At the Capricorn Waxing Quarter Moon, step away from toxic dynamics and focus on what you need to fulfill your 2018 mission, says Jennier Racioppi …
Photo: Tiffany Combs
Waxing Quarter Moon // October 16 2018 // 2.01pm ET // 23 degrees Capricorn
The Capricorn Waxing Quarter Moon brings with it fierce medicine. With the Sun traveling through the last days of Libra, squaring the moon in the Cardinal earth sign of Capricorn, the cosmos is asking us to name our obstacles and make intelligent decisions.
With harvest season coming to an end and winter soon to set in, now is the time to surrender the dead weight, holding onto only that which remains vital to your mission.
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The cycle This Capricorn Waxing Quarter Moon sees us reach the halfway mark between the last New Moon in Libra, and the upcoming Full Moon in Taurus. Simultaneously, it reaches back to the first New Moon of 2018, which occurred on January 16th at 26 degrees of Capricorn, asking us to reevaluate goals we set right at the beginning of the year. With Samhain (Halloween) fast approaching, marking our descent into the darkness of winter, this waxing quarter moon commands us to take stock of how far we have come bringing these hopeful New Year’s intentions to fruition—and make any necessary adjustments.
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The transits With the sun at 23 degrees of Libra, the final degrees of this cardinal air sign, we reach the end of the Sun’s transit through the sign of balance, harmony, and justice. Simultaneously, Libra’s ruling planet Venus, currently in her retrograde cycle, conjoins Mercury in Scorpio, while squaring Mars in Aquarius.
This mashup of planetary energy encourages brave naming of truth. This is not the time to avoid or deny, but rather, boldly claim what YOU know as the truth. Fortunately, with these aspects, circumstances speak for themselves; especially with shadowy Pluto being needled into a big reveal by its square to sun, while conjoining the intuitive moon.
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The square With the Sun in Libra squaring the Moon and Pluto in Capricorn, this Waxing Quarter Moon asks you to take charge and move forward fearlessly. Any dysfunctional or toxic dynamics will be revealed for what they are, allowing you to disentangle yourself from the web of deception. The good news is that little guesswork will be needed as you walk towards the light. Trust that it’s safe to take things at face value and go with your instincts.
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The opportunity In the words of Maya Angelou, “When someone tells you who they are, believe them.” With Venus Retrograde, the Sun and Moon squaring in Cardinal signs, while Pluto (the mistress of the underworld) is conjoining the Moon, now’s the time to break free from deception. Rather than letting things slide as you remain committed to someone’s “potential,” choose to fearlessly name and digest the truth instead, making decisions from a sober mindset.
Healthy new choices will stem from profound realizations during this Waxing Quarter Moon. With the mid-way point of the fall season so close we can taste it (hello pumpkin spice almond milk latte), seek to ready yourself for the restorative tucking in of the coming winter months. Surrender anything (people, beliefs, situations) that feel toxic to you. Let go of the clutter in your home. Ready your mind, body, and spirit for the fullness of the winter months promise.
Meanwhile, as you look to the months ahead, ask yourself these questions:
-How has 2018 gone so far? -What goals or intentions did I set with the first New Moon of the new year? -What obstacles do I currently face in bringing my dream to fruition? -How can I make the most of the time remaining this year to bring my dreams to reality?
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Discover more about astrologer and success coach Jennifer Racioppi and her work HERE and follow her on Instagram.
Get this week’s astro symbol for your sign with our Numinous horoscopes from Sandy Sitron …
Photo: Dmitrii Medvedev
Libra or Libra Rising An optical illusion. Your task is quite challenging. You need to strengthen your ability to be objective. First, practice self-care so that you can balance your emotions. Meditate and connect with your guides. This will give you the emotional freedom to be able to see the illusions that are all around. Then you can choose for yourself how to think.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Scorpio or Scorpio Rising A litter of puppies Keep yourself tucked away like a newborn puppy. Let your sense of play incubate. What if you only had space and time for playfulness? Allow it. None of this is worth anything if there isn’t any fun. Its so easy to forget that. Playfulness and fun may feel like the last thing you have time for and that makes them even more important.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Sagittarius or Sagittarius Rising Sand dunes stretch as far as the eye can see. You’ve got mountains to cross. The work that looms can feel oppressive. What if you found a new way to navigate and suddenly it all became a breeze? Stop pushing so hard. Take a step back to admire the view, look at your goals with fresh eyes, and a new path will appear like magic.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Capricorn or Capricorn Rising An ancient vase. Focus on what will have lasting power. If you can create something that’s so solid and timeless that it becomes a treasure, you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing. Strive for less effort and higher quality. If what you make is valuable you’ll find recognition for generations to come.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Aquarius or Aquarius Rising A goldfish swims with a school of fish. Although its easy to believe that you’re alone, it’s not true. The values and philosophies that you believe in are shared by many, you just have become more of a leader so that you can find your group. You don’t need to be inspired by yourself, you can be inspired with others and feel the power of connection.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Pisces or Pisces Rising Hold onto your hat. You are in the washing machine of life and you need to hold onto only the things that are most important. The rest is being cleansed away. Decide what is most important to you now. Make a short list and be ready to change the rest. Cleanse yourself of blame, resentment, guilt and shame. If you want some important things to change, embrace the process of letting go.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Aries or Aries Rising A warrior. Find the part of yourself that’s angry. Talk to that part and truly listen so that you create a strong channel of communication. When you understand and appreciate your anger, you make space to use it in healthy ways. This is a time to build new channels of communication and refine your commitments with yourself and others. Somehow, understanding what you’re angry about will help you do this more clarity.