As February rolls into town this week we have one thing on our mind: love. And not just because Valentine’s Day is coming up! If love has you stressed out it is time to invest in some solutions!
If you checked out my annual rundown of the big events this year (you can find it here) you noticed that there is a lot going on! And in February we have a solar eclipse that highlights the theme of love … love for yourself, love for your partner, love for your community. How can we live in a manner that is good for all involved? How can we make our lives an act of love toward the world? How can we find love at all? While Valentine’s Day is not an astrological event the eclipse does happen on February 15 which is one day after. Relationships can be interesting this month! There are many people who put a lot of emphasis on Valentine’s Day and what it means, and many of these people are single. If you are single and looking for love may I suggest that instead of gauging our success in life based on our relationship status that this year we gauge our success based on the quality of the relationship we have with the self? How do I love myself? How do I treat myself? How do I honor myself? If we treat ourselves well it is likely that we will treat those we care about well, also. But if we are cruel are critical with ourselves on a regular basis then our relationships with others are bound to reflect this inner conflict, too. If we want to have successful relationships we really do have to start with the self. I know that is cliche but it is also very, very true. If February is all about love let us love ourselves and then work out from there! Start from within and then move outward toward the people you encounter in your life. As you treat the people you encounter with love and kindness more people will be drawn to you and you will be able to meet a partner by being the loving person that you are looking for! Once you have the relationship with yourself sorted out then you are ready to play well with others. I joke but it’s true, too. Eclipses put stress on relationships and this is a great time to judge how healthy things are. Do you become closer during stressful times? Or do you turn on each other? People aren’t perfect and no one is expected to be perfect in relationships but this is a great month to determine the general feeling surrounding your relationships. Is your relationship supportive? Do you use humor to help diffuse tension? When the going gets tough do you work together to get things back on track? If the answer to any of these questions is no then I recommend figuring out how to improve the health of the relationship by first working on yourself and second discussing with your partner your concerns and your plans to help improve things between the two of you. Eclipses are a great time for a fresh start … with your partner or on your own, depending on your personal situation. If you need an objective voice in figuring out where you are at in relationships (whether coupled or single) I am still offering a great deal on my intuitive readings! I use astrology and/or tarot to help illuminate the path you are walking so that you can decide where to go! Welcome February and welcome love into your life! We can all use more love, starting with ourselves.
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Weekly Forecast ~ Week of January 29th
It’s an intense week. We may only have a few days with exact aspects but any week with a lunar eclipse means there will be some excitement, passion and even force. The eclipse occurs on Wednesday but let me say here that the theme for the week in light of this eclipse is me versus the greater good. Eclipses are oppositions of the sun and the moon and often they manifest in our lives as oppositions with other people, most often as me versus you. But in this case with the eclipse occurring in the signs of Leo and Aquarius the dynamic shifts to what is best for me versus what is best for everyone involved. It is my advice that we try to create some win-win situations in our lives this week! Ideally what is good for me will also benefit the larger community as well. Monday January 29 ~ What’s going on today: not a lot Use today to work on the theme of the week. How can I benefit both myself and the larger society? How can I meet my needs while also helping to support everyone around me as well? Tuesday January 30 ~ What’s going on today: not a lot Continue working on the theme this week. I feel there are two ways to look at this issue. First is in the positive way in that what is good for me is also good for you. Think of sayings like “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander” or “if mama ain’t happy nobody’s happy”. Ideally if we are living a life that is complementing our larger environment then the things that allow us to thrive also help the ecosystem in which we live. We increase prosperity for everyone by being prosperous. Alternatively there is the negative view that says if something is good for me then it must be bad for someone else. I would challenge you to look at your owns views on this and see where you fall on that spectrum in your own thinking and see if you can make any adjustments toward a more positive spin on this. We can all help to raise each other up. Wednesday January 31 ~ What’s going on today: Full Moon Supermoon Lunar Eclipse in Leo plus Mercury ingress Aquarius What it means: Let’s start with the full moon. It happens to be a full moon, a supermoon, and a lunar eclipse all rolled into one! It’s a lot of energy and it occurs on the Leo/Aquarius axis. This eclipse is the beginning of “eclipse season” as I call it. We have a second eclipse in two weeks in the sign of Aquarius. Then in July and August we have another series of eclipses