The Judgement card is “the reason for the season.” This week, it is an invitation to understand that there is no “other,” says Lindsay Mack…
Advice
NUMINOUS TAROTSCOPES: FEBRUARY 2017
Cast by Lindsay Mack using the Starchild Tarot
AQUARIUS :: AQUARIUS RISING
Five of Swords
It will be very important not to make too many big decisions this month, Aquarius. Your whole sign is on the verge of a HUGE expansion. Before a big expansion, we contract, and the brain tries to pull us into safer territory. It does this, largely, by playing tricks on us. It can invite us into erratic behavior, poor decisions, old fears, self sabotage, all in the name of so-called intuition. There’s nothing to fear from this. In fact, it’s a great thing! Pausing and doing deep inquiry on these types of invitations is how we continue evolving on an aligned path. It’s also a very good and exciting sign. For the brain to pull up these big, potentially sabotaging behaviors, means it’s scared. It means your soul is edging on a cliff of destiny, poised to leap off into something new. Accepting the brain’s invitation will stall the jump. Declining the invitation(s) promises a soul evolution.
Your job this month will be two fold, Aquarius: to pause and inquire before you accept an invitation from the brain, and to recenter if you do/did accept such an invitation, and are left with the consequences of a decision made in that energy. Either way, it’s a teaching. No big deal. We learn a great deal from contrast in this life, so even if you made/make a big decision that you now realize wasn’t in your highest and best, that’s great. This card, and this month is all about the term above: re-centering. This is the essence of the Five of Swords. When we recenter and take responsibility for our actions, even just to ourselves, there is a transformation that is possible. When we recenter, we choose empowered action instead of self loathing. We choose the master’s path, rather than one of victimhood.
Walk gently through life this month, Aquarius. Pause before you say yes. Sit on things for a few days before you agree to them. Trust yourself. If you have an impulse, journal about it, nurture it, consider it, share it with others, and be genuinely open to the opinions of trusted allies. The mental invitations in Five of Swords can be very sly, and one of the ways to rewire it is to fold others in, so you are not an island. Again, your whole sign is on the verge of a big expansion; make fewer big decisions, inquire and pause more.
Cast by Lindsay Mack using the Starchild Tarot. Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
PISCES :: PISCES RISING
Page of Cups, Rx
Take a look around you, Pisces: is it all work and no play these days? Are you feeling disconnected from your true self? If so, it will be vitally important for you to commit to reconnecting to imagination, creativity and whimsy (yes, whimsy!) on a regular basis, beginning in February. Why? Play is the lifeblood of your sign on a whole, my loves. You dive deeper and arguably feel more than any other sign in the zodiac. It is the mastery of Pisces to find a way to feel all that you feel in a usable and creative way, and play is the glue that holds it all together. Play can direct the flow of your feelings, emotions, thoughts and experiences so they don’t stay stagnant within you, creating anxiety or overwhelm.
In fact, much of your soul dharma is to take your inner experiences and share them through creative expression; it’s part of the healing your sign brings to the planet. Page of Cups reversed is really just a reminder of that truth. You will have to be diligent about this practice, Pisces, for larger reasons than you might immediately think. Service and self care will be a massive part of not only your month, but of the years to come. You will not be able to do either of these things effectively without a healthy relationship with play, creativity and imagination. It is not silly, useless or unimportant. Truly, nothing could be more important. It is an essential part of the frequency you are bringing to the planet—it is very important that you cultivate a consistent practice of diving back into your inner world this month.
Page of Cups is the magical, imaginative, intuitive feeler of the deck; the purest essence of a child. A child plays without looking up at the clock. A child drops into a place of creativity that is pure channeling. A child can communicate with the world around them, with trees, flowers, animals, and the unseen. This card is an invitation to come back to these sources of energetic restoration, to connect back to these parts of ourselves. We can forget how vital it is to play, how crucial it is to refill our well with uninterrupted creative or meditative time so we can be truly available as present, supportive allies. It is essential that you come back home to this invitation, Pisces, not just for you, but for the world around you.
Cast by Lindsay Mack using the Starchild TarotWant more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
ARIES :: ARIES RISING
The Sun, Rx
The Sun reversed is bringing a truly beautiful invitation for you this month, Aries, one that will ask you to strengthen and deepen your trust in the flow of life. This kind of inner work cannot be overemphasized in it’s value to your inner growth and evolution. The Sun card is a potent medicine that helps us to get very clear; when we are in the energy of this card, illumination, insight, rebirth and joy are available to us. The Sun rx can help us to remember that, even though the skies might be momentarily dark, the sun is still shining just beyond the clouds. The light, the truth, the clarity and the medicine are all still there, even if we cannot immediately feel or see them. Eventually, the skies do part, and the sun beams it’s rays on us once more. The opportunity for you this month will be to develop and strengthen your faith in this idea, to trust in the ever flowing spiral of life. This is a very deep teaching for you this month, Aries. The ultimate goal, so to speak, of work like this, is to develop an unshakable trust and oneness with ourselves, Nature, the Universe, and life itself. It is a deep remembering of the soul.
We are microcosms of nature, and to live in true peace is to remember this. The ego forgets, and as a result, we can experience suffering. We forget that, layers above any inner storm of anxiety, depression, jealousy or insecurity, the skies are eternally clear. We can access this clarity at any time by remembering that we are inextricably linked to something larger. The ego may forget, but the soul always knows the way home. The trees, the weather, the changing seasons, the phases of the moon—all quiet, constant reminders to remember our true nature.
Forgetting this link with nature is synonymous with a separation, which can lead to us believe, when skies are dark and stormy, that the sun will might never shine again. In fact, the sun IS shining; just because we cannot see or feel it doesn’t mean it’s not true. No thing is permanent. The light is always there, the skies always part, the flowers always bloom open. This is true for you, too, Aries. Now you get to work on knowing it, believing it, trusting it from your very soul. If you ever forget, just look up.
Cast by Lindsay Mack using the Starchild TarotWant more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
TAURUS :: TAURUS RISING
Queen of Crystals
February brings with it some deep medicine for your growth and evolution, Taurus. It will be very important for you to connect to the feminine this month, (think Yin, rather than a gendered sense of feminine). You can do this effortlessly by living seasonally — emphasizing self care, grounding and deepening your alignment with nature, eating foods that nourish you. It doesn’t need to be complex, so keep it as simple as you wish. Queen of Pentacles is the caretaker of the body, so emphasizing tangible things for your physical vessel are important. Above all, this is a time of restoration and reconnection for you.
Your sign on a whole is going to be called to tread gently this month. Hibernate more than you go out, and focus on small, intimate ways to be of service. Commit to caring for your body, heart and soul before you lend a hand to others. If you are deep in active service, there is a greater importance on adding in a higher level of self care. A lot of this is important because your inner energetic flow will shift: in weeks and months upcoming, you’ll have a spark of energy, a burst of fire, and you’ll be called to come out of your cave a lot more. Now is the time to embrace the internal view, to call upon Bear medicine for the month ahead.
Queen of Pentacles is a walking blend of water and earth. She is who we call upon when we want to flow, cleanse and ground down. She is a deeply feminine, earthy presence, and likes to connect with nature at the very root. This is the frequency you will be invited into this month, Taurus, and it will be vital that you say yes and honor that. If you resist it, you risk the chance of getting sick or run down. The key will be for you to nurture simple practices that help keep you tied to an energy like Queen of Pentacles. The totem of Bear is intimately connected to Queen of Pentacles, and lives in the West gate of the Medicine Wheel. Bear helps us to be introspective, to hibernate, to live in alignment with Mother Earth. This is an intuitive power all on its own. To live seasonally is to live in alignment, with what is in highest and best for all. Keep it very simple this month, Taurus. Connect back to the world around you, and nurture a practice of restorative love that starts with the temple you live in.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
GEMINI :: GEMINI RISING
The Empress
Here you are in The Empress once again, Gemini—two months in a row. It’s exciting to get a repeat card! No card ever shows up more than once (no matter how thoroughly we shuffle the deck) unless it still has lessons to offer us. Repeat cards are a sign from the Universe, gently giving you a heads up to pay closer attention to the medicine that it is offering. Your invitation in The Empress is to practice receiving more than giving, to listen more than you speak, and to nourish an inner practice of self care, beauty and sensuality above all else. This advice might seem impossible—maybe even selfish and irresponsible—in these present times.
It is the opposite, in fact. You are not good to anyone unless you are taking care of yourself, Gemini. None of us are. Each one of us has a role to play in life, one that is shifting constantly. Right now, it is a time to emphasize art, creativity, beauty, and receiving. In time, it might be to focus on a deep activism, or to serve others. You have to be aware of scattering your energy to the point of overwhelm. If you don’t bring the incredible amount of mental energy down into your body, you (like Scorpio) won’t have enough to use it when you are actually called to. Be willing to start a revolution of self care—begin with your own mental and emotional state.
The Empress is almost universally considered to be an amazing and beautiful card, which makes sense—she is ruled by Venus, after all. She also comes with a challenge to practice receiving, something that can be excruciating in moments. Have you ever tried to receive a compliment? Money? Someone wanting to help you out of the goodness of their heart without anything in return? Maybe someone helped you when you were sick, or has seen you in a deeply vulnerable state with eyes of love. Was it easy to receive it? Many of us desire some measure of these things, yet when we are confronted with the moment, receiving can feel impossible and deeply uncomfortable. This sweet spot of discomfort is what you are working on this month, Gemini. Let this whole month be an offering to stepping out of your comfort zone; when someone offers you love, help, assistance, say a grateful yes.
Cast by Lindsay Mack using the Starchild Tarot. Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
CANCER :: CANCER RISING
The Lovers
Balance is the key word for you this month, Cancer. You will be invited to do DEEP inner work over the course of February to unify any dualities within your body, heart, mind and soul. A duality is an indication of contrasting aspects of the self. Your job this month will be to isolate where these contrasts exist within you, and embrace them fully. The Lovers asks us to become our own lover, in many ways. It asks us to become yin and yang, rather than wait for another person to complete that other half. If we are solid and unified within, it will be much easier to attract and receive what we desire, whether it be a relationship, a baby, a new living space, or an amazing job.
The Lovers helps to pave the way there. This month will be a beautiful opportunity to practice loving yourselves and inviting more love into your lives, not to mention the gifts of solidifying your internal landscape from within. Remember: intuition is synonymous with self love. If you are honoring your intuition, you are healing dualities within and living in a way that promotes radical self love. This month, commit to making choices from a soul place, a place of truth. The more you practice this kind of radical decision making, Cancer, the more balanced you will be internally. The other people in your life might not get it, but if it is a yes for you, it’s all that matters.
