I'm always looking for ways to give back, especially during tough economic times, so I'll be offering a few brief pro bono (as in, free) energy work sessions on Fridays. There are a limited number of spots each week, and they're bound to go fast, so if you're interested, please contact Mallory through the contact page on the site (http://www.sassypsychic.com) and we'll try to get you set up. 

I'm trying to help people with the most pressing problems first (health issues, bankruptcy, trauma, etc.) so please bear that in mind when trying to book an appointment. Also, my assistant is pregnant, so be nice to her! 

The only thing I ask is that you do one nice thing for someone, perhaps even someone you don't know, in the week immediately following the energy work session. You may wish to contact me to follow up, or let me know what you've experienced -- that's great, too. 

The best part is that we don't have to be in the same room. Since energy work deals in consciousness, and consciousness is everywhere at once, you'll enjoy the benefits in any case. 

Looking forward to meeting you, and facilitating health and healing in all. :) 

No, that's not a typo, or shoddy attention to spelling. I'm making arrangements to attend Matrix Energetics' level 3, also known as the "Whizard" level of training, in late August. Yay! 

Admittedly, I'm geeked out about the whole Matrix experience. It came into my life at a time when I hadn't added to my metaphysical education in a while, and seemed to be perfect for what I was going through. The dirty little secret of many metaphysical practitioners is that they love their rules, their clubs, their higher, more ascended knowledge than the rest of you. Lucky us -- they're here to help us see what it really means to live!  

(Insert sound of furiously running feet here, as I book it in the other direction.)

Over the years, I've learned to be very skeptical of anything or anyone claiming to be the next big thing. Chances are, it isn't. And that power dynamic is really a killer when it comes to sacred space, feeling safe, or anything resembling healing. Personally, I can't stand it. 

Matrix is the opposite. I don't even like the word "healer" and rarely use it to describe myself (even though I have helped many, many people heal over the years). I prefer "transformer," but that got people thinking I was some kind of robot, or electrical device. Matrix looks at things the same way. It's not about what you do, but what you don't. It's not about you (or me) at all. You are merely the tool. You are the channel. You are the facilitator, acting like a conductor of energy so others can heal. 

That sounds so selfless, right? Like I'm some kind of saint. Nope, anything but. I get something, too, because energy goes both ways. I get healed every time I help heal someone. I luck out, because I love to do this for a living, but I also dig honing my skills so I can keep getting better  -- at getting out of the way, at becoming comfortable "doing nothing," and allowing stuff to just show up. It sounds a lot easier than it is! :) 

28 days and counting -- can't wait to get my whizard on! 

Jupiter, the most manifest-happy planet in the zodiac, will form a perfect trine with the Sun in Leo today, making a day very lucky indeed. Trines facilitate energy, and make it easy for it to flow back and forth. There's nothing in the way, and everything becomes pure possibility. So what do you want to achieve today? How can you magnetize luck to your side? And how do you go about creating the kind of life you want to live? These are the kinds of questions that may actually find answers today. 

Though Saturn in Libra is opposing Uranus in Aries, which is almost like the white angel in your shoulder arguing with the black one on the other, to see who wins the war of smart and safe versus fun and a little wild. This conjunction has already happened once, and will occur one more time over the next few months, giving us enough time to really make up our minds about how traditional or unconventional we want to be. Saturn in Libra needs us to pay attention to decorum and manners -- how things are done. But Uranus in Leo want to be loud and brash, confident in what it can bring to the table. You'll undoubtedly find yourself somewhere in between. :)

But as your soul decides on which direction is best for your future growth, have a little fun. Use that expansive Jupiter energy to test the edges of your world. Are you being too safe, and taking chances only when it's absolutely necessary? Or could your ego really get the boost it needs if you took a measured risk, to show everyone what you're really capable of?

Jupiter, planet of luck, creativity and beliefs, will go retrograde over the next few days, seeming to pause in the early degrees of Aries before moving back into Pisces until November 18th. It'll take a few weeks to get all the way back into Pisces -- until September 9th -- which gives us the chance to kill two metaphysical birds with one stone. 

Though Jupiter rules Sagittarius, sign of the seeker and truth teller, it's associated with beliefs. Jupiter expands whatever it touches, and as it moves in retrograde motion, you may be tempted to go over covered ground in your beliefs either by reinforcing them with dug-in certitude (as it moves through assertive Aries) or becoming lost in them (as it moves through Pisces). 

