KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

July 14 through July 20, 2025

Heads up! We’ve got Mercury turning retrograde on Wednesday, and you know what that means? Electronic glitches, miscommunication, lost objects, and unexpected changes in our plans and directions. Take heart though, as all these events are designed to heighten our attention, call on us to reconsider our plans and goals, and remind us to practice more diligence for the next three weeks. Another thing Mercury retrograde is good for is bringing the answers or resolutions to long-standing problems, so watch for new insights to emerge in areas that have been in limbo for a while. The Pisces Moon on Monday and Tuesday will make it difficult to get anything of a work nature done, but we can catch up on Wednesday and Thursday when the Moon dances into energy-rich Aries. Friday and Saturday unfold under a Taurus Moon, making for an easy-going weekend. We’ll wrap up the week under a Gemini Moon on Sunday, making this a great time to catch up with friends and loved ones near and far.

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.

What's up with deja vu?

I must admit I feel somewhat silly doing this, and if you're a psychic, you know why. I feel like I am always getting deja vu, like things I'm experiencing have already happened. I get it a lot. I think I have dreams that come true too. I feel really weird when it happens. It's like I zone out for a second. I'm tempted to think this is some glitch of the imagination, but something compels me to think otherwise. If it's real, what is it? I want to know how I know, and how I can make it stronger. You probably get questions like this a lot, so it's okay if you don't get to mine. Have a nice day!

- Christian

Dreamchaser:

This is such a common occurrence, yet we very seldom discuss it in groups. It is something that is just considered one of those things. If you were to discuss this with other people, most of the time they would say something like, "Oh yes! That happens to me too!"

I think the most common explanation of deja vu is that we are experiencing a memory from a past life. The term itself means "already visited." I know I have been places there was NO WAY I could have known in this life, yet I knew what was around the next corner, or knew I had been there before. What you are experiencing really is quite normal. I would venture to say it has happened to every human being at least once.

I have also wondered if deja vu is something we are shown in our sleep. We know that when we sleep, our souls leave their bodies. We are often prepared for the day to come while we are sleeping the night before. I think in many ways, deja vu is accompanied by a sense of "I know everything about this place and the people in it." In some cases, deja vu may very well not be a memory of the past, but of the future - a knowing of what is to come.

I think the dreams you mention are part of this sleep preparation process, and that is why you know what is to come. I would really like for you to keep a pen and pad by your bedside. Each time you wake up, please immediately write down anything that comes into your head. If you had a dream or even if you have thoughts that seem random, write them down. Just record everything. Do not re-read anything until it is at least two weeks old. See what you learn about your sleep process.

When we "zone out," I believe we actually enter a real life time warp. For those moments in time, our past, present and future lives converge. This makes it feel like time has slowed or stopped. As we come back to earth, time seems to pick right back up, but we are left with this feeling like something very strange just happened.

I do not think deja vu is something we can make happen. I do think that you can try to work on being connected with all that is in every place you go, however. When you go to a new place, stop and root yourself to the floor and try to feel the energy of the building and the land that the building is on. Feel your feet in your shoes and how the floor feels. Take deep, steady breaths and get quiet. You WILL feel energy. By becoming connected, you have that "connection" that you feel when you are experiencing deja vu. That connection is what you are after anyway.

I wish you connectivity.

*****

Astrea:

There is nothing silly about wondering about experiences of deja vu, which happens to everyone at least now and then. Usually as we get older, we have fewer such experiences, for we grow more distant from our other former incarnations. In French, "deja" means "before" and "vu" means "see," so deja vu means seeing something before we get there.

To understand WHY this happens to you with such frequency, you must get in touch with your past lives. Often these episodes relate to LESSONS that we failed to learn when we were born as humans before this time. Find someone who does past life regression, or someone who can at least give you some kind of insight into where you were and how you lived before you came to earth this time.

You may gain direction on what you're supposed to be doing and learning this time. If you're noticing that deja vu is happening almost daily, it's time to find out why.

Keep a deja vu journal or notebook, and start recording your dreams to see if they hold messages regarding what you're supposed to be paying attention to in your waking life. Write down all such experiences as they happen to you during the day. It is much easier to record these feelings as they happen so you don't forget.

Once you've done this for about three months, you'll start to see PATTERNS emerge with these experiences. Even though they won't be the SAME, there will be SIMILAR ones that can be divided into categories. Some will concern family members and friends. This is one way to see who you are with in this life that you have been with in other lives. Some will be personal messages just for you, but those will take on patterns, also. You'll be able to see why you keep having these flashbacks to the past.

Once you've divided these experiences into your own categories, you'll be able to access these PAST life issues via meditation. Set aside at least an hour to look into these groups of incidents or feelings, especially those that seem different from all the others. Insights will come to you like you can't imagine!

Your Guides and Angels are ready to help you with this task, so don't forget to ask for their help before you begin any such process or meditation. They will help you get a clear handle on what these experiences are supposed to mean to you, or at least teach you about yourself and your lessons this lifetime. Remember, the more past lives you've had, the harder your head is! Learn the lessons that your deja vu experiences are highlighting now, so you can move on peacefully into the Light of All Being.

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.