Speaking of other people: The Lovers card in your spread for the month is largely focused on you, rather than being a harbinger of romance to come. However, if you currently have a partner in your life, the inner work of this card will strengthen that relationship, making it even more whole and supportive. If you are meant to spark up a new love with someone during this next cycle, the deep work you’re doing will influence it greatly, bringing nothing but goodness to it. No matter what shakes out, this is about you, allowing the deep work of self love and inner unity to unfurl within you. No one can receive love from another without receiving it from themselves first. You must see yourself, know yourself, trust yourself; travel more deeply into your own heart than ever before. The treasure you will find there will be beautiful.
Cast by Lindsay Mack using the Starchild Tarot. Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
LEO :: LEO RISING
Seven of Cups
It will be important for you to take a chill pill this month, Leo. I say this with love! It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t honor a true call to action in February, or that you resist creating something when inspiration strikes. If you have a vision, and if things are flowing in alignment, then by all means, make magic in your life. What I am saying is that February might be a month with a lot of emotional smoke and mirrors, a time when there might be a million seemingly perfect options in front of you, and not one of them truly aligned. Seven of Cups often shows up this way. It’s typically a time when we can tell ourselves a story about getting disillusioned with our present situation — we won’t like our living situation, our partner, our friends, and we can feel stuck with our career.
We will see other people traveling, having babies, moving to Costa Rica, and we will think, “maybe if I do that, I’ll be happier; I’ll have what they have.” The first impulse might be to take your momentary dissatisfaction with life to an external, actionable place. This is where the chill pill comes in, Leo. Whatever you are seeking externally in this energy can only be resolved internally. It is greatly advised to do nothing when you have the impulse to cut and run—to hang out, let the funkiness pass, and to stay the current course. Seven of Cups can be so tricky. It can really make you feel like if you just moved, broke up with your partner/met someone special, changed careers, shaved your head, everything would be okay. Normally, I would say go for all of those things 1000 percent, but not in this card, or in this energy.
Seven of Cups is an indicator that we need to come back home to our inner world, and perhaps, face something head on within ourselves that is painful. Byron Katie says, “reality is always kinder than the story we tell about it”—a perfect medicine for the true work of this card. Whatever you might be seeking to avoid within yourselves, even totally subconsciously, is just a part of you that is longing for your attention. If you can redirect the brain’s strong invitation to make a big external shift this month, you can heal the root of your wound.
Cast by Lindsay Mack using the Starchild Tarot. Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
VIRGO :: VIRGO RISING
Ace of Wands
Ace of Wands will be moving through your life this month, Virgo, lighting a flame and re-igniting a spark of creativity, sexuality, and excitement in your soul. This card is amazing, feels amazing, and I encourage you to embrace it completely. Feel yourself, drop into your sexuality, come out of your shell, let yourself be seen — have fun! Ace of Wands is just as much a personal expansion as it is a creative one. The key will be to ground the energy and use it in a meaningful way. It is understandably tempting to either divert Ace energy into overwhelm, or into less important tasks, so it will be vitally important for you to keep your gaze focused on what you desire to manifest this month.
There is most definitely something that wants to be birthed from you through this frequency, Virgo — something tangible and creative that you can share with others. Whatever this thing is feels like a deep healing, both for you and for the people receiving it. The presence of Ace of Wands is an indication that all of the potent, challenging work you did in 2016 is coming to a head—it was all for this moment, and the energy shifting is evidence of that. You moved through the contractions presented to you so you could share them with others through a lens of service. Whenever there is an experience of suffering in our lives, we have a choice: we can either stay frozen, trapped in victimhood and rage, or we can heal, and by doing so, extend a hand to help others up out of that darkness. You gained a lot of wisdom through your experiences, and now you get to be of service through inclusive, creative sharing.
Aces are a gift from Divine. They come from nothing, seemingly, and invite us to receive their magic with an open hand and an open heart. The main teaching of any Ace is receiving the gift that they are offering—which might sound deceptively easy at first glance. We all know someone who has been given a precious seed of advice or abundance time and time again, who cannot quite make the connection that they must plant the seed themselves. Pay attention this month, Virgo. Be present and proactive. Plant these seeds of fire, of creation, of birth. Wonderful, beautiful, expansive and exciting things will grow from your efforts.
Cast by Lindsay Mack using the Starchild Tarot. Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
LIBRA :: LIBRA RISING
Justice
Everything happening in your life is supposed to be happening, Libra. Really take that in. Whatever is happening is meant to be happening—even the difficult stuff. Inhale this idea, pause with it, consider it deeply. You are already free, life is already balanced; justice has already been served, whether you are aware of it or not. Any current imbalances in your life are already being energetically corrected. The right medication, doctor, teacher, mentor, book, healer, auto mechanic, contractor is already on it’s way to you. Whatever you need is on it’s way. The ONLY thing that blocks what you need is if you believe that there is a problem in your life that only you can solve. Be willing to drop that notion, and open your arms to divine support.
If you’re bemoaning the hard work that this mental shift requires, remember that this is your mastery as Libras. Who better than you to move through this AP level course in trusting that Divine’s got your back? Justice will offer you a chance to see life from this holographic perspective—the benefits that come from meditating on this card’s energy cannot be overemphasized. The aforementioned benefits to honoring the universal wisdom of the Justice card, Libra, are that you will be able to release the existential dread, sadness, fear, and pressure to balance yourself/figure out your life. You will be able to be at peace with whatever comes and goes in this life, even if it is uncomfortable. If things are going spectacularly well for you, there might still be the terror that it’ll all go away.
If things are tough right now, or if you’re unhappy in some way, there IS a reason for it—there is a medicine in the midst of it. It might even be simple. Perhaps you are being called to see how you might be in resistance, or that there is inner work that needs to be done. Whatever it is, trust where you are at. Justice is not the call to action and the call to arms that we might believe it to be at first glance. It’s actually a sign that action is unnecessary, that an important part of our karma is unfolding in some way. Whatever is here for you is what’s supposed to be here, Libra. If you can embrace that idea, trust, support, abundance and evolution can flow in and take root.
Cast by Lindsay Mack using the Starchild Tarot. Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
SCORPIO :: SCORPIO RISING
The Emperor, Rx
February is bringing a potent and complex medicine to you in the form of The Emperor reversed, Scorpio. It will be vital for you to pay a lot of attention to your Solar Plexus chakra this month. This chakra is the “sun” of the body, and our seat of power, confidence, leadership and authority. The following words could be used to describe The Emperor, too, and when this energy is reversed, it almost always is a sign that we must look at our third chakra. The solar plexus can be out of balance when we feel lost, hopeless and powerless. It can also be out of balance when we feel tyrannical; everything is a mirror. Bring no judgement to this inquiry. Really dive deep and focus on this part of the body, and of your emotional experience. The more you rebalance when the scales get tipped, the more peaceful and powerful you will feel.
It goes without saying, but these collective times are deep, and as a result, they are arousing major emotions in your sign as a whole. We could argue that this is a great thing that you are experiencing a lot. Old emotion is coming up to be dealt with, fresh anger is coming up to be released. Whatever emotional experience you happen to be in, it can be a healthy and vital part of speaking your truth in a way that is important. The key for you in February will be to deeply commit to clarifying your feelings, and channeling your anger and activism in an empowered way, so it doesn’t implode inside you. That is the red flag of the month for you, Scorpio.
It’s not a problem for you to feel deeply, but it is a problem if it calcified and withers inside of you. It will be CRUCIAL for you to develop a practice of pausing and inquiring before you look at social media or the news. An Emperor in alignment is clear on his relative service at any given moment — sometimes it will be important to offer that attention to yourself. Make art, stay present with people you love, keep a practice of joy and creativity, and, when you feel anything hugely explosive, channel it in an appropriate, useful way. If you don’t, you’ll leak energy in a misaligned way, and won’t have enough for anyone around you, not to mention yourself.
Cast by Lindsay Mack using the Starchild Tarot. Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
SAGITTARIUS :: SAGITTARIUS RISING
The Chariot, Rx
The medicine for you this month is pure and simple, Sagittarius: to enjoy the ride to your next destination. Your whole sign is most certainly on a journey, and you are so close to the start of something new, collectively and personally. It might be tempting to get impatient this month, to tantrum, to let this last leg get almost torturous. Indeed, you have worked very hard—it is totally normal to feel anxious and excited to receive what you’ve been wishing for. But, if you can remember to enjoy the feel of the grass on your bare feet, the air in your lungs, the beauty of a sunset, the time will fly. Practicing presence is the key to moving through this final part of your karmic journey. Will you receive what you desire? 100 percent. Is enjoying the journey to what you desire part of the lesson? 1000 percent.
Allow whatever arises this month in the way of resistance, anger, fear, impatience and grief to be the great teaching that helps you through the last lap. It is helping you to release whatever you are not going to take with you in this new cycle. Welcome it, and trust in whatever arises this month. Indeed, whatever comes up is not an obstacle to the path—it IS the path. The Chariot is truly an omen of greatness, victory and success. It’s imbued with the totem medicine of the Horse—the balance, power, grace and speed of this sacred animal are synonymous with The Chariot. When we are in this card, it aligns us with these qualities, priming us for a kind of graduation of achievement. We work our asses off in The Chariot, and it pays off.
We get what we’ve been working for, and everything in life lines up to ensure that we receive it. When this card shows up reversed, all of the above aspects are still accounted for. It is still an omen of victory, and still a sign that wonderful, hard earned things are to come. The reversal is really a medicine that teaches us to trust in the divine timing of things, helps us to rest in the shade of a proverbial tree when we need to restore. Connect with the medicine of horse this month; rest when you need to, run when you need to, play when you need to. Before you know it, your wish will be a reality.
Cast by Lindsay Mack using the Starchild Tarot. Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
CAPRICORN :: CAPRICORN RISING
Two of Cups
February will be a kind of mini soul retrieval of the heart for you, Capricorn. A Soul Retrieval is a shamanic ceremony that returns any fragmented parts of the soul back to the body, helping to heal trauma, release wounding, and embrace the parts of us that have been separated from the whole. It is a true homecoming for the spirit. Two of Cups will be offering you a gentle opportunity to heal those forgotten, discarded aspects of yourself, to bring them into the light and love them up. It is time to open your arms and embrace even the darkest aspects of your shadow, Capricorn. Once you commit to this process, there will be a powerful awakening within you, and a deep liberation of those suppressed aspects. The shadow contains valuable information, and often holds vital medicine for our journey with intimacy and vulnerability. If you can’t embrace these parts of yourself, Capricorn, it will be very difficult to allow anyone else to do so. Trust this process.
