Article

written by Karin Ugander

Spring is on its way and there is hope in the air. During the month of March there will be no retrograde planets and that is quite rare. When a planet goes retrograde it looks from our perspective on the earth like the planet is moving backward. The energy of the retrograde planet becomes internalized and has a slower feel to them. Now, with all the planets going direct it can feel like a fresh breath of air enters into our lives. Ideas feels not only possible but great! And that could sometimes be a challenge.

With no hindrance or natural hesitation, there is a potential risk of acting before you think. That you get a little bit carried away. Example: You wake up in the morning and decide quite spontaneous to finally redecorate your living room. You get rid of all the furniture and have someone come and pick them up for the dumpster, and while you are at it you decide to remove the floors as well. How hard can it be, right? And besides everything goes so fast! But a few days later you miss your favourite couch and you found out that the floors were not so easily changed. The ideas that pop up right now may be right on the spot but you may still need to think about the consequences a bit.  Don´t take the easy flowing energy to be a “go ahead sign” and go tearing down walls in your home on pure inspiration and enthusiasm. Of course this need for caution applies on all kinds of purchasing and sales as well. Overall this energy is encouraging and uplifting on all levels.

The first planet to go retrograde again is Pluto around the 27th of April.

Keep extra watch

If someone is, or has been in a difficult situation and has not been able to get out from it, now may be the window of opportunity to make a positive change. This is one side of the energy now being present. The other side is that there are lesser hindrance’s keeping a person from acting out as well. The lack of restriction goes both ways. The planet Mars (aggression, willpower) in the sign of Gemini is in challenging aspect to the asteroid Pallas Athene in Pisces (psyche, mental health) and that can bring out irritation and instability.

If you or someone close to you is in need of help, don´t hesitate to ask for it. We all need to keep extra watch right now and look out for the people, children and animals that are not able to protect themselves. The aspect between Pallas Athena and Mars is until the 17th of March.

Romance and Hope for Humanity

Venus the planet of love is right next to the sun (energy) and Neptune (romance) in the sign of Pisces (love, romance, inspiration). This is a wonderful time for romance, creativity and love. Take this great opportunity to give your romantic side a boost of energy. If you don´t have a partner it is still a good time to take extra good care of yourself. Treat yourself with a luxurious bubble bath, read a good book, watch a romantic film and eat some chocolate. Or any other things that helps you to not only recharge but fills your heart with romance and restores your hope for humanity. Yes, romantic movies and books can do that! Venus and Neptune travels together until around the 20th of March.

Don´t step on my Sandcastle

The opposite sign of the romantic and idealistic sign of Pisces is Virgo. She is firmly planted in earth and can sometimes have little patience with things like romance and daydreaming. Right now we have the goddess asteroid Vesta (fire, home, priestess) in the sign of Virgo opposite Venus, Sun and Neptune. There Vesta can help us if we get to carried away with our romantic daydreaming or enthusiasm with all planets going direct. But, there is no need to pop your partners pink balloons, so to speak. Or walk all over a beautiful built sandcastle. Even if you are a down to earth person and not romantically inclined, This is the time to play along and appreciate the effort and love behind.  There will be some challenging transitions coming later on. Take this chance and smell the roses.

When you want to smack someone in the head with your Broom

During this passage there may come a time when you want to smack someone in the head with your broom. Again we have the goddess asteroid Vesta in the middle of things. Vesta is in the sign of Virgo and there she is both very magickal and down to earth. To me she is a lot like Molly Weasley in the  Harry Potter Movies. She is the mother of Ron Weasley, Harrys best friend. She has a big family and jumps in like an extra mother for Harry when needed. She also got a lot of Magick!

Vesta is making a good aspect (trine) to both Lillith Black Moon (things we can not see) and Uranus, both in the sign of Taurus (earth, practical things). There Vesta can help us see things that others cannot. She can discern and filter energies and information that are hidden for others. If you are able to tune into this vibration it can feel like you are the only one having the glasses on and that others are being foolish. Hence the wanting to smack their heads. My advice is to practice a bit of patience and to remember that they may not have the same ability to look under the surface and see what is hidden. Take your time and make your point and hopefully things will work out fine.

Stay grounded!

Many times poorly made decisions are influenced by not being grounded and down to earth. With the Sun, Venus and Neptune in Pisces and Mars in Gemini and all the planets going direct it can be difficult to stay grounded. Mars in Gemini is quite fast, talkative and intensive. It is said that if you have Mars in Gemini you drive your car like a French car thief, fast and unpredictable.  This is a good time to recharge the protection bundles or items for your car. Drive extra carefully and be focused while driving.

Here is a list of stones to carry that are grounding and protective while driving. These stones does not only help to see in the physical world, but are also said to open up the inner vision and third eye. They are also great shamanic stones that can help in shamanic journeys or vision work. You can use them one at a time or all together, although the joint energy may be a bit overwhelming at first.

• Tigers eye. Helps to see both backward and forward. Can be helpful to see back and forth in time.
• Hawks eye. Helps to see both up and down. Can aid in seeing things with the right perspective.
• Chiastolite. Gives protection from all the directions. Can help to balance and integrate the four elements and the four directions. A very protective stone. Here in the north it is sometimes called the Moose stone, or the Elk Stone, because it looks like the Algiz rune (Älgrunan as we say

in Swedish) drawn in the four directions and joined in the middle. A bind-rune sometimes also called “Skräckhjälmen” translated to english “Helmet of horror”. Despite its name I have found the energy of this bind-rune very calming and grounding to work with. It always works and is always a blessing.

I draw this sigil on the inside of my boots for protection when walking in the forest. When the kids were small I drew it on the inside of their outdoors clothing and shoes to prevent them from tripping or hurting themselves. I have also put it on our cases to keep track of our belongings when travelling.

Skräckhjälmen. Protection from the four directions. Stability and wisdom of the Moose /Elk. Staying grounded. It is believed to prevent accidents and thefts.

Blessings! / Karin Spirit Talker Turtle Red

Karin Ugander (Spirit Talker Turtle Red) is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is an ordained high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program. Her work can be found on Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial and she can be reached at [email protected].

By Christopher Penczak, edited by Tina Whittle 

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

If you are involved with any esoteric movement, the rampant conspiracy theory culture—its worst embodied by QAnon, which is all conspiracy with little esoterics—can’t be ignored. But to neutralize it and heal what it has led to, we must consider its occult significance and how we got to this particular manifestation.

I am not against conspiracy theories. I think they are crucial to the greater initiatory process. They are, however, an early stage, and how you handle them is a test. Unfortunately, most people are failing this test because the boundaries and containers of this process have either broken or never been established, a great blessing and curse of the Information Age. Getting caught up in a conspiracy is a sign of spiritual immaturity. Some of us pass quickly through this phase, or take a different tack and seemingly avoid it, but it is a very real trap and test, drawing many off the path of realization.

