The Scorpio / Taurus axis invites us to embody our wholeness—which is only ever possible when we quit faking it …
Photo: Pawel Szvmanski
Nobody wants to be a faker—but we do it all the time. The fake smiles, the fake “I’m fine’s,” the faking we’re holding it all together, when inside it feels like part of us is dying. This Taurus Full Moon, can we please make a pact to quit with the faking already, and embody those parts back to life? (If you’re just here for the ritual, it’s at the end of the post. Clue: you’ll need one of these).
Scorpio season is a time for getting REAL. For confronting the raw truths of existence, and the shadow parts we usually work so hard to conceal. When the moon becomes full in the opposite sign of Taurus, it’s shining a torch under the dusty sofa of our psyche. A chance to clean out some of the cobwebs and to prove there are no monsters hiding out there after all, what we find are just the damaged, and therefore “unlovable” parts, we have shamefully been clamoring not to reveal.
Ugh, it’s exhausting, isn’t it? The faking?
I dusted out some of my cobweb/monsters last week, when I wrote about the truth of running a (spiritual) online business (a.k.a. all the ways I’ve tried to monetize The Numinous and failed). It felt risky and whiney and ugly to put it out there, but it had gotten so very heavy I had to get it out of my body. The response, OF COURSE, was a massive out-breath from my readers who are done pretending too (which I’m also guessing is you).
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I’m writing this from Women’s Week at Kriplau. My first time attending a retreat here, having been a presenter many times, I opted into a workshop titled The Alchemy of Writing. Sat on my backjack in this morning’s session, knees hugged tight to my chest, I had been longing for this this moment. A much-needed refilling of an inner cup that, in the past 12 months especially, has given so, so much.
Why was it then, that the expectant camaraderie encircling the other women in the room did not feel like it extended to me? How could it be that I felt this insecure as part of the group, opposed to the times I was leading it. Why, having spent the past two years confronting my fear of public speaking head-on, did my heart begin to pummel the interior of my ribcage at the mere idea of raising my hand to speak?
How fitting that our first writing prompt in today’s session was: “A time when I felt one way and acted another.” Holy mama. Also fitting for Scorpio season, here are the first few lines that stumbled out of me in response:
“I knew I was supposed to say ‘yes,’ and so that’s what I told him. ‘Did you come?’ He needed to know for his pride. We were in his parents’ house, chintzy covers on the bed, the reek of skunk weed clinging to the curtains and the shag-pile carpet. There was no doubt in my mind that he’d been picturing this moment—my deflowering—from the moment that we met.”
And so began a six-year stint (the first six years of my sexually active life) when lying on behalf of my body became my basic MO. Looking back, how could this NOT have led to issues with me “using my voice” in other areas of my life (given the fact that our vocal chords and our vaginas are also intimately connected)? Or me feeling like faking it (including the smiles, the ‘I’m fines’, the pretending I’m not hurting inside) was the proper thing to do?
As with my struggles to ask for what my work is worth, I suspect I am not alone in this one. When I recently interviewed sober sexpert Tawny Lara for my Sober Curious podcast about why she quit faking orgasms in sobriety, she explained that quitting drinking had led her down a path of radical, Scorpionic, honesty. Feeling your emotions in the raw, day-in-day-out, will do that to a girl. In a post on the same subject on The Temper, she wrote: “This honesty eventually crept into the bedroom. I was done adding a performative element to sex. The thought of tightening my pelvic floor while gyrating my hips and moaning in pseudo-pleasure just seemed like too much work.”
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Because the truth is, faking it is the fastest way to drain us of our precious life force energy. In fact, the effort it takes to maintain even the smallest “white lie” could be used to power whole movements; write books; launch and fuel game-changing enterprises; and radically transform lives. Which means, whatever you’ve got squished under your soul-sofa, know that it is sapping you of your very aliveness. But will you have the courage to shine a torch under there and chase it out for good?
You can practice with the small stuff. No more fake smiles. No more ‘I’m fines.’ Notice, as you shun the fake comfort of “fitting in” in favor of a vulnerable just being, how much more deeply you belong to your body temple, like it was waiting for you to inhabit it fully all along.
And as for your Taurus Full Moon ritual? Simple. Put on some smooth tunes, pull out your crystal dildo, and invite your whole, perfectly imperfect self, to COME HARD back into your body. As you commit to never, ever, faking it again.
Your Numinous Tarotscopes for June 2019 are here! Get the audio + written monthly reading for your sign from Bess Matassa below …
Artwork: Prince Láuder
COLLECTIVE THEME FOR JUNE 2019: 6 of Wands
Close your eyes and feel the summertime heat building inside your body. Ruled by Jupiter in Leo, the 6 of Wands fuels our desires for fame, fortune, and flair. Coming at us fierce and fiery, the Numinous Tarotscopes theme for June is a collective call to the sustainable success of our personal brands.
This energy urges us to go heart first, no matter the external accolades. Asking us to break open the binary of achievement and failure, June is an invitation to craft our own cosmic corporate ladder. Sometimes we’re ahead, sometimes we’re behind, and it’s all part of trusting in whatever bold moves want to come through us in the moment.
What would feel like a gold star for your soul? What does a life well-lived really look like to you? The 6 of Wands hands us the Oscar envelope and allows us to celebrate whatever is revealed.
Read on for the card, mantra, and cosmic audio reading for your sign …
GEMINI OR GEMINI RISING: 3 of Cups Real love is whatever feels real to you.
Happy birthday month, Gemstone! June’s invitation is a rainbow colored reminder to challenge stale storylines and hard-edged concepts—especially in the realm of romance and connection. The “3” is a hungry number, inviting us to swap either/or mentality and go for the whole damn buffet. More than any other sign, you have the capacity to understand all facets of this diamond life. In June, use this kaleidoscopic view to see where you may have been limiting yourself in love. Whether it’s platonic partnerships that are offering up soul-deep growth, or a heartbreak containing bitter medicine, it is all absolutely here to remind you of your capacity to reach out from the inside. And with your ruler, Mercury, traveling through Cancer’s emo waters all month, this is prime time to take these experiences out of your head and bring them back into your body and heart. This notion is rooted in that old adage about everybody being a form of God in disguise. Let yourself be guided by the idea that everyone’s heart is here to connect with you.
Learn more about Bess and her work and check out all her personalized Astro + Tarot offerings HERE.
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CANCER OR CANCER RISING: The Sun Lean into the sweet sensation of separateness.
Think of this month like a clear beach morning in a solo bungalow, fueled by strong black coffee as you look out across your life with a sense of exactly who you are and what you need to do. With the North Node still highly activated in your sign, and powerhouse Mars traveling through it as well, June offers lessons in the concept of individuation, and is a time to focus on your own self-expression. This doesn’t mean you need to rupture relationships or hermit yourself into social oblivion. Instead, start by simply feeling into your “I.” Notice the times when you tend not begin a sentence this way, and investigate the roots of this discomfort. The Sun urges us to become more of the selves that only we can become, which means taking a few risks. What if it was okay that you’re not “for” everyone? In fact, what if this could be a wild liberation? Free yourself from any shame around being different in favor of cultivating even more of your own flavor.