Any duality that exists within you is going to come up to be healed this month, and you are encouraged to embrace it. The more you lean into the energetic invitation of Two of Cups, the more clear and aligned you will be. This will open the heart, helping you to be available both to give and receive more in all ways. This is essential for the arc of your year, and all the lessons and medicine 2017 will bestow upon you. It will allow you to be seen more, to let love in, to go deeper. It might be intense, but it is bringing huge gifts.
Two of Cups is often associated with romantic love, and coming together with another. This month, the card has more to do with a unity and love of the self. However, bowing to and embracing all of your shadow aspects will enable you to be more available than ever before to romantic love and intimacy. February will be a month of deep inner work, inviting you to open the whole heart and become one with yourself — all so you can be more available to others and to the abundance of the Universe. There is much to forgive, embrace, love, accept and receive from your sweet being. It will be vitally important to focus on this practice, and doing so will help clear up old patterns that you are ready to release.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
USE THE NUMEROLOGY OF 2/2 TO SPREAD LOVE
The numerology of 2/2 is a launchpad for love—but it also asks that we be patient, and put what “we” need first, says Felicia Bender…Artwork: Marietta Varga
Be careful what you wish for because the power resides in connection and there is no better time than now—the first few weeks of the Trump Presidency—to take advantage of the energy that 2/2 is throwing down for all of us.
The numerology of 2/2 can serve as an energetic launching pad for all things LOVE. On the microcosmic realm this includes friendships, partnerships, family love, and intimate partnerships. And on the macrocosmic realm this encompasses our relationship to each other on a Universal and soul level—through our connected consciousness and core desire to “love and be loved in return.”
As a repeating number, this holds particular resonance. On this day, if you choose (and often even if you don’t consciously choose!) to be open and receptive, the energy here supports the revealing, or establishment, of soul connections and/or “contracts” that are initiating and being played out.
This is also a message that we are supported by more than we can see or comprehend while here on terra firma. The numerology of 2/2 offers an opportunity to open the heart, discipline the emotions, and opt for diplomacy over a win-lose scenario.
Overall, the message for us on February 2 (in 2017 and every year) is a reassurance that even though it may look at though we’re all going to Hell in a handcart, the chaos is necessary for whatever restructuring is taking place. It is hard. It is uncomfortable. Some might say it’s devastating and appalling. Yet the energy here is all about patience and right timing. Be patient and the timing will reveal itself.
3 Ways To Keep Use The Numerology of 2/2 To Be A Compassionate Rebel
- Remember there’s power in numbers. (And I don’t mean just Numerology!) If this election has taught us anything—no matter how you voted—it has put us on the fast track to understanding that we can’t exist as “an island.” We need each other. We are imminently more powerful when we work together for a common cause, no matter what that cause might be. This isn’t the time for the “lone wolf.” When two or more people meet for a common goal, the influence and power rises exponentially.
- LOVE is love is love is love. Lin-Manuel Miranda sets the tone and the theme for 2/2 and beyond.
- Patience, like it or not, is a virtue. The energy of the number 2 is all about right timing. It’s emotionally attuned. It’s far more concerned with what’s right for “us” versus “me.” Its energy supports mediation, diplomacy, and loving kindness. It allows and nurtures process. And while there is a certain “fire” burning politically throughout the world right now, the numerology of 2/2 reminds us there is much going on “behind the scenes,” so to speak.
The power resides in coming together and standing strong and peacefully in solidarity. The key is in taking concerted action in tandem with a diplomatic approach to formulating real solutions to the myriad issues at hand—with the clear understanding that these solutions and their implementation will take time, thought, diligence, and cooperation.
NUMINOUS WEEKLY TAROTSCOPE: JANUARY 27—FEBRUARY 2
The Knight of Cups, reversed, is asking us to speak less and enquire more—before we jump to any conclusions, says Lindsay Mack…
BACK TO THE FUTURE: READING FOR THE AQUARIUS NEW MOON
The Aquarius New Moon is here to help us chart a course into the future, says Sandra Sitron…
New Moon :: January 27 2017 :: 7:08 pm EST :: 8 degrees Aquarius
Be ready. You are winding up for the swing. This is your time to come into alignment with your values and vision. Focus your intentions for innovation, change, and a more loving society.
On Friday, the Sun and the Moon meet in the sign of Aquarius. This is the Aquarius New Moon. Aquarius energy is airy and determined. Light and changeable, yet persistently moving forward. Aquarius represents the greater community and our dreams for the future. This is a visionary time. During this season we will take our positions in the social and political arenas. Friday’s New Moon is the point at which we take the seed of our intention and plant it in our subconscious.
Think of this New Moon as your planning stage. Gather your vision for the future. It must be detailed and clear. You have a responsibility now to set the vision. It needs to be a shift. You must lean into a new approach. Make an adjustment. Surprise yourself. We are in a tumultuous political time. You are being called to take a position. The New Moon in Aquarius is helping you envision that position.
How you interact with the changes that are coming will be completely your choice. If you feel called to step forward then do so. If you feel called to stay still and hold space with love in your heart, then do that. You have other options too, you can either ignore what’s happening, or ride someone else’s wave of fear unconsciously. It’s entirely up to you. Right now you get to envision how you want to be.
Be proactive in your approach. Notice each and every emotion that flows through you and validate it. This alone is a major upgrade. We spend so much time unconsciously trying to not feel our feelings. When you honor your feelings you heal the world. On Friday, make a vision board. See yourself positioned in your future dream society. What does it look like? What are the predominant feelings? How are you connecting with others? Hold this vision strong. Feel yourself there. This is one of the most powerful things you can do.
The Aquarius New Moon is making no major aspects, and only two minor aspects. This is a rare configuration which elevates the emotionality of the New Moon. Think of this as airy emotional energy that is slightly un-tethered. Aquarius has two speeds. The first is completely detached. The second is an erratic swing between very high emotional intensity and then whoosh— it’s over. Detachment follows. This is high energy that’s very unpredictable.
You can ride the wave of these emotions to see where your psyche is ready to have it’s software updated. If your MO is to keep the lid on your emotions and go through the motions, you may not have much luck with that this weekend. The lid is coming off. This is a good thing. It will help you get to the root of your feelings and experience cathartic release.
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The Moon and it’s Message
Drawing a map.
This is your chance to fill in your vision. Make it practical and hopeful. Take back control of your vibration. Through the practice of vision, align with the vibration that you want to hold. Use your creative ability to draw your boundaries, determine the topography and orient yourself.
New Moon Semi-square Saturn
Swimming underwater and watching the bubbles from your snorkel rise to the surface.
Give yourself a tool or a structure that will help you navigate emotionally. Feelings may take you deeper. You may be going deeper into your emotions then you are used too. You may feel out of your element. You are supported. You have the tools that you need. Use your new knowledge of the world to plan appropriately. Find stability.
Full Moon Semi-square Venus
Breaking bread together.
Nourish yourself and feel loved. Play, frolic, laugh, restore and enjoy. Socialize. Make sure to give yourself the emotional support that you need so that you can feel abundant, worthy and peaceful.
T-square with Uranus, Jupiter and Mercury/Pluto
The wolf pack’s howl.
The Aquarius New Moon is ruled by Uranus. Uranus (change agent), is instigating a T-square with Jupiter (expansion) which is pointed toward Mercury and Pluto. In this scenario, Mercury and Pluto together symbolize the collective pain body. The old wounds that lodge in our consciousness and come out through our culture’s norms and language are getting an electrical shock. The entire group (Aquarius) is planting a seed intention for how we want things to go down. There’s a collective howl as some rush to cover up the wounds and maintain the status quo, while others are diving in deeper to tear off the bandage. The Great Awakener is on the scene. We are urgently being prodded to choose our positions and intentions.
***
SUMMARY
The Aquarius New Moon has got your back. She wants you to know that it’s not too late. That everything is perfectly aligned. She is sending you loving thoughts for you to carry into the future. But you must carry them. Don’t put down you parcel. Don’t rest. Don’t turn off and deny yourself. There is such a thing as walking into battle with love in your heart. This is like parenting. A good parent is present for the easy stuff and hard things. A good parent leans forward and lovingly teaches. Sometimes they are firm. Sometimes they are emotional. But they keep showing up. You are being called to step into a role of love. Lead through example.
***
For more personal insight into the Aquarius New Moon, journal with the below study questions for each sign.If you know what house of the zodiac 8 degrees Aquarius falls in your chart, read for that house too.
Aries or 11th house
How might you bring more community into your life?
Taurus or 10th house
What’s your vision for your career? How do you want it to feel?
Gemini or 9th house
How would you best express your mission statement right now?
Cancer or 8th house
Where in your life are trying to control an outcome? What would happen if you just let go?
Leo or 7th house
What’s your vision for relationship? How do you want it to feel?
Virgo or 6th house
What is blocking you from practicing healthy habits? What is one healthy habit you would like to form?
Libra or 5th house
Tune into the things that bring you joy. How can make more space for these things in your life?
Scorpio or 4th house
What’s your vision for your home and your relationships with your family members? How do you want it to feel?
Sagittarius or 3rd house
Can you think about one issue in your life from a new perspective?
Capricorn or 2nd house
What thought is preventing you from feeling worthy and deserving? How could you view that experience positively?
Aquarius or 1st house
What’s your vision of your personal power? How can you express your gifts, talents and individuality?
Pisces or 12th house
Where can you bring the feeling of hope into your life? How might you do that?
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here or follow her on Instagram.
YES, I AM: A MANIFESTO FOR 2017
The antidote for anxiety is to create your own manifesto for 2017, says Dani Katz. All you need to begin is a passionate cry of “Yes, I am!”
Despite any and all mainstream propaganda to the contrary, I happen to know that 2017 is going to be amazing—chock-full o’ fun, joy, personal breakthroughs, real-deal love, next-level sex, and quantum leaps in consciousness, success, prosperity, and lifestyle.
I know this because I also know that I, and I alone, am responsible for how I choose to experience reality. To this end, it’s become a daily practice—aligning my heart, mind, body, and spirit with my values, my genius, my desires, and my dharma. It helps that I have created a secret weapon—Yes, I Am—a hand-drawn, transformational coloring book that supports me in being my very best me ever, and in making 2017 my most wonderful year yet.
The book is divided into twelve I Am chapters, each one focusing on a different intention. I chose the I am theme because “I am” is the most powerful phrase in every mystical tradition there is, was, and ever will be—these two words are encoded with the transformative power of the multiverse.
And so, because sharing is caring, and caring is cool, I am offering up this manifesto, inspired by that aforementioned book of intentional awesomeness, so that you, too, can make 2017 your very best year ever.