with two more in the signs of Leo/Aquarius. I bring all of this up because this opposition between Leo and Aquarius is not just a theme for this week but also for all of 2018. And today kicks off the series! The keywords for the sign of Leo is “I will” whereas the keywords for Aquarius are “I know”. Both are fixed signs and known for their stubbornness but there keywords give you some insight as to how they function differently. Leo will use their sheer force of will in order to achieve the thing he desires, while Aquarius will figure out if it is a rational decision and go about achieving their goals based on the way they think about something instead of how they feel. Leos feel everything strongly and Aquarius is known to be cool and aloof. So we begin to see how these two forces might butt heads. Leo acts from feelings and Aquarius acts from reason. You may find yourself in a situation this week where you are pulled between your heart and your head. You may witness others going through this inner struggle. As long as you keep returning to the idea that you can figure out a win-win for both yourself and the greater good you will be okay … no matter how intense it gets. On top of the eclipse we also have Mercury entering Aquarius today. Mercury seems to benefit from the electrical current that runs through the sign of Aquarius. That means quicker thinking, intuitive leaps, and more communication, especially electronic communication. We can use this transit to find creative solutions and to be more inventive in how we handle our everyday lives. Questions to ask yourself: How can I invest in myself in a way that is makes the work a better place? Is there something I can do for the larger community that is also good for myself personally? How can you be more creative? How can you be more innovative? What lingering problems in your life are ripe and ready to be resolved? Thursday February 1 ~ What’s going on today: not a lot After yesterday’s influx of cosmic energy it is good that we have some time to process our feelings. We can continue to work on viable solutions that are creative and out-of-the-box thinking. These ideas benefit not only us on a personal level but are also good for all involved. Practice thinking on that larger scale. Friday February 2 ~ What’s going on today: not a lot As we continue to come down from the intensity of the eclipse this week it really it time to put our new ideas in action. We may have gotten inspiration from how we feel but as we consider the broader landscape we begin to see how we are a microcosm for the larger macrocosm. Saturday February 3 ~ What’s going on today: Mercury sextile Mars What it means: When Mercury and Mars get together there is a lot of impatience! This can happen in both our minds and with our bodies. We may find ourselves fidgeting more than normal and the best way to handle the energy is by engaging in a physical outlet. But it’s not just our bodies that are busy today it is also our minds. Today is a great day to challenge yourself mentally by learning something new, attending a workshop, spending some time doing actual problem solving. On high energy days like this it is best to run with it! Questions to ask yourself: How can I make forward progress in my life right now? What is a positive outlet for my energy today? Sunday February 4 ~ What’s going on today: Venus square Jupiter What it means: I call this “overindulgence”. Food, drink, socializing, over spending ... whatever you are prone to overindulge in today is the day when these issues arise! It’s fun but be careful! Questions to ask yourself: How can I reward myself without going completely overboard? What are my temptations today and how can I balance these in my life in a healthy manner? How is your week going? I would love to hear about it! If you have always wanted to learn how to read tarot cards intuitively, or if you want to improve your current skills at reading cards here is your chance! Join me for a free online class tomorrow! For details and to sign up here is the link!
Every Wednesday I write about ways to help make life more simple and more worry-free. Today I want to share 5 tips to make life easier in general and when life is easier there is always less to worry about! We minimize the anxiety and stress in our lives by setting ourselves up for success. These 5 tips will do just that: eliminate stress and anxiety by making life much, much easier! Tip #1: Minimize, declutter, get rid of the excess. Whatever you want to call it the truth is that in our modern lives we tend to accumulate things. Some of these things get used and have meaning while others just seem to be hanging out with us for no apparent reason. When we let go of the things in our lives that we do not need, do not use, or do not bring us joy then we make room to truly live lives we can enjoy without being surrounded by a mess. There are a lot of methods for this but whether you prefer Konmari or the Flylady approach doesn’t matter as much as simplifying your space and then by default also simplifying your life. Tip #2: Use natural remedies when you feel under the weather. A heating pad or hot water bottle have often soothed me more than taking medicine. And don’t get me wrong, I have no issue with medicine, but I am suggesting that we have a lot of options in front of us before trying medication. Grapefruit essential oil can boost your mood, as can peppermint. Peppermint and lavender essential oils are great for headaches. I like drinking chamomile tea for a variety of symptoms including to help me fall asleep easier in the evening. One of the biggest reasons I like these natural remedies is that is forces us to interact with our symptoms instead of just hoping they go away with a magic pill. If you have a headache