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November 15 through November 21, 2021

This week should unfold in a pretty steady manner until Friday when we discover that change is in the air! A Taurus full Moon/lunar eclipse on Friday will be the first of two major astrological events to mark the change, as it creates a major shift in focus and direction for the next six months. Eclipses come in twos, about two weeks apart, approximately every six months. The Taurus full Moon, also called the Beaver Moon, speaks to the idea of a physical change. As an earth sign, its purpose is to direct our attention to the tangible things in our lives; money, health, and security. New awareness and change will be a theme until the next eclipse on December 4th, particularly in these areas. Then on Sunday, the Sun will move into the sign of Sagittarius, setting us on a four-week course in search of balance, fairness, and resolution. The combination of these two events in one week should generate more determination as well as faith in our movements well into the new year. Note that both of these events occur under a Gemini Moon, so you'll notice a lot of buzz in the air as people become more vocal about the changes they are preparing to make, as well as how they plan to go about it!

9 Pagan Ways to Manage Depression, by Terence P Ward

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Depression is a suffocating and miserable experience, and periods of depression can be both debilitating and life-altering. Symptoms not only include suppressed emotions and reduced energy, but also brain fog and body aches. Struggling to think or act can impact life plans, from education to family to career, and behavioral changes can result in loss of motivation, as well as struggles with addiction and other health problems. The percentage of people who experience depression is on the rise, but incredible progress is being made when it comes to treating this complex condition. Pagans can do well to supplement both traditional and emerging treatments, such as medication and therapy, by addressing the spiritual harm that results from periods of depression. This is a condition that impacts the body, mind, and spirit, and treating it on all three of those levels has the potential to multiply the effects of just therapy or medication alone. Here are nine ideas for how to proceed.

1. Pray. According to Courtney Weber, "You should go to your altar every day, but if you're in a bad place, go three times a day." Pagans may uncomfortable with prayer; the late Judy Harrow said it, "feels like begging." It doesn't have to be that way. If your entire relationship with a human is you asking for favors and gifts, then talking might feel like begging after a while, too. Try simply telling the gods about your day. Perhaps if you're also in the habit of leaving offerings, you might catch them in the mood to intervene. Spending time with your gods should bring comfort in any case.
2. Meditate. To focus attention on something like a candle flame, or to cease thinking altogether, is a way to quiet the conscious mind. This allows deeper parts of the self some space to heal, a respite from the barrage of recriminating thoughts common during depression. This is sometimes considered a form of shifting consciousness, but at its best this is an altered state that puts consciousness in the back seat and allows other parts of the mind to drive instead. It can be surprisingly difficult to meditate at first, particularly if the mind is filled with runaway thoughts, but it's not impossible. Even starting with just one minute at a time establishes the habit, but try to extend that by a minute as often as you can. A solid goal is to have sessions that last at least twenty minutes each, but take as long as you need to in order to reach that point.
3. Connect. Seek out a person and have a conversation. Silence is also fine, as it speaks volumes. There is healing that comes simply from being in the company of others of our own kind. We evolved from tribal primates, and our spirits respond to one another. We can feel like we're completely alien during a period of depression, that we are shunned and ostracized, or forgotten or mocked. Those introduced thoughts make avoiding the healing presence of other humans feel justified. It's important to exercise discernment—people who have harmed you in the past may harm you in the future—but companionship is a necessary part of the human experience.
4. Remember. We are open to depression in part because of the trauma experienced by our ancestors, and inadvertently passed down to us as our habits, beliefs, and capacity to manage stress. Our ancestors also have an interest in our own success, and understand us in ways that no one else ever could. Call upon the ancestors for resilience when all seems bleak and hopeless.
5. Laugh. Life is funny—all parts of life. Some of the best comedy comes out of suffering, because the spark of humor is all the brighter when it flares in darkness. Laughter shakes our body, mind, and spirit, and allows for a reset of all three. Think of a time when something funny kicked off uncontrollable laughter. Recall how you felt when you have basked in the afterglow of laughing deeply and fully. Laughter is a gift of the creator gods, a way to recenter into our truest selves. Give yourself permission to receive this blessing with all of your being when that is possible, but use discernment! There are times when it's best to restrain that guffaw welling up. There will be times when it feels wiser to quash even a chortle, but always silently honor the feeling, and thank whoever you hold holy for this incredible gift.
6. Move. Our bodies are parts of our full, sacred selves. In depression it's easy to heed the call to physically slow down, to become one with the bed or a device like a phone or television. The body's stillness is often reflected by a fixation on negative thoughts. Social worker Barbara Rachel taught me a saying used in Alcoholics Anonymous: "Move a muscle, change a thought." Start simple if you must: leave the remote control on the television stand, or your phone on the other side of the room. Work up to walking around your building or neighborhood, spending time gardening outside or tidying up inside, or taking up an active hobby like bicycling, mall-walking, or hog-calling.
7. Ground. A state of depression can include the sensation of heaviness in the body, but this is not the same as being grounded. More likely, that's negative emotions sucking up the energy needed to move the limbs about. Grounding is to allow that emotional charge to pass into the earth. Sometimes it is easier to ground with the help of another person, such as a tree, a stone, or a human. Pay attention to how it feels when another person is helping to ground you, as you can tap into that sensation when grounding yourself.
8. Purify. Acts of purification are intended to clear out spiritual clutter that accumulates around us all, the result of living a mortal human life. The first step in purifying a space is to clean it, and the first space that should be cleaned is one's body. In periods of depression, even basic hygiene can seem like too much effort, but a good scrubbing from head to toe will at least temporarily elevate mood and restore energy. Tackling a cluttered or untidy home space may require help, depending on how bad it's become, but it's worth it: the home is a reflection of the heart and mind, and improving the outer environment impacts the inner in turn. The spirit of depression finds no value in a clean and ordered home, a mind free of clutter, or a path to the gods unfettered by pessimistic thoughts or stacks of boxes in front of the altar.
9. Commune. Spend time with people who are not human. Walk among trees, spend time with pets, care for houseplants, feed local birds, work in a garden. Feel sand between toes, sunshine on the face, or dirt under fingernails. Attune to the spirits of place, be they of the land or the home built upon it. Walking is an opportunity to pay attention to local spirits, whether or not they are incarnate. There are even forms of walking divination that one might try while on a mini-walkabout; I recall that author Tom Cowan taught me a Celtic walking divination once upon a time.