***
“I AM SYNESCOPIC POSSIBILITY”
I choose to remember that limitation is an illusion that exists to be obliterated. I don’t buy into anyone else’s attempts to limit me, and I devote myself to surpassing my perceived limitations, and surprising myself with all that I can—and will—accomplish, and be, and share.
***
“I AM LOVE”
I choose to align myself with love in every moment. I meet non-love with love. I love myself unconditionally, and al(l)ways, and I radiate that love outwards, towards everyone I meet and engage with (while remembering that boundaries and discernment are self-love, too). I know that love is a state of mind, and a way of meeting the world, and I commit to embodying this love more and more, and better and better, each and every day.
***
“I AM OPTIMAL HEALTH”
Because the external is ever and always a reflection of the internal, I am committed to cultivating optimal health. This means sweating, breathing, and hydrating. This means eating organic whole foods, and getting plenty of sleep, and flossing and cleansing and supplementing accordingly. It also means minding my media intake, extricating myself from toxic relationships, and not overtaxing my adrenals on yerba maté, regardless of how yummy it tastes.
***
“I AM AUTHENTIC”
While money, achievement and outward notions and acknowledgements of success are lovely, I am far more interested in being the very best, most integrated and expressed me I can possibly be. I embrace my uniqueness. I appreciate my individual quirks and characteristics, and all the ways they come together to make this once in a lifetime phenomenon called me. Fuck trends. Fuck in/out lists. Fuck envy, comparison, established standards of beauty and love and success and lifestyle. I’m carving out my own course, and I’m doing a bang-up job of it.
***
“I AM MAGIC”
Did you know that 99% of our reality is totally invisible? Yup. And so it is that I am living 2017 as a testament to unseen forces of good and love and fun and wonderful, knowing that the Universe is infinitely more mystical than I could possibly imagine, and that miracles happen every second, of every day. Bring ‘em on, I say.
***
“I AM CONFIDENCE”
I know my value. I embody my wonderfulness. I shrink for no one. I am an empowered badass warrior of light and love and giggles, and I model this elevated awesomeness for, and in service to, the world at large. We. Are. Welcome.
***
“I AM NOW”
I don’t lollygag in the past, or worry about the future, because those are mere conceptual traps that keep me from experiencing the present moment, which is where reality (and juicy magical awesomeness) reside. I don’t surrender the miracle of my now to dark, dreary future fears, or what ifs, or worst case scenarios. I meditate. I focus on sensation instead of mind chatter. I trust in divine timing. I am patient. I am patient. I am patient.
***
I AM A HEALTHY, BALANCED, THRIVING PLANET EARTH”
The earth isn’t just our home planet—our very own space ship, hurling us through space—it is a living, breathing, conscious intelligence. With this in mind, I honor her as I do all living creatures. I tread lightly. I conserve resources. I respect the gifts the earth so selflessly gives us—her oxygen, her water, her plants, her sunshine, and her gravity, as well as all the other beings sharing this ride with me. We are all of us earthlings. Every. Single. One. It is through this lens that I move through this magical world, ever and always grateful for these earth gifts with which we are so, so blessed.
***
“I AM ABUNDANCE”
Abundance is a state of mind that draws to it like-vibrating experiences and energies. And so it is that I attune myself to the abundance that surrounds me. I root myself in gratitude for all my blessings. I give. I receive. I know my value, which colors my every exchange. I welcome free-flowing prosperity, and abundance, and enough for everyone. And so it is…
***
“I AM OPTIMIZED”
Despite all illusory notions of time to the contrary, life is not a linear journey. It takes flexibility to flow moment-to-moment, and to hone in on what’s appropriate for said moments. And so it is that I choose to embody my most optimized version of myself, however that looks and feels in each moment. What I love about optimizing is that it requires a deep surrender to the wisdom of forces way bigger and more intelligent than I am. It’s the opposite of micromanaging. Aaaahhhh…so much easier.
***
“I AM GRATITUDE”
It was Meister Eckhart who said: “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” Gratitude is a magical frequency that transports us to the present moment, and infuses us with graciousness and humility and appreciation. I commit to an attitude of gratitude in 2017. I choose to honor the blessings of what is, instead of lamenting all that isn’t, and all the ways I wish what is was different. And when mood, moon cycles, weather, and mercurial boyfriends threaten my peace of mind, and I stray into the dark and murky waters of fear and doubt and grief and rage, I commit to getting grateful, and to staying grateful, armed with the knowledge that I am not a victim, that there are no victims, and that everything is happening for a blessing – al(l)ways.
***
“I AM WE”
I commit to Unity consciousness—to moving through the world armed with the integrated and embodied knowledge of our Oneness. I know that it is impossible to hurt another without hurting myself, as there is no other, and separation is an illusion. I devote myself to acting in service to the highest good of the whole of humanity, knowing that the only way to change the world is to change myself. I take responsibility for the reflections I attract, knowing that anything and everything that triggers me is merely a messenger who exists to point my attention toward shadows inviting acknowledgement and integration. I summon the courage, the will, and the fortitude to look said shadows directly in the eye, and to integrate them, in service to us all. We. Are. One.
Dani Katz is a human being. She writes. She draws. She dances. She lives in her native Los Angeles. Yes, I Am, her transformational coloring book chock-full of interactive inspiration, encouragement, affirmations, and awesomeness, is on sale here. Nab yourself a copy immediately!
10 WAYS THE WOMEN’S MARCH INSPIRED ME
Written on the bus back from DC, Kate Atkinson shares 10 ways the women’s march inspired her…
It’s been a hell of winter. As revered actress and feminist Meryl Streep so accurately said, opening the floodgates for women world wide: “In the last few months, at times, I’ve felt as if I “lost my mind.”
Melodramatic much? Not for me. I’m a news media professional. I thrive on absorbing information and understanding people, brands, and causes. And since 11/9, I’ve spent late nights burrowing into internet rabbit warrens. I have spent anxious hours trawling the web and raging with friends via text, levels of research I never conducted when I was at University studying for my BA in journalism.
“Why do this to yourself?” I have repeatedly asked myself. But for some reason, the outcome of a Trump victory stirred me up deeply. It awoke a furious sleeping anger I never even knew burned in me. I have psychoanalyzed it and self-helped it to death. Answers have been hard to come by. And as if my own mental struggle wasn’t intense enough, friends have come forward and told me they aren’t okay either. Some told of to sexual assaults they’d buried for years. Men who’d groped them as teens and made them feel insignificant—which they’d shrugged off as just another teenage learning curve.
The day after the inauguration, a friend and I got up at 4am and got on a bus to Washington DC to march in solidarity for not only women, but for all whose freedom and human rights feel at risk under the incoming administration. We were joined by 3 million marching globally, all of us saying: “ENOUGH.” And actually, “fuck you” to the patriarchy.
In the lead up, I read a media stories talking about this being a “flawed” protest, questioning why it was just for women, asking what purpose it would serve. I’d partaken in aggressive social media discussions and been reminded over and over (at times on a personal level) about the futility of protesting.
Well, this weekend was the most inspiring of my life. Read on for 10 reasons why:
1. HUMANITY = POWER
The reason the current state of affairs is so alarming, is that the bad guy appears to to be winning. Sexual assault and quite frankly, basic human values, are second to power.Or are they? The marches reminded me that WE are the power. Throughout history, we have been reminded of this by figures such as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Maya Angelou. Collectively, we can move mountains. The only thing holding us back is self belief.
2. CREATIVITY AS CATHARSIS
I saw a woman brandishing a giant crocheted reproductive system. I saw giant moveable sculptures. Puppets, a tribe of Donald Trump horses. Paintings that could have been at MoMA. I made a new artist friend who GAVE me a sign, because she’d painted several to deal with her inner turmoil. I saw people on stilts, rappers, instrumentalists, singers. All using their talents to support the same cause. As well as the funnier signs—”WE SHALL OVERCOMB” being a fave—some really pulled my heart. A two-year-old with a sign saying “I love naps but I stay woke.” Creativity helps us heal. I will be painting, paper mache’ing, croche’ing and dancing more in the future.
3. OPEN CONVERSATIONS
So forgive me if I’m oversharing in my post-protest bliss, but I’ve had two pre-cancer operations on my cervix. And yes it was scary as shit. A while back I would have been ashamed to share this, now, absolutely ZERO fucks given. Why? Because why is that shameful? I’ve been lucky enough to milk my healthcare system at home in Australia. Other women in this country would have turned to planned parenthood. It’s a lottery of luck I wasn’t born in a red state. Just today, the NY Times reported that the death rate from cervical cancer in the US is considerably higher than previously estimated and the disparity in death rates between black women and white women is significantly wider.
This whole shit show has opened a dialogue for issues that matter. Who cares if you’re depressed? We do. Who wants to hear about your time feeling ashamed for that? We do.
4. REALITY IS UNDERRATED
Ever found yourself writing rants at a computer screen, diving deeply into the lives of people you don’t know? A few days before Obama left office, he said: “tired of having arguments on the internet? Try speaking to them in real life.” We CAN connect in person. In groups. We are not our computers and our phones. Make a friend. Have coffee. Share. Talk. I am overwhelmed by the blowing up of my phone by women in the last few weeks. Launching fashion brands, needing help in connecting people to do so, media professionals trying to create their own movements and how to all not normalize any of what is going on.
5. NEW FRIENDS
I went to a group pre-march meeting – sober – and I met new people I’m now emailing about doing more “good stuff.” Including Elizabeth Azen, one of the nastiest women around with new kickass brand The Dynasty @thisisdynasty. I also made two new artist friends on the bus and spent all day with them, cracking jokes with one common cause – equality . Repeat: we are not designed to be digital humans. One side effect of standing up for what you believe in is the rad new people you will meet.
6. YES WE CAN
It’s so easy to be a hater. It’s so much easier to say: “this is pointless, we are outnumbered, we can’t make a difference.” As the march showed me—we damn well can, and it starts with you! Show up. Read up. Stay woke. Get nastier.
7. FEMINISM ISN’T JUST ABOUT NEUROTIC BRA-BURNING BULLSHIT
Some men still struggle with feminism. Well—newsflash—I’m not really into some of the things those people “hate” about feminism either. I’ve accepted that being a woman means I’m expected to smile and flirt through life. I use this to my advantage and love it when it means I can get something for free. It’s like Madonna said, “I’m a bad feminist.” But equally, I’ve been shamed many times, personally and professionally, for being too outspoken. For not being “refined” enough. And feminism in 2017 is about an end to that BS. In our lives, in our careers. It’s fine to sexualize women. Women are damn sexy. But don’t patronize us. Like Carrie Fisher said: “Some women play hard to get, I play difficult to understand.”
