Aries Mercury in Retrograde Mondays

[caption id="attachment_157" align="alignleft" width="260" caption="Mercury in Aries is a-coming! 3/30-4/23"][/caption]

Note the title. It's usually "Manifestation Mondays", I know. But Mercury in Retrograde is almost here.

Mercury in Aries will be in Retrograde from March 30, 2011 to April 23, 2011.

What's a Mercury in Retrograde? (More about that here.)

As I stated in a previous article "As with all retrogrades (more about that here) this is going to guide us to focus our attention on the areas of communication and travel. To sum up, during a retrograde

• Don’t sign on the dotted line unless it’s for something from your past.


• Redo, Rethink, Reflect.


• Back up computers.


• Careful with spoken or written communication.


• Old friends or lovers (with, in this case, Aries planets) may resurface during an Aries Retro in order to heal past events.

In a nutshell, with Aries Mercury Retro, there can be a tendency to be too fiery or incendiary. It reminds you to look before you leap and please, please, please don't go blazing off into the Great Unknown to start something new unless it's something that's come back around a second time.

Also, Astro Hint!

Wherever Aries falls in your chart is where this Retro will hit you.

In the section of your chart that Aries falls is also where Mercury in Aries in Retrograde falls. This is where you may experience any of the bulleted points above, from communication confusion to old friends/lovers returning.

All astrological transits (when a planet is in a certain placement RIGHT NOW instead of on the day you were born) can be calculated in terms of your personal chart by looking at two things: your Sun Sign ("What's Your Sign, Baby!") and your Rising Sign, which is in your first house. Not sure what your Rising Sign is? Go to Astro.com and find out for free. Go on. I'll wait right here.

Ok, now with both of those in hand, use the list below to see what you can expect for Mercury in Retrograde in Aries.

For example, Mary's Sun Sign is in Libra because she was born on October 11. Astro.com says her Rising Sign/Ascendent is in Gemini because she was born at 10:15 PM.

Mary will read BOTH the Libra section (for her Sun Sign) and the Gemini section (for her Ascendent/Rising Sign).

Aries Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retro in their 1st house of self.

Taurus Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retro in their 12th house of secrets and hidden things.

Gemini Sun Signs or Rising Signs may feel some communication confusion in his 11th house of friends and associations.

If you have a Cancer Sun Sign or Rising Sign, you may feel some communication confusion in your 10th house of work and career.

Leo Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Retrograde in their 9th house of travel and higher learning, and so on.

Virgo Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retrograde in their 8th house of death, sex, and other people's money.

Libra Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retrograde in their 7th house of partnership and marriage.

Scorpio Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retrograde in their 6th house of work and health.

Sagittarius Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retrograde in their 5th house of love affairs, children, and creative pursuits.

Capricorn Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retrograde in their 4th house of home and family (and mom).

Aquarius Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retrograde in their 3rd house of neighbors, communication and siblings.

Pisces Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retrograde in their 2nd house of money and property.

 

And...sometimes I have special updates about astrology that are exclusive to the Happy Ganesh Facebook page. Join in order to get allll the good stuff.

 

And here's the most recent episode of Bob Decker's Blazing Blog, a show that I co-host with Bob Decker.



 

Fun Fridays: Aries Sun

 

***Message to My Email Blog Subscribers: This article has YouTube movies in it! If you're reading this in an email, please Click Through To The Main Blog In Order to Watch the Youtube movies. ****

 

The SUN is in Aries! Happy birthday, Aries!

Let's break this down. What's a Sun Sign? Simply put, a Sun Sign is that part of your chart that most people already know. (This is what you answer when some drunk and/or well-meaning person stuck in the 1970s slurs to you "Hey baby, what's your sign?") This is the sign that you look up when you read your astrology column.

As of a few days ago, the Sun went into Aries. What's an Aries? Who is an Aries?

An Aries is a person born between March 23 and April 20 (roughly; some dates may vary). Aries folks are known for their motivation, intention, and moxie. They want to get things done and by God, they want to get it done NOW. RIGHT NOW. Waiting does not work with these people. (A relative of mine is a double Aries - she has an Aries Sun and an Aries Rising Sign - and she lives her life by the phrase "If not now, when?")

