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StargazerM

http://www.margueritemanning.com


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Comments

EmmaPage

EmmaPage

These article are fabulous Marguerite and your insight is amazing. I followed your advice during this Mercury retrograde and have never felt so empowered in my life. I learned and discovered so many important things thanks to you. Blessings my friend and please, keep writing!!!

Awakenings

Awakenings

wishing you peace, light & blessings on your path :-)

Astro World Radio

Astro World Radio

Hey Marguerite. I just wanted to stop by your blog radio page and ad you as a friend in the hopes that people tuning into the show can find you. Thanks for stopping by the show. I appreciate your wisdom, your work and your honest opinion as well as integrity in your dealings. Keep up the amazing work. Any way that I am able to promote you and help send those books flying off the shelves count me in! I'm ready to SELL SELL SELL because you are GREAT GREAT GREAT!

Kimberanne

Kimberanne

Hi Marguerite! I just checked out your website. Its beautiful! Make mine a bombay and tonic!

SamE

SamE

Stargazer.Hope you have a very happy birthday. Your great book has helped change my life. Thanks and much continued success.

jemma

jemma

Happy Birthday Marguerite! After reading your wonderful book I just know the Universe will fill your special day with all the joy and good wishes you send out to everyone else on theirs. Thanks for coming into my life.

seagrl

seagrl

Thanks so much for being there for me, and I want to tell you that your book is Fantastic!

Rev_Sharon

Rev_Sharon

Thanks for friending me, Star! I think I need to have a "local Renata Folks" party here! *grins* Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

ArchMessenger

ArchMessenger

Hey Marguerite! Thanks for the favorite hit and the friendship offer. Hope you call in for a reading tonight! Curtis

empoweringspace

empoweringspace

Marguerite, thanks for stopping in, I do hope you enjoyed the show and will be one of my future guests.

Capri

Capri

Intuitive Psychic is right, your website is beautiful!

SamE

SamE

Gotta tell you star lady, that book of yours is great. Took your advice in Chapter 4 and all of a sudden my boss likes me! I'm not sure whether I'm down with that or not but I do know it's better than a career making snow angels. When's the sequel coming out? (or your next radio program?) It's been way too long since we've heard from you.

Intuitive Medium

Intuitive Medium

Love your site! Terri

Sabrina Luna

Sabrina Luna

Hi! Just wanted to say I enjoyed listening to you on Cosmic Karma on WWT's show the other day! Many Thx :)

ButterflyW

ButterflyW

Hi Marguerite, thanks for making me feel so welcome in Alix's chatroom last year and for pointing me towards all the good shows now. You wouldn't happen to have an extra pair of stilletos would you?

Andromeda

Andromeda

Wow Marguerite, your book, Cosmic Karma is amazing. I use to think listening to you talk about astrology on Blogtalk was fascinating until I went out and bought the book and started reading what you so eloquently wrote about it. Thanks for the enlightenment, I'm a fan. Mitch

Phenomena

Phenomena

Hi Marguerite, thanks for letting me review your new book on my 2/25/08 'Psychic Connection' program. It is available for listening or downloading for free on alltalkradio.net as long as it's in the archives. Much success to you!

Lsm11

Lsm11

Great show Marguerite - your conversation is remarkably fluent, intelligible and cohesive. I know you were smiling on Friday too - don't you dare deny it!

Walks With Thunder

Walks With Thunder

Hi Marguerite, I just love having you on my show. Seems the time just flies by and then its over too soon. You can have my share of the booze and I will drive. WWT

Dr Moe

Dr Moe

Nice chatting with you last night Marguerite. Dr Moe

MisterEus

MisterEus

Sam's right..You are a hottie!!

Peek

Peek

Come over, Let's have a drink together.

SamE

SamE

You're a hottie. Sam

Author, Astrologer & Karmic Counselor  

Marguerite Manning, author of Cosmic Karma, Understanding Your Contract with the Universe, is a freelance author, professional astrologer, and founder of Cosmic Connections, a personal enlightenment and astrological counseling service in the Washington, DC Metro area. Over the past 15 years, her articles have appeared in the Mountain Astrologer, Dell Horoscope, the Llewellyn Journal, Reverse Spins, and New Worlds. In addition to conducting group workshops throughout the US called "Therapy For The Soul," she has appeared on many radio programs to discuss her breakthrough astrological concept -- "the soul's contract with the universe."

