As we close out 2018, Capricorn season’s transits ask us to sit back, survey the path ahead, and move forward with unapologetic selfhood, says Bess Matassa. PLUS listen to the all-new Astrocast podcast with Bess and Sandy Sitron …
Photo: Ali Marel
Slip into something silky and savor the self-sufficient stillness. As the Sun moves into Capricorn to close out 2018, it’s a time to settle back into the structural support of all that you’ve been building, and summon a regal trust in the inevitable arrival of rewards you can’t yet see. It’s a high-end hotel of a cosmic season, complete with succulent room service feasts, and “do not disturb” boundaries.
With powerhouse Mars stepping into its home sign of Aries starting New Year’s eve, and Uranus stationing direct in Aries in early January, the weeks to come thrum with the sheer exuberance of arrival. It’s a time to make no apologies about putting yourself firmly first. And with Venus finally coming up from the Scorpionic trenches to move into Sagittarius, we’re invited to come alive to what wants to live through us, swapping strategy and cunning in favor of a more freewheeling roll.
Like a tough and tender shoot coming through the pavement cracks, where are you naturally ready to burst into being? Capricorn Season is here to remind us that consistent effort is what leads to the slow growth that is an organic inevitability, rather than an exhausting, sweat-drenched push.
The weeks to come are a reminder to allow the landslide to bring our luxurious legacy right to our feet …
Listen to the full Capricorn Season 2018-19 report from Numi resident astrologers Bess + Sandy HERE and read on for the season’s 4 key astro events …
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Sun in Capricorn (12.21.18 – 1.20.19) // Room Service. Plush and posh rather than patriarchal, Capricorn energy reminds us of our right to check into our own lair and lock the door, inviting in only what truly sustains us for the long-haul. As we step over the threshold of the calendar year, treat this season like your personal room with a view, reviewing all that’s gone down from a regal remove, and taking a timeout to power up from the inside out. Trust that your life truly is your domain, and craft a menu for the coming year that fits your exact appetite.
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Mars enters Aries (12.31.18 – 2.14.19) // NASCAR. Mars entering Aries during Capricorn Season mixes maturity with mojo, and asks us to rev our engines for multiple revolutions around the track. This blend of energies is an invitation to get crystal clear about our motivations, and to match our hot-blooded desire to act with a more cultivated sense of what the world truly needs now. Check in with exactly what’s fueling your vehicle and plan your pit stops with precision, as you blend sheer willpower with careful realignments and grip the gravel beneath you.
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Uranus direct in Aries (1.6 – 3.6.19) // Hard Rock Anthems. “Here I am again on my own,” cries Uranus in Aries, complete with massive guitar solos. As Uranus completes its final pass through Aries, before fully settling into Taurean turf for a 7-year stay in March, we’re invited to smoke out any fears of exile, and remind ourselves that our right to be exactly as we are sometimes means standing in fierce and fiery solitude. It’s a transit for exploring where your urge to “belong” might be holding you back from your most vital expression, and where radical growth is pulsing beneath the skin of the status quo. Step out into the stadium and let your rallying cry rip!
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Venus enters Sagittarius (1.7 – 2.3.19) // Hair Extensions. Venus in Sag is the zodiac’s original “long hair don’t care” aficionado, pushing at the edges of constriction in partnership, and longing to roam free from head to toe. Whether partnered or solo, this transit asks us to free our minds, as we embrace wide open pleasure spaces of exploratory sensual seeking. To truly feel the beat with another, we’ve got to first find our feet in a personal dance, says Venus in Sag. Let your locks loose and undo the rules, as you pair commitment with the call of the rollicking road.
Sagittarius Season 2018 is awash with direct motion, urging us to burst forth into new ways of being in the world. Bring your freshest feelings along for the ride and keep your eyes and your mind wide open, says Bess Matassa …
Image: Fredrick Kearney
Race straight into the great, wide open, and let the wind throw back your mane, Numiverse. Sagittarius Season 2018 is top-down and ready to ride, a reminder that life is pulsating with possibilities when we risk rolling the dice and losing the map.
