We will enter the Mercury retrograde 'shadow' period at 8 degrees of Aquarius on January 13, 2008 - Mercury will return to this degree again and pass over this point February 18th as he stations direct and prepares to leave the storm on February 23rd. Prepare to rethink, redraw, replan, renegotiate, etc something that is happening this weekend (January 12 -13) around then (February 19 - 23)! This Mercury retrograde will stir up the most trouble for Aquarius, Leo, Scorpio, and Taurus - particularly the degrees ranging from 7 - 24 in these signs. Check your natal charts to see where your Sun (or other planets) lie in any of these signs to see how this Mercury retro will affect you (or let me do it for you! Online Consultations and Readings) .

On January 25, Mercury enters its 'Storm' (this is when the planet moves less than 40 minutes of arc per day) so if you have a lot of things you need to get started, I advise you get it moving now...Mercury finally stalls and turns retrograde at 3:31 pm EDT (20:31 GMT and 12:31 pm PST) on January 28 at 23'49 degrees of Aquarius. He will turn direct again on Tuesday, February 18 at 9:57 pm EDT (19 Feb 08 at 02:57 GMT), but we can expect to experience Mercury retrograde issues until he leaves the Storm on the 23rd...we won't be fully out of the clear until almost mid-March (the Shadow ends on the 10^th), although you should begin noticing the difference around the 23^rd.

On a personal note, like clockwork, my car managed to need sudden and necessary repairs approximately 2 weeks before Mercury even enters the shadow. It doesn't matter what car I own, it happens at least once a year if not for all 3 Mercury retros! Either the car or a major appliance…we just managed to get the dishwasher fixed again (let's see how long THAT lasts this time - the thing is 2 years old, was a special order and has broken 4 times already). This is a mysterious element in my life, lol. I have Mercury retrograde natally (conjoining Pluto on the 12^th house cusp, no less - see my natal chart here) and do experience (contrary to some astrologer's belief system) Mercury retro very powerfully…and almost always EARLY! So my personal Mercury retro seems to last from about a month before Mercury actually enters the storm and all throughout the shadow period. I welcome any and all comments/information/ideas regarding this phenomena.

Read more about this Mercury retro, the aspects Mercury makes during this retrograde period, how Mercury retro expresses itself in Aquarius, and much more, including information about Mercury and Karma...pop in to my website!

Notice: If you frequent this site - ASTROLOGY NOTIEMAIL - please be aware that they are content thieves and have stolen my copyrighted content.  Please support my work and website by not visiting this website.

Thanks so much!

Dena

I watch you rise,
Climbing higher in the sky,
Glowing magnificently over the trees,
So close…warming my face,
Arousing me in your silent ascent.
We are alone in this space, this moment,
At one in the early morning hours,
Your touch - your powerful surge of energy -
Mine…all mine
Forever, however briefly.
Each moment lingers for eternity inside my soul,
And knowing that this is an illusion,
That you are not mine,
That you belong to the Universe,
….this does not distract me from the holiness of these moments
Lost in your glorious rays, this eternal minute in your embrace.

A big mushy THANK YOU to everyone who has left me comments, email, and have added me recently as a friend.  I appreciate your kind support and loving words.  I apologize for this generic thanks, I just returned home from a spiritual break and am back to work and have to catch up!!

Much love and many blessings to you all,

Dena

First off - this is an opinion piece...if you are easily offended it may be best not to read it

Living a Life of Light

by Dena L Moore

There's a lot of fear in the world today…fear of terrorism, fear of war, fear of death, fear of living. Fear of living? Yes, and although this may be surprising, I believe it to be the greatest fear of all. We are afraid to live the fullest, most expansive life we are here to live. We are terrified to reach out to others when we need a friend, we get squeamish when our ideas don't seem to fit the ideas of the 'crowd' - meaning socially acceptable ideas and behavior - and we strive to shrink ourselves into someone we truly are not based on perceptions of what is acceptable and what is not. Then some of us go in the completely opposite direction and wear and say the most shocking things just to irritate or get a rise out of other people, all in the name of self-expression or to appear anti-social. Of course then they fit into a new category or are framed into a new picture frame.