  • Archived Blog Posts

    Date / Time:

    Mercury Retrograde: Above The Hype & Beyond The Spin

    By Marguerite Manning
    The Llewellyn Journal, January 2009

    Call me crazy, but Mercury retrograde doesn’t scare me. In fact, I may be one of the few astrologers I know who actually looks forward to those three weeks in every Mercury orbit when we here on this planet end up with a ringside seat to the most famous of cosmic optical illusions. Yes, illusion, because, as most of us already know, that’s what Mercury retrograde is. A three-week celestial “psych” in which Mercury, the astrological planet of the mind, cleverly messes with ours by appearing to travel backward in the sky. 

    How is that possible? Well, when it comes to Mercury, just about anything is. After all, this is the planet our ancient astronomers named after the winged messenger of the Gods. The planet so blindingly fast and incredibly agile that they professionally acknowledged it as the universal influence responsible for connecting us to each other, which is how it officially became the astrological poster planet for language, information, people, and ideas. Then again, even by today’s standards, what could personify speed and networking better than Mercury? As the closest planet to the     Sun, it has the shortest orbit in the solar system and takes only 88 days to make one complete trip around the Sun. If that isn’t impressive enough, it somehow manages to pass the earth twice every time that it does: first, when it whizzes by us on the same side of the solar system where we can see it, and then a few weeks later, when it loops around and zooms past us again on the opposite side of the Sun where we can’t. No wonder the ancients believed this planet was “quicker than the eye.” In fact, the retrograde fun and games only take place because once every 88 days, Mercury actually is.

    It all begins when almost immediately after passing us on that first Mercury “drive-by” this very small planet comes to the end of that very short orbit, and almost just as immediately (instead of continuing on the same angle in the sky), “swings” into that loop on its way to the other side of the solar system. Now here’s the reality-buster for us: we never see that happen. Why? Because even though we never lose sight of Mercury after it zips ahead of us in the solar system, we’re never at an angle where we can actually see Mercury “loop” to the other side of it. So when it does, we don’t realize it has. That is the stuff that cosmic illusions are made of, because once Mercury gets there and starts heading for the other side of the Sun, to all of us here on this planet, it “appears” to start drifting backwards against the stars.

    Now don’t be fooled, perspective is everything in astrology. So while it’s true that Mercury’s backward motion is not an actual celestial occurrence, that doesn’t mean Mercury retrograde is not a powerful astrological influence. We all know it is. What I think many of us don’t realize, however, is that it’s not a negative one. But then, I have always believed we practice astrology backwards (you know, by focusing more on the effects of certain astrological influences in our lives, rather than the universal purpose for them). Ironically (when it comes to Mercury retrograde), I’m convinced our perspective couldn’t be more backward, because when it comes to this particular heavenly happening, the hype couldn’t be more negative. I mean really. We’re told not to buy, not to sign, not to fly, not to call, but most of all during these three weeks, we’re told not to expect anything other than frustrating setbacks and irritating snafus. So we don’t. What’s more, we go out of our way to make sure we stay out of Mercury’s way while never once wondering why it spends 21 days “pretending” to go out of its way for us. We count the days until it goes direct, believing that when it does, having dodged the “retrograde bullet,” our lives (and Internet access) will return to normal, and we’ll be back at the top of our intellectual game once again. I couldn’t disagree more. In fact, as a practicing astrologer who is no stranger to the astrological whims and antics of Mercury (    Gemini Sun, rising Virgo), it’s both my professional opinion and my personal experience that Mercury retrograde gets an incredibly overblown and equally undeserved rap, mostly because after years of being on the receiving end of it (and anything else this planet has to offer), I now know better. This is one universal influence that is not only highly misunderstood, but thanks to the astrological “Chicken Little effect,” sadly underused. Then again, with half the population hiding under their beds every 88 days, how could it not be? 

    So how do we move past the “run for cover” rhetoric of Mercury retrograde and make it work for us? By fighting fire with astrological fire and changing our perspective on what this influence does to us. In fact, if there’s one way to turn the universal tables on Mercury retrograde, it would have to be by looking beyond the dropped calls and lost baggage we’re convinced it creates, and instead focusing on it’s primary purpose for being at the universal table to begin with. So what would that be? What universal purpose could this astrological planet of communications and networking possibly serve by “appearing” to travel backwards in the heavens for 21 days out of every 88-day orbit? Good question, but the way I see it, only one answer: Mercury retrograde is the astrological influence that “cosmically” revisits, retrieves, and reveals everything that managed to elude our conscious awareness in the preceding 88 days, because its one universal purpose is to provide us with an opportunity to discover anything that actually did. Think about that for a minute, because once you do Mercury retrograde becomes more than just an astrological excuse for all the less than perfect data, communications, and merchandise that we can’t help but encounter during that dreaded three-week period. A lot more. It becomes what I believe it has always been since the beginning of time: a universal instrument for bringing them to our attention. In short, that intellectual “second chance” we all yearn for to go back and find the facts, after the fact. 