Though it may seem that your progress is blocked or slowed as Jupiter is retrograde, the truth is that practically any aspect to Jupiter is a lucky one, so strong is its magic. Retrograde Jupiter may slow expansion, as in businesses, payrolls, waistlines or homes, but as long as we stick to our plans, as well as our budgets, we should be fine. 

There's no reason to give up on achieving your goals now. In fact, retrograde Jupiter gives you an opportunity to reinforce them, by rediscovering why you set them up in the first place. If you need to, refine your goals. Restructure them, or your beliefs around your ability to make them happen. By November, when this luckiest of lucky planets begins to move forward again, you'll be poised and ready to take advantage of the groundwork you've laid in the meantime. 

I came across this quote recently -- it's one of my favorites all time -- and began to ruminate:

"The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience."

                                                                    -- Emily Dickinson

The ecstatic experience! What can it possibly mean? Is it like a spiritual orgasm, concentrating all the energies of the body into a strong physical sensation? An emotional experience, like touching the outstretched fingertips of God? Or a spiritual experience, like flying through a spacious blue sky with nowhere to be?

How can we help our souls stand ajar every day? To avoid shutting them down, triple-locking them and then going back at least once to make sure the burglar alarm has been armed?

I love the idea that the soul is a door -- not a fixed, physical thing but an opening to another dimension, another way of seeing, another viewpoint. If we take it like that, letting the soul stand ajar may be like suspending our disbelief, or making room for the opinions of those we don't necessarily agree with.

I don't know about you, but having an ecstatic experience sounds pretty great, especially if it doesn't involve a painful disease, a hangover, becoming a drug mule or being arrested at 3 in the morning. :) So I'm gonna work on this soul thing, and see if it's all it's cracked up to be, If you want to join in, please feel free.

Today, the Moon is moving through the sign of Libra, where it brings calm, peace and balance. A situation that may have seemed unfair can be brought to resolution now, and everyone can find a way, temporarily at least, to agree to disagree. 

As the Moon is restoring some order to our lives, it's going to trine slower-moving Neptune. As the planet of dreams, creativity, metaphysics and manifestation, this will bring a way to make the stuff of the astral plane physical, so this time is great for manifesting more money, a better job, a soulmate, or some other goal. Since the Moon rules the emotions, and Neptune tends to dissolve us into the disincorporate state, it's important to stay present, and remain in your body! Astral travel is possible, since we're all a little psychic under this placement. But let your mind roam a little (not while driving, of course :)). See what's out there in the ether for you. It may be a wonderful memory to connect you to loved ones, a great idea for a creative project, or just the grace to notice that someone's having a bad day and could use your words of encouragement. 

Let your intuition be your guide! 

Tomorrow evening the Moon, in the sign of Libra, will square Pluto in Capricorn. The Moon stands in for the emotions, which will be focused around Libran pursuits like fairness, balance, justice and dignity for the next few days. But these will come up against (the square relationship) the status quo, the "man," tradition, rules and regulations. As with any tough planetary relationships, it's only temporary. Due to the quick moving Moon, it'll be even more fleeting than with other planets. 

Since Pluto requires transformation of some kind, look to your emotions to see where you can accommodate others a little more or learn to get along. See where you can go the extra mile to see what someone is seen, heard or treated fairly. And of course, you deserve the same. :) 

By Sunday, the Moon (which will have moved into Scorpio) trines Chiron. This gives all of us the chance to develop compassion not just for our own foibles and insufficiencies, but for the things we don't like, or find hard to accommodate. Chiron is an asteroid that means "healing through pain." The good part is that, after the pain can come healing, if we're willing to bring awareness into the smaller things in life, get over ourselves a little and let the good stuff come to us. 

OK, not to get too greeting card on you, but there have been a few things in my life over the past few years that have made me stop and think about what I had, where I was, and where I wanted to be relative to that. Many of us go through this same process every day, from what I can tell. 

But as I move ever more steadily in this direction -- towards more gratitude, more sheer amazement that things get done, that people connect, and inventions get invented -- that it's always a bit shocking to speak with someone, read someone or just interact with someone who seems so out of touch with that reality. After all, who the hell am I to say what the best reality is? But it sure isn't being miserable, clenched,  angry and/or without direction. And I don't mean direction in the "what are you going to do with your life" way, but in the more "I know who I am and what I'm capable of in this lifetime" kind of way. 

