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Metaphysical Connection: Mercury in Retrograde

Mercury is about to be in retrograde. (Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

After the potent energies of March, April usually brings us a bit of steadiness. It is the fourth month of the year, offering the energetic stability of the number four. However, this month, the usual solid foundation April brings is going to be rocked by the second Mercury retrograde of 2023.

Mercury retrograde happens three to four times every year, and usually lasts for four weeks. It is an astronomical phenomenon that makes the planet look like it is moving backwards in its orbit around the sun. It’s an optical illusion that occurs because it takes Mercury only 88 days to orbit the sun, compared to the 365 days it takes the Earth to orbit the sun. This is an observable scientific occurrence, but that does not mean it doesn’t energetically affect us.

The planet Mercury is named for the Roman god Mercury, the messenger of the gods, delivering news and goods but also acting as a translator or interpreter. Mercury rules over wealth, communication, commerce, and good fortune. When the planet of Mercury appears to move backwards in its orbit, these qualities may struggle to move forward or have more glitches than usual.

Generally, retrograde is a period of frustration, with delays, miscommunication, and technological mishaps. It is commonly advised that people should not travel, sign contracts, or make any major life decisions during a Mercury retrograde. During this time, try to be flexible as plans may end up changing often, be patient and understanding, back up your work and important documents ahead of time, and leave yourself some wiggle room for any major projects.

Mercury retrograde gets blamed for many things, and it can be a frustrating period, but it can bring us some much-needed perspective. It’s advised to not start any endeavors during the retrograde, but it makes a great time to finish things up. If you have any lingering chores or projects, use the energy to get them finished and off your plate. You can also use the time to reflect and slow down, to review where you are putting your time and energy and assess if it is going to the right things.

The next Mercury retrograde will begin on April 21st and end on May 14th. This year, every Mercury retrograde will happen in an earth sign, with April’s happening in the sign of Taurus. The astrological sign of Taurus is represented by the bull and is ruled by the planet Venus. Taurus represents our creature comforts, money and finances, and industry. Taurus is known as a stubborn sign, slow to move, logical, sensual but with an all-or-nothing attitude. This fixed earth sign does not enjoy change or uncertainty, which means the upcoming retrograde may cause some chaos in our lives.

With Mercury retrograde in an earth sign, we may end up focusing more on the physical world this month. It may have us reconsidering our values and financials. Taurus is the sign of all things material and natural, which could mean this retrograde may surface some previously buried issues related to our home, families, or money. Taurus is also the sign of finances, values, and power, so we could find ourselves rethinking our relationship within those areas. Now may be a good time to reevaluate your budget or make one, or put a plan together for any major purchases or trips.

Although Mercury retrograde can interrupt our best laid plans, it is not meant to frustrate. It helps us see what no longer serves us and needs to be filtered out of our lives. Oftentimes there are blessings. During this month’s retrograde, there are other astrological happenings that may help balance it out. Saturn moved into the sign of Pisces at the beginning of March, and this blending of energies supports our mental faculties and helps with focus and determination.

Just remember to plan ahead and leave yourself time and space.

Emily Guenther is a co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.

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Cut the Cord

Release energetic attachments. (Photo: Emily Guenther)

Cord-cutting is a popular topic among spiritual practitioners. It can be a useful tool in helping you move on from a relationship or situation, and may be considered a form of self-care. It is a spiritual exercise that a person does when they need help releasing unhealthy energetic ties from a relationship or situation that has ended or no longer serves them.

Cord-cutting allows us to assert a measure of control over a situation that may be out of our hands. It can help facilitate a natural process and speed up the results. We will eventually get over our ex or stop thinking about them every time we go to a certain place. But why wait? Humans are pack animals, in need of connections, but we also want to feel in control of our own lives and we are not patient people.

This exercise does not have to be done just for romantic relationships gone bad. If you struggle with toxic relationships with family or friends, you can use a cord-cutting ceremony to help release those attachments and signal the moving away from that relationship.

Releasing energetic attachments does not have to be done only when things have ended badly. If your last relationship concluded amicably, you can do a cord-cutting to bring closure and signal that you are moving on with your life.