I can reveal the great secret of this test because until you experience it, words will mean nothing, but as in any initiation, if you remember them, they can be a map to guide your navigation. An initiate must come to the conclusion that even if all the conspiracy theories are true, so what? Does that meaningfully change my life? Is the most appropriate behavior at any given moment in my life the same if they are true or not? What do I have control over? What is my will? Should compassion and common sense govern what I do regardless? If conspiracies void meaning from your life, then there was little meaning to begin with. If you believe you have to be the one to unravel, prove, or stop a conspiracy, and that decision causes you to meaningfully abandon your life, friends, family, and vocation, then how much meaning did those things have for you in the first place? What is your relationship to your own ego? Is that the greater problem, with conspiracy a way to avoid greater intimacy?

If a conspiracy theory doesn’t urge you to be introspective and ask yourself hard questions like “Have I contributed poorly to the world, and right now, how can I do better?” and instead encourages a binary us vs. them mentality where you are absolved because you are a “good guy,” then you are failing the initiation of conspiracy. There are a lot of open conspiracies you don’t want to see or take responsibility for because they are so immense, but they are not hidden. They are simply so huge that we let them fade into the background. What are the conspiracies of racism, patriarchy, perpetual war, poverty, environmental destruction, prison industry, and queerphobia, and how are you seeking to solve them?

It is from these immense things that our fascination with conspiracy grows, and as a people, we have always had it—even the Sumerians lamented for the simpler “old days” before things grew corrupt. All people do. Mythically we long for the Golden Age of our myths. We know there is something “wrong” with the world, and since few acknowledge that, it must be more than what we can see ( despite the problems we can see being immense). The random pile of mistake after mistake is too much to process; we crave a simple explanation. There must be a reason, even if that reason is bad—global conspiracies, illuminati, alien reptoids, and evil satanic magicians. It has to be more than just be poor choices and collective guilt, or someone somewhere at some time would have fixed it. Conspiracies make order of the chaos and provide meaningful struggle, letting us believe we are the “good guys,” even though this belief is illusionary and prevents us from collectively owning the mistakes of our past.

In the modern age our challenges are a bit different than our ancestors longing for the Golden Age. We have access—in real time—to all the horrors, crises, and wars of the globe, where in the past, news traveled slower and was often restricted to a region. The current 24-7 information cycle can be overwhelming, feeding the global conspiracy narrative with a constant flow of disaster.

We feel more profoundly the separation of science, art, and religion. There is no unified worldview, language, or custom. This is a necessary growing pain for the Age of Aquarius, as plurality and self-expression are now key, but a hard one to navigate, leaving many internally divided with little education on personal synthesis. Part of our sense of the world being wrong grows from this. With the division of science from natural philosophy and the separation of complementary fields like astronomy and astrology, chemistry and alchemy, and modern and traditional medicine, we have lost touch with deeper meaning and the soul of the world and our relationship with it. Perhaps the hard sciences would not have advanced as far and as quickly if they had remained tied to the esoteric, but their quick advancement without clear forethought of consequences led to other problems—industrialization, environmental pollution, factory farming, and the military industrial complex. Now we struggle with nuclear capabilities and DNA modification. We live in a world where these technologies make it possible for everyone to be housed, clothed, and fed, eliminating the need for war, and yet we have war, crime, homelessness, and addiction. We are told it’s unavoidable.

When medicine becomes a for-profit industry running rampant, our trust in medicine and science diminishes. It’s hard to distinguish the genuine researcher and doctor from the CEO as they are all participating in the same system of profit, yet many doctors and nurses feel just as trapped by those systems as the patients; unfortunately, there is no easy model for breaking out of it while still continuing to serve. So people seek other paradigms, good and bad, in an effort to find help. When science seems to hold the answers but cannot answer why such things happen, we seek someone to blame.

This is what has led to the antivax conspiracy. If your child undergoes a distressing change and the only thing you can match to the time frame is vaccination, and with current vaccinations being so different from the parent’s own experience, there is distrust. Intellectually you can understand there is no accepted medical evidence linking vaccination and autism, but in this disconnected era, we seek myths to make sense of our circumstance. Why is this thing I can neither control nor understand happening to my child? While I’m not anti-vaccination, as a witch/herbalist/healer, I had a number of parents on my doorstep looking for answers in the early 2000s, seeking an esoteric solution since medicine wasn’t helping them. I had no answers, but the experience has had me following both the science and the people’s stories closely. Our Aquarian challenge is holding the separate strands of science and story, but our lack of personal orientation to the sacred makes it hard for us to find personal meaning. Many of our religious institutions run dry with platitudes of “God’s plan,” hinting at a meaning that often disregards what we do know and can prove.

When scientists dismiss and ridicule alternatives that actually help people, trust is diminished further. The anecdote takes on greater strength than the data as you might have greater connection to the anecdotal and no personal experience of the data. I credit homeopathy curing me of a recurring illness that modern medicine barely managed with multiple hospital visits. If a doctor dispassionately dismissed homeopathy based on lack of standardized evidence, I don’t mind because that shows they haven’t studied the underlying paradigm. If they are vitriolic about it, that concerns me. In either situation, a person is trying to use the criteria of one discipline to devalue another without understanding the basis. Imagine if we judged the criteria of the latest modern American medical journal by the standards of poetry, and dismissed it entirely because it didn’t conform to our lyrical expectation of a poem? Homeopathy is based on the unique expressions of illness in an individual as well as their past experiences. While a remedy might be a “cold” remedy, you can’t give it to a hundred individuals in a blind test without determining if they have expressed the cold in the same way, even if it’s the same virus. Times of day, sides of the body, mood, and sleep patterns all contribute to which remedy a skilled homeopath chooses. Homeopathy is an art as well as a science, and a skilled practitioner will ask personal questions about the illness, including a fair amount of invasive inquiries, to determine the right match of remedy to the individual. Any critique that doesn’t account for that is dismissing the operating instructions of the system. Imagine how effective pharmaceuticals would be if we dismissed the timing and dosing instructions or simply failed to swallow the pill?

If you are an expert who can’t help me, but I’ve told you something that has helped and you dismiss my direct experience without further inquiry, that’s a problem if we are to work together. I, like many others, have had bad experiences with modern medicine practitioners who refused to listen, and who chose be dismissive and judgmental of not only alternative therapies, but also my queerness and basic symptoms. Queer people want a queer doctor. BIPOC want someone from their own community and life experience. Many women want a female doctor, but the profession is dominated by straight white men who are often dismissive.

In a recent example, someone in my life experienced an accident—we asked the attending medical personnel if it could be a hairline fracture of the hip. That possibility was dismissed with no conversation. Ruled out by a simple test. One emergency room, lots of pain, several scans, three doctors, and a physical therapist later, it was the physical therapist who got them to all reconsider and low and behold—hairline fracture of the hip! How might that have turned out if the initial doctors had listened to the patient’s concerns?

Many dismiss personal experience in the emulation of the factory efficiency model. Get people in and out with the minimum of information necessary. This devaluing of expression has in turn devalued the arts. Entertainers who appeal to the most common denominator are greatly valued commercially, but true masters of music, art, and dance often languish in obscurity and poverty. The left brain/ right body paradigm grows dominant, adding to our intuitive sense of imbalance. Those who realize this often react by swinging wholly to the emotional, creative and yes, irrational, in an effort to offset.

