Mercury Retrograde 2015 | Outlines, Highlights and Insights

This time last year, I explained what exactly happens out there when Mercury retrogrades. Instead of going over all of that again, I'm going to jump into what this particular year holds for three transits of retrograde we will go through this annual cycle. You can hop over to my previous post here to get a quick overview of the scientific explanation of retrograde. The important thing to know about approaching these phases are the themes of each, how it affects you and with a little guidance, the ways to prepare before they start and how to utilize your energy when you're there.

That said, most people would prefer to "sleep" through retrograde because we often feel bombarded by conflict and frustration. But, it's really a magical opportunity to energetically capitalize on what the universe is handing us. Turning conflict into growth is truly a learned behavior that takes a bit of mental agility and commitment. Meditation is a powerful form of practice. The mind is a generous organ that responds to patterns of behavior. Re-routing the pathways inside of it requires something of us - a dedication to make a change so that we act instead of react. Reacting is a defense mechanism whereas acting is a form of initiative.

Retrograde brings us closer to spirit because it activates our right brain - our lunar self - and heightens our senses and awareness. We are likely to be more mistake - prone due to its' "wobbly axis" disposition and if we approach these phases with smart caution, we can safely and effectively navigate the underworld zone. Literally, this is the house in your natal chart where Mercury retrogrades. Remember to wrap up solar, left - brained activities and gather information to bring down into your cave for a spell. It's your free ticket to be more eccentric. Some of our best work can be made here. Shine a light on your demons and your darkness. You will come out brighter than ever.

Transit periods for 2015:

• January 21 - February 11: Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius: Clear the air everywhere. Build sturdier bridges or make repairs to them. Travel and commerce work well together and provide lasting results for future success. Make a talisman, an altar or medicine bag during this re-boot. Problem solve without bias. Critical thinking can yield good writing. You will dance with the devil's advocate from a distance, including heated debates that could trigger a knee-jerk reaction. If you can find what house on your natal chart the Sun and Mercury are conjunct, this will be where your conflict will originate. Power through and don't take it personal.
• May 18 - June 11: Mercury Retrograde in Gemini: Take a second look at tending the fires of all relationships. Redefine your support systems. Tighten all of the bolts, replace the stripped ones. Look even deeper at your relationships with children, whether they are your own or not. This is a good time to study something and redirect your energy mentally which will sturdy up the body for going direct. Frustration and inflammation surrounding conflict has the potential to unhinge you if you don't stay grounded. Focused meditation and mental strength training are called for. When left to it's own devices, the mind can exit the building without reason. Create or re-write a mantra and say it every day until this cycle passes. It will keep you in tune with the linear process between your thought and your action.
• September 17 - October 9: Mercury Retrograde in Libra: Renew your vows with yourself and your self care routine. Start a red hot love affair with all of you all over again. This phase centers on relationships and the quality of communication we have with them. Are they open or closed? Fluid or Strained? Active or static? Create new creative outlets. Design, build, invent, re-make, re-do, remodel. Start projects that reflect beauty. Take your creative process to a new level. Construct a ladder to your higher self and climb it with purpose. Access the 5D by making it to the top with a fresh perspective on your place in the world. This defines your relationship to other living things, your mirror.

In close, find the medicine behind these energetic time-outs. Go inside and pad yourself from the negative flares of others. Absorb them with integrity, clarity and educated responses. There is always more to learn from conflict and problems. We always make it to other side with new tools to use. We just have to dig a little to find them.

NAMASTE!