Learn more about Bess and her work and check out all her personalized Astro + Tarot offerings HERE.
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LEO OR LEO RISING: Page of Wands Rx I am ready to return to the original heat source.
Since the start of this astrological year you’ve been exploring the origins of your creative process, and, combining the elements of earth and fire, the Page of Wands wants you to use this month to closely examine how you initiate action and stoke your creative fires. Start by cultivating the capacity to sit with your urges and impulses rather than immediately leaping to lock them down by producing a shiny object. This may feel excruciating at first, but trust that there is deep magic in understanding how to befriend your emotions before they “do you.” Maybe it’s deliberately delaying a project. Or waiting a day longer to respond to a message. These simple acts can be a reminder to take pride of place at the center of your own life. With your ruler, the Sun, traveling through Gemini, you’re being reminded of the spaciousness that can be found by embracing the ephemeral. Watch sensations rise and fall, trusting what is for you never needs to be hunted down.
Learn more about Bess and her work and check out all her personalized Astro + Tarot offerings HERE.
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VIRGO OR VIRGO RISING: Page of Swords Rx The slightest shifts can create megawatt expansions.
Ruled by Mercury, Virgo is the sign of responsiveness and adaptation. But when you lose a sense of connection to this natural ebb and flow, you can get stuck in endless nervous analysis. June’s magic medicine returns you to your inherent capacity to embrace constant change, without racing around to immediately make it all better. The Page of Swords always arrives after a long journey through the mental realm, slaying old storylines and staring into the face of the hooks and obsessions that can leave us feeling stuck. From there, it enacts the boldest act of all: it tells the brain to bugger off! With fellow Mercury-ruled shapeshifter Gemini ruling the skies right now, allow the hard packed elements of your life to soften by making very subtle adjustments that feel instinctively right. Your mutable earth sign is connected to the element of sand and you can use substance as your guide for June. Absorb the waters of emotion when they arise. Form yourself into little castles out of the wetness. And then let it all wash away, trusting that you can rise to meet any moment.
Learn more about Bess and her work and check out all her personalized Astro + Tarot offerings HERE.
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LIBRA OR LIBRA RISING: 5 of Swords Being human means taking the highs with the lows.
The “5” cards are all about frictional development, Libra. But before you let that bring you crashing down from your idealized castle in the sky, take a moment to consider what “owning” your own mind might mean. What is the origin of your thought patterns? How much springs from an inner knowing, and how much is reaction? June offers up the opportunity to slip recenter yourself on your own throne. Start by considering what’s “pulling you” right now. There’s nothing wrong with being tugged along, begin by simply noticing what happens once you surrender to someone else’s emotional spin or demands. This month, you are learning to sift through the external buzz and let your own voice rise to the surface. Rather than riding the highs and the lows of other people’s trips right now, focus on your own capacity to steer your vessel, knowing that the journey towards calmer waters might require a little storm-ready self-sufficiency.
Learn more about Bess and her work and check out all her personalized Astro + Tarot offerings HERE.
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SCORPIO OR SCORPIO RISING: Knight of Wands Moving with my desire brings me what I crave.
The Knight of Wands calls you to move through the world as if it were your natural element. Start by exploring the concept of “strut”—what would be the most carefree way of shimmying through your life right now? Maybe you’re holding your shoulders closed in an important conversation about a potential raise. Or keeping your legs crossed on a date when you really would rather open wide to the possibilities. The Gemini Sun forms an “inconjunct” aspect to your sign this month, which presents a profound invitation for integration and understanding. The lesson here is that when you actually prioritize the line of least resistance, you’ll always land on the flower with the sweetest nectar. You are alchemizing sweetness with strength right now. Let it all feel lighter, looser, and fueled by libido, Scorpio.
Learn more about Bess and her work and check out all her personalized Astro + Tarot offerings HERE.
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SAGITTARIUS OR SAGITTARIUS RISING: Ace of Cups Rx Cracking open to the honey is my creative mission.
With Jupiter powering its way through your sign this year, the opportunities for expansion in all directions have been profound—and sometimes this can feel like an overstuffed buffet, where the bottomless urge to load up another plate takes over, whether you’re full or not! And now June asks you to consider how and to what you’re saying “yes” to. The Ace of Cups asks you, quite simply, what you will do with your own beating heart? Will you tone down its drumbeat for fear that your passions are too big? Will you use it to make something that could only be built from your own blood? With the Sun in Gemini this month asking you to consider how you’re received in the world, and a fat Full Moon in your sign on June 17, remember you can create by channeling what’s already in front of you, rather than more and more onto your plate.
Learn more about Bess and her work and check out all her personalized Astro + Tarot offerings HERE.
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CAPRICORN OR CAPRICORN RISING: Queen of Wands I am ready for all kinds of weather.
Take a moment to honor the big and beautiful energies that have graced your life since the start of the astro New Year in March, Capricorn: The Sun, the Queen of Pentacles, Death, and now the Queen of Wands. This cosmic combo has put you through a process of shaping and buffing, inviting you to bow at the altar of your very essence. Now, the Queen of Wands wants you to ask yourself: what witchery am I capable of? This isn’t about imposing your will on the landscape, but about better understanding exactly what kind of spells you’re here to cast. Maybe you’re a person who can walk into a room and change the climate with a smile. Or maybe your medicine is to urge others to wake up to reality. With Pluto, Saturn, and the South Node of the Moon colliding in your sign, it’s prime time to unleash your magic with clarity and compassion, understanding just how much force is in your corner and exactly how to wield it.
Learn more about Bess and her work and check out all her personalized Astro + Tarot offerings HERE.
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AQUARIUS OR AQUARIUS RISING: 7 of Wands My signature scent is a perfume the world needs.
You’ve been traveling close to the ground since the start of this astrological year in March, Aquarius, brushing up against some of the more challenging cobblestones of the Minor Arcana— process that’s been about making things yours through experiential learning. The 7 of Wands comes through this month to beckon you back into your own specialness, with a little “me first” medicine. Feel into where you might be following right now, rather than forging your own path. You usually consider yourself the zodiac’s radical pattern breaker, but what systems are you still operating within? The Sun in fellow air sign Gemini, is asking you to consider the origins of your storylines, and your right to choose your own adventure.
Learn more about Bess and her work and check out all her personalized Astro + Tarot offerings HERE.
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PISCES OR PISCES RISING: 9 of Cups Each wish works magic I can’t even imagine.
You’ve arguably got the corner on cloud life, Pisces, but June wants you to swap out a habit of swinging between checking out and crashing back down to earth. What does the process of staying on track with an ideal outcome feel like? Maybe it brings up fears that you have to make it happen. Or that it will never happen. The 9 of any suit invites a Hermit-like dedication to privacy, urging us to process on our own time. Check in with any secret wishes that might currently be for your heart only, noticing when you feel pressured to unveil your 5-year plan. Can you let whatever is being seeded have its own lifestyle and trajectory instead? With your ruler, Neptune, stationing retrograde near the end of the month, you’re moving towards a new way of working with the concept of hope. Learn to truly cherish what you can’t yet fully see.
Learn more about Bess and her work and check out all her personalized Astro + Tarot offerings HERE.