8. SOBER STREET PARTIES ROCK
I’ve been to my fair share of bars and clubs. I’ve been a drinker many years. And you know what? This was the best dance party of my life. What could have felt like a wake, a day for tears, was the best “straight” high of my life. Need substances to lose your mind? Try raging down the street to the beat of a gazillion strangers from all over the country singing in time: “We need a leader, not a creepy tweeter!” or: “This is What Democracy Looks like!” with glitter, and signs, and animals, and carnival performers, and megaphones, and parked cars with their own dance parties. Try screaming from a place you never knew you had, a guttural cathartic place you used to roll your eyes if people even told you existed.
9. REMEMBER TO RAGE
The systems are broken. They are not working. People will tell you to cooperate. But it’s time to rage against the machine. The mantra: “Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me.” The media aren’t cooperating—neither should we.
10. IT BEGINS WITH ME
I’ve been on my own journey with self-care this last while. Not always easy. I’m not just talking about eating right and SoulCycle. I’m talking about that breaking that feminine perfectionist tendency for blaming myself, and giving myself a goddamn break. Move towards this, I am finding, and the whole world becomes more accepting of me. I haven’t mastered it. But none of us can participate fully, until we believe in what we are here to give.
So please keep marching girls who just wanna have fun(damental rights). I’m with you every step. Get nasty. Be nastier. Read, write, CREATE, and stay woke. And like the most badass feminist ever, the Wicked Witch of the West, once said: “I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog too.”
WEEKLY NUMINOUS HOROSCOPES: JANUARY 23—29
Your Numinous weekly horoscopes, direct from the third eye of Sandra Sitron—a.k.a. Strong Eye Astrology…
Aquarius :: Aquarius Rising
Letting balloons drift up to the sky. You are holding on to a new identity. Now you have to let it go. Is that a trick? If you just figured out something new, why should you let it go? It’s because this journey is about lightness and exploration. You’re starting fresh right now with some new motives and interests, and that’s good, they will continue to grow like tiny seeds. The thing is that you can’t put too much pressure on yourself right now.You have to be light and curious and let go of the outcome. Loosen your grip and let your shiny new balloons drift up to the sky. You aren’t losing anything when you do this. You’re just making room for more exploration.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here or follow her on Instagram.
Pisces :: Pisces Rising
Illustrations from the story “Where the wild things are.” You are creeping in and out of a magical enchanted forest. Hide yourself behind shimmering green leaves. Find an enchanted clearing in the woods where you can commune with strange creatures. Let yourself be even weirder than usual. Go inward and don’t be afraid of what you’ll find. Know that everything that happens is meant to support your higher self in growth. The enchanted forest idea gives you license to hide away, create ritual, and invite magic into your life. Prioritize this journey.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here or follow her on Instagram.
Aries :: Aries Rising
A hawk soars in circles. You are preparing for the kill. Dinner. Maybe it sounds too violent. It’s just part of life when we are talking about hawk hunting for food. Bring this metaphor into your life. What do you need to pounce on? You’ve got a battle to be won, but it’s not just for your own survival (food),it’s actually for the greater good. Be very discerning about how you spend your time. Find some higher perspective. The world needs you to be at your best right now so that you can lead us into battle.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here or follow her on Instagram.
Taurus :: Taurus Rising
The elephant lifts her trunk up and calls out. It’s time to take up space. It’s time to be steady, strong and unmovable. Mostly this will happen around your career. But also, you can think of yourself as a force out in the public eye. Your endurance and persistence are always a gift to those around you, but right now you’ve got something even more important to offer. You are an immovable wall. And people are going to need to lean on you. Pull up energy from the Earth and get ready to stand tall and be a beacon of hope. When you need support, remember that Mother Earth has got your back. She can transmute all worries.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here or follow her on Instagram.
Gemini :: Gemini Rising
Fields of daisies, faces turned toward the sun. Look toward the light. Don’t let yourself get bogged down by worry or fear. You are supported, in your community of daisies. That is enough. You’re grounded, roots in the soil. That is enough.You have the sun to inspire and guide you. That is enough. Keep looking toward the sun, it’s a metaphor for creative center of humanity. Those philosophers, teachers and leaders who inspire you. Keep their words close. Seek an elevated perspective that will carry you through. Don’t deny yourself precious sunlight by accidentally focusing on fear. A habit like that will get you nowhere right now.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here or follow her on Instagram.
Cancer :: Cancer Rising
The goddess luxuriates on her shell. Focus on the sacral chakra and the water element. You are ready to give birth to something new. You may have to move through some intense emotions in order to clear the channel. Some things have to die away in order to create a new direction. What you create right now has to come as the natural result of having completed a cycle. Look closely at your life and define the evolution you’re experiencing right now. What is ending? What is starting? What’s the emotional experience of letting go? Let the emotions flow. Validate your emotions. Feel the security that comes from allowing your emotions to be what they are.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here or follow her on Instagram.
Leo :: Leo Rising
A window. The window separates and reveals. This is like you in relationship. You are in a dance of moving closer- yet defining yourself more. You can do this either alone or with a partner. Either way, the current project is helping you discover: This is who I am. This is what I say “no” to and “yes” to. This is how I want to reveal myself. This is how I can be vulnerable. This is how I can receive. This is how I can give. This is how I can empathize. These contracts that you’re making with yourself are very important. They’re a critical blueprint for sharing yourself in relationship. Too often we skip this step and end up unintentional and unhappy. Get clear about how you want to separate and reveal yourself in relationship.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here or follow her on Instagram.
Virgo :: Virgo Rising
Sipping a sweet drink with a straw. Nourish yourself with sweet nectars. It’s time to draw in energy that supports you and stabilizes you. You need to refresh. Get healthy. Your tendency is to do this from a fear-based state. The sweet nectar suggests that you need to be very positive with yourself. Nurtures yourself, improve your habits but do it with kindness and gentleness. Imagine that you have an abundance of health. Anything extra that you do to refresh yourself is just for pure fun and enjoyment. Your healthy habits need to be developed from a stable place, not because you’re worried, worn-out or comparing yourself.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here or follow her on Instagram.
Libra :: Libra Rising
Threading a needle. Getting ready to create. Getting ready to build, to make, to weave, to construct. What will it be that you thread together right now? Center yourself with joy. Stop over scheduling yourself, staying busy, and saying yes to everything. Stop all of that and focus on what brings you meaning. What makes you feel alive and enlivened. Be very discriminating about how you “go through the motions” right now. It it’s not bringing you meaning then it’s a waste of energy.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here or follow her on Instagram.
Scorpio :: Scorpio Rising
A leaping frog. Finding space for joyful transitions. You may be feeling sensitive or delicate this week. That’s okay. Let yourself flow. You will make the transition from tadpole to frog soon. You don’t have to push it. All you have to do now is nurture yourself. Find ways to baby yourself. Take good care. Love who you are. Let yourself grow and transition. This is not a time to hold back in any way from loving yourself. Just flow with it.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here or follow her on Instagram.
Sagittarius :: Sagittarius Rising
An ant’s body. You are getting down into the nitty-gritty of anatomy. Into the tiniest of details. The minute separations. Stop focusing so much on the details. This is your natural state right now, but it’s not necessarily comfortable. Hold on the micro and the macro at once. Keep in mind the bigger picture and the details that make it beautiful. But don’t spin your wheels because you don’t know where you’re going. What would be fun to learn right now? What would be fun to share? That’s it. Nothing needs be more complicated than that. Plant seeds of clarity and intention. Start with the big picture and let that determine the details.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here or follow her on Instagram.
Capricorn :: Capricorn Rising
A stick. What can you do with a stick? Don’t underestimate your resources right now. For example, a stick may just look like a stick, but maybe it’s fuel, maybe it’s a weapon, maybe it’s medicine, maybe it’s support, maybe it’s a writing tool, maybe it’s a bridge or a gate or a boundary. Don’t take anything at face value. The world is much more abundant than it seems. You’ll be rewarded when you consider your resources.You’ll know how to build from here and what to build. You’ll feel like you have so many more options for growth when you take stock of what you’re already built.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here or follow her on Instagram.
NUMINOUS WEEKLY TAROTSCOPES: JANUARY 20—26
Three of Swords, reversed, brings an opportunity to evolve our response to inner and outer dramas—and to transmute the pain into medicine, says Lindsay Mack in her Numinous weekly tarotscope…
NUMINOUS WEEKLY TAROTSCOPE: JANUARY 6—12
The Eight of Cups, reversed, is here to help us ease gently into the new year—and honor all we have left behind, says Lindsay Mack…
NUMINOUS TAROTSCOPES: JANUARY 2017
Cast and channeled by Lindsay Mack, using The Starchild Tarot
CAPRICORN :: CAPRICORN
Ace of Swords, rx
Ace of Swords reversed might not be the sexiest card to kick the new year off with, but it is arguably the most valuable. You are moving through some deeply important shifts this month, Capricorn, ones that will have an effect on the remainder of your year. Ace of Swords reversed is inviting you to get clear on where you might be self sabotaging, resisting your expansion, or letting yourself be swayed by negative, low vibrational energy. You are on the verge of a HUGE expansion, loves, one that will powerfully transform your life for the better. You cannot really move forward into that expansion without inquiring about whether your thoughts and impulses are in alignment. Even if the untrue thoughts continue to swirl around, it’s okay—you will be clear, and that will make all the difference.
It is time for an intentional pause in your life, one that will enable you to truly take stock of any areas in which you are living in fear as opposed to truth. To do so will be tough, maybe intense, but the fear is worse than the reality. In other words, Capricorn, your brain is taking you for a little bit of a ride. It might be whispering stories of fear or dread to help keep you smaller, or throwing you off the trail with projects, endeavors and collaborations that are just a distraction for what you really want to do, or from the discomfort of the unknown. You might not be able to see it, or even identify it until you take that pause. If you can give yourself the gift of that, you will be able to get off that ride sooner than you think, opening your life to clarity and expansion.
Ace of Swords rx is one of those cards that can be flipped from reversed to right side up very easily, as long as we inquire. Once you take that step, Capricorn, the month’s energy will shift; what was confusing will become extremely clear, powerful and abundant. Ace of Swords is really a lightning rod for clear connection with Source, allowing us to manifest our brilliant ideas. It is a place of great power, which is why it’s so important for us to be clear when we are in this card. No more forcing, pushing or fear based actions. Take the time to get clear, Capricorn, and everything will start flowing.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
AQUARIUS :: AQUARIUS RISING
Oppression/The Devil
Upon starting to write this Tarotscope for you, Aquarius, Spirit popped in my ear quite loudly and said, “They know what this means already.” So, there you go. I think all of you probably understand why The Devil has come to call on you this month. I think it is showing up for all of you differently at this time—some of you may in fact be lapsing into old addictions, some of you might be experiencing visits from your shadow self, some of you might be in a big cycle of brain chemistry contraction, locked in old thoughts, beliefs or anxieties. Either way, it’s not permanent; you are moving through a process of liberation.