I have studied under a person who told me she practiced cord-cutting every day. As part of her daily spiritual practice, she would release all the attachments between herself and her loved ones that were not of unconditional love. She said this helped her and her loved ones from dwelling over disagreements or hurt feelings, and gave the family a sense of personal freedom to be themselves.

When we spend time with a person, whether romantic or platonic, we form energetic bonds with those people. You can also form energetic bonds to places such as your home, favorite coffee shop, or park. If you are a sentimental person, it can be easy to form attachments to objects. When it is time to move on from that person, place, or thing, we may find it difficult due to those bonds.

When we have strong energetic bonds with someone, performing a cord-cutting ceremony once may not be enough. Depending on the length or strength of your bond, you may want to do it multiple times or make it part of regular spiritual practice. Healing and cleansing your energetic body is a process. Even if we do a cord-cutting to speed up the results, this can still take time. Only you will know when it has worked, so don’t be afraid to repeat it or don’t feel like a failure if you still feel a connection after doing it.

A popular method of cord-cutting is done using two candles and a piece of thread. I suggest using black candles for this, but use whatever color feels the most appropriate to you. Set the two candles on a fire-safe surface, some distance apart. Tie the thread around one candle, leave a taut length of string between the two candles, and then tie the loose end of the thread to the opposite candle. Light both candles. As the candles burn down, the string will catch fire and will burn. This is a physical representation of those energetic bonds burning and dying. Once your candles have burned down, dispose of any leftover wax and string.

Cord-cutting can bring back emotions and trauma; it is part of the healing process. Once you have completed the ceremony, spend some time performing self-care. Meditate or journal as you process your experience and feelings. Because it can bring up old feelings, remind yourself not to reach out to the person you just cut energetic ties with. They may be on your mind now, but it will pass. And you had to cut your ties with them for a reason, so remember that if the feeling to slide into someone’s DMs hits you.

Emily Guenther is a co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.

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February is for Lovers

February might be the shortest month of the year, but it is packed with meaning. February is the month of love, hosting Valentine’s Day on the 14th. What better tarot card to discuss this week than The Lovers card?

In tarot, The Lovers is card number six of the Major Arcana. The Major Arcana section of tarot represents the big picture in our lives, marking milestone events or major turning points. The Lovers card is about love, but there is so much more to it than romance.

To get a fuller understanding of The Lovers, let’s look at its number, six. Sixes in tarot reflect our journey to harmony and unity, not just with ourselves but with others. The number six calls us to engage with society. As we learn and grow through our interactions, we change. The number six of The Lovers card tells us that, going forward, things will be different, and our experiences with The Lovers card will leave us transformed.

With a name like The Lovers, it’s natural that love is the first thing we think of when we see this card. If you are looking for romance in your life and you see The Lovers in a reading, it is a good indication that what you are looking for is in your future. As an attraction card, The Lovers represents those feelings of excitement, hopefulness, and joy of new love. It represents the allure and passion of love that can be hard to define. The Lovers represents a romantic partnership between people that is complementary and uplifting to both parties. If you are considering taking your relationship to the next level, The Lovers card is a welcome indication that it’s time to get more serious and that your relationship is well-matched.

The Lovers card is also about choices. With each person we meet, we have the ability to choose to be in a relationship with them — whether it’s a friendship, business, or romantic relationship. With The Lovers card, you are choosing love — and choosing the person you want to express that love with. The Lovers also represents those choices we make when we truly desire something. The attraction and allure of the card doesn’t end with people but can symbolize decisions we make in our lives.

Imagine that you are content with your life. You go about your days not seeking any changes. Then, out of the blue, you see a job posting for a job you’ve always wanted. Now that you know your dream job is available, do you apply and pursue it, even though it means changing your career? Or do you ignore it? The excitement and the almost spiritual pull of that dream job is an example of the choices we have to make with The Lovers.

