Keep It Magic

Mercury Retrograde in Gemini — The Survival Guide

Do you feel that since Mercury went retrograde that you have lost your mojo?

If so, don’t worry. I got your back!

In my last blog post, I revealed how Mercury retrograde (Mercury Rx) can be used as a healing tool. In this post, I am going to give you the scoop on Mercury as it retrogrades out of emotional Cancer and into ‘cerebral’ Gemini.

What is Mercury Retrograde?

For those that need a refresher or are new to the Mercury retrograde phenomena, let me briefly explain it. Three to four times a year, the planet Mercury appears to be moving backwards. Now, this actually is an optical illusion but regardless it appears to be moving backward through the zodiac. This is kind of like driving on a highway. You are driving along and you pass a car and in your rear view mirror that car appears to be moving backwards despite the fact that it is in forward motion. You simply are moving faster than the car behind you.

Astrologically, Mercury seems to pack a big punch during its retrograde status. It notoriously causes communication problems, issues with travel plans, negotiations and business deals fall apart, relationships suffer consequences, and electronic devices tend to go bonkers. Let me give you a real world example — On June 7, 2014, Mercury turned retrograde in the sign of Cancer. My current internet provider is Time Warner Cable and our email services has been unreliable and unpredictable ever since. Their website states it will be restored, but as of this writing (June 15, 2014), the problem has not been fully resolved. Needless to say, the trickster planet can cause absolute havoc and annoying inconveniences.

Let’s Get Mythical

Hermes (the Greek name for Mercury) is one of my favorite myths because it provides us with enormous insight into the workings of Mercury. I recently discussed this myth at length in the latest episode of Keep It Magic. (I will include a show player at the bottom of this post).

One of the major points that I emphasized on Keep It Magic was Hermes relationship with the sun god Apollo. Apollo is Hermes older brother and the two of them have a bit of a sibling rivalry for the affections of Zeus – which could tell us the importance of sibling rivalries in order to develop our sun. In the myth, Hermes is quite the ‘brat’ and on the day of his birth he crawls out of the crib and sneaks off and steals Apollo’s cattle. Since he is (after all) the trickster god, he covers his tracks by walking backwards in order to disguise the theft.

Symbolically, the function of Mercury is to steal what belongs to the Sun. How does this happen? We develop our identities first through identifying with others. We learn what other people like and dislike, their opinions and their values, their daily rituals, and how they interact with the outer world. We then emulate (like we do with our older siblings) others in order to acclimate to life and helps us develop our own tastes and ideals. Once we develop our own thoughts and concepts, which includes a deeper understanding of ourselves and life; we are able to transfer this to the Sun in order to further develop our own individuality. In essence, when Mercury is direct we go out into the world and gather up data and information in order to apply it to our day to day lives. But when Mercury is retrograde, we bring that information back to the Sun in order to process it and make it uniquely our own.

Mercury in Gemini

Mercury in Gemini is about learning – we learn from others, we take new courses, we have new experiences, visit new places, explore new cultures, and try out new hobbies. Mercury in Gemini is about mental flexibility in order to understand life. When Mercury is retrograde in Gemini it still works the same as it does when it is direct; however, the energy is turned inward. In other words, rather than learning to understand the outer world, we learn to understand ourselves.

For the next three weeks the focus needs to be shifted internally – it’s time to figure out you! Ask yourself the following questions:

What am I learning about myself?
What do I love to do for enjoyment?
What hobbies do I enjoy?
What would I like to explore in the future?
Do I want to learn something new?

Although these questions may seem rather simple, our deepest spiritual moments often come from simple revelations. Mercury in Gemini provides us with the ability to experiment with life and discover through intellectual understanding what brings us joy and happiness. This retrograde provides us with an opportunity to move internally and expand our mind with personal understanding, and in the process we discover that our true ‘mojo’ is the ability to spin gold on our own.

To learn more about Mercury here is a player to our most recent podcast.