The Devil doesn’t show up because we took a wrong turn, nor does it show up because we get sucked into a cycle of poor judgement and low vibe energy. Far from it. Even if you are engaged in some shadow behavior, there’s a root reason in there somewhere, a cry for that’s going unanswered. That cry might even be the desire to be free, to allow yourself to experience this shadow behavior without self judgement. You are going deep with The Devil this month, Aquarius. There’s nothing to fear—you will learn more about yourself, your brain, and the nature of your addictive cycles than you ever have before. Knowledge is power, so make sure you show up to class.
The Devil is a call to liberation, to free ourselves from the bonds of judgement, guilt, shame and self flagellation when we drift down an old path of addictive energy. The question isn’t, “How can I avoid this? How did I get back here?” The question is, can you let yourself be human? Can you answer the call of that cry within you? Can you forgive yourself? Can you honor the ebbs of flows of this human life, Aquarius? Can you let yourself be perfectly human? Can you allow yourself to be honest, raw, shining in all of your imperfection? If you can bow your head to the cycle that The Devil is highlighting for you, you are already free. The Devil is starting your year off with an incredibly powerful, soul level invitation to love, accept, and honor yourself as you are, Aquarius, however you are. Give yourself the support you need to move through any cycles of addiction, and cut the chain of identification.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
PISCES :: PISCES RISING
Six of Cups
You are moving into the new year on such a beautiful, tender energy, Pisces. Six of Cups has the potential to deeply transform the whole flow of your year—it’s invitation to you is to open your heart, speak your truth, and express yourself vulnerably and courageously. You might be called to revisit old memories, flowing back into a time of nostalgia, whether painful or beautiful. Be willing to look at everything that arises, gently and kindly taking care of your inner child as you do so. There is the potential for much healing and emotional releasing this month, which is wonderful. It can enable us to become even more intimate with ourselves and our inner children, as well as to free up space within us to receive new experiences.
This great wave of expression, truth and experience will dictate the flow of your month, Pisces. You may swirl back and forth from the present moment to the past—there may even be moments where the two seem like they are getting confused with one another. If things become unclear, you can always come back to your heart, to the truth that resides there. If you tune in with that place, the truth of your current experience will always be clear to you. If you withdraw, the month will be more difficult for you. If you lean into your heart and your truth, so much love, support, and abundance will flow your way. Be the fish that you are; go for a deep swim, come back to the shores of your life, reporting on what you’ve seen there, then dive back in.
Six of Cups is an emotional rebirth, in many ways. It can take us back down memory lane, but it’s true invitation is to return to the purity of a child’s heart: free, open, unafraid. It is the place we all lived before we were burdened with heartbreak, sadness, trauma, or grief. For you Pisces, the nostalgia piece is important; there will be a great wisdom in the emotions and memories that flow back up to the surface. Rather than closing up or letting them take you completely under, feel them and tune into what medicine or messages they might have to offer your expansion at this time. Become a deep sea diver of your heart and soul, bringing back treasures to share with everyone in your life.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
ARIES :: ARIES RISING
The Wheel of Fortune, rx
Happy new year, Aries! What a powerful month you have ahead of you. Simply put, Wheel of Fortune reversed is inviting you to stay centered in the present moment, supporting you in creating the best possible foundation for your intentions to flourish. If you can shift your focus out of the future and into the here and now, you will set the tone for an incredibly abundant year. When delays or confusions arise, consider them little mindfulness bells, bearing messages from Source. Try to find a lightness and curiosity with those moments.
Ask yourself, what needs my attention now? Before you make that million dollars, do you need to open a business banking account? Before you meet your soulmate, do you need to work on receiving? Don’t limit this to romantic love with a partner. What about receiving compliments? Receiving help at work? This isn’t about getting what you want, but rather preparing you for what you have asked for. The more you drift into the future this month, Aries, the more banana peels Wheel of Fortune will slip under your feet to attempt to bring you back to the present moment. The banana peels don’t exist to screw with you—they exist to help you see things from a different perspective. We go from walking on two legs to flat on our back in a moment! There is a treasure here; it is the Universe trying to get your attention.
Your biggest invitation, Aries, is to not miss these signs. If we don’t consider the gift of the banana peel, we will continue to get caught in delay and distraction, not to mention victimhood and story. If we can honor the initial feelings that arise as we lay there, then actually find a way to laugh about it—we have succeeded in working with the moment! Then, perhaps, we might open our eyes and see a beautiful sunset that we weren’t noticing because we were lost in the future. We might even fold our hands behind our head, silently thanking the banana peel for the reminder that we need to rest, opening up to the fullness of the moment. In other words, Aries, your response to the present moment is dictating your future outcome, so be here now. If you can work with the complex energy of the Wheel of Fortune reversed, you will have a very bountiful year on your hands.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
TAURUS :: TAURUS RISING
Knight of Wands
Damn, Taurus! What an crackling energy to set the tone of the new year! Knight of Wands is ruled by fire and air. This card’s electric energy brings with it a heart centered heat, leaving a trail of passion, sexuality and joy wherever it goes. This energy loves to be seen, to feel itself, to be front and center—to take action and look good doing it. Your invitation this month, Taurus, will be to plug into this frequency and allow it to permeate into your life. Knight of Wands energy could show up for you professionally, personally, and/or romantically. No matter what, don’t limit yourself.
Let this month be the alchemical shift it is meant to be for your whole sign’s expansion. Your only task, and it is a big one, is to blow past any fear or resistance to these energies and to courageously step up into your fullest expansion. No more playing small, being afraid to take up space, or dimming your light down for others. Blast off, Taurus—2017 is your year! Knight of Wands is a card of action, so no matter what area of your life this card shows up in, it is going to take you somewhere. USE this energy, Taurus. The medicine of the card showing up in the month of January is actually setting the tone for your whole year—it is important to embrace it’s power.
You can start by taking a gentle appraisal of all the ways that you keep yourself a little smaller, or in outdated patterns, whether consciously or unconsciously. It might be time for some big steps, might be time for small ones. Either way, expect some beautiful shifts to your life. Is it time to raise your rates, move across the country, or release certain people from your life? Is it time to launch the product, events or workshops you’ve been dreaming of? If so, do it fearlessly and joyfully. When and if discomfort or resistance arises, take it as a sign that you are on the right track—nothing aligned ever comes without contraction. Trust in that wise discomfort as you move forward this month, closer and closer to your dreams. Step forward, Taurus. Be willing to be seen in all your glory. It is time to shed the old layers that have so beautifully shielded you from shining in your fullness.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
GEMINI :: GEMINI RISING
The Empress, rx
The Empress reversed is getting real on you this month, Gemini. It is time for a change in the way you choose to move through the world on all levels—romantically, interpersonally, creatively, professionally, energetically and beyond. The Empress is divine feminine, divine Mother, divine receiving, the pure essence of Yin energy. She is comfortable, relaxed, dropped in with her sexuality, her creativity and her intuition. The Empress is also a Major Arcana energy, which is akin to a thunderstorm, or the curl of a wave; there is very little we can do to control these energies, and like the weather or the elements, it is best to bend with them, rather than against them. January’s invitation to you will be to surrender to this softer place within yourself.
It is time to evolve past the busy doing and over thinking that robs you of the wellspring of your vitality, and come back home to Empress energy. She has been calling to you for several months now, and I know a lot of you are feeling a lack of her in one way or another, whether physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually. You will create and manifest a lot more through restoration and reconnection with your sense of play, receiving, and sensuality, Gemini. It is time to drop back into yourself, past the mind and into the body. The body is your refuge and your temple; you have to start treating it that way. 2017 is truly a year that isn’t going to let up on you until you are courageous enough to choose softness, rest, and a renewed sense of self care in the face of your mental contractions.
And by the way, this isn’t because you are doing anything wrong, or making mistakes. Far from it! The Empress reversed is here because you deserve better, and it is time to look at the old patterning and fear that keeps you from moving into this place of upgraded receiving. You can start by communicating your feelings, or moving into a willingness to accept help when it’s offered to you. You don’t have to be comfortable—you just have to be willing. Instead of getting swept away with your brain’s chatter, tune into what your body is communicating to you. A whole Universe of knowledge is contained within you, past the storm of your thoughts and patterning. Rest, listen deeply, come home to yourself.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
CANCER :: CANCER RISING
Ten of Pentacles, rx
January is a month of limbo for you, Cancer, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It fact, it’s powerfully aligned. If you can flow with the unknown and move into quiet, focused inner work, much will be manifested out of this time. This period of your life is best served by looking inward, rather than to material or external gains. The time spent in review will aid you in refining your goals, preparing you beautifully for where the next few months are going to be leading you. It will be immensely important to take stock of your aspirations during this time. You have to be willing to honest with yourself, to shift your life if some aspect of your path is no longer in alignment. Don’t let this scare you—these changes will only yield more abundance, joy and clarity in your life.
Ten of Pentacles when not reversed is a pretty perfect card. It heralds a time of completion, harvest, abundance, rich rewards for hard work. It also can be a time when we are birthing something new into the world. The reversal is a little heads up that some aspect of our lives is out of alignment, and thus is keeping us from this harvest, from manifesting all that we desire. Your job this month, Cancer, will be to clarify just what that is. It’s a little like driving a car that’s making a noise. It could be that your oil needs a change, it could be that your transmission is failing. The most important step is to cultivate the courage to go to a mechanic and have it looked at.
Either way, there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Either your car will be good as few for a few bucks, or you could trade it in for a totally new car. The one thing you cannot do anymore is drive your car around while it’s making that noise. Muster up the bravery and come face to face with your truth. Hard as it might be to hear, it’s going to bring only better, not worse, to your life. Once you move through that, you are free to make the essential changes that can bring Ten of Pentacles out of a reversal and into it’s aligned place, flooding your life with the gifts that are hovering right above you, ready to flow into your life.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
LEO :: LEO RISING
Page of Wands
You literally could not get a more powerful, positive card for the start of your 2017, Leo! Page of Wands is joyful evidence that sets the tone for a profound shift in your life, markedly moving you from a year of hatching to one where you are fully out of the cocoon. You are ready to go, and the energy of the month is going to take you to your dreams and beyond. 2016 was a year full of ass kickings for your whole sign—profound, transformative, and full of blessings to be sure, but most certainly a tough ride in moments. This has been important for many reasons: to temper ego, to help you to trust life, to slow you down a bit, to get you more centered on the foundation than the outcome, to reconnect you with your intuition.
