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February 15 through February 21, 2021

A new dawn arises this week, and with the Sun preparing to move into Pisces on Thursday and Mercury resuming forward motion on Saturday, we should start to feel as if the astrological scenery is clearing at last! The week starts off quite productively with an Aries Moon on Monday and Tuesday, followed by a down to earth Taurus Moon on Wednesday and Thursday. We’ll feel the shift from mental override to spiritual reflection when the Sun enters Pisces on Thursday, kicking off the month of the astrological year and calling us to go inward to prepare before we manifest our greatest dreams. It’s quite fitting that the Moon will be traveling through Gemini Friday through Sunday, as this creates the perfect backdrop for Mercury to resume forward motion. Mercury rules Gemini, so this combination of energies will create a more peaceful and thoughtful transition as it changes direction. That’s not to say there won’t be communication or electronic troubles as it does, for Mercury rarely leaves its retrograde period without leaving a few little “gotchas!” behind. Mind your words, don’t make promises you can’t keep, and take everything you hear with a grain of salt!

How to Press the Reset Button on Life After Difficult Times, by Granddaughter Crow

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

In a world of ever-changing "normals," it can be difficult navigating through these times. However, there is a secret key to which we all have access and that does not cost a penny. What is this key? How can we rebalance, reconnect, and reset our life in a few easy steps? It is through our connection to the natural world.

When my mind is full of dualistic thoughts, or racing around like a dog chasing its tail, this is what I do. I simply step outside and allow the wind to gently dance around me and play with my hair. Next, I relax and visualize that the wind is not only touching my skin, but it is also flowing through my mind, releasing unsettled thoughts. Next, I visualize that the wind is flowing through my heart, releasing any anxious or residual feelings. I imagine that the wind is beginning to carry my spirit and lifting me up like an eagle soaring through the heavens. It simply takes a few moments, and I am relaxed and feel at home within myself once again. The next time that you notice the wind, I invite you to try this exercise. Allow the wind to lift you up.

At times, I may feel alone and/or disconnected from those that I love so dearly. Maybe I even think for a moment that I am not good enough, or that I need to become something different than myself. Here is what I do. I find a place in nature, maybe a local park or field, maybe my own backyard. I simply sit there for a moment under a tree and perceive the natural world around me. It does not take long before I notice a bird singing, a squirrel dancing around, or a field mouse scampering around low to the ground. The thought comes to me that if I have noticed them, they have noticed me, too. I am seen without judgment. I feel a sense of their acceptance, and it allows me to recognize that I do belong, and they don't judge me or ask me to change. While the squirrel may ask me for a peanut, he will not reject me if I have nothing to offer.

I have found that the key to pressing any reset button is to first know your authentic purity. Purity here is not in the sense of "goodness;" rather, here purity is the definition of undiluted self. I've notice that life, situations, and events can dilute us and we become something inauthentic, at times to the point of losing our self (or is that just me?). Nevertheless, in order to return to my purity, I must have a sense of what that purity is. So, if I've lost sight of myself, how do I remember (or "re-member") my authenticity? Here is what I do.

I get a piece of paper and a pen and I find a place in nature that is at least twenty feet away from any other person, and I sit down and breathe. I breathe in for three counts, I hold my breath for three counts, and I exhale for three counts. Breathe like this for about a minute or two (eyes can be open or closed—your choice). I return my thoughts to notice what my physical body is sensing. Do I feel the sun on my face? Do I feel a breeze? What does the air temperature feel like? Can I hear any nature sounds (a bird singing, a brook babbling, the wind through the trees)? Then I write down on the piece of paper a list of the five main senses: sight, touch, smell, taste, and sound. Next, beside each sense, I will write down what I am experiencing with each of them.

For example:
Sight: I see a bird, I can see a rock formation
Touch: I feel the sun, or I feel the rock I am sitting upon
Smell: I smell the pinecones, or I smell the ocean
Taste: I can taste the salt of the ocean, or I can taste the mint that is growing near me. (You don't actually have to put something in your mouth to experience the sensation of taste
Hearing: I can hear the wind in the trees, I can hear a bird singing (obviously, I like birds as I keep referring to them… I wonder why?)

Once you complete this part of the exercise, I invite you to expand on what you've noticed and what you have written. (For example, "I noticed the bird and it made me think of…" or, "It made me feel…" or, "I remember a time…") This allows you to begin to slowly uncover the mysteries within your own self to open up and reveal yourself to yourself.

For example: When I saw the bird, I notice that it was perched in a tree. Although, it did not look directly at me, I knew that it had noticed me, too. So, high up on the branch, I wonder what it sees from there. Huh… a bird's eye view, that must be nice. Maybe I can practice this in my life, relationships, and experience.

This is simply an example of what free writing can produce. What will your free writing style produce? I can hardly wait to find out… because it is a clue to YOU! And that is the best thing that you could ever be! There is only one of you—be that!

