Elyssa Jakim’s monthly Temple of Venus column returns with some crafting inspiration to connect to your inner child this Pisces season. PLUS: a bonus video featuring a love potion!
It’s Spring! Well, almost. And I don’t know about you, but with the current swell of deep Pisces feelings I’m ready for creative play – and all I want to do is craft.
Over the last year, I have crafted more than since I was a scrap-booking sixteen-year-old. Teaching at Fairy School (an after school program for connecting children to their magic), I found myself making magic wands, fairy houses, bird-feeders, magic necklaces, and it was wondrous. Even cuter was how many of the parents exhibited a desire to craft too. “I want to go to Fairy School!” they’d say.
This is a perfect illustration of how crafting helps you connect to your inner child; to a sense of play and wonder. Crafting slows us down, asking us to consider just how sparkly that bead is, just how cuddlesome this fabric feels. It’s a meditative mindful practice that’s also easy and fun. Crafting invites us to re-enter our childhood mindset and to view each moment through innocent eyes.
This summer, Numinous founder Ruby Warrington and I created the Temple of Venus, a space that created room to explore the feminine. An essential component of this space was craft. We held flower crown and silk dying workshops that were full of giggles, music, sharing, and sisterhood. These events filled up, and I saw the women who attended leave with a sense of vigor and playfulness.
Healer Camilla Blossom Bishop pointed out to me that when we do craft projects, we nurture a deep feminine part of ourselves – our womb space, which is the seat of creativity in the body. Venus loves this approach to connecting to the unadulterated feminine essence, but it’s wonderful for men too, because we all hold feminine and masculine polarities inside of us. Even better, crafting is also a great way to get to know others, because you bond on a deep and innate level.
With that said, here are some easy-peasy, aesthetically pleasing, joyful and invigorating craft projects for you to try at home!
:: MAGIC WANDS ::
You will need:
Sticks (small pieces of driftwood are nice)
Glitter
Wood glue
Paintbrush
Thick paper such as cardstock
The magic wand is a Fairy School staple. This technique was invented by Maha Rose founder and Fairy School Teacher Lisa Levine and these wands will have you connected to your inner elemental in no time (the photo below is of the beautiful wands she makes).
Put the wood glue in an easy-access container like a glass jar (this way you can save and reuse it easily). Brush glue onto your stick in a stripe around the wood, starting at one end of the stick. Fold your cardstock in half and hold it underneath the stick you as a glitter catcher. Pick a color of glitter and sprinkle the glitter on the glued portion. Pick up your folded paper, gathering up the glitter that has fallen onto it, and siphon it back into the container. This saves a lot of glitter and keeps the colors from mixing. Repeat with another stripe. Repeat. Repeat. If you’d rather go off the grid and not do stripes, you certainly may. You can get extra creative and add strands of beads, feathers, flower petals, or anything else you fancy to your wand.
Note: stray glitter often abounds, so it’s a nice idea to do this craft on a tablecloth or newspaper and to follow up with a vacuum.
:: VISION BOARD ::
You will need:
Stack of magazines
Scissors
Glue
Poster board
Vision boarding is the ultimate girl time activity and a powerful manifestation exercise that gets you in touch with your desires – especially following a New Moon! But whenever I do it, I’m surprised by what my board reveals to me, and I exclaim (inwardly or outwardly): “Oh wow, that’s what I’m desiring right now.” For the vision board is a visual representation of your dreams — the things you want to achieve, obtain, and experience. It’s great to do this with a group of pals and let the love flow.
Start by flipping through the magazines and pulling images you feel drawn to. Then cut these into pleasing shapes and glue them down to your poster board. As I learned from Sara Goff who runs a group called Vision Board Soiree, there are two ways to do this:
1. Pull intuitively whatever images make you feel really good. 2. Know what you want on your board and look for those images.
Most people will find themselves tending toward 1 or 2 (1 Is more Ying, 2 Is more Yang). Make a conscious effort to mix up these two techniques and see what happens. You can also announce to your friends what you’re looking for – “I want a yacht!” – and have them help find it (this asks you to speak your desires aloud). You can also suggest an image to someone if you feel like it’s for them. This way, everyone interacts with each other’s boards.
If you get an image that’s almost right but you’re not sure, dump it. You gotta LOVE it like those perfect jeans. When your boards are completed, share them with one another, discussing your experiences and discoveries. I once did this with a bunch of art students and it was like a mini art history critique, but the most positive, supportive crit in history!
A Vision Board Elyssa made last year
:: MERMAID RATTLE ::
You will need:
Small glass container with lid
Little bells
Yarn
Beads, shells, crystals, glitter, and any other things that you find pretty
Nature spirits (mermaids, unicorns, angels, fairies, dragons, gnomes) love when we sing to them, and this rattle will give your song an extra dose of magic. I just made one of these babies last week in a water healing gathering held by Camilla Blossom Bishop. Ours were mermaid themed, but you can use them for any element or elemental.
You can get creative with your container. Light blue and clear are nice, but even a salt shaker will do. Open the container you chose. Put beautiful tiny objects like beads, shells, crystals, glitter, feathers, and any other pretty things inside, but leave some space for them to move around. Shake as you go to assess the sound it creates, and adjust to your liking. Now close the lid tight. Tie a piece of yarn around the shaker at lid level and tie bells onto the ends. Send a loving intention to connect with nature spirits into your shaker. Behold, you are ready to rattle and roll!
:: MORE CRAFTY RESOURCES ::
If you’re looking to make a professional Flower Crown, check out my girl Rawan Rihani, founder of Aurora Botanica. She led a workshop at the Temple of Venus, teaching us that nothing feels more luxurious than a bed of fresh flowers in your hair—and it smells so good too! Okay I’m gushing.
Cara Marie Piazza is a genius of silk and dye-ing materials, and her workshop at the Temple of Venus knocked our socks off too. Silk and flowers together spell sensual feminine paradise and Cara’s joy for the art is infectious. Plus, the things she creates and teaches us to make are unspeakably beautiful.
And for something even more delicious, Alexandra Roxo and I give you two very simple recipes for love with this Valentines Video: featuring a love potion and raw chocolates.
Need more Venus inspiration? Check out Elyssa’s last Temple of Venus column on a Meditation for Manifesting True Love.
Depression can be a signal of deep discontent from your soul. As tough as it is, try diving into those feelings through meditation and self-reflection to clear your psyche, says Erin Telford…
“Winter is a great time for depression,” I joked at a Breathwork group last month. I was met with some very nervous giggles. As with most things, it’s only funny because it’s uncomfortably true.
All humor aside, I got really depressed last winter.
It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling. The first time I remember feeling depressed was when I was about 14 years old. It felt like being trapped in a glass, banging on the walls with no one listening, fatigue and a vague sense of loss and hazy unmet needs.
When I started to sink down and enter that deep gray landscape, I just felt tired and defeated. You again? After all this work?
I was involved in a group-coaching program at the time. I was honest with everyone about the despair I was feeling. They came full force with the positivity. You got this! You just need a spa day! Self-care! Find your gratitude!
“Seriously?” I thought. I was surprised by how fiercely irritated I was with their advice. And it hit me. I did not want to be cheerled out of this. I wanted to go down into the dungeon of my psyche and find some f*cking answers.
My response to feeling depressed in the past was to wait until it was over. Back pedal out of the icky feelings. Utilize the usual anesthetics. Self-medication. Self-isolation. Online shopping. Staying busy. Hitting the crack pipe rabbit hole of social media.
This time needed to be different. I’m not a confused teenage girl anymore. I’ve been waking up for a long time and I have an arsenal of tools in my bag, perfect for this emotional renovation. So I made a commitment to going down and in – and not coming back out until I found what I was looking for.
So what did that look like in real life? I turned my phone off. I sat in my favorite spot in my apartment, this little nook with a bunch of plants, great light, and a big window, and I checked in. I sat with myself. I did some writing. I asked many times and in as many ways as I could, “what is underneath all of this pain?”
I was really gentle with myself. This line of inquiry did not involve self-criticism, curse words, belittling myself or my process or any feeling of needing to hurry up and get back to “normal” life. I did not take time off but I did give myself all of the time that I had and needed.
What I found was a deep well of sweetness for myself.
The supposed truth that had taken me down to these depths was uncovered as just another clever way that I had fooled myself into believing that I was separate, that I was unloved, that I was unsupported. I discovered that I had the power inside to be able to break a life long pattern by looking at my wounds with tender curiosity rather than frustration or disdain.
***
Depression is often framed as something that just happens to us like getting a cold or a bummer draw of a genetic card. While environment, brain chemistry, and family lineage can be part of long-standing major depression; many of us experience it simply as a response to what’s going on in our lives.
We sell ourselves short by saying, “I’m just depressed.” As if it has nothing to do with the emotional pain that we’ve endured, the unattended wounds, the countless hours spent confused and alone or in groups of people who fail to see or help our hurt. The real life existential crisis that is: “I was told this would make me happy and I’m not. That must mean something is wrong with me. “
Very few of us have been taught any kind of practical way to channel and work with emotional pain. Most likely the instruction we covertly receive is to tuck away the unlovable, messy parts of ourselves. Shove them way, way, way into the back of the closet so we never have to look at the shame or hurt or confusion we feel. Or, let anyone else see it!
There is a single seed of discontent within you that is begging to be acknowledged.
Only you know, and facing it down is what I call Constructive Depression. It will require your participation. It will require fierce internal responsibility. And it is your job and your job alone, since no-one else can connect to your deepest parts but you.
The longer you’ve been feeling this way, the more wildly uncomfortable you may be with the truth that is banging on the door of your heart, begging for bread and water. How honest are you willing to be with yourself when your wellbeing is on the line?