All choices come with a consequence — good, bad, or indifferent. If we make the choice to pursue our dream job, then we may find ourselves changing careers when we didn’t plan on it. We might find ourselves with pressure to relocate. We now have to accept and deal with the consequences of the choice we made. The Lovers is about moving toward a more harmonious lifestyle, which means things in our life will change, and those changes can be lasting. There may be a sacrifice you must make in order to have this dream. In some ways, all commitment is a sacrifice, but one made for the right reason or person can help you grow as an individual.

The next time you receive a reading and The Lovers card appears, get ready! The person, thing, or situation you’ve been manifesting is on its way. Now you have to make sure you are ready for the love and the choices it will bring into your life. Until your ideal partner or situation arrives, live your life in harmony and unity with yourself and others so that you are in a space of love and ready to receive your blessing that The Lovers card brings.

Emily Guenther is a co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.

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The Broom Closet’s Twilight Tarot

Photo: ABigail Morici Emily Guenther

When Emily Guenther, also known as Reverend Omma to her Wiccan congregation, opened The Broom Closet over 10 years ago, she thought of it as a fantasy coming true. “I had spent six or seven years working in advertising,” she says. “It felt very inconsequential, like anybody could do it. It wasn’t feeding my soul, but it paid the bills. … I had this fantasy that like one day I might actually get to retire. And once I did, I would then spend my retirement working at a little store selling herbs to people — that was just this weird kind of daydream that kind of helped me get through the day sometimes.”

But after a rough year with her mother’s passing and losing that advertising job, her husband Stephen urged her to bring her metaphysical store to fruition, and now 10 years later, that store is going strong, offering solace to its customers and selling spiritual supplies from sage for cleansing to gemstones for manifesting. “We strive to serve the spiritual needs of the community,” Guenther says. “We try to cater to everyone regardless of their beliefs or practices, and just help people, talk to them, answer questions, help them find the thing that they need if they don’t know what they’re looking for.”

As such, one of the services The Broom Closet offers is tarot reading — fortune-telling that uses a deck of 78 pictorial cards. Anyone can read tarot, Guenther says, as long as they understand the meanings of the cards and can embrace their intuition, but having someone else read your tarot can offer insights that you might not have to come otherwise. “The thing about tarot,” she says, “is that because we’re all different … we filter through our life experiences and the way that we live our lives. And so if I needed a reading and let’s say I came to you and I know what the cards mean, you’re going to say it or explain it or filter it through your experience in a way that I needed to hear it.”

In a way, it’s like therapy, with someone guiding you through confronting and coping with the uncontrollable — like love or money, two things Guenther says she gets asked about the most.

To kick off the new year, the Broom Closet is hosting a special night of tarot reading for those looking to check in on specific situations in their life and find guidance. Participants will be able to choose from 15-minute tarot readings for $20, 30-minute readings for $40, and 60-minute readings for $70. Readings will be done on a first-come-first-served basis, with no appointments necessary.

To keep up with other event offerings, like workshops and sound baths, at The Broom Closet, follow them on Facebook (@The Broom Closet – Memphis) or Instagram (@ the_broom_closet).

Twilight Tarot: A Night of Tarot Reading, The Broom Closet, Friday, January 6, 6-8 p.m., $20-$70.

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Historical Haunts Ghost Tours

Tours meet at the Broom Closet before embarking. (Photo: Abigail Morici)

“I was the creepy girl in school,” Tanya Vandesteeg says. “I guess I still am, but we moved a lot when I was a child. And to make friends with everybody in my new school, I would always ask them things like, ‘Oh, what’s the local legend in your town?’ I was always really wanting to debunk it.”

Despite this desire to debunk, Vandesteeg has never doubted the existence of the paranormal. “I was really into it. I would see portals in my room when I was a small child — like these really spinning weird things. And I would hear voices and have visions.”

Once at college, her paranormal proclivities led her to ghost hunting, a hobby that she continued as she moved from place to place until she landed here in Memphis, where she joined her first “official paranormal group.” That’s also where she met fellow paranormal investigator Stephen Guenther. “We decided to break off that group and form our own group,” Vandesteeg says.

Since then, the Historical Haunts team has performed and continues to perform a number of paranormal investigations, and eventually the two founders branched out into offering haunted tours, where guests can learn about Memphis’ ghostly history and try their own hand at ghost hunting. And, yes, there will be paranormal activity on these tours, Vandesteeg assures.“We don’t fake anything.”