If we take a closer look at our fears we will see that they are circular in nature and that indeed they all go back to the same two primary fears - fear of dying, and fear of living. Yet life and death are one and the same. We must face death to live and we must face life to die. Fearing life can lead to death, but not necessarily a physical death. The death of the spirit or the entrapment of the soul is a common and regular every day occurrence on this planet…the majority of us, as humans, are trapped by fear of living and the fear of death. Those who long for death may be scared to live…or they may simply remember, on a higher spiritual level, that with death there is freedom and a higher communion with the spiritual planes and other forms of existence rather than being within the material form of the body. Yet few are truly aware of death as freedom or change into another form; most of those who long for death are afraid of living. Let's face it, life can be very difficult and some of us have much greater challenges in our lives than others. Even the prospect of 'Hell' or of not knowing what will happen can deter those who are very afraid to continue on. Death, like life, is a very personal thing. No one else can experience your death or your life except you.

Quieting these fears may be a lifelong task and most of us will never experience the freedom of living a life of light. The rational, intellectual mind is a powerful thing. It wants to think, think, think and needs to have 'proof' in order to believe. Many of us today in this world have a distinct lack of faith. Indeed, this is how it has always been despite the longing of some to get back to how it used to be. Fear has been the driving force of man since the beginning and it drives us still. Fear is the opposite of faith. Skeptics and those who trust the rational mind slam the door on the Universe (God, the Creator, Spirit, and any other name that resonates with you that denotes a higher power beyond humanity)…and slamming that door means they lock themselves inside! Yet they do not recognize this. They are spiritually blinded by fear of the physically unknowable. Life and Death are physically unknowable, are they not? They are concepts; they are entirely personal and entirely unknowable rationally. We experience life and death, but we cannot touch them or hold them in our hands. Then there is another way of being, the secular spiritualists who attempt to follow the codes of their religion, who seek to understand the Universe through the rational mind. They may follow their religion and practice it, believing that they know God, or Allah, or Spirit through acknowledging the existence of a higher power. They may study the Bible or the Koran or their own personal Book of Shadows earnestly. They may be preachers or priests or high priestesses. Yet despite it all, there is something missing. They know something is missing in their lives and they are fearful. They recognize the fear but they can't seem to let it go.

My personal preferred word for a higher power is the Universe but as it can become confusing for those who do not resonate with this word in the same manner, I will use Spirit. Spirit cannot be known through the rational mind. This seems to be a very difficult universal truth that humans just can't grasp…unless they undergo an awakening experience, a quickening of their own soul, which may come about through an external event or may arise from within as a personal crisis. The Soul does not want to be trapped! It is as simple as that. Yet many do manage to hold the spirit down and keep it locked up - some manage to do this for their entire life! Depression is a huge indicator that something is not quite right - that the Soul is unhappy - but the current stance seems to be to medicate almost immediately rather than to explore other options such as counseling and self-expression. While some of the most difficult cases may need medication, how many people do you know - perhaps yourself included - who are on drugs for depression and have never had counseling? The general medical community, in the attempt to heal the human body, abuses the spirit like never before. Holistic practitioners, even chiropractors, are still frowned upon by many so-called Doctors. Unfortunately for the spirit that must reside within the body, these Doctors are some of the most rational, skeptical people alive today. The body and the spirit together make a person…separate the spirit from the body for too long and what do we experience? Death. The spirit illuminates the body, the spirit enlivens the body…without the spirit, the body cannot function. Yet the spirit, your very connection to SPIRIT, exists with or without the body. But many Doctors put their trust in their OWN mind, in their OWN skill, and make LIFE and DEATH decisions every day. They are playing at being God….and some are not very good actors at that. While Medical Doctor's - MD's - believe they are healing and helping humans, you may find that in some circumstances they are harming and damaging humans…and not only on an individual basis. Their attention to the physical at the expense of the non-rational and unknowable - the very essence of Spirit - and their high rank and regard among society affects us all in many ways. If we look up to MD's and respect and trust them, no matter if our own instincts tell us they are wrong or are making a mistake, then we are risking our own lives. That little 'birdie' or voice you hear inside of you, that is Spirit working through you, trying to get your attention and make you listen. If you were in a life or death medical situation, would you trust your doctor or would you trust your intuition - that voice inside? Think about it for a while. Perhaps it seems that I am 'picking on' MD's…and yes, personal experience multiple times over with MD's has shown me that I MUST continue to trust that voice inside - my intuition, my connection to Spirit - if I wish to remain alive and wish to keep those close to me alive. My intuition has saved my life on quite a few occasions. While there are other 'rational' occupations that discount the soul, the Medical Doctor is the most obvious and blatant. We could also look at medical research - the vain attempt to prolong human life for as long as possible no matter if that life is serving any function or not. I am not against medical research in any way, but in practice, sometimes I feel we must learn to recognize that the soul is ready to pass on! If your body was being kept alive by machines for years, would you want to continue to be inside that body? Indeed, if a person is in a coma, isn't it possible that the spirit has already moved on and left the body and that machines are keeping the body alive and there is no SOUL inside? How is that for eerie? To me that is much more unnatural and spooky than having a ghost or spirit without a body moving past me…at least it is natural for a spirit to not always be within a body, but it is not natural for a body to function without a soul. And when we finally manage to call that spirit back to it's screwed up body (if we ever do), are we doing our loved one a favor? In my opinion, no. In my opinion, and yes it may be harsh, these people prolonging the 'life' of these already deceased bodies are being selfish in the extreme. They want their loved one back, period. But what if the loved one doesn't want to come back? If the plug is pulled and that spirit wants to return to it's body, it will do so immediately! I acknowledge that there may be special karmic cases where one has to experience being dragged back into a badly damaged body, perhaps all of these situations are karmic in nature. I won't pretend to know with 100% certainty, but new technology may not always be a blessing if looked at from a higher standpoint of the soul. There are many people who have been wounded or born with a disability and are functioning, highly able people. My words here are not to offend anyone with a disability but rather to point out that if the soul wanted or needed to flee the body for an extended period of time then having their body kept alive artificially may be a waste of time, energy, money, and be spiritually harmful for the soul that left. If we think of the body as a 'vehicle' we can quickly see the connection…if you are in a car accident and the car is badly damaged, leaking gas, and about ready to explode, would you stay inside if you had a choice? And even if they were able to stop the gas leak and patch it up, would you really want to hop back in and drive it all around? With a shattered window, crinkled trunk, and the bumper dragging on the pavement?