Famous Aries people that we have known and loved have been

Lucy Lawless (star of the tv show Xena; born March 28, 1968): Frankly, there could not be a more perfect Aries example than Xena: Warrior Princess who battled on for six seasons, kicked the snot out of bad guys, and made a career out of being the Warrior Woman. (Lucy Lawless is also a Sun Sign Aries)




Russell Crowe (Born April 7, 1964): Another Aries Sun who played an Aries type in 2000's hit film Gladiator, both Crowe and the main character in Gladiator are typical Aries types: fiery, aggressive, and dripping with the full intent to kick someone's butt.



Karen Blixen, author (Born April 17, 1885): Karen Blixen (also known by her pen name, Isak Dinesen) was played by Oscar winner Meryl Streep in 1982's epic film Out of Africa, a film about Blixen's life on a Kenyan coffee plantation. There's a lot of scenes of Karen Blixen  looking determinedly over her land, lugging riffles everywhere, and clearly showing Aries qualities of independence and fearlessness.



Rachel Maddow (April 1, 1973): The Oxford graduate turned MSNBC-talk-show-host is an Aries Sun. She single handedly calls out Republicans and Democrats alike on her show. Since this isn't a political blog, though, here she is telling us how to make cocktails.



And that's your Aries update!

Have a great Friday,
Marissa

Wacky Wednesdays: What Uranus in Aries Means to YOU!

[caption id="attachment_157" align="alignleft" width="260" caption="What Uranus in Aries Means for YOUR chart!"][/caption]

I've been all atwitter about Uranus in Aries, that 8/9 year long change that will revolutionize everything. If you've missed your specific sign on the Facebook lists or the Twitter lists, please read below.

Missed the big update about Uranus in Aries? No prob. Go here.

[And why not take this opportunity to join the offical HG Facebook or Twitter pages...because who wants to miss more free personalized astrological updates? Not you. Not me. Not your dog or cat - they have  charts too...and you may have a cat who cares about that kind of thing. Kidding.]

How will these changes affect you?Read below. And...not sure what your Sun Sign or Rising Sign is? Your Sun Sign is your birth sign. Are you a Libra, Scorpio, or Gemini? Mostly that is the one everyone knows. The Rising Sign (also known as the Ascendant) is the sign that calculates your entire chart and life's purpose. To calculate your free Rising Sign, go here.

Your Sun and your Rising Sign will most likely be different - just read both entries below for a quick fix about what the next 8/9 years holds for you in the area of unexpected change!

 

For Aries Sun or Rising Signs, expect the unexpected in your 1st house of self.

For Taurus sun or Rising Signs, you'll be the most impacted by Uranus in Aries (and Jupiter in Aries) hitting your 12th house of secrets and dreams. Unexpected changes and luck in these areas.
Gemini Suns and Rising signs will be impacted by the Uranus in Aries in your 11th house of groups and friendships. Unexpected changes in these areas.

Cancer suns and Rising signs will be impacted by the Uranus in Aries in your 10th house of career and associations.

Leo suns and Rising signs will be impacted by Uranus in Aries (unpredictability) in th 9th house of higher learning, philosophy and long distance travel. This is a good and unpredictable long term shakeup for the next 8/9 years.

Virgo Suns and Rising Signs will be impacted by Uranus in Aries in the 8th house of sex, death, and other people's money. Hot stuff!

Libra suns or Rising Signs will be impacted by Uranus in Aries in the 7th house of romantic or business partnerships. Expect the unexpected in these areas.

Scorpio suns or Rising Signs will be impacted by Uranus in Aries in the 6th house of work, healing, and editing. Expect the unexpected here!

Sagittarius Suns or Rising Signs will be impacted by Uranus in Aries in the 5th house of love, children, and creative events. Expect the unexpected here!

Capricorn Suns or Rising Signs will be impacted by Uranus in Aries in the 4th house of home and family (and mothers). Expect the unexpected here!

Aquarius Suns or Rising Signs will be impacted by Uranus in Aries in the 3rd house of writing, short-distance travel, and communication.