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ARIES OR ARIES RISING: Two of Cups Rx Nothing inside of me needs to be removed.
Think of June as a time to take emotional inventory, Aries. The Two of Cups is a card of deep communion with pieces of ourselves we may want to purge, and wants you to investigate what parts of your emotional life you’ve been hiding away. When we attempt to compartmentalize these pieces, their voices actually get stronger, demanding to be seen and integrated. What facets of yourself do you feel are in need of “fixing” or hiding? Think of this month as an opportunity to take a long, hazy summer weekend with the pieces of your story you’d rather purge, and learn instead to welcome these parts. What you’ll discover is that inviting these members of your “feelings family” home will hep you to feel more whole.
Learn more about Bess and her work and check out all her personalized Astro + Tarot offerings HERE.
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TAURUS OR TAURUS RISING: Page of Cups Releasing my guard relaxes my soul.
This June, the Page of Cups is singing you the Titanic theme song, Taurus, reminding you that your heart truly does go on and on until you reach the end of this incarnation, and perhaps even beyond! Attempting to shut down or shut off simply won’t work—your urge for human connection will find its way into the cracks no matter what. Being relaxed in your body and soul necessitates a certain degree of trust that life is on your side. Not that nothing will hurt you. Not that you won’t be challenged, stripped down, and stood up. But this energy, and this month, is all about being reminded that when you allow yourself to soften and open you can move with, rather than against, all of the seasons of your life with grace and potency.
Learn more about Bess and her work and check out all her personalized Astro + Tarot offerings HERE.
The 2019 Aries New Moon is turning the ignition on our most inspired intentions. Use it to spark up a whole new phase, says Sandy Sitron …
Photo: Anderson Rian
New Moon // April 05 2019 // 4:52 am EDT // 15 degrees Aries
You can’t see this New Moon, but it will be your vehicle. It is as if you are turning the key in the ignition for the first time.
Now you get to hear the engine turn over.
You get a spark.
What do you want to spark in your life?
What are you ready to turn over?
What part of you is coming to life?
On Friday April 5th at 4:52 am EDT, we have a New Moon in Aries. At any New Moon, the Moon has retreated into the shadows. It doesn’t reflect light outwardly. This is a quiet time to retreat within and reflect on your internal process.
The Sun and Moon are lined up in the first sign of the zodiac. Aries is the sign of action and being. Aries energy is not aligned with thinking, reflecting, and analyzing. Aries wants to drive, to spark, to act, to express. Creativity and spontaneity are what feel good and work best during Aries season.
So, at this is a quiet and inwardly reflective New Moon, how can you take all this promise of inspired action, and plant it like a seed within yourself?
This is the time to set intentions for how you want to be, act, and do. It is truly a fresh start. Begin this process in your imagination. Write down your new goals, commitments, and dreams and then give them to the Moon. How do you want to live?
With the 2019 Aries New Moon making a square to Saturn, notice how you might tend to limit these dreams. Limiting your goals to what is “practical” is not going to help you ignite! A fire doesn’t analyze and plan as it burns. It simply consumes the material it has access to and dances as wildly as it can.
The energy of this New Moon feels a little irresponsible. But the square to Saturn says tells us that restraint is necessary. Integrate this contradiction is a way that works for you.
One way could be to set intentions that are based in the concepts of Love and Action. Let these tenets guide you, and you will be doing the best you can for yourself and others.
Because this is a fiery and action-oriented New Moon, it’s important to remember that the seeds of our intentions cannot only be planted in the mind. The mind is too dry to germinate to new life. Your intentions must take root in your heart. You have to feel your intentions, and hold them, and imagine yourself living them.
Warm them up and incubate them in the fires of this 2019 Aries New Moon.
Set intentions for how you want to live.
Over the past weeks, you’ve had so much time to drift and dream. At times, with the Sun, Mercury, and Neptune in Pisces, you may even have felt as if you were trapped in a murky, muddy puddle, unable to truly move forward.
It could still feel like you are suspended in an extended sleep, but look more closely. Something is stirring. Like a baby waking up, this awakening may happen slowly. A shift of body weight. A stretch and a sneeze. Finally, once consciousness has fully arrived, a scream!
There you are, stretching, slowly awakening to this new beginning. Allow your own wild yell be a way to you remind yourself you are alive.
And now that you are awake, out all the energy you’ve cultivated during your slumber into getting this new phase going. Power up your being with intentions rooted in Love and Action. Turn the key in the ignition, then put your foot on the gas.
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New Moon square Saturn
Dry crunchy cereal. The kind that cuts the roof of your mouth, just enough to be uncomfortable. But you keep eating anyway. You need to do something healthy for yourself. You need to figure out what is really going to work for your body, for your community and for your world.
You may be a little uncomfortable in the process. But that doesn’t mean you should avoid the task at hand. Find sweetness where you can, and keep chewing. Keep doing the work you need to do. Eventually you’ll see the positive changes take shape. And it will all be worth it.
The Star invites us to create a ritualistic space for healing and self-care, as we double down on our intention-setting with this week’s Aries New Moon, says Brandon Alter …
Fed up with the beauty industry’s impossible standards, Giselle La Pompe-Moore set out to heal her relationship with her skin at soul level. She explains why skincare is a spiritual practice …
Giselle La Pompe-Moore
Have you ever thought about your skin beyond aesthetics?
We can spend hours in front of the mirror analyzing every pore and perceived flaw, but we rarely see beyond this. But on a deeper level, our skin is a barrier between our internal and external worlds. Something both public and deeply personal at once.
This skin allows us to experience the universe around us, to touch and be touched in return. This is why skincare is a spiritual practice.
The color of my skin was different from most of the people I grew up with, and from the women I saw in the media. I loved my skin, but as a black woman I always felt like an “other.” Was always comparing my skin to that of somebody else. The black women I DID see on TV and in magazines seemed hyper-real, with flawless, perfect skin. In an attempt to replicate this for myself, I pursued a career as a beauty editor, drowning myself in products.
Over the years, I began to notice that while creams and treatments can heal the skin externally, they do nothing to address feelings of not being good enough, of shame, and of endless comparison.
And so I took a step back to shift my focus from how skin looks on the outside to what it reflects about our inner life. To investigate the impact of spiritual tools, such as reiki, meditation and tarot, on our relationships with the skin we are in.
Now working as a healer specializing in skincare, I’ve seen how acne, psoriasis, dermatitis, and eczema have impacted the way my clients move through the world. I’ve listened to stories about what they’ll do once their skin is “healed, better, or different,” while denying themselves of the life they could be living right now. I’ve also learned that our skin is the physical embodiment of our innate self-worth.
Whether you’re working through a skin condition, are struggling to accept your physical appearance, or want to add some spirit to your skincare, here are the tools that I’ve used on myself and my clients to help shift our skincare mindset …
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1// Give yourself a crystal facial massage Crystals can work wonders helping to set intentions around your skin—and one way is with a crystal facial massage. Here’s how to do it:
Choose a crystal that symbolizes your skin intention. Pink Transparent Calcite (for non-judgment and comparison), Apatite (willpower for shifting your skin mindset) and Malachite (forgiveness, committing to this journey) are some of the crystals I’ve prescribed to clients.