and spend a few minutes massaging the pain away with an essential oil blend that time spent, that intention to relieve the pain and the heal, that is just as important as the type of essential oil used. Self massage, or drinking a warm cup of tea with mindfulness, or doing some conscious stretching to alleviate muscle tension are all important ways to nurture ourselves on a regular basis. And when we feel more nurtured our lives get easier. Tip #3: Meditate. I don’t care how or where you choose to meditate. It can be on the subway or in your backyard or lying in bed before you fall asleep at night, but the how and where does not matter as much as whether you spend time doing it at all. Take some deep breaths while waiting in line at the grocery store. Use your daily walk to clear your mind and focus on the present in a walking meditation. When we take time to consciously slow down our thoughts and to let a sense of peace fill us we are making an investment in inner peace and that definitely makes our lives easier. Tip #4: Reduce screen time. This is one I need more work on myself. In our modern era it is hard to get away from screens whether they are on our television, on our smartphones, on our tablets or on our computers. We spend the day going from screen to screen and that information overload only increases the noise inside our heads. Step away. Read a book. Play with your kid. Take up a musical instrument. Craft. Have a chat in person with a friend. We need to recharge and screens do not help us in doing so. Taking some dedicated time away from your screens might be hard at first but it makes life easier because you feel more grounded and less electrified. Tip #5: Talk to someone. If there is something really bothering you, something that you feel like you cannot resolve on your own. Don’t let it just build up inside. Talk to someone! The someone can be a friend, your spouse, your therapist, an expert, or someone like me who works with spiritual guidance and intuitive coaching in order to help people clearly define their own path forward. Sometimes we need help and if this is you then asking for help can make life easier. What are your tips? What do you do to make life easier? Tarot for my kiddo and the dentist I decided to pull a card today to help me with my daughter. She is only 3 but she needs to have several fillings done today and I wanted some advice on how best to handle the situation with her. Sometimes tarot surprises me. I expected a card saying I should coddle her. After all she will need to get up early, she will not be allowed to eat anything, then she will have to have 4 fillings done first thing in the morning. She will stay home with me for the day as the dentist office advises she does not go to daycare after having “sleepy juice”. So as I said I expected a card about spoiling her and making her feel special. Instead I got the 7 of Wands. Stand your ground. Do not let those opposed to you knock you off balance. Apparently it will be much more a day of tough love than a day of coddling! This card indicates that you have the “moral high ground” in an issue and I suppose that is true. She needs this dental work done. Even though these are “baby teeth” she will likely have them for almost 10 more years and so the right thing to do it so get them treated properly. Even after pulling this card I don’t really expect a fight from her. Strangely enough she loves going to the doctor or the dentist and she is usually a good patient so I do expect her cooperation. But I may have to deal with some whining about not being able to eat breakfast, or needing to go so early, so I am now prepared for that. You can take this same message with you today, too. Stand your ground. Don’t be afraid to fight for your beliefs. Don’t let the haters bring you down! It dawns on me that perhaps this card shows up because this is how I feel about going to the dentist, too: stay away from me! LOL Card is from the Robin Wood Tarot. Weekly Forecast ~ Week of January 22nd
It’s a relatively quiet week from an astrological perspective but the truth is we are building up to next week’s Supermoon and Lunar Eclipse in the sign of Leo so I wouldn’t be surprised if the sensitives among us were already feeling the tension build in anticipation of that Full Moon Lunar eclipse. The themes this week seem centered around Mercury who rules communication and thought patterns. How do we use our words? Are we encouraging others or manipulating them with what we say? How are we using the thoughts inside our own head? The other major theme this week involves Mars ingress into the sign of Sagittarius that happens on Friday. Read more about that below! Monday January 22 ~ What’s going on today: not a lot When we have a quiet day it allows us to focus on ourselves and our personal goals. Since today is Monday this makes it a great day to kick off your weekly goals both in terms of fitness and health as well as work in a great way. Use today to set yourself up for a week of success. Tuesday January 23 ~ What’s going on today: not a lot Another day to build on the momentum that started yesterday. We will also be dealing with the themes that started last week with Jupiter and Pluto meeting energetically in the sky. This aspect continues to be triggered throughout this week and we feel the theme of personal leadership coming up again and again. Use today to engage in this energy by deciding to be the authority in your own life. Wednesday January 24 ~ What’s going on today: Mercury conjunct Pluto What it means: Mercury conjunct Pluto is about speaking to power. This can be encouraging and creating a groundswell of support through brilliant and uplifting rhetoric or it can be cruel and manipulative, depending on how a person uses this power in their