Have you got a case of the blues?

Feeling depressed? Lazy? Irritable?
Uninteresting and uninterested?
Just plain Flat?

Because every now and then, I do, yes! And when I do, I usually indulge myself and allow myself to feel my emotions, whatever they are...because Life is Living me, after all, right? I may think I'm the one living life but it's pretty clear that I am a vessel for all the possible archetypal energies out there....and they are, at various times, making a beeline right for me!

I do believe that it's healthier to feel what you're feeling than repress what you're feeling or try to pretend that you're not feeling what you're feeling!

Soooo, yes, I am a firm believer in feeling everything and in allowing all of these varying emotions to flow through me. But, if it goes on for too long (two weeks?) and I find I have turned into a lifeless version of myself sitting in front of a computer screen watching movies or listlessly scrolling through my Newsfeed on Facebook and I am truly tired of feeling down, un-engaged and unmotivated I spring into action and create my Chart. Oooh, yes, The Chart. It works like a charm every time! Nips that flat feeling right in the bud!

If you've got some Sagittarius and Virgo planets in your chart this method might really resonate with you because it combines the Sagittarian love of having goals to shoot your arrows at (you can totally relax when you know you have that goal out there to shoot for :) with Virgo's love of details, being organized, making a difference in the 'real world' and doing creative mental work.

This little method totally works for me and, who knows, it might just work for you, too! As OSHO says, there are 144 different "keys" to the same door, and you just have to find the right key for you....who knows, this might be your key, too!

Here are a couple of quotes to perk you up....

"Adversity is a natural part of being human. It is the height of arrogance to prescribe a moral code or health regime or spiritual practice as an amulet to keep things from falling apart. Things do fall apart. It is in their nature to do so.

When we try to protect ourselves from the inevitability of change, we are not listening to the soul. We are listening to our fear of life and death, our lack of faith, our smaller ego's will to prevail.

To listen to your soul is to stop fighting life - to stop fighting when things fall apart; when they don't go our way, when we get sick, when we are betrayed or mistreated or misunderstood. To listen to the soul is to slow down, to feel deeply, to see ourselves clearly, to surrender to discomfort and uncertainty and to wait."

Elizabeth Lesser

"Every day something new is born. You are a creative, dynamic, exploding wonder, and you are going to change every day. New parts of your being are going to come forward daily, and every new experience will show you a new face....it's all there in a beautiful ever-changing pattern, and that is the wonder of it! If you will stop trying to freeze the patterns into the perfect form, you can enjoy the movement of the parts."

Bartholomew

• No computer time unless it's for work and you have to do it. That means no Facebook (I knowwww....I am addicted, too!) or videos or emails (that might be a relief!)
• No TV (and I mean none!)
• No renting movies (unless, perhaps, it's a reeeeeeally hilarious one that really activates you! No romantic comedies that make you feel more empty at the end than when you started!)
• No eating your breakfast, lunch or dinner in front of a computer or TV. (obviously, since you won't be watching anyway - buttttt, it is very important to be engaged with eating. You digest your food better)
• No eating while angry
• No soft drinks
• No artificial sweeteners

The no TV, computer or movie time will free up sooooooo much time! You'll re-engage with your life. Find something new to do. New experiences and possibilities will pop up...

• Start your day with hot water and fresh lemon or lime. Edgar Cayce tells us that this alkalizes the body as well as helps with bowel movements and to help the body eliminate toxins thrown off during sleep.

• Do the Magical Passes. They are super simple, don't take any time at all, are fun to do and really do make you feel awake yet relaxed afterwards. Plus, they are great for activating youthfullness in your face!

• Writing in your journal is one of the healthiest things you can do. (I know...I can see the dessert too :) You get to freely express all your true feelings, insights, desires, worries, fears, irritations, concerns and successes knowing that no one is going to judge you. Once you write a thing down it's been expressed and you don't have to keep it in your head. Once it's been released from your mind, there is more room for something new to take it's place! If you dream, write them down, too, and spend some time interpreting them. The point isn't to be an expert at interpreting dreams but to gain deep insight into yourself and your life. Allow yourself to follow little dream clues and make assocations, no matter how wild they are. You are getting to know your Soul's Language...the symbolism your higher self and guides use to contact you! Let the Ah-HA's happen! Remember that the feeling of the dream is the most important. So start with that: your feeling. Paying attention to your dreams will propel you to discover new aspects of your Self and to create more health and happiness in your life.
• Make a delicious, nutritious smoothie as the perfect first thing to ingest. Your body will love you for it!

When you choose your Mandatory Tasks make sure that they are easy to do and enjoyable so that you're sure to do them. You want to be colouring your squares in with the feeling of accomplishment! Who doesn't love colouring in squares?

