WHAT I LEARNED AT PRIESTESS SCHOOL

Seeking to reawaken her innate magic, Ani Ferlise enrolled in Priestess School. She shares how you can embody this ancient vocation …

priestess school ani ferlise kozmic ryder graell corsini priestess graell ashland goddess temple ruby warrington the numinous material girl mystical world the now age goddess temple of ashland
Graell Corsini and The Goddess Temple of Ashland

Four years ago, I was feeling alone and unfulfilled. I was dissatisfied with the way I’d spent my college years, and I was frustrated with what was expected of me. And so, seeking more of the magic I had always felt in my heart, I left New York and moved to small, magical, Ashland, in Oregon—and it was here I first heard the word “Priestess.”

I had found my way to Graell Corsini, a loving, fiery, pixie Priestess, and founder of the Goddess Temple of Ashland. The Temple itself, a beautiful dome, is surrounded by gardens, flowing mineral springs, beehives, and tall oak trees. Inside, you are greeted by a wood stove and an altar, decked with Samhain decorations and offerings. Immediately on arriving here, I felt something nostalgic and familiar awaken inside of me.

I began my working for Graell at temple “melissae,” cleaning the temple, organizing, sprucing up the altars, and clearing the space. One year later, I asked Graell if she would be willing to do a one-on-one apprenticeship with me and teach me how to Priestess for myself. Over the course of a few short weeks, I immersed myself completely in this ancient vocation.

What I learned totally blew me open, while new insights continue to unfold every day. This is what I have learned so far about the Priestess way …

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A Priestess brings magic to the mundane
Graell told me how part of her practice was to make places more beautiful than when she arrived. If she goes into a bathroom that’s dirty, she cleans it. Graell sees this act alone as a living prayer, bringing the sacred to something so everyday. That’s just one example. Taking a shower can become an energetic cleanse, with lavender or rosemary soap, as you visualize the heaviness of the day going down the drain. Cooking can become kitchen witchery when you say, “Thank you for nourishing me,” as you stir intention into your split pea soup with a wooden spoon. The way you Priestess will be as unique as your fingerprints.

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A Priestess honors the darkness along with the light
Focusing only on the light is a major imbalance in the spiritual world—for we are made of love, light, AND a deep, deep darkness. We are all born from the darkness. The womb-space, the unknown, the place of rebirth. We confront our darkness every day, and to deny this is to deny yourself of your humanity. The deep, dark unknown must not only be looked at but loved. To honor the darkness, the unknown, the places that scare us in ourselves and in life, is sacred.

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A Priestess does not have to be perfect to be in service
We are all capable of manipulation, of stretching the truth a little too much, of judgements, of ignorance, and more. We are always going to be exploring our motivations. Being of service doesn’t require ridding yourself of these human parts. The Priestess approach is to muster up your strength, vulnerability, and courage, and instead of trying to rid yourself of imperfections, to nourish and be gentle with yourself, so that you are overflowing with love. Everything that is not in alignment will then flow out of you naturally.

priestess school ani ferlise kozmic ryder graell corsini priestess graell ashland goddess temple ruby warrington the numinous material girl mystical world the now age goddess temple of ashland
The Temple

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A Priestess creates sacred space
Holding sacred space is a beautiful opportunity with a lot of responsibility. This space can be energetic or physical. You can push your cart into the cereal aisle at the supermarket while a toddler is throwing a tantrum, and you can ask the mother how she’s doing. Or you can be in ceremony, looking each person in the eye, letting them know that you hear them. You never know when the opportunity to hold space will show up!

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A Priestess nurtures self always
Being a Priestess means creating a (literal) sacred space for you, too. This space is used to pray and to nurture yourself—a place, when something is too big for you, to give it over to the Higher. Natural disasters, terrorism, and societal injustice, are impossible to take on by yourself, nor are you supposed to. You are here to do your part, and whatever is beyond you needs to have a place to go. So create that space. Organize, clean, and beautify it, so you can show up AND feel held.

Whether it is a home altar, a spare room, dresser drawer, or even your car dashboard, use whatever is accessible. My altar has each of the elements represented, and I use the Wheel of the Year for my inspiration. I keep it beautiful and divinely scented with flowers and plants based on the season, with candles and oils to match, and with crystals and incense to set the tone.

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A Priestess celebrates life with ceremony
Every life event can have a ceremony or ritual. Going through a breakup? Moving into a new home? Feeling grateful? Needing to cut ties from a person? Yearning to honor a loss? Ceremony is key to bringing the mythic to the seemingly mundane. Ritual is an invitation for the sacred to come in. While there’s nothing like having a trained guide for major life gateways, there are many opportunities to support yourself during times of transition. For example, if you just experienced a break up, take a cleansing bath with rose quartz, and drink a heart-opening and nourishing tea like Damiana.

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A Priestess is a part of nature
When you begin to pay attention to the transitions of the seasons, the shifting of the Sun from sign to sign, and the phases of the Moon, it’s hard to understand how we are supposed to operate separately from nature. Like the Moon and the tides she turns, our lives ebb and flow. From socializing to solitude, from sadness to joy, from confusion to certainty, and from giving to receiving—a Priestess understands that we too are constantly cycling. Be gentle with your tides.

My life has changed significantly since becoming initiated as a Priestess. I came to Graell searching for meaning, and what she taught me is that we find this in making the world better than when we find it, in ways big and small.

priestess school ani ferlise kozmic ryder graell corsini priestess graell ashland goddess temple ruby warrington the numinous material girl mystical world the now age goddess temple of ashland
Ani at Priestess School

Embracing the magic in the mundane lights a fire in my heart like nothing else has. Turn toward those who have walked this path before you, for more guidance on living a sacred life. If you have any questions, you can find me at kozmicryder.com or @kozmicryder on Instagram, and Graell Corsini at the Ashland Goddess Temple and at priestessgraell.com.

ARE YOU A MOON PLUTO PERSON?

Some of the cosmos’ most emotionally intense astro babes, Moon Pluto people dive deep and love hard, says Aliza Einhorn. Find out if you’re one of them and how to navigate the depths  …

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Photo: ActionVance

WHAT IS A MOON PLUTO PERSON?
In my early 30s, I got an astrology reading. It was my second one ever, I think. The astrologer took one look at my birth chart and said to me these words: emotionally intense! He was eyeballing that Moon Pluto conjunction in Virgo in my First House.

Please don’t fret if my astro-jargon is confusing. Here’s the gist:

If the Moon and Pluto intermingle in your chart, you’re a Moon Pluto person. This means your emotions are powerful, forceful, intense. And those emotions, at times, may get you into trouble.

Moon = feelings and Pluto = powerful. Pluto always intensifies what it touches.

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YOUR CHART IS A MAP OF YOU
Your birth chart is a map of your soul’s adventure in this lifetime, but also your day to day personality. Throughout their lives, Moon Pluto people are told: you’re too sensitive, too emotional, too obsessive, too serious!

The feelings can be so intense, all consuming, that we often feel we must DO SOMETHING with them, and we should, although there are good and less good options.

What I describe below may seem intense, but being a Moon Pluto person really is a gift, and I’ll tell you why: we are deep, sensitive, creative, intuitive. This is good! The depth comes from the feelings, especially the ones we don’t want to feel, the ones that may scare us and others too. This world is rarely equipped to handle such intensity and passion pouring out of a single individual.

It’s up to you to save yourself, my darlings, but I can help …

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ARE YOU A MOON PLUTO PERSON?
The following is a general and not exhaustive list for how to identify a Moon Pluto person in the wild.

*Note: if you respond to what I’m saying here, but can’t claim any of these chart placements, your Moon-Pluto-ness is likely showing up in some other way in your birth chart. Also, additional chart factors can tame or exacerbate one’s Moon Pluto intensity.

Does your birth chart have any of the following? 

1// The Moon in aspect to Pluto somehow, someway 
In astrology, the most talked about aspects (aspects = how the planets in your chart relate to each other) are the conjunction, square, opposition, sextile, and trine.

The first three are noteworthy for the challenges they bring, and the last two for their helpful or lucky qualities. Although the conjunction may be the most disruptive and the sextile or trine the easiest to integrate, ALL Moon Pluto mash-ups make you a Moon Pluto person.

The conjunction 
Truth: You feel everything intensely and need constructive outlets for your passions. Or else!

Risk: You blow up at people. You blow up at yourself. “Alone forever!” you cry.

The square
Truth: Emotions are as strong as with the conjunction, but held in. They get buried like bones in the yard until they rise from their graves like the figures on the Judgment Tarot card!

Risk: Trouble identifying exactly how you feel, but feeling the churning and burning within. It’s not heartburn and yet it is.

The opposition
Truth: Most Moon Pluto people get bullied at some point in their lives, but the opposition aspect brings particularly formidable (i.e. scary) foes.

Risk: Staying too long in bad, bad relationships. Many Moon Pluto people are at risk for getting stalked, in guess you were wondering why this has happened to you over and over.

The sextile + trine 
Truth: Congratulations! You’ve won the Moon Pluto lottery. The sextile and trine are less angsty overall. You have the positive traits of the other placements and fewer of the extremes.