Sag Season 2018 invites a pack of direct planets to the party, including Mercury going direct in Scorpio and Sag, Venus now moving forward in Scorpio, and Neptune and Chiron slipping and sliding in Pisces. There’s a surprising freshness and adolescent flair to all this locomotion, as we feel the range of big feels with the celebratory aliveness of a teenage dreamer. Meanwhile, the stage is set for unveiling some hard-earned truths.
With a perpetually-packed suitcase, Sag asks us to get out and collide with the world, letting ourselves be blended, shifted, and changed by all we encounter. This Sag Season, how can you fully immerse yourself in the experience of living … without having to fully understand it all?
Bow to a higher law, wild ponies, confident that when you commit to hitting the road without holding back, it will rise to meet your gold-dipped hooves at every turn …
Listen to the full Sagittarius Season 2018 report from Numi resident astrologers Bess + Sandy HERE and get the quick and dirty on the season’s 4 key astro events below …
The Queen of experiential learning, Sag longs to stretch her muscled legs, powerfully poised to dance all the way past the end of the dirty and dusty roads. Though this is the energy of the seeker and philosopher, the most vivid treasures are found in the unscripted detours. Perpetually on the move towards the edge of the infinite, and ready to mythologize each tumbleweed that passes, Sag works best when unattached to the destination. Let this energy take you on an impromptu getaway, either real or imagined. Remind yourself of your innate ability to meet the moment, and the precious promise of a life lived far beyond the limiting beliefs of “right” and “wrong” turns.
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Mercury direct (stations direct in Scorpio 12.1; re-enters Sagittarius 12.12) // Say Anything
Mercury’s journey between Sag and Scorpio has reminded us that we can dance with our demons without having to signal the final death knell, relating to each season of our life with presence and curiosity. This final forward push of Mercury in Scorpio and into Sag finds us ready to share all of the hard-won gems that we’ve mined with the celebratory fervor of a lovestruck teen. A trip to the cosmic karaoke booth, this energy urges us to allow whatever’s on the tip of our tongue to come alive without fear. Let John Cusack’s unabashed boombox declaration to the neighborhood remind you that when we reach out from the inside, there is never any reason for regret.
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Neptune direct (11.24 in Pisces)// The Art of David LaChapelle
The zodiac’s dream weaving planet takes us far beyond the mundane and steeps us in the pure mystery of the unseen world. With Neptune stationing direct, it can sometimes feel like a rude awakening, as we’re forced to pull the blinds up on anything that’s been keeping us from clarity. This Sag Season, recapture the creative force in checking out to check back in, and turning your night sleeps into waking dreams. Bring heaven all the way down to earth with David LaChapelle’s glamorous escapism, which channels the Neptunian sensation of mixing the material and the mystical.
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Chiron direct in Pisces (12.9; trine the North Node in Cancer 12.2) // Bubble Wands
Chiron’s last direct pass through Pisces before it shifts into Aries in early February is an opportunity to take the full plunge into our iridescent, shape shifting feelings, exploring our most profound longings without judgement, and letting any shades of pain bring us closer to each person and creature in our lives. Pisces energy gifts us radical allowing, and paired with Chiron it invites us to widen our container and accommodate as many shades of sensation as there are drops of water in the ocean. Dip your bubble wands into the mix, and kiss the preciously ephemeral human experience with your breath.
Cancer Season 2018 brings a deep dive into our healing process, along with opportunities for true and lasting intimacy, says Bess Matassa … PLUS check out the latest installment of our Astrocast podcast with Bess and Sandy Sitron
Photo: Maria Badasian
Slip into your swimmies and prepare to be fully submerged. The night-blooming flowers of Cancer Season 2018 are ripe and redolent, ushering in a month to tuck into our vulnerability, bear witness to our own softness, and validate every feeling tone that emerges.