So how to you do this?
You can think of Constructive Depression as a soul expedition. So what do you need for an internal journey? Nutritious snacks, great music, paints, journals, talismans, crystals, instruments, quiet, something to burn away the energy. Gather all of your supportive resources.
This is not an intellectual exercise. This is a reckoning. You with you.
This is a slow immersive dip into your soul. A psychic cleansing. Mental decongestion. Moving toward rather than away. Your resistance to this idea is equal to your commitment that all of this is due to the outside rather than inside forces. You ARE up to the task.
We experience the full range of human emotions for a reason. We feel sad because something is breaking our heart. We feel angry because something isn’t right and it needs to change. We feel fear because we are threatened or being asked to expand.
Depression is an opportunity for internal exploration. You are not depressed because you are a bad person or you skipped too many days of yoga or gratitude journaling.
You are depressed because something is not working for you. There is a yearning. An emotional chasm. Something that is crying out to be witnessed and seen like it’s never been seen before. Our wounds are rarely greeted with the exact kind of care and response that we are craving. When we accumulate a lifetime of hurts that have gone unnoticed or unattended to by others, the responsibility falls back to us to determine what we need.
So meet yourself with all of the tenderness, all of the sweetness, the hugs, the love, and the acceptance that you hold within you. Go inside, find your golden nugget of truth, and only come back out when you are ready – holding your treasure high.
*Mental health can be very tenuous. If you feel like this is something you can safely undertake, please do. If it feels like too much, please seek professional support for this internal exploration.
Welcome to The 12th Sense – a luscious monthly exploration of the current cosmic energies for your sign, by Cara George & Bess Matassa of Mojave Rising. THIS MONTH: create an altar for Pisces season…
We often speak of the Pisces/Virgo axis with a world-weary sense of psychic overwhelm; these highly sensitized signs are associated with the hollowed out, solitary feeling that we’re all just miniature specks. Yet one of the most sparkling, sunken-ship treasures of this axis is the capacity for these signs to elevate and transform our everyday experience.
Pisces season asks us to find pageantry in the minutiae and the slow unfolding of our lives. And with the North Node and Jupiter now in Virgo, Saturn in Sagittarius squaring the Pisces New Moon on March 8, and Mars primed to enter Sag territory on March 5, we’re being asked to activate a proprietary blend of pragmatic mysticism in order to find a different way to pray: one that allows for a sensuous seamlessness between our higher selves and our everyday environment.
And so this month, we invite you to set up an altar using seemingly frivolous objects, and to mix them with the most obviously sacred and self-consciously important. From boudoir vanities to austere, sacrificial shrines, we can dialogue with the divine using lipstick tubes, found objects, and sacred tomes alike.
Watch in wonder as your steak knives, lingerie, old love letters, and spice cabinet being to whisper that they’re worth believing in and that you’re worth believing in, too. And in the midnight hour, you’ll start to feel your own power in all its glamorous, gentle, ferocious divinity.
Keyword: “Veneration”
Song Lyrics of the Month: “Life is a mystery/Everyone must stand alone/I hear you call my name/And it feels like home”
Now click here for a Piscean Playlist and read on for our tips for creating an everyday altar for Pisces season by sign.
:: Aries :: Pisces season invites you to experiment with trusting in your potent, singular identity without having to prove it, and to calm your passion for friction as you revel in a strength borne through soft-focus edges. Select a precious object that you consider to be fiercely, distinctively “you” and experiment with placing it under a piece of fabric or inside a box as you move towards a faith in its inevitable survival – without visible proof. Throw down a symbol of strength or toughness and infuse this item with gloss and glitter. Think hot pink boxing gloves or a tool belt filled with feathers.
:: Taurus :: Pisces season invites you to loosen up and play with the concept of security as you widen your field of value. Place an object that you treasure deeply next to one you consider meaningless and challenge yourself to see the worth of each. Celebrate your love of sensuous feasting with some Piscean synesthesia; mix a scent, taste, and color in a textured vessel to create a potion that feeds all facets of olfactory and visual delight. Think lavender ice cream or a rose margarita served up in a vintage Old Hollywood gold-leafed goblet.
:: Gemini :: Pisces season invites you to celebrate the world’s dazzling array of information sources as you revel in the possibility of not having to understand it all. Place books in languages you don’t speak, maps of places you’ve never been, and menus of cuisines you’ve yet to sample on your altar as you honor global wares in all their jet-setting mystery. Take a walk and discover a found object of unknown provenance to add to your spread. Think Basque rock lyrics, maps of Pompeii, or an eccentric plant you pass every day without knowing its genus.
:: Cancer :: Pisces season invites you to loosen your highly personalized grip, and to practice honoring feeling nature of everything that surrounds you. Choose a souvenir from childhood or a deeply charged object from a former emotional situation and experiment with blurring its boundaries; place it alongside brand new objects, melt it down or burn it, and venerate its remains. Or leave a treasured object exposed to light, wind, rain, and snow on a balcony or near an open window and watch its gentle erosion and changes through time. Think everything from exes’ love letters set aflame to Malibu Barbie through the seasons.
:: Leo :: Pisces season invites you to challenge attachment to your tastes, and to rediscover a sumptuous internal fantasy life that needs no hook in the external world. Place jewels or makeup on your altar that aren’t quite your style, or look for an otherwise “ugly” object you can recognize each day for its unexpected, evolving shades of glamour. Pen letters to yourself or to an imaginary lover as you move towards your passionately internal world. Think those earmuffs from Aunt Linda you thought you hated, or a sweet message to your 5th grade self decked out in sparkly decals.
:: Virgo :: Pisces season invites you to expand your love of divine detail and order as you practice embracing the gorgeous messiness of mixing, matching, blending, and fusing. Place a collection of essential oils on your altar and experiment with instinctually mixing them into a fragrant concoction. Or spend the afternoon decanting newly discovered wines in preparation for a tasting party that celebrates both individual flavor profiles and taste collisions. Think frankincense meets orange blossom, and full-bodied Spanish leathery red meets crushed-seashell Loire white.
:: Libra :: Pisces season invites you to sample in-betweenness rather than having to choose, and to wander through shifting perspectives as you soften your search for the ideal with tender non-judgment. Play with the visual as you move your altar to different heights and lights and watch for changes in the shadows throughout the day. Adorn your altar with candles in recognition of the hybrid interplay between states of solidity and liquid. Think melted wax at midnight and firm, luminous clarity by daybreak.
:: Scorpio :: Pisces season invites you to mix the intensity of penetrating and purging with the sumptuously tender act of allowing. Place an object on your altar that you’ve been hoarding but which causes you pain to look at. Repurpose this pain as you lay your object atop a luxe satin pillow, or wrap it in your favorite fluffy sweater or decadent piece of lingerie. Watch the boundaries between pain and pleasure dissolve. Think that caustic performance review shredded atop a heap of blue-violet hydrangeas, or purifying that garter belt gifted by the one that got away in preparation for a girl’s night out.
:: Sagittarius :: Pisces season invites you to stoke your adventurous wildfire without having to externally seek in the physically nomadic world. Let the sounds of the ambient environment form the backdrop for an altar peppered with woodsy incense as you watch scent and smoke travel through space without having to leave your room. Think tripping out to the sounds of traffic on a regular weeknight as you burn Palo Santo and tobacco.
:: Capricorn :: Pisces season invites you to relax into the sensation that not everything has to be accomplished or take effort. Place the remnants of a project that’s partially complete on your altar and honor where you are in the process. Bookend it with a jar of sand as you realize that you don’t have to build a castle to enjoy the shifting, soft sensations of all these tiny grains. Think rainbowed sand art placed in the bathroom you’re mid-renovation.
:: Aquarius :: Pisces season invites you to break down rational systems of thought and to move towards the realm of irrational sensation as you blend your radical streak with Piscean mystical dreaming. Take an object apart and value its constituent pieces in a place of prominence. Or construct an altar to items that make no “sense” together but which carry an intuitively emotional charge. Think Ikea furniture instructions surrounded by talismans gifted from friends, and wondrously weird snapshots of your past and potentially future selves.
:: Pisces :: Invite yourself to explore the Virgo sitting opposite as you ask your slippery fishies to venerate the process of discernment, boundary construction, and divining what is singularly precious from the sea of possibility. Strip your altar down and practice choosing just one valued object from your bottom-drawer jumble of treasures and trash. Or add every precious item possible and then ritualistically remove them over the course of a week until only one beloved piece remains. Think fistfuls of plastic jewels from that lost weekend in New Orleans slowly untangling themselves, or a fishbowl containing a solo geode exposed to the light.
To find out more about Cara George and Bess Matassa and their work, visit: MojaveRising.com
Attending the international catwalk shows left former Garage Magazine fashion editor Chloe Kerman feeling utterly depleted. Here’s how she learned why – after leaving the industry behind… PLUS: Chloe shares her Fashion Week survival guide.
Chloe in her fashion editor days
I was a Fashion Editor for 10 years. I had a great job at Garage Magazine, produced beautiful shoots, working with incredible photographers such as Paolo Roversi, Ellen Von Unwerth, and many others. On paper, it was my dream job, but honestly during that time I was so unhappy. I felt like a hamster caught in a spinning wheel, running over the same old ground over and over again. I was very low, I had no passion, no drive, and felt like I was wasting my life.
Of course, my job also meant I attended the international catwalk events in New York, London, Milan, and Paris, and I saw almost all the shows. A dream come true for anybody who claims to love fashion. However, before the shows I would go into meltdown. I felt immense pressure to buy new clothes while the insecurities I felt about my body would be heightened at this time. My mood would be all over the place and I would dread the weeks ahead. By the end of the month, I was so emotional I would cry most days, which I put down to being over tired, suffering from stress and anxiety, and burning the candle at both ends!