Risk: No known risks except that depth and sensitivity are rarely in style for long 😉

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2// Moon in the Eighth House 
Because we associate the Eighth House with Pluto, Moon in the Eighth is a Moon Pluto combo. You feel. You feel deeply. You obsess. You keep secrets about those obsessions. You’re a natural medium. You know stuff. Spooky stuff. Lots of it.

Life Advice: Use your magical powers for good.

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3// Pluto in the Fourth House 
Because we associate the Fourth House with the Moon, Pluto in the Fourth is a Moon Pluto combo. This is the tumultuous-home placement. If you were born with Pluto in the Fourth, there was trauma in childhood. You experienced it or witnessed it or both.

Life Advice: Find that safe and secure home to call your own.

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4// Moon in Scorpio 
Another Moon Pluto mash-up because Scorpio is associated with Pluto. Does anyone really know how you feel? Enigmatic on the outside. Fiery cauldron on the inside!

Life Advice: Learn to let go. As much as I LOVE telling Geminis to meditate (usually the last thing they want to do), I love teaching Scorpio Moons about letting go, whether of unrequited love or vengeance.

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MOON PLUTO MAGIC
So now what? What to do with all the tzuris? Here are five ways to soothe your aching Moon Pluto soul:

Art. It doesn’t matter what it is, whether you paint or write or fire dance, make crystal grids. Even housework can be artful. You must EXPRESS YOURSELF. I call it “getting the poison out.” When you create something, you get the Moon Pluto whirlwind out of your body.

Talk. It doesn’t have to be a therapist. It doesn’t have to be an astrologer, tarot reader, healer or anyone you pay. You can talk to a friend, to a stranger at a cafe, as long as your person listens, doesn’t judge. Moon Pluto people feel shame for feeling so much and not always able to master it. They need good people around them.

Heal. I know this may sound like a stretch if you’ve never considered it, but Moon Pluto people are healers. Maybe it’s crossed your mind and you’ve never explored it. Explore it. The healing you give the world could be with your words, your voice, your touch, but I guarantee that you heal yourself by healing others.

Study. Most Moon Pluto people I know are interested in mysticism or magic. You have natural psychic ability and psychic development will not only interest you, but soothe you too. When you study the occult, it’s like a mirror. You see yourself. Find a class on-line or in person or a few good books.

Sweat. Move your body. This is one more way to express those powerful emotions and one of the best ways to release what’s inside of you. It’s an exorcism that you do for yourself. Best if the movement leads to sweat and even tears (blood not required).

Dear Moon Pluto people, I promise you’re not doomed! You can create your life — not in spite of your intense emotions but because of them. With them! Include them in your world and you’ll be the happy happy Moon Pluto person you were always meant to be. 

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Aliza Einhorn is the author of The Little Book of Saturn, published by Weiser Books, and is a practical mystical astrologer and tarot reader with clients all over the world. She assists spiritual travelers with their dark nights of the soul, help witches refine their spells, and answer questions about love, loss, and life purpose. Find her at Moon Pluto Astrology, and on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

USE THESE 5 MAGIC WORDS TO CREATE BIG CHANGE

With Mercury poised to station direct tomorrow, author of Little Languaging Hacks for Big Change, Dani Katz, reveals 5 magic words you can use to shift your consciousness right now …

dani katz ruby warrington the numinous magic words material girl mystical world the new p handbook volume 1 little languaging hacks for big change

The subconscious mind is getting a lot of buzz these days, as the folks leading the personal development/human potential/manifest-your-best-life-ever movements have honed in on it as the method behind our proverbial madness (i.e. how and why humans operate the way we do).

You see, the subconscious mind is responsible for 95% of our decisions and behavior. It is the lens through which we organize our realities, as well as the command center that determines how our realties organize themselves; and it is programmed – first, foremost, and only – through words and repetition.

Words and repetition.
Words and repetition.
Words and repetition.

This factoid would be one thing if words were objectively neutral symbols, solely defined by intellectual connotation, singularly serving as symbolic reference points for the things and ideas they represent. Alas, words are infinitely more complex, multidimensional entities, each encrypted with a unique vibrational frequency that is itself coded with oodles of metadata that palpably affects our emotional, energetic and psychological bodies in subtle – and not so subtle – ways.

The words we use to communicate with others, as well as the ones running on the incessant loops in our heads as thoughts and self-talk, double as hyper-nuanced programming codes that serve to either empower or disempower us in every given moment. Every word matters, as the subconscious mind tracks and responds to each one we utter, think, type or scribble, without exception.

Quantum Languaging is a fun, simple method of deconstructing and perfecting the myriad ways, whys, and hows that words shape our every experience. I dive into lots of juicy and rollicking detail about it all in my new book, The New P. Handbook Vol. 1: Little Languaging Hacks for Big Change.

In service to up-leveling our lives and our world for the infinitely more wonderful, I offer up these five words we’d all be wise to wield on the regular … 

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1// Choose
We live in a world weighty with have-tos. We “have to” work, and make money, and floss, and kegel, and ground, and tap-in, to say nothing of the bills, and the paperwork, and the insurance premiums, and all the other matrix-y tasks that can really get a gal down, if she’s not mindful of how she’s framing her life.

The whole have-to paradigm is super disempowering, because it alleges that we are victims to external demands, and that we are enslaved to the tasks we are engaging.

This is where choice comes in. The reality is, we don’t actually have to do anything, ever. I can choose to skip flossing and kegeling, in exchange for gum disease, leaky pee sneezes, and mediocre sex. I can choose to skip my morning meditation, and let my mind run wild, and approach my day as a scattered, ungrounded, airy mess of discordant thoughts and vibrations.

It’s all a choice. I have free will. I can do whatever I want, as long as I understand that my actions have consequences. With that in mind, it is infinitely more empowering to frame these supposed have-tos as choices that we are willingly engaging as deliberate creators who are authoring our lives as we are authentically inspired.

dani katz ruby warrington the numinous magic words material girl mystical world the new p handbook volume 1 little languaging hacks for big change

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2// Thank you
“Sorry,” blurts the woman I jostled while squeezing my way through a crowded party, even though I’m the one who bumped into her, and she’s the one with kombucha dripping down her hand.

For what, exactly, are you apologizing? I want to ask. For inhabiting a body? For placing it in my path? For existing?

Sorry vibrates at the frequency of sorrow, which means that every time we utter a senseless sorry, we are sprinkling sorrow vibes on our reality, and basically, bumming out the planet. To this end, a hearty Thank you is an infinitely wiser, more uplifting way to quell the sting of the oopsie, while acknowledging the awkwardness of the engagement.

When I observe the urge to apologize (which is so often a cleverly disguised excuse to self-flagellate), I will instead offer a simple Thank you, which serves to honor the person for showing up as a valuable reflection in service to my/our growth, while adding some levity to the situation. As in, Thank you for giving me an opportunity to witness my clumsiness, or Thank you for letting me accidentally touch your boob, and refresh your obviously parched wrist.

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3// As
Languaging our intentions in the future is a great way not to manifest them. The subconscious mind is fully steeped in the present moment. So when we say we are “going to” do something, it takes our words to heart, and goes about putting off third dimensional realization for an imaginary future day that never actually comes.

Present moment languaging hacks the subconscious mind, and tricks it into collapsing the perceived distance between our future, and our now, thus bringing our desires into our material realities quickly and easily.

While there are lots of words that shift us from future-based craving to present moment experiencing, as is my current fave. As is affirmative; and it has the agency, the authority, and the mojo to move our manifestations from concept to reality, quickly and efficiently, because that’s how we do. It’s why I’m not going to fall in love when I open my heart; I am falling in love as I open my heart; and, I am not going to relish in all the opportunity and abundance that will come my way when I finish writing my book; I am enjoying all the spoils and wonderfulness flowing in as I write my #1 bestselling literary sensation.

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4// Historically
Just as new p. (paradigm) superheroes choose to language our intentions in the present moment, we frame our shadows in the past, because we are not tethered to the trials, tribulations, hardships, or identity constructs that lead us to this present moment, and we certainly aren’t going to seed our futures with them.

We are sovereign beings, deliberately creating our realities in each and every moment, which we know to be fresh, and new, and rife with possibility. And so, while I have historically tended towards the clumsy, I am now embodying ever-expanding levels of bodily awareness and mastery that have me moving easily and gracefully through the world. And crowded house parties.

dani katz ruby warrington the numinous magic words material girl mystical world the new p handbook volume 1 little languaging hacks for big change

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5// Omniscopic
om•ni•sco•pic adj. every moment access to every possibility that is, was or will be.

The word omniscopic is pretty much your new BFF. It’s a handy-dandy alternative to the words limitless and unlimited, which – despite their best intentions – only ever tether us to the frequencies of the “limitation” they profess not to espouse. Remember, the subconscious mind is super, very literal. This means that, well-meaning though our suffixes and prefixes may be, when they are employed, the subconscious mind latches onto the actual word these little guys are attempting to modify, and goes about organizing reality according to the very frequencies they claim to cancel out.

Luckily for us, language is an ever-unfolding work in progress. And so, having happened upon this gaping hole in our lexicon, I have taken it upon myself to toss some linguistic novelty into our collective mix by crafting this handy-dandy new word.

