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July 24 through July 30, 2023

Things run pretty smoothly this week, with only one astrological shift of note, Mercury's move into Virgo on Friday. Mercury rules the sign of Virgo, so don't be surprised if your attention to detail increases or you find yourself nitpicking about things that really aren't important. We'll need to strive for balance under Monday's Libra Moon, but when it ventures into Scorpio on Tuesday for a three-day tour, we can pretty much cast caution to the wind and go with the flow. Fun and laughter are the names of the game on Friday and Saturday when the Moon moves into Sagittarius. Great time to get out and see a comedy show or through an impromptu "dog days of summer" party in your backyard! Just focus on keeping things light-hearted and easy going. You might be inspired to do a little house cleaning or repair work on Sunday, but that's just because the Moon will be in Capricorn. If you want to ignore those urgings and just hang out in front of the television or computer, be my guest!

Cartomancy and Mermaid Magic, by Leeza Robertson

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

I have a confession to make. When I sat down to write The Book of Mermaid Magic, it was never, ever meant to have tarot in it. This was meant to be a stand-alone book that would allow those who find themselves mermaid-curious a chance to wade into the shallows and explore the watery world of the mermaids. I wanted to provide them a space to just explore, play, and maybe even hear the call. If you are reading this article, you might have heard the call of the mermaids. It doesn't matter if you live near the water or find yourself landlocked.

The mermaids call to all those who crave depth, flow, and magic in their lives. Some people, like myself, might be more reluctant to acknowledge they have heard the call. It took me a few years before I would truly accept my own mermaid calling, and maybe you too are shy about admitting the pull you have towards the mermaids.

In many respects, this is why I wrote the The Book of Mermaid Magic: to help others answer their own personal mermaid call. You see, the call is not the same for all of us. For some it might be to walk a more devotional path, like the Ocean Priestess. Others might find their draw to the mermaids to be more playful, like the energy of the sprites. Then there will be those who just know they have a mermaid heart. What I have learned while working with these magical beings is that there is a place and space for all of us. So no matter where you live or who you are, there is a mermaid just waiting to connect with you.

Which brings us back to the tarot and how it ended up worming its way into this book. You see, this Book of Mermaid Magic manuscript was finished. Fully complete and submitted, and I thought I had done a really good job of bringing the many different beings of the mermaid pantheon together. I was quite happy with how we weaved moon magic and chakra healing throughout the chapters. After six months of deep and wide research, I felt like we had a really solid book ready to send out into the world for mermaid lovers everywhere.

That was not the case.

Apparently the book was just missing a little something. One thing that would bring it all together. The very thing I had avoided at all costs to include in the book. Yep, you guessed it: tarot. Isn't it funny that no matter how much we say no to something, if we are meant to experience it or have it, it will happen anyway. No matter how much I didnt want it, tarot ended up in the pages of The Book of Mermaid Magic anyway.

So now I was left with the task of weaving the tarot through an already finished manuscript. You might be wondering why someone who created a Mermaid Tarot didn't want to include it in her own book about mermaids. Here's the thing: there are loads of mermaid lovers out in the world who do not read tarot. In fact, many of them don't know how to use tarot, and I did not want that to be a barrier for them when it came to this book. Which means I needed a work around—one that was slightly more inclusive.

This is how the cartomancy sections of this book were created. Not every mermaid lover knows tarot, but most of them do sling the odd oracle card. So I thought, what better way to start your mermaid magic adventure than with a special spread? If you have my beautiful Mermaid Tarot, go ahead—pull it out and give it a shuffle. If you are more of an oracle deck person, find a deck that you think would work well with the mermaids, and give it a little shuffle. For those of you who have no decks and don't even know what cartomancy is, relax, I got you. Just grab your journal and a pen and use the prompts and questions below to journal with.

Before we begin any sort of divination or sacred practice, it is a good idea to just take a moment, pause, and breathe. Be present in this moment. Let all the outside noise just drift away. Drop your shoulders, unclench your jaw, and focus on the here and now. If you feel moved you might even wish to recite the following: "Mermaids I am here, present and aware, ready for you to share your wisdom, guidance, and divine grace."

If you are using cards, pick them up and give them another shuffle, but this time imagine an iridescent light flowing into them, around them, and through them, connecting your deck to the energy and light of the mermaids. If you are journaling and not divining, then imagine this light curling around your pen and infusing itself into the pages of your notebook. Take a few steady breaths here and then begin the move to the spread/prompts.

Card One: What do the mermaids want me to understand at this point in my human journey?
Remember that you are here on this physical plane having a journey, to which there will be many twists, turns, and oftentimes surprises. Don't presume that just because something has never happened that it won't, or even that just because something has always been one way that it will stay that way. The mermaids know that journeys can both flow and stangnate, so open yourself up to receive some guidance about where you are right now.

Card Two: What blessings do the mermaids want me to open up and receive?
Not all blessings will initially put a smile on your face. We humans seem to think that blessings are meant to bless us with good fortune; however they can just as easily bless us with things we may not seem at the time to want, or situations we don't feel ready or capable to deal with. So, be mindful of what comes up here, as this blessing might need time to unfold.

Card Three: What do the mermaids want me to release at this time so my journey can flow towards my highest and greatest good?
When considering the word "release," you can also say, "reframe" or even "rewrite." It is also good to remember that releasing happens in layers and not all at once. So, if you are working on a belief or habit, just be mindful that it might take some time to rewrite. If what you are releasing is an emotion or a situation, be kind and gentle with yourself as you take the first step at reframing your identity without this in your life. Whatever comes up here is just the beginning of a process, one that you can continue to work through as you spend more time with the mermaids.