Searching for some relief and some answers, I was still working for Garage Magazine at when I began studying Shamanism in October 2013. But on the last day of my course, Alberto Villoldo, my teacher and founder of The Four Winds Society, told me: “Don’t be surprised if your life changes when you go home.”
His prediction came true. Just hours after arriving home, my boyfriend at the time ended our three-year relationship – and the following day I was fired from my Fashion Editor job! In the space of two days, I’d been completely stripped of my identity. But all of a sudden, I was given the opportunity and freedom to change my life.
It was definitely a very challenging and emotional time, however now I see these events as huge gifts, as I took the opportunity to leave London and begin a magical journey of deep transformation, growth, healing, and study.
I have spent the past two years traveling and studying in the East and West Coast of America, Peru, Chile, Thailand, and India. I have studied Shamanism and Crystalline Consciousness, I’m initiated in herbalism, I studied at the Oneness University, and I’m currently working with the Divine Feminine empowerment movement, creating workshops and offering private sessions.
Chloe’s new life
I live a very different life from my fashion industry days, which has enabled me to see how every experience is an opportunity to grow, leading me to approach life as a constant adventure. I have learned to understand exactly how I co-create my reality, which means whatever happens for me I take responsibility for manifesting it. And how exciting and empowering it feels to choose to take full ownership of my feelings and my daily experience.
When I started my shamanic training I also discovered that I am an “empath” – meaning someone who easily picks up on other people’s emotions, and who taps into the collective consciousness around them. That’s when the penny dropped as to why I had such a hard time during the shows – not only had I been dealing with my own feelings of insecurity, inadequacy and stress, but I was experiencing the strain of taking on a lot of other emotions that were swirling around me.
Being an empath is a beautiful gift – when you’re able to identify as one. However, until then life can seem very overwhelming, simply because we’re so sensitive. And when I worked in the industry, I knew nothing about how to prepare myself energetically for the shows. One very simple tool I’ve since learned, and which you can use anytime you’re feeling overwhelmed, is to ask yourself: are these feelings mine? If you get a no, they will automatically defuse.
Here, I’ve compiled a list of my top tips for staying centered, aligned, and starting my day in the most loving way possible for myself and those around me.
1. As soon as you wake up, invite all the things you are grateful for to come into your mind. Let this be spontaneous: I’m grateful for this comfortable bed, that I had a deep sleep, etc. When you start the day like this your frequency automatically bumps up in vibration.
2. Follow this with some kind of practice to connect to yourself. This can be meditation, yoga, a walk in nature, conscious breathing, focusing on your heart, etc. Even 10 minutes of this can really change the flow and mood of your day as it will connect you to your own center.
3. Choose to make every decision in love, with honor and respect for yourself and the people around you.
4. Dab a couple of drops of organic Bulgarian rose oil on each of your seven chakras – starting at the root, and moving up through the sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown. Bulgarian rose oil holds a very high vibration that maintains the integrity of the energy centers.
5. Wear a clear quartz crystal at your heart or solar plexus.
6. Do a chakra clearing daily, either morning or evening or both if you have time. I love Chakra Dyana.
7. Eat the most nourishing food you have access too – proteins and good fats are great for energy levels, and root veg for grounding. Avoid the foods and drinks that you know yo-yo your emotions i.e. caffeine and sugar (a hard one when you’re racing between shows!)
8. Movement. Anytime you feel stuck or low in energy its time to move, either physically or choosing a different thought pattern. This circulates energy and keeps us in flow and open to new opportunities.
9. Create an act of kindness for someone else daily, plugging into the energy of unconditional giving.
10. Book in with an energy healer after the shows to rebalance, nurture and refuel your system.
And, remember that anytime you feel stressed or overwhelmed, you can use this as an opportunity to practice coming back to your center – which means simply taking a moment to focus on your heart and on your breath, practicing compassion for yourself and the experience that you are having, and inviting gratitude into your awareness again.
I say practice because staying present is a choice we have to make consciously throughout the day, with all the adventures that come our way. With this said, I invite you also to consciously decide to ENGAGE and ENJOY the fashion week craziness!
To find out more about Chloe’s work and book a session contact: [email protected]
As she prepares for her Move, Sit, Write tour of the US, Tatum Fjerstad explains how learning to write and meditate every day is about sparking a conversation with your higher self. Artwork:Brian Lynch
Call it an exercise in trading comfort for terrifying uncertainty (she does, in this brilliant blog post), but when something broke in Tatum Fjerstad in December last year, the only option was to pretty much quit what she’d been doing and start again. Which looks a lot like setting off across America to teach her twin (okay triplet) passions of yoga, meditation and writing – a.k.a. her Move, Sit, Write tour, which will take place in 15 studios in seven states, beginning March 3 in Portland, Oregon.
Up until this point, Tatum had been making her life / career decisions a lot like: “If I do this, people will think it’s cool. If people think it’s cool, then I’m cool. If I’m cool, people will like me and then I don’t have to work so hard to like myself because everyone else will be doing it for me.” And if you too suspect, on any level, you might also be living this life: “Get out now,” she advises. “It will bring you to a very dark place where you will feel so very disconnected with your own wants and desires that you’ll start to have bleak feelings about how we’re all just atoms bumping into each other and everything is meaningless so what’s the point.” Our point, in general, precisely.
It’s been through her own move, sit, write practice that Tatum has learned to re-connect to and value her sense of self – and since it’s often our own wounds that lead us down the path to our dharma, who better to guide others to do the same. Here, she shares 10 reasons to write and meditate every day…
1. Take An Inventory: When you create the space to listen to your patterns by meditating on and writing down whatever is bouncing around in your head, you (and only you) can decide what you want to keep and what you want to release. This doesn’t happen after one go at it. You have to do it every day.
2. Own Your Shit: When things are rough, this practice can help you get super clear on your hand in the matter. All of us are walking around with a LOT of baggage, no matter who you are, and we can’t unpack it by ignoring it.
3. Sleep Harder: I started meditating twice a day everyday and journaling once in the mornings almost a year ago. Since then, I have had some of the best naps, dreams, and deep sleeps. When you give yourself the time to slow down during the day, your body settles much easier when it’s time to do so.
4. Deeper Connections: When you become a better listener to yourself, you become a better listener to others. It’s a lot easier to put your phone down during a conversation and make eye contact with another person if you know how good that feels when you do it for yourself.
5. Forgive Freely: This soft quiet practice initiates the nurturing of your inner teacher, who happens to be pretty benevolent, empathetic and compassionate. You’ll start to be more lenient on yourself and that will trickle down to others because you’ll realize that we’re all doing the best we can with the tools we have.
6. Treat Yourself: So many of the people I teach think this sort of work is too indulgent or they say they don’t have time. If you have time to scroll through your Instagram feed in bed in the morning, or wash your hair every day, you have enough time to get up a little earlier and do yourself this favor.
7. Increase creativity: When you sit and watch your thoughts and freely write them down you are sitting at the seat of creativity. You can’t force that shit. It has to come on its own with space and sweetness. What better space than writing and meditation?
9. Inspire Others: The longer you do this, the more your friends will want in. They will see your softness emerge and they will ask for your secrets. Share them.
10. Get it Out: Omg, it feels so good to write a bunch of shit about someone who is pissing you off. It feels WAY better than telling them this stuff and then immediately regretting it. I’ve solved entire friendship dramas without speaking a word to them and having the conversation with myself until I was done with it. Sometimes that takes a few days, sometimes much longer.
11. Be Your Own Best Friend: You know that feeling when it’s whatever-night-of-the-week and you don’t have any plans and everyone is doing cool shit and you feel like a big loser full of FOMO? That goes away because you’ll start to really love those cuddly moments with yourself when it’s just you, a good book and some great music.
Learn how to use a Rose Quartz ritual as a tool for self-love and beautification. By Laurey Simmons of The Colourful Dot.
What is it about children and their innate attraction to sparkly and beautiful things? I remember so clearly walking along the beach as a child, looking for the prettiest pebbles, just feeling so full of LOVE, even at this young age, for the beauty of Mother Earth and her magical powers.
This kind of instinctual love can become more difficult to access as we get older and our hearts carry more scars. And with Valentine’s Day approaching, this is a sacred moment for us to remember our innate sense of LOVE ENERGY – which Mother Earth can effortlessly remind us of, if we are open to receive.
Crystals are my direct path back to that instinctive childlike enchantment, and as a make-up artist and spiritual adventurer I have found magical ways of using them to help my clients embody inner and outer beauty. After all, nurturing our innate beauty is not an exercise in vanity, but actually a practice in bringing us closer to the divine.
For me, unconditional self-love is an essential ingredient of inner beauty. And one of my favourite tools to activate this aspect of our self is a Rose Quartz ritual. This gemstone works with the energies of the heart, gently nurturing compassion for self and other.
So how can you use a Rose Quartz ritual to awaken your inner goddess? A simple but very nurturing ritual I love weaves Rose Quartz into a bathing experience. Here’s how:
I always begin with spiritual cleansing of myself, my space and my crystals. I love to use the smoke of burning Palo Santo, a ‘holy wood’ from South America that was used in ancient ritual and ceremony to ward off bad energy. It’s really important to make sure you open a window while cleansing, so that any energy you are wanting to be rid of can leave. Trailing the burning wood around myself and the Rose Quartz, I watch as the smoke travels and fades mystically, as if in a sacred dance. I instantly feel lighter. As I breathe in this rich, heavenly scent, I visualize the smoke spirits soaking up any negative energies, and kindly transporting these energies away.