In fact, whether you see a ghost or not depends on your intentions and energy. “If you’re all closed off and negative about it you’re not going to be vibrating on the same level as the spirits,” she says. “We always say if you’re loving and caring and grateful, you’re going to vibrate on that level.” With that in mind, the group does not tolerate provoking spirits.

Historical Haunts Ghost Tours’ various tours — including the Haunted Memphis Bus Tour, Haunted Pub Crawl, and Walking Ghost Hunt — run weekly. For more information or to buy tickets, visit historicalhauntsmemphis.com.

Historical Haunts Ghost Tours, historicalhauntsmemphis.com.

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Alt-Christmas: Yule Blót at The Broom Closet

Credit: Toby Sells

Thor’s hammer and a curved drinking horn sit among animal pelts, candles, and bowls covered in ancient runes. Last weekend, in the back room of The Broom Closet, around the table holding these items, gathered the Fellowship of Yggdrasil. The group was celebrating yule — the winter solstice — with a Blót, a sort of party to give thanks for the year’s blessings. The group, called a kindred, first got together last summer to celebrate Norse and Germanic culture. Its summer solstice event attracted 14 people.

We talked to kindred leader Emily Geunther, who is a co-owner of the South Main metaphysical shop. She hastens to say that her group’s appreciation for Nordic culture is unlike those of alt-right groups that have tried recently to co-opt Norse ancestry and traditions to create racial boundaries. 

The Fellowship of Yggdrasil, she says, simply celebrates the old ways and is open to anyone who wants to come. As for the Blót, it’s an event to celebrate, give thanks, and to drink, of course. — Toby Sells 

So, it’s the Yule … You’re going to have to say that “b” word.
Yule Blót? (Pronounced “bloat.”)

Yes. So, what is it?
The Yule Blót is specifically the Norse and Germanic way of celebrating the winter solstice. We are a pagan religion. There’s lots of them. Pagans celebrate the idea of yule, which is what we call the winter solstice. Lots of traditions or pagan religious groups celebrate it differently, but at the heart of it all is the idea that “we’re going to survive winter. Come on, sun!”

What about the Blót part?
Blót is an old Norse word that means ”sacrifice.” So, we get together to do a sacrifice, which sounds very scary. It’s not. But it’s for sacrificing our time. We’re getting together as a community. We are celebrating each other and honoring the old ways. There is, depending on who’s doing it, a little bit of sacrifice involved. Usually it’s a form of alcohol.

Mead is usually what I bring. Our ancient ancestors — the Vikings, the Norse — they drank mead. They drank ale, or whatever beer they made. So, yes, part of the Blót — the sacrifice we do — is pouring out some of the mead. 

Tell me more about the Fellowship of Yggdrasil. 
We are a Norse, pagan group. Anyone is welcome. Anyone at all who might be curious. 

Anyone is welcome.

Emily Geunther

But this is kind of a strictly Norse group. We work only with Norse deities and try to do it in a historically informed way. 

I am also Wiccan, and Wiccans can really worship any deity — whoever they feel attracted to. We call them kindreds in Norse culture. It’s not a church. It’s not a coven. 

How does the Blót work?
There’s the Blót, which is kind of a church service. Then, there’s a little bit of a break. Then, there’s what they call a sumbel, which is three rounds of making toasts. We’re drinking. 

Credit: Toby Sells

The first round of a sumbel, everyone will take a turn if they want to. They can pass if they want. But you can toast a god or goddess who has gifted you with something this year. Since we’re talking about yule and the holidays, there’s a lot of gift giving and thankfulness going on. 

So, someone might say, “I toast so-and-so because they helped me get a new car.” Then, everyone’s like “hey” [makes an air toast]. Then, the next person goes like “hey” [makes an air toast]. Drink. We do that three times. People will say “I’m not coming if there’s not a sumbel.” That’s a required part. 

It also gives people a chance ot be part of it. It’s not just sitting there watching me talk. It gives everyone a chance to have a voice or to say something. 