With Mars, Chiron, and Neptune all traveling retro, it’s time to stage a farewell party to outmoded illusions, drifting slowly and steadily towards new shorelines. For tapping into underground power sources that don’t need to be proven to be potent. Beneath any surface desires for action and achievement, subtler tidal shifts in soul expansion are sounding their siren song.
So skinny-dip into your shimmering sensitivities, water birth new notions of personal triumph, and let your longings lead you back home to your own private island. You belong to all the selves your secret cavern can hold …
Get the quick and dirty on the four key astro events of Cancer Season 2018 below—and listen to the full Cancer Season 2018 report from Numi resident astrologers Bess + Sandy HERE in the latest edition of our Astrocast podcast …
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Photo: Mong Bui
Sun in Cancer (6.21-7.21) // Think … Terrarium Building
Cancer’s cardinal water energy washes us back onto our own shorelines, and activates themes of privacy, belonging, and soul-centered security. Think of the luminous lunacy of your inner lifeworld as your own tiny biodome, a carefully tended shelter for your wildest dreams. Use this image to play with the edge between guarding your treasured visions, and slowly exposing them to the sunlit world.
As the planet of frictional force and engine-revving libido slows its roll, it’s a glorious moment for considering your relationship to “being” rather than doing. For celebrating the “actions” that happen on a soul level, even when you can’t see them directly manifest in the material world. Make this a month to allow for all flavors of growth and movement. Think of all that you can build without having to go hard or prove your right to exist (and check out the YouTube clip at the link above for some magically wacky inspo!)
“Hey baby, you’ve got to remember …” As the planets of pleasure and vocalization travel through the glitter kitten terrain of Leo, pin your bedazzled-heart to a ruffled-sleeve with this classic roller rink anthem of unabashed passion. Venus in Leo teaches us that allowing our affections to spill over generously and vulnerably is the gateway to loyal loving that lasts, while Mercury in Leo seals each messages with a magenta-lipped kiss. Come clean about your right to your fluffiest feelings and adorn your most cherished romantic hopes in their truest colors.
Photo: Simone Perrone
Jupiter Direct in Scorpio (7.10) // Film Noir Chic
As the planet of wild expansion stations direct in deep sea diver Scorpio, there are gems to be mined in our most intimate partnerships. How can fully embracing your own shadow lead to the veneration and celebration of your only-human partners? How can you integrate and assimilate your own darkness as simply another quality of the light? Play with the complete range of feeling in deliciously dramatic, film noir inspired fashions and remind yourself that taking this seriously is a tasty affirmation of your right to feel it all.
Gemini season 2018 invites us to choose our own adventure—and with Venus in Cancer and Mars in Aquarius summer begins with a nurturing, humanitarian vibe, says Bess Matassa …
Photo: Keenan Constance
Prepare your lightning rods, Numiverse. GeminiSeason 2018 asks us to slip, slide, and shimmy to catch every available angle of prismatic light. ‘Tis the cosmic season for loosening our grasp and rising softly to meet the magic moment, exactly as it is with exactly what we’ve got.
Sensitized by Venus moving through seashelled Cancer, the eccentric electrical empowerment of Mars in Aquarius, and a sweet aspect between dreamboat Neptune and wild pony Jupiter, GeminiSeason 2018 offers us the chance for an entirely different relationship to change. Rather than a burn-it-to-the-ground, all-or nothing tornado, can you simply shift yourself into a new feeling tone, a more saturated shade of sensation? You’re ripe and ready to taste the rainbow. Step outside to greet the shifting weather, and let it wash you clean …
Listen to the full GeminiSeason 2018 report from Numi astrologers Bess + Sandy HERE in our new Astrocast podcast—and use the below cosmic crib sheet to get the quick and dirty on the season’s 4 key astro events.
**And make sure to check out our latest Numiversity Astrology Course—MERCURY: YOUR COSMIC VOICE COACH, available only during GeminiSeason 2018. Complete with custom astro info for your Mercury sign, hypnosis, tarot, and more!