Placing some flowers or a plant at the end of the bath will also allow you to drop deeply into the present moment. I often just gaze at the flowers, absorbed intimately with Mother Earth and all her natural beauty. I have this beautiful quote about flowers as a reminder:
“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment.” – Georgia O’Keeffe.
To elevate your sense of smell, have a relaxing oil burning. I like to use Rose and Geranium oil with this specific ritual. As the aroma fills the air, I enter deeper into a meditative state, visualizing the molecules of scent travelling up through my nose, down my chest and into my heart centre. Here the scent is absorbed by a delicate pink rose, slowly opening its petals to reveal a white healing light.
With this image firmly rooted in my heart, I mindfully place the Rose Quartz pieces around the bath. I will usually have a blessing which I will speak when placing each stone. A great blessing for this ritual is: ‘“May I be bathed in the light of unconditional love.” I will also add some Rose Quartz tumble stones (small polished stones) to the water, so that when bathing, I’m fully immersed in the absolute and unconditional love of Mother Earth. Once in the bath, I then imagine the crystals surrounding me linking with each other in a loving, active embrace.
When your bathing ritual is over, it is important to ground yourself. I like to visualize tree-like roots anchoring me down to the core of Mother Earth as I dry myself.
Beyond bathing, I also recommend adding some magic to your morning beauty routine. Did you know you can use a Rose Quartz massage stone to apply moisturizer? In ancient times, Egyptian women added powdered Rose Quartz to their beauty potions to prevent wrinkles and to restore a glowing complexion. So, with gratitude and respect for the ancient beauty wisdom of our sister goddesses, I will apply the cream with my stone and visualize my face glowing with a white nourishing light, restoring my inner and outer beauty. An extra little tip to give you Rose Quartz energy on-the-go is to add one or two small Rose Quartz tumble stones into the cream itself, making sure you have cleansed and blessed the stones beforehand.
I hope this Rose Quartz ritual brings you the space to relight the flame of self-love and inner beauty. Here is one of my favorite passages on inner beauty to send you on your way:
“Beauty is life when life unveils her holy face. But you are life and you are the veil. Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. But you are eternity and you are the mirror.”
Let’s dive deep into the unique and progressive energies of a soul born with an Aquarian moon sign. Our Moon is our HEART. Our emotional and physical support system. Our mama. Our deepest, hidden feelings, that only the ones we really trust get the privilege of knowing. We feed our Moon sign so we can go out and be our best selves, our Sun sign. And once you know how to care for your Moon, you can show others how to do the same.
Self-care is one of our allies to a better world. The Moon is also the source of our intuition, and the zodiac sign it falls in signifies the way we instinctively know things. So understanding your Moon sign can really bolster your relationship to your subconscious feelings in a healthy way.
Work out your moon sign, when you do you chart for free here.
So, what if you have an Aquarius Moon sign? This is the independent thinkers’ Moon. Aquarius is an air sign, that uses its intellect to go about its daily tasks. This is also a fixed sign so once you set your mind on something it may prove difficult to persuade you otherwise. You may also have a tendency to think with your emotions versus feel them. This can actually be used as a superpower though, since this level of detachment can give you the upper hand at in life’s more emotional situations. You most likely don’t wallow in your emotions, and this allows you enough freedom and space to distance yourself and apply some of your unique logic to the given situation.
You probably require a lot of freedom in relationships in general, and need a home environment that lets you come and go as you please. Other people’s expectations could feel like a tremendous amount of pressure – as if your true self is being stifled. But you gladly offer this same freedom in return. Any sort of “boxing in” creates discord and dampens your ability to by authentically you. You need to be accepted for your original and possibly eccentric ideas, philosophies and ways of being. You may even rebel within your relationships just to prove the point that you won’t conform to their ideas about you.
This is also the humanitarian sign. You care deeply about the collective and will rally for a cause you stand behind. It can make an Aquarius Moon sign sing to really support a charity/foundation, or even a circle of friends that has a progressive impact on society. I could see you as the friend people turn to for solid advice. You have the Moon sign of the wise owl that flies so high you see everyone’s perspective with clear vision. You can be an emotional bolster for humanity without diluting yourself in an ocean of feelings.
Below are some wellness suggestions to express, soothe and connect to and from your Aquarius Moon sign. Your heart runs free and needs a whole cosmos of space to breathe. When you find yourself feeling caged in or overwhelmed, come back to some of these tools.
:: Have a writing practice :: Aquarius Moon signs express their emotions through the use of their intellect. They use words versus demonstrative acts. Start journaling your thoughts, ideas, wishes and dreams. Try your hand at writing poetry. Use your non-dominant hand, just to get a new perspective. Write out the stories you hold dear. Write down what you are grateful for each day. Make a cookbook or keep a dream diary. Whatever is close to your inner sanctuary, take the time to write it out. Come back to it and reflect on your own spiritual/emotional growth.
:: Join a breathwork circle :: That’s right, air element Moon sign! Your heart has lungs of its own. Connecting to your life force will give you that much needed feeling of freedom, while at the same time allowing you to connect with yourself on a potent level. Plus you get to meet new people and find that sense of community you so thoroughly enjoy. You have a natural spiritual intuition that can grow and expand with grace via pranayama.
:: Find your cause :: Get into charity work or assist with a non-profit so you can utilize your greatest emotional strength, your compassion for humanity. You can express this humanitarian pulse in the best way possible by supporting a cause that pulls at your heartstrings. Any type of goodwill is up for grabs and the work will add to your quality of life while making this world a little better than it was before. It’s a win-win for the Aquarius Moon sign.
:: Guided meditation :: Your heart is always in your head – and you need a break from that constant stream. This type of meditation would be good because it covers both bases for you. The spoken words help your mind follow a path. The path, however, leads to the detachment of thoughts. Giving your mind the space to be empty will in turn give your heart a deep rest.
:: Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana) :: Balance out both hemispheres of your mind to balance your heart.
Bring your first and middle finger down and in towards your palm. You will use your thumb and ring finger for this practice. The pinky can just hang out and rest where it’s at. Press your thumb down on the right nostril and breathe out gently through the left nostril. Now breathe in from the left nostril and then press the left nostril gently with the ring finger. Removing the right thumb from the right nostril, breathe out from the right. Breathe in from the right nostril and exhale from the left. You have now completed one round of Nadi Shodhana pranayama. Continue inhaling and exhaling from alternate nostrils. 10 rounds please.
Keep space, move with grace & continue your healing work. From those places, your moon will feel content.
The girl making meditation the new nightlife, Biet Simkin shares her spiritual practices and how her higher self embraces the shocks of life with Kiran Gill…
Artist: Viki Forshee
The Numinous: You’ve experienced a lot of loss in your life, including the death of your parents and daughter, and you describe these events as shocks that have connected you to your higher self. How have these shocks aided you in your spiritual journey? What advice would you offer someone going through a similar experience? Biet Simkin: Life is beautiful, but it wasn’t created to be a whole experience. It was broken into millions of shattered parts for our exploration. This is why we sometimes see the beauty in the shattered glass, and at other times the grief and rage. My advice for anyone at any time is to listen, listen to that inner voice and stay close to it. “This too shall pass,” is what they say. And eventually it does, and you will realize it was all worth it. In my life I actually remember experiencing ecstasy around these shocks. My higher self does not want a boring life. Only my mechanics or what some people call “ego” wants it all to be easy. My soul is interested in challenge and loss. My soul is interested in heartache and fear. Get interested in what is breaking you, look closely, it is in the center of these things that your grace can be found.
TN: Your father was a shaman/psychotherapist from Russia. How did his work and beliefs influence you as a child? In your present work, how do your father’s beliefs influence you? BS: As a child, his influence aided me in being lazy, poetic and curious. He always insisted that I do whatever I want. Being the sad and confused child that I was, having just lost my mother, I didn’t want to do much but sit around, make art, eat snacks and cry sometimes. Eventually, this lack of structure led to rock and roll, drug use, world travel and many lovers. And finally, his passing eight years ago led to a complete shift in being, rendering me a most disciplined and focused entrepreneur in a healthy relationship, with a healthy diet, sober life and perpetual tangos with joy. I am his daughter; I continue his legacy of mixing fun with art and spirituality. The real icing on the cake of his legacy was laughter, and I carry that on.
TN: You have previously described yourself as having a “strong sensual energy.” How have you cultivated this part of your identity in a society that frequently represses and condemns female sexuality? BS: I do not pay attention to that stuff and consider myself rather masculine, actually. I never really bought into the whole gender thing, it seems kind of silly to me. There are so many feminine men and masculine women….what is gender anyway? I am sexual because sex energy is the highest energy we have on Earth. It is love energy and it is the force with which we create. I consider myself a creator, and to me that is about the sexiest thing a person can remind themselves to be. I think all people want to create, so when they see someone doing it they get excited!
TN: You advocate for a more emotional meditative experience that encompasses beauty and gratitude. Why is that? How does this differ from more traditional meditative practices? BS: My work is more than that of just a meditation teacher. I am an artist who realized that utilizing meditation and space (artistic space or otherwise) could transmute the state of a human being, so the next obvious action was getting human beings into beautiful spaces where I could assist them in transmuting their state! Everything about my work differs from anything else out there because it is an experience created from my inner world. Just like a Kubrick film is different from a Spielberg film. In my film, my work is about exploring the emotional center in a super intellectual way. I like to marry these two, and I do it well. People often comment in their testimonials that there is wit in my work. I believe that part of what makes my meditation experiences so emotional is that I laugh a lot and don’t take life too seriously.