Salmon Croquettes with Caesar + Tomato Medley

These little salmon cakes are so tasty served so many ways. You can easily substitute shrimp or tuna for an equally healthy variation. I love all three and the ingredients are virtually the same. When using canned fish, which will be the centerpiece of this dish, always choose a high quality brand because you will really taste the difference. Organic, wild - caught varieties are fish that have bred in their natural habitat as opposed to farm - raised where their reproductive cycles have been manipulated for breeding purposes. You can find low sodium varieties that are packed in olive oil or water, which will always be better for you as you can control the amount of salt. These are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Serve them accordingly and always with something raw for optimal digestion. For example, they go well with oven roasted potatoes and sliced avocados for breakfast, a light and flavorful salad like this for lunch or with steamed green beans, kale or spinach or squash for dinner. Quinoa, rice and millet make perfect, healthy accompaniments. You can also make these into burgers and serve them on your favorite bun with lettuce, tomato, red onion and a dijon mustard. I dressed this salad with my homemade caesar dressing. I included the recipe for that as well.

INGREDIENTS

1 six - eight ounce can of good salmon or tuna drained and flaked

( diced, cooked shrimp will also work )

1 large egg

1|2 cup gluten free bread crumbs

2 - 3 sprigs of minced green onion or thinly slice a shallot

1|4 c diced sweet red bell pepper

handful of chopped celery leaves or 1|4 diced celery ribs

fresh chopped parsley

juice of 1|2 lemon

1 T nutritional yeast

1 T dijon mustard

crushed red pepper or cayenne to taste

salt + pepper

olive oil for frying

DIRECTIONS

Mix everything into a large bowl. Adjust the bread crumbs accordingly if it seems to wet to form into patties that will hold their shape. Form into discs to fit your preference. Smaller ones are good on salads and with other vegetables but wider and thinner is best for a burger. Warm some olive oil in a saute pan on medium high heat. Fry each one about 5 - 6 minutes on each side until crisp and golden brown. Drain them on a paper towel and let them cool a minute just before serving.

ZIPPY CAESAR DRESSING

1 egg yolk

2 T of Vegenaise ( vegan mayo ) or greek yogurt for something tangy

1 T dijon mustard

1 clove of minced garlic

3 - 4 tablespoons good olive oil

2 anchovies ( optional )

pinch of cayenne 

salt + pepper to taste

METHOD

Put everything into a blender and 1 T of the olive oil. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil which will begin to emulsify and become creamy. Add more if you want a thinner dressing, or less if you want it thick. When all of the oil is incorporated, the dressing is ready to serve and will keep in the refrigerator for about a week or so. 

ENJOY!!

Green Eggs and 'Ham'

Here's a healthy deviation to your morning scramble that will maximize the nutritional profile while minimizing calories and saturated fat, keeping you full and focused all morning long. My favorite substitution for meat ( ham in this case ) for nearly any recipe is a hearty brown mushroom. They absorb what ever you cook them with and they will develop a deep, satisfying flavor by using roasted garlic, smoked paprika and black pepper. The real trick to getting a healthy scramble is by substituting one of the yolks for a spoonful of greek yogurt and using fresh avocado and nutritional yeast in place of cheese. Adding lots of vegetables will obviously drive up the fiber and mineral content while filling you up without adding heavy animal products. One egg white contains 17 calories, while a whole egg has 70. One yolk isn't a big deal but when you omit the others, it keeps the saturated fat to a bare minimum while still giving you some good protein, which you certainly need in the morning to jump start your metabolism. I used kale but you can substitute spinach or swiss chard if you prefer.

INGREDIENTS
2 green onions, chopped, white ends omitted
5 spears asparagus, chopped leaving the tips whole
2 - 3 cremini mushrooms or a portobello, sliced
big handful of kale, stemmed and chopped
fresh jalapeno, minced ( or crushed red pepper to taste )
half of a ripe avocado
2 -3 eggs, one yolk and the rest whites
1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt ( optional )
roasted garlic powder
smoked paprika
nutritional yeast
sea salt + black pepper to taste
olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Whisk together one whole egg and 1 or 2 additional whites. Whisk in the greek yogurt and set aside. Warm a saute pan to medium and add the olive oil. Add the asparagus and the mushrooms and the jalapeno if using. Season them with salt + pepper, a sprinkle of the garlic and the paprika. Let them go for about 5 - 6 minutes. Add the kale and the green onions and 1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast. Cover the pan for about 2 minutes just enough to steam the greens. Pour this mixture off into the bowl you will be eating out of. Return the pan to medium and add a little more olive oil or butter or ghee. Add the eggs and stir constantly until just scrambled. Season to taste and pour them on top of your vegetables. Top with fresh avocado slices and parsley.