So many of us are angry that we don't have the perfect soulmate right now, or stymied by having to make a living, that there's no room for growth. There's no time for the process of development. There's no space to become more fully yourself. I'm reminded of a comedian who used to talk about watching people on airplanes, complaining about the lack of space, the forced air, the crying babies, the lack of adequate pillows and poor food, when all he wanted to do was scream, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE FLYING A MILLION MILES AN HOUR THROUGH THE AIR RIGHT NOW? DO YOU EVEN SEE THAT THAT'S AMAZING?" 

I'm paraphrasing, but you get the picture. So many of us are focused around our immediate needs for comfort  that we miss the rest of the pretty amazing picture. There are miracles all around -- not just flowers, babies and puppies, but everything you experience with your senses. Try seeing the world through that lens today and notice what it does to your mood. :) 

Just kidding. Am I worried that the entire nation of Germany routinely uses a psychic octopus to foresee its victories or, as the case was against Spain recently, losses in soccer? Nah. But it's a pretty funny story. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/opinion/11zafon.html?th&emc=th

Paul is of the 8-armed variety, an aquarium dweller at the Oberhausen Zoo. And he's pretty uncanny when it comes to choosing the right country's flag, when it's placed in a box containing a tasty, snackworthy mussel. He also predicted that Spain would win the World Cup final, which it did just a few minutes ago. Nice work, dude! But there's plenty of work for all of us who travel in psychic circles. I'm just not the jealous type.  

In other news, I attended a great Reiki class yesterday. Looking to add more of this to my readings and to my "other" job, as an energy healer. I'll be fully certified in another month or two, then go for the master level early next year. Loved the unstructured, practice-heavy nature of the class, and the other participants ,who all shared their wonderful stories and energy. 

Also looking forward to the Matrix Energetics Level 3 seminar in August. I've had really great results with Matrix, on  everything from chronic pain to migraines and manifesting new relationships. Try to get an octopus to do that! :) 

If you're interested in just energy work, without the astrology or tarot aspect, check it out at http://www.ShiftEnergetics.com. 

Or just hug a cephalopod. 

Remember in Good Will Hunting, when Matt Damon's character, the brilliant but wounded janitor, agrees to attend therapy sessions with Robin Williams? At his core, he's so jaded, so hurt that he doesn't believe healing is even possible. During the rest of the movie, we see this facade begin to crumble and (OK, maybe it's a little abrupt) change. We know things don't happen as fast as they do in movies, but we want to believe that in this space of 1-2 hours, we can get a little of that healing, too. That's why we go on these vicarious journeys to save the world again and again (I mean, how many times are they gonna tell THAT story?), lose, cry, triumph and move on again. 

Similarly, I deal with a lot of wounded people. They're a curious bunch, most of them looking for a little window into their future. Some people need to talk while others are really looking for direction or answers. And you know what? I admire them all. 

I know psychics, particularly the online and phone kind, have taken a sometimes-deserved hit in the national consciousness. Let's face it. There are a-holes out there who ruin it for the rest of us, who just want to try and provide a service that treats everyone with dignity, and have actual business practices with some integrity behind them :). But there are those, like me, who look at healing like a puzzle, trying to rearrange the pieces in the best way for each  client. It may be a book or a class. It may be some Matrix Energetics, or distance reiki. It may even be a change in location, diet, exercise or friends. It's that strategic, problem-solving aspect of what I do that I love the most. Well, that and talking with the dead. 

After some sessions, I feel very full and sometimes overwhelmed. Though I've been doing this for over twenty years now, my skills are still growing, still expanding, and it appears that there may be no end to where they can go. I talked to someone's dead friend yesterday, gave her the message and she burst into tears. I tried to repeat the exact same words I heard, and she validated their truth. After the session, the same voice said, "You did good, kid," and I thought I was gonna cry. 

So I'm gonna be honest here. I have no idea why I can do what I can do. I don't know where it comes from, and part of me doesn't want to understand. Maybe that will ruin the mystery aspect for some people. I just know I can help people, and that's enough for me -- today, at least.