Pisces Suns or Rising Signs will be impacted by Uranus in Aries in the 2nd house of money, property and values. Expect the unexpected here!

 

Manifestation Mondays (and a Blazing Blog!)

Esther Hicks on - "how patience is not necessary." It's about NOW. Oprah hosted books (hello The Power of Now!). But really? Really? How can that be so? Because patience is a virtue. We're taught that. We must be patient. Wow, I can just hear my inner five year old going "But WHERE IS IT?" Well, Hicks says your energy brings it. Call it out and it comes. Is it that simple? Yep. It just takes a ton of practice (and hint: we make it very hard on ourselves).





And, "it's that time again!" My good friend, tarot card reader and certified professional hypnotist Bob Decker and I host Bob Decker's Blazing Blog every Friday. In this one, I go into great detail about the recent Supermoon in Virgo - and other big astrological changes.




Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to come to Happy Ganesh and be a part of it. I appreciate so much your words, your thoughts and your presence.

I did a wonderful event at Gilda's Club today and - again - I am blown away that I get to do what I love. Gilda's Club is personally meaningful to me and I love being able to go back with Happy Ganesh and meet such wonderful brave, fantastic people.

Have an honest and eager week, friends, as we move into Sun in Aries. (More on that next time!)

Full Moon in Virgo on 3/19

Wow, this just adds to the wild roller coaster of astro happenings.

We've had Uranus (the planet of unexpected change) move off of Pisces and into Aries, where it will stay for the next 8/9 years. To read my previous article on that, click here.

Pluto is still in Capricorn, shaking up status quo.

Our Full Moon in Virgo closes out the energy of the month and asks us if we have what it takes, where as New Moon energy (always at the start of the month) opens the energy and give us a chance to manifest.

The effect of the full moon – or any moon at all – lasts for just about two-and-a-half days. I’ve written about New Moons and their pure manifestation power (our last New Moon was in Pisces, encouraging us to manifest Piscean skills: compassion, spirituality, and imagination, mass healing on a grand scale. Another astrologer wrote in her blog that "the Virgo Moon longs to be of service" while the Pisces Sun just wants to heal and talk to spirits and feel compassion.

This particular Full Moon is also a Supermoon. What's a Supermoon? Tomorrow, the moon will be the closest it has been to Earth in 18 years - a lunar perigee. Read more about it here. Interestingly enough, astrologer Robert Noll stated that the Supermoon can, about two weeks prior to its date, cause earthquakes. While Space.com disputed that here, I still find that to be slightly chilling and amazing to me, as I think about the recent Japan disaster.

Whether or not the Supermoon is "responsible" for the recent disasters in Japan, I think the most important thing to come out of this Sun in Pisces/Full Moon in Virgo dynamic is learning how to work with our Sun Pisces compassion in a practical Moon in Virgo way.

See below. The key words are in black.

Pisces Sun INTENDS to bring compassion and healing to situations.

Pisces New Moon (earlier this month) longed to MANIFEST compassion and healing.

Virgo (Full) Moon longs to bring practical know-how to CONCLUDE a situation.

Do we merely pray about it or do we combine Pisces compassion with Virgo practicality?) This configuration reminds us to blend our hearts with our ability to create results through work (Virgo). So while praying for Japan and the millions of people affected is wonderful (and a very Pisces thing to do), according to this dynamic, we may also want to see about donating to that area of the world - and letting the current Virgo moon direct our path of compassion.

As I wrote in a previous post, "Full Moons provide the template for these wishes and dreams. Full Moons dare us to see if we reaaally have the guts and the power to make good on our manifestations. They give us support."

Now, the Full Moon in Virgo (3/19) asks us if we’re CLEAR (Virgo key word) and PRACTICAL (Virgo key word) enough to manifest our DREAMS AND COMPASSION, not just in aid to Japan but in all walks of our lives.

Creating a balance between Piscean/Virgo elements is important in the next 2.5 days. In other words, finding a way to allow our current Pisces Sun (our will) to interact with our Moon in Virgo (emotional need) will mean balancing the need for both compassion and imagination (Pisces Sun) and practical, technical know-how (Virgo Moon).