I recommend using it widely and often, while enjoying the spoils, sparkles, and giggles that come from living life as an empowered creator in a world of omniscopic abundance, and awesomeness. We’re welcome.

Dani Katz’s The New P. Handbook Vol. 1: Little Languaging Hacks for Big Change is out now, and you can connect with her on Instagram, Youtube, and danikatz.com for more wisdom. 

THE 2018 SCORPIO WAXING MOON WANTS YOU TO MAKE MAGIC

In the wake of a heavy-hitting Eclipse season, the 2018 Scorpio Waxing Moon beckons us back into our magic, and reminds us of the potent divinity in pure desire, says Jennifer Racioppi

jennifer racioppi ruby warrington the numinous material girl mystical world 2018 scorpio waxing moon quarter moon
Photo: ActionVance

Waxing Quarter Moon / August 18 2018 / 3:48am EST / 25 degrees Scorpio 

With some of the sweetest transits of the summer upon us, the 2018 Scorpio Waxing Quarter Moon brings a heavy dose of magic.

Ready to dig in? August 18th’s early morning opening square ushers in divinity, and reconnects us to the healing that happens when we embrace our deepest desires …

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//The Cycle//
This Waxing Quarter Moon comes on the heels of the August 11 partial Solar New Moon Eclipse of Leo. This eclipse asked us to launch a vision that will carry us through the next 19 years. NBD, right?!

Given the intensity of the summer transits thus far—3 eclipses and 6 major planets in retrograde—the universe has been priming us to leave old patterns in the past and to begin to reach out for something new. The most recent eclipse provided the perfect opportunity to plant the seeds for a fresh beginning. What was stirring for you last weekend? How can you keep watering the seeds?

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//The Transits//
With Jupiter, the planet of good luck and good fortune, in an exact trine to Neptune at the time of the Waxing Quarter Moon, truthfully, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

One of the sweetest aspects of 2018, and which will last through August 23, Jupiter trine Neptune (a water trine) brings deep healing and mystical potential. Further, with Mercury simultaneously stationing direct after a multi-week retrograde cycle, be prepared for your intuition to feel vibrantly lucid. Tap in and listen.

To sweeten the pot even more, Mercury sextiles loving Venus at the same time. Put your mind towards what you want to create. Now is the time to attune yourself to your deepest desires.

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//The Square//
The Sun in fun-loving, fiery Leo, makes a challenging angle to the Moon in penetrative, watery Scorpio, both at 25 degrees. Yet, together, fire and water create steam.

While squares usually suggest curveballs and challenges, this one brings with it a deep sense of playful intimacy. Leo, after all, brings a heavy dose of fun, while Scorpio goes deep. Given the five-star aspects surrounding this waxing square, all signs point to this mash-up bringing a heightened creative and sexual tension that you can feel all the way to the bedroom—whether you’re playing solo or with a partner(s).

In terms of healing, this is also a potent time to dive into your shadow work. The Scorpio Moon won’t let you off the hook, while the Sun in Leo brings the courage to face any demons.

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//The Opportunity//
This Waxing Quarter Moon brings with it an aura of holiness. Use it to get clear on your vision and take time to really commit to your goals.

Sanctify your time in such a way that you have space to digest what it is you really want. Be mindful of your speech. Journal out your difficult emotions. Commit to shining a light into your darkest shadows.

Don’t back down. Take a stand. And with your stake firmly in the ground, have some fun with it! With the Sun in Leo, Mercury stationing direct and sextile Venus, and Jupiter trines Neptune, the weekend has the feel of an astrological holy day. Embrace the intensity and dare yourself to enjoy it!  

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If you’re in NYC  this weekend, join Numinous founder Ruby Warrington for her Sober Curious Writer’s Group + Community Brunch at Divya’s Kitchen—safe and supportive space to journal and commune on the 2018 Scorpio Waxing Moon!

ASK A SPIRITUAL CEO: 8 WAYS TO RECAPTURE THE MAGIC

Are you a full-time healer whose mojo feels more 9-5 mundane? Maha Rose founder Lisa Levine shares 8 ways to recapture the magic …

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Photo: Sorin Sirbu

QUESTION: I’m full-time in the healing arts, and found this path through a lifelong obsession with all things mystical and witchy. Now that it’s become my main gig, I struggle to keep connecting to the mystical practices that have always supported me, which have now started to feel like just more work. How can I keep parts of this world sacred and separate, so all the healing magic I’ve always loved can still serve me off-duty?”  

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LISA’s ADVICE:

#1 Stay present to your needs. There are certain tools for certain times in our lives. Tools that served us for many moons in one capacity, may need to shift over time. Magic comes from staying in the present moment and listening to our intuition and our connection to Spirit. “What do I need right now?” is a good question to ask ourselves. It may not be the same every day. A practice that’s become your full time gig may need balancing with other activities in your off time.

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#2 Know that our relationship with ANYTHING will have ups and downs. Think about a romantic relationship. There are the weeks where you’re totally in love and in the magic and the flow, and then there are the weeks when you aren’t, when it’s off, challenging, feels out of alignment or just bad. Do we leave the relationship when it is in a dull or difficult period? That depends on our level of commitment. If we are committed to somebody or something we ride through the waves of challenge or disinterest. We don’t abandon the puppy when it turns into a dog.

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#3 The Universe loves commitment. I felt this when I got married. There are different things that we can work through when we commit to something. Our relationship to our work is not unlike our relationship to our partner. Sometimes magic, sometimes not. Stay in it and move through the __________________. Commit to seeing what’s on the other side…

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#4 Find ways to keep the spark alive. Speaking of love relationships, how about romancing your practice? Get a new tarot deck, give your crystals a bath. Take them outside and talk to them under the stars. Be creative. Show how much you care.

lisa levine ruby warrington maha rose spiritual ceo recapture the magic material girl mystical world the numinous
Photo: Carlos Dominguez

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#5 Seek fun. If you spend all day with your tarot decks, after work you need a different way to connect your magic. If a practice you used to heal part of yourself is being fully explored at work, try something different after hours: painting, dancing, singing, running, cooking. Follow your heart, make FUN your guiding principal as you explore the other healing arts.

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#6 Receive. Get a reading, get a massage, get a reiki treatment. Chances are, if you are giving lots of energy through your work and not receiving back, you may just be tired, making it harder to connect to the magic. RECEIVE. Healers, I can’t say this enough, RECEIVE! The more we receive the more fun it is to give. The more we then have to give. Also you will most likely be inspired and learn from other peoples’ ways of doing things. It keeps the journey feeling like an adventure.

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#7 Vacation. I’m an all-in mama CEO to my baby Maha Rose, but it is important for me to step away from her. And I mean far away from her. She can grow without me and I can grow in other ways outside of work. With distance comes clearer perspective. When we are so in something all the time, our nose in it deeply like a book, it can be hard to see the bigger picture.

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#8 Gratitude and perspective. Back up and see how beautiful and magical and amazing it is that you get to be doing this work for your living. Thank you Goddess, thank you Angels, thank you Guides. Think of the jobs you were doing before and wishing that you could be doing what you do now for a living. Think of all the jobs you could be doing for a living that you don’t have to do. We are so blessed and so fortunate. Remember this to keep perspective.

Got a question for Lisa’s monthly “Ask a Spiritual CEO” column? Email [email protected] with the subject line: “Spiritpreneur Questions.” 

MY MYSTICAL LIFE: MANIFESTING SUCCESS WITH CANDLE MAGIC

Would last weekend’s Club SÖDA NYC urban retreat have been so successful without a little candle magic?

With co-presenters Siri Rishi and Sah D’Simone

When I started this platform, I had literally zero idea—or desire—to become an event organizer. And yet when it comes to all things numinous, it’s been proven to me time and again that there is no substitute for real-time, human experiences to bring the magic to life. And so a LOT of what I do now (introverted, bookish, solitary, me), is producing and hosting events. And last weekend’s Club SÖDA NYC urban retreat with Kin Social Tonic was one of the best yet!

It was a tall order. Ambitious. A day-long takeover of new NYC members’ club Habitas, with nine workshops, family-style lunch, a panel discussion on the Future of Alcohol, tarot readers, sound and reiki healing sessions, and a Kundalini Disco to round it all off. And the way things worked out, my SÖDA co-founder Biet Simkin and I also only had 10 days to promote it. But we pulled it off AND THEN SOME.

Over 150 people showed up to celebrate with us. Yes, celebrate—since it was also mine and Biet’s birthday weekend, AND the 2-year anniversary of our first Club SÖDA NYC event. But mainly it was a success because of the feedback we got. Happy faces all day long. Revelations had. Friendships made. “Please can you do another day like this again soon!”

Yes, we had a killer line-up. Had called on some of our favorite and most talented guest presenters and co-hosts. Yes the mocktails from Kin got people just the right kind of buzzed. Yes, people are craving ways to connect and experience joy and transcendence without using booze. AND I called in some extra assistance behind the scenes!