    That being the case, is it any wonder then that unforeseen delays, unknown defects, and unlimited do-overs are part of the Mercury retrograde big picture? It shouldn’t be. Not when we look at the entire picture from the right perspective, because once we do, we can’t help but see these things for what they really are: annoying inconveniences. The kind that always comes with unexpected findings. So when the new toaster has to be returned or the flight home has to be cancelled, wouldn’t it make more sense to pay more attention to the actual data, words, thoughts, or individuals that suddenly emerged and caused those things to happen? Or better yet, to what could have happened if they hadn’t emerged when they did? Besides, when anything unknown finally makes its way to the 11th hour surface of our 10th hour conscious awareness, how could that not be a good thing? It can’t. Even if we’re not prepared for it.

    Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should be signing major contracts or getting married when Mercury goes retrograde. Come on, if you've been paying attention you know by now that this particular influence is our universal “recall,” the one that provokes anything hidden to rear its ugly head. So until it passes and Mercury goes direct, there’s bound to be fallout. But here’s the thing: whatever that ugly “head” is, you really do want to know about it. You just don’t want to be committed to it before you do, which is exactly why the “hiding under the bed” solution to Mercury retrograde is really no solution at all. It’s also why I believe this is not just a great time to go looking for the perfect partner, but the perfect time to actually find the right one. In fact, I personally encourage everyone in general, and women in particular, to use the powers of Mercury retrograde for just such a purpose. Why? Because if you’re out there actively looking for “Mr. Right” during these 21 days, one thing’s for sure: he can run, but he can’t hide. However, in the spirit of full disclosure, neither can “Mr. Nobody,” “Mr. Wrong,” and “Mr. Loser.” This is really a whole lot better than it sounds, because while it does mean you might have to deal with every Tom, Dick, and Harry stumbling across your radar screen during a retrograde happy hour, it also means you’ll never have to worry about any Moe, Larry, or Curly sneaking under it. It just can’t happen when this little planet is out there leaving no stone unturned and no punch un-pulled. Mostly because when it is, we can’t help but find, learn, and see something that we might have missed before. Or, for that matter, already did. Which makes the truth of the Mercury retrograde matter really quite simple: the trivial frustrations we’re forced to deal with when concealed information comes to our attention always pale in comparison to the intellectual power that becomes available to us whenever it does. Always. 

    I don’t know about you, but I can live with that. In fact, because I do, I’ve learned to work with it as well, and quite effectively. What's more, based on that personal experience, in my humble opinion, there is really no better time to uncover elusive information, find lost articles, or learn what you absolutely need to know than when this little planet is doing it’s dreaded "backstroke" through the universe. Really. In fact, for that very reason I now use those three weeks for that very purpose: uncovering information that’s been eluding me, understanding concepts that have been escaping me, or discovering hidden sources that were unknown to me. Not to mention the even more critical ones, like finding that perfect kitchen wallpaper, locating that lost set of keys, or “accidentally” running into those otherwise normally tight-lipped individuals who at this particular time (through no fault of their own) just can’t, don’t, or won’t keep a secret (pay dirt). After all, it goes without saying that during this particular three-week period, nothing goes without saying. Nothing. However, by just being aware of that, I have found that you’re a lot more likely to get the scoop you’re looking for and a lot less likely to spill your own guilty guts while you’re looking for it. Still, you’d be wise to always keep a few well-polished apologies handy during this period and even wiser to never hit the “send” button without verifying exactly whom you’re sending what to (it happens). As far as I’m concerned, a small price to pay for all the power that’s up for grabs. The power that comes with being “in the know.” 

    So how can we harness it? For starters, we can put this untapped celestial search engine to good use. If Mercury’s primary universal purpose is to teach us that knowledge is power, doesn’t it make sense that it only goes retrograde to remind us that ignorance is not bliss? It does to me, which is why I make a checklist of "Things-I-Absolutely-Need-To-Know” for each Mercury “rewind.” Trust me, you should too. It’s as effective as it is empowering. In fact, the next time Mercury goes retrograde, why not throw a little cosmic caution to the wind and get out from under that bed and start looking for something. Anything. In fact, start looking for everything you’ve never been able to find on those seemingly perfect “direct days.” You’ve got nothing to lose. Literally. Not only will you find what you’re looking for, I’m willing to bet you’ll find what you didn’t know you lost. Or better yet, what you didn’t know you even wanted (real pay dirt!). Sound crazy? Possibly. I may be the only Gemini Sun with a rising Virgo who actually sees Mercury retrograde as a period of empowering enlightenment, not debilitating disaster. Then again, I may be the only one out there looking for wallpaper.