All of it was important and vital—but it is done. Whether you were aware of it or not, you passed the big tests. You waited. You paused when it felt excruciating. You trusted life even when it felt impossible to do so. You did the work even when you didn’t know it. You let yourself be lost and confused. You were willing, even through discomfort, to evolve. Evolution is exactly what’s been happening to you, Leo—moving from caterpillar to butterfly. The simplicity and the power of that is enough to crack your whole heart open. The truly, truly hard stuff is over, and what it’s left within you is a readiness, an openness, a richness and a wisdom of spirit that is priceless.
The Universe has been waiting for you to be open enough to receive the blessings, gifts and invitations that it wants to grace you with—you were so busy in your own stories and agendas that you weren’t able to do this until now. Bow to yourselves; you have come through a full rebirth. Page of Wands is your guide for this new era of your lives, lighting the flame, bestowing upon you a kind of grounded, rooted confidence that will propel you through your year ahead. This card’s energy has wrapped up the past, has shifted the impulsive way they used to do things, and is now moving in a way that is tethered to reality, allowing much to be manifested along the way. This month is the beginning of BIG transformation for you, Leo. You are ready—so leap.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
VIRGO :: VIRGO RISING
Five of Swords
You have choice this month, Virgo. With Five of Swords, there is always a choice. You can choose victimhood or empowerment, to get sucked into an old mental pattern, or to decline your brain’s invitation into contraction. You could go down the whirlpool of destruction, self sabotage, guilt, shame, rage or fury—or you could just recenter, calmly honoring the gifts of your situation and letting all of it unfold into a place of power and transformation. Five of Swords is a card that can have a sting to it, which is a part of it’s medicine. The sting helps to get our attention. This card is going to help you to see the ways in which you have locked yourself into a pattern or cycle of negativity or pain—once you see it, it will be possible for you to be liberated from it.
This is a month, Virgo, in which you are going to have to be on your toes with your brain chemistry. The fact that you’re in Five of Swords is a great thing and a good sign—the brain doesn’t really invite us here unless it knows that it is losing some measure of control over us. This is a month to practice extreme gentleness in the face of whatever arises—internally or externally. It is a time to go slowly, to make measured choices, and to drop any story we have about this cycle in our lives. If you are locked in a story about how you were wronged, or how life is unfair, drop it. Honor the feelings, and move into choice, into owning the truth of your situation. No more self flagellating or victimhood.
As foreboding as all this sounds, it will only hurt as much as you’re identified with your ego and victimhood. If that’s the case, you’re already in pain. You can only have more of what you’ve got, or to be liberated from the cycle. This freedom is exactly what’s possible for you this month, Virgo. To see yourself and the ways in which you’re staying locked in old, painful patterns, and rather than getting caught up in a story about that, to choose a recentering. If you are courageous enough to turn away from the brain’s invitation into victimhood and story, you will be clearer, wiser, freer and stronger than you’ve ever been.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
LIBRA :: LIBRA RISING
Nine of Pentacles
January is a time of sweetness before a big transformation. You are getting ready for some major, major changes this year, Libra—all hugely expansive and abundant. You have been through some unbelievably intense cycles in the past year, moved through major resistance and fear, and evolved like your life depended on it. January is the start of a fresh time, a brand new path of growth, blessings, and gifts, all of which will be borne out of the hard work and self love you’ve been cultivating and nurturing. Nine of Pentacles is the sacred guide that will lead you toward all that you are prepared to receive with open arms. You are ready—now let it flow in.
Nine of Pentacles is a beautiful energy, a sweet culmination of a time of committed efforts, and of knowledge and blessings gained through those efforts. Look around you, Libra. Are you anywhere near where you were at this time last year? My hunch for most of you is no. Even if the physical, earthly aspects of your life have stayed the same, YOU are different. You are not the same. Bless yourself, bow to yourself, give thanks, love, and gratitude to yourself. 2016 was an extremely intense year that came with so many challenges, invitations and contractions for your whole sign—you moved through that beautifully, whether you were aware of it or not. Now, it is time to reap the rewards of that hard work, and to step forward into your next level of expansion from there.
There is a two fold invitation for you this month, Libra—to bask in the glow of the gifts, abundance and blessings in your life as a result of your committed growth, AND to prepare to step onto a new path of mastery. The master’s path is the only option you have now, Libra. It is time to step into that new place of purpose, and of creation, to shed any aspects of your life that are keeping you locked in struggle, pain or resistance. Take a BIG leap this month, and it will pay off. There is no rug to be ripped out from under you. You are out of the dark and fully in the light, Libra. Expect to be showered with blessings, opportunities and gratitude this month. Absorb, trust and receive them—then begin to get clear on your next steps.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
SCORPIO :: SCORPIO RISING
Four of Wands
This is your second month in a row in Four of Wands, Scorpio! A first for these Tarotscopes! Whenever cards repeat themselves, especially in a setting like this, it is very special. Not only does it mean that there are still lessons to be learned, wisdom to be gained, and medicine to be absorbed from a card’s energy, it also means that your guides are trying hard to communicate with you. Some aspect of the Four of Wands is deeply important for you, Scorpio—it has to be to come up back to back. Beyond the channeled wisdom that I will go into here, I encourage you to go off book this month, and tune in with this card in a more personal way. Read everything you can about it, look at card imagery from lots of different decks, read about the numerology of the number 4, and consider what the energy of fire might have to bring to your lives. This is a beautiful practice to drop into whenever we get repeat cards. Something is trying to communicate with us, and it is lovely to open ourselves up to that in any way we can.
You are still moving through the beautiful invitation that Four of Wands brings, which is to celebrate and honor a cycle of completion in our lives. When we are in this card, it slices away seriousness, cools intensity and softens our focus. It transforms the tremendous fire exerted in the Wands, channeling it into joy and celebration. This card’s energy has come here for one of two reasons, Scorpio. See which one aligns most with you: 1) You have been actively ignoring the invitation of the card, plugging away at life on an empty tank, not truly taking the time to recharge and refill your well, or 2) You are taking the invitation of the card beautifully, and the continued recommendation is to keep moving through your life with that same sense of full hearted flow.
For those of you who find yourselves in choice one, it’s all good! Just drop into the energy of the Scorps who have been flowing in choice two—restore, realign, rejoice in your life. Blow off steam, laugh, honor the journey that’s led you to this point, and let the whole month be a celebration of all your work in the past year. You deserve it.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
SAGITTARIUS :: SAGITTARIUS RISING
Three of Wands
What a beautiful start to your 2017, Sagittarius! Your sign on a whole is on fire, truly stepping up as the powerful leaders that you are. It has been amazing to see this expansion blossom in all of you over the last few months. The energy of the coming year is only going to bring you higher, deeper and more fully into your mastery, and Three of Wands is helping you to kick off the journey in a truly potent way. The time has come to get clear, Sagittarius. Clearer than you’ve ever been. What do you want? Where do you feel called to live? Who do you feel called to be around? It might be time for some of you with tighter grips to let go of control, moving into a willingness to receive in a way that will ask you to surrender.
If you’ve been in the same situation for a few years, the latter is important medicine for you. In order for you to step up into this place of mastery, you have to allow January to help you clear out the old and plant anew. Three of Wands is such a powerful, potent, special energy. It truly heralds a time of transformation, shifts, and new groundwork. Your journey of expansion isn’t over—but you have leveled up. It will be very wise for you to take an inventory of yourself, your life, and the people with whom you teach, raise, serve and spend your time. Ask yourself if these relationships feel deeply nourishing to you, and how you could bring this higher level to the table for all of your relationships. The same goes for your job, your romantic attachments, your goals and dreams.
January is truly the start of a very exciting time for you, one that will ask you to really come forward with all of the gifts, knowledge and wisdom you’ve been quietly gaining over the last year. People need your wisdom now more than ever; it is time to share it at this new level. This may also be a time when you find yourself drawn to explore new avenues of service, learning, or experience. If you’ve been hungering for that, dive in. Three of Wands energy is all about new journeys, experiences, growth and knowledge, both gained and shared. Let it flow through your life and see how it effortlessly releases what doesn’t serve and brings more abundance in.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Lindsay here and follow her on Instagram.
WEEKLY NUMINOUS TAROTSCOPE: NEW YEAR EDITION 2016!
The King of Swords is here to help us speak a necessary truth and declare our intentions for 2017, says Lindsay Mack…
TEMPLE OF VENUS: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE GODDESS VENUS
Elyssa Jakim sits down with her hero, the Goddess Venus, for some lessons in love, sex, and relationships for 2017…
In the spring of 2012, I took a fated voyage to Italy. I toured Rome, Florence, and Venice for two weeks by myself without knowing any Italian except different variations of ciao and grazie. I had experiences that ranged in tint from enchanting to bizarre to intense to delicious to profound.
Of course, I visited the Uffizi Gallery in Florence: the must-see museum city’s must-see museum. After rounding a nondescript corner of this monolith, I found myself face-to-face with Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. The sight was astonishing. Instantly, tears sprang to my eyes at the golden masterwork. I knew Venus. I looked like her. I was her.
Chills ran through my body. Identifying with Venus bundled me in a new layer of self-acceptance, like a warm cloak. The sight of that painting changed something in me.
This all happened before I had discovered that I was a latent medium. But, looking back on my emotional response, I believe this meeting with Venus sealed my future work with her—and my eventual ability to hear her. Since that trip, Venus (and that image of her) has entered my life in countless ways—not least with my Temple Of Venus column for The Numinous, in which I have discussed many ways to work with the energy of the Goddess Venus.
As this column prepares to transition in the New Year (stay tuned for its next incarnation), I decided that a perfect way to pay homage to our Venus would be to let her speak.
So as we close out 2016, I sat down with the Goddess Venus to get her tips on love and romance for the year ahead. And yes, by sitting down with the Goddess, I mean I went into deep meditation and had a conversation with my hero Venus!
VENUS GREETS US!
“Hello Universe! It is a pleasure to be heard by you. Numinous readers have deep sensitivity. I hope they can feel my vibration through these words.”
ELYSSA JAKIM: What can you tell us about relationships in the current climate, Venus?
GODDESS VENUS: Recently, I have found I want more from my lovers and my standards are elevated, which means you mortals too have been more demanding in your relationships. It’s good to have high standards. But like anything, these high expectations must be balanced. So here is my tip for relationships in 2017: look at your closest relationships, especially with those family members who you perhaps spent more time with during the holidays.
