KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

by Maria Shaw

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Mercury retrograde gets blamed for a lot things that go wrong in our lives. Does it deserve all the attention? What exactly is a Mercury retrograde?

For those of you who don't know about this astrological "happening," here's the lowdown in layman's terms: The planet Mercury rules communication, travel, contracts, automobiles, and such. It goes in a retrograde motion—or motion that makes it appear to be going backwards in the night sky—three times a year for approximately three weeks at a time. When Mercury is retrograde, there's usually much confusion. People forget little things. Delays and frustrations abound.

Astrologers recommend against starting anything new when Mercury goes retrograde. But even if you can't begin new endeavors, you can still put this aspect to good use. You just need to learn to work with the energy of Mercury rather than against it. Let's explore the pros and cons of this cosmic force and how to wait out this period until Mercury goes forward or "direct."

There's a "wind up" period about two weeks before Mercury goes retrograde. During this time, you should finish business at hand. When Mercury does go retrograde, make sure you have all of your current projects finished.

I have a few Mercury retrograde stories of my own to share.

I owned a rental house that I needed to rent ASAP. It was costing me money to leave it vacant, and I was eager to get someone moved in. My Realtor did background checks on all of the rental applicants and found some folks that I thought would be the perfect renters. I knew I should never sign contracts on a retrograde, but was impatient. I didn't want to wait a month to sign a lease when Mercury went direct.

The couple signed a year's lease, so I kept my fingers crossed. The following month, the rent was late. A few months later, they trashed the place, placed bills illegally in my name, moved out without notice, and filed for bankruptcy.

Years ago, I wanted to buy a home and made an offer on a house during a Mercury retrograde in June. The offer was declined. I asked for a counter-offer and never heard back. Realtors couldn't find the owners. There was a lot of miscommunication. The sellers had left state to vacation for a few weeks. It took until October to get a response. The response was a "yes&" ... but it only came after re-writing the original offer three times!

My friend and astrologer Cindy should have known better. She started a new job on the first day Mercury went retrograde. She asked how I felt the job would go. "You won't stay there," I told her. "It's a Mercury retrograde." The next day she broke her thumb and had to quit! This same friend had a lot of nerve tempting fate. She went out and bought a new car on another retrograde. It broke down on the drive home from the dealer's. It stayed parked at the dealership until Mercury went direct, waiting for a part.

Now, you can't stop your life just because a Mercury retrograde hits. There's always something you can't avoid or put off. But if you have time to plan ahead, do so; you'll save yourself a lot of headaches. Since Mercury also rules travel and trips, it is not a good time to travel unless you have backup plans in place. Expect delays, double-check accommodations, and check everything.

One year I booked a cruise for my husband's birthday. It wasn't a Mercury retrograde when I booked the trip, but the ship was set to sail during one. We went to the airport to fly to out, and the gate agent told us our trip was canceled. The ship had caught on fire! We drove to Canada instead for a quick getaway. Our trip was cut short when relatives called and told us to hurry home; there had been an emergency in the family!

Sometimes, even when you plan ahead, Mercury retrogrades can get the best of you! Once my friends and I were heading to the airport to catch a flight. I told Sherry to meet me at my house a half hour earlier than usual so we wouldn't be late. She left her house early, but missed the turn to my road and went thirty minutes out of her way! Once she picked me up and we made it to the freeway, there was a six-mile traffic back-up due to road construction. We made it through that, but because we started late we ended up in Detroit's morning rush hour traffic and were delayed again. I was doing ninety miles an hour to get to the airport, and it looked like we'd actually make the flight. Then the tire on my car blew! Luckily someone stopped to help, but we were about seven minutes late getting to the gate and had to take a later flight. Three hours later, we boarded a plane scheduled to leave on time. A worker had left some machinery sitting in front of our plane while he went to lunch. No one could locate him and our flight was stuck until he came back!

What Not To Do During Mercury Retrograde
DON'T:

• Start anything new
• Make important decisions
• Buy computers, appliances, TVs, radios, etc.
• Travel without back-up plans
• Sign contracts
• Buy a car
• Negotiate a contract
• File a lawsuit
• Start a new job
• Begin a new class
• Go on a "first" date
• Expect things to move quickly
• Take anything for granted

WHAT TO EXPECT

• Angrier people
• Crazy drivers
• More accidents
• Miscommunication
• Quarrels
• Computer problems and breakdowns
• Delays
• More mistakes
• Slow mail
• Games of phone tag
• Wrong directions
• Missed appointments
• Dead cell phone batteries

What's Mercury Retrograde Good For?
If you know when Mercury retrograde hits—which is about every three months—you can work with, rather than against, its energy. Remember there's a "re" in retrograde. These weeks are good for re-doing just about anything.

DO:

• Re-apply for a job
• Re-do hair color
• Re-write your resume
• Review your bank account
• Renew a loan
• Repair your car
• Re-contact past clients
• Research

Catch up on all of the tasks you set aside, and also have a game-plan in place for when Mercury goes direct.

The Mercury retrograde is also a time to reflect on what you've accomplished and where you want to redirect your energies. There's that "re" again! We all need time to review and decide if we're taking the right road. These days give us the opportunity to do so.