What happens after the sumbel?
We hail the ancestors and the land spirits. Land spirits are very important to not just continental but European cultures. The idea is that there are spirits that are of the land and keep watch over it and protect it. Being on good terms with them is usually a beneficial. Then, we’ll do some readings. Kind of a “why we’re all here” kind of thing.    

As we’ve been doing all of this, I’ve been slowly pouring mead into a bowl. Then, I’ll take a little bit of evergreen and go around and flick everyone with a little bit of mead to give them blessings. 

That sounds awesome. 
It depends on whether or not I hit you in the eyes. 

Then, we wrap up and close and release all the energies that have shown up. Then, I’ll take the sacrificial mead outside to the tree and pour it out. And I have a little prayer I say while I’m pouring it out. 

Do you have to trace your lineage back to be in the group? Or, is it just an appreciation of the culture? 

So many alt-right, conservative crazy people have adopted this idea that ancient Norse culture was pure and idealistic.

It’s an appreciation of the culture. I’m not going to lie, because this one’s a hard one. So many alt-right, conservative crazy people have adopted this idea that ancient Norse culture was pure and idealistic. It wasn’t. They were people, too, and they were not a pure-bred race by any means. They’re not like the perfect Aryan race. They travelled. They interacted with the Moors and the Muslims. They were interbred and borrowed ideas. So, anyone is welcome. You don’t have to be Norse. You can just be curious. It’s just an appreciation of the culture.  

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Shop Local: Downtown

This holiday season, we’re asking readers to support local and consider these and others for their gift-giving needs.

The Broom Closet

For your giftee’s metaphysical needs — gemstones, candles, tarot readings, sage and smudging supplies, and more — visit The Broom Closet. The shop also offers unique trinkets and home decor. We especially love this Astrology Box ($28). Available in-store at 525 S. Main and online at thebroomclosetmemphis.com.

Orpheum Theatre

With a return to live performances, audiences are eager to experience the magic that the Orpheum’s event lineup has to offer. Hamilton, Memphis Jookin’ featuring Lil Buck, and comedian Bert Kreischer are among those gracing the stage this season, and tickets make great gifts! And this 2021 ornament ($25), designed by local artist AnnaMade Designs, would look nice on the holiday tree. Available at orpheum-memphis.com or 225 S. Main.

Hollywood Feed

Don’t forget the furry family members! Hollywood Feed offers more than just quality pet food. Handmade treats from their bakery, toys, cutesy clothes, and more are available for your four-legged friends. Keep them warm with a festive sweater ($11.99)! Available at 2015 Union, other store locations, or hollywoodfeed.com.

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Change Was in the Cards for Memphis Tarot Readers

CREDIT: Toby Sells

Toby Sells

Erin Larivee (left) and Emily Guenther read tarot cards for clients in person at South Main’s The Broom Closet and online.

Change was coming. It was in the cards.

Emily Guenther and Erin Larivee saw that change in their cards last fall, one card specifically.

“The Tower Card is one of the change cards but it’s my least favorite,” said Guenther. “It’s a big change; it’s disruption. It’s your life being turned upside down. It’s the rug being pulled from under you. And, a lot of times, there’s no preparation for any of this.”

Guenther owns The Broom Closet, a metaphysical shop and spiritual supply store on South Main. There, she reads tarot cards for clients under the name Reverend Omma. Larivee reads at the shop, too and is considered a hedgewalker, a spiritual term for someone who easily walks between the physical world and the one beyond the veil.

Both of them said they began seeing the Tower Card appear for more clients more often last fall. Back then, Guenther was even walking through her tarot class through an exercise on picking their card of the year. She picked the Tower Card.

“I’m having meltdown in front of the class, like, oh my god, this is going to be the worst year of my life forever,” Guenther said. “Little did I know it was for everybody.”

While there are many professional agencies advocating for tarot readers, like the American Tarot Association and the National Tarot Readers Association, none of them offered any trend information related to readings and the coronavirus. Then again, it may be difficult to extract and report upon personal data from private readings.