Get comfortable, cleanse your space, and connect to the crystal. Hold it in your hand and feel its energy. As you hold it, visualize your intention. If it’s to help you to forgive yourself for the unkind words you’ve said about your skin in the past, imagine this forgiving energy passing through your body. Then ask the crystal to offer you support and guidance in achieving this.
With the crystal in front of you, start to massage all around your face in upward and outward strokes using a face oil. With each movement, feel your intention sinking into your skin at the same time.
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2// Journal to go beneath the surface A lot of our limiting beliefs about our appearance reside deep below the surface. Use journaling to investigate your relationship with your skin and unearth subconscious beliefs.
Here are a few questions to start with:
-How would you describe your skin? Think about the language you use, is it positive or negative? -What does the word ‘comparison’ bring up for you, in relation to your skin? -What memories do you have where someone made a comment about your skin or appearance and how has this had an impact on you? -What has your inner critic said to you today? Do you believe what it told you? How do you usually talk to yourself when you’re in front of the mirror?
Through journaling, I realized that I used only negative words to describe my skin and would skip past the features I liked. So I decided to start accentuating the parts of my face that I did love, like my lips. See what comes up for you and what tools you can use to release and heal these limiting beliefs. I’ve used tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique), binaural beats and visualization in response to what I uncovered in my journal, and written letters to my skin.
Giselle guides a client
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3// Synch your skincare with the Moon The phases of the Moon phases can provide a mirror to examine our self-image triggers, and a framework for charting our inner work and emotional landscape over a period of time. Here’s how to incorporate each phase into your skincare routine …
New Moon. Use this time of new beginnings to set an intention for your skin. It could be to reconnect with your skin. Start with self-massage, simply feeling the skin beneath your fingertips. This is also the time to add any new products in to your beauty routine.
Waxing Moon. Check in with the intentions you set at the New Moon, examining how you’re feeling about your appearance now, and thinking about how you can move closer to growing your intentions and reconnecting with your skin. Your skin is also the most absorbent and receptive to nutrients now, so add in a serum with hydrating properties or a nourishing face mask.
Full Moon. Take a moment to celebrate yourself, thanking yourself for all of the work you’ve been doing to shift your skin mindset. There can be heightened emotions and energy at this time, so make sure you’re filling your cup back up with restorative baths or an Ayurvedic abhyanga massage.
Waning Moon. Use this phase for journaling and exploring the limiting beliefs that might have come up for you over this cycle, reflecting on what you need to release in order to grow. To support this internal cleansing and shedding, use an exfoliating body scrub, try body brushing, or add in a detoxifying charcoal soap to draw out impurities and toxins.
Dark Moon. Give yourself a break! It’s easy to end up with spiritual overload, I’ve been there many times – digging into shadow work, past life astrology, and the deepest crevices of my psyche all before lunch ain’t easy! Allow yourself this time to restore, heal, imagine, and to press pause.
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4// Use the tarot to talk to your skin The tarot is a powerful tool for working on your mindset and self-worth, and I use it daily for both myself and in my rediscovery: skin sessions. You can start with a single card pull, asking the deck to show you how you can work on your self-image. Use the cards to start a conversation with your skin and listen to what it needs.
Example: In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the Two of Swords depicts a blindfolded woman with two swords crossed over her. The moon is above her and a body of water lies behind her. This card is all about taking the time and space to be still and look inwards. To embody this card, think about how you can create a boundary that allows you to dive into your own self-care. Allow this stillness to offer you intuitive guidance as to where you’re in need of healing and any areas of low self-worth. Use this as an invitation to see through your third eye rather than your physical eyes.
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5// Meditate for both mind and skin Meditation is a powerful tool for shifting our skin mindset, and for relieving the stress that can trigger or aggravate neuro-inflammatory conditions such as acne.
In sessions, I guide my clients through a skin-focused meditation, which fosters gratitude, forgiveness, acceptance, and kindness, and includes a simultaneous facial self-message that creates physical connection with the skin.
*You can download a version of this meditation HERE. You’ll need cleansed skin, a comfortable space, and a facial oil in easy reach, then plug in and tune out.
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Giselle La Pompe-Moore offers one-to-one rediscovery: skin sessions that guide you to shift your skin mindset to a path of acceptance and gratitude. Her rediscovery: soul sessions incorporate reiki, tarot, and meditation. Both are held either virtually or in-person in London. She also hosts monthly Mirrorscope skin healing circles.
With Venus and Mercury shifting gears, and Halloween adding a heavy dose of magic, the 2018 Leo Waning Moon invites us to surrender to the mystery, and conjure connection with the invisible, says Jennifer Racioppi …
Photo: Pierrick Van Troost
Waning Quarter Moon // October 31 2018 // 12.40pm ET // 8 degrees Leo
With the 2018 Leo Waning Moon happening on the day the veil between worlds is the thinnest, we can expect things to feel fun, with a heavy dose of spooky.
How apropos for the Scorpio Sun squaring playful Leo? Meanwhile, with Venus Retrograde still in full effect and simultaneously in direct opposition with Uranus, unleash your desire to change your identity (dress up anyone?) Enjoy the mysteriousness of the day …
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// The Cycle // The 2018 Leo Waning Moon serves as the midpoint between the hunter Taurus Full Moon, and the upcoming Scorpio New Moon on November 7th. This critical turning point of the lunar cycle asks us to let go of what’s no longer working while simultaneously bringing outcomes to seeds planted with the August 2, 2016, Leo New Moon.
Check-in; what’s coming to fruition now that connects to dreams set in motion and actions taken then?
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// The Transits // With Venus retrograde moving into Libra, and Mercury moving into Sagittarius, our spiritual world may feel impacted. Especially with Venus opposing Uranus, an astrological configuration that often suggests a change in a relationship (perhaps even an ending).
Today’s transits ask you to go with the flow and roll with any abrupt switches in direction. Additionally, given that it’s Halloween, there’s real opportunity to connect with the other side via ceremony and prayer (and your inner witch).
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// The Square // With the Sun in sultry Scorpio squaring the Moon in light Leo, we have a classic case of water (Scorpio) vs. fire (Leo). While we all know that water can extinguish fire, let’s not forget that when the two combine we get steam, too.
My suggestion? Aim for steam. Lean into Leo’s natural optimism and ability to magnetize joy. Even with abrupt changes afoot, allow yourself to feel lighter through the release of what’s no longer relevant.
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// The Opportunity // Today offers the strong potential to conjure, create, and align, while paying homage to those who have passed away. Even with Venus opposing Uranus, a transit that connotes the need to release what’s no longer working, you can sincerely connect with your spiritual self.
If something, or someone, exits your life today, let it go! And allow the depth of who you are to shine through. Then enjoy the night of play!
Discover more about astrologer and success coach Jennifer Racioppi and her work HERE and follow her on Instagram.
The Venus-ruled 2018 Taurus Full Moon wants us to open our hearts, forgive where possible, and find pleasure in the process of smoking out old patterns, says Sandy Sitron …
Full Moon :: October 24th, 2018 :: 12:47 pm EDT :: 1 degree Taurus
Two crows are silhouetted in the moon light. Are they fighting or are they dancing? As they peck at each other they each seem to vie for authority. But then suddenly, their heads and beaks curve toward each other to form a perfect heart shape.