We can't stop our lives every time a retrograde hits. So what can you do when you don't have a choice?

• Read and re-read contracts. Have someone else look them over, too.
• Check your travel plans several times.
• If you need to, ask questions over and over during negotiations.
• ail packages and letters early. Check the zip codes.
• Fill your gas tank.
• Don't check your luggage if you're flying. Carry on everything if possible.
• If you are making purchases, keep your sales receipt and know the store's return policy.
• Keep your cell phone battery charged.
• Watch your driving.

There are people who never seem to be affected during Mercury retrogrades. Chances are they were born during one! Millions of people are. How do these weeks affect them? Well, Mercury retrograde babies thrive. Things appear easier for them and run smoothly. They get the new job, start building the new house, and travel to fun-filled destinations. If you're one of these people, you'll have the edge on everyone else! How do you find out? Your astrology chart will indicate if Mercury was retrograde when you were born.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2004. All rights reserved.

Sometimes when I hold something or look at something, I get this tingly, chilly feeling. That's all that happens, however. How can I find out what this is? I try to read more into it, but I can't seem to get any further than this feeling. Do you think I'm psychic? If so, what can I do to develop my abilities further?

- Patti

Astrea:

I'm sure you have a gift for psychometry. This is the ability to read people, places, and things by holding something that was either dear to the person or particular to the place. That tingly feeling you get is something you should develop further so you can really use it.

To develop your skill, you must make every one of your five (regular) senses tune in to the object you're touching or holding. First, try to turn those feelings into something visual. Once you can picture something that is related to the item you're holding, examine that picture in your mind.

With practice, you'll be able to tell if the item you're holding belongs to a man or a woman, what age that person is, and how long ago they held or owned it.

Next, seek the scent of the object. How does it smell, and what is the taste you have in your mouth? Is it salty? Sweet? Bitter? That's a key to the personality of the object.

Is the owner speaking? While you may not be able to make out exact words, what is that voice like? How does it sound? Is it high-pitched or low and baritone? Use those five senses to engage your sixth sense - your psychic awareness. Be methodical about this and practice a lot.

Begin with small, simple things that belong to a person. Focus on items that have only had one owner because those are less confusing. Keys are good because usually they belong to just one person.

Antique jewelry can create a mess in your head because it has probably passed through many hands. Clothing also gets handed down, as do toys. Also, at least at first, make sure that your friends aren't trying to fool or test you.

In a few months, you'll be able to branch out to rocks, leaves and soil to read places. Start with items from places that you've actually been so that it's easier for you to identify where it is you go. These are the most fun for me because you get to mentally go there when you're holding the rock. You can travel the whole world this way!
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The most difficult items are things that have belonged to people who have crossed over, so don't try to read those until you have a little more experience. Sometimes our loved ones are so eager to come through that they can short-circuit our psychic wiring, which can lead to a bad headache.

Also, people with your gift are often natural mediums, so you have to take care that you don't hurt yourself by doing things you're not ready to do yet. Reading objects is like solving a puzzle, so if you're good with puzzles, you should be good at psychometry too.

*****

Susyn:

How wonderful! What you're experiencing is definitely a sign that your psychic gifts are coming to life, and once they awaken, there's no stopping them.

Psychic abilities (or in this case ESP, which is a precursor to psychic abilities) appear at different times for different people. What you're experiencing is the ability to sense energies beyond what normal people can - hence the term Extra-Sensory Perception.

Your ability to perceive the invisible fields of energy surrounding the objects you hold tells me you are especially sensitive to these vibrations. Because of this, I strongly recommend you invest in a crystal pendulum. Divining with a pendulum will allow you to ask specific questions or evaluate your options based simply on the energy fields the pendulum picks up.

Here are two more exercises you can use to build your powers or use them to do readings for people:

At a local rock or metaphysical store, purchase seven stones of different colors. Use the key below and pick one stone to represent each of the seven chakras or energy centers in the human body. (The type of stone is unimportant).

Red: Root Chakra/ Physical Body
Orange: Creation Chakra/ Creative Energy
Yellow: Solar Plexus Chakra/ Personal Power
Green: Heart Chakra/ Emotions
Light Blue: Will Chakra/ Self-Expression
Indigo: Mind Chakra/ Intellect
Purple: Crown Chakra/ Connection to spirit

Sit in a quiet space where you won't be distracted, and one by one, pick up a stone and hold it in your hand. As you sit with it, note the images, thoughts or feelings you have. Also note on a scale from 1-5 the level of energy you feel emanating from each stone.

You can use these stones to check your own and others' energy centers. If the energy from the stone is low, that indicates an area you will want to meditate or record so you can clear any blocks.

Another great way to develop your gifts is to have people bring you objects or items that belonged to someone who has crossed over. It's best if this was someone you didn't know.

Trusting the thoughts or feelings you get and expressing them will help you see how often your psychic impressions are right, which in turn will deepen your ability to trust them and encourage further development.

There are many ways to develop and use this talent, so work with it and stay open to these feelings. By practicing, you'll encourage your psychic gifts to grow and prosper.

Good luck to you!