It is the same thing that we may do when we are getting to know someone else, we listen to them and begin to understand how they are perceiving the world around them, their likes and dislikes. We can do this with ourselves as well. Get to know yourself! I bet you are an amazing, authentic person who simply needed a minute to re-connect with the self.

These ideas and exercises and so much more are found within the book The Wisdom of the Natural World. Yes, the book provides examples and exercises of how to reconnect with the natural world; but, moreover, it is designed to allow the reader to embrace their authenticity. Be your greatness—as only you can be!

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2021. All rights reserved.

I grew up with cats, so I'm familiar with their behavior in general. For the past three years or so, I've had a cat that is unlike any other cat I've ever met. She meows constantly, seems very restless, and does other strange things like she's trying to communicate with me. For example, it's like she will do tricks for me to try to get my attention. She'll roll over on her back, stare back up at me, and when I look at her, she'll flip over, stand up and start meowing earnestly again. Recently a friend met her for the first time, saw all of this, and announced, That cat was definitely human in a past life! Do you think that's possible? Can we be reborn as animals? If so, is my cat a tortured human who is trapped in a cat's body and trying desperately to tell someone who she really is? I love your column!

- Jess

Dreamchaser:

Many people assume that humans can become animals, but it just doesn't happen. Humans have never and will never incarnate into the body of an animal. Animals evolve and become humans, but the reverse is never true.

Just because your cat can communicate this way doesn't mean she was human - it just means she is very smart! She is a thinking, living being and has learned how to get you to pay attention. I can understand why your friend would make a comment like that about your cat, because she does seem to be so much more interactive than most cats.

Your pet is what witches of old called a familiar. A familiar is a spirit in the form of a cat. Your cat is your living animal totem. She's there to help you with big decisions, emotional dilemmas, and sticky situations. She's also there to bring you joy and make you laugh.

When you're feeling bad, she will come over to you, lay near you, suck up your negativity and go lay down somewhere and sleep it off. That is what she and many other cats do for their life's work. She is a fabulous friend and a very helpful teacher.

You need to learn to listen to her. I have found the best way to hear an animal is to put at least one of my hands on the animal's back or side to let the animal know, I am here. Get quiet and I will listen. Then I usually close my eyes or look into the animal's eyes (most cats do not like this), and just listen to the thoughts that enter my head.

That is how all guides speak to us - they use our own thoughts to communicate what we need to hear. When she starts acting up to get your attention, she has something she really wants or needs to say.

Cats and dogs are obviously the most available animal totems people might have as pets. They are so common that they are often overlooked as the great teachers they are. Cats teach us about things like independence, how to bounce back after hardships, unpredictability, curiosity, healing, cleverness, love, and the ability to fight when cornered.

They also show us how to meditate. I don't know about you, but if I'm lying down and one of my cats comes and lies down beside me, that purring puts me into a very deep trance.

Your cat is a special being sent to you by Spirit for you to have as a helper, teacher, guide and friend. Pay attention to her - she is very wise.

I wish you and your cat purr-fectly happy and fulfilling lives!

*****

Astrea:

I have several cats who exhibit this exact same behavior!

Your kitty is not a human trapped in a cat's body. Of that I'm sure, as animals don't incarnate as human beings. I've never known a human who was an animal before, or an animal who was a human before. In my opinion, it's impossible.

When we were little, our parents might have said, Be careful or you'll come back as a WORM! but it doesn't happen that way. Humans are humans, and cats are cats.

Of course, since my opinion is just my opinion, I took your question to some experts. I discussed the matter with Mars, my big orange Tabby, and he says he would NEVER reincarnate as a human with only one life, and that no other self-respecting feline would either.

Little Schmetz, our baby black kitty, says that he's looking forward to experiencing all nine of his lives. (I hate to inform him that because he was an impound cat, a couple of those have already been spent!)

Trixie, the most human-acting of the bunch, says With nine lives of my own, what good would one human incarnation do me? I agree. It doesn't seem like a very good trade to be human and not a cat in my house!

To them, it's better to be a cat instead of a silly human. I'm reminded of a sign I saw at my vet's one time: Dogs have masters. Cats have staff!

We have a different thought process than our animal friends. We have moral judgement and free will. Those two things are uniquely human - our darling pets don't possess those qualities.

We may personify their actions, and they may seem human, but that just comes from paying attention to the kinds of things that please us, that get our attention or the response they're looking for.

They want us to be happy, and they want food and a nice place to stay. Beyond that, they're cats. They'll hunt and stalk and eat and sleep and sleep and sleep. I believe they love us, but there are people who would argue even THAT point with you.

Highly evolved animals can seem very human, and they can love us and share our love with others. As human as they may seem, however, they're only our animal companions and pets.

That doesn't mean, however, that they can't communicate with us! Mine talk to me. In my dreams, they even speak to me in words sometimes. The ones who have crossed over visit me in dreams too, and they assure me they're waiting for me on the other side.

I love them and like to believe that they think like I do too, because then they seem like even greater companions.

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.