A few weeks back, I received a pair of Conjure Fixed Candles from Haus of Hoodoo (a.k.a. modern mystic Jessyka Winston). When I lit the Crown of Success candle the Thursday before our event, my intention was for this project to bring happiness, healing, and new possibilities to all who come into contact with the Sober Curious movement I am spearheading. Leaving it to burn over the course of the weekend, continually checking in and praying over it, I could feel the candle magic working!

I’ll definitely be using Jessyka’s candles again. Not that I don’t trust my own ability to make magic, or the necessity and the power of my message—but when it comes to stepping up, loud and proud, and sharing my work with the world, introverted, bookish me will take all the help I can get.

Below, Jessyka explains the method and the myth behind her candle magic. And scroll down to the bottom of the post for some pics from our event!

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RUBY WARRINGTON: Where does the concept of fixed candles come from and how did they become part of your practice?
JESSYKA WINSTON: The term “fixed” comes from Southern Conjure/Rootwork/Hoodoo. Other traditions called them “dress” or “anointed.” A candle is “fixed” or “dressed” with oils, herbs, and minerals.

RW: How can you explain how they work?
JW: I consider it a form of alchemy used to manifest a certain outcome or change current conditions. The ingredients added into the candle fixing hold their own spirit energy that is activated by breath and fire. These aren’t just candles you light and leave. There’s a connection, reverence and devotion that comes with this work. We communicate with our candle and pray over it daily. It is a ritual of its very own. The more faith you put into the ritual, the more devotion you give your candles the stronger the connection. Therefore, the more successful the outcome will be.

RW: What does the fixing involve? What spirits are you working with?
JW: I have my own spirits who work with me and bless my work. My ancestors, my guides, angels and, of course my Vodou, since I am initiated in both West African Vodoun and Hiatian Vodou. I work in my shrine room in front of my spirits surrounded by their altars. The spirits in the fixing are nature spirits. The spirit of each individual herb, the spirit in the minerals, the spirits in the oils, which are made of herbs and essential oils, as well as the spirit of fire. All these elements come together to make this work happen. In addition, the candles are blessed with prayer and intention. I pray over my candles and speak to them as I’m fixing them. The connection begins with me and then it is carried out and continued by the client receiving and lighting the candle.

Conjur Fixed Candles, $29, Haus of Hoodoo. Jessyka re-stocks her online store every Saturday at 6pm CST.

RW: Can anybody learn / use candle magic, or is this something you need to be initiated into?
JW: Yes, candle magic is for all! No initiation necessary. Candle magic is something you’ll most likely find in all spiritual practices and traditions. Even in Catholicism. Every traditions does it differently. It is a practice that can be used by all and learned by all who wish to learn about it. But I do believe it is something that can take time to master and perfect.

It’s not as simple as throwing some herbs and oils on a candle. A connection needs to be established between you and your craft. Learning which ingredients go well with each other. Also, which herbs and elements respond to you most. Though I work with hundreds of herbs I have my go-to herbs that I know will always do the trick. Each herb is a spirit and just how we connect with some people’s energies and not with others, same happens in this crafts. There will be herbs, ingredients you connect with more than others. Which is why this craft takes time. There is wisdom to be gained before you can master this work.

RW: When are the best times to use these candles – and what are they NOT for?
JW: My Fixed Candles come with instructions advising on which day of the week and time of the day to light your candle and begin your work. It is always best to be in good energy when doing any ritual or any other spiritual workings. If you aren’t in the best of energy, or are feeling ill it is best to skip lighting your candle until you’re in better spirit.

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Below are some images from our Club SÖDA NYC urban retreat. A success indeed! Sign up for our FREE weekly magazine to be the first to know about upcoming events, and join the Club SÖDA NYC Facebook group to connect with our Sober Curious community. 

Pre-Kundalini Disco warm-up

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Gathering for our plant-based family style brunch

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My SÖDA co-founder Biet Simkin with keynote speaker Hawk Newsome of Black Lives Matter

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Biet leading a meditation before our panel discussion

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And thanks to amazing Kin Social Tonic for the adaptogenic mocktails!

APRIL GODDESS GUIDE: OSTARA

With the cosmos bursting into Spring bloom, it’s prime time for channeling Ostara, says Rebecca Farrar. Find out where you’re ready for renewal, with her April Goddess Guide …

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Photo: Joe Robles

Ostara, aka Spring Equinox in the Pagan tradition, is named after the Germanic goddess of spring, fertility, and the dawn. Also spelled Eostre, which is where our words for “East” and “Easter” both come from, her name means “to shine.”

And while Ostara and the zodiac sign Aries come from different traditions, her symbolism has become intertwined with Spring renewal practices in the West, and both archetypes help us welcome the new season with gusto. One myth recounts that Ostara found a bird dying from the cold and changed it to a rabbit to keep it warm (Easter bunny anyone?)

Astrologically, Ostara is currently hanging out at one-degree Sagittarius, offering regrowth that expands our current sense of vision. She’ll be retrograding through July 9th back through Scorpio and joining Jupiter, reminding us that the shadow aspects of ourselves still need digging before our new story can fully emerge.

In our personal natal chart Ostara represents where and how we are renewed. In the shadow expression, she may represent the places we avoid darkness or shadow in favor of new beginnings.

As a harbinger of spring, she is a pioneer who welcomes us into the dawning of ourselves personally and collectively.

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Find out where you’re ready for personal renewal, rebirth, or even perhaps a full-blown reboot … 

**To find Ostara in your chart, go to astro.com, enter your birth information, choose “Extended Chart Selection,” scroll down to “Additional Asteroids,” and type in 343.

PRO-TIP: If the asteroid is next to your Sun, Moon, Rising, or Midheaven, the archetypal energy of renewal and “dawning” will take on an even more potent, personal meaning for you.

1st house// Take time to explore or revisit your personal mission or create a new exercise/physical health routine.

2nd house// Finances, a sense of security, or earning power may require you to reshape your goals.

3rd house// Learning and education are emphasized- try out a new class, perhaps one related Spring themes.

4th house// Work with ancestors, heritage or emotional inner security as a way to revitalize your family connections.

5th house// Find a renewed desire towards your personal creativity or even performing in the spotlight.

6th house// Adjusting day-to-day habits and routines can help you find a personal sense of rebirth.

7th house// Be on the lookout for new business partnerships or perhaps revamp your love life by seeing it with new eyes.

8th house// During a season with fewer inward hours, vulnerability could offer a new way to access your depths.

9th house// Plan a trip, or explore other ways to find renewal by creating a sense of adventure.

10th house// Your “legacy” may take on a new meaning during this phase- explore it by finding common threads between all of your skills and talents.

11th house// Feeling stuck around a sense of community may invite you to dive into new groups or alternative networks.

12th house// Try a new meditation or explore playing instruments to access flow-state potential for a much needed rejuvenation.

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Photo: Sarah Gray

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And no matter where the asteroid is in your chart, here are ways to work with Ostara this Aries Season … (I for one will most likely be listening to Celene Dion’s “A New Day” on repeat while eating eggs!)

// Style // Go for flowy tops and skirts with sun rise, sherbet colors like corals or orangish hues.

// Food // Eat eggs dishes- quiches, frittatas, omelettes, etc.

// Workout // Yoga sun salutations facing East at sunrise.

// Home // Put flowers in the sunrise area of your home or add something bright to the Eastern-facing part of your space.

// Healing // Get enough Vitamin D from the sunshine, Light Therapy, or flower essences. And practice strong self-care and self-parenting by paying extra close attention to your inner child needs.

SPREAD ‘EM: SEX TAROT 101

Looking to add some spice to your divination practice? Alessandra Calderin gives us a crash course in Sex Tarot 101, and uncovers how you can start casting cards between the sheets …

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Art: Serpentfire Tarot

The Tarot is a mirror and a tool that reflects archetypal imagery that spans the spirals of the human experience. It allows us to connect to ourselves (and our Selves) because we intuitively understand these images. Sexuality is as primal and instinctual in us as the need to eat, sleep and breathe, and so the cards can reflect the ways in which our power, intuition, and connection manifest through our sexuality.

So WTF is a “sex tarot” reading?? There are so many ways to draw cards and create spreads to explore sex and desire! Here are 4 ways to get started …

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Art: She Wolfe Tarot

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1// Pull a “desire” spread. Pull cards asking what your subconscious desires are, what might be blocking them, and how to work through that block. The possibilities are endless!

Start with a simple 6 card spread:

Card 1: What is my heart’s desire?
Card 2: What is blocking me from fulfilling it?
Card 3: What is my deeper unconscious desire?
Card 4: What is preventing me from seeing this?
Card 5: How can I balance and integrate these desires?
Card 6: What can I shed to make space for their fulfillment?

she wolfe tarot divine feminine the empress sex tarot 101 ruby warrington alessadra calderin the numinous material girl mystical world boneseed
Art: She Wolfe Tarot

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2// Do a sacral chakra reading. Explore the seat of your sexuality by diving into the 4 “sides” of this chakra. The more you look at the pelvis and your desire as linked to your creativity, the more you start feeling how they ebb and flow together, and the more tools you have to work through both.