Depression is a condition that impacts the body, mind, and spirit of anyone experiencing it, and treating the body, mind, and spirit in concert is going to yield the better results than avoiding one or another aspect. The voice of depression encourages us to avoid behaviors that are going to be the most effective in that treatment, too. The above list is about intended to aid the spirit, and to a lesser extent the body. None of these suggestions is a substitute for getting treatment from a mental health professional, someone trained in the healing of the mind. Asking our gods or other spirits for help when we are in crisis is a good idea, but most of the time our gods are going to help us through a mental health professional. The gods work with the tools that work best.

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

These days I am experiencing alternating phases of restlessness and peace. Some of my experiences seem to coincide with Kundalini awakening. Sometimes I can feel someone watching over me and guiding me. I know these experiences are good for me but I don't know how to channel this energy in order to do something constructive. I am scared I'll waste the good energy by doing something stupid and negative. I seem to get affected by the energies of people around me and lapse into restlessness, thereby easily losing my focus. I know I can get whatever I want if I really want it, however these days I seem to not know what I want. I seem to have stopped dreaming, which I used to do a lot as a kid. Is this part of the awakening process? Will all return to normalcy on its own or do I need to do something?

Mukti

Susyn:

The sensations and experiences you describe are common when one is going through the spiritual awakening process. This is a brand new experience for you and will take all your spiritual, emotional and physical concentration. It's therefore common to feel a sense of restlessness or concern as these changes take place.

One of our greatest challenges in life is trusting those times when we feel lost and undirected because we seem to be walking through a fog. It's easy to become fearful or confused during these cycles. In truth, what you are experiencing is a type of spiritual tunnel you must walk through to get from one level of spiritual development to the next.

To affirm that you are on the right track, it's always helpful to discuss what's happening with others when you're in the midst of a spiritual change. You are becoming more aware of the spiritual forces that are directing you. You are also picking up the energy of the people around you more easily.

Sometimes it can seem like we are moving backward instead of forward as our minds, emotions and physical bodies adjust to the changes that come with spiritual awakening. Your knowledge of Kundalini and your conscious awareness of these shifts is evidence that you are about on the verge of a spiritual rebirth. Along with the fact that you lose focus easily and have stopped dreaming, you may experience changes in your hearing or vision until this process is complete.

I wouldn't worry about wasting good energy or doing something to counteract the gift you are being given. That is what your guides are for: they will keep you moving in the right direction even when you feel like you are not moving in any direction at all. I feel certain that you are doing exactly what you need to do.

There are a few things you can practice to help make this transition easier. I recommend you devote yourself to a regular meditation practice, and undertake spiritual studies to learn all you can during this phase. You may also find it helpful to keep a journal in which you record how often you lose track of your focus, how often you feel your guides near you, and when you begin to dream again. This will help you to track certain patterns so you can see how often these events occur, their higher purpose, and when they start to fade away.

I am sure that you will feel a new sense of clarity and direction once you've reached the final stages of this transition. One sign that this has taken place will be the return of your dreams. You will also find that your intuition and psychic abilities have grown stronger.

*****

Oceania:

Given your emotional fluctuations and inability to focus and complete tasks, I recommend you get a psychiatric assessment. You may be suffering from a mood disorder and/or Adult ADD. I suspect these behaviors have always been with you, but now that you're consciously monitoring your inner state, your self-awareness has grown.

We all exist on two levels simultaneously. On a deep soul level, weíre ever-connected to All-That-Is. We also reside on the level of earthly drama where each of us stars in our own personal soap opera. As Shakespeare said, All the worldís a stage, and all the men and women merely players.

At times you feel content, guided, and in touch with your personal power; at other times, you feel restless, self-critical, and self-conscious. You seem to bounce haphazardly between these two states, which is disconcerting for you. A fulfilling life comes from learning how to gracefully balance our spirituality with mundane concerns.

In this book, Practicing the Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle likens each one of us to a lake. The surface with its storms and waves represents the challenges of daily life. If we can shift our awareness to the bottom of the lake, we find absolute stillness regardless of whatís happening above.

When your surface life becomes overwhelming, sink deep within and remember itís all an illusion to keep eternity interesting. When you get bored with eternal peace, splash back to the surface for your next adventure. Author Rob Brezsny offers up this view: God doesnít say, Cut the crap and shape up! God says: I am well entertained by the stories youíve been living...canít wait to see what you do next.

Every life pursuit, from watching a film or sporting event to manifesting dreams, is more enjoyable when we find balance between the realms. When watching a suspenseful movie, you can get too lost in the drama and suffer anxiety, but if you refuse to get emotionally invested at all, you wonít enjoy the film at all. At a baseball game, you might say, These people wearing funny uniforms and chasing a ball are silly. Who cares who wins? With that attitude, however, you certainly wonít relish the game. Of course, if you get overly invested to the point of hating the other team and screaming obscenities, you wonít have a good time either!

Youíll feel more stable as you learn to straddle the middle ground and live with one foot in spiritual constancy and one foot in earthly change. Embrace the virtue of spiritual excellence, but remember to temper your ideals with humility and humor!

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.