Just like much else, COVID-19 has pushed once face-to-face tarot readings into the digital world. Guenther said she resisted at first, “I wanted you to touch my cards. That’s how I was going to read your energy.” She relented and said a virtual reading “doesn’t interfere with the messages and the ability to give a good reading.”

“It’s not about being in the same space,” Larivee said, noting she’s done readings on Zoom and Skype for years. “Sharing energy is sharing energy. It’s not about being in the same space.”

No tarot reader could have really predicted COVID-19, said Guenther and Larivee; readings just don’t work that way. Tarot is ”like a picture in time,” Guenther said. While readings can show where things are headed, “it’s not set in stone,” she said, and they can help clients pick a path.

Unstable times did not produce an uptick in overall clients, both readers said. That is, questions and uncertainty about the global pandemic did not send many more people seeking answers or stability in a tarot reading.
[pullquote-1-center] But the global situation has made for some consistent messaging in many readings, as people worldwide deal with the same issue. People worry about their lives in the context of the world-changing pandemic, Larivee said. From many of those readings, she said a common theme has emerged: “normal is never going to be normal again.”

Toby Sells

Erin Larivee and Emily Guenther read tarot cards for clients in person at South Main’s The Broom Closet and online. Above, Larivee reveals the change-gonna-come Tower Card.

“Someday we will have something normal but something’s going to change,” Larivee said. “We may not be living with a mask, I don’t [perceive] that. But normal is changing. I’m getting that very frequently.”

Guenther joked that many seek a tarot reading to answer questions primarily about two things: love and money. Since COVID-19, they’ve seen people turn to them for a third reason.

“I think tarot reading is a bit like therapy and counseling,” Guenther said. “So, I feel like a lot of it is just people needing someone to talk to that they haven’t already been talking at for a few weeks now.”

There’s another trend both Guenther, Larivee, and others are seeing in their cards, or not seeing.

“I’m seeing [the Tower Card] less frequently,” Larivee said. “A lot of the members of the community that I know personally and professionally have been noticing the exact same pattern,” Larivee said. “That’s been consistent nationally and globally.”
[pullquote-2-center] Guenther, too.

“I’ve notice I’ve stopped seeing it quite as much, which gives me a little bit of hope,” she said.

What’s in the cards for you? Book a tarot reading with Guenther, Larivee, and other readers at The Broom Closet website. The Broom Closet, 546 S. Main St.

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Spirit Guides: The Broom Closet Hosts Ghost Hunting 101 Workshop

CREDIT: Stefano Pollio | Unsplash

On one fateful February evening in 1918, Memphis police officer Edward L. Broadfoot and his partner L.C. Dowdy were responding to a tip about bootleggers operating out of Preferencia Cafe located at 546 Main Street. When the two officers arrived at the scene and approached three men in the cafe, the suspects opened fire on the officers, wounding Dowdy and killing Broadfoot.

The Broom Closet is now open for business at that location, and the owner, Stephen Guenther, says that Broadfoot’s spirit still lives on within those walls.

Stefano Pollio | Unsplash

If you have ghosts

“We feel like he’s just hanging around,” Guenther says. “This is where he gave his greatest sacrifice. We don’t feel like he’s trapped or anything because it’s like he’s still on patrol.”

Guenther says Broadfoot’s presence has been picked up by various instruments, like a spirit box that provides a white noise for spirits to speak through.

“Sometimes, we’ll get his name or his wife’s name or different things coming through,” Guenther says. “We’ve also had law enforcement people down here. One gentleman got a little tug on his gun when he was here — not nefarious, but more like, ‘Hey, I used to have one of these.'”

Guenther says this is nothing to worry about, as spirits typically aren’t malevolent.

“It can be a very, very positive thing,” says Guenther. “A lot of it is just friends and loved ones trying to look in on us or get our attention to let us know that they’re okay.”

On Wednesday, Guenther will lead guests in a workshop on the basics of reaching out to Broadfoot’s and others’ spirits.

Ghost Hunting 101 Workshop – So you wanna be a ghost hunter?, The Broom Closet, 546 S. Main, Wednesday, January 15th, 7-9 p.m., $10.