Sadly, this irrationality in esoteric communities has caused many to dismiss the traditional nonrational methods of inquiry as irrational and insane. We culled what we valued from the ancients, taking philosophy, math, and logic from Pythagoras and Plato and their compatriots, dismissing their mysticism and mystery as the irrationality of their time. We have done that to all the great minds whose work has survived—all the way back to Newton, a practicing alchemist—and have given birth to a rational dismissal of the mysteries that informed our brightest ancestors. Many of their great contributions were intuited in some way.

Now we have a growing movement of Pagans who are dismissive of the very  concept of the ancient gods, advocating an environmental paganism rather than the paganism of art, literature, and ritual. Gods are just too far out there to be taken seriously by other religions. We have Witches advocating a Witchcraft free of operative magick and spellcraft. Spells that work? That’s insane. Such practitioners seek to dismiss the traditions, processes, and maps of occultism in favor of a pure animism bereft of past culture. True, occultists of the past had their problems, but no stream of wisdom is free of its problematic figures. We have magicians who believe magic can only be symbolic and intellectually psychological. Such people want to take the “woo” out of our craft to gain respect in the outer world and put distance between the irrational conspiracy holders.

This is entirely contrary to both my experience as a Witch and my reasons for being involved. While ecology, psychology, and reason are important to me, there is something more in my Craft, a poetic numinous essence that brings not only internal change but external phenomenon. While all things change over time, you shouldn’t hijack something already established. If you don’t want the “woo woo,” then Witchcraft, Paganism, and Magick are not for you. If you want to avoid spirits, gods, psychic phenomena, outrageous manifestations, and things that will from time to time go beyond logical expectations, magickal spirituality is not for you.

Trust breaks down in science over having the solution rather than creating a new problem, in medicine through taking advantage of our sickness, and through those in government taking advantage of it all to perpetuate their own power. We form a sinister view of the world and surmise it couldn’t have always been this awful. It was…just in a different way, with a different myth. Yet the times we harken back to as “good” are the stories and art of those who found the good within themselves and the world they lived in.

Pick a romantic era or ancient civilization you see as “golden.” The reality of that time would include more poverty and illness than you might imagine, possibly slavery or servitude that would make you wince, with ideals you take for granted today unrecognized then. Yet the gold shines forth for you now. What gold are you making and shining in your own world?

Our conspiracies become part of a larger exterior mythology, but the initiate applies them internally. To be able to articulate your sense of “wrongness” to the world is the great shock to awaken you to the possibility of something greater. Occultists believe ancient initiates were shocked by some secret at the moment of initiation to catalyze their worldview: “Osiris is a black god.” “The realm of Persephone is full of light.” “The gods are not real!” You are given a secret history of the world, a secret theology. We still do this today in good initiatory models.

The supposed logic that proves the “reality” of conspiracy theories is the same shock. Your world is not what you thought. The secret history is clear. The dissatisfaction with what is should spur you to make what you see, but changes start internally. To keep this awakened view, we need a practice and the commitment to apply that practice in a disciplined way. Meditation, ritual, martial art, psychotherapy, contemplative prayer, etcetera: all are possibilities. True application leads to discernment, and discernment is the key to learning what you can use and what you cannot use in conspiracy theories. Conspiracy without internal practice leads to illusion and delusion, fantasy fulfillment, and paranoia. It’s what we see in the QAnon crowd.

We will never make conspiracies go away, but we can—and must—use them to make meaningful choices within and with our communities. We must find the gold of our age and continue to fix what we see as wrong in the world and what is wrong in ourselves. The world will always have periods and places of awfulness—it’s the separation before coagulation for alchemists. If things are never broken apart, they cannot be purified, healed, and reunified. The Golden Age is an active, not static, process. The call to the Golden Age is the alchemy of the world.

Initiation becomes inoculation. The Age of Aquarius is an age of individual initiates working cooperatively, as compared to the Piscean formula of dispensation from clergy to congregation. Priesthood can create patterns, hold technique and myth, and provide place and context, but everyone must do their part. No one can do the work for you. There are no saviors or scapegoats in the new aeon. Initiation is not solely the transmission of the temples, but also the initiations of life that utterly transform us. Everyone can be your teacher, your initiator, if you let them.

Don’t be naïve and think conspiracy is only on the “other” side, while your side is truth. Conspiracy is on all sides, and none are immune even after the inoculation of initiation, hence the repeated “booster shots” of elevation deeper into the mysteries as one passes through degrees or climbs the Tree of Life. Conspiracy can be a gateway, a guardian at the threshold of change, or the archon imprisoning us. Which will you choose?

written by Karin Ugander

Are people, conflicts and things that you thought you were done with reappearing in your life? Does some parts of your life feel like a soap opera going on repeat? Are you thinking “will this never end”? Well you are not alone. The stars and numbers right now are suggesting that we are in a kind of crossroad where it is important to re-confirm what you stand for, what kind of life that you want to live and your core values.

Mercury retrograde is over (se previous post) but this repeating pattern where things can feel like they are going backwards will continue. This could mean that you have to breakup with someone again, step out of the broom closet again, speak up for someone or something again and so on. Imagine it like when you are editing a text on your computer but forget to hit the save button. If you like your changes that you have done (and worked hard for) to become permanent, now is the time to use the save function and re-confirm what you want and who you are.

Venus and Pallas Athena got you back

Two goddesses that can help you to see clear and be brave are Venus (goddess of love) and the goddess asteroid Pallas Athena (goddess of wisdom and strategy). They are together at 25 and 26 deg. in the sign of Aquarius. With these goddesses together you may feel a strong need to show the world who you are, edit your FB or Instagram account to make it more real to who you are today. Perhaps change your work profile?

My only advise on this is to check these changes with trusted friends and allies before going public. After all, Pallas Athene is the goddess of planning and strategy and she helps us to take calculated risks and choose the path for the best success on all levels. Many times it is not a matter of if, but rather when, or how? This aspect can make your head say one thing and the heart another and it could be difficult to find a good balance between them. This is where your trusted friends and allies that knows you comes in.

Restlessness and pushing too hard

If this aspect with Venus and Pallas Athene does not find any healthy expression it can lead to restlessness and irritation. You may even feel like it is your family, relationship or surrounding limiting your life and expression. Before you go that way, do a serious check in with yourself if that is true or not?

This restlessness is amplified by Venus/Pallas Athene making a hard aspect to Mars (willpower, sex ) in the sign of Taurus (stubbornness, willpower). It can also make you push for change too soon, or too hard. The idea (Aquarius)  that you´ve got may be great, and your analysis may be on the spot,  (Pallas Athene) but that does not necessarily make the people around you ready for it just yet.

If not dealt with carefully this can put a lot of tension on your relationships. Everything from having too high expectations on your children and teenagers to wanting your partner to digest new ideas too quickly.