Now that you have all of your cards out in front of you, you might consider picking up your journal and going deeper with the information you have gathered. For those of who you already journal, consider exploring what you have written at a deeper level. I find journal work tends to leave a lot to unpack, so take your time and don't rush the process.

When you feel the work is complete, just say a short thank you to the mermaids: "Mermaids, thank you for spending time with me and giving me this wisdom and guidance to help me on my journey. Until next time we speak again, we are now complete."

Now, of course, if you want to go further and wider with the mermaids, grab your copy of The Book of Mermaid Magic and dive in! There is so much more to explore.

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

It seems that I have always had financial problems. Even after I married, my husband and I still had money problems. How can I tell if this is something I'm destined to struggle with or if this is a lesson that I need to learn to overcome? Is my faith in God, the angels and my spirit guide not strong enough to help me learn this lesson less painfully? I've always been interested in direct spiritual guidance, even more so in the last ten years. Unfortunately, I don't feel the direct contact with Spirit I wish I could. Maybe I'm not listening in the right way. Anything you could tell me to help me understand better would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for your assistance.

- Jeanie

Dreamchaser:

Jeanie, as I'm a "recovering Virgo" myself, I completely understand what you are saying. I am going to tell you that you are standing in your own way. Your back is instantly going to go up and you are going to say to yourself, "I am not. I am doing EVERYTHING I know to bring money into my life. I think it is just my lot in life to struggle."

Jeanie, you are NOT doing everything you can, or you would not have these troubles. I agree you think you are trying. The problem is you are not doing the correct things. The biggest problem of all is your mind - your logic. You have to train your mind to view incoming gains and blessings of all kinds differently.

Your level of faith has nothing to do with the financial situation in your life. You do have BIG faith, but you also have moments when you lose it completely. But guess what? That is what being human is all about. One of the problems with your spirituality, Jeanie, is that you view God as this big entity outside of yourself. You feel like you have to wait for God to DO something for you.

The best advice I can give you is to read The Dynamic Laws of Prosperityby Catherine Ponder. She will explain to you how to change your beliefs, thought processes and actions to create a positive financial flow around you. It really is not hard to do - you should give it a chance. Do NOT turn your nose up and think, "A book cannot teach me THIS. She OBVIOUSLY does not understand the severity of my problem." I do understand more than you realize. Get the book, Jeanie. It can help you change your life. It has worked for NUMEROUS clients to whom I gave the same advice.

The good news is that if you read the book and do what it recommends, then you will have a steady flow of material blessings in practically no time. You will start to feel healthier as well. These financial strains have pulled on your health due to high stress levels. Your all around life will improve by leaps and bounds, and the ONLY thing different, Jeanie, will be the way you think. Amazing, huh?

Allow yourself to have good around you Jeanie. You have suffered enough. You have endured enough drama and cried enough tears. You don't have to be the cast-iron strong woman you have been trying to be anymore. You can let it all go. That was the old you. Now a new you is being born from the ashes of your "previous" life. Read the book. You will understand what I mean. You CAN have it all - you just have to allow it.

I wish you an overflow of abundance!

*****

Astrea:

While we don't live and die according to our horoscopes, I can see from the basic information you gave me that you DO face a challenge with money. All women born from 1946-1959 have astrologically-based problems with money. Our charts are filled with little nicks and cuts to our finances. Learning and working with astrology has helped me with financial struggles a great deal. If you get a chart drawn up for you and your husband by a competent astrologer, you will see why money has been such a hardship for you in this Incarnation.

When you find the ROOT of the difficulty you have with money, those problems will begin to evaporate quickly. It's there in your chart, I promise. Be sure to look at where your Ascendant falls and where your Moon is in relation to your Sun Sign of Virgo. Combine your chart with your husband's, and answers will start to take shape.

Giving up the NEED TO CONTROL THE OUTCOME of a situation is often the answer. For you, however, it's finding the way TO control the outcome. Virgos rarely just "throw up their hands" and give something over to a higher power. You work WITH God to find the Spiritual answer. I'm sensing that you're carrying a lot of stress about this. Try every day to give up a little of your guilt and worry about the way you've handled money all your life, and new avenues will begin to pop up everywhere for you to build on what you already have. Open to ABUNDANCE coming into your life and it will.

I'm sure this has very little to do with your Faith. I believe the challenges we face BUILD our faith, and I know that if I pressed you, you would agree. Money as a VIRGO challenge is astrologically pretty basic. All Earth Signs face that challenge. Abundance is something you must feel WORTHY of, and Earth Signs are very humble when it comes to ASKING for prosperity. It's difficult for any Virgo to ask the Universe for help, for they feel they're already in CONTROL. That's why LIFE TESTS tend to hit them in the wallet - it's the quickest way for the Universe to get their attention!

It is difficult to feel really connected to Spirit when you're struggling to make ends meet. However, if you examine your lifestyle, you'll see that you've had a lot of "good luck" due to the spiritual connection you DO enjoy. That connection is THERE, whether you are always able to feel it or not! Separate the physical NEEDS in your life from the FEELINGS you have about Spirit, and you'll begin to feel the connection coming back to you in a hurry.

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.