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Storm Cestavani is the co-host of the top rated metaphysical show “Keep It Magic” and the co-creator of “Tarot Magic” with Coventry Creations. Storm is available for consultations by setting up an appointment to speak with him. Simply click on Book A Reading with Storm at the top of the page.

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Finding Your Inner Gold — The Sun

Finding Your Inner Gold – The Sun

How often do you read your horoscope? If so, then you are familiar with where your Sun is located in the horoscope. You are either a Taurus, a Scorpio, an Aquarius, or one of the other 9 signs that make up the astrological heavens. But, what do you really know about the symbol of the Sun that we base all our sun sign descriptions on?

In this episode of ‘Keep It Magic’, Jacki Smith and I explore the astrological Sun beyond the sun sign columns and delve deeply into the works of Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, and Erich Neumann. Since the symbolism of the Sun reflects the need and urge to become unique individuals, then there must be a universal map or plan that describes solar unfoldment. This is perfectly described by the “Heroes Journey”.

We encourage you to put away everything that you know about your Sun because the information provided in this episode will only amplify your understanding. Instead, it is perhaps more helpful to realize that the Sun is constantly unfolding and becoming itself and is always in a process of becoming. Unlike the Moon which develops through our experiences in early childhood, the Sun takes effort. It is up to you to decide if you are going to heed its call.

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Lunar Cookbook: The Placement of the Moon in the Horoscope

In the last episode of Keep It Magic, Jacki and I explored the Moon from the psychological and mythological perspective. It is one of the episodes I am the most proud of because I feel that understanding yourself on a deeper level ultimately gives you the ability to make better choices as well as be more sympathetic to those around you. If you have not listened to the last episode, I have provided the widget at the end of this article as an audio companion.

Now here is your cheat sheet to help you with interpreting and understanding your personal moon placement which I did not have time to do on the show. If you need to find out where in the heavens your moon is, you can get a copy of your chart for free on my website. If you need help interpreting your chart, then I have provided this free tutorial to assist you.

Finding Your Inner Gold — The Moon

I’m excited about the next four episodes of Keep It Magic. Over the years, Jacki Smith and I have had numerous requests for more astrology content on the show. We have done a bit over the last 3 years (yes we are at the tail end of Season 3), but creating them can be rather tricky. Our challenge has always been how to create an inclusive content about astrology without focusing heavily on individual astrological positions. So we have decided to do shows on the planets meanings and mythologies in order to provide our listeners with a more rounded view of the individual planets and everything they encompass.

Our first episode is on the Astrological Moon. In my opinion, the Moon gets far less astrological press and attention than it should. Perhaps, the reason is that we live in a solar conscious society that place its importance on potential, possibility, goals, and the future. However, being bound to a body that needs warmth, nourishment, and security are all lunar consciousness necessities, and without this grounded reality our ability to manifest our solar desires and personal contentment are minimized.

In this episode, Jacki and I explore the different connections and meanings of the Moon that are beyond the traditional keywords of feelings and emotions. Plus, we explore the goddesses of the Moon and how amplifying their symbols help us to understand the Moon and any lunar dysfunctions that may occur if the Moon is not properly expressed in the horoscope.

Before you begin this episode, I do ask that you put any preconceived ideas, meanings, or associations you have with the Moon on a shelf. This will help you grasp the concepts discussed easier.

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Storm Cestavani is the co-host of the top rated metaphysical show “Keep It Magic” and the co-creator of the “Tarot Magic” with Coventry Creations. Storm is available for consultations by setting up an appointment to speak with him. Simply click on Book a Reading with Storm at the top of the page.

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Releasing Yourself From the Bondage of Inner Slavery

A few weeks ago, Jacki Smith called me and asked a rather simple question – “What is a miracle?” To be frank, it is a rather interesting question that has eluded the secular world for eons. In fact, pop culture has “dumbed down” miracles to the point that it’s a glamorous word that more closely resembles luck or fortunate happenstance than anything divine. Needless to say, the word is perplexing. I was plagued pondering the meaning to this for several days. Of course, I eventually pushed miracles aside and began to study Passover.