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Photo: Jesse Bowser
Sun in Gemini (5/20-6/20) // Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Books
Remember those endless, sunbaked afternoons, hidden inside your proverbial treehouse, with dogeared paperbacks in sky-high stacks? Conjure the energy of middle school field trips and library walkabouts with a voyage through multiple endings. Gemini energy reveals the tender threshold, the in-between, the “what ifs?” of every situation—and also shows us that no matter what we choose, there is a rightness and alignment to the precise place on the path we’re walking. Where are you ready to open yourself wide to a surprise ending?
These two mystically-minded outer planets conjure images of ice cream swirls and psychedelic desert caravans. The zodiac’s dreamboat seekers, their energy asks us to come completely undone and let ourselves skinny dip into the unseeable, the unprovable, the “numinous” itself! Channel the shapeshifty spiritual call towards infinite expansive possibilities by sporting an old-school mood ring. Feel into your sensitive, responsive layers and shades, and then release into pure fascination without needing to understand exactly what all these colors “mean.”
Conjure the tucked-in protection and sugared shelter of pleasure-seeker Venus tripping through salty Cancerian waters, with this classic R&B jam. Venus in Cancer reminds us that we have the right to feel 100% safe in partnership, and that our pleasure center should be a deep wellspring of endlessly tasty nurturing. Mixed with Gemini’s penchant for sampling every shade of experience, it’s a recipe for a romantic rollercoaster that’s curiously joyful rather than painfully manic. Let yourself wish for the happiest of endings, all while keeping it loose and riding the wonder wheel.
Get ready to believe in edible wallpaper … and your own power to remake the everyday into a utopian landscape that will feed the masses. Powerhouse Mars traveling direct through outer space Aquarius takes us to the edge of what we know, so we can radically rupture with the outmoded, fly in the face of the naysayers, and give birth to a deliciously strange hatchling that will change the course of history. In the wise words of Wonka: “If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it. Anything you want to, do it; want to change the world … there’s nothing to it.”
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Our NEW Numiversity Astrology Course—MERCURY: YOUR COSMIC VOICE COACH, is available only during GeminiSeason 2018. Complete with custom astro info for your Mercury sign, hypnosis, tarot, and more! PLUS 10% of sales go to the ACLU, the largest organization protecting freedom of speech in America.
Taurus Season 2018 sees us looking to the past to mine hard won gems to re-imagine our future, says Bess Matassa. PLUS listen to our all new Taurus Season Astrocast podcast with Bess and Sandy Sitron.
Are you ready for more, more, more, Numiverse? The Sun’s sensuous saunter into earth empress Taurus brings us back to the basics of love, and asks us to sink our teeth into the touches and tastes of what truly turns us on, without an ounce of shame.
Taurus Season 2018 is electrified by Saturn and Pluto retrograde, Venus in Gemini, and electric slider Uranus in Taurus. The coming month will feel like a faux-fur trimmed welcome mat to our own jungles, asking us to lovingly look into our wells of self-worth and deservedness, feast on our all our bits, both shadowy and light, and treat our personal demons like tropical flavored gummy worms that are meant to be celebrated.
What simply feels good to want? Where have you not allowed yourself to fully feel it? And what no longer fills you up? You are more than worthy of your weight in snackable stardust, astro babes.
So tell yourself what you want, what you really, really want, and open your channel wide to receive it …
Listen to the full Taurus Season 2018 Astrocast from Numi resident astrologers Bess + Sandy HERE and use Bess’ cosmic crib sheet (below) to get the quick and dirty on the season’s 4 key astro events.
**And make sure you check out our latest Numiversity Astrology Course, Venus: Your Total Guide to the Planet of Love, available only during Taurus Season 2018 (April 19—May 19). Complete with custom astro info for your Venus sign, hypnosis, tarot, and more!
