procrastinating on. I know you have lots, but for now, pick just one. Whichever one floats to the top of your mind first is fine. Now — working swiftly and without pondering — answer yes, no, or sort of to these five questions:

1. Do you think you will learn from and enjoy working on this project?
2. Will completing this project make a difference in your life?
3. Will completing this project make a difference in the world?
4. Does your soul ache to work on it?
5. Ten years from now, will it matter whether or not you have done it?

Take a minute to muse on your answers, and jot down a few notes about what you notice. You may have noticed that those five questions are really one question, phrased five different ways — five different angles of attack on “Does this project truly matter?”

You may find that while you feel your project would make a big difference in the world, your soul does not ache to do it. That’s okay. And that’s important information for you to have if you decide to move forward: don’t expect this project to make your soul sing. You may need to find some other spiritual sustenance while you’re working on it.

Or perhaps you answered yes to every question but the first — that might be an indication that you need to find someone else, or gather a team, to execute this project.

But if you discovered that the project you were thinking about really doesn’t matter to you, then for crying out loud — cross that project off your list or delegate it or something. There’s no sense agonizing over a project you don’t even care about.

Now think of another possible project, and repeat the exercise. In fact, repeat it until you have five possible projects that definitely matter to you. Feel free to pull projects from various areas of your life; this doesn’t need to all be about your creativity. It’s always a good idea to try it with at least one really crazy-daisy, dumb idea — even something you think is a bad idea. And you may also want to add in some “duty” options (like the voice in your head that says that you really should go back to school and get that advanced degree).

So now you have a list of five front-runner projects. Congratulations!

From the book Get It Done by Sam Bennett. Copyright © 2014 by Samantha Bennett. Reprinted with permission from New World Library. www.NewWorldLibrary.com

Sam Bennett worked at the renowned Second City Theatre in Chicago alongside comics Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert. In addition to her multifaceted writing and performance work, she specializes in personal branding and career strategies. She lives in Los Angeles, CA. Her website is TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com

I've always been very sensitive; in fact, I was often told I was too sensitive by my family when I was growing up. I have also always been interested in who people are deep down inside, which led me to become a psychologist. I've now been practicing for about six years, and I'm really struggling. I love my job but I find I am totally overwhelmed by the endless problems and issues people bring into my office. I feel their feelings, I get caught up in their anxieties, and I end each day feeling totally wrung out myself. I also have visions of the things they are talking about during our sessions and often just know what is going to happen with some concern they may be worrying about. Of course, I can't tell them about any of that! Though I love my job, I also dread going in every day because I know it will totally exhaust and overwhelm me. I find I am always thinking of my patients and worrying about how they are doing whether I'm at work or not. Are you the same way? I'm hoping you have some advice that will enable me to continue with my career!

J.

Susyn:

One of the most challenging aspects of being empathic and very sensitive to the emotions of people around you is learning how to protect yourself. When helping people to work through intense thoughts and feelings, it can be difficult to remain balanced ourselves.

Many psychics experience this when they first start their practices. All of us with extra-sensory perception must learn to put boundaries around our involvement with clients while still remaining open enough to help them. This is easier said than done, but if you want to be effective in your career and in your life, you must practice putting limits around your involvement with patients.

It can really help to start the day with a protection meditation. During your meditation, envision yourself surrounded by a translucent bubble or light. This allows you to do your job but creates a spiritual boundary that prevents your patients from taking so much of your energy. Before you meet with a client, visualize this bubble. At the end of the session, bless them as they leave and then turn them back over to the care of Spirit.

Sometimes psychics and psychologists imagine that constantly worrying about their clients actually helps them. In truth, it can hinder our clients' progress by encouraging them to lean on us more heavily than they should. For this reason, you should avoid inviting them to call day or night or working them in for an unplanned session when you already have a full schedule.

I face the same challenges in my career, and have learned over the years how important it is to create and maintain balance with my clients. You must remember to nurture yourself before attending to others' needs. Make sure your personal life doesn't suffer because of your work, and that you maintain activities outside the office that fulfill you. When your own spiritual, emotional, mental and physical needs are being met, you will be able to direct others on how to find good balance in their own lives.

When I first became a psychic, I found a book called Second Sight by Judith Orloff helpful. Like you, she was a practicing psychologist who began to have trouble in her practice because she was also a strong empath. Her story is inspiring; I think you would find it helpful.

Good luck to you in reclaiming your passion for your chosen career!

*****

Mata Maya:

You have many qualities of a great therapist. You are compassionate, sensitive, and truly caring. To have a more comfortable, rewarding, positive experience, in addition to being a psychologist, you will have to become a healer.

By this, I mean that you must learn how to bring others up to your high energy level instead of allowing them to bring you down. To do this, you will have to develop faith that all is well - that everyone is doing whatever they need to be doing and experiencing whatever they need to experience in order to learn what they need to learn in life.

There are many ways to develop this faith, but one of the easiest is to read about things like life between life research and near death experiences, for this information brings this truth to light over and over again.

Next, you will have to learn how to set your own tone and hold the energy of your healing space. With this in mind, perhaps the most powerful thing you could do is get some training as an energy healer. Even if you're not doing energy healing overtly, getting this training will teach you how to control the energy in interactions. It will also empower you to go above and beyond your normal therapeutic approach.

When I find myself in a situation where people are distraught, I will center myself in my knowing that ultimately, all is well. Then I will consciously begin to draw divine healing energy in and send that energy out around me.

This is similar to what needs to happen if we want to save someone from drowning. If we jump into the water and struggle with them, we may both end up going down. Instead, we have to remain calm, clear-headed, and sure-footed so we can throw them a life preserver and draw them back to safety.

When you have someone in your office who is caught up in fear, sorrow, or some other heavy emotion, as you are listening to them tell you their problems, you can bring healing energy into your body and radiate it out to them. Though they may not be aware of what is happening on a conscious level, they will leave your office feeling much better, and you will feel high as a kite.

This is an easy thing to learn how to do; you may even be able to master it in a weekend workshop. Get some energy healing training soon - it will make you a better therapist and a happier person.

2355

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.