Resolve to Renew and Rejoice!

Jennifer Schaerer

Pssssst.

I’ve got news. Big news.

Guess what? It’s NEW YEAR’S EVE!

You…you mean…you already knew that?

Seriously?

I guess the communication glitches that come with our current phase of Mercury in retrograde are playing out as expected. Pardon me? What’s that you say? Ohhhhhhh…I see. You’re not quite sure what Mercury in retrograde is all about. I’ll take a stab at explaining it as simply as I can, but I’m no expert. I just pay attention to these phases because I fancy myself an astrology enthusiast, and I’ve been doing natal charts for quite a few years now as a hobby.

In a nutshell, Mercury’s retrograde is a 6-week astrological phase that crops up about every 3 months and wreaks havoc in areas of communication and transportation, as well as commerce and education. You’ll feel the pinch of the retrograde period if you do things like sign agreements, make major purchases, travel, have deep conversations or switch internet service while in its grip.

If you’re familiar with Mercury retrograde periods, then you may be dreading the next several weeks. After all, it’s a time when normally functioning devices (televisions, computers, phones) and transit options (cars, buses, trains, airplanes) cause an extra headache or two.

But you may be missing a fantastic opportunity if you pull the covers over your head until late in January when it’s all over. I’ve found that it’s a great time to take advantage of “re” activities like reviewing, revitalizing, rejuvenating, renewing and revealing – everything from projects around the house to relationships from long ago. Retreat into your resolve and get things done that you’ve left for another day.

My big activity for this retrograde period is to revisit all the half-finished paper projects in my craft area and get them done – with a different perspective than I had when I set them aside in frustration months ago.

You could also take the time to review your stash and purge what isn’t working for you anymore (donate the overage – a school, church, shelter or retirement home would love to have the supplies!). Do the same with all those cards you’ve made and haven’t used, and share with Operation Write Home.

While you’re sorting all those cards and other projects, take a minute and see if your style reveals itself to you. Are you fun and cute? Vintage? Classy and elegant? Or maybe a little bit shabby chic? Resolve to be true to your paper crafting style in the coming year and see where it takes you!

If you’ve read this far, you deserve some sort of reward for indulging my retrograde rhetoric. Raise your hand in the comments by midnight (MST) on Sunday, Jan. 3 if you’d be interested in seeing what your natal report has to say about your personality and style – I’ll pick 5 of you randomly and do your reports just for fun!

Happy New Year!

Renew, recharge, review and – above all else – rejoice in the new year!

Wishing you all the best in 2010,
Jennifer

P.S. Speaking of reviewing, please take the time to give us your feedback in our 2010 reader survey HERE. We sure do appreciate and value your opinions!