In its highest octave of expression, Taurus energy teaches us that there’s always more than enough to go around, and that we don’t have to scramble one bit to sit down and fills our plates with seconds and thirds. Revel in the sense of endless supply with the glossy goodness of still life oil painting and photography, where you can access the immediacy of the rich and ready material world that springs eternal.
The sober duo of boundary heavy Saturn, and primal transformer Pluto, sees us putting in the hard-edged work of personal reckoning with our pasts. But rather than fearing the reaper, revel in all the shapes you’ve inhabited, and the time it takes to grow it real and right, as you delight in mining the gemstones from trips to your own shadow lands that are gorgeously badass.
Pleasure seeker Venus’ shift into Gemini’s prismatic perspectives reminds us that our love lives can be slumber party style sampler platters, and that partnerships come in all sizes and flavors. When we look upon what we love with curiosity, we reaffirm our right to the wide-range of pleasure that’s always available. Get with your friends and take to the streets, as you figure out what you really, really want, and debut your desires to the whole wide world.
Uranus’ radical electricity challenges Taurus’ sensuously secure nature, asking us what’s really filling our cups, and what’s no longer a serviceable source of supply. This powerhouse primal energy invites us to renovate our relationship to our most basic needs, and to question where we’ve been gripping onto feeds out of compulsion and fear, rather than a settled sense of satisfaction. Release what you think you should want, and step into what you need, as you slip in and out of carnal costumes that fit you right here, right now.
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Our Numiversity Astrology Course Venus: Your Total Guide to the Planet of Love is only available through Taurus Season 2018 (April 19—May 19). Get your copy HERE and learn all about your personal relationship to the planet of love, money, and pleasure, as well as a complete understanding of Venus through the signs. 10% of all sales will be donated to Project HEAL, the leading non-profit in the US delivering prevention, treatment financing, and recovery support for people suffering from eating disorders.
With Merc going retro and Venus in Taurus, Aries season 2018 is a time to plot your course for the long haul, says Bess Matassa. PLUS listen to our all new Astrocast Aries season podcast from Bess and Sandy Sitron!
Sidle up to the starting block, astro babes. AriesSeason 2018 finds us ready to begin again and again, as we recommit to saying HELL YES to our very existence on Earth, and summon all of our courage to recapture the innocent sensation of full-throttle living.
But this isn’t any old backyard BBQ. With MERCURY stationing retrograde (March 22—April 15), SATURN making a stand (April 2), and country crooner VENUS in Taurus (March 31—April 24) asking us to roll in the hay, the theme this month is SLOW MOTION.
While it may feel like every last second demands sweat-drenched participation and lightening speed action, this is actually an astro season to crack yourself open for the long haul, and to find small pauses of rest inside all of the rapid firing.
Can you rise to meet the red-hot NOW, moment by moment, as it asks you to cuddle up for a steady unfolding? Can you trust so deeply in your internal competence that your mantra becomes “no more proving?”
We’ve got an overview of the key aspects for Aries Season 2018 below, including ways to activate them in your life. PLUS you can listen to the full AriesSeason 2018 ASTROCAST PODCAST from Numi resident astrologers Bess + Sandy HERE!
**And be sure to check out our first ever Numiversity Astrology Course: A TOTAL GUIDE TO YOUR MARS SIGN. Complete with custom astro info for your sign, hypnosis, tarot, and more!
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SUN ENTERS ARIES (March 20-April 19) // Jumpsuits
Originally designed for parachuters and race-car drivers, and popularized by WWII women factory workers nicknamed “riveting Rosies,” this minimalist fashion piece is an aesthetic embodiment of AriesSeason 2018. Strip it down, keep it simple, and streamline how you use your life force in the world. Aries is the premiere “masculine,” penetrating force in the zodiac, but when it reaches its highest octave of expression, this is aligned, responsive action that broadens the notion of libido to encompass all of our creative powers. Jump for your own love!