Optional Ideas

I'm just brain-storming here...choose some of these and, of course, make up your own, too! Remember to put tasks into your Chart that you know make you feel good.

• Take a walk
• Put on music and dance
• Get up early
• Sleep in as long as you want to
• Meditate for ____ minutes
• Do whatever physical activity makes you feel good
• Clean _____
• Organize ______
• Get a massage. They stimulate the lymph system
• Have a Spa Day - either at home or out at a spa. You can make do a clay mask, steam your face, put egg white on your face, soak your feet in warm water, do your toenails, pluck your eyebrows...)

• Plant ____ seeds
• Work in the garden
• Prune _____
• Make a delicious meal
• Buy a new recipe book and make something brand new
• Put on music (while cooking, especially)
• Sing to this song ____ once a day
• Have a glass of wine while you make dinner
• Take a walk after dinner to get all those good, healthfull nighttime negative ions.
• Spend some time loving and petting your pet if you have one

• Go out to a movie!
• Take a different route to work
• Read something positive and life-affirming. The Bartholomew books are the best.
• Follow your nose to the exact book you need to read right now. Let it jump off the shelf at you.
• Watch the funniest movie you know of (this is the one exception to the No-No list :)
• Get together with your best friend to talk about absolutely everything. Be transparent!
• Eat one salad with all the trimmings or a raw vegetable plate every day because Edgar Cayce says so :)
• Treat yourself to an amazing dessert!! YUM. Allow yourself to reeeeeally enjoy it.

• Do a simple 3-Day Apple Fast cleanse
• Add Bentonite Clay & Psyllium drinks to your daily regime to really clean out your colon. This is an amazing and super-simple cleanse!
• If you're feeling ambitious and the timing is right (the timing really has to be right for this cleanse) do the Master Cleanse
• Make healthy, nutritious, balancing, healing Kitchari
• Take ____ classes
• Bake cookies or make a pie. Make something totally old-fashioned by hand
• Treat yourself to dinner out. If you always go out for dinner, go somewhere new.
• Go swimming

• Visit an outdoor place that you just love
• Sit facing the sun for 20 minutes at least. (don't stare at it though) Soak it up. Don't wear sunglasses - your body takes in the vitamin D from sunlight through your eyes. You need it to be healthy
• Explore my Self-Discovery Pages and do some Inner Exercises to get you in touch with your inner self.
• Sit in Nature and write a poem
• Make a photo album
• Take one special photo every day
• Take wild salmon Omega-3 capsules to lift your mood
• If you really want a radical shift Change your Sleeping Pattern
• Work on a creative project
• Relax and do absolutely nothing for _____ minutes

Above all....be kind to yourself!

For those of you with Astrological inclinations...

Often the times we feel flat or depressed are due to Saturn's influence in our chart. Saturn is heavy and restrictive and can be quite depressing. (but sometimesi we just allow ourselves to sink into the habit of a certain mood, even after the transit has left us) One should remember, though, that Saturn isn't malevolent at all, even though he feels like it sometimes. Really, Saturn wants us to be the absolute best person we can be, rising to our full potential....but sometimes we become so comfortable in the structures we've built up around ourselves (home, family, relationships, job) that we're no longer growing, changing, transforming and blossoming. Saturn reminds us that we must prune and that sometimes difficult changes must be made if we want to actually realize our full potential, do what we came here to do and leap to our best timeline ever.

Astrologers often say, "The way out of Saturn is through Uranus or Jupiter." This means that if you're feeling restricted and depressed by Saturn's serious influence check out your own natal Uranus and Jupiter to see where you can put your attention and energy in order to feel freer and more expansive. I've created a page here that will show you how to generate and read your chart.

The other thing to do is to use Saturn's focused, disciplined, organized energy to....you guessed it, make your Chart! It's a perfect way to channel Saturn's energy. Saturn loves to tick things off a list!

How are you feeling?

• Mars can be a frustrating and irritating influence
• Saturn can be a depressing, heavy, serious influence
• Uranus can be a disruptive, anxiety-producing influence
• Neptune can be an energy-weakening and lazy influence
• Pluto can be an intensely deep, tormenting influence
  

...and...you can always switch things around...

• Mars can give you energy for sex, physical projects and exercise.
• Saturn can give you discpline and focus
• Uranus can bring a brand new exciting surprise, change and more personal freedom
• Neptune can bring you a stronger connection to your divine self
• Pluto can powerfully heal and transform you
  

Sooooo....identify how you're feeling and then use the corresponding positive energy or energies to turn things around. Remember, you are Co-Creating your life!