Card 1: Front of the sacral chakra. How does your sexuality appear to others? What is your exhibition style?
Card 2: Right side. How do you manifest sexuality and creativity in the world?
Card 3: Back. What experience of your sexuality do you hold onto?
Card 4: Left side. How do you receive creative inspiration, the desire of others, and pleasure?

serpentfire tarot sex tarot 101 ruby warrington alessadra calderin the numinous material girl mystical world boneseed
Art: Serpentfire Tarot

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3// Masturbate with the Majors. You can also use Tarot for masturbation and sex magic practices by meditating on the archetypes of the Major Arcana or court cards.

Choose whatever cards are ruled by planets or signs that show up strongly in your birth chart, where the Moon is hanging out, what astro season we’re in, or just pull a Major and start working with it at random. You might even choose one you have trouble with (like when I pulled Justice- I was bummed by how unsexy that card might be on the surface, but there was powerful medicine in that feeling and the resulting meditation!)

Most recently, for the Super Blue Blood Moon in Leo on 1/31 during Aquarius season, I meditated on Strength (because Leo rules it) and The Star (because Aquarius rules). I let those two figures guide me as I touched, explored, played with my hands and my favorite toy (Njoy Pure Wand). As I was getting ready to orgasm, these two images reassured me that my sexuality and desire were a gift, and sacred sources of feminine power.

she wolfe tarot queen of pentacles sex tarot 101 ruby warrington alessadra calderin the numinous material girl mystical world boneseed
Art: She Wolfe Tarot

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4// And channel the deck’s sexiest cards to unlock pure magic! I could probably make an argument for the sexual energy of every card, but this is a good place to start. Explore how you feel about these cards and the kind of pleasure they channel, or isolate the pack and draw one as your teacher of the moment.

*She/He pronouns refer to the archetypal genders of masculine and feminine energy. These figures are figuratively gendered, but anatomically genderless.

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:: Strength :: In the Thoth, Strength is actually called Lust. Some interpretations say it’s the taming of desire, but I would say it’s more like mastery over desire. Taming connotes that there is too much desire and you need to control it. In this context, I see her as the master of her desire in a world that denies her that power. Your desire becomes sacred fuel the moment you master it.

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:: The Empress :: The Empress is receptive. She is how I learned to receive pleasure without having to think about reciprocating in that moment. She allows herself to be fully nourished, filled to the brim with love, pleasure, and affection, but she also rides and caresses like a goddess. She bestows the gift of her mouth upon you and it’s like drinking an unearthly elixir with her kisses and nibbles and expertly executed oral.

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:: The Emperor :: The Emperor might be a surprise for this, but as the Empress’s counterpart, he allows her to unleash. He’s like a very good Dom, providing the container for every expression of kink you might wish to explore safely. You want to be tied up, spanked, penetrated in out of the ordinary ways? He reads your body language, pushes the edges, and knows your limits before you even need to utter a safe word. The master of boundaries, he’s here to teach you how to consent so enthusiastically you forget what ambiguity feels like.

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:: The Moon :: The Moon represents the wild woman running naked in the woods and howling at the Moon- the deep waters of sexuality and mystery. She is a shapeshifter. A wolf. A mountain lion. She visits you in the dead of night and brings your to orgasm in the dream realm, and when you wake up the memory is hazy but you know something powerful has been touched inside you. She breathes underwater and is as mysterious as the bottom of the sea. You know her without words.

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:: The Devil :: The Devil can sometimes deal with a repression of desire, and to me has always had a BDSM vibe to it. I think this one depends on your relationship to that kind of imagery and sexual practice, but as a Capricorn (The Devil is ruled by Capricorn), and a big fan of power play, The Devil can sometimes be a freeing card. Reclaiming the divinity and balance of the shadow, of words like slut, whore, bitch, freak, breaks the chains that bind us to our own fear and repression. It’s a balancing act. The Devil reminds us that there are more layers and sides to it.

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:: The Lovers :: The Lovers feels like an obvious one because you have to love all the sides of yourself like a lover before you can love anyone else. Getting there is anything but obvious or easy, though. Use a mirror. Look at yourself. This is the real shit. The deep work. It takes a lot of unraveling and excavation to be able to love your body and yourself just as you are. Your best Lover will look back at you eventually.

she wolfe tarot the lovers sex tarot 101 ruby warrington alessadra calderin the numinous material girl mystical world boneseed
Art: She Wolfe Tarot

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:: Queen of Pentacles :: Queen of Pentacles is the master of the home and body. An independent woman, she knows what she likes and moves through the material world with the grace of an angelic ballerina. Queen of Wands is known to be the most sexual queen in the deck, but Queen of Pentacles knows pleasure like no one else. Part earth angel, part water nymph, she creates the primordial mud that those Dead Sea masks get their magic from.

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:: Knight of Cups :: Knight of Cups will go down on you first without being asked. Inviting this kind of energy into your bedroom, the person who will massage and caress you slowly, who dreams of drinking you like you’re water in the desert, is clutch in truly sinking into pleasure. Find you a man (or woman or non-binary) who can give it to you good.

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:: Page of Wands :: Page of Wands is bursting with potential energy, often creative and sexual. She’s ready and willing to try new toys and discover what she likes. She’s the teen who just discovered her clitoris and hasn’t been told there is something wrong with the amazing feeling that swims through her body when she touches it. She just got her period and is ready to finger paint with her blood. She will make out behind the bleachers and let herself love completely. She writes love songs and sings them without the slightest bit of embarrassment.

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:: Ace of Cups :: Ace of Cups is a pure gift of water, love, communication, and intuition. I often see it as an invitation to masturbate with more loving intention. To swim in your waters and to practice accepting the water gifts from elsewhere.

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:: 10 of Cups :: 10 of Cups is a literal orgasm. It could be something that feels as good as an orgasm, a self pleasure practice that’s out of this world, or a partner that takes you to the places of rainforest waterfalls and fireworks.

Alessandra is an intuitive healing facilitator, tarot practitioner, yoga teacher, writer, poet, comedienne and performer based in New York. She will be teaching her Tarot Immersive later this month and currently teaches yoga at Three Jewels, focusing her attention on energetic sensitivity and the pelvic floor. Explore her offerings at Boneseed, and follow her on Instagram.

HELLO ANGEL: THE NUMEROLOGY OF 1/11

1/11 ushers in a Harry Potter-ish portal for magical transformation, says Felicia Bender. Get ready for lift-off!

numerology of 1-11 on The NuminousWelcome to the New Year!

I’m getting feedback across the board that 2017 was a real equalizer for most of us. A friend of mine said it simply and eloquently:

“Goodbye 2017. There’s not one damn thing I’ll miss about you.”

And while I’m more than relieved to wave “Adieu” to the year TOO, I also know that the purpose behind all the intensity in 2017 was to ready us for significant and substantial change.

And the Universe chose to pave the way by pitching many of us hardballs all year long. There’s nothing like being roughed up a bit to get our priorities straight, right?

So now what?

Prepare yourself – and get ready to engage your portal for lift-off in an almost Harry Potter-ish sort of way. It’s as though 1/11 is the “Port Key” that Harry and his buddies use to get from one location to the other—magically and instantaneously.

Numerologically speaking, the numerology of 1/11 is a gateway for us to focus our intentions and put thought into action. This day is a launching pad and a conduit to manifesting whatever we’ve been working on during the entire year of 2017. And no, it won’t manifest in the wave of a wand—and yet we can work with the powerful numerology of 1/11 to our distinct advantage now that we know it exists.

Understand that the energy related to the number 1 is all about new beginnings, independence, initiative, achievement, individuation, self-confidence, and innovative creativity.

So, with the numerology of 1/11 it’s beneficial to remind ourselves to focus on what we want rather than what we don’t want, because the energy of the number 1 expands what we repeatedly and routinely think about. It’s indicating that a window of opportunity is being flung open for us—with this energy in our court, we’ll begin to manifest our thoughts and desires into reality with remarkable speed.

So the trick is to be disciplined and mindful about how we focus our thoughts—this is good advice for every day and yet imperative for the numerology of 1/11. If there’s any time to make a highly concerted effort to positively and boldly envision your present and your future, this is the moment. Don’t waste this valuable and high-powered energy lingering in the past, hovering in indecision, or grinding about how your ex is such a jerk!

Use this “Port Key” to unlock your wildest wants, most delicious desires, and purposeful passions. Step through the muck and into 2018 with the clear intention to throw caution to the wind. This goes for our personal lives and reaches out into the stratosphere of our geo-political world stage.

1/11 is the day to examine long-held beliefs that we may not be true for us anymore.

1/11 is the day to forgive ourselves (and others) and get on with it!

1/11 is the day to expansively begin the practical and magical path to creating a deeply enriching new phase of our lives.

“We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.”—Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

And let Ron’s advice keep you buoyant and focused during this transitional and transformational 2018: “Don’t let the Muggles get you down.”

NUMINOUS TAROTSCOPE NOVEMBER 23 2017: QUEEN OF WANDS

The Queen of Wands is the witch of the tarot deck, and her message is to step deeper into your MAGIC, says Lindsay Mack …

 

ARE BODY VIBES STICKERS THE NEW CRYSTALS?