Venus and Pallas Athene are travelling together until around the first of March when Venus is moving into the sign of Pisces. Pallas Athene and Mars keeps on struggling with each other until around the 19^th of March. By then they both have changed signs, Pallas Athene to Pisces and Mars to Gemini.

Hecate, guardian of the crossroads

The asteroid Hecate is right now located exactly on the asteroid Pallas Athene at 25 deg in Aquarius and right next to Venus. Hecate is among other things a guardian of the crossroads in life. When we are at the crossroads we must choose one of the paths to continue on. This is one of the signs telling us the importance to re- confirm the choices we have made in our lives. Hecate is also a great healer. This asteroid is often strong in the astrological charts of physicians, midwives, spiritual healers, witches, psychics and mediums. Even if it can be both confusing and tiresome to have to re-do things, it can also be a great healing. “No, my choice of work, life partner or way of life was not a coincidence, no one made me do it, it´s me”

Hecate is a brave and strong goddess to have as an allied. What is important though when working with Hecate is that you are utterly honest and true. If you are, then you have found a true source of strength and justice. If you are not honest and try to play tricks, you can be the one ending up with a backfire. If we look at this from a global and collective view, world players like countries or global companies could be facing some kind of backfire for not being honest. This also applies to famous or public people.

Looking from the other side

But what if we look at this constellation from the other side? What if you feel that the choices that you have made in the recent past is not you, not what you want, not who you want to be? Then this is a good time to redirect your life accordingly to your heart and who you truly want to be.

Creativity and gifts from Hecate

With many placements in Aquarius: Saturn, Mercury (finally direct) Jupiter, Pallas Athene, Hecate and Venus there is a great creative energy flowing in. Specially the meeting of Mercury (intelligence) and Jupiter (expansion, luck)  can create great sparkles to build upon. Have pen and paper ready at all times, record on your phone, write on napkins. If you are a healer, herbalist, magician or the like, Hecate in this placement can bring you gifts of gold. Be sure that you are ready to catch and record.

Hecate moves forward into the sign of Pisces around the 3^rd of March.

Other things to consider

Uranus, the planet of change and rebellion is now in a Square (challenging aspect) to Saturn (planet of time, restriction) in the sign of Aquarius. This creates a tension between the old (Saturn) and the new (Uranus).

During the year of 2021 Uranus and Saturn will square each other 3 times. February 17^th , June 14^th and December 24^th.  During this whole year they will be sticking close in aspect. This creates a collective energy that can be felt like a pressure that is hard to define, some may feel it like a strange filter constantly being there. Since it´s not going away any time soon we all need to find a way to deal with it. More about that in upcoming Astrology blogs.

Blessings! / Karin Spirit Talker Turtle Red

Karin Ugander (Spirit Talker Turtle Red) is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is a high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program.

You can find Karin Ugander at Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial

written by Karin Ugander

Change of events? Unexpected twists and turns? Right now we are in a passage where you might be redirected by Spirit. In different phases and places we are more or less open to take another road. So what can we do to navigate in the best possible way? Let´s take a look at the stars and see what they have to say.

Mercury retrograde and time to reflect

A few times a year it looks as if Mercury is moving backwards in a retrograde motion. Every planet does this, but through time we have all learned that Mercury retrograde can be extra good to watch out for. Mercury influences a lot of things that we in our society is dependent upon. Things like communication, transportation, telephones, deliveries and all sorts of devices. When Mercury is going retrograde all of these things can be troublesome, delayed,  misplaced and just simply messed up!

It is said that Mercury retrograde is not the best time to buy or sell things, especially if they are expensive or very important. Same thing with signing contracts. But, if you still need to do it during this period, check everything extra carefully and read the fine printed details.

There is a good side to Mercury retrograde as well. Mercury rules thinking, inventing and connecting things, both in our outer and inner worlds. During Mercury retrograde we all get a chance to re-do things. Rewrite, edit, go back in time, understand and connect things that we have missed.

Mercury (the Greek god Hermes) is a messenger of the Gods. He is also one of the few beings that can visit the underworld and still return back up alive again. This is very interesting because connecting with Mercury, especially during Mercury retrograde we can also go deep into new territory.

In the underworld, and in other worlds different from our ordinary reality, things are not necessarily working in the same way. It can be upside down, it can be a mirror world from ours and it can be very strange. But, if we take it slow and give ourselves time to relax, we might just find a new perspective, a new idea or even a new truth when we ascend back into the world again.

Old friends

This Mercury retrograde is taking place in the sign of Aquarius. This is the third of the air signs. It is connected to thinking, planning, constructions of the mind, friends, groups and organisations. During this retrograde old friends and communities may come back to you. People from your past may return, if not in person then in your heart or mind. If and when they do, take your time and reflect for a while on your journey in life. Where you are now compared to where you were then. This could also be a great time for sending healing to yourself or a situation back in time.

Conflicts and unhealthy communication

During this particular Mercury retrograde it is important to be extra aware of the flow of communication on platforms and social media (Aquarius) . As a parent it can be good to check in with your children or teenagers that they are okey and that they are not involved in a difficult situation.

If you are a public person of any kind, or has an open social media account, you need to be prepared that things may get more turbulent than usual and that you may need to block and say no to unhealthy flows of communication.

To summarize this, we are all working through past relationships and situations. Some may be painful, some may be more of a sentimental nature. They may not be connected to a romantic relationship, they could just as well be connected to work, friends, groups and communities. My advice, is to let this energy flow through you, but don´t get caught in the web of things. If you feel the same way about reconnecting again after the Mercury retrograde is over, then do it. If you don´t, then bless what has been and everyone involved  and move forward in life. Mercury retrograde is from 31^st of January until the 20^th of February

Spirit sets another course

Right now the Sun, Mercury (communication, connection) and Pallas Athene (wisdom, strategy) are joined together in the sign of Aquarius. There they make a good connection (big trine) to the north node (where we are supposed to go) in the sign of Gemini. Interestingly Gemini is one of the signs that Mercury rules. This constellation can help Spirit to step in, and redirect your life.

The Sun, Mercury and Pallas Athene also make a good aspect (sextile) to the south node (karma) and Juno. This can help us with letting go of the things that we don´t need to carry around anymore. Specially things connected to relationships (Juno) related to karma (south node) and past lives.

This is a good time for doing regression therapy, working on past lives, doing ceremonies for letting go and cutting the cords that binds and holds you back.

You may also not feel any of this heavy load and feel no need to break free. Perhaps you just wake up with a new sense of wonder and feeling a lot freer and more happy. If this is the case, then just spread your wings and fly on! The rest of us, We may need to help Spirit help us!  towards a new direction and a happier and healthier life.

Oracle time!

Now is one of the passages in life when consulting an Oracle can be of importance.  Personally I work with many different tools for talking with spirit and looking at time, both past and present. My oracle tools work in different ways. They may say the same things, but in different ways and also in different rhythms. Some have wider windows to look through and a slower pace, some have smaller windows but a faster speed.