    (Mercury's next retrograde cycle is May 7 - May 30, 2009)

    Comments (1)

  • Date / Time:

    Cosmic Sense: Our Unconscious Connection to the Universe

    By Marguerite Manning
    The Llewellyn Journal, July 23, 2007


    Wouldn’t you agree that not a day goes by that each and every one of us isn’t forced to rely on that one thing everyone says we were born with-good old common sense? Well, I believe that we were all born with something even more important, something each and every one  of us should be relying on a lot more than we do-our twice as good, and even older, cosmic sense.

    It’s true. While common sense is the good judgment we’ve learned to develop by living in this practical world, cosmic sense is the incredible insight our soul couldn’t help but develop while struggling to evolve in the spiritual one. Think of it as that remarkable sense of deeper understanding that only comes to us through our higher awareness. When we use it, we’re able to make sense of the cosmos and our place in it because when we apply it, we’re actually taking our common sensibilities to the next level. The highest level. Our spiritual level. The only level that gives us direct human access to all the universal know-how that we could possibly need to fulfill our earthly destiny. Why? Because it’s the same level of hard-earned spiritual savvy that’s now available to our soul for fulfilling it’s own chosen universal purpose. Yes, chosen, because based on the wisdom of our ancient astrologers (who, fortunately for us, had enough cosmic sense of their own) “by choice” is exactly how we humans come into this earthly existence. What’s more, because our soul does the actual choosing before we do, that’s exactly why those choices are celestially reflected in the astrological energies of our own natal sky once we get here. This is to remind our unconscious soul of its earthly purpose by bringing every one of those choices into our conscious awareness. Not a moment too soon, either, because with our very first human breath they become our earthly promises, the ones that we were literally born under so that our soul could be physically born into. Good to know, especially since, in this particular lifetime, we’re the ones who have to live up them.

    Is it any wonder then why the ancients proclaimed that our destiny was “written in the stars”? Universally speaking it is, but only because astrologically speaking (or, by applying your cosmic sense) that’s precisely what the energies in our natal sky reflect: our very own universal endorsement to be great and shine bright in this lifetime. Really. But that’s only if our soul keeps it’s cosmic commitment to aim higher and do better than it did in the last one. So, yes, of course, our birth energies reveal just how and where we’re destined to succeed down here in the material world. What they’re really up there illuminating is our soul’s promise to evolve in the spiritual one. If our soul makes good on its commitment, the universe makes good on its endorsement. Evidently, our fate here on terra firma is a lot less predetermined than we’ve been led to believe because when we view our natal sky from this perspective it’s a lot more than just a celestial reflection of our earthly destiny. It’s a universal documentation of the agreement we made to live up to it. An agreement the ancients called a horoscope, but based on their scientific principles I prefer to call our very own “contract with the universe.” 

    Now before you start thinking you’re not ready to embrace the science of our first astrologers, think again. These ancient stargazers had cosmic game. After all, they were not only our very first astronomers, they were the very first scholars to achieve that lofty status. That’s because they were also the first scientists to devote their dreary lives to the selfless study and mind-numbing observation of the even drearier universe in which they lived. Unlike our astronomers today, they practiced astronomy and astrology as one comprehensive science because, while they knew our existence on this planet was designed to be depressingly physical, after years spent doing the medieval math, they were equally convinced that the universe we inhabited was more than just one-dimensional. In their primitive world, how could they know? In their line of work, how could they not? As professional astronomers they not only studied the heavens to discover how celestial objects moved and the universe worked as a whole; as equally professional astrologers (a job that was in many ways more difficult and in every way more mathematical) they analyzed those findings to determine how those movements affected all of us down below. “All of us” meaning our minds, bodies, and souls. In fact, for that reason (and despite the political correctness and religious pressures of their time-and there were many) these seasoned sky watchers were among the first to adopt the principle that ours was a multi-leveled universe made up of nothing but well-ordered energy. Talk about impressive! But, while this kind of thinking puts them clearly ahead of their own time, it’s not what puts them ahead of ours. This does: in their professional opinion, in this particular universe, all of that well-ordered energy was divine, and (wait for it) one of the levels it operated on was spiritual. 