On the 2018 Taurus Full Moon, the Scorpio Sun and the Taurus Moon face off. Not unlike the crows, these two luminaries are performing an ancient dance of tension. It’s hard to say if this is a dance of aggression, or a chance to settle into the peace and harmony of love.
Symbolically, the ancients believed the crow to be a harbinger of death. In more modern interpretations, the crow means change. Release, purging, letting go, metamorphosis and rebirth are all symbolic of the crow and also the sign of Scorpio. This season is urging you to molt and release.
In my vision, the crows are dance-fighting and forming a heart at the same moment. There may be moments during this Moon phase when you look at yourself or someone you’re close to as an enemy. If you misdirect your aggression it can leave you feeling hollow. Slow down. Pinpoint where resentment is rooted. This is a good time to forgive (if it’s safe) and let go. If you can open up your heart with self-awareness and acknowledge the true source of your pain, you’ll feel better.
Your knee-jerk reaction CAN be peace. Even if that’s not your usual speed, let this Moon teach you about patience. Taurus is the emotional style that we can emulate now. Taurus teaches us body-awareness, simplicity, appreciating beauty in all forms, patience, and slowing down.
Enjoy the present moment by noticing how your body feels as you move through your day. This practice will keep you grounded and centered. Maybe that feeling of centeredness will give you more space for love. Practice giving and receiving heart-to-heart hugs. Slow down when you eat. Sprinkle rose petals on your oatmeal. Investigate the patterns of bark on a tree.
Taurus is ruled by Venus, and this planet of love and peace features prominently in the Moon picture. She’s retrograde, so she’s calling on us to review our own personal love stories. Her retrograde cycle is drumming up issues of reciprocity and trust in relationships. Fun!
Plus, in this formation, she’s opposite the Moon as she cuddles the Sun in Scorpio. Maybe she’s saying, “Get pleasure from deep emotional catharsis and let that give you the stillness you need to be present in the moment.” Stay attuned to what you need to let go of. This mega-release will give you more space for Taurean peace and harmony.
The sky is filled with planets in fixed signs. We are collectively contacting the deep marrow of our lives, our relationships and our societies. We’re unearthing any rot in our foundations. The 2018 Taurus Full Moon is conjunct Uranus, the planet of change and revolution. We’re getting into the deep, old stuff now and blasting it open.
But there’s a lot of work to do and this change won’t happen overnight. We can chip away and make changes slowly. We can make time and space for each other.
With this fixed sign energy heightened, this is not a moment to flit around changing the channel and succumbing to the media cycle. Instead, we must dedicate our attention and continue to consistently raise awareness of the gunk that has got to go. Let the crows carry it all away. With a heart shape indicating Taurean love and peace, they have all the patience in the world to help us transmute our old pain.
The crow symbol can remind you that even with all of this purging and releasing— there’s magic around you. Take this time to honor the magic of Mother Earth, your body and the here and now. And notice the magic of the death and rebirth cycle. Ask yourself what you’re ready to let go of so that you can move into a new phase …
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Moon opposite Venus Knocking over a canoe. Everything is wet and soggy with this aspect, now that the canoe is knocked over. There may be some emotions flowing. Encourage that. You can let it all hang out. There’s no more need to try to be perfect or precise. Be as graceful as you can, but real too. Your challenge is to open up your heart, be vulnerable, and let yourself receive.
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Moon trine Saturn A club sandwich. That sandwich its stacked high and it has a nifty toothpick holding the whole thing together. And these layers of meat, bread and cheese are oh so real. What are you building that’s real? This aspect will help you find the organization and structure to make it happen. The sky is the limit.
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Moon conjunct Uranus Dragging your feet across shag carpeting and getting a shock of static electricity. A slight jolt is needed. This is time to change things up. Shock yourself into a new wavelength. Do it on purpose, as in the symbol. Put on big woolen socks and drag your feet along that olive green carpeting in Great Aunt Neecy’s living room before you touch the metal doorknob. It might hurt a little, but it might blow your mind and be hilarious too.
Intensified by powerhouse Pluto, the 2018 Libra New Moon wants us to sit with challenging emotions, tend to deep-rooted wounds, and embrace release through conscious healing, says Sandy Sitron …
New Moon :: October 8, 2018 :: 11:47 pm ET :: 15 degrees Libra
A droplet of rain rolls slowly off a leaf and lands in the shadows below. The sun comes out and the leaf quickly dries. But the water that has pooled in the shadows remains.
The symbolism reads: just become a tiny puddle. Find your spot in the shade and wait. While you’re there, feel your feelings and heal.
This New Moon is in the sign of balance, and the Moon and Sun are making a square to Pluto, the planet that symbolizes grief, loss, letting go, healing the past, and rebirth. This is an emotional New Moon, but in air sign Libra, it’s an intellectual time as well. Tending to your feelings will help you make room for new ideas.
Letting yourself go through the phases of grief will support your ability to speak your mind, say what your boundaries are, and communicate diplomatically with those who have different viewpoints. This air sign New Moon can help you verbalize and communicate your emotions.
Because this is a New Moon, it’s a time of germination. A chance to plan the future. While you’re resting in your emotional puddle, tucked away in the shadows— pinpoint what you want. What are your intentions for fairness, harmony, balance, healthy relationships, and open communication?
The balance that is developing will feel like fresh air after a thunderstorm. But the first step is to slow down and sit quietly with what you’re feeling.
Remember that somewhere along the way, it’s important to face challenging emotions. The Plutonian wound is festering. This New Moon invites us to perform a sacred purge. The only way to move past this moment in history is to push right through. We must sit with the wounds. Let the emotions move. Let the emotions flow. Release. Burn it up. It will take time. This is a cathartic process of healthy release.
Heavy healing. We don’t always want to do it. But here we are, working with personal and collective wounds to move through and come out the other side. Pluto’s symbols are the Phoenix rising out of the ashes, the butterfly coming out of the cocoon and the snake shedding its skin. We can move through this phase with the resilience of a Phoenix, the grace of a butterfly, and the wisdom of a snake. The cycles continue and change is wonderful.
The heaviness of this moment will soon funnel into action and activism because of an upcoming t-square between Uranus (change), Mercury (clarity), and the North Node (purpose). So don’t worry, we won’t be sitting in the emotional muck for ever. But sitting here for now can help
Heal as deeply and powerfully as you can. Put your conscious attention on it. Ponder the parts of you that are triggered and asking for support. What kind of support do you need to rally, so that your inner child feels safe? Imagine your healing happening on a cellular level.
As this is an intention setting time, keep part of your vision trained on what you are creating. Mark some intentions. Visualize what you want to see when the healing is complete.
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New Moon Trine Mars A fire ball. An important part of this New Moon story is the energizing jolt that comes through its trine to Mars. Drive, enthusiasm, motivation. Where does this energy want to go? Let it help you integrate your healing and impassion your speech. Having energy can help you feel that you can get through whatever needs to be done. This aspect offers a dose of spirit.