TN: Likewise, you speak of cultivating “divided attention” throughout your day. What is “divided attention” and how does one master it? BS: Divided attention simply means placing your attention on many things at the same time. So, one would experience the music in the room, their hand on the tea, the tea itself, and perhaps the people around them, and do that all at the same time. This helps slow down time. As it is a difficult practice, it is the ultimate practice. It’s easiest learned in a group or from a teacher, but it must be done out in the world.
TN: What are some of your greatest tools in your spiritual tool kit? Do you have a daily spiritual practice/ritual? What is it? BS: Listen to your inner voice. It is telling you what to do and you do not listen. When you listen, you will hear it give you clear direction. My daily practice is obedience to this voice. Come hell or high water I will pursue what serves this voice within me. This means I do all the things you would imagine someone does who guards their higher state: I meditate daily, I work out, I pray, I journal, I see friends, I help people, I laugh a lot, I make love, I eat sustainable healthy food, I sleep well…It sounds kind of boring I guess, but it actually sheer ecstasy! Also, I practice gratitude as a way of “being” not “doing.” It is in being in a state of gratitude all day that everything I experience gets transmuted into food for my higher self.
To learn more about Biet and her work visit BietSimkin.com, and follower her on Instagram @guidedbybiet. Biet will be one of the featured instructors at SoulLOVEFest in September.
Learn how worship your body with the same reverence you show when entering a sacred space of prayer, says Kitty Cavalier. Artwork:Pedro Sacadura
As a little girl, I loved volunteering to clean my church after mass on Sundays. My family and a few other parish members would polish the pews, switch out the flowers on the altar, sweep the long processional aisle of dust bunnies and organize the hymnals. As a very devoted little Catholic girl, I felt like I was being given a backstage pass to my favorite concert. Tending and caring for what I considered God’s house was a huge honor and made me feel quite elite.
As time (read: puberty) went by, my beliefs about religion began to shift tremendously. As Mae West once said: “I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.” The church no longer felt even remotely like home – and as for many of us, my spiritual path since has followed more of a curve than a straight line. But there’s been one constant throughout: my body.
“My body is my temple” – it sounds so cliché. But let’s really think about it for a second. A temple is defined as “a space devoted to religious reverence,” and I can think of no greater house of worship than the cathedral of my very own heart. There is no holier a song than the sweet hum of my inhale and exhale. The light in my eyes mirrors the warmth of a candle’s flame. My skin houses and protects me like the smooth, lavish marble of the Taj Mahal, and the flush of my cheeks after an orgasm can put the ceiling of Sistine chapel to shame.
Yes, my body IS my temple. So today I’d like to share with you one of my personal favorite rituals to start 2016 off right: body worship. There is no way to do this ritual wrong. Just like learning a prayer or a hymn, a little heart, a sprinkling of soul, and practice is all it takes.
Suggested supplies for this body worship ritual:
Body Oil (such as coconut oil)
A mirror propped against a wall
A body scrub (like some sea salt mixed with body oil), or a loofah
A towel
Candlelight, incense, flowers, or anything else that helps you set sacred space
Music: click here for a free, hand-curated Body Worship Ritual playlist
1. Set Sacred Space Imagine you are setting space for the high holy days of your inner temple. You can light candles, burn incense, place rose petals on your bath mat, fold your towel as you would for a guest, play music, or anything else that evokes the spirit of the sacred for you.
2. Tending The Temple Grounds Step into the shower or bath. As you wash and scrub your skin, do so with the same care, attention and tenderness that you would show to the house of the Divine. Scrub and loofah your elbows and knees with the same softness and reverence you would show when walking into a sacred temple. Imagine that as you caress your body with soap suds, every bubble of soap is like a flower laid down in offering at the altar of YOU. When you rinse your body, feel the water wash away that which no longer serves you, and it’s healing power to make space for something new to enter.
3. The Sacrament of Body Worship Now you have prepared the temple, you are ready for ceremony and worship! Place a soft blanket or towel on the floor in front of your mirror. Position yourself naked by candlelight seated on the floor and bow to the beauty of your reflection. Take the body oil and warm it between your holy hands, using your breath to blow a prayer of gratitude into the oil. Then, allow your hands to be both pilgrim and priestess, as they slowly, reverently massage prayers into your skin. Approach each curve and corner of your body as a different room in the temple waiting to be explored.
4. Encountering Eternity When you feel complete with your body worship, get very close to the mirror. Stare deep into your own eyes and see if you can glimpse the part of you that is eternal, that never ages, and transcends time. Just like that sense of divinity we feel when we walk on sacred ground, that spirit is right there, woven into the fibers of your DNA. All that’s required to encounter it, is the courage to really look.
Adornment and ornamentation of the human body is a practice that goes back to the beginning of time. It is something we humans have used for thousands of years to express how we feel, what we think, and what we choose to honor. When you think about our ancestors showing up to a Full Moon ceremony, what do you envision them wearing? Some mud encrusted, tattered frock that’s been worn for weeks?
Perhaps. But in most cases, our ancient granddaddy’s and grandmama’s would pull out all the stops. Ceremonial beauty rituals included things like bathing for days, massaging oneself with fragranced oil and herbal salves, face painting, and ornamenting the entire body with glittering shells and earth gems. After all, when the Gods themselves are your Friday night date, you better damn well get your glow on.
Creating beauty with the human body has always been and will always be a way of expressing reverence, tribute and prayer. For example, when a person gets married, she or he will think nothing of spending a whole year focused on their appearance. We get dressed up for holidays, birthdays, graduations, job interviews, etc., all as a way of expressing our inner experience of celebration with outer beauty.
With all the pressures of fashion trends and societal beauty norms however, it is easy to fall into the trap of adorning oneself solely to please the voyeur, rather than express the spirit within. But true adornment isn’t about impressing anybody, it is about leaving a unique impression on the world.
Here are five easy, rock-solid ways you can use The Art Of Sacred Adornment to cast your unique spell…
1. Make Your Beauty Routine A Ritual As you line your eyes or mascara your lashes, remember that you are drawing well deserved attention to the portals of your soul. When you rouge your lips, be aware that you are bringing red, the color of passion and power, to every word you speak. As you paint your fingernails, remember that every stroke of the polish is a prayer of adornment for all the magic your hands create every day.
2. Create A Sensation Based Wardrobe Stand in the middle of your closet. As you look around, notice what catches your eye and creates the sensation of lust and desire in your body. When you put that garment on, notice how it feels. Does it make you feel delicious, sexy and turned on? Does it make you feel powerful? Does it make you feel good in your own skin? Challenge yourself to assemble your outfit without looking in the mirror once, basing every decision not on how things look, but on how things feel.
3. Create Your Own Color Psychology Some schools of thought teach that red is a “power color”. I say, your power color is whatever the f*ck you want it to be. For example, wearing ultramarine blue makes me feel both sexy and slightly androgynous, depending on the item. That makes me feel powerful, sometimes. Other times it is the softness of a cream lace kimono and vintage pink camisole makes me feel powerful. Maybe neon yellow is your power color, or wearing all black makes you feel romantic. However a color feels to you is how it will make you feel to the rest of the world, when you are the one that is authentically wearing it.
4. Go outside your comfort zone A fabulous way to practice adornment as prayer is to stretch a little bit beyond your comfort zone, every day. This will be different for everyone. It could be something as simple as switching out your regular sneakers for a pair of classic, chic Chuck Taylor’s. Or if you’re a notoriously glamorous dresser, maybe your challenge is a pair of slouchy Levis. As in any area of life, the richest magic always lies just outside our comfort zone.
5. Keep It Simple, Starlet At the end of the day, practicing adornment doesn’t mean you need to start parading the streets in a gilded carriage. (Unless ya want to – I know I do!) Sacred Adornment can be as simple as caressing every inch of your skin with warm, glistening coconut oil after a shower, or clearing off your nightstand at the end of the day to light a candle. Any time you intentionally honor all the beauty that you are, you become a living, breathing, prayer.
In which I get prescribed a 30-day “self-pleasure diet”…
Confession. There has been a sad lack of the above (laughter) in my life lately, and this is a shout out, please, for some inspiration when it comes to the pleasure principle. Don’t get me wrong, life is pretty freaking amazing right now. I have somehow made manifest a career that reflects all the things I care about, and allows me total creative expression on a daily basis. I’m writing a book. I just launched the most incredible project with an iconic London department store, and moved into a super-cool new apartment in NYC. I’m in a loving relationship, I have a beautiful new nephew (okay thank you for indulging me in a much-needed gratitude list).
But still, and it’s written into very the DNA of entrepreneurship, life has been feeling very much all-work-and-no-play lately (I haven’t, actually, taken a day off this year I don’t think). And as was discussed with my friend Lucy in London last week, co-creator of spirituality un-conference Higher Selfie, what’s the point of dedicating yourself to your passion and your purpose, if your passion and your purpose then turns around and tries to make you its bitch?
The subject came up when I went to see Sandra Lanshin Chiu for acupuncture last night. She said she could tell from the way my tissue was “clinging” to my bones how hard I’ve been working, and how little room for pleasure, laughter, and FUN, this had left. “You’re all in your masculine energy, and that’s great for getting stuff done. But you’re a woman and you have a yin body, you need to create some space for flow,” she explained (kind of nailing it). Okay so her prescription? “A 30-day self-pleasure diet.”
As in, exactly what you think! Whether or not I decide to take up the challenge and schedule a 20-minute masturbation break into my daily routine isn’t something I’m gonna discuss here, but I will say this is by no means the first time the conversation has come up lately. According to Sandra, “self-pleasure is one of the jewels in a woman’s self-care toolbox.” Another friend in London is writing a book on the topic, while a self-administered orgasm had been suggested to somebody else I spoke to recently as a “grounding” practice.