    This is where things go from impressive to amazing, because this means that by embracing these very basic principles, these very basic stargazers not only managed to subscribe to the theory that everything in this universe consisted of energy, but they collectively concluded that all energy within this universe was powerfully creative, infinitely connected, and traveled on its own frequency. To their way of thinking, mental energy vibrated on the intellectual level; body energy vibrated on the physical level; and the eternal part of anything, or the “soul,” vibrated on yet another level. A level, incidentally, that today’s “hard” scientists still refuse to acknowledge as being a scientific one: the spiritual level. And while we all know that just about every scientist today embraces the concept that all energy is connected, these very best minds of yesterday were the first, and in many cases the only, to officially acknowledge all of the levels in our particular time-space continuum that were necessary to actually connect it. They had no choice. To them, a universe could only be “divine” if it was available to all energy on all levels. If ours was a divine universe (which they decided it was, based on the way they determined it functioned) then it had to be available to the mind, body, and soul of everything that vibrated to it and, therefore, existed in it. A category, by the way, that included us. All of us. Therefore, it had to be a universe in which mental, physical and spiritual energy flowed continuously, harmoniously and circularly-a universe where the physical science of astronomy included the spiritual reality of astrology. It was that simple, because to them it was just science. But here’s the amazing part: according to the Universal Laws of Divine Order, that concept still is. 

    And that means everything to an astrologer, as it also should to all who aren’t, because when it comes to the principles of Universal Law, a multi-leveled universe of divine energy means two very significant things to all of us. First, it means everything in this universe is energy, including us. Second, all energy within this universe always moves in a circular pattern for one very important reason: divine order is only achieved by maintaining divine balance. So then according to the first principle, in this universe, every one of our human thoughts, feelings, words and actions are all individual forms of universal energy. That being the case, then according to the second principle, when our bodies put these energies out on one level in this incarnation (the physical level), they are forced to continue on in that divine circular pattern and come back to us through the spirit of our soul on the next level (the spiritual one). They have to, every one of them, good, bad or fattening. Not because, as most of us were taught to believe, the wrath of God is punishing us, but because (and think about this for a minute) as universal law would have it, the divine order of the cosmos is just balancing itself. What goes around must come around. Yes, it’s that simple, because in a multi-leveled universe of divine energy, it’s just science. Of course, in the beginning, when all universal levels were present and accounted for, our science was also that spiritual, which is exactly why our ancient astronomers were among the first to get it. (It’s also exactly why most astrologers, like myself, won’t analyze a birth chart without implementing it). Human actions have spiritual consequences.

    If this sounds a lot like karma to you that’s only because, as I explain in my book          Cosmic Karma: Understanding Your Contract with the Universe, that’s what the Universal Law of Compensation is: nothing more than the spiritual version of cause and effect. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, nothing less than the same principle practiced in just about every religion known to man. Good, old-fashioned accountability for the soul. So why is that? Why is such a proven scientific principle like cause and effect such a fundamental part of most religious teachings? As interesting a question as that is, the really interesting question to me is, why not? Why isn’t the development of our soul considered a recognized field of scientific study? It is when it comes to any field that involves the development of our minds or bodies. So then, why not the soul? After all, if spirit is the highest intellectual dimension, as many believe it is, wouldn’t the wonderful world of science in general, and the field of astronomy in particular, be better off if this overlooked dimension were invited to the cosmic party? Wouldn’t it be a more interesting party? At the very least, wouldn’t it be a more stimulating one? 

    I think so. But then, I’m someone whose life and belief system were as much transformed by the readings of the psychic Edgar Cayce as they were by the writings of the astronomer Carl Sagan. And while I have Sagan to thank for my life-long passion for the stars above, it was actually Cayce who furthered that zeal by instilling in me a life-changing passion for the spirit within. Through the work, words, and wisdom of these two enlightened souls I learned that physical science and the immortal spirit are not mutually exclusive. Through their separate and distinct philosophies, I came to adopt one of my own: that science and spirit only work divinely when they work together. That’s because in this universe, our spiritual reality is a fundamental part of our physical actuality. As spiritual beings having a mental experience in this physical world, I came to realize that we are not relevant to this universe without either the science that got us here or the soul that keeps us coming back. The even bigger epiphany for me, however, is that here on planet earth, neither one of them is relevant to us without the other. 

    But then, as I learned from the best ancient minds in the stargazing business, in a divine universe, it’s just a matter of cosmic sense.

    Comments (2)

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