Stars and Numbers show patterns and cycles, they follow one kind of rhythm. They may not always be so clear when Spirit redirects your life on an instant moment. Immediate changes like that are usually more easy to see in the stars after the change has taken place.

Reading Tarot, Lenormand cards, bones or reading in coffee (or “reading the tea leaves” as you say in English), has another rhythm. My personal experience is that they are faster to tell unexpected fast changes and when Spirit is stepping in, taking charge over things. Best is, if you have the possibility to do both things. Both consult the stars and numbers, and also a traditional oracle.

Because things can change fast, I recommended that you do your readings with shorter intervals than usually. If you normally read the cards for yourself each quarter, you may want to change that to once a month. If you do it once a month, perhaps change it to every week or every day? If you are intuitive yourself, you will probably feel when the winds are changing.

If you are working as an Oracle reader of some kind, be prepared for more clients in need of readings, and be prepared for unexpected things showing up in your readings. A very happy part of this Oracle energy wave is that it is an excellent time to pick up and learn an oracle! Or dig in deeper into the mystery of the Oracle that you already use.

Symbols and signs in life

Spirit has a way of communicating things that are important. Signs, symbols and synchronicity can pop up in our dreams, on the daily walk or through other people. And it seems like the more we are aware and awake, the more this language of Spirit talks to us.

This energy with unexpected changes is with us for a while and will reach a peak in the beginning of July when the South node is conjunct Juno at 10 degrees in Sagittarius.

Recommended Reading:

Robert Moss: Sidewalk Oracles. Playing with Signs, Symbols, and Synchronicity in everyday life. New World Library, 2015

Brightest Blessings, and may the Oracle be with You! / Karin Spirit Talker Turtle Red

Karin Ugander (Spirit Talker Turtle Red) is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is a high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program.

You can find Karin Ugander at Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial

By Christopher Penczak, edited by Tina Whittle 

The occultist knows the fundamental forces of creation, mediated by the gods and spirit entities, are impersonal. They embody impersonal forces, cosmic and terrestrial, but provide a way in which we can interact with them. The priest/ess from the perspective of religion knows these forces are immensely personal and develops relationships with individuals, communities, and the world. They are real, individual beings whom we love, and who can love us and care about our lives. The adept knows both and neither of these things are true.

Recently I shared a post from an astrologer author I love, Rob Brezsney. I like his realist optimism, explored in his book Pronoia (which should be far better well-known). The post’s theme illustrated this type of mystery, the paradox of the union of love and anger and how we must stop hate without becoming hateful. The admittedly challenging graphic was one of a red Devil figure hugging Trump. The post didn’t mention either. My share generated a lot of comments, almost none on the content of the posts but all on the graphic, which is a mystery teaching in itself. The union of pictures AND words is a key to the mysteries. Combinations, particularly unlikely juxtapositions, should make you think. But we live in a world of reactions, with most people thinking the world a stage rather than a classroom. In truth, the stage is just a different classroom.

Most comments were Witches saying Lucifer (not Satan) would reject Trump because of his evil, and a few who implied Trump was too virtuous for Lucifer to embrace. In essence, it was making the Devil figure conform to their own personal expectations and bias. Ironically, wouldn’t a Devil figure do the unexpected? Instead, this Devil was doing exactly what they would do based on their beliefs about Trump and their assumptions that a cosmic metaphysical entity would agree with their human view.

As a priest and a person, I understand the identification with the powers and gods, but as an occultist, I find it interesting when we project our human view onto fundamental powers. If such personal views were the view of the powers, our world would look very different than it does, yet it doesn’t.

In most magickal theologies and myths both good and bad, Lucifer is the light bearer. The function of the bearer is to bring divine light and all that entails into darkness. It’s not personal. You might have to work to find the light or find your own spark of the light, but the light is not a reward nor is the darkness a punishment for moral behavior, no matter how noble or reprehensible. The divine powers do not partake in human tribalism, but we as priest/esses and people channel them towards our human goals. The storm rains on everyone who is outside within the sphere of its influence. The garden of the virtuous doesn’t get one level of rain and the garden of the repugnant get another. The air is available to breathe by all—the liar and the wise woman and everyone in between. Night follows day. There is not a different schedule of dawn and dusk for the pious.

Yes, yes, I can hear you thinking that I’m taking comments on a hot topic meme much too seriously, that people’s comments don’t reflect their deep metaphysical reflections…and yet they do. What we say off-handed often indicates what we believe and how we operate on a deeply rooted level, where we take instinctive action when we are not asked to think deeply and reflect.

One of my greatest concerns in observing the growth of Paganism, Witchcraft, Magick, and Metaphysics is increased tribalism and othering, often rooted in divine relationship, spread through internet meme graphics. The cosmic and impersonal nature of the forces—which take on the personal ONLY when brought through humanity, be it an individual or group—is being forgotten. It’s become easy to assume the manifestation through you or your group is THE manifestation. That leads to righteousness and dogma, rather than philosophy and theology. This can lead to delusion and all manner of problems for a practitioner, group, and community. This can even lead deeper into theological ideas that if the gods agree with us and the world doesn’t reflect that, then there must be other gods and forces opposing them, and they too have their clergy serving them… is this sounding a bit familiar? Haven’t we done this familiar dance? This battle was a big theme of the Age of Pisces. How can we manifest it differently in the new aeon of Aquarius? Theologically thinking the cosmic powers are in conflict is like thinking gravity is in conflict with electromagnetism. They are both necessary for the fabric of reality and operate impersonally until you have a personal experience with them.

The occultist needs to be a priest/ess to bring the concepts into the heart, into life. The priest/ess needs to be an occultist to seek understanding of different models of the fundamental nature of consciousness and the cosmos. We all have to learn that it is personal and impersonal, simultaneously. In that paradox is where true mystery is found.

written by Karin Ugander

Are you feeling like everyone needs you and that there is not enough time and energy to go round? Are you mixing up dates and meetings? Is it hard to tell what day of the week it is? Well, you are not alone. We are in a wave of strong emotional hunger and a lot of confusion at the same time as we are in a mist of telepathically openings. Exiting but also exhausting times. So let´s take a closer look at the sky for some navigation.

Emotional and spiritual hunger

Right now we have Neptune (dreams, creativity, psychic abilities) right next to the asteroid Ceres (nurturing) in the sign of Pisces, Neptune’s home sign. One way of describing Ceres is like the universal mother. Ceres in the horoscope describe the mothering experience that we received as a child and express as a parent. That could be the physical mother or any person playing a nourishing and parenting role.

When Ceres functions well and is healthy, we have the ability to both give and receive nourishment on all levels from physical to spiritual. Ceres is many times dominant in the astrological charts of famous chefs or the classical cooking mom or dad making wonderful dinners with lots of family and friends. If you have met a spiritual teacher that radiates an aura of love, safety and comfort they probably have a strong Ceres in their chart. Just being next to a person like that gives you a good homey feeling.

Being taken for granted

One of the challenges of the Ceres personality is that the people around such a person may shift from gratitude over the gifts given, to demanding to be fed and nourished. Then the Ceres person becomes the invisible parent, always expected to be there and no longer respected for who they are and what they do.

