​Things have been hectic and I have not had nearly enough time for writing lately but I do want to share my personal new moon in Taurus ritual with you!  This is an example of how to set intentions to work with the new moon; how to use different tools (although you really need none) in creating an altar space for the ritual.  These types of rituals should be highly personalized to meet your own needs with each new moon or any other event you may wish to celebrate and set intentions.

New moon occurs at 6'27" Taurus
Perfects: Apr 26, 2017 6:16 AM here in Mountain Daylight Time
My Ritual Prepared Apr 25, 2017

I set the stage with:
Meditation Music
Thyme Tea with Local Raw Honey

Background for my ritual:
I have been suffering for some time with an ongoing dry cough and sore throat. Since Taurus rules the throat the new moon in Taurus is the ideal time to create a ritual healing around this issue. Taurus rules my 9th house of spiritual philosophy and so by reaffirming the link to my heart space with nature allows me to call upon the elements to aid in my healing.

Items used in altar space:
 - Turquoise Blue Tray to create altar space
 - Buddha Statue/Fountain to bring about a sense of divine contemplation
 - White Sanctuary Jar candle annointed with lavendar and frankincense oils surrounded by white stones
 - "The World" tarot card tray with a slippery elm throat losenge in the throat of the dancer on the tray
 - White Sand with Gold Glitter
 - Green Jasper to connect o earthy Taurus energy
 - Smoky Quartz for grounding and deep connection
 - Tangerine Quartz for creative amplification
 - Black Kyanite for clearing away anything which is no longer needed here
 - Amethyst for wisdom and healing
 - Chrysocolla for communication and the throat chakra
 - Citrine for success and vitality
 - Quartz points to amplify energy
 - Angelite for the blessings and oversight of my guides
 -"LOVE" sticker
 - "She of the Cruach" from The Fairies Oracle - I pulled this card asking for one of the Faeries to join my in blessing this ritual and this card embodies the Divine Feminine

My personal invocation:
I ask for the god and goddess to join me in my prayer and to bless my endeavor.
I intend for health and healing for myself and for all those who I touch in my life.
I pray for spiritual calm and to handle my life with ease.
I let go of that which no longer serves me.
I invoke the Universe to heal my throat and clear me.
I breathe easily and deeply.
I breathe in life.
I welcome the return of Spring to my life and to my body.
I ask that all of this be done in alignment of the highest and best good of the Universe, myself, and all beings everywhere.
So be it and so it is.
Namaste.

Other notes on this:
I have this on my desk so I can turn the fountain on and light the candle when i am working.  I can also repeat the invocation.  I usually leave such a space set up for a month (until the next new moon).  Sometimes I create more of a Reiki Crystal Grid for these rituals but this month I felt the need to incorporate all of the elements.  Speaking of which I have added a feather for wind since the above was complied since I already have Earth (crystals, sand, rocks), Fire (Candle), and Water (Fountain).

If you like these ideas let me know and I can post more things like this!  I would also love to hear what others do in their own rituals! 

We are halfway through the current Mercury retrograde (rx) cycle with the sun conjunct Mercury today.  What this means is that while we may still have to deal with some glitches and mix ups the worst is over and we are getting closer to putting things back to normal.

Honestly I think people make too big a deal over Mercury retrograde but here I am giving some  tips on how to better handle this time as it does happen a few times every year and so we do keep having to deal with it!

1. The most important tip for Mercury rx is PATIENCE!  I cannot stress this enough.  There will be delays, mixups, traffic jams, technology glitches … there will be plenty of things to make you want to pull your hair out.  But just be patient.  This too will pass.  Your internet will work again.  The traffic will thin out, eventually.  The airplane will take off and you will reach your destination, even if it takes longer than expected.  You can return the wrong item that was sent to you in error and the correct item will arrive in due time.  Patience is the only sane way to deal with these issues.  Of course we can be impatient, we can bang our heads against the wall, we can wail and scream and cry and still … things will take as long as they take so you might as well just practice more patience.
   
2. Double check and triple check everything.  This goes along with patience.  Take your time and make sure all of your connections are correct.  As an example of this I will tell you about something that happened last week.  During the previous Mercury rx cycle, in January, my internet had gone out.  It turned out that the wire to the house was bad and so a temporary line was run but since it was winter the line could not be buried in the yard.  Now during the current cycle the internet provider sent a drew out to my house last week to finally bury the cable they had run three months earlier.  They buried the line and again … no internet.  I had to call them back and tell them after the line was buried my service never came back on.  They sent a second technician out to troubleshoot the problem.  Initially he thought that he would just need to run another temporary line and make the dig crew come back but after TRIPLE CHECKING all the connections he found one that wasn’t properly hooked up and voila!  The internet worked again.  His triple check of the connections saved him a lot of work and saved the dig crew from having to come out again and it saved me from having to have more work done in my yard!  I know it seems silly to triple check things but really … do it … especially when dealing with problems that keep cropping up!  Notice in my example that this issue is something that came up during two separate Mercury rx cycles is a row.  This is common to have to deal with the same thing over and over again so triple check to make sure it is right!
   
