3 Things to Release at Halloween/Samhain

Early Halloween greetings to all and blessed Samhain [Sow-en] to all who walk a Wiccan path!

This is a time of year when we celebrate death and rebirth. For many Wiccans, it's considered a new year, like a reset button. 

The sun has moved into Scorpio recently, and its message is simple yet challenging: To move forward, we have to let go of the things that are no longer serving us. That is not always an easy task, but it's an important one so we can continue to grow. 

So here are some areas to look at as you consider releasing things this Halloween season.

1) Relationships

One of the hardest things to contemplate is releasing someone, especially if we're in an emotionally intimate relationship with them. It's so easy to make excuses to keep people in our lives who aren't serving our highest good. There's also the secret desire in some cases for the other person to end things so it's easier. 

Ask yourself these questions:

• Is the relationship balanced? 
• What need does this person fill in my life?
• How do I feel emotionally when I interact with them?
• Are there things I haven't done or cannot do because of this person's influence or presence in my life?

If the answers to these questions aren't satisfactory, you may need to move on from this person. And by the way, when you release this person, do so in a healthy way, without anger or bitterness. 

You also don't have to explain the reasons behind your decision, either; in many cases, people don't move on from others because they don't want a confrontation. So don't have one; you're not asking for permission, right?

2) Stuff

The recent advent of Marie Kondo has re-invigorated the idea of purging, and Halloween is a great time to say goodbye to objects you no longer need. Sell them, give them away, or dispose of them. 

If you're having trouble parting with them, ask someone you trust to help you. Sometimes all it takes is for you to try to explain your reasoning for keeping an object for you to realize how it sounds. A second opinion can help keep you focused. 

The same thing can be said about organizational systems. In other words, that CD tower might have been a great idea in 2005, but now it's just collecting dust someplace. 

3) Negative ideas and self-talk, and unattained goals

We don't even consider sometimes that our thought patterns and ideas hold us back. What we think and believe can keep us from doing the things we should a lot more than we realize. 

Here are some examples of concepts to let go of:

• Any statement that connects to poor self-esteem
• Any goal that is not realistic but bothers us because it won't be achieved
• Any idea that is motivated by fear or self-doubt

One of my favorite expressions is "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right!" What we allow to rent space in our head does manifest, to our benefit or detriment.

This is a tall order, but it's so important to take time and only continue to carry the relationships, things and ideas that are going to resonate with our highest good. 

I wish you a very blessed season, and hope any pain that you experience through this process is released during it as well. 

Book Review: Using Dignities in Astrology by Charles Obert--Review by Heather Figeroa

Hello everyone! I'd like to introduce you to astrologer Heather Figeroa. She'll be posting on the blog from time to time and this is her first review on my site. I'm so grateful to her for sharing her thoughts on Charles Obert's Using Dignities in Astrology with us! Take it away, Heather!

Correct usage and application of the principles of the dignity system can really take your chart reading to the next level. But it's not always easy to find books with real meat in them about the subject of dignities, with the exception being some of the ancient texts that explain some of it in great detail; the challenge is they can be dense or confusing, and astrologers, especially beginners, may have trouble relating to them. 

To clarify things, Enter Charlie Obert and his book on dignities. One of the big advantages of this book is that Obert designed it for use in a class that he teaches on the subject for Kepler College, so the layout and structure were well organized. Also, by providing cumulative information, he took this book from helpful guidebook to indispensable resource. 

Even seasoned astrologers might sometimes wonder what is the real difference between a planet in exaltation or rulership. Obert handles this brilliantly and gives the reader solid explanations on what it means for each planet to be in each specific dignity. He builds slowly and includes a handy reference sheet as well as checklists to consult when you want to parse the chart using the dignities.

Moving even further into the book, Obert speaks about mutual reception and even shares his techniques on how to apply mixed reception, which was something that really made me excited and opened up a new avenue of how to blend the planets.

This is neither a thick or pedantic read, nor was it created in a way that seeks to be overly verbose in his explanations. If you'll excuse the pun, you won’t find any wild and far out astrology here, for Obert prefers to deal with things very traditionally. He provides many chart examples and elaborates in his creative and perceptive style, bringing his audience along for his examination of rulership, exaltation, detriment, and fall.

One of the nicest things about this book was when Obert really opened up the field with his revelations about all the ways a planet could be accidentally dignified as well, and included some handy checklists to apply to each chart to discover all the hidden accidental dignities as well. 

Another aspect that Obert tackles is the conversation of sect--a classical astrology term that deals with day and night charts--and how all of these aspects interplay together to form a cohesive whole. It’s not a stretch to say that with the use of this book and its rules and checklists, it would be entirely possible to delineate the chart based on Charlie’s techniques here alone to create a totally new kind of reading. I have done this, so I know it is possible, and the results? Eye-opening and satisfying. 

It is often hard to find one reference book that doesn’t also seem to veer off the topic to include things that may not be within the scope of the study. There is none of that here; Obert has included only the very best nuggets of wisdom into this practical and instructive manual.

An author at the top of his craft, Obert is the consummate teacher and his fluid skills in handling all the contours of subject of dignities make this a book that you need to read. Obert has a down-to earth, personable and conversational style, so grab a comfy seat and give this one some attention. You will be glad you did!