I know -- bold, huh? Having done this kind of work for over 20 years now, I have a few words of advice for anyone seeking to get the best psychic reading humanly possible. In no particular order, they are: 

1. Refrain from playing "test the psychic." I know this is tempting. Before I was a psychic, I had readings, too, and still sometimes do. There's a difference between asking a psychic what he or she sees and demanding that they know every detail of your personal life. This is just a waste of your time, and not likely to result in any real information you can use. 

2. Come prepared with a list of questions beforehand. Most of us forget things, so it's best to come prepared. This uses your time wisely. 

3. Think about how you can make your questions specific. The more specific your question, the more specific your answer is likely to be. 

4. Don't assume your psychic knows what you want to hear, or the "unsaid" question within your "real" question. Just ask -- seriously. :) 

5. If you're going to have any kind of reading involving astrology, try to get all the birth information (time, date and place) for each person you're asking about. It makes the reading that much more specific. 

6. Find someone you vibe with, and are not afraid to talk with openly. 

7. Make sure your information and questions are kept confidential. 

8. Remember that your psychic is a person, too. He or she cannot possibly see everything all the time. Otherwise, we would be Gods. 

9. Be patient. Timing is the most difficult thing to accurately predict. If something a psychic predicted hasn't happened within a certain timeframe, it doesn't necessarily mean the psychic was wrong. More likely it means that it's just not time yet. :)

10. Have fun! Isn't that why you're doing this anyway? 

Tonight, the New Moon is in Leo, sign of actors and performers everywhere. Known for its generosity of spirit, Leo is associated with the Sun, which governs ego issues and meeting ego needs. It can be a great leader, a pusher-forward of ideas and projects, and can provide creative ways to gain self-esteem. It can shine a light on things that need to be worked on, and even be that sudden illumination in creative endeavors. Aha, I get it! That's totally Leo. 

When any New Moon occurs, there is a renewed opportunity, a chance to begin again, if something has already been attempted, or begin fresh, if something has to be scrapped and reevaluated. How it affects you personally will depend on where it falls in your chart, but suffice it to say that in Leo, a New Moon offers the chance to put yourself -- your looks and body, your emotional and spiritual needs, your projects and ideas, and your creativity -- forward. You're no longer part of the crowd, and instead asked to appear on stage by yourself. It's all you, all the time. Are you ready? 

Not that it's all right to hog all the spotlight, or demand that only your needs be addressed. Of course, others need to be considered. But during the next lunar cycle, think about how you can put yourself out there a little more, in a way you find comfortable. For some, that may mean wearing a brighter color, while for others, it'll involve finally getting up and reading at the open mike. 

Whatever the case, Leo's going to help you make it happen. It's not particularly subtle that way. :) 

Yep, the Grand Cross was exact this morning. You probably felt it, right? That nagging urge to pick a fight with your significant other, that gnarly, twisted feeling inside that you had to move, preferably NOW, even if it meant cutting off that other guy?

Venus, normally associated with things like love and creativity, has just entered its own sign (Libra), but it's coupling with Saturn, which can make it feel heavier, or pressured somehow to conform. Those energies are opposing Jupiter and Uranus, both retrograde in Aries. That's one part of the cross -- a very potent one that can make us feel as if things are pulling us in opposite directions. That's because they are. :)

The other arm of the cross is formed when Pluto in Capricorn (also retrograde) opposes the Moon, which will be in Cancer for the next day or two. The Moon is temporarily filling in this space, and will move on quickly. But that will leave us with a t-square, another pressurized energetic situation, which can make us feel boxed in or trapped. Since the outlet lies at Cancer, the "solutions" lie in nurturing, baking (yay brownies) or cooking, the home and family (even if it's our family of choice).

You may need a well-stocked utility belt (how many times have I wished for one of those?) if you're to escape unscathed. Unless you're a supernaturally patient person, you're gonna get triggered by someone or something at times like these. Allowing extra time -- for driving or traveling -- as well as giving yourself the permission and space to blow off steam in a healthy way will yield the best results. Pretending you're above it all may explode in your face, and engaging in unhealthy displays of anger will only yield to, yes, more frustration and anger. Yuck.

Heck, you can always stay in and watch Batman reruns. The one with the shark makes me giggle every time!

I'm a pretty mellow person by nature, so it generally takes a lot for me to get riled up. A few things get my goat every time -- cruelty to people or animals, racism, intolerance -- you get the picture. I didn't rock out to the Clash for all those years for no reason. It was about righteous indignation about perceived wrongs, fists in the air to give power back to the people. 

And even though you won't find me putting in late hours at rock clubs any more (well, occasionally), the same stuff holds true.  I love what I do, and all the people I get to meet all over the world. But I can't stand false piety. 

Most of us are used to that word in the religious sense, as in "following the rules will get me there faster" (insert name of desired afterlife experience here). But piety comes in all forms. It's holier than thou, or looking down on someone (or a group of people) because they simply don't get it, or understand the proper way to live. And it can come from vegetarians and politically correct people as well as Sarah Palin and the Teabaggers. But whatever side it's coming from, it's basically nothing but a load of bullcrap. 

Not that it's easy mind you, but if there's any proper way to deal with others, it's with compassion and love. That doesn't mean we have to like everyone (that would be lying), and it doesn't mean we have to fake it through gritted teeth. It means we have to be honest, to try and insert ourselves into others' experience to gain a sense of what it might be like to walk a mile in their shoes (to quote a popular folk hero). It means that instead of reacting, as we're so trained to do, we take a minute and chillax to the sound of our own wisdom peeking out from behind those ignorance clouds. 

There? Doesn't that feel better? Now we can all put that false piety away and get down to the real business of living our lives. Heck yeah. 

Today, Mars in balanced Libra squares Pluto in early Capricorn, creating cause for concern. Mars is the planet of asserting yourself into the world. In Libra, it's pretty diplomatic and polite, focused more around the beauty of the moment, and making everyone feel welcomed and included. But Pluto wants to deeply transform whatever it touches. It may even kill something off, like a job or unhealthy relationship, which isn't serving your needs anymore. In Capricorn, it's highly traditional, conservative, and judgmental. It's not having any of that "why can't everyone get along" nonsense of Libra. It wants us to adhere to the status quo, no matter what. 

So it's an important time to watch our tempers. Digging in too much won't really serve our needs, or the needs of Mars in Libra. Conversely, trying to get along with everyone, or see every single side of a story, means we'll be ineffectual and indecisive. Squares are energy caught in a tense and unmovable aspect. We're painted into a corner, so to speak. When they occur in our charts by transit, it's always best to wait them out, trying to stay to our chosen course without getting too hard and fast about how we get where we're trying to go. 

Who knows? The best and most interesting route may be the one we have to take as a detour. 

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.