own life. Questions to ask yourself: Are you trying to control others? Are your words wise? When you speak the truth can you do so compassionately or are you brutal about it? Thursday January 25 ~ What’s going on today: Mercury sextile Jupiter What it means: When Mercury and Jupiter get together there is sometimes a risk of saying too much. Since Pluto is also involved (see the info from yesterday) sometimes our words can be used against us when we speak of things that are better kept to ourselves. I mention this simply so you can keep it in mind today and all week. On a positive note Mercury and Jupiter can be incredibly optimistic and hopeful so we can harness the natural optimism and infuse that into our own lives. Questions to ask yourself: Are your thoughts generally negative or positive? Is there a way to better phrase the way you think about something to gain a more helpful and hopeful perspective? Friday January 26 ~ What’s going on today: Mars enters Sagittarius What it means: Both Mars and Sagittarius have energies that love to take risks and just go for it so with that in mind we have some potential excitement under this transit! Mars stays in Sagittarius until mid March so we have a couple of months where our impulses may get the better of us. Personally I love taking risks and I love being spontaneous but I also think at least a little foresight will help before jumping straight in. With Saturn in the sign of Capricorn this should help balance any recklessness. On the other hand if there is something you always wanted to do but have been afraid to try … hey this is the perfect time! Questions to ask yourself: What risks am I ready to take? What have I always wanted to do but been too afraid to try? How can I be more active in general in my life? How can I have more fun? Saturday January 27 ~ What’s going on today: not a lot This is a great day to focus on the themes of communication, leadership, and risk-taking. Since the daily energy is mild we have the opportunity to focus on the bigger picture. Sunday January 28 ~ What’s going on today: Mercury square Uranus What it means: The mad scientist in all of us is abuzz with ideas. As is the revolutionary within us all. Today has something of a wild pace to the day. Our mind moves faster than usual and we may also be dealing with impatience, ours or from other people. It’s a good day to revolutionize something in your own life … just take care you don’t metaphorically throw the baby out with the bath water in your impatience to change! Questions to ask yourself: What could I do differently? In what area of my life am I the most impatient for change? What creative approach could I take to accomplish the change I seek? What are you working on this week? I would love to hear about it! It’s no secret that meditation helps to alleviate anxiety and create a more peaceful state within us. And yet so many clients I talk to say they can’t meditate, or it’s too hard, or they tried and they just aren’t any good at it! The truth is that no one is good at meditating, not at first at least! So I put together this list to help you get a handle on how to meditate better. Please tell me what your own tips are in the comments!
That’s it for now, despite the fact that I can think of lots of other things to make meditation easier. What are some of your ideas? Happy Meditating! I have decided to devote Tuesdays to tarot cards. I love tarot cards. I love astrology, Reiki, coaching, crystals, dream interpretation, and all the various areas in which I work but tarot cards are really where I started and they remain close to my heart.
I got my first tarot deck in college while still a teenager. They were captivating and mysterious. They were romantic and enigmatic. They are symbolic while also having general meanings. These beautiful little cards with great larger meanings have always been a source of fascination for me. I chose a card for today. It is the 10 of Pentacles. I call this the Wealth card. It is all about prosperity and extends well beyond financial prosperity to include prosperity. The deck I use is the Robin Wood Tarot but you can use any deck and simply take a look at the pictures on the deck to better understand the card. My card shows a man who is richly dressed surrounded by what you imagine as his grandchildren, a boy and a girl, as well as a loyal dog. All are attentively gathered around the man and he looks happy and generous, like sharing this time with these children is the thing he most wants to be doing in the world. Behind his is a wooden arch with 10 golden pentacles inset into the arch and a sun also carved above the arch. This gives the feeling of wealth from the pentacles/coins and also of warmth and vitality from the sun above. Through the arch we see a man and a woman facing each other and holding hands which represents yet another type of wealth, the romantic and loving kind. We also see a garden some houses and a blue sky above. All of these things represent different sources of wealth in our lives. Wealth of money shown by coins, pentacles and rich fabric. Wealth of family shown by the grandfather, the grandchildren, the couple. Wealth of loyalty shown by the dog and the people as well. Wealth of love shown again by the couple and the love shown between the children and the old man. Wealth of the sun shown by the sun carving, the green grass and bushes, the blue sky. All around us there are blessings. That is wealth. How do you recognize wealth in your own life? Are you aware of it? Do you cultivate it? Well Hello World! We are off to a kicking start for 2018. Energies are flowing and we are feeling good! At least the is the feedback I am getting from my clients and am experiencing for myself. I hope the new year is treating you just as well!