Forget your middle-school collection of holograms. Body Vibes are grown-up, Now Age magic stickers designed to change your frequency for optimal health …

Body Vibes Energy stickers The Numinous
Body Vibes Sacred Six “Energy” stickers

What if you could tap into the mind/body connection with just one touch? 

When we first heard about the new sticker collection from Body Vibes, we could not have been more intrigued. The stickers have been designed to invite more self-love, soothe anxiety, or up your creative game. All you need to do is apply one of their super sexy stickers, emblazoned with unicorns, mermaids, third eyes, and more.

And then just let the sub-harmonic signals do the rest …

Wait … WTF?! 

Uh yeah, we needed to get the full low down on how these babies work, too! So here’s what we learned when we sat down to chat with the babes behind Body Vibes …

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Science meets magic: Because you’re electric, baby 
Just like all of nature, every part of our bodies exists in a state of vibration. When we’re healthy, the body broadcasts overall harmonic health. But when an unhealthy frequency sets up shop in our body, it creates a disharmony we call “disease.”

Similar to crystal healing and Reiki, Body Vibes “Sacred Six” Smart Stickers are designed to bring us back into optimal frequency, based on the basic belief that we are electrical and energetic beings, and that it’s possible to move blocked energy.

How? The stickers have been programmed by scientists with actual frequency signatures taken from organic and living botanicals in a form that our body’s own electricity can read and mimic.

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The actual science part
Bio engineers capture frequencies found in nature. These are then condensed into the same unit of frequency found in the human body, and imprinted into special Mylar material that can hold an energetic flux for two years.

Each sticker is then embedded with up to 33 distinctive vibration patterns, including one of the “Solfeggio” frequencies. With roots in the Gregorian chants of the early Middle Ages, Solfeggio frequencies come from the pure tonal notes that made up the ancient musical scale, and are said to have harmonizing effects on the body as they unite us with Divine.

Oh yeah … science + magic= energetic nutrition for your cells

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The Sacred Six “Beauty” Sticker

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The back story
Body Vibes founder Leslie Kritzer was first introduced to the technology when her husband’s naturopathic doctor gave him a bio-energy disc to help manage his arthritic pain. After his pain was dramatically reduced with no apparent side effects, she immediately started to utilize them to manage her own chronic anxiety.

After a month, she became aware of the little things—less road rage, more patience, more relaxation and ease. The big “aha” moment came when she decided to quit for a few days. By day 3 of sticker-free life, she was feeling much more anxious again and able to identify her “OCD” thinking in a brand new way.

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How do I tell if they’re working for me? 
Since all of our bodies are different, the technology can affect everyone differently. For example, the more energizing blends may leave you feeling immediately stimulated, while others may not notice the change until after they remove their sticker and realize how productive and energetic they felt. The same goes for the calming frequencies—the effect for most people is immediate and for others, becomes apparent after the sticker has been removed.

*Read Numinous Founder Ruby’s Body Vibes verdict at the end of the post!

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The Sacred Six At the Beach Sticker

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The Sacred Six: Stick to how you want to feel  
Leslie and her partner Madison DeClercq (who also own hip LA skincare line Skin Worship) designed the different Body Vibes stickers based on the chakra system.

Each of our chakras vibrates at a different frequency—from the lowest, deepest, slowest at the root to the highest and fastest at the crown.

So, how do you want to feel? Pick it and stick it! 

Less Anxious (Root Chakra): Stick this lightening-bolt-emblazoned Anti-Anxiety hummingbird on to liberate guilt and fear, and reduce feelings of nervousness.

Empowered (Sacral Chakra): Create lasting change with the endurance and empowerment of the open-palmed Energy sticker

Loved (Solar Plexus Chakra): Transform your self-care practice and summon miracles with this gilded heart Self-Love sticker.

Connected to others (Heart Chakra): Heal conflict and harmonize relationships with a lounging mermaid At the Beach blend.

Focused (Throat Chakra): A golden pyramid and third eye imprint on the Focus sticker increase productivity, and enhances expression, creativity, and problem-solving.

Gorgeous (Third Eye): Unicorn power restores spiritual order, and reflects light, beauty, peace, and strength in the Beauty sticker.

 

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MY WEEK GETTING HIGH ON (BODY) VIBES by Ruby Warrington

Obviously, we had to put Body Vibes stickers to the test—and so I decided to wear a different one for each day this week. Read on for the verdict!

Ruby Warrington Body Vibes Stickers The Numinous
Photo: Caitlin Mitchell for A Wild Dove

MONDAY
Mondays have been coming around WAY too fast lately (anybody??) and I kind of wanna carry on the weekend vibes, so I go straight for the new Flower Power stickers—designed to promote “relaxation, coping skills, and muscle relaxation” (and emblazoned with a cannabis leaf). My afternoon is pretty chill, and that evening I find myself giggling all the way thought Mindhunter. Huh? I also have to eat an extra piece of avo toast before bed. #Munchies?!

TUESDAY
A busy day of meetings means time to up the ante with the Energy sticker. Notably, my usual afternoon dip doesn’t happen and I’m able to stay super chatty and … energized … for two back-to-back podcast interviews. That night I wake at 4.30am and can’t go back to sleep, and find myself peeling the sticker off in an attempt to stop my mind whirring with tomorrow’s to-do list.

WEDNESDAY
A bad night’s sleep is not gonna help me ace the first promo push for our New Year, Nu You retreat, followed by a 2-hour in-depth business call, another podcast interview, and cooking dinner for a friend this eve. What I need is some Focus! I slap the sticker featuring a pyramid with an evil eye right above my heart. WOW. Not only do I power through all the above, I also create a super-detailed 20-story IG promo for the retreat, and manage to fit in a yoga session before dinner. That night … I wake up, mind racing, at 3.30am! I feel like I spent the day downing espresso.

THURSDAY
Chatting with Numinous assistant editor Bess about our Body Vibes post, she tells me that the “strong coffee” effect is apparently a common way some of the stickers are described—and on the pack, “sensitive types” ARE advised to wear the stickers further away from the heart. That must be me. Feeling exhausted from two nights with no sleep, I opt for the Anti-Anxiety sticker today. Perfect for back-to-back meetings with three of my favorite women. I find myself focusing 100% on enjoying the moment with them, and barely thinking about the emails I know are stacking up in my inbox.

FRIDAY
I still didn’t sleep great last night, and woke up with a stiff neck—so it’s back to Flower Power for me (which I place on my left shoulder right where it hurts). It is Friday, after all!

THE VERDICT
Some of it could be psychosomatic, sure, but I have definitely noticed subtle shifts in my energy using the stickers this week. And that word is always key when it comes to energy work: subtle. We live in a world of such sensory overload, it can be hard to hear the gentle messages we’re receiving from our energetic body day-in-day-out, and it’s like wearing these stickers helped remind me to tune in. Plus the energy surge I felt using the Focus was undeniable! I’ll definitely be using them again …

Discover more about Body Vibes stickers and shop the collection at Shopbodyvibes.com

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***How to stick ’em 
Place the stickers on the left side of your chest, close to your heart—or on the left side of your arm, back, or shoulder. For those who are more sensitive to changes in their homeostasis, place on the lower inner arm above the wrist, or on the right side

And for magic multiplied, you can also create your own “cocktail” with more than just one. The Third Eye and Solar Plexus stickers are particularly good for adding an additional positive well-being frequency to any other vibe.

*Please be advised that once the sticker is removed, it loses its adhesive property and a new one will need to be used. 

HOW TO MASTER THE ART OF WOMBIFESTATION

Mastering the art of wombifestation is the real secret of the law of attraction, says Latham Thomas—PLUS Ruby Warrington shares 3 ways to start wombifesting today …

own your glow Latham Thomas wombifestation The Numinous Ruby Warrington

The womb is receptive, soft, and a container for cultivation. And the act of creating something from that place, of accessing our womb space and drawing to us that which we most desire, is called wombifestation.

It’s the opposite of the manifesting power that so many modern spiritual leaders and thought-leaders talk about. Manifestation has become correlated with “making it happen,” whereas wombifestation means simply “letting it happen.” It’s an act of fierce allowance, of saying “yes” to what you want and letting it come, whether it’s a job, a romantic partner, a new car, a baby—simply envisioning, and holding space for it.

There is tremendous value in being a go-getter, getting things done, making shit happen. Both men and women can be very skilled in this arena. But there are qualities within us women that can be enhanced by also acknowledging the uniquely feminine force of receptivity. We have this other force working in our favor, and we should play to that. And I’d also like to note that you don’t have to have been born with a uterus or currently have one to embrace this concept.

This feminine force is magic, and employing it is a powerful way to walk through life. It is the magic of owning your glow.

Now, I am not simply advocating that you pray for what you want, kick back and relax, and expect that you will get it. “The Universe will provide” philosophy has also been misapplied by many who believe that you can simply ask for what you want and it will be handed to you, with no work involved. My philosophy is much more dynamic than that.

You can’t be lazy when you want something; being receptive is an active state of being. In nature, the spider makes weaving her web a meditation and focuses on creating a vortex of energy that draws the prey to her. She doesn’t go out to hunt it. She dwells in the certainty that when she does her part, Mother Nature does the rest, and food will be provided.