New Moon square Pluto Sharpening a stick until it becomes a spear. Getting yourself to sit down and do the work of emotional healing may be a challenge. The Moon and Pluto are square, which is an aspect that requires practice before it can be mastered. Repetitive, steady effort is required. Keep chipping away and soon the stick transforms. Eventually, you’ll break through into a new shape. Look at whatever is happening in your life and notice where persistence may be the answer.
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Use the below journal questions to help you set intentions the 2018 Libra New Moon. Look for the house containing 15 degrees Libra in your chart for the most accurate insights. Don’t know your chart? You can enter your birth details HERE to calculate it for free.
Aries // Aries Rising // New Moon in the 7th house “My most healing relationships allow me to …”
Taurus // Taurus Rising // New Moon in the 6th house “I feel most joyfully productive when I …”
Gemini // Gemini Rising // New Moon in the 5th house “I am falling in love with …”
Cancer // Cancer Rising // New Moon in the 4th house “Truly caring for my self means …”
Leo // Leo Rising // New Moon in the 3rd house “I can’t stop myself getting excited about …”
Virgo // Virgo Rising // New Moon in the 2nd house “I understand my value in the world when I …”
Libra // Libra Rising // New Moon in the 1st house “My confidence gets a boost whenever I …”
Scorpio // Scorpio Rising // New Moon in the 12th house “I am taking the steps to seek closure with …”
Sagittarius // Sagittarius Rising // New Moon in the 11th house “When I rise above the small stuff I see …”
Capricorn // Capricorn Rising // New Moon in the 10th house “I feel most confident in my abilities when I …”
Aquarius // Aquarius Rising // New Moon in the 9th house “My next big adventure will be …”
Pisces // Pisces Rising // New Moon in the 8th house “A deeper level of intimacy requires me to …”
The New Moon offers us the chance to use darkness to initiate insightful alignment in both our inner and outer worlds (especially true during Virgo Season, the zodiac’s queen of divine detail!)
Let’s start by bringing back the concept of boudoir—a French term that includes the master bedroom, closet, and bathroom, and designed for deep withdrawal and privacy. For this lunar cycle, we’ll start with the master bathroom. In its most romanticized context, a bathroom is a place to leisurely commune with Higher Self: a space to practice self care while contemplating the mysteries of The Universe …
Follow the steps below for each moon phase and sync your space with the cosmos! And if you want more time to prepare, you can plan to begin your Lunar Feng Shui experiment with the October 8 Libra New Moon …
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// NEW MOON// Embrace the mess & purge the past. 1// During the New Moon phase, sit in quiet contemplation in the heart center of your boudoir. Feel into this space and internally inquire: How would an infusion of elegant minimalism and cleanliness bolster my energy? How would a streamlined bathroom positively influence my energetic imprint within my home and beyond?How does the lunar cycle provide an inherent rhythm to a beautifully powerful reset? Answers will come. Give gratitude. Then, in the name of Beauty, enter your bathroom…
2// Turn on the lights, and your ‘energy detective’ eyes. What do you see? Which metaphors are visible? Embrace the mess – yes, your mess. In divine right timing, dedicate the time to move out of your bathroom before moving back into your bathroom. Take an old sheet and lay it in the hallway to protect the floor. Empty everything out of the bathroom, placing all toiletries, cosmetics, towels, you name it, on the sheet. Allow the sheer bulk to resonate. Your bathroom was holding all this energy for you. Energy that is likely somewhat damp, moldy, grungy, or expired. “Thank you dear bathroom.”
3// Now it is time to deep clean. Even if you are blessed with a cleaning service, today this is your job. Play chants, or eclectic world music to lift the stagnation from every nook and cranny. Scrub: scrub the sink, scrub the shower, scrub the bath, scrub the toilet. Clean inside the medicine cabinet and any drawers. Get on your hands and knees and do not miss a spot. Here’s the kicker: you are not just cleaning your space, you are cleaning your subconscious as well. So, clean until it becomes a graceful moving meditation. When you are done, open the window(s) and apply smoke medicine: Smudge your bathroom. Smudge your body. Heck, smudge your whole home.
4// Next, head back to the sheet holding all of your items. Let go of what no longer serves you, no longer captivates you. If you would not use the product on or in your body, rinse and recycle the container. If something carries a negative emotional trigger – no matter what you paid for it, or who gave it to you – donate it. Keep the toilet brush and plunger out of your bathroom; these are unsightly, unsanitary and should live with the other cleaning supplies in your home, for like items prefer to live together.
5// Wipe down your remaining products. Wash the towels in a hot water cycle, take the hair out of your hairbrush, wash the cup holding your toothbrush, rinse the trash can, rinse and fill the soap dispenser … you get the idea. Place what remains back into your bathroom, with thoughtful consideration of your self care routine. Perhaps a fresh placement makes more sense? Remember, like items do best together. Aim to cultivate some empty space, which is a place for fresh energy to land, particularly if you are calling in Love & Abundance.
6// Finish with a shower, and then ideally an Epsom salt soak. You will sleep well tonight and likely have vivid dreams. Keep a notepad and pen on your bedside table, to capture any downloaded jewels.
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// WAXING MOON// Get ready for an upgrade Whew, with your bathroom purged, cleaned and realigned, what special touches could you now add? What ‘daily gems’ could be upgraded? ‘Daily gems’ are the household items we interact with on an everyday basis – the pretty hand towels and dry brushes of the world. They should inspire and uplift us, subliminally reinforcing: “I have a beautiful home; ease and grace surround me.” Easy, affordable upgrades in your bathroom can make a huge impact on your mood, such as a new shower curtain, a vibrant bathmat, or a bud vase with a single clipping from your yard.
Please do not overlook your cosmetics kit. Consider fewer products, all natural and high quality. Consider a signature scent for the upcoming crispness of Fall. Consider a new candle, to add a fire element to a very watery part of your home.
// FULL MOON// Celebrate the spatial shift This is the easy part: revel in the Oasis you have created. Reflect on your morning and evening beauty routines … do they feel more luxurious? Has anything shifted in your life since revamping your bathroom? Do you feel lighter and brighter perhaps? Hopefully you find yourself lounging in your tub even longer, dropping in some essential oils, lighting your new candle and using this time for decadent insight. Marvelous ideas are birthed when we are inspired by what we see and sense.
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// WANING MOON// Revise & refine You are sensing the correlation between visual metaphor and lived experience. With that in mind, is there another layer of purging that could happen? Do you truly need seventeen face creams? Do you really require that storage unit, adding bulk and taking up precious floor space? Make one final pass of your bathroom before moving onto a new spatial aspect of your Boudoir, or your home at large, with the next New Moon. Just wait and see… This work is addictive and effective. Your home will soon be completely activated and in tune with Luna!
**BONUS: Where does your boudoir fall on The Bagua? Use the chart below to discover! A Bagua is a Westernized Feng Shui energy map of a space, using the front door as a point of orientation, dividing the area into nine equal sized zones – or ‘guas’. Each gua has a name and energetic correlation, material element, color family, as well as a variety of other associations. …
Graphic: Meghan Wallace James & Sam Haskins
Meghan Wallace Jamesis a mother, manufacturing engineer, Parsons-trained fashion designer, stylist, and healer – bringing it all together with her bicoastal Modern Feng Shui Consultancy. Meghan is honored to offer The Numinous readers a 10% discount with code NUMINOUS, for this lunar cycle ending October 7, 2018. Ready to Begin Again? Connect with her at meghanwallacejames.com and follow her on Instagram.