We will have felt this for about two weeks before the full moon (usually the first half of the month, between the New Moon and the Full Moon).

{So, if you have a Sun or Rising in Gemini, for the last two weeks you'll have felt the affects of this in your 4th house of home and family. So you'll be thinking about how to improve your home or family relationships, and will have be drawn to improve your home life during this two week full moon cycle.}

Astro Manifestation Mad Lib

Are you _____ (Virgo word) enough to manifest your dreams of _____ (Pisces word).

Some examples might be

Are you DETAILED enough to manifest your dreams of DIVINE LOVE AND HEALING?
Are you PRACTICAL enough to manifest your dreams of BEING A HEALER?
Are you CLEAR enough to manifest your dreams of IMAGINATION?



If you know your chart, look at where your Pisces and Virgo planets fall. That's where you'll feel this New/Full Moon shift.

I wish you all clear Full Moon intention and Virgo power on this powerful Supermoon weekend.

Have questions? Want to book a personal reading? Contact me here.



Best,

Marissa

Blazing Blog!

As many of you know, I am a weekly co-host at Bob's Blazing Tarot Blog. Bob Decker, the host, is a fantastic reader and certified hypnotist.

In the latest episode, I discuss Uranus in Aries. (You can also read my post about Uranus in Aries.)

 



To see the complete list of Blazing Blogs, please go here.

The Debby Connection (and Writing Prompts)

[caption id="attachment_163" align="alignleft" width="231" caption="Pencil Sketch of mom Debby, done by my father in 1976"][/caption]

 

My mother's name was Deborah. When she died of cancer in 2007, she left me some of her precious books, among them Gibran's The Prophet and a well worn copy of Creative Visualization.

Over the years, my dead mother has shown herself to me in odd ways. Every time I do a professional event for the spiritual and intuitive side of Happy Ganesh , always and without fail the first person that I meet is named Debby, usually Deborah.

Always.

(At the last event I did, I found myself talking to two young women who were both "daughters of Debby." Predictably, their mothers spelled their names Deborah. I was not surprised.)

The day I moved into my office space, her favorite song was playing on the radio.

When I questioned a rocky relationship, I opened a book to a handwritten note of mom's, scrawled on an aging yellow sticky note, which read: "It matters how we treat the people we love every day, not just on holidays."

Recently, I wasn't sure how to proceed with certain career goals. I'd been looking for - and found - mom's copy of Creative Visualization, a book published in 1978, years before The Secret and Esther Hicks's work came to fame. Since I teach visualization and manifestation, I'd been looking for that particular book, never dreaming that it survived the book purges to Goodwill. But it had. I was fearful about my career, feeling worried, wondering how I would keep my head above water. And it was in that place of fearfulness that I opened the book, looking again for answers from my mother. Another one of her sticky notes, tumbled to the floor, all the glue long since gone. When I picked it up, it read - in her backhanded, rounded print, "To thine own self be true." Amazingly, she'd drawn a small heart after the words.

When I have questions for her, things that only a mother could answer, she seems to collect herself across the gap between life and death to just show up. It's pretty amazing.

Sleepless a few nights ago, I pulled another book of hers off my shelf. God, Sex, and Women of the Bible by Shoni Labowitz, a feminist rabbi. (My mom was pretty cool, I have to say. I feel lucky to have had a mother who read stuff like this - and who shared it with me!) Sometimes I ask books what I need to know, as if their wisdom will help me find answers. I asked this particular book. I opened at random - of course - to the Deborah chapter.

Color me unsurprised.

I've been wondering about, among other things, career improvement. Crossroads. What do I do? That's what I asked. The book "answered" "Once you have discerned what you want and it feels right in your soul, then ask: What do I need to do to get what I want? Then go for it! Passion moves a woman like nothing else can."

That's her way of reaching me. She knows that books are one of my favorite escapes and it makes me happy to know that she will show up in that favorite place of mine, to give me faith.

Writing Prompts

What gives you unexpected faith?

What phenomenon answers your prayers/wishes/dreams?

Have you had experiences where you believed (or in some cases, flat out knew) that your deceased loved one had come back to help or support you?

 

(Crossposted from happyganeshwriting.blogspot.com)