Our Stories | Mexicali Blues Blog

We’re lucky to begin this year with a New Moon in Capricorn beginning on January 13th. It's energy will help us reaffirm our goals and set intentions for the months to come. With recent events that have been a long time coming, it is more important than ever to dig deep and seek out relationships and ideas that will help you engage with positive energy and support the global community we are all a part of. 

The first New Moon of a new year is an auspicious time to set important intentions, some of which can have a lasting effect on the decade ahead of us. We urge you to make it count and imbue the positivity that your soul shines into everything you do and everywhere you go, for that has the opportunity to be many places this year, even if it’s still from the comfort of your home. 

With Pluto entering into the fold again and bringing with it a jumbled mess of power-seeking energy, don’t lose sight of what is necessary for your home to thrive. It is a magical thing to have the strength and wherewithal to support yourself in times of transformation and imbalance, but remember that there are others in this world who don’t have the same privileges and who could use a helping hand. Listen to their voices and hold back before responding in haste or in a performative way without any true action or benefit to the community you want to support.

What this moon means for Fire Signs:

Leo, Aries, Sagittarius

It is an ideal time to be setting goals for your career, whether it involves a promotion that has been a long time coming or a change in scene. The cosmic energy is perfect for new habits and routines to unfold in your life. Small changes will undoubtedly make the most lasting impact.

What this moon means for Earth Signs:

Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

With a little extra support from your fellow earth signs this cycle, you have the universe’s power at your fingertips. Seek out what excites you because now is the perfect time to invest in your passion project. Invite someone who can challenge you to participate and get outside of your comfort zone. 

What this moon means for Air Signs:

Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

This is perhaps the most crucial moon of the year for you dear air sign. It is the moment for you to dive deep and take an introspective look at what you want in your life. Yes, you can embrace this time and rest your overstimulated senses, but do not lose sight of what is important for you to grow. Set intentions with a daily ritual to help create a positive space for change. 

What this moon means for Water Signs:

Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

There are new commitments that will present themselves in the coming weeks and while this might be scary, we know you can handle it. Take small steps but keep moving forward. This will result in the community you felt might have been missing for so long. 

 

Dear Mexicali Family,

What a long, strange trip this year has been. Words can’t express our gratitude for your continued support, but we hope that these words find you well, wherever you may be:

Happy Holidays from all of us at Mexicali, we couldn’t do it without you, our customers, and the continued support of our amazing staff. Whether you have just started shopping with us or you have been with us since the beginning in 1988, you are now a part of our family. Thanks for supporting us with your business, and for helping us give back both here in Maine and abroad. Thanks for sharing your photos, songs, stories and smiles that all weave into the beautiful tapestry that is Mexicali Blues. Thanks for supporting the changes that we have made to our in-store experiences in the face of this craziness. Thank you, for being you. Let your love light shine as the days lengthen, and let us welcome this New Year with open arms. 

Namaste,

Pete, Kim and the Mexicali Crew

The last Full Moon of 2020 will rise in the sign of Cancer on December 29th, 2020. It will remind us to find some kind of connection to the happiest memories we associate with home. Since Cancer tends to rule the tender-hearted and compassionate, you can expect to feel an overwhelming sense of nostalgia and the desire to belong somewhere. Keep in mind that the Sun entered Capricorn on the 22nd which puts the responsibility to fulfil your desires into your own hands. While what you desire might not fall instantly into your lap, there is a chance for you to make it happen–with extra patience and caution to do so responsibly.

What this moon means for Fire Signs: Leo, Aries, Sagittarius

Through the last New Moon you might have been feeling bubbly and ready to engage with those around you–something you haven’t felt in quite some time. Now that you’ve taken a moment to recharge your outgoing energy, express gratitude for those connections and focus on the joy they brought before setting back into a time of self-reflection.

What this moon means for Earth Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Did you make your boundaries clear and stick to them last moon cycle? If you find you still need to advocate for yourself in certain situations then this full moon energy will help you reach your goals. If someone still isn’t respecting your boundaries then it might be time to find a kind way of addressing or letting go of the toxic energy.

What this moon means for Air Signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

It’s all about letting go this time around. Whether that means setting aside time when you don’t have to constantly think about your career, or else purging the clutter in your life which is only causing you more stress. Making room will allow you to encourage and nurture a healthier lifestyle for you and yours.

What this moon means for Water Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Nurturing is second nature for you but while this full moon lights up that deep and tender side of you, be cautious of those who will take more than you can give. Perhaps it’s a person, perhaps it’s a passion project. Regardless, protect yourself from investing in the wrong one. 

It’s the giving season, and those of us at Mexicali Blues are embracing the spirit of giving this year by donating over five thousand child-sized face masks to local schools as part of our ‘Global Giving Sharing Smiles’ charitable program. Each year, we give back 1% of our total sales to organizations that do a world of good, and despite the changes and challenges we’ve all faced, this year is no different. Our team worked with seven school districts to distribute the masks during the week of Thanksgiving. Schools in Bangor, the greater Portland area, Windham, Freeport, and the Midcoast region all received several hundred brightly colored face masks to give out to elementary and middle school students. 

