“Oh, my god, that dress tastes like a Creamsicle! And her sweater tastes like raspberries folded into whipped cream!” I exclaimed while watching Call the Midwife last week.

You may have heard of the Silva Mind Control Method. Basically, it’s a course to enhance your intuition. I started it a couple of weeks ago and it has kicked my synesthesia into high gear.

Synesthesia is experiencing one emotion through another. You might see a color while listening to music, for example. Or taste the colors that you’re seeing.

It may sound unusual, but most people experience synesthesia to some degree, typically with emotions.

You may be surprised to know that there have been multiple studies of the taste-emotion association. When asked, people described love as sweet and jealousy as sour, for example.

Interestingly, the taste of food helped produce certain emotions. After eating something sweet, participants in the study were more inclined to show leniency and to help others.

And it worked the other direction as well.  After reading stories of moral transgression, study participants said neutral water tasted disgusting. And feeling a sense of gratitude triggered a higher preference for sweet foods.

Our emotional state is further influenced by colors that we see, aromas we smell (witness the current popularity of essential oil diffusers), and noises around us.

On top of all that, if you’re sensitive to the emotions of others, you’re doomed.

Ok, not necessarily doomed.

But it can be hard to separate what we’re genuinely feeling from our environmental influences. This is one reason a spiritual practice such as meditation is beneficial. It can help us separate our true emotions from what we’re picking up from our environment.

Or maybe be sure to always have some cookies on hand.

This full moon, the strawberry moon, is all about optimism and refusing to accept limitations. But with the moon’s sextile with Saturn and square to Neptune, you may feel a need for stability. Try each out and see which feels best.

Explore and define your truth, but be logical and rational. Express your emotions, but avoid melodrama.

But more than anything else, shoot for the moon. What impossible thing now seems possible? Do it!

When I was three, my dad and I passed a house that had more dandelions than grass. “They’re the luckiest!” I gushed. My father laughed. They were the seasonal bane of his existence.

Each spring, as dandelions pop up in out front lawn, I still think they’re glorious. 

Did you know that dandelions are both medicinal and magical?

On the practical side, the sap from the stems can be used to cure warts. Dandelion leaves can be dried and made into a tea to aid digestion. In the past, a tincture made by steeping the flowers, roots, and leaves was believed to strengthen the liver. The leaves have long been used in salads and are believed to stimulate the appetite.

I’ve even made soap with dandelions to help treat my eczema.

Tea made from the plant’s root is said to increase psychic abilities like psychic dreaming and divination.

There are superstitions and magical beliefs that we all know, like blowing the seeds to make a wish come true.

Here’s something you can try as the flowers go to seed.

Sit among the flowers and think of a habit you would like to change like stress-eating, nail biting, poor sleep hygiene, or excessive negativity.  Draw all the little parts of it from through your being and visualize this habit gathering into your heart center. Now, pick a dandelion that has a perfect circle of seeds on top of tis stem. Take a deep breath and blow. See the habit exiting your body with your exhalation. Then watch as the dandelion seeds carry it away from you. Inhale, a fresh cleansing breath. Visualize the air rushing in, filling all the spaces the old habit resided with pure, positive energy.

And, as long as you’re sitting there, pluck another one and make a wish.

Communication is Gemini’s word. Don’t send mixed messages. Say what needs to be said–but without the drama please. Don’t put yourself down–not when talking to others, not when talking to yourself.

Are you suffering from heartbreak? It stinks, doesn’t it? And it’s painful. It makes my heart center literally hurt.

Although nothing works better than tincture of time, here are some easy spells to help heal your broken heart.

You Have No Power Over Me Charm

You’ll need a bowl of water, a small jar, a candle, some rosemary (dried is fine), vanilla extract, cinnamon, thyme, and the necklace of your choice.

Put the necklace into either the water or into the small jar if it cannot be put directly in water.
Light the candle and let some wax liquify.
Then pour the melted wax, the herbs, spice, and vanilla into the water.
Stirring clockwise, say, “You have no power over me” while visualizing the person who broke your heart.
As you wear the necklace, feel its protective energy surrounding you.

