Just For Fun
Remembering Childhood Joys

As adults, we often get so caught up in "grown up" business that we can forget how to have pure fun. This isn't the kind of fun that comes from doing a specific kind of activity or being in a specific mood for fun. Rather, this is the fun born from the state of pure being. You see this kind of fun in small children who are so busy being fully present to their lives and in their own bodies that the glow of fun radiates from them just because they are alive: the delight that flashes across the eyes of a child who discovers that water flows with the turn of the tap knob or the squeal of pleasure from a young baby whose tongue is being tickled by cold ice cream; then there's the full, infectious laughter of a child watching the same hat trick for the fiftieth time.

Back when we were children, this experience of pure delight didn't have to come from a heightened, heady event in order for us to feel like our day had been made; and it can be that way for us again - if we are willing to remember and reconnect with that part of ourselves that knows how to be in the flow of fun. You can begin this process by reminiscing on what was fun for you as a child. Think about what caused you to giggle in delight or wriggle in pleasure or burst into endless laughter that you couldn't sit up straight no matter how much you wanted to. Try to spend a few moments with each memory, and really feel what it was like to be in those experiences - allowing that feeling of pure fun to wash over you. It lives, in you - that feeling. It can't be bottled, manufactured, or sold. You just have to call it back up in order to experience it again.

Pure fun happens when we are fully engaged with ourselves and our world in each moment. It is the spontaneous delight that bubbles out of us when we let go long enough to bring it through; it is the experience of natural, organic pleasure that springs up from our bellies, through our souls, up through our faces, and down to our toes. We've naturally known how to have pure fun since we were babies and the flicker of lights caused us to jump to attention from the sheer enjoyment of being able to see. Approach your life today with the knowledge that pure fun isn't something that is given or done to you; rather, it is something that you allow yourself to experience.

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Venus Retrograde On December 24, 2005

On December 24, 2005, Venus reaches her retrograde station, in preparation for a period of retrograde motion which will last until February 3, 2006. On top of that, the effects of the retrograde period will continue to be felt until she returns in direct motion on March 7 to the degree where she first made her station (1° Aquarius 27').

Venus turns retrograde only once every eighteen months, but the effects of each period differ, according to the sign in which it happens. Venus turns retrograde in conjunction with Chiron, the wounded healer. Perhaps this will help heal the wounds exposed by the previous Venus Retrograde period, in 2004, when the planet of love and money crossed the face of the Sun in a rare transit of Venus on June 8.

A planet is described as retrograde when it appears to be moving backwards through the zodiac. This traditional concept arises in the illusory planetary motion created by the orbital rotation of the earth, with relation to other planets in our solar system. Planets are never actually retrograde or stationary, they just seem that way, due to this optical illusion.

Retrograde periods, although often problematic for us earthlings, are not particularly uncommon. Each planet retrogrades, except the Sun and Moon.

Fated Events

As a rule, retrograde planets presage a period of seemingly inevitable or fated events, which relate to their sphere of influence. They present us with a series of events over which we seem to have little or no control, relating especially to the sign in which the retrogradation occurs.

A retrograde period is best seen as a cycle, beginning when the planet begins to slow to a halt before travelling backwards through the zodiac and ending when the planet returns to the point where it first paused. However, during the cycle, the planet's energy is most powerful (and more likely to generate critical events of universal importance) when the planet makes a station, appearing motionless in the sky. These stationary periods occur near the beginning of the cycle (when the planet first halts as it prepares to move backwards) and midway through the cycle when the retrograde planet slows to a stop before moving forward again. The "direct station" (when the planet halts before moving forward again) is the most powerful and can be used for maximum benefit.

What does Venus affect?

In general, Venus, the goddess of love, rules feelings and emotion, aesthetics and tastes, fashions and all forms of desire, money and wealth. Venus rules social attitudes and behaviour, along with aesthetic tastes and inclinations. Venus symbolises female relationships and social interactions at every level. Venus indicates our values. She governs romance, marriage and other partnerships, capacity for humour, and the pursuit of pleasure.

During a retrograde period the things Venus influences will be less apparent, or be of less concern to the world. Visual sensibilities are reduced. People dress with less flair and our colour sense tends to be muted. This is not the time to purchase clothes or jewellery, change one's make-up or hairstyle. Redecorating or refurbishing homes or business should also be avoided, though there is no reason why decisions that have been made earlier should not be allowed to come to fruition during this period.

With Venus retrograde, the pace of relationships slows down and this is not the best time to get married or give big parties. Since Venus rules diplomacy, slowdowns in all sorts of negotiations can be expected, including industrial disputes, legal issues and diplomatic endeavours.

It is a time when we are called upon to go back and take care of unfinished business. Often we are forced to deal with deep feelings that have their origins in past events. They are activated on an inner level but are often difficult to express to ourselves or others while Venus is retrograde.

Venus Retrograde in Aquarius

When Venus is retrograde, everyone's emotional state is more introspective and we tend to react emotionally to the issues and concerns that relate to the sign involved. With Venus retrograde in Aquarius, people with this sign prominent in their charts will be especially prone to such introspection. There is little choice but to reconsider our personal feelings and relationships. There is, however, an opportunity to gain insight into one's own mode of relating, whether sexually, creatively, or financially.

Venus retro in Aquarius forms acquaintances with strangers and gains friends with ease, though the friendships and associations will be somewhat out of the ordinary, with a marked tendency towards the experimental. Expect a marked disregard for convention in personal tastes and friendships during this period.

Groups will be favoured. Financial gain may come through friends and associates, especially as a result of past commitments, but this generosity may be withdrawn when Venus return to direct motion through the zodiac. Wide-ranging social attitudes and behavioural patterns will come to the fore and there may be some stiff resistance from conventional circles. A less than passionate approach to romance and other close relationships is to be expected, but unconventional or unorthodox relationships will be readily embraced. Mental companionship will be the key.

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

najaramah wishes you a Merry Christmas and Very Happy New Year!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your continued support throughout 2005.

Many of you have taken the time to send me your thoughts and feedback, which I do appreciate. I have some new services planned for 2006 which I hope will keep generating interest amongst our regular visitors as well as newcomers alike.

May the bright stars shine upon you and the planets and your God bless you with fortune, love, peace and good luck in 2006.

Najaramah