MERCRY RETROGRADE (March 22-April 15) // Power Poses
Retrogrades ask us to invite the planet’s energy inside our own private lair, and this Mercury Rx in Aries is all about letting our internal cheerleader take the lead as we revise our inner pep talks, and become our own preciously pom-pommed fan club. Work those rallying cries with some Power Poses in the bathroom before you head out into the world. Want the scoop on why this really works? Check out body language expert Amy Cuddy’s cult TED talk.
VENUS IN TAURUS (March 31- April 24) // Chris De Burgh’s “Lady in Red”
Dancing cheek-to-cheek to this prom anthem reveals everything you need to know about this season’s partnership between the Aries Sun and Venus in Taurus. While Aries energy is usually rapid fire pyrotechnics, mixed with the liquid chocolate stylings of pleasure seeking Venus in Taurus, the rhythm is both exuberantly innocent teen romance and the hard-earned experience of wedding dances through the years. Turn the lights down low, slip into a cherry sundae colored ensemble, and channel both fresh cut beginnings and timeless embraces.
Amidst ice and rain and wind, we’re braving our bodies against the bedrock with this aspect. How do you manage your life force? How can you open up to the sensation of sometimes excruciatingly slow movement, step by precious step? Can you even find delicious softness inside of enormous difficulty, as you summon your deepest wells of self-sufficiency? Tap into the wilderness survival school of Strayed’s epic PCT hike, and if you’re not ready for the long-haul, start with a meditative walk around your own neighborhood.
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Aries is ruled by red planet MARS—the celestial body that governs our passion, energy and drive. Check out our new digital course, A TOTAL GUIDE TO YOUR MARS SIGN, to discover everything you need to know about your Mars placement, and how to channel this fire power in your life!
:: MONDAY :: Got interviewed by badass yogi Guru Jagat for her RaMa Radio show “Reality Riffing,” which was really kinda cool because usually I’m the one interviewing people! And luckily the moon was in Gemini and I was feeling extra chatty. We got through a bunch of stuff about spiritual activism, walking the wellness talk, and how “being in a human body feels like walking a tightrope right now” (her metaphor, but who isn’t feeling this one??). But guess what? Maybe the tightrope is the only way across the abyss. In which case, let’s keep calm, clear, centered, and never quit cheering each other on. You can listen to the full interview here.
:: TUESDAY :: First virtual Full Moon ritual for our Moon Club members, and we had people attend from Belfast in Ireland, Toronto, London, Mexico, and all over the United States. YES, this community is global! Since this week’s Gemini Full Moon was the last full moon of 2016, it has felt like a good week to take stock of a year that has brought so many harsh lessons, so much anguish (the tightrope, remember?), and, as a result, such tremendous opportunity for growth. What have you been through this year, and who have you become? This was the theme of Alexandra Roxo’s moving guided meditation, in which we journeyed to meet the different “selves” of 2016, and ask for their lessons, and their blessings. Intrigued? New members can access a recording of the session via the private Moon Club Facebook group any time you sign up.
:: WEDNESDAY :: Finalizing details for Club SÖDA NYC, the new name for my “sober curious” Club Soda events—which I am bringing to London on January 11 due to popular demand! And speaking of previous selves…when I left my home town five years ago for a new life in NYC, I was a full-on party girl, using alcohol and other drugs as a way to bridge the fulfillment gap (the abyss…?) that has since been bridged by creating The Numinous, and all the offshoot projects of this platform. London is also the kind of town where saying you don’t drink is often met with eye rolls and extreme pressure to “just have one,” followed by intense gossiping about how you must be a) in AA, or b) pregnant.
So to say I’m apprehensive about how my new attitude to booze will go down, is kind of an understatement. But it seems that even in the UK, the conversation is changing. Ever since I announced the launch of Club Soda on this side of the pond, I have received messages from Brits asking me to bring the events to the UK—”because we really need something like this.” Not to mention loads of newly sober (and sober curious) friends offering to help me stage a London event. Which means…it’s happening! Read more and get your ticket here.