Medical research is useful if it can prevent disease or otherwise help keep a person - an otherwise healthy, functioning person - alive by extending his or her life. Diabetes and cancer research are good examples. People who suffer from diabetes can live a much longer and fulfilling life now due to research…and there are many people alive today thanks to cancer intervention and research. In my personal life, research into Autism has helped me immensely with my son…because of research, they discovered the gluten and casein sensitivity which has enabled me to refuse drugs for my son even when the 'medical' community tried to force them upon us. Instead of drugs, I put my son on a special diet which has been nothing short of a miracle for me and many other parents of autistics. There are many alternatives for many diseases that go far beyond popping a pill. While some may need drugs for various reasons, there are many abuses of them. Blocking out our inner need for personal evolution through drug use, prescription or otherwise, is damaging not only to the body, our 'vehicle' for the current life, but also to our soul.

Believing in only what can be proven, touched, or otherwise known is what traps the spirit and prevents one from developing true faith. Rationality, taken in the extreme without balance, is detrimental to the soul's growth and destiny. It prevents one from connecting powerfully with Spirit on a personal, intimate basis. We cannot live a life of light without an intimate connection to Spirit; we cannot open ourselves to our true purpose here on Earth if we are unable to awaken and to let Spirit shine in our lives…and allow Spirit to shine through us in order to awaken others and bring them to their own personal place of truth, where they embrace their path and can grow and touch others. We each have our own role to fulfill, our own destiny to create, and our own soul to enlighten…and we do this through our spirituality. Becoming a spiritual person does not mean that you believe what others teach you without questioning, it does not mean that you blindly follow a leader or the herd, it does not mean that you must give up your job as a researcher, scientist, MD, or any other rather rational occupation…it means to open your heart and your mind to the source of our being - no matter what word you want to use that resonates with you - and to let the light shine through you and illuminate you. Being spiritual does not mean you are gullible nor does it mean that you cannot be rational. It means that you have the ability to take all things into consideration without becoming offended by others beliefs nor are you easily swayed by what others present to you as the truth. It means that you do not force your beliefs upon others or fear others of different faiths…they are struggling to find their own connection to Spirit too. Being a spiritual person means that you are a loving person who can embrace and accept the differences within other humans…you do not need to change them to make them like yourself in order for you to feel less fearful. Fear of Life and Death is a powerful thing; it is what drives human-kind. Trying to change others to fit your own view of life means that you are fearful and insecure within your own being. You may not know what to believe. You may worry that a terrorist is going to get you in the night. You may jump on the bandwagon of war, feeling that your way is the only way and others are going to do it your way, or else. Death and Destruction to the enemy! The cry of the unenlightened, the one who lacks a spiritual connection to higher power. You may hate other religions - if you're Wiccan, you may hate the Christians or be intolerant of their propaganda. If you are Christian, you may despise the 'non-believers,' the 'heathens,' which is anyone who is a non-Christian. Hate is fear in disguise. Worse, you may be on a mission to convert those of other religions. I am not personally against any religion nor do I feel that any religion is the 'right' or the 'wrong' one; however, I am against organized religion where the followers are to take and trust the word of the priest, rabbi, high priestess etc. without question because they supposedly have been trained in the faith. These leaders are human just like the rest of us…what makes them more able to connect you to Spirit than you are able to do yourself? In fact, many of these leaders are SECULAR Spiritualists and may know all about the religion through their rational minds, but are they living a life full of light?