Here is the weekly rundown of the astrology for the week ahead. We have some really lovely energy this week so keep reading to see how you can harness that energy to work for you in your own life! Monday January 15 ~ What’s going on today: Jupiter trine Pluto is exact on Monday but this gets reactivated again next week when Mercury acts as a trigger by conjoining Pluto and making a trine to Jupiter. What it means: This is a signature for power and we have the opportunity in our personal lives to harness our own power. Ideally this is done with wisdom and generosity although we will probably see examples in other places on the spectrum play out over the next week or so in public both through our jobs and in the media. Taking a leadership role is supported by this energy so it is time to take charge! If other people are on a power trip consider that while there is potential for confrontation it is also better to choose your battles wisely. Questions to ask yourself: How can I step into my personal power more strongly? What areas of my own life do I need to take control of at this time? Tuesday January 16 ~ What’s going on today: New Moon 27 degrees Capricorn What it means: New moons contain an amazing infusion of positive energy. Where it falls in your personal chart determines the area in which you feel it most strongly in your own life. Generally the sign of Capricorn is about setting goals and taking action to make them into reality. We can use this new moon to reinvigorate our resolutions for the year. If you did not make any resolutions perhaps it is time to sit down and write out your goals for the week, the month, the year. If we do not plan we probably will not make it happen. Take advantage of this energy and use it to give you a positive push toward creating the magical life you truly desire. Questions to ask yourself: What are my goals and what am I doing to achieve them? What area of my life needs structure and direction? What can I do today to help set myself up for a successful week, month and year ahead? Wednesday January 17 ~ What’s going on today: Venus ingress Aquarius What it means: Most people who are familiar with astrology have strong feelings about Venus in Aquarius. Many of them strongly oppose this placement. I am on the other side of this debate. I have Venus in Aquarius, many of my friends and family also have Venus in Aquarius, and it can be lovely, but there is a catch. Venus is Aquarius is not very comfortable showing affection. In fact, if someone with Venus in Aquarius likes you they will more likely completely ignore you than talk to you. It’s quirky, I know. But the truth is that we have the chance to develop relationships based on intellect, conversation, interests and causes instead of on how we feel. There is a place for feelings but if we can create relationships based on these broader interests then they are more likely to last. Creating relationships solely on attraction creates a situation where what we are attracted to over time might change, or we might meet someone else who is similarly attractive, and the relationship might falter. But if we create relationships because we love how someone’s mind works, because we share an interest in playing the ukulele together, because we have enlightening and interesting conversations on many topics, because we both enjoy trying new ethnic recipes, then those shared interests keep the relationship dynamic. Questions to ask yourself: How can I explore my relationships from my mind instead of from my feelings? How can I show someone I care that is unique? Do I have a wide variety of people in my life or all they all similar … and then is that a good thing for me? Thursday January 18 ~ What’s going on today: not a lot It’s not an active day from an astrological perspective but we can continue working on the themes from earlier this week: leadership, power, goals, actions, relationship. Friday January 18 ~ What’s going on today: Mercury sextile Neptune and sun enters Aquarius What it means: With Mercury sextile Neptune there is a dreamy quality to today and it is a wonderful day to do manifestation work. Creating a vision board or imagining your life with your goals accomplished are great activities for today. There is also a musical quality to this energy where I imagine the world as musical theater today. So if you feel like breaking into song go right ahead! It fits the energy and I doubt anyone will wonder too much about what you are doing! With the sun entering the sign of Aquarius we start a new zodiacal month. Aquarius is associated with innovation, inventions, humanitarian causes, revolutions and rebellions, among other things. People with the sun in Aquarius are often seen as aloof but how I like to explain it is that there is so much going on inside an Aquarians head that they often forget to pay attention to the here and now right in front of them. Aquarius is also a fixed sign so look expect to see people behaving a little more stubborn than usual with two planets (the sun and Venus) now in Aquarius. Questions to ask yourself: How can I renovate my own life so it is more original and more authentically me? Is there something in my own life that I am rebelling against … and if so how can I finally overcome? Am I being stubborn because I am right or because I hate being wrong? Saturday January 20 and Sunday January 21 ~ What’s going on these days: not a lot Both Saturday and Sunday are quiet days astrologically but this gives us the chance to catch up with all this energy! Things have changed enormously in the past month or so from an energetic perspective so now we can work on harnessing this energy in a positive way in our lives. Again the themes for week are power, leadership, goals, actions, relationships and originality. What are you working on this week? I would love to hear about it! |
Nikki RichAstrologer, Reiki Master, tarot reader, and so much more! Archives
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