Astrologer Leslie McGuirk has been a popular keynote speaker on the topic of creative inspiration. In the first half, she discussed what 2021 looks like astrologically and what we can expect from the effects of Mercury retrograde. She also reviewed the predictions she made a year ago on the show, in which she highlighted the element of air as a critical factor in 2020. COVID-19, which turned out to be an airborne virus, and the George Floyd "I can't breathe" incident were both huge air-themed events in the past year, she noted. According to McGuirk, those born during Mercury retrograde periods (about 20%) actually have more momentum during that cycle, whereas the rest of the population may feel stuck. Mercury retrograde is a receptive period that is good for re-harmonizing or renewing elements in your life, she added.
Our new year starts to get more comfortable toward the summer, she said, but February looks to be a tough month. She views astrology as "cosmic weather patterns" that we can prepare for. She cited February 17th, June 14th, and December 24th as potentially high conflict dates because Saturn and Uranus are at odds or squared with each other then, and represent a kind of battle between the old and the new. McGuirk, who gave readings to callers in the second hour, stressed the importance of interpretation in her craft and how she doesn't rely on a person's sun sign but analyzes the positions of other planets like Mercury in terms of when someone was born.
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Mike Ricksecker serves as a paranormal investigator and "Ghostorian" with the Society of the Haunted. In the latter half, he talked about his study and investigations into ghostly encounters and other aspects of the unexplained. On a trip to Salisbury, MD, when he was counseling a friend who was struggling with suicidal thoughts, he observed strange forms appearing behind her outside. As he walked back to his car, he saw what he described as a "living spider web," a white form slinking through the treetops, as dark figures stood at the base of the trees. One of his favorite haunted locations is the Stone Lion Inn in Guthrie, OK, which served as a mortuary in the 1930s. The Inn is known for its anomalous creaks and groans, voices, footsteps, and even poltergeist activity, he noted.
One of Ricksecker's next book projects is on the Alaska Triangle, an area akin to the Bermuda Triangle, with unsolved mysteries and disappearances. He believes the region is a hotspot for unusual activity because of vortex or magnetic energy coming out of the Earth's core. Planes have vanished, and some have theorized they traveled into a portal. He also talked about cases of doppelgangers and time slips worldwide, such as when the famous German writer and poet Goethe saw a man who looked liked him dressed in an unusual suit he didn't own. Years later, as he was treading the path in the opposite direction, he realized he'd seen himself in the future, as he was now wearing that same suit. Ricksecker has started an online community, The Connected Universe, which offers classes and workshops.
News segment guests: Lauren Weinstein, Steve Kates