When you meet a person who is illuminated by Spirit you will know it. You will feel safe sharing your secrets, you will feel the comfort of their tenderness and concern, and you will realize that they speak their mind no matter what others are going to think of them. They do not need your approval because they have self-approval, safe in the comfort that they are connected to Spirit and that they are on their own personal path of evolution. They will not judge you based on your character faults nor will they turn you away because you are not perfect. Of course they will have their own faults as they are human too, but they recognize their faults and accept them as part of their own learning experience. Have you ever gone into a service or read a book on religion and noticed that while they are preaching or teaching, on the surface, a life of light that they were, in reality, creating a divisive feeling or judgmental feeling within you? That you should only talk to or share your experiences with those of the same faith or belief system? Have you heard over and over about all the sins or what will happen if you break the Wiccan rede and felt that the leader or that the rule was wrong? Did you feel bad for thinking that? If you find and develop your own connection to Spirit, you will never feel 'sinful' or wrong again, unless you break your own rules and regulations you've set for your own life.

As you develop your own connection to Spirit you will find that your fear of life and death begins to fade away. You will begin to take each day as it comes and relish the good even within what seems to be difficult or bad in your life. You will find that you begin to see death as it really is, as a transition into another form and a different way of existence. Death really begins to lose it's sinister feel once a person is secure within their faith and begin to trust in the Universe. The flames of hell will no longer be a threat once a person realizes that the Bible was written by other humans and can be interpreted in many different ways…and once they realize that the Bible (or any other religious text) was written and developed and shaped over many centuries by many individuals, who put their own fears and twists into the equation. Perhaps it is time that a new text is written or that the old texts are rewritten to embrace the pattern of change in our lives today…or perhaps it is time to put these texts into their proper perspective and to enjoy them, embrace them, and keep our minds focused on our own inner truths as we read them so that we are able to integrate the concepts that resonate within our own being and dismiss those concepts that do not. As you learn to trust and put your faith in Spirit, you will no longer fear the unknowable nor will you need to have 'proof' for every little thing in life. You will sense the higher power living through you and recognize it within others and within all things around you. You will feel safe, strong, and compassionate toward other living things. You will be living a Life of Light.

The Eroscopes for March are now available! I am offering a preview in this bulletin...if you are interested in reading more, click on the link at the bottom of this post.

Have a sexy month!

Dena

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Aries Sex Scope

Although you may pride yourself on your ability to charm and woo lovers, you may find that the best sex…


Taurus Sex Scope

Sweet kisses in the rain…holding hands as you stroll through a gallery…cuddles under a soft crescent moon…


Gemini Sex Scope

Fluctuating passions may pose a problem with a lover in March…one day you are simply over-the-top…


Cancer Sex Scope

You're feeling rather adventurous as March opens…your passions are kindled along with memories…


Leo Sex Scope

Emotional drifts will be a bit confusing yet very exciting as a lover won't know what to expect…


Virgo Sex Scope

Your needs may go unmet in March as your lover seems a bit distant and difficult to reach…


Libra Sex Scope

Visions of sugarplums may dance in your head as your libido is stimulated by an alluring, perhaps even mystical…


Scorpio Sex Scope

Tension is mounting and you need release…lots and lots of release…I can feel you…


Sagittarius Sex Scope

Dreaming of far off shores and foreign lovers is nothing new for the archer…you know what you like…


Capricorn Sex Scope

Ahhh…the tantalizing whispers of love glide gently over you, tugging, teasing, and tempting…


Aquarius Sex Scope

Startled into action, you may find yourself reaching out to a lover like you never have before…


Pisces Sex Scope

Stimulate your urge to merge with soft, scented candlelight (Pathouli mixed with…