As you may already have figured out, a Ceres personality receives a lot of parental projections. The good and the bad becomes very strong and magnified. If and when a Ceres personality or spiritual teacher says no and sets boundaries to its surroundings, it can feel very strong for a person or student that has not dealt with the parental figures from childhood. It can bring up feelings of being rejected and not being loved.

If you identify with the Ceres personality in one way or another, it is important to learn to be unavailable at times. Think of it like a mother or father helping their children to learn to cook for themselves. It´s not about abandonment, it´s about helping someone to become self-sufficient.

Bottomless hunger and unrealistic expectations

Neptune is the planet of music, poetry and spirituality. The shadow side of Neptune is daydreaming, illusions and lack of boundaries. Now when Neptune is joined with Ceres in Pisces it can create a bottomless hunger for nourishment on all levels.

Ceres and Neptune is also in a challenging aspect to the south node (past life, karma) and the north node (where we are supposed to go). The south node is in Saggitarius which may make us look in the past and search for the right teacher or role model to give us the answers and what we need to be fed. The north node though, is suggesting that we look closer for our answers and that we connect with others and trade tools and information. That we get engaged in our own development rather than expect it to be served to us on a plate.

Home and altars

Neptune is the ruler of Pisces and the 12^th house of astrology. It is the word of water and the kingly ruler is Poseidon. When we see Neptune close to a planet or in challenging aspect it can make whatever it touches fall right trough our fingers, much like water. Now when we have Neptune/Ceres the energy and nourishment that is created can disperse as quick as it was created. Low energy levels can lead to stress, lethargy, arguments and fights.

By updating, cleaning and recharging energy holders in your home, you help your home to hold a good energy level. Energy holders are everything from the working altars of the witch and the magician to ornaments and decorations in the house. Personally I have a tendency to create small mini altars all over the house in window sills and bookshelves with empty space. That´s great, but not so great when the altars are forgotten and start collecting dust. Then they can eventually drain more energy than they create. With these astrological aspects you definitely want all parts of the house to generate more energy than it takes.

If you are working with larger energies like being a caretaker of a Temple, sanctuary or tradition it is extra important to keep the temple clean and give offerings accordingly to your traditions. Everyone is hungry at the moment, not just the living.

Ceres and Neptune are joined together until around the 11^th of February.

Crystals and telepathy

Right now we have the asteroid Atlantis at 23 degrees in Virgo, right next to the goddess asteroid Vesta at 21 degrees in the same sign (priest/ess, home, shelter). This can open up and increase the ability for telepathy. This has two sides to it. Telepathy is great when people are thinking about love peace and understanding. Not so fun though when people are carrying around a lot of anger and perhaps even hatred.

What may help you is to create a crystal grid in your home to filter the information and communication surrounding you and your home. Just remember to keep it clean, updated and recharged! You can also carry a crystal or stone with you for support.

During this period it is extra important to stop for a moment when you become energetically overwhelmed by something. Ask yourself, is it mine? If not, do I want to process this energy? If not, say thank you for the information and then let it go without processing it further.

Extra challenging time for children and animals

Children and animals are extra sensitive to energies. Now when nourishment and energy can slip through our fingers and the telepathy traffic in the ethers are intense, they can have an extra challenging time. As parents, elders, witches and healers now is the time to be extra diligent in dusting, smudging, clearing, recharging and keeping a good and healthy space. Not just for ourselves, but also for our neighborhood and community. It´s time to bring the Neighborhood Witch out!

Recommended Reading:

• Demetra George and Douglas Bloch, Asteroid Goddesses, The Mythology, Psychology and Astrology of the Re- emerging Feminine. Ibis Press.
• Kiera Fogg: Crystal Gridwork, the power of Crystals and Sacred Geometry to Heal, Protect, and Inspire. Weiser books.
• Nicholas Pearson: Stones of the Goddess, 104 crystals for the Divine Feminine. Destiny books.

Blessings! / Karin Spirit Talker Turtle Red

Karin Ugander (Spirit Talker Turtle Red) is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is a high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program.

You can find Karin Ugander at Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial

By Christopher Penczak, edited by Tina Whittle 

By Fikret Kabay from Pexels

I wish more occultists, magicians, and witches used a bit more occultism, magick, and witchcraft. Or even some basic understanding of energy dynamics and psychology. I don’t mean lighting candles or reciting spells, but integrating these core concepts into their daily lives and interactions with people. I fear that even with great blessings of communication and connectivity from the internet age, we are training a generation of magicians to disregard the basic principles, magnifying all the things we don’t want, and in some cases, becoming them.

I think of the Phillip K. Dick quote quite a lot: “To fight the Empire is to be infected by its derangement. This is a paradox; whoever defeats a segment of the Empire becomes the Empire; it proliferates like a virus, imposing its form on its enemies. Thereby it becomes its enemies.” While it’s deeply important to stand up for what is right, and to step-by-step create the world in which we want to live, how we do it is as important as why we are doing it. Not everything we fight is some Empire; nonetheless, many things we oppose are part and parcel of the malevolent expressions of empire—patriarchy, colonialism, intolerance. Some of us can look at the process of standing up as the difference between power and force. True power creates transformative change while force, often coercion, can make quicker outer changes without the transformation of lasting change. I think in the last few years here in America, we have seen a lot of change by force rather than true power.

In magick, we deal with magickal power, what we perceive as literal currents of energy, subtle yet no less real. We deal in the power of consciousness, and we start with our own. Many learn and apply the principles of consciousness in a systematic way, through a book (or series of books), teachers, mentors, groups, or schools. Others learn in a more haphazard way, from bits of lore from a multitude of sources, and can have some very creative and true interpretations for the new aeon, but also miss out on some core pieces of theory.

For me, my foundation was in the New Thought Hermetics of The Kybalion, often catabolized into the modern Law of Attraction focused on self-fulfillment and consumerism while letting go of some of the key universal points. Many feel The Kybalion is too esoteric and too dated, and they have a point, but I don’t think The Secret is the solution to that critique. True critics of The Kybalion will cite it as a romantic knock-off of the much older work of the Corpus Hermeticum, leaving out as much from the Hermeticum as The Secret leaves out of The Kybalion. And I’m sure in ancient Alexandria, as the Corpus Hermeticum was taking shape, there were those quiet critics who saw it as a rip-off of the true secrets of Egyptian Temple culture for foreign invaders who only cared about themselves. So the more things change in occultism, the more they stay the same.

Some practitioners divide their magickal life from their mundane life and don’t think to apply such principles at work, at home, and in relationships. Some even see it as somehow “unfair.” Others simply don’t give it any thought outside of the Temple and away from the altar. Many love the aesthetics of magick. I do too. But some find it difficult to put it into practice. And by self-identity, many “non-magickal” people are using these principles naturally or as learned from another paradigm—psychology, self help, religion, art. Where I see it woefully misrepresented is online social media, where one can present as an magickal adept one moment and then in the next show no understanding of a magickal paradigm in dealing with their communications and conflicts with others.