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 …
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!
As the heat of Leo Season urges us to sparkle and shine, the myth of the Goddess Diana shows how to stoke the flames of our wildness, says Rebecca Farrar …
Photo: Kyle Loftus
As one of the few virgin goddesses, Diana represents being whole unto oneself, and her myth honors this wild and free part of our nature.
According to legend, she begs her father, Jupiter, to liberate her from marriage and motherhood so that she can roam free with her friends, the Nymphs and hunting dogs.
Diana’s name comes from the Proto-Indo-European meaning “to shine,” and derives from the same Latin root meaning ”daylight.” In Ancient Rome, she was celebrated with August’s festival Nemoralia, or Festival of the Torches. During the weeklong tradition, hunting was forbidden and dogs were instead decorated with flowers. Her followers carried torches to Lake Nemi, outside of Rome, and left offerings of fruit in the forest.
While she is often thought of as a Moon goddess, she is also an active, protective force of the forest, known as the Goddess of the Hunt. Diana’s independence and caring instincts create a beautiful balance between lunar and solar energies—something we can all model as we seek to integrate the masculine and feminine energies within ourselves, creating a more equitable world.
Diana links us to sisterly love, feminism, and action heroines. Her archetype is reflected in our own psyches as WILDNESS in its purest form, and our connection to creatures and nature alike …
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The asteroid Diana, discovered in 1863 by a German astronomer, currently sits at 20 degrees Aries, near Eris, the sister outsider. Together, these two asteroids in such a strong fire sign uplift and empower feminine energies.
Diana’s placement in our birth chart points to where we crave freedom and yearn to be barefoot running through the forest with our animal companions. It may also reveal where we are constantly on the “hunt” for something.
**To find Diana in your chart, go to astro.com, enter your birth information, choose “Extended Chart Selection,” scroll down to “Additional Objects,” and type in 78.
Use the suggestions below to come more into contact with the many facets of Diana and her wild nature:
1st house // This placement suggests an identity empowered by the Diana’s protector and warrior. Try archery or another form of outdoor solo sport to awaken this natural protector energy.
2nd house// Diana had a deep love for nature and the Earth. Foraging for food or forest bathing would be fun hobbies to build a relationship with this archetype.
3rd house// Athena was known for her intellect, but Diana was in constant communication with her companions. Study bird communication, bird watching, or read about animal behavior.
4th house// Diana was well-known for being a protector of women and children. In this placement she is deeply intimate with the lunar and menstrual cycles. Pay attention to the Moon’s cycles and spend time at night outside, soaking up its light. (**Side-note: Ruby has her Diana here, so makes total sense she set up Moon Club!)
5th house// During Diana’s weeklong celebration, creating fire and more sources of light was an important element. Talents such as starting a fire or wood splitting are necessary wild skills to explore with a 5th house Diana.
6thhouse// Running around in the forest, it was important for Diana to know which plants did what. This location in the chart implies botany and plant identification as a way to honor the goddess.
7th house// Diana had lovers, both male and female, though wasn’t in a committed partnership, as her energy was instead more focused on appreciating nature. Experiment with art using sticks, pine needles, or tree bark for a woodsy aesthetic.
8th house// Spending most of her time outside, Diana was also deeply attuned to nature’s death and life cycles. With fall on the horizon, learn more about how different trees stay alive in winter and make it a point to notice the change in seasons. You may also want to study more about the many esoteric traditions that honor the Tree of Life.
9th house// The exploratory and adventurous side of Diana meant she was constantly on the move. Stray from the familiar forest trail and discover new ground, whether it be a new hiking area, tree climbing, or a forest on another side of the world.
10th house// With this placement, Diana strives to be sensible and to own her authority. She craves solitude and self-reliance. Take classes on wilderness survival or utilize the forest’s gifts for your quiet contemplation.
11th house// An 11th house Diana exemplifies her need for freedom and liberation from traditional roles. Focus on cultivating community with other wild souls who crave time in nature, such as communal hiking or camping.
12th house// Nature may evoke a mystical or flow state experience in this house. Imagination, such as photography or film, may be a gift, or even taking time to meditate under a tree.
Photo: Ben Waardenburg
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And no matter where the asteroid is in your chart, harness your own wild and free spirit with the suggestions below … especially potent during her festival from August 13-17th!
// Food // Easily foraged foods such as mushrooms or berries, or seasonal fruits and vegetables.
// Workout // A run or walk through the forest, perhaps spending some time bird watching. If you are extra adventurous, an archery lesson would certainly make Diana shine.
// Watch // Hunger Games or Wild (Katniss and Cheryl Strayed both connect well with Diana’s spirit). Or try the documentaries American Revolution: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggsor, and Maya Angelou’s And Still I Rise.
// Read // Rachel Carson (or other eco-feminist authors), Audre Lorde, Malala Yousafzai, and Gloria Steinem (because Diana loves activism and empowered women). Or try the classic, Women Who Run With the Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola Estés.
// Home // Diana’s home is nature, so bring more of it indoors by decorating with pine cones and leaves, or wood art. She is also linked to forest creatures such as deer or rabbits. Adding touches, such as deer antlers or a papier-mâché deer head, will also do the trick.
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 …
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.
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.
How can embracing your deepest sexy unleash your creative force? In her latest column, Alexandra Roxo shows us that diving into our full sexual power is the key to world domination …
Owning my sexual and creative power, and letting it inform my life and creativity and work, has been revolutionary and radical … despite how much society had told me I’m too loud or too sexual or too freaky or kinky or messy or whatever.
Here are a few of my tried and true techniques for owning your sexual power, your guts, your voice, and your gifts to the world …
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FIRST: A little visualization for your viewing pleasure …
Imagine you are a house. Perhaps 5 stories high. Castlelike. Grand. Tall. Well crafted. And each floor and each room is decorated beautifully. Lamps and lights and candles. Beautiful art. Cultivated space. But the first floor, the foundation, is dark, full of cobwebs. Closets locked. Perhaps a corner here and there with a little light that is only turned on “sometimes”—on a special occasion …
Now imagine this floor is your sexual energy. Your life force. Your creative power that is waiting to be stirred deep inside you.
Does it only get stirred in a bed in the dark? Between sheets? With your partner? Or a vibrator? What if you ran through that first floor, saged it out, turned on all the lights, decorated it—made it come to life?
We live in a world of compartmentalization. We shit in another room with a locked door. We carry our money in locked safes and little wallets held close to our bodies. We have sex in a bed in the dark.
When I was younger, my menstrual cycle was WAY off. After some soul searching, I realized that it was most off during the times that I was suppressing my power. Now, if my cycle is late, I look at how I’ve been holding back and “keeping it together?” How can I EMBODY my power, my vision, and my voice more boldly?
Sexual power IS creative power! And it does not work when controlled or locked away. In fact, this is hurting many of us. Disrupting our menstrual flows. Our skin. Causing diseases. Depression … the list goes on.