Observe how flowers use their beauty and fragrant scent to seduce the pollinators. Flowers can’t pull up their roots and go proliferate on their own. They depend on the insects and animals to help spread their pollen, so they use stillness to create an energy vacuum to draw the bees, birds, and butterflies.

Have you ever been so laser-focused on something, yet it seems to elude you? And then, once you forget about it and focus on something else, it seems to find its way back into your orbit? Do you think this is a coincidence?

Like most feminine processes, choosing to simply let things happen is powerful, and yet it can be seen as a form of weakness. In a culture obsessed with conquest and control, we’ve forgotten the very basics when it comes to the law of attraction. When you let it happen, you, my dear, are at the helm.

Instead of spending energy actively hustling and pursuing the desired outcome, you summon it, you invite it forth. You stir the pot, and you make the space for it—so that the vision blooms within you and becomes reality. Like a spider with her web, you create the very vacuum that invites the opportunity to occur.

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3 WAYS TO GET WOMBIFESTING TODAY by Ruby Warrington

1// Clear your cal. Having my Google cal stacked back-to-back sometimes feels like a badge of honor to me. Like, “wow, look at how in demand I am,” or “check out what a boss I’m being taking all these meetings.” But I can also feel the way it makes my belly clench (yep, all the way down in my womb), as the quieter, softer voice of my inner knowing, asks, “but what about some time for me?” In the same way, if I look at the coming week and there are big empty stretches in my calendar, the sense of inner peace is palpable.

Cultivating more of this feeling of peaceful groundedness is what wombifestation is all about, and one way to do this is to simply block off time in your cal to give you some (deep belly) breathing room. Maybe even literally if you use this time to meditate, bringing your attention and focus back to the things that truly matter to you. You could also use it to nap, to play with your cat, to cook, or even to masturbate! Not activities we’re generally taught are part of a “successful” life, but all of which are about stoking the fires of your feminine essence.

2// Ninja your to-do list. To help you work out what to remove from, write down all a list of all the actions connected to what you are currently manifesting. If it’s a work thing, this might mean meeting with X amount of people, pitching Z, or going to Y networking events. In a romance scenario, it could be your commitment to going on how ever many dates per week. For each one, write down the actual progress you’ve seen as a result of each. Now write out the big “successes” you’ve had, and the actions (or not!) that had the most impact on them occurring.

This could help you get super clear about all the places you’re leaking energy on activities that aren’t actually in service of your desired outcomes. That just make it look like you’re “trying.” Lol—is it any coincidence that the word “trying” can also mean: extremely annoying, difficult, or the like; straining one’s patience andgoodwill to the limit” (from the Miriam Webster Dictionary)?! Wombifestation is about “trying” less and “trusting” more.

3// Embrace boredom. We live in a world that’s basically designed so that we are never bored. I witness myself do it all the time—the minute there’s no immediate action to be taken, conversation to be had, or piece of information to be processed, I reach for my phone and either hit up Instagram, start a text chat with somebody, or open a browser to start researching yet another new idea I had the other day.

Which can all make life feel very full and exciting and productive … not to mention shrink time to where it feels like there’s never enough. When we’re here, there, and everywhere, there is no time to recharge. No opportunity for our energy reserves to become replenished to the point of overflowing (out of us and into our wombifestations). It sounds counter-intuitive, but in the Now Age we have to actively make space for boredom. Time for our minds to wander and just be. This is the vortex. THIS is where the magic happens.

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Intro excerpted from OWN YOUR GLOW: A Soulful Guide to Luminous Living and Crowning The Queen Within by Latham Thomas. 

own your glow Latham Thomas wombifestation The Numinous Ruby Warrington

THE SECRET MYSTICAL HISTORY OF PLAYING CARDS

Did you know a regular deck of playing cards holds the keys to your life path? Alexander Dunlop explains how the secret mystical history of playing cards also explains our fear of the number 13 … Images: Farhan Siddicq

Allow me to lead you down the Rabbit Hole for a few minutes …

What if I told you the ancient Book of Life was hidden in plain sight as, of all things, the classic deck of 52 playing cards? And that we can trace this Book all the way back to 5,000 BC.

Historically, it’s interwoven with the mystical traditions of Kabbalah and Hermetic philosophy. And remember, books didn’t have bindings back then. Written on scrolls and individual pieces of parchment, they were still called “books.”

Now consider this: There are 52 cards in the deck and 52 weeks in a year. 4 suits and 4 seasons. And, when we add up the face values of all the cards including the Jokers, we get exactly 365 1/4, which is our calendar year.

So, what we’ve actually got in a deck of playing cards is a little Book of symbols that represents the seasons and the cycles of our planet … a Book of our life here on Earth.

Now, here’s the deal (pun intended) with how this relates to YOU.

Based on the numbers of our date of birth, we each have 13 Personal Cards in a deck. We calculate these 13 Cards based on numerology and astrology, and each of these 13 Cards, plus a supporting Moon Card, represents different aspects of our life.

With this information, a simple deck of playing cards can reveal our Soul’s blueprint, or life journey. And when we know this Blueprint, it’s like having our own personal User’s Guide for how to win at life.

THE BLUEPRINT … (find a link to start looking up YOUR cards at the end of the post!)

0. Moon Card
This is the energy that nurtures and supports us in life. For example, my Moon Card is the 3 of Spades. It means that creative artistic expression rejuvenates my spirits. And when I need a boost of energy, it’s a good idea for me to surround myself with great art.

1. Birth Card
This is the light we shine in life. It’s kinda like our Sun Card. And when we know this Card, we know our Life Purpose. For example, someone born to play the Ace of Hearts, like Lebron James, is here to master the passions of their heart. And Lebron has definitely Aced the game he loves (basketball) and become a philanthropic Ace as well, giving back passionately to his community.

2. Mercury Card
This Card reveals how your mind works, which is great. But most people over-identify with the energy represented by this Card. I know I did. I was very much stuck in my mind, until finding the Book of Life helped me consciously align myself to the Life Purpose indicated by my Birth Card.

3. Venus Card
This is the Love Card. And if someone has this Card as their Birth Card, then you’ll have lovely chemistry between you. For example, my Venus Card is the 5 of Diamonds, and once I knew that, I consciously chose a woman as my romantic partner who has my Venus Card as her Birth Card. Score!

4. Mars Card
This is your masculine side. And when someone else has this Card to play, it can mean that sparks fly between you. It might mean a challenging connection, but it could also mean you would have great sex together.

For example, in the movie Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot has both a Venus and a Mars connection with her co-star Chris Pine. So, the energy between them on screen was one of love but also sexual tension and competition, as they each energetically challenged the other to step up their game. That was good casting!

5. Jupiter Card
This Card is an energy that expands you and brings you abundance in life. For example, Angelina Jolie has the Jack of Spades as her Jupiter Card. The Jack of Spades is, among other things, the Actor’s Card. And she has definitely found abundance in life as an actress.

Then too, someone who has your Jupiter Card as their Birth Card would be a good potential business partner for you. So, if Angelina Jolie wanted to start a business, someone born to play the Jack of Spades as their Birth Card would be a good business partner for her.

6. Saturn Card
This Card represents how we learn our life lessons. And if we don’t heed the lessons of our Saturn Card, our health suffers.

Hillary Clinton has the 9 of Diamonds as her Saturn Card. This is the Card of loss. It doesn’t necessarily mean she would have lost the election because of it. But loss is her teacher in life. Her Soul’s Blueprint is written for her to experience loss. And for her personal growth, she must learn to let go of her attachment to whatever she lost, so she can grow from it, personally.

7. Uranus Card
This Card reveals what kinds of unexpected and pivotal shifts will occur in our lives. It’s really good to know this Card, so we’re not blindsided by a shift that might appear tragic. Instead, we can welcome this shift when it occurs in our lives.

8. Neptune Card
This is what we dream about in life. This Card is the subject of our recurring daydreams. For instance, if the Ace of Diamonds is your Neptune Card, it means you will fantasize about starting your own business.

9. Pluto Card
This Card illuminates the shadow side of our psyche. It’s what we irrationally and unconsciously fear.

For example, Donald Trump has the 2 of Hearts as his Pluto Card. The 2 of Hearts is the Card of emotional connection and intimacy. It would mean that he is irrationally afraid of emotional intimacy. And we know from many interviews that he is a loner who doesn’t trust anyone.

And, in my coaching work too, I’ve seen that people who have the 2 of Hearts as their Pluto Card have this same issue of learning to open their heart to real intimacy.

10. Princess Card
This Card reveals the reward we can expect in life for playing our cards right. It’s a gift that comes to us freely as a gift of grace.

For example, Warren Buffet has the Jack of Diamonds as his 10th Card. This is the Card of generating wealth. And he has certainly generated massive wealth. But what we may not realize is that his wealth came to him as a gift of grace. He seems to realize it, which may be why he’s decided to give it all away.

11. Prince Card
This Card reveals exactly what we must take personal responsibility for in our lives. But it’s something that we may resist or avoid because we feel like it’s a burden.

12. Queen Card
This Card reveals what we must embody to fulfill our lives. It’s the energy that we must perfect if we want to complete our Soul’s destiny.