But yeah, any other suggestions for bringing the joy balance back into my life would also be very welcome. In the meantime, you will mainly find me trying to carve out some good old fashion vacay days and keeping busy with my gratitude practice.
Or maybe the answer is meditation? This week I’m also giving a shout out to Numinous contributor Ellie Burrows, who opened her dedicated meditation studio, MNDFL, in Manhattan last night. Okay, wow, we first chatted about this project in the spring (I remember cos it was the first day she’d worn open-toe shoes this year), and six short months later, enter a beautiful, chic and cosy space in the Village offering a “space to breathe” seven days a week. (Although how much space to breathe this project will allow Ellie while it gets up and running remains to be seen – see above! And enter my acupuncturist’s other suggestion – “a slow-entrepreneurship movement.”)
Most classes are 30-45 minutes, with a few juicy two-hour workshops thrown in (like the one on Love & Justice next Thursday) – and are categorized along the themes in the image below. Read the MNDFL manifesto and check out the full class schedule here. Ellie Burrows, we love you!
Amplify your psychic protection with this bath time Halloween ritual, says Deborah Hanekamp. Images: Zsuzsanna Dofka via Behance.net
As we enter the season of the winds, the veil between the spiritual worlds becomes thin. A time of strong psychic awareness, we open to valuable teachings from Great Spirit and our personal intuition. Energetically charged people and places, as well as lingering spirits, also become very apparent to the spiritually sensitive. For this reason, now is a time to work with extra psychic protection.
Dear One, understand this; the highest form of protection is awareness. And that love is the vehicle to awareness; become more loving, become more aware. Fear is the opposite of love, fear distracts us. But if in the midst of fear we can use our breath to go back to love and awareness, we are already so protected.
The below Halloween ritual bath and practices are tools to strengthen our connection to love, to awareness, and therefore protect us as we journey into winter.
:: THIN VEIL ESSENTIALS ::
Black Tourmaline, a crystal of high psychic protection, is invaluable during this time. Carry a small piece in your pocket or as a piece of jewelry. Sleep with Black Tourmaline under your pillow to protect your dream body.
Rosemary carries the protection of the divine feminine. Wear a drop of Rosemary essential oil on the crown of your head, and she will protect with the awareness of a mother wolf.
Connect to nature. Offer tobacco or white sage to a tree, stand barefoot on the roots and hold your back body to the tree. As your feet connect to tree’s spirit release any charged psychic energy you are holding through your feet, asking the earth to transform that energy into love.
:: RITUAL BATH FOR PSYCHIC PROTECTION ::
Ingredients 1 cup of Epsom Salt 4 cups of Nettles Tea infusion 1 tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar A few drops of Rosemary essential oil A few drops of Rose Water or Rose Absolute Essential Oil
Crystals Fluorite, Quartz, Citrine and Black Tourmaline
Add all ingredients to a bath of water as hot as you can stand.
Ritual Light candles around the bath Smudge your self by burning white sage and cedar around your body, wafting the smoke towards you with a feather Step into the bath Take three deep cleansing breaths Place a candle directly in front of you and stare into the flame without blinking for five minutes. Let the flame clear your mind and bring you into psychic awareness Dunk your head under the water Place the Quartz crystal under you at the back of your heart, place the citrine on your solar plexus, hold the Fluorite in your left hand and the Black Tourmaline in your right Chant the sound “Aum” (Om) at least three times Soak in and enjoy the protective energy you’ve created
This week’s card is the Ten of Cups. Enter an abundance of unconditional love…but it has to begin with you, says Louise Androlia.
You can watch last week’s weekly tarotscope at the link – did Louise’s message resonate with you? Share in the comments below, and connect with us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!
Happy Birthday! I would love for you to bring that Star energy you’ve working with into this next month, because being fuelled by light really suits you. Have you noticed this? That when you are able to step into a more expansive state of mind you just get more done? To stay in that high-energy frame of mind sounds so simple, but of course requires work – as with most things related to our well being. However, this month, I think you are up to the job.
I feel that the direct source to feeling your very best self over the coming weeks it through honoring your spirit. This, in short, means allowing yourself to do anything and everything that ignites your creative spark, makes you feel alive, and inspires you to step into your superpower. It may seem that right now you have SO much to do, and surely you should prioritize that? Yes, of course you have to get shit done! But the choice you have here is the ability to not prioritize stress. See the difference? We can still get through a to-do list, but without a punishing or restrictive edge.
Stop for a moment today and check in with anywhere in your life that doesn’t feel very expansive right now. Where do you feel stuck, blocked, or overwhelmed with negativity? This or these parts of your experience require as much love and nurture as you can muster, and your birthday month really is a fine time to be kind to yourself. I’d like you to make self-gratitude a daily practice, honing in especially on areas you feel wobbly. It might be that you wake up every day and say “I am grateful for my body” or “My talents are of value” – this could feel super uncomfortable at first, but you’re merely guiding yourself back to what you know is true underneath the layers of fear.
This is also a wonderful month for socializing and replenishing your stash of human FUN. Call your old friends, get out of your comfort zone, be in love with love, call in your spirit guides, and just try to flow with your awesome self. Note when you tune into self-doubt and judgmental thoughts, and don’t be afraid to question them! They are your thoughts which means you’re allowed to decode them a little, shake them up, and reform them – in other words, it’s in your power to make your life work for you!
Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Virgo / Virgo Rising – Five of Pentacles
Last month saw you experience a few blasts from the past, whether it was old shadows rearing their heads, or a meeting with a previous version of yourself. I know for some of you this was a much darker experience, where as others of you had a kind of rose tinted reunion with your own superpowers. Whether you are feeling ruled by the shadows or the light right now, the theme for this month is going to be the same: material and spiritual reconnection. The energy that feels significant for you is around faith in yourself and your journey. It may be that the last few weeks unearthed a wobble, and now you are seeking some grounding, within and without.
I want you to really know that you are supposed to be constantly evolving, and that this means you’ll need different support at different times in your life. Don’t feel concerned if your tried and tested feel good method isn’t really doing it for you right now – perhaps it’s just time to try something else? So, to tap into what this might be, allow yourself to take a scan across your current internal and external environment. What’s going on with your career, relationships, and family? How is your health and how are your thought processes? Are you going through a time of change? What is new? What feels scary? Are you having fun?
As you ponder these questions, take stock of where your general level of life energy is right now, and then, finally, ask ‘What do I NEED right now?’ It’s your job to simply listen. Your inner workings may surprise you here, and it’s important to allow your most nurturing self to speak to you, the one that may suggest rest over making another to-do list, the one that says try a massage over a spin class. Trust that your inner and outer experience is providing all the clues you need, and whatever feels right for you this month will be exactly what you need.
In matters of faith, however intuitive you are and however organized you are, you STILL aren’t supposed to know the outcome of everything that you’re juggling. Choose to trust that your life lessons emerge at the exact time you need to receive them. Until then it’s time to practice that leap of faith, and know that you aren’t alone. You are needed, help IS available, and time is on your side.
Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Libra / Libra Rising – Two of Swords
Anxiety and difficulty in regards to making choices is one of the most frequent things my clients come to me about. What should you do? Which direction should you take? What will the outcome be? How do you trust yourself? These thoughts are the norm, so don’t be afraid if you feel at a crossroads right now. How about considering that you aren’t supposed to know the exact right answer, because maybe this isn’t a case of correct or incorrect, of pass or fail. If you are in an active time, whether in your mind or outer experience, then things are truly supposed to feel a little less than chill!
So, instead of panicking about what you ‘should’ do, I want you to work on where you might be blocked from your intuition right now. Of course your decision-making doesn’t have to be a stressful thing, it’s likely many of you are just overwhelmed by having so many avenues to go down! Never a bad thing, but often in times of busyness, whether this manifests as chaos or excitement, our racing mind can get us feeling a little ‘out of body’. When we jump outside of ourselves like this, we begin to lose the connection to where life realy begins – yep, you know it, with OUR FEELINGS.
Remember that whatever feels the best to you will be the ‘right’ choice, because there truly is no right or wrong, just another opportunity to have faith in yourself and your journey. You may also use these next few weeks to get some down time. It’s often that when we find our selves at a crossroads, we’re being led towards a period of action, so it’s a great time to accept the stillness and simply recharge. Your way of resetting will be unique to you; it might mean retreating to nature or, equally, stepping back into the social scene and reconnecting with friends.
Try to release any pressures you’ve put on yourself to ‘have it all together’ or ‘get over it’ and allow yourself to just be. Time isn’t working against you, all is as it is supposed to be. Do some of what makes you feel more YOU – in fact, a lot of it, so much that you almost burst. Inch your way back to your mind, body and spirit. This human experience is your home, and by returning to yourself you will be in the optimal decision making space, when the time comes.
Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Scorpio / Scorpio – Eight of Swords
You’re going through an important transition right now my friends – it’s transformative, can you feel it? If you look to the planets, we’ve entered the final phase of Saturn’s journey through Scorpio, bringing some final tests and a chance to really clean up and surrender. The last two months have been leading up to the work you have to do in August, and we are all at a different stage of this journey. These next few weeks are the perfect time to really tune in with where you are restricting yourself. Is there anything from your past, be it physical pain or a forgotten dream, that seem to be haunting you right now?
Think – how can you address these things? You don’t have to dive in like a bull in a china shop, opening every of worms in sight, BUT it’s going to help to get really real with yourself. Try stating your fears out loud and owning them. Tell the world: “I am afraid of ***, and it’s okay”, and notice what body feelings accompany these thoughts, what starts running through you. You are safe to really show up for this clearing process, but it’s also an ideal time to ask for help. If you don’t know what you want, ask yourself what you need. Follow your intuitive guidance, whether it is requesting you find guidance online, or by emailing that person that keeps popping into your mind.