3. Pay attention to details.  Those little things, the fine print, which we tend to gloss over and can be something of a pain can really get us into trouble during Mercury rx.  A little patience and double and triple checking doesn’t hurt here, either, but being generally conscientious and thorough will also be of great assistance during this time.  It is so easy to hit the wrong button when we are working in a rush.  Slow down and really pay attention.
   
4. If mistakes from the past show up deal with them thoroughly.  I spent many years working in offices in both accounting and in public assistance.  These areas have a lot of paperwork and Mercury retrograde was always my busier times of the year in any office because it was the time that problems from the past resurfaced and demanded attention.  Accounting errors, items that had slipped through the cracks, any conceivable problem from the past would always show up during this cycle.  Whether it was originally my mistake or not it was on my desk now demanding attention and needing to be fixed before we could move forward.  I remember I used to do billing for a contracting company and at one point during Mercury rx it was discovered that a bunch of time cards had been incorrectly filled out and so several of the invoices sent out previously needed to be redone and this needed to be before any of the current billings were done in case of any offsets caused by these previous billing errors.  Was it originally my mistake?  No, but guess who had to deal with the problems and sort them out and then explain them to our clients?  Often things like this happen during Mercury rx and the only thing to do is to handle them as they come up, as patiently and as efficiently as possible.  If you don’t the problem will keep coming back to haunt you.  Maybe not today but most certainly by the next Mercury retrograde and it is much batter to take care of it now than to have to keep dealing with it.
   
5. Rest.  Relax.  Recuperate.  Recharge.  Revitalize.  Recede.  Reassess.  Review.  Release.  Recycle.  Revisit.  Rejuvenate.  Recant.  Recapitulate.  Be easy.  Allow yourself to settle and to slowly unwind.  Meditation can help.  Contemplation is great.  This is a time to withdraw, to turn inward, to pull back.  As much as your life allows, please do do.  And if your life does not allow then perhaps rethink how your life is set up if it does not allow for a pause to regain a sense of center and balance.
   

If none of these tips help then just know that Mercury retrograde ends on May 3 and then we will have a reprieve until the cycle starts again on August 13.  Astrology is the study of cycles and patterns.  This is the Mercury cycle.  Namaste and be blessed.

​

​Feeling Stuck?


Saturn stations retrograde on Thursday April 6 at 1:06 AM EDT. When Saturn stations things slow down. We feel stuck, we feel frustrated. We feel a looming burden. This can happen in many areas of life: relationships, finances, career, home, family … and sometimes is can happen in many areas at once which is when we really feel overwhelmed. But worry not, Saturn is here to help us sort out our messes, whether we want to or not!


The best way to handle Saturn issues (feeling stuck, dealing with obstacles, feeling frustrated, working through hardship or grief) is to be responsible. Figure out what practical steps you can take to better handle the situation and then follow through. If you feel sad and lonely, figure out some way to deal with your loneliness … maybe that is by honoring the solitude that you need in your life while simultaneously taking steps to get out in the world more. So maybe set a goal of meditating three times a week and getting outside to a park three times a week, for let's say at least 15 or 20 minutes each time. That is doable, practical, and it should help a person come to terms with the loneliness and sadness they may feel, even if by only learning acceptance and how to move through these feelings responsibly instead of trying to avoid them.


Stop a moment. Pause. Breathe into the resistance. How does that feel? Breathe again.


Yesterday I listened to a meditation on my favorite app Insight Timer about Tilopa's Six Words of Advice. While the original Tibetan saying is six words this translation by Kenneth McLeod is incredibly pertinent to how to handle the feelings of stagnation we face during the Saturn station.


Let go of what has passed.
Let go of what may come.
Let go of what is happening now.
Don’t try to figure anything out.
Don’t try to make anything happen.
Relax, right now, and rest.


If you are looking for guidance during this time I am available, as always, for consultations. My rate is $30 for a half hour or $60 for an hour. I am honored to offer my services and humbled to aid people in moving past the obstacles in their lives and into a state of karmic health and well-being.


Namaste,
Nikki Rich