13. King Card
This is the 13th and final Card in our Life Path. And this Card reveals how we come to hold commanding authority in our lives.

For example, Oprah Winfrey has the Queen of Hearts as her 13th Card. And she clearly stepped into her power and authority as the Queen of daytime talk shows. She became the Queen of people’s hearts, and continues in that role philanthropically.

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And so it is that we all have 13 Cards to play in life. But it’s the 13th Card that reveals how we wear the final crown of authority in our lives. It puts a new perspective on our collective fear of the number 13.

Our collective fear of the number 13 seems to represent an unconscious, irrational fear of being a fully empowered master of our own lives.

It reminds me of Marianne Willamson’s observation: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”

And that’s the hidden truth of our fear of the number 13: we fear our own extraordinary power.

But once we see our 13th Card clearly in the Book of Life, we can start to demystify our power, so we no longer fear it; instead, we can accept it and embrace it. It’s how we start to activate our Soul’s Blueprint, which is how we bring forth the best version of ourselves.

To learn more about Alexander and his work and to get started looking up your personal Cards for free click HERE. And to look up all 13 Cards in your Life Path, check out Alexander’s new book Play Your Cards Right: A Sacred Guide To Life On Earth.

Alexander Dunlop is a Self-Actualization Consultant. He empowers you to express your authentic Self, so you shine your brightest light and make your biggest impact. In his professional practice, he coaches clients worldwide, leads classes internationally, and provides professional certification training for students wishing to master the game of life. Alexander is a Harvard graduate and former Wall Street Consultant. He lives in Brooklyn with his soulmate and two children.

NEW JACK WITCH: 4 MAGIC WORKOUTS FOR FALL

Lost both your mystical practice and your fitness routine in a sea of BBQs and long-weekends away? In the inaugural installment of his Fitness Witch column, Russ Marshalek shares 4 on-the-go magic workouts for fall, that will fast track you back towards body alchemy.

magic workouts for fall ruby warrington the numinous material girl mystical world russ marshalek new jack witch
Image: “Sigil for Strong Bones” by Jon Iñaki

:: A Life on the Road: Taco Bell & Alchemy :: 
After having steeped myself in my practice to cope with a remarkably terrible 2016, full of betrayals and trauma, magic had become literally just one more thing to cross off on a daily list of to-dos. Not coincidentally, I’d also had a falling off in my personal fitness practice.

As I embarked on a two-week tour this summer with my band, a place both wonderful and strangeI realized I’d come to an impasse in my personal practice as a self-trained fitness witch.

As we set out, I had fully resigned myself to embracing a traditional “dude on the road with his band” approach to physical and spiritual wellness: Taco Bell, drinking heavily, occasional substance consumption, Applebees, gas station fountain drinks, sleeping in every morning until the last possible second.

At the last minute, I threw a kettlebell and a shitty yoga mat in the trunk as an attempt to appease my own ever-dwindling sense of self-care. This worked out fairly well for me for a few days, and I blocked out the existence of my body while subsisting solely on bottles of Chardonnay and vegan-friendly trash food (and some pretty trashy non-vegan, food too).

Then, one morning I woke up sobbing and in that hilarious and terrifying way people discuss Ayahuasca trips, I had a 6-hour chat with myself in the back seat of the car and came to a few fundamental truths:

That I simply wasn’t drinking enough water. That performing every night both deserved and required a spiritual and physical groundedness and presence that I had been outright ignoring. And that I was a fucking lucky duck; I had the opportunity to travel for work and get paid for creating art, every night, with two of my best friends.

In short, I owed it to everyone involved, myself included, to actually show up for it.

From that day forward, I was never without a bottle of water, I started performing simple offerings to local spirits in each town we visited, and I developed a simple on-the-road exercise routine coupled with daily rituals.

Within two days of kicking my own ass into realizing that my body was unwell because my spirit was unwell, and vice versa, I was happier, more energized, and the shows that ended the tour were the best we’d ever done.

It took me being hundreds of miles away from home for me to be reminded that the true meaning of “self-care” isn’t “tuck inside a brownie and a blanket” but rather “make sure you’re as well as you can be in body and spirit.” And the true meaning of “giving a good performance” is basically the same.

Whether you’re literally on-the-go, or just feeling far from home, here are 4 magic workouts for fall to up your mystical body mojo …

magic workouts the fitness witch the Numinous

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1/ Get Out 
Regardless of where you are and what the situation is, there’s comfort and solace to be found in exploring local nature. It’s where we came from, and it’s where we are going. 

Fitness: Get up as early as makes sense, lace up your sneakers, find a park or path, and go for a 20 minute jog or brisk walk. Recognize and acknowledge the foliage, the rocks, the ways in which nature finds a way.

Magic: On your journey into nature, find a patch of green that’s particularly appealing to you, and make an offering to local spirits. Alternate between drinking water from your water bottle, ideally filled with water from a local source, and pouring it on the ground as you recite the following:

Spirits of this place in which I dwell/Please accept this offering/May it multiply to the 10 directions and take the form that is most pleasing to you/Take your fill and maintain peace between me and thee/So shall it be
*Drafted by Vanessa Irena and inspired by the writings of Jason Miller

Feel at peace in your surroundings.

Music: a place both wonderful and strange, “W*tch

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2// Peace In Discomfort 
The assimilation/accommodation process is an incredibly valuable and powerful one when in any type of new environment, and particularly so when you’re away from your literal home or just out of your comfort zone. Learn how to be at peace with the discomfort of the unfamiliar. 

Fitness: This is a modified version of a routine I developed myself for use on the road, and requires nothing more than a yoga mat and a kettle bell.

Experiment with using just a little more weight than you’re comfortable with (safely of course). If you don’t have a kettle bell, find a heavy thing–other free weights/hand weights, phone books, flanks of meat, a cat. If you don’t have a yoga mat, just make sure the surface you’re on is soft enough to not destroy your knees and tailbone. Grass is a wonderful substitute.

20 kettle bell squats/20 kettle bell swings/20 Russian twists/Plank for 30 seconds/Repeat 3x. **If this is too easy and you want to really shake yourself up, feel free to add more reps or sets. I do 5 sets of 30, with a 90 second plank in each. 

Magic: A simple mind-clearing ritual to help achieve calmness and clarity. It’s best to perform this at an open window or outside. Light a yellow candle, face towards the open window, close your eyes, and recite:

I call upon the power of Air/To clear the mind of confusion/To focus my thinking/And blow away the clutter/That keeps me from making good choices/Blow in the winds of clarity/And help me to think rationally and clearly/So Mote It Be  *Adapted from Witches of the Craft

Imagine any internal strife quieting. Take three slow, deep breaths. Open your eyes. Leave the yellow candle burning as long as possible.

Music: Zola Jesus, “Avalanche (slow)

Russ on the road with his band

3// Mother Night
We owe a debt of gratitude to the Moon and as such, it’s only fitting that we get outside and both observe and pay tribute to her.

Fitness: Under the cover of night, find a space that’s safe, that’s just yours, and take your clothes off. The freeing feeling of being naked, at night, and sweating, is an unbelievable, freeing high like no other. Do any routine that feels good and challenging to you. If you’re stumped, repeat the routine from #1, noticing how different your body feels.

Magic: Ideally, you’d be performing this simple blessing honoring the Moon after having just completed the workout above, and would still be nude. Sit crosslegged, with your palms resting on your knees facing up, in view of the Moon. Take a moment to ponder it in whatever form it’s presenting on this night. Unlike most rituals, don’t close your eyes–continue staring at the Moon, and allow its magic to dance in your mind. Repeat the following:

Mother Moon/I am restored by you/I am divinely protected by you/Help me feel your strength/Help me feel your power

Music: knifesex, “Mother

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4// Sleep Well, Beast
When in unfamiliar or uncomfortable territory, our inner life can turn to a raging beast that causes us to sacrifice our own sense of well-being. For many, myself included, the first thing that that gets thrown out the window is a good night’s sleep. When I don’t sleep well, I have maybe about a day’s reserve of top-level adult functionality before I begin to get angry, withdrawn, and paranoid. In those situations, sleep is quite literally the only cure. 

Fitness: There’s literally nothing like bedtime yoga to help with sleep. This Popsugar routine helped me find a good night’s sleep on the road.

Magic: Sit crosslegged in a quiet, dark, cool spot. Close your eyes. Feel your breathing as you breathe deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth. Become aware of your breath and your body.

Inhale through the nose for a count of six/Hold for 3 seconds/Exhale through the nose for a count of six/Hold again for 3 seconds/Repeat this series four more times.

Imagine your body as a slowly glowing, calming blue light, originating at your heart and slowly spreading to the rest of your body. Feel gratitude for yourself, your body, and your accomplishments of the day.

Music: Sky Ferreira, “Night Time is My Time (a place both wonderful and strange remix)

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Russ Marshalek is the founder of the occult electronic music project a place both wonderful and strange, a personal trainer, and the co-founder of the witchcraft collective New Jack Witch.

NUMINOUS WEEKLY TAROTSCOPE: JUNE 15—21 2017

The Knight of Swords brings rapid, targeted action, and a week to manifest some magic with our moves, says Lindsay Mack