Let-It-Go Eucalyptus Vapor

Fill a bowl with hot water, add a couple of drops of eucalyptus essential oil, drape a towel over your head and inhale the steam.

Going through a breakup can put us on an emotional rollercoaster. Hurt, anger, sadness, nostalgia—it can be overwhelming. Eucalyptus will help release what you’ve held onto for too long.

Emotional Release Bath (or shower)

Ok, this will take more than five minutes but you’re worth the extra time. You know you are.

Gather ½ cup of sea salt, ½ cup Epsom salt, rose petals or lavender for self-love and peace, and lemon peel for emotional cleansing (put these in one of those mesh bags you have saved). If you have some hyssop (lightens your vibration) or angelica root (for healing), toss those in, too.

Run the bath, pour in the salt, hop in, and let the petals and peel steep. Cry into the water if tears come. Come to a peaceful realization that this connection must be severed because it is no longer serving your highest good (or theirs).  When you’re done, stay in the tub as you drain the water, visualizing your negative emotions going down the drain with the water.

If you’re not a bath person, make a scrub with equal parts white and brown sugar, a bit of jojoba, almond, or coconut oil, and the rose petals or lavender and some grated lemon peel. Use this scrub in the shower and again see your negative emotions running off you and down the drain. Careful—the shower floor may be slippery afterward.

Whichever spell you choose, when you’re done, put on your comfy clothes and settle on the couch with a cup of tea made with rose petals and a touch of honey.

Be gentle with yourself. Know that Spirit loves you deeply and eternally. A brighter future awaits you.

Use the intense energy of this full moon in Scorpio to transform. Release energy that isn’t aligned with your true self. Acknowledge your shadow side and work with it. Examine any upsets you’re holding onto. Does someone hold a grudge against you? What steps can you take to resolve it? Watch out for people who might try to lure you into doing something you normally wouldn’t. This may be a wild ride.

“I’ll rip the band-aid off on three,” my dad said. “One…” He yanked it off.

“No fair!” I yelled. “You said on three!”

My dad shrugged. “It hurts less when you’re not all tense.”

Do you ever trick yourself into doing something?

I had a website open on my phone for weeks, Boudoir by Joanna. I have no idea where I found it, but I was intrigued.

Hello there, beautiful it calls seductively.

I’ll bet you say that to all the prospective clients, I thought each time I opened my phone’s browser. Until one day a couple of weeks ago when I surprised myself and contacted her before I could stop myself.

I’m not a young woman. I’m not a small woman. I don’t even own sexy lingerie. What the hell was I thinking? What if I looked silly instead of sultry?

Sometimes all it takes is someone else believing in us.

Jo assured me that no matter what size, shape, or age I was, the results would be stunning.

As I drove through rain and construction, wearing only pajamas, no bra, no undies (I didn’t want to get there with elastic grooves in my skin), I was having second thoughts. And cold feet. I was doing so much back-pedaling I was surprised the car was continuing to go forward.

But then my angels sent me some reassurance. I turned on the radio and Santana’s Smooth was just starting. I laughed and told myself, You got this, girl.

Jo helped me unload my car and then led me to the back of her studio. She spent an hour and a half doing my hair and makeup. She even airbrushed the foundation on! I’m sure she could have spent less time, but it gave us a chance to get to know each other. To build the rapport and trust needed for what came next—the photo shoot.

We started off with a sweet photo, me standing in front of a frosted window in a ‘50s style dress and heels. By the end of the day, I was in full boudoir mode.

Jo told me exactly how to pose—where to put my hands, what to do with my face, how to touch my hair. She even saved me from falling off a pair of four-inch heels.

I came away from that day feeling self-assured and powerful. Confident. And, yes, beautiful.

How often do we look in the mirror and only see our flaws? That scar or mole or whatever no one else notices? The laugh lines or that one slightly crooked tooth?

Jo didn’t hide any of my self-perceived flaws, not with makeup, not with photoshop.

What she did was bring out something that was hiding inside me.

This is an experience I highly recommend. For every woman.