:: THURSDAY :: New sweatshirts, new sweatshirts! A couple of months back, Urban Yogis co-founder Eddie Stern approached me with the idea of creating a limited edition print of his Broome St. Temple tees (worn by people like, oh, Russell Brand and MADONNA). The Temple was Eddie’s iconic ashtanga studio in Soho, which he vacated earlier this year to set up the equally beautiful Brooklyn Yoga Club—the tees a riff on the logo for punk band The Ramones. Our version? Went went kinda glam with gold foil! As with our Chakra and Vinyasa shirts, a percentage of proceeds will go to the Urban Yogis, to help fund the amazing work they do bringing peace to marginalized communities in the city. You can check them out and shop the collection here.
:: FRIDAY :: And speaking of Madonna, if you didn’t already then please, please watch her acceptance speech for the Billboard Woman of The Year award she collected this week. So many truths, such powerful vulnerability, and what a fearless statement about the need for true sisterhood. But above all a reminder, fitting in the final days of 2016, that: “in life there is no real safety, except self-belief.” The tightrope is real. You’d better believe.
If you are what you eat, the same can be said for what you speak – this is the all-empowering philosophy of NYC fitness guru and motivational speaker Patricia Moreno. She shares an inspiring podcast on making 2014 the year you become the Master of Your Mouth, and explains how this will help you create the life you are here to live. Portraits by Sumner Dilworth. Styling by Victoria Case. Hair and makeup by Takako Yamamoto.
LISTEN TO PATRICIA’S INSPIRING PODCAST FOR THE NEW YEAR HERE:
The philosophy that you are what you speakis key to Patricia’s teachings as a fitness professional. Her cult workout, intenSati, begins with a ten minute sermon on our attitude to the challenges we face in life – the idea that each and every one, be it a cardio drill that feels like it’s going to rip your lungs out or a difficult relationship with your mother, should be embraced as a powerful agent for change. That living in your comfort zone is like denying your soul it’s chance to evolve.
Recently, she’s been taking this message out of the studio and into the wider world – she even gave a TEDx talk last summer on the subject of Living With Positive Discipline. Here she explains why we self-sabotage, and how talking ourselves into our personal power becomes its own spiritual practise.
WHO HAVE BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT TEACHERS ON YOUR PERSONAL JOURNEY AND WHY? Lauren Zander, founder of the Handel Method, played a big part in helping me understand the power of personal integrity. When I started coaching with her in 2004 I learned something that to this day is the single most powerful lesson I know; the ability to keep my word to myself and get myself to follow through on what I say I will do as well as tell the truth and be transparent. Most recently I have been studying under Dr. Joseph Michael Levry, who has a PH.D in metaphysics and is the founder of Naam Yoga. In the shortest amount of time he has made the biggest impact on my life. He’s mentoring me on evolving the intenSati method in ways that will significantly improve the results people will see from participating in my classes and workshops.
WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON WAYS WE SABOTAGE OUR OWN PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND WHY? I believe that we sabotage our efforts unconsciously. When we decide we want to lose weight, start a new business, have more success etc, we are making a conscious decision to change. Usually we want to make these changes because in some way we are suffering, or we feel we don’t have enough of whatever it is we say we want, so we set a goal for ourselves. Pain is a great motivator. After we get inspired to set a new goal and we take action and we feel better, because taking action and actually doing something about the so called problem relieves some of the tension or suffering. But then we drift back to our old unconscious habits, the habits that got us where we are in the first place – overweight, struggling or unsuccessful in some way.
The way to create positive and lasting change is to work on a physical, mental and spiritual level. We often focus on making physical changes, which is only 10 percent of who we are. Unless we add mental and spiritual exercises to evolve our whole self we will find ourselves in an endless cycle of two steps forward two steps back. Adding meditations, visualizations, affirmations, prayer, forgiveness and gratitude practices to your action plan will insure that you affect the shift you want in your total being.