ENJOY!

Cauliflower Curry with Red Quinoa and Crispy Tempeh

I know I just posted a curry recipe in my last post but if you read it, you'll understand my winter love affair with curry spices and it's cousins. It's warm, stimulating and linear with my dosha, vata. My palate goes through chapters and phases like other areas of my life, and I don't really crave curry any other time of the year. I can eat at the Thai restaurant whenever but I am seasonally drawn to make at home when I run colder than usual and I physically need those warming, herbal blends. One of my favorite memories is with my sister Amanda. She loves Thai food too and we would always dine together when she would visit from California. She's an Okie transplant and one very talented quilter - visit her site LOFIGIRL to see all of her amazing work! So this recipe is an adaptation from the hippie famous Moosewood Cookbook which I've had since I was 19. It's my favorite, worn - in recipe guide for vegetarian dishes. Seriously though, ANYONE can make this dish. It isn't complicated or fussy. You need a blender for the curry paste but if you don't have one, you can make it in a bowl. Simple ingredients that are super good for you. It's affordable to recreate, not cheap. These things are easy to find and you can make a million other delicious variations with them!

This recipe serves 4. Double the vegetables if you want to serve more. The paste recipe makes extra anyway and it can be stored in a jar in the refrigerator for later use, like sautes, dressings, salads or bakes.

INGREDIENTS

1|2 head organic cauliflower, separated into smallish florets

2 carrots, peeled and medium diced

1|2 yellow or white onion

2 - 3 cloves garlic

1|4 jalapeno or a pinch of coarse red flakes

1 - 2 potatoes ( sweet or yukon gold ) par boiled and set aside

3 cremini mushrooms 

handful of kale, chopped or chiffonade 

parsley and | or cilantro

plain, greek yogurt

toasted cashews 

pan fried tempeh or tofu or add chickpeas to the end of your saute

1|2 cup red quinoa or brown rice or millet, cooked

CURRY PASTE

1|2 cup plain, unsweetened shredded coconut

1|4 cup raw cashews, dry toasted

1 T raw sesame seeds, dry toasted

1 T whole mustard seed or mustard seed powder

1|2 t cumin

cayenne to taste 

2 cloves chopped garlic 

1 T fresh ginger, peeled and minced

big pinch allspice or cloves

1|4 c raw nuts - preferably cashews, but peanuts will work

1|2 cup filtered water as needed to make a good paste

*put everything in the blender, adding the water gradually, using just enough to make a paste and get everything moving. Store the leftover paste in a glass jar in the refrigerator. 

DIRECTIONS

Start cooking your grain in a medium saucepan, whether that's quinoa or brown rice or millet. Start your saute with the onions and carrots in a little olive oil until tender, about 10 minutes. Warm some olive oil in another pan. Cut your tempeh or tofu into rectangles and fry for 7 minutes on one side, then turn. Don't stir! On the second side, hit it with some Braggs or coconut aminos or tamari or soy sauce. It will season your tempeh or tofu and deglaze the pan, making it easier to turn. Add the cauliflower and mushrooms to the onions and carrots and cover. Add a splash of water if you're seeing brown on the bottom of the pan. That's deglazing. It's the good stuff - it's called 'fond' and you want to pull it up off the bottom to season your saute. Water or stock will 'deglaze' the pan and bring it from the surface for you. After about 10 minutes, stir in 2 tablespoons of the paste and a little water. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. Take off the lid and turn off the heat. Stir in the kale and parsley.  

Serve by putting a small, mounded spoonful of quinoa onto the plate. Press down gently in the middle. Place the curry inside the well and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro if you like it ( which you should learn to if you don't! ) and greek yogurt and toasted cashews, peanuts or pine nuts.

ENJOY!!