The idea to give back to local schools came to our co-owner, Kim Erskine, one day while having a conversation with her sister Laurie Gerard, a kindergarten teacher in Auburn. With all of the obstacles that the Covid-19 pandemic has presented–one of which being kids without masks, or with ones that did not fit properly, Gerard described the current school year as the most challenging in her 25 year career.

Shortly after this conversation took place, we received a shipment of colorful, comfortable child-sized face masks from Thailand, made by artisans we have worked with for years. Kim remembers the moment it all came together. 

“I immediately knew we needed to order more and distribute them to the schools in the communities of all of our store locations. We have such great community support in each of our locations and we thought this was an excellent opportunity to give back. This is a unique donation in the sense that it was not planned out in advance but a reaction to a new situation that arose out of the pandemic. Our hope is that we can provide masks where needed–and that the bright colors and fun prints add a little levity to the kids' days. Even though you can't see the smiles under the masks, we know that they are there!” 

When we told our suppliers the plan to donate masks to local school children, they kindly sent a couple hundred extra, free of charge, to help with the effort! Since distributing the donations, we have received several thank you’s and even some photos of the school children wearing the masks. It’s not hard to see some ear-to-ear grins behind them either–it has truly turned out to be an experience of global giving and sharing smiles!

The new moon rises on December 14th with a simultaneous solar eclipse. As the last new moon of this long and strange year, we knew there’d be something special about it. Normally the new moon marks the beginning of a new chapter in your life or the ideal time to start a project you want to see finished. However, with the eclipse also occurring on the same day it’s likely we will all experience some radical shifts to the usual plan. 

That shouldn’t be too difficult considering the hoops we’ve all jumped through to keep going this year. Hopefully the change that’s coming quickly for us is a good one, as we run full speed ahead into the next moon cycle. The cosmos is literally begging and pushing us to make positive change and it’s up to us as a collective to make that happen. If you’re not up to date on The Great Conjunction, definitely look into this huge cosmic event!

For some that means setting stricter personal boundaries and opting for curbside pickup rather than entering a packed store. For others it might mean signing up for that online course that has been one line too low on the to-do list. Whatever it means for you, be sure to put 100% effort into it. 

What this moon means for Fire Signs: Leo, Aries, Sagittarius

We know it’s been a looooong time since you’ve felt that playful part of your personality. This temporary transformation could be the perfect opportunity to get in touch with another aspect of yourself that has been hiding in the shadows. If it’s making you a little nervous, that’s ok because it’s all part of the ride we’re on.

What this moon means for Earth Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

You might find some individuals are taking more than you are able to give so keep in mind that you are worthy of time to yourself and setting strong boundaries. Your structured and organized life should include time to practice self care, or at least an afternoon of quiet to yourself. What would make it even better? Spending your you-time in a clean space. 

What this moon means for Air Signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Keep a close eye on your communication this cycle and be sure to watch the words you use because they have an unprecedented power. If you need support, reach out to the Earth signs in your life. Maybe it’s time to rekindle a long lost connection you miss. 

What this moon means for Water Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

It’s all about patience and letting things flow with the tide right now. With the cosmic energy shifting dramatically in every direction it’s good to take a bit of caution. If you see an opportunity to make an improvement be sure to look past the glamour and seek out the overarching benefit for everyone it might affect. 

Hello Mexicali Blues Community!

I’m Chelsey, Web Manager at Mexicali Blues, and I wanted to personally reach out to you with an update on shipping delays and the holiday season. First, a huge thank you for your patience this year. 2020 has been something else to say it lightly, and we know it’s been hard for everyone. We have really appreciated your loyalty as we navigated through uncharted waters this year. Your patience and understanding have meant the world to us. 

We must now ask for your continued patience, as we have been notified that we can expect to see some significant shipping delays this holiday season. No doubt some of you already have orders you are waiting for, and I do apologize for that. With everyone shopping safely online this season, there is a strain on both our packing capacity and our mail carriers as we all try to get every gift where it needs to go.

With that said, know that we are working as quickly and efficiently as possible to make sure all orders are shipped out in a timely manner, but there will most likely be delays of 5+ business days due to increased order volume and the massive number of packages mail carriers are moving across the country. If you have placed an order and do not see a shipping update from us within a week, I can promise you that we have not lost your order, but are working our hardest to get it out. 

While we can’t guarantee shipping by December 25th, we do recommend making sure any holiday gifts are purchased by December 14th to give ample time for them to arrive. Although we can’t guarantee the package will arrive on time, we are always happy to help should anything go wrong or any issues occur. Just drop us a line at customerservice@mexicaliblues.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. We would be happy to hear from you! 

We wish everyone a happy holiday season. 

Peace + Love,

The Mexicali Blues Team