BECOMING THE ‘MASTER OF YOUR MOUTH’ IS A BIG THEME FOR YOU. IN WHAT WAYS (USING WHAT WORDS AND PHRASES) CAN WE EACH BECOME OUR OWN GURU? The quality of our life is directly related to the quality of our thoughts. The more time we spend complaining, talking and sharing about what’s wrong, what we don’t like, or what is missing from our life, the more time we are spending in a state of feeling lack, unsatisfied or like a victim of life. “Sati” means “mindfulness,” which is the basis of all my teachings, the idea that making conscious choices and exercising the power we have to choose what we think, say and do.
It is easy to be negative, to complain and to be pessimistic. First of all it gets us off the hook of having to take any action and possibly failing, getting uncomfortable or facing our fear. We have to train ourselves to wake up to our power and realize that that we have thoughts, but that we are not our thoughts.By relating to our thoughts and our words as powerful and life changing we can use our words to transform our life instead of using words to describe our life.
WHAT ELSE IS IN YOUR SATI WARRIOR VOCAB? Be grateful for what most people take for granted. This is a big theme of intenSati and Sati Life teachings. When we become more grateful we realize how blessed we are with what we already have. How often do we stop to realize what a miracle and blessing it is to simply be alive? The Dalai Lama teaches that to have a human incarnation is very rare, and just contemplating this will help us value life more.Most of us spend more time wishing things were better, wishing we had more and in the process we forget to start by appreciating and using what we have.
IN WHAT WAYS DOES THIS BECOME A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE? I believe everything is a spiritual practice – because we cannot separate the physical, mental and spiritual parts of ourselves. When we expand our awareness of ourselves and see that how we do anything is how we do everything, we can make buying groceries and doing dishes our 9-5 spiritual practice, by doing it with the intention to serve others, to be present and appreciate being alive.
HOW DO YOU SHARE THESE TEACHINGS WITH YOUR KIDS? Our kids do what we do not what we say. They learn by copying our behavior, our words, our expressions and our choices. As we change how we interact with life, each other and the world we are showing them, and that is the most powerful way to teach, by being the change we want to see in our children. One of the most powerful things I heard in regards to raising our children is that our voice becomes their inner dialogue. When we are constantly pointing out what we don’t want them to do, what they are not doing enough of or what we are disappointed in then their inner dialogue becomes a recording of that. Point out what is right with them, what they are doing well, what options they have and, most of all, make sure they know on a daily basis that they are loved no matter what. Never assume they know you love them, tell them and show them.
WHAT WILL BE YOUR BIG MESSAGE IN THE COMING YEAR, AND WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT TO YOU? I have declared 2014 the year of being a Messenger of Love, and devoting ourselves to being of service. If each one of us takes on being of service in small and bigger ways, in one year we would see a significant change in the world. Being of service to me begins at home. Instead of wishing your husband, wife, child or parents would understand you more, help you more, love you more or give you more, focus on what you can do to make their daily life better. Do the dishes more often, say I love you more often, show your appreciation on a daily basis, and go out of your way to make life easier.
Then expand that to your community, school, gym and work life. Look for opportunities to volunteer, help out a co-worker, motivate a gym friend, help someone with homework, uplift and acknowledge others daily. Then focus on how you can use your talents and gifts to help on a bigger scale. How can you serve more people with your business, how can your work serve more people on a regular basis. What difference do you personally want to make in your world?
This is important to me because my teachings are about how to live a life you love in a body you love. The access to this is by being loving, grateful, compassionate, kind, generous and authentic. When we are focused on being of service, we are looking at what we have that we can give, and so we are fulfilling our soul’s work and divine mission to make the world better a better place– because here we are! Our service is the price we pay for living on the earth and it is what will lead to us all being more fulfilled. At the end of our life, the difference we made in people’s lives is what will matter most.
For information about upcoming talks, workouts and workshops with Patricia Moreno, visit www.satilife.com @intenSati