During the season of Passover we celebrate the Israeli liberation from the Egyptian Pharaoh and the story is found in the book of Exodus. It occurs on the 15^th day of the Hebrew month of Ares (Nissan) and always occurs during a full moon. According to the story in Exodus (Shemot in Hebrew), God inflicts ten plagues upon the Egyptians culminating with the worst of the ten plagues being the “death” of the Egyptian first born. In order to protect the Israelites, God instructed them to make their doorsteps with the blood of a slaughtered lamb so that the spirit of the Lord knew to “pass over” the Israeli first born – which is why the holiday is named Passover.

5 Keep It Magic Topics You Do Not Want To Miss

In the summer of 2011, I was in an awkward state. I began psychotherapy a few months earlier for unresolved sexual abuse trauma and social anxiety disorder. I was doing well – or at least better than I had for the 10 years prior. I was getting the relief I needed, and began to live my life rather than let life live me. After doing years of radio prior (hosting 2 radio shows and the co-host of another), doing another radio show was the last thing I thought I would do.

Enter – Jacki Smith!

Jacki and I had worked on a radio show together in the past. She contacted me to see if I would help her with her own show which she wanted to call “Keep It Magic”. I offered to help her get her show going and would host the first 10 episodes with her so that she would eventually feel comfortable running her own show.

Keep It Magic was born in the fall of 2011. It is now the spring of 2014 and we are in the middle of our third season. I guess you can see that Jacki talked me into more than ten episodes. Moreover, the last 100 episodes of KIM (our shortened name for Keep It Magic) have been awe inspiring, transformative, and the most fun I have had in radio. Our goal is to provide our listeners with as much content as possible in order to help them achieve their own personal desires in their lives.

In order to celebrate this milestone accomplishment, I have put together a list of my favorite “Keep It Magic” episodes. These are the episodes that helped change my perspective on living and helped me “Keep It Magic” in my own life. Hopefully, they will help create some magic in yours!

5. Honor Thy Mother and Father With Reservations:

This episode was produced during the holidays and one of the most frustrating and stressful time for our listeners. Often we are forced to deal with relatives that we have unresolved issues with and/or have to deal with past traumas of our childhood. This episode explores how to honor your roots and at the same time remain an individual and firmly planted in your boundaries.

4. Getting Your Needs Met Once and For All: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

This series was divided into three parts. Jacki and I explored needs from a spiritual, magical, and astrological perspective. This is a great show if you feel lack in your life and what you come up empty handed in regards to getting your needs met. Sometimes what we think we need and what we really need are actually different.

3. Does God Really Wear Lipstick? Part 1 and Part 2.

In this series we explored Karen Berg’s book, “God Wears Lipstick – Kabbalah for Women”. Since I know Kabbalah and its theories pretty well, listening to Jacki’s experience was rather interesting to say the least. Her first reaction was that Kabbalah had the same misogynistic ideals as other Judeo Christian religions, but as she got deeper into the book she realized how different it actually is. This series will teach you the Kabbalistic purpose for women on this planet and how they can help others achieve fulfillment.

2. Dispelling Inner Ghosts and Demons: Part 1 and Part 2

During the month of October, Jacki and I decided to take a detour away from the traditional pagan and Wiccan ideals of Samhain and instead focused on the inner world. If you are haunted by things from your past and need to learn how to manage your personal ghosts then these episodes will truly waken you up to how much our personal hauntings control us in our day to day lives.

And finally…

1. Getting to the Core of Your Desire.

Danielle LaPorte’s latest book, “The Desire Map” is one of the most transformative books of my life. It is ground breaking and eye opening. If you live your life based on attempting to achieve goals and satisfaction through the physical world, then this episode will help you flip the switch. You will get to the root of your desire not through what you achieve, but rather though your feelings through the process.

Plus… don’t miss the latest episode of Keep It Magic

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