How might your life change if your sexual energy was present in every moment, every business deal, every Pilates class? Here’s how to awaken your deep sexy and use it to power your mission …
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STEP 1// DEFINE YOUR “DEEP SEXY” Sexual energy does NOT have to be defined or encapsulated in the “sexy” of black lingerie. Or being coy, Or performing “sexy.” Or having skinny thighs. Or whispering fantasies at dinner. I LOVE all that but that is JUST one layer.
Deep Sexy to ME is sexual energy as POWER. Holding the key to all creation between your legs. The womb being an infinite pool of ideas and visions of growth. Orgasms healing the world.
A portal to the Divine that you are I are both gifted with.
We begin breaking the compartmentalization of sex as penetration, locked doors, and quiet moments in the dark, by practicing turning it on. No need to stroke a clit. No need to stick it in. Just breathe into that flow. give it space, connect to its depths.
This can be literally visualizing sexual energy as a certain color running through your body. Or connecting it to a scent. Or a song. Find a VISCERAL and SENSORIAL “IN,” and go with it.
That is what lights up the house. Increases financial flow. Health. Radiance. Love. Business growth. The whole house is illuminated.
OKAY NOW YOU GO! Write your own list. What is sexy to YOU?
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STEP 2// BELLY BREATH VS. CHEST BREATH This is how you start to see and FEEL your sexuality. Meditate into your pelvis, your guts. Give your whole lower body as much importance as you do your mind, remembering every day about the portal to source energy that lives in there.
This can be practiced through dancing in your undies. Doing deep belly breathing at home in the mirror or with a book on your stomach while watching TV. Or picking points in your day by putting an alert in your cal that says “Am I breathing into my GUTS? My deep BELLY?”
And notice if you’re sucking it in. Let your belly hang out as much as possible, even though it may feel kinda weird! Breathe it open with deep belly breaths instead of shallow chest ones.
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STEP 3// WHAT IF YOUR BRILLIANT IDEAS CAME ALL THE WAY FROM DOWN BELOW? Ask yourself “Did I just make this business decision from my mind? My heart? My womb? My balls?”
Regardless of your genitalia or gender identification, let your ideas brew from your depths, the roots, the intimate parts of you. Not the surface layers of your mind.
One way to check if you are truly dropping into your sexual power and living from THERE instead of the mind is to see how much you can FEEL in the moment you are making that decision. Can you feel your clit? Your cervix? Your kundalini vibes? Your balls? Your anus? (Not by literal touching, just the vibes and energy!)
And if you’re not feeling it, THAT’S OK! Try using a Chakrub, doing some PC muscle clenching, or literally start talking to your body and trying to put into words what that part of you is feeling today.
It may sound LOL, but unless you can really identify what your root is feeling, you definitely can’t find your gut intuition or make decisions from there.
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STEP 4// GET MESSY AND WILD Look to the most genius creator for wisdom—MOTHER NATURE! She is wild! Messy! Disgusting! Ravenous! Beautiful! Sensual! Vicious!
Messy for me can mean taking a day to hike, laying in a field, walking barefoot, wearing no makeup, peeing outside.
But what does it mean to you? This may mean vision boarding on the floor of bedroom and making a mad genius mess of old magazines. It may mean a week you play with letting your hair be wild and free. Or only wearing long flowy dresses.
Write down 5 things that feel “messy,” aka “outside the box,” to you. One day a week take a “IMA B MESSY AND NOT GIVE A FUCK” practice. So. Fun.
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STEP 5// MAKE CONTAINERS FOR YOUR FLOW TO FLOW IN! As you unlock your flow, don’t be afraid to have structures. A set time to meditate. Time to stare into space. Time to journal. To masturbate. Time to roll around on the floor sobbing.
Because when you start to open that flow of energy stored in your pelvis you will feel A LOT. The power can be overwhelming. Don’t be afraid. Stay close to friends. Nurture yourself. And most of all … HAVE FUN!
We are deep in the collective process of healing through hundreds of years of collective trauma towards women, towards sexuality, towards, well, A LOT. We will not stay quiet, hating ourselves, being ashamed of being sexual, powerful beings. Let’s do this. TOGETHER.
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In Moon Club, our online mentoring program and growth accelerator for your Spirit and Business, you can get help finding your power and voice, and sharing it with the world. Join our “New Moon Ritual Intentions Setting Journey” on April 15th with something to let go of! Last month people were loving it so much that we heard it was “orgasmic” and “completely life changing.” Attend your first New Moon Ritual for FREE by emailing [email protected]. We would love to have you!
With some big fire energies lighting up the cosmos right now, the watery Cancer Waxing Moon asks us to temper the urge to act out by embracing humility and coming home to our own divinity, says Jennifer Racioppi …
Waxing Quarter Moon // March 24 2018 // 11:35am EST // 3 degrees Cancer
With the Spring Equinox’s arrival, and a pack of Aries planets reigning in the cosmos right, the impulse towards new beginnings and fiery initiations is strong.
But before you burnout, tap into the waters of this Cancer Waxing Moon.
In sensitive, security-driven Cancer, it’s time to trust the invisible hand guiding your life without having to force a fresh start. With Mercury retrograde in the mix, patience goes a long way.
Embrace humility and trust that surrender and loving kindness are the absolute best medicine for this Waxing Moon …
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// The Cycle // This particular Waxing Moon harkens back to the last New Moon in Cancer, which happened on June 23, 2017.
So look back to see what you committed to at the time of the 2017 summer solstice: what’s blooming now based on intentions set then? Pause. Evaluate. Appreciate. As we step into this new season, remember seasons of the past. Everything is connected.
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// Transits // With four planets forming a stellium in Mars-ruled Aries, accentuating the need for change, momentum builds. Yet, with Mercury retrograde occurring in Aries until April 15th, temper this “me first” attitude.
With Venus squaring Pluto, and the Moon forming a cardinal T-square with Mars and the Sun, and soon to oppose Saturn, the universe serves up a whopping dose of tough love. Stay centered.
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// The Square // This Waxing Quarter Moon’s cardinal T-square presents a challenging crossroads; like gridlock traffic, the desire to do “something” meets a cosmic roadblock preventing from forwarding momentum.
With the Sun in Aries and the Moon in Cancer, the need for action battles the need for security. Trust in the Divine, and your higher self, rather than catering to the needs of your ego. The release point of this T-Square is in Libra, the sign of equanimity, justice, and balance. Tuning into these values supports your inner strength now, as does paying attention to what feels beautiful.
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// The Opportunity // How can you cultivate presence and look for the beauty despite the ensuing challenges at hand?
With the Moon traveling through nurturing Cancer, accept the invitation to come home to yourself. Feel into your body and your presence, and feel your emotions.
Trust in humility, surrender your issue to a higher power, and let go of the addiction to knowing your answer to the problem at hand.
This too shall pass. And it’s not always up to you. Stay humble and allow the invisible hand that guides your life reveal to you what you most need to know.
For more Moon wisdom or to book a coaching session with Jennifer visit Jenniferracioppi.com. And make sure to join her this Saturday, March 24th at Maha Rose for a Waxing Quarter Moon Ritual to celebrate rebirth & rejuvenation!
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 …
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 …
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?
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?
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.
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.
:: 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.
