The Hit List - Mars retrograde and the dance with anger

The past few weeks, I’ve been grumpy. Because I follow the stars, I knew what was up: Mars was in the shadow period, gearing up for the retrograde jam. I tend to feel the preview much harder than the actual retrograde for some reason. So when I blew up a couple of times, I had a convenient astro-excuse.

But really….you can’t blame the planets for bad behavior. I know that. It doesn’t mean I won’t try!

Now that Mars is officially retrograde, we have a chance to review our relationship to anger and aggression. These are two hot topics for me, and something I’ve been working on the entire time I’ve been on this earth.

I grew up in a household where my mother’s black belt in passive-aggressiveness assured she got her needs met. No one could do a guilt trip better than her. My father was the opposite. His temper was short, and when beer was involved, he was volatile.

I am more like him, except for the alcohol part. I’ve never been a mean drinker, but I am certainly someone who has a violent streak. Interestingly, my father got mad at me…for getting mad. He lectured me on how “nice girls don’t lose their tempers,” or some such thing. What he failed to realize is that my anger was justified and usually due to a transgression from one of my siblings.

Needless to say, this created quite the inner conundrum. Because now I felt shame when I would lose my cool – even though he never seemed to feel bashful about expressing his anger.

Learning how to unravel these mixed messages and reclaim my righteous rage has been a journey. I don’t always get it right. Last week was a reminder that I still have some work to do. While it’s healthy to let your fury run wild from time to time, it’s critical to ensure that you don’t burn every bridge on the way down the anger disco inferno.

When I’m about to blow everything to smithereens, here are some of the things I do:

Remove myself from the situation.
Take deep, calming breaths.
Move my body.
Meditate.
Write in my journal.
Pull a few tarot cards.
Get outside in nature.
Channel all of my rage into art (which for me, is writing).
Uplevel the self-care.
Watch a dumb comedy (lately, Lady Dynamite has been giving me life).
Cook.

This gives me space to process my feelings in a healthy way. Then, I can approach whatever is making me pissed in a constructive, centered mindset.

There is nothing wrong with getting mad. Sometimes it’s necessary. Anger gets shit done. So while Mars sputters in the sky until November 13th, use these few weeks to treat your anger with a little tenderness and respect. Remember that you are human and getting mad is one of the things that humans do.

“Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.” ― Maya Angelou

Benny the G.O.A.T. is my favorite plastic animal sidekick! He never makes me mad!

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Tarot: No Questions Asked: Mastering the Art of Intuitive Reading is my manual with all the tarot things I’ve taught over the years to my students along with my best tips for going pro. If you want to learn how to read like the High Priestess, this is for you.

The Uncommon Tarot: A Contemporary Reimagining of an Ancient Oracle is a gorgeous, global interpretation of the tarot from Shaheen Miro. I am happy to be a contributor to this amazing deck!

Grab a hot cup of coffee, a box of crayons, your favorite blanket, and a copy of The Tarot Coloring Book. It’s the right thing to do when fall kicks in!

Do you know someone who’s going through a really challenging time? Divorce, death, grief, addiction, harassment, fighting injustice, or bullying…? Give them a deep, long hug. And then, consider giving them a beautiful Tarot deck + a copy of Tarot For Troubled Times.

Can’t decipher astrology talk (like when I’m talking about Mars retrograde)? Astrology for Real Life: A Workbook for Beginners (A No B.S. Guide for the Astro-Curious) will lay out all the details in a friendly, fun way. You’ll never feel confused when astrologers talk about this stuff again!

Events and Classes:

October 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd 2020: Tarot For Beginners – a live video workshop for total tarot newbies! These classes are live-streaming videos. You can watch online from anywhere in the world. Each class runs for 1 hour. For the first half, you’ll watch as I explain and demonstrate a Tarot concept. For the second half, you’ll practice using your deck and try out the concept you just learned. Give it a whirl! $199. Use this tuition coupon code for $50 off: TAROTLADY

Join my Patreon Community! I am serving up extended card of the day interpretations, astrological tidbits, community tarot practice, political astrology, early sneak peeks to horoscopes….and more. Higher tiers get access to live classes, replays of previous classes, mentoring, and more.

May 2-8, 2021: The Tuscany Tarot Intensive. Where: Italy! A full week of tarot immersion. Due to the Coronavirus, we moved the event to next year. Good news: the dates allow for a few extra seats which means you can join us next year! Yay!