Reflect on your intention in a situation or interaction. What is the most skillful use of your magickal consciousness to make that happen? If you don’t have a clear intention, what is it you hope to discover? How do you go about doing that in the way that expresses your magickal will in balance, rather than through force? These are particularly important when we are seemingly in a conflict with another person or group, be it a friendly argument, misunderstanding, or out-and-out conflict. Are we mirroring back what we are complaining about in the first place? Are we magnifying and legitimizing a voice or perspective that we are trying to minimize? Are we trying to honestly change someone’s mind? Are we presenting not to change our “opponent” but for the audience watching? Are we sure? Most importantly for magickal people to ask themselves, what are the unconscious patterns we can forget about in the heat of a heated moment? Are we feeding someone’s ego? Are we feeding our own ego? Are we seeking strength from the agreement of others to legitimize our own feelings and point of view? Are we seeking to delegitimize another view not by merit, but by massive agreement from others?

Resistance is one magickal formula, by definition through opposition. Many rebellious magickal paradigms are born of it. Embodiment is another magickal formula. Become the very thing you seek and embody its principles. Non-duality is another. Each has their merits and drawbacks. Each can be necessary. Things must be built up. Things must be torn down. Things must find a balance. Things must find union. In these increasingly polarized times, a magician can have personal intention, but must step between and beyond to create change. Over-identification with one or the other side of a polarity prevents you from wielding the whole spectrum as a tool.

Any of these intentions is legitimate if you are willful and conscious of them. But when we grow unconscious, we become more easily manipulated by others, even if they don’t realize consciously they are doing it. When we become unconscious, we more easily manipulate without knowing it. We often magnify harm with no clear purpose other than wanting to “win” an argument. We can have honorable reasons on why we want to win, but we have to seek greater and greater clarity as we walk a path of magickal power. Otherwise that power turns on us.

Don’t separate your magickal life, business life, in-person personal life, and even online life. While they are different, they are all a part of your life. Put your practice into practice in every area of your life. Look at every interaction as an opportunity to progress magically. Think of everything you do, everything you say (or type), and everything you think as a potential act of magick…because it is.

written by Karin Ugander

We are in a time of turbulence and strong energies are moving through us, both on a personal and a collective plane. It may feel like the earth is shaking and yet at the same time a feeling of standing still, not moving fast enough. So how could this be? And is there anything that one can do to find some kind of balance and perhaps peace? Well, I believe there is. Let´s take a closer look at the stars at the moment and see if we can find any clues together on how to navigate in our nearest future.

Knowing when to let go

Right now we have many placements in the fixed air sign of Aquarius. We have Saturn (restriction), Mercury (communication), Jupiter (expansion) and Pallas Athene (intellect, strategy). When many different energies are joined or squeezed in together like this, it can be rather confusing. Especially with Jupiter with one foot on the gas pedal and Saturn standing on the breaks right next to it at the same time.

Aquarius is the third air sign in the Zodiac. Being the third and the last of the air signs it is supposed to be the most developed and mature of the air siblings.  But like in other families this may not always be the case. When Aquarius is balanced it is reasonable, intellectual, peaceful and good at diplomacy. When unbalanced it is argumentative, very stubborn and does not know when to let go of the discussion. In this unbalanced state Aquarius can cause conflict and harm instead of reason and joined forces for good.

How important is this fight?

To complicate things further Saturn, Mercury, Jupiter and Pallas Athene is in challenging aspect to Mars (willpower), Uranus (transformation, rebellion), and Lillith Black Moon are all in the earth sign of Taurus. And Taurus just like Aquarius is a fixed sign, not willing to let go and being very stubborn. We can expect this tension and conflict to play out in many ways.

On a personal level it may lead to more discussions leading to actions (Taurus) that you don´t wish for (Lilith black moon) and cannot restrict.

If you find yourself in an escalating conflict at home, with your family or friends stop for a minute and ask yourself, how important is this fight? Will it lead to a transformation that can bring out something good? (Scorpio as the opposite sign of Taurus) or will it only fix our opposing positions even harder? (two fixed signs battling). Sometimes there is a fine balance between upholding family rules and the exercise of power. Something that perhaps every teenage parent learns the hard way.

Sometimes timing is everything and it can be worth the wait to be able to send a crystal arrow of illumination and love at exactly the right moment.

Balance between the heart and the intellect

The sign of Leo is the opposite sign of Aquarius. If we space out in the intellectual world of Aquarius we can find balance within the warm heart of Leo. If we have balance between these two signs we can have an intensive discussion with our opponent and still go out like friends and have a beer afterwards. Leo can help to anchor the very mental world of Aquarius. And when Leo takes things far to personal a balanced Aquarius can help Leo to have perspective and a wider look at things.

We will have many opportunities to practice this balance when also the Sun joins the others in the sign of Aquarius on the 20^th of January.

Protection and driving carefully

The sun at  21 degrees in Capricorn is closing in on Pluto at 24 degrees in the same sign. When the Sun is meeting up with Pluto we have reasons to be a bit careful. As the sun, which moves around 1 degree a day, passes by Pluto a lot of energy is released. On the good side it can feel like a relief. Decisions, situations and relationships that has been stagnant can finally find a solution and move forward. On the other hand, the energy is rash and therefore unpredictable. For that reason it is good to be extra careful in traffic. Take your time and be prepared, awakened and focused when driving. Charging crystals and protection bundles for your car is not a bad idea. Challenging connections between the Sun and Pluto in a horoscope is a warning sign for violence and abuse. Keep your eyes open for those who might need assistance. If you are living in a difficult situation do not hesitate to ask for help.

Recharging the ward around your house

The Sun and Pluto aspect in Capricorn is great for doing protection magick and just doing a security check around your house. How is the roof, windows and doors? Is the fire alarm working as it should? Making this protective energy even stronger is the Sun and Pluto making a good trine to the goddess asteroid Vesta (house, home, shelter, priest/ess) in the sign of Virgo. This is a wonderful combination for making  potions, bundles, wards and essences for protection and for the home.

This transit is until around 20 January when the Sun has moved on into the sign of Aquarius. The asteroid Vesta stays in the sign of Virgo until around the 19^th of July. Wonderful news for all of us who love practical magick!

Summary

This is a period when we will all be challenged out from our comfort zone. We can be put in situations that we could never imagine happening . This can happen in big collective ways and in small personal ways. When and if this happens, remember to breath and remember your training. Ask for support from the living, the ancestors and spirit.

The road of life is made up from everyday decisions and it can sometimes feel very stressful to make the right decision when under pressure. But If you take your time to make a connection between the head, the heart and the womb. And give yourself time to align the rays of Love, Will and Wisdom you have a great chance of ending up in a very good place.

Blessings! / Karin Spirit Talker Turtle Red

Karin Ugander (Spirit Talker Turtle Red) is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is a high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program.

You can find Karin Ugander at Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial

By Christopher Penczak, edited by Tina Whittle 

Photo from Pixabay at Pexels.com

Not that long ago, I was not an advocate of online magick. Classes? Sure. But the actual doing of magick? No.