Here’s her website again Boudoir by Joanna. Don’t leave it open on your phone for a month. You deserve to see how beautiful you are now.

Hold onto your hat. It happens four times this year and it’s coming up fast—Mercury retrograde.

You’ll hear people say not to sign any contracts, to prepare for miscommunications, and for electronics to go haywire. And while all that can be true, Mercury retrograde isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Mercury doesn’t actually move backwards in the sky. It’s an illusion. Have you ever been on a train that passes another one that’s standing still? The other train looks like it’s going backwards. Mercury retrograde is the same sort of illusion. But illusion or not, the effects are real.

Mercury will station retrograde on May 10^th in the sign of Gemini, an air sign. On May 22nd, it will then continue backwards into Taurus, an earth sign, and stay there until June 3^rd. What this means is that we’ll be given an opportunity to review how we engage with others (Gemini’s influence) and how we feel secure in ourselves (one of Taurus’s specialties).

Here’s what you’ll need in your toolkit.

First, review the areas of your life that are currently teetering on the brink. How’s your bank account? Your love life? Your job? Shore up any weak points. Organize the messes in your life. Add security, figuratively and literally, where needed.

Mercury rules communication, so double check everything before you send it. You don’t need that text (sext?) intended for your honey going to your insurance agent.

Take a second or two before you respond. Keep your phone charged. Backup your computer.

Plan extra time to send emails, especially those with attached files. Don’t wait until the last minute to print important documents.

Leave early for appointments. Have a backup plan if you’ll be traveling. Expect delays.

These don’t have to be bad things. Use a delay to process an old wound. Finish something you started a while ago that’s left undone. Re-examine, renegotiate, or recommit to something.

Both Mercury and Taurus deal with money, so look for ways to save. Are you paying for Apple TV and not using it? Have you had an energy audit of your home recently? Is it time to start buying generic?

The best thing about Mercury’s retrograde periods is that they give us a chance to slow down, review, and revamp. If you know where Mercury resides in your astrological chart, you can take a swan dive in and examine what you’d like to change. If you don’t know, there are many free sites you can use. This is one of my favorites Explore your natal chart now.

If the rug does get pulled out from under you, roll with it. Laugh at the situation and yourself. Acknowledge the prank as if you’re in on it. And know that it’ll be over June 3^rd.

You’ve heard people say It’s like comparing apples and oranges when two things are so different they seem to defy comparison. Not that apples and oranges are so very different. They have a lot in common.

When you get down to it, though, nothing is exactly the same as anything else. Any one apple is unique among apples. And an apple in this moment is different from that same apple a week from now. Or a year from now when it’s compost.

Everything is in a state of flux.

The person who was on your nerves yesterday has changed and is no longer the same person, although he might still be on your nerves.

Think of all the things others have called you or that you have called yourself. Strong. Messy. Beautiful. Demanding. Tantalizing. Smart. Disappointing.

It’s time to shake off the mistaken identities put on us. How?

Down with the verb to be!

I will spare you the linguistic theory but know that a few people have proposed tossing out all forms of be: am, is, are, was, and were. It’s called E-Prime. E for English and Prime for the language variant this creates.

Here’s how it works.

Instead of saying I’m horrible with plants, say The last orchid I was given died.

Rather than I’m such a jerk with my brother say I just treated my bother unkindly.

This works to change our perception of others as well.

Change Stop being a pest, Cass to I’m overwhelmed right now and will answer you when I get a second.

Or change Zeke, you are an obsessive micromanager to Zeke, I need more freedom on this project.

This won’t entirely eliminate the effects of pigeonholing, but it can minimize them by letting us take a step back to observe the behavior. It allows us to save face.

When we slip up, instead of thinking I’m such a failure we can observe that in this one instance I didn’t do as well as I had hoped. Instead of beating ourselves up I run off at the mouth, we can reflect and see that When I got together with Penny, I talked more than she did.

Leaving the past in the past allows us to step into a fresh future. It reminds us that we’re in flux. That we have the opportunity to change. To grow.

Try it. Let me know what you think.