Ask yourself: are my standards fair? Am I being too hard on the people around me? How can I receive the love that they are trying to give, even if they lack the right words? How can I appreciate the effort my loved ones make, even when it doesn’t land quite right? This will free you up into compassion.
EJ: Are the high standards also helpful?
GV: Yes! The shift into higher standards is very important for those wishing to break their relationship patterns and attract a new kind of love in the new year. If you know you are ready to change how you date and whom you date, start setting your new patterns without delay. Walk your talk. When the same type of person you always date with no positive results asks you out, decline. Cut a date short if you don’t feel honored. It is time to spend time with people who lift you up, enlighten you, who make you laugh, and who make you feel healthy. Be aware of the company you keep.
EJ: What’s your message to the world right now?
GV: Stay close to your heart. It’s easy to look outside of yourself to find the answers, and it is easy to look outside of yourself for despair too. But the thing that is truly sustaining is the energy of your own knowing. People know what is right for them so much more than they think. I see so many of you asking for advice when you don’t really need it.
Is it advice or is it permission you’re seeking? I give you permission right now to make your own decisions. Trust that you have all of the answers inside of you. Especially in this Internet age where there are so many answers. Before googling all the symptoms (physical and metaphysical) simply ask your self what you need.
EJ: What are your tips for sensuality in 2017?
GV: Get into your body, and get truly sensual! Challenge your lingerie choices. If you always wear a bra, forget it for a day. If you’re always flying free, try something structured and see how it makes you feel. Notice your body’s sensory reaction to clothes. What makes your genitals a little excited when you think about wearing it? What are your sensual fabrics? Read a book of erotica or a book about tantra and practice by yourself. Get intimate and cozy and hot inside to offset the frost. Winter’s dark mysteries can be pretty sexy.
EJ: Is January really a good time for a detox?
GV: We often indulge during the holidays, since emotions are running high, and being surrounded by family members can trigger this. A way to temper this is to make sure your self-care practices are also on high alert. In January, drink SOOOOO much water. Put crystals in the water to make it more fun! If you have a sweet tooth, perhaps try a spoonful of honey. It may be cold out, but fresh air will help you to re-group and re-ground.
This is not a time of denial. If you’re choosing to eat healthier in January, feel excited by this act of nourishment. Receive the sweetness you maybe crave from other things. From a warm hug. From a great wintery walk. From candles. From kisses in the snow. From romance.
EJ: You are the Goddess of romance, Venus. What does that word mean to you?
GV: It means saying your true feelings out loud. Whether this is a crush or a long-term lover, to me being bold can be really sexy. Remember when you wrote letters to people as a teen, Elyssa? I loved that! You might have been embarrassed, but I found it beautiful! Most importantly, be romantic for yourself. Light candles in your space and play music that feels sexy or heartwarming to you. Sit by the fire, take hot showers, seek heat and warmth. Put red roses or petals in your space. Write yourself a love letter. Cook yourself a nice meal. Take yourself out on your own perfect date. The ways to be romantic are limitless, it’s just important to remember to do it.
EJ: How can Numinous readers connect with you in 2017?
GV: My energy is awakening more and more on the planet right now and I invite any one reading this to spend time in meditation with me. And remember, I exist in many forms. I exist as honeybees. I am a planet, obviously. I am white buffalo calf woman. I am the earth. I am sensuality. I am the womb. I am your deep femininity. Please spend some time with me. Please put a red rose in your hair, light a white candle, wear something gold, anoint your body with oil, listen to music, sway, and think of me. I love you so much. Have fun and you will prosper!
Elyssa Jakim is available for intuitive readings that channel goddesses, guides, angels, ancestors as well as astral travel sessions, distance reiki, and more! Check out elyssajakim.com for details on how to work with her. And discover her on Instagram @temple_of_venus.
WEEKLY TAROTSCOPE: HOLIDAY EDITION!
The Akashic Records card is a divine reminder of our free will. And it’s here to remind us that we don’t have to be slaves to tradition, says Lindsay Mack in her latest weekly tarotscope…
Get more wisdom from Lindsay at Lindsaymack.com, and sign up for Moon Club for ways to work your spiritual tools in your life.
HOLY F*CK: 5 WAYS TO JUMPSTART YOUR LOVE AND SEX LIFE IN 2017
In her final Holy F*ck column of 2016, Alexandra Roxo has 5 ways to jumpstart your love and sex life in 2017…Portrait: Alexandra Herstik
2016 has been a wild year for the planet and for America. For me it’s been a year of change and growth and reshuffling and purging and mourning and planting seeds and learning. I also hadn’t been single in 10 years, and have spent this one being VERY single. I’ve used this time to have a giant rethink of ALL my ideas, values, and beliefs about love and sex.
I’ve done some dating, sure, but I put the brakes on things in the name of some deep diving and learning and observing of myself and my clients, which is hard for a Piscean princess who loves to dive into romance. My birthday is just days from Anais Nin (if that means anything to you you’re prob my tribe!).
Last week, in search of my culminating thoughts about love and sex and spirit for the end of this year, I called my friend Gala Darling, whose latest love story is one of my faves! After a divorce, Gala met her adorable boyfriend online a little over a year ago and I’d been swooning over them via Insta for a while. I wanted to hear the dirt…Did she believe in soul mates? Manifesting the man of your dreams with spells and rituals? Making a list of important things in love and meditating on them? I had a lot of questions for her.
Gala said many things but what stuck out the most was: “Relationships are not meant to be easy. Marriage is not easy. They are not meant to be comfortable. They are meant to push you to see things about yourself that are not actualized. Having a soul mate is not a party!” This sentiment is way too overlooked in the twin flame/soul mate discourse. Where’s the footer that says “Hey BTW this shit hurts”?
She also reminded me that there is no certainty. Like ever. In marriage. In relationships. In any of it. People who are single think “Oh when will I meet that special someone?” And then people who are in partnership may be asking “Is this right? Is it supposed to hurt this much? Be this hard? Do I still love them?” There is no certainty but our devotion to ourselves, and our practice of keeping aligned with our heart’s needs.
So in order to do just that I’ve prepared some writing exercises for this column, to help you too rethink/ rewrite / jumpstart your love and sex life in 2017…
So get out your journal. Put on a kimono. Or silk PJ’s. Select some quiet tunes. Burn some incense. Make yourself a cozy nest. I rec bed surrounded by blankets and pillows and some rose tea and a few candles.
- RETHINK YOUR “LIST”
We all make these grand lists of what we want in a partnership and we often forget that the human we imagine coming into our life will also be flawed. Just like us! Do you have some list you’ve been working on for years? Fantasies in your mind about how your partner should or shouldn’t be? This can change as you grow so def revisit every six months. So use this time to make a list of HARD YES’s and HARD NO’s, and to really meditate on them.
Ask yourself big questions like: “Could you be with someone who doesn’t believe in God? Or do you absolutely need to be with someone who wants kids?”
- BROADEN YOUR IDEA OF A SOUL MATE
Do you have people in your life you have let see the whole spectrum of your madness and beauty? Your most ugly side and your most beautiful? I believe all the people who can hold all of us and push us to our edges are our soul mates. If you’ve never let your darkness come out with anyone I say deepen a friendship with someone who you can do that with. Not in an abusive way, but in a way where the connection can go deep under the surface. That will get you ready for partnership, and if you’re partnered it will keep you deep diving into yourself.
My friend Rebecca and I really did NOT like each other when we met. I thought she was a dirty hippie and she thought I was a stuck up goodie two shoes. 15 years later we are best friends. During that time we’ve hated each other. Not spoken for a year. Had the most heinous of fights. But had the most enlightening and fun and hilarious moments together too. She knows me in a way no one else can. Our love is as deep as the ocean.
Ask yourself: “Who are my soul mates now? Who has pushed me to the edges and helped me grow? What can I learn from these relationships about myself?”
- COMMIT TO A PRACTICE AND STICK WITH IT
If you haven’t dated in a while, will you commit to a dating practice? Perhaps you and a friend can buddy up, open an online account, make a ritual of creating your profile (which Gala says is “like casting a spell!”) Practice connecting with strangers in a non-attached way. Go on coffee dates with no agenda except chatting with a stranger. Maybe 1 out of 10 will be someone you’re actually attracted to, so keep it chill. No expectations. Treat it like a morning yoga practice!
If you’re in a relationship commit to a growth practice. Is it seeing a relationship coach once a month to make sure you are growing? Does your sex life need a reboot? Can you commit to an afternoon every other week of sexual exploration time to keep expanding there? If your relationship has become too dependent can you commit to developing and nurturing solo space?
Decide what practice you want to commit to in 2017 and break it down over the months and weeks.
- GET TO KNOW YOUR LOVE STYLES
How do you like to be loved? (If you need some inspo you can do the 5 Languages of Love quiz.) I know I mostly need to be loved with touch and kind words, and if I feel I can communicate that to my next partner they don’t waste their time buying me gifts or giving me rides or cooking for me. I told Loulou (one of my besties) about this, and now we know that we both highly value a solid compliment we pay each other loving compliments regularly! It just takes knowing and asking.
Make a list of ways you like to be loved, either within a partnership or solo. Do you need more touch? Schedule a weekly massage or trade with a friend.
- LOOK IN THE MIRROR
Don’t make me quote Michael but um…he had a point! If you were a potential partner meeting yourself for the first time what would you think? What would you want more of? Less of? This is good to look at whether you’re single or attached. Would you prefer someone who is more available? Someone who is more financially stable? Someone in better shape? Someone who meditates daily? Well, this is a great way to see where you need to make changes on yourself.
For example, I was thinking I would just love a partner who can chop wood—so fuck it, I guess I’ll learn to chop wood in 2017 too! You can also be the partner you want to your friends. I mean, don’t make out with them passionately or anything (unless that’s how you roll!) but love your friends like you wanna be loved. Cook for them. Write cute notes. Romance your friends and yourself!
Set some goals for how you can become the best partner and self and friend.
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If you want to go deeper with this work sign up for my Holy F*ck course where we will be using creative writing and storytelling to dive deep into our habits, tendencies, hopes and dreams in love and sex in a conscious way. I also see clients one on one for six month periods of mentorship and on off coaching sessions. More info here.
Alexandra Roxo is a critically acclaimed filmmaker, writer, entrepreneur and mentor currently residing in LA. She recently co-founded Moon Club with Ruby Warrington (founder of the Numinous) and has been featured in Well + Good, Nylon, Out Magazine and more.