Be open to receiving and have no expectations. You more than anyone know that the things you need can come in forms you’d never expect. It also feels like perhaps there are some ghosts from the past that could be released. Remember that letting go and forgiveness are both acts of self-love, acts that do nothing other than clear space and free you up to move forwards.
By shaking off what you no longer need from times gone by, it will be so much easier to accept what is being offered up ahead. Finally, try to trust in simplicity this month. All the good stuff is going to be right there, laid bare, you won’t find sanctuary in drama or contradictions. Trust in what feels grounded and nourishing to you, whether that is in the people you meet or the work you commit to. Magic and intuition are alive and well in the present moment – and your direct link is through your feelings, so feel away babe!
Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Sagittarius / Sagittarius Rising – Princess of Cups
I feel like you’re on a bit of a roll of awesome, or at least that this high vibe energy is available to you now if you want to access it. If there’s one thing the last year has taught you, it’s that feelings are okay and even important! In fact, tuning in to your more watery, emotional side has the ability to rocket fuel your dreams. Right? Well no change this month, because what I see as a great focus point for you in the next few weeks is… MAGIC. Oh yes, and before you stop reading because you aren’t into ‘woo woo’ – stay with me!
Can we redefine magic? It’s not just about witchcraft you know – although that’s totally cool with me too, I like to think of magic as an accessible energy that you can tune into, but one that is also within you. You ARE magic, it’s running through your veins and is available as a form of empowerment whenever you need it. So, how do you get in touch? It’s all through a willingness to expand your vision out of your comfort zone, to expand your thoughts beyond your restricted and limiting beliefs, and it’s found very much in the present moment.
The other way you can access magic is through a childlike sense of wonder, and this is precisely what August is gifting you. Wonder. We get a little distracted from wonder as we grow up, the ‘wow’ of learning new things for the first time diminishes as we keep moving through life. For any of you who have kids, you’ll know it’s easily returned to you when you get to show that little one new things all of the time – and that choosing to see things through their eyes, the vision returns to you. I want you to realize this sense of awe is here ALL OF THE TIME, no magic tricks needed, the world is kind of an amazing place, full of kind of incredible people, if you hadn’t noticed.
Yes, there are the shadows and a dark side to life, but it is our job to turn on the torch. Over the coming weeks, start to notice in what areas of your life magic reappears. It may be within your meditation practice, or in time spent in nature, but it also may also appear in spreadsheets and accounts, over dinner and discussion. There are no limits to finding the good stuff; you just have to believe it’s there.
Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Capricorn / Capricorn Rising – Ace of Pentacles
You truly are in the energy of new beginnings. Last month the focus was on feelings and personal connections, and for August there is a shift presenting itself in your more grounded material world. I’m just seeing large door that is totally wide open, with any perceived blocks dissolving away. I feel that you’ve entered a part of the year that’s been lined up for you to get very serious and unapologetic about how you want, how you NEED, your material world to support you.
Yes, this is a card that’s brilliant for career matters, suggesting that if you’re on the edge of sharing something new, at the point of quitting something that no longer works, or holding off on speaking up – it’s time. Get everything OUT. However, I’d like to focus more on the bright sparks of ideas and growth that I feel coming in for you. It’s as though you are pivoting on the edge of a very different life stage, one that is bringing more stability and light. This doesn’t mean life is a breeze of course, especially not for my mountain climbing Caps. Challenges though, are only in place to lead you to higher ground. Everything is taking you somewhere, and your main job is to not fight the change or battle the unknown.
Allow your days to take on a natural flow, one that is guided by your hero nature, but a flow that has no barriers. You are the only one who can truly stand in your own way at the moment. So, what do you need? If it’s more rest, then that is ALL that’s required. If it’s more time, you have it! This open doorway is created by your intentions to be kinder to yourself, to pursue more of your ideas, to really listen to your inner soul system.
What do you want to feed into the earth around you? What imprints are you about to make, what are you producing? Be enlightened by all that is new and appreciate the embarrassment and oddities of it all. Allow yourself to be humbled by the Universe on a daily basis, laugh, get messy, get involved, and be happy to get out of your comfort zone. Everything is ok, even the wobbles and the worries, they all have purpose. Pour nurture on your anxieties and feed your ideas with golden light.
Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Aquarius / Aquarius Rising – Three of Pentacles
August is a pretty active month for you, as you have the space to put into play what you have been working on for the past three months. I feel that there has been so much brainstorming, so much creativity and fun, and also, perhaps, a LOT of questioning your own abilities. You can find it so easy to put yourself down sometimes, often more so than the time you spend raising yourself up. So, this has to be your first priority this month – self-celebration.
It is not stupid or egotistical to stop and admire yourself. I mean, come on, you are a perfect specimen of a human being – just LOOK AT YOU! But, yeah, on a more serious note, it’s kind of time that you accepted that you might have some skills, some unique skills, and something to share with the world. Yes it’s easy to say, “oh but so many people do the same job as me”; and yes, there will always be another artist, another actor, another lawyer and so on, but there isn’t another YOU, remember? This means that whatever you bring to the table IS unique, because it comes from you.
So as you being this month of self-appreciation, you will be required to flow into giving time to cementing your authentic voice. This means that you definitely don’t need to worry about comparing yourself to others or trying to imitate anyone, you just need to show up for YOU. It can be easier said than done of course, but it’s time to practice. With all that in hand, out in the real world this is a perfect month for collaborating and sharing the weight of your work, and your ideas. It might be that you’ve been keeping a lot inside recently and so know that just getting things OUT is going to step you forward into the next stage of, yes, your career, – but more so, of simply feeling good.
A good old-fashioned life brainstorm is in order, so gather your troops and get vocal. If you are someone who usually likes to hide in the shadows, experiment with raising your voice a little louder. You can also reflect this confidence with regards to your inner dialogue, by no longer allowing yourself to be intimidated by your fears. After all they are YOURS to do what you like with. So shift the conversation, own those anxieties, and then use them to march you onwards.
Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Pisces / Pisces Rising – The Emperor
Over the last few weeks you may have experienced a few ‘ah-ha’ moments, times of clarity, and a rush of new ideas. Within this headspace, some fears may also have been rising up very strongly, perhaps some that seemed to stab you in the gut and try to convince you that they were more powerful than you? Which is not true of course, but it is okay for it to feel that way – after all, you are a human being, just out in the world feeling those feelings. As the days progress the shift that’s in place for you now is one of empowerment and order. This month is about taking all those “ums” and “ahs” from July, and putting them in place, with a little planning. It’s actually a much more structured way of thinking than you might be used to, but totally in place to put some order into your chaos. Now, where this sense of process comes from is going to be dictated by what you need. If you currently feel like you are loose and swimming in a sea of uncertainty, then perhaps it’s time to ask for help? You do know that someone out there can listen and help you with the jigsaw puzzle of yourself, don’t you?
This doesn’t have to be your typical therapist; maybe you just need to dedicate some time to sharing with your best friends, getting stuff out, and reinterpreting ideas for each other. We all have some blocks to rules and regulations somewhere along the line, so note if any of yours are coming up right now. It could be that you are finding it a struggle to work amongst other people, and if so have a feel and think about how you could shift your perception. AND how you can protect your energy – this is always an important job for a Pisces.
The more you can be connected to your most authentic and positive self, the easier it will be to see through the mist. It’s easy to get distracted but this isn’t the month for wading through fog. Remember where you pull your light from and use that source, every day. Finally, If there is a certain someone in your life who seems to be over-stepping the mark, overpowering or even scaring you, then it’s time to reclaim your self worth and personal power; again by sharing, questioning, and speaking up. Don’t hide from your own voice, this month more than ever it’s valid and important.
Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Aries / Aries Rising – Ten of Pentacles
I kind of feel like you’re on fire right now Aries – as you should be of course, but wow your energy seems to have been on a constant high level recently. Are you feeling tired out yet? I want that to be your first check in right now, because burn out is SO easy for you because you are able to run on empty quite easily. So just tune in to what you might need as you fully embrace this second half of the year.
Now I put that at the forefront, because what I feel for you is that there is a strong energy focus on your material world right now. For some of you it really may be a dramatic shift in your career – perhaps you are taking on a higher position, or launching some of your most valued work into the public domain? It’s also going to be that many of you are at that point of leaving behind what no longer works for you, in business and in pleasure. It’s a super power feeling, and this is why your wellbeing has to be at the peak of your life priorities pyramid. Whilst you may think of self-care as a ‘luxury’, just know that you can’t do all the amazing stuff you want to if you feel crap. Simple, right?
So now that you’ve checked in, where are you headed? Things can start to manifest at an alarming rate now, so make sure your intentions for yourself are also on good from. I want you to think about the idea of your imprint on the world. If you had to make a manifesto for yourself and your personal brand right now, what would be on there? How would you sell yourself to yourself?
Take that as a writing task and it will help you hone in on what might be the most enjoyable thing to put your focus on right now. After all, I know you are spinning a lot plates, as per usual! On the more spiritual side of things, look out for those messages from the Universe. They come in so many forms, yes it might be that you’re seeing feathers and rainbows, but life also speaks to you via the more practical too. Coincidences don’t exist – that voice you hear that says ‘go there’ or ‘call them’ is worth listening to. In fact if you chose to listen and learn, the guidance is really right in front of you.
Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Taurus / Taurus Rising – The Chariot
THINGS ARE FINALLY MOVING! What things? Have a glance back to April and you might get some hints as to what needs the kick in the ass right now. Of course movement is only going to be present if you participate, so if you’re one of the one wishing away on the sidelines that something wild and exciting would happen for you, then you gotta at the very least dip your toe in. Why? Well the thing about life and time and all that, is that it really is always moving, and if you aren’t there moving with it, you’ll only ever feel like you are losing or wasting time. And time is of value, so, where are you going to place your drive this month?
Now that’s off my chest, we can get into the details; balance, freedom and intent. Freedom comes from stepping into that expansive state of mind I always talk about. You are the only one standing in your way right now and if you take a trip over to the Scorpio reading to see what your opposite sign is up to, you can apply the same advice. When you get out of your own way, a free flowing energy can come upon you. Feels good to think of that wide, open road right? That road can exist in all areas of your life; even the ones with challenges – yes, there can still be a flow when you have to get shit done, it just gets done easier!
‘Easier’ – that sounds nice too, doesn’t it? So what would you need right now to truly feel free? Explore that idea. So, balance; not your strong suit sometimes, but as always still a priority and I won’t ever let up about it. Accept that whatever isn’t working, whether it’s a health, love or work situation, needs a new perspective. That new perspective may not be one you’d chose first, after all, self-help is always hard work – but if something doesn’t feel good, isn’t it time you considered an alternative?
Finally – intent. This is the fun bit for you, and it’s about grabbling life by the reins and knowing that you have the map. Remove any fear of failure or you will never do anything. Know that you’ve got this, and equally that it’s okay to make mistakes. Mistakes aren’t an end point; they are a learning experience. Everything is building momentum, so dive in fully.
Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Gemini / Gemini Rising – Eight of Cups
The next few weeks are all about the residue of the past couple of months. So what’s come to the surface as you’ve gone on your merry way? The last few weeks have been a really strong cleansing period for many of us, and it may not have been comfortable. The first thing to do is to be nurturing with yourself. When some of our old shadows and ghosts reappear, it’s easy to perceive that we are going backwards. This is not the case; When things come to the surface it’s because now is the time to address them, as perhaps right now you are in the right space to be able to deal with them.
The brain chucks out information for us on a platter when the time is on and the pressure is off. So, this residue, how are you feeling it? Is it via your thoughts, from strange messages from the Universe, or is it in your physical body? Take time to listen and see what’s regurgitating, and within this know that now is a safe time to let those things go. You know that I refer to the letting go process as ‘surrendering’, and so we will work with that. I feel that you could be holding on to some guilt and it may manifest as you subconsciously not allowing yourself to move forwards.
You don’t need to hold onto pain as a punishment, it does not serve you and certainly doesn’t make anything better. If you need to forgive – be it yourself, others or a situation – know that it will set you free. In regards the moving forward process, this month is in place for you to work with your courage. The capacity for bravery is within all of us, it’s a natural part of us, to be courageous, to show up, to get involved. It’s time to accept your inner hero, to claim it and use it.
After all, why would you be scared to move forward in your life? Your life is perfectly designed for you, don’t ever hesitate to believe in that, not for a second. Nothing that you leave behind will be truly lost if it’s in any way relevant to your future. Safety lies within self trust, self-care and rest right now. Allow yourself to move at your own pace, just be wise enough to recognize where you’re treading on your own toes.
Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Cancer / Cancer Rising – The Empress
A happy and nourishing month ahead, as you step from the clutches of that Devil on your shoulder into the nurturing arms of the divine feminine! “Thank you” is a good word to utter today. Thank you for this new and fresh energy. This is a month that is truly ALL woman, full of babes in fact! You can take that really literally if you’d like, to start. Female company and energy is going to get you feeling good, so allow yourself to be embraced by the wise women around you, whether it’s in physical hug form or a good heart filling Skype chat.
On a deeper note, this is a perfect few weeks to check in with mother Earth, the natural element and your own wisdom. Over the last few months you’ve had a lot of going within, but not all of it has felt safe and wishing yourself out of body has felt like the easy option. It’s time to really trust that you have gained knowledge in all that’s been processed, and that your tool belt is now pretty well-equipped. You have what you need and will realize this when you allow things to simplify a little. Drama probably won’t cut it for you this month as you start to lift into your higher state of mind and discover that the small nurturing steps you are making really are filling you up.
The great thing is, you don’t need the mess and the complications anymore. It’s fully time to live in that clean and clear space. Your clutter, be it physical or mental, can be released. It’s safe to head to the recycling bin – I’m pretty sure we all have one of those within – so think, what do you no longer need to have playing on repeat in your brain?
Know that the wisdom you have gained recently is also in place for you to share and help others. Whether it’s some words that a friend really needs or via a service you provide, since we are never truly alone it means that your experience is also going to give solace to someone else. Therefore, it’s also a time to not hide your feelings. All expulsions of your water element are safe and okay. You may find that by avoiding that standard “I’m fine”, response you open up a new conversation with an unexpected person – I feel that the element of surprise is awaiting you. So open your eyes, wide.
Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Here comes our monthly dose of intense lunar energy…but what does the Full Moon mean? Vedic (Eastern) astrologer Eve James unpacks the psychology (& why it make us cray-cray…)
To understand the Full Moon energy, we need to first look at what it represents. Without the Sun, there would be no light or life on this earth. There would be no solar system period, and the time when the Moon is most illumined with the effulgence of the Sun is termed the “Full Moon.” She sits directly across from him, receiving his light. They are face-to-face.
Now, take into consideration what the Sun and Moon represent in astrology; the Light of Self, or Divine “I”, and it’s Mind, it’s expression.
To conceptualize this, imagine the Sun as the ocean and the Moon as the movement of the ocean. The Sun is the natural Atmakaraka in Vedic astrology – the divine drop of consciousness within the infinite ocean of Consciousness, the individual soul or Atma (as said in Sanskrit), the imperishable essence or substance of Self, the ever-lasting Light, or the infallible Truth of that which we all most naturally are.
The Moon is the movement of that same substance, and it is this movement that creates numerous thoughts and feelings, which, in turn, inspire actions. This so-called movement of the soul is what we call the mind.
So when the Moon is receiving direct light from the Sun, she is face-to-face with the source of her light. In this moment she is fulfilled, and yet still full of longing to unite with this source, as the Moon is the signifier of longing, and all feelings of separation.
Full Moons stir us deeply because of this, and can inspire action driven by desperation or other incomplete or unfulfilled longings within our minds. Full Moons can also feel very good to us, depending on the placement of the Moon at our time of birth, and how fulfilled we feel inside as an individual.
When the Moon is directly receiving this light of awareness, it can feel very unsettling to those of us who experience our independent self as fragmented, or overly dependent on an identity that isn’t working in unison with who we really are deep inside.
Full Moons heighten our awareness of what is within our minds, and how separate we have become from our source of light and truth. They can also be very illuminating and energizing when it comes to marriage or any other activity resulting in union, as this is the time when the Moon experiences union with the light of the Sun.
In Vedic astrology, we consider the Nakshatra of the Moon to be very important, which is the portion, or “lunar mansion”, of the sky the Moon is aligned with (there are 27 of these in Vedic astrology, named for the most prominent star in each). When the Moon is full and receiving illumination from the Sun, her cup is full and so she is considered ready to fully express the mood of the Nakshatra she is aligned with.
That portion of the sky is amplified with emotion and there is a palpable charge in the atmosphere. Let’s say the Nakshatra is kind of like a scented flower the Moon is wearing. During the Full Moon, the fragrance is very strong and motivates people differently according to how much they like or dislike that scent, or how it mixes with their unique DNA.
The Moon on March 5th will be 100 percent full at 10:05am PST, and she will be aligned with Purvaphalguni Nakshatra, which is a sign of romance, music, arts, creative activities, vacation, and romantic union. This is an interesting sign however, because even though it’s hyper-creative and is associated with blissful marriage, etc, it also signifies the waging of war, or going into battle and using deceptive war strategies.
So despite its feminine, almost bohemian expression, it is also considered potentially fierce and destructive. Purvaphalguni is associated with fire and now is a time to honor or respect this element and be wary of it. This is why it is a sign of poetic and romantic love, passion and pleasure, all things that ignite a fire within.
At this time, we must be very careful of the fires we ignite with other people – be it romantically, professionally or socially. This is also an intense Full Moon politically, due to its association with binding unions (contracts and marriage) and it’s fiery underbelly. It is however a beautiful time for making deeper commitment to a personal relationship, or creating stronger bonds with those we wish to keep in our lives. It is also very good for performance-related endeavors, such as music, drama and the like.
Purvaphalguni is literally considered to be full of vibration and potential, and it can work miracles for releasing inner intention into the Universe and gaining union with that goal. So for those of you wishing to release a creative project into the world, this Full Moon is excellent.
But for the hopeless romantics out there, be very careful and think twice before igniting a new flame! Even though this is an auspicious sign for marriage, it can be a deceptive sign when it comes to fulfilling our heart’s real longing for union. The energy of this Moon can be motivational and intensely inspiring, but that same motivation can be put out as quickly as it was ignited.
This is also a perfect time to pamper or treat yourself to something you desire. Self-care and healing are both highly supported by Purvaphalguni, whereas it’s sister-sign Uttarphalguni (where the Moon will align next), is about self-sacrifice and serving others. This reminds us that we have to take care of ourselves and love ourselves before we can truly uplift others. So this sign is seen as innocently and harmlessly selfish, in the sense that it reminds us not to neglect our own needs.
With that said, best wishes – and may the Full Moon aid in you feeling nourished, within and without!
NEXT UP! Eve James chats to Numinous founder Ruby Warrington about the difference between Western and Vedic (Eastern astrology). Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates on every new post…