Despite being a full-time Witch immersed in writing, philosophy, and theology, I have a Bachelor of Music Performance with a minor in Music Business. My early adulthood was filled not only with Witches and occultists, but also musicians, artists, and poets whose work ranged from classical and jazz to glam rock and heavy metal, which is where I honestly fit a bit better. While I sang opera and art songs, I dreamed of rock and roll stardom, as many of my peers did. After graduation, I worked in the business for a few years professionally, more behind the scenes than as a performer. I had an emotional trauma around the end of my band and immersed myself in the business side, not the artistic. And soon I was out of the business altogether and slowly working my way in the realm of metaphysics, something I would have never predicted.

When I looked around years later at my peers, I only needed a few fingers to count those in my graduating class who were still involved full-time in music business, education, or performance. Now that all of us are in our forties, there are even fewer. Some of us joke that nothing kills your love of music like music school. My artist friends will say nothing kills your love of art like art school. And there is some truth to that, but why?

I found music school incredibly challenging. I was amid people who had taken music lessons since they were three, whereas I came to a serious love of musical performance at sixteen. I struggled to read music or sight sing, and I needed practice to get things down. I had never sung in a choir before, and suddenly was doing that four times a week, required. While voice was my instrument, I found myself learning keyboard and conducting. Creative classes were equally challenging. Your art is judged and critiqued with the desire to make it better, but I often disagreed. Sometimes students were challenged to write for a different instrument or in a different style, and explore exercises in creativity that they never would have chosen and found little inspiration doing. I knew what I knew, and I liked what I liked, and found myself challenged by everything else. I had always overcome all challenges in the past, and I did this time, but where math, science, history, and the like were relatively easy for me, music school forced me to explore things that I didn’t instantly or easily master. And I didn’t like it.

Now that I run a Witchcraft school program, I find the same process happening with some students. Why do I run a Witchcraft school? Because every step I’ve taken in service has led me, often by request, to do so. I had my own practice. People wanted to know what I was doing. I started a discussion study group. My own teachers stopped teaching publicly for a bit. People wanted something more formal. I created classes based on what I learned. People graduated that program and wanted more. An advanced study group became an advanced class, and then more people wanted the basics. Graduates wanted community, a chance to gather. People sought an identity, but when they started doing things in my name that I wasn’t comfortable with, I created some guidelines. People at a distance wanted to take the class before the days of online teaching, so I created books. People who had the books wanted direct guidance. I started to widely travel to teach intensives. Graduates of the intensives wanted long-term training and mentorship. I opened a school online, and when it became too big for me to do alone, we formalized a tradition with more teachers and even deeper and diverse classes.

I created what I wanted. I would have loved to have had a school where I could have cohesively learned things with mentorship and community. Putting together the pieces was a different struggle for me, but I’m glad to have done it, and continue to do it. Yet as I offer this, there are always problems. We have conflict, hurt feelings, and all manner of dramas that pop up. I think they are all part of the esoteric teaching process, but I am reminded of music school, and I don’t want to kill anyone’s love of magick.

My first realization is that I had a lot of youthful, naïve expectations around my music school days, and some people come to a Witchcraft school, coven, or teacher in a similar state, as completely unconscious of it as I was in music school. In the “big fish little pond” that was my virtually non-existent high school music scene, I was recognized as being already good. I had that recognition with academics, with art, and with my new depths of music.

But I had no deep mentorship. Things came easy because I was rarely challenged. I had an expectation that this was killing time at college until I would be “discovered” and go onto a trail of fame and fortune for my insightful songs and performances. Everybody had their own version of that dream in school, and most were much better musicians going in than I was. I expected to be praised and have fun because music is fun. I didn’t expect it to be tedious. I didn’t expect critical feedback. I didn’t expect to fail and didn’t always learn from my failures.

I see many people expecting only praise and no challenge in magick. I see many people expecting every moment to be fun, with no effort placed into learning a craft. I see many people expecting study with a “famous” Witch will result in their own fame and fortune, without necessarily doing anything noteworthy. It used to bother me, but I think back to music college. That was me too.

My second realization is that no person or thing “killed” my love of music. I changed. I had experiences in school, but also outside of school, that refocused my priorities. I met my husband. I fought with my bandmates until we broke up rather dramatically. I entered into an unhealthy business filled with wonderfully damaged people with whom I never bonded because I kept really strong boundaries, and my path led me to what I am doing now, which I love. My past experience with academics, art, and music inform my current experience. I had some wonderful, masterful professors, some really eccentric ones, and some bad ones, and each taught me something I carry with me. If I had tried to pursue music full-time professionally, I wouldn’t be where I am.

For some people, life is defined by their music, their art, their dance, their writing. Others by career, family, or religion. Most people are a blend. For me, magick is the blend of many things: the science, art, and religion, as Laurie Cabot teaches. We often have a romantic notion of magick and Witchcraft from books, movies, and television. We fantasize of rich cohesive traditions and wise mentors, vast libraries and schools of learning. I think back when scholars talk about the Druid colleges and the ancient Mystery Schools. I also think about Buddhist temple retreats today, and how we usually don’t have access to something similar. It’s one of the reason stories like Harry Potter are so popular among Witches themselves, not just ordinary readers. We are seeking that. Yet we often find interesting fragments and eccentric people not quite living up to our expectations. And this is good because we should always be challenged to take it to the next step, but we shouldn’t always have to start over from square one, rediscovering it all. I think back to my high school guitar jamming in my bedroom, the excitement of stumbling into a 7th Chord. Little did I realize that if I had only picked up a good book, or stuck with a good guitar teacher, I would have had access to it earlier. In music theory in college, I got an education in understanding all the chords, the types of rhythms and forms, each discovery widening my creative palette.

For me, a Witchcraft school or teaching tradition is a repository for both what has been and what is growing now. Like any student learning operative skills along with philosophical concepts, you’ll be challenged in various ways. It won’t always be easy or affirming or fun, but other times, it will be joyous and magickal and will flow through you. I think of all the tedium of scales that led me to amazing performances on stage that were truly magickal. If you don’t want or need access to structure and training and guidance, or the form is not right for you, or you prefer to hunt down things on your own, that’s great. Do it. But don’t come to a school, group, or teacher with vast unconscious expectations of ego satisfaction and then be upset when it doesn’t happen. Know thyself just a bit, and figure out what approaches are best for you at this time. If something doesn’t work, does it truly not work for you, or are you being challenged in uncomfortable ways? Leaving for either reason is fine, but knowing why is the most important thing.

There is room in my vision of Witchcraft, and hopefully yours, for all eras of the Witch as we forge new futures. Some will be the Temple priestess, others the wild eccentric at the edge. Many will seek deep roots, and others will float about like thistle down. You are all my Witch kin, Witchfolk drawing from the same ancient source, because at various times, I’ve been all of those things. The trick is knowing what I am today and where I want to be tomorrow. I might be in for an unexpected twist and end up someplace completely different than my expectation. I usually do. But that is truly the heart of the path.