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Taurus or Taurus Rising A stream goes by. The stream of time is constantly moving. Are you being pushed along by it? How do you feel about time? Work on your structures of time management and reorganize how you keep track of your to-dos. What’s your relationship with time? The more that you can get honest about how you think about time, the more you connect with your power.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Gemini or Gemini Rising A young deer leaps through the field. Jump your next hurdle and make it look graceful. You can embody grace and beauty and fun, just like the deer. Notice if you judge grace, beauty and playfulness in others. That’s a clue that you’re disallowing them for yourself. Instead, make them a priority. In this very moment you can have fun and frolic— it will change your whole mindset.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Cancer or Cancer Rising Mushrooms grow in a cave. Go off into your cozy cove and spend some time alone. Nurture yourself and feel your feelings fully. See what’s really there. When you let the feelings have their own space to bloom, you’ll be more clear about what actions to take later. For now, rest, restore and feel fully.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Leo or Leo Rising The lion roars. You are a strong one. What commitments are you keeping and which ones are you letting slip through your fingers? If you can’t show up with it, don’t promise it. This will help your energy stay strong. Notice what you need to say no to and what you ned to say yes to. Holding healthy boundaries and following through on your commitments can make you even stronger.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Virgo or Virgo Rising Digging in the garden. A seed is a potent abundance code. What seeds are you ready to plant within yourself regarding abundance? You are able to fully embrace abundance and find yourself fully supported by your environment. Use affirmations as seeds to support your bountiful manifestations. Trust in the process in the same way that you trust the flowers to grow.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
The Sun invites us to welcome illumination, while protecting ourselves from the burn of over-exposure, says this month’s reader-in-residence Alisha Cigalotti …
Want to have Divine on speed dial? In her latest Holy F*ck column, Alexandra Roxo reveals that experiencing ecstasy is the key to strengthening our channel …
People have been seeking ecstasy for a long time. Whether it’s through herbs and psychoactive and psychedelic substances, or through ritual, prayer, meditation, fasting, sleep deprivation, pain, sex, and extreme temperature baths, most cultures have rituals and celebrations that invoke deeply ecstatic states.
From Greek rituals involving mind-altering substances, to the Sufis’ dance into ecstatic bliss, and the tantrikas’ journey into oceans of “samadhi” (ecstatic union with God/Goddess), religious texts usually speak of this search. In Norse mythology, the berserkers would enter into an altered state to be able to fight. And even animals have sought out herbs and fermentation that brought about some sort of consciousness shift.
These exercises can allll produce states of BLISS that allow the participant to commune with “God” or the Divine. And, well, who wouldn’t want that?
I’ll tell you who! A culture that DOES NOT want its people to be empowered to know the Divine on our own terms. That would prefer us to have to pay into the Divine via tithing (offerings), and bow to the leaders of a church. This being one of the epic reasons WHY ecstatic states became stigmatized in the U.S., specifically, and in the Western world in general.
Personally, I blame the Puritans for labelling seeking ecstatic states as scary, transgressive, or somehow shameful. If people, and women especially, had the Goddess on speed dial, than what would they need the church for?!! SO, they got the ax. Or rather, in the case of the Witch trials, when women would dance themselves into states of ecstasy, the noose.
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What exactly is an “ecstatic” experience? In my terms, it is an experience that overrides the default mindset, the internal and external conditioning, and allows for a mind/body/spirit connection that transcends the normal, the typical, and the everyday.
This can result in waves of bliss, with senses ablaze and alive, heart open to a massive flow of love. Where the normal perception and experience of reality is transcended and expanded into a massively blissful, joyful, and loving one that shakes you at the core.
I’ve been exploring this for many years. At age 12, I was attempting to speak in tongues and faint on the floor at Baptist Church camp. And I experienced my first waves of sexual ecstasy around the same time. Since then, I’ve experimented with meditation, prayer, fasting, ritual, dance, song, pain, sex, and psychedelics. Each produces a different type of ecstasy.
Now, I take other people on journeys in my work through ecstatic states that can reframe and contextualize trauma, release stored emotions, and promote a deeper connection to self. Within a safe space, this process of finding ecstatic states can be very, very healing.
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A dating app for ecstasy? I am drawn like a fly on honey to people who know and experience ecstatic states withoutdrugs.
A few years ago, I met two men who had participated in the Sundance ceremony, which involved piercings on the chest, and days of dancing and fasting. To me, these were the HOTTEST men alive! “Um, you spent multiple days with flesh wounds on your chest while fasting and dancing and singing, in the name of uniting with Divine energy and helping save the Earth?! Sign me up!!!”
There is nothing sexier to me than someone who sees and understands the value of finding ecstatic states on the regular without having to pop a pill. Someone so adept at meditation that turning their body to light is NBD. If there was a dating app for this category of human, it would make my life a lot easier!
It’s not Burner vibes. It’s not adventures with psychedelics. I’m talking about people with a thirst for ecstasy that comes from wanting to know the Divine. Wanting to know love. From a remembrance of a state that your soul knows, and longs for.
Anybody else with me on this one?
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5 paths towards ecstasy for the Modern Spiritual Human **A disclaimer: When you enter into ecstasy, you are opening yourself up massively, so you want to allow for this shift in your reality, perception, and internal state to happen in a safe setting. If you enter into an ecstatic state in a train station for instance, you could get taken away to a mental institution. So set and setting are key! You want be in a safe space. Surrounded by people you trust. Or alone. Remember you are opening ALL the channels and you want to do this with care. Especially if you are new to it.
1// Start simply. If you want to start safely, you can explore ecstatic states through something simple like chanting or ecstatic dance. Many cities have “Ecstatic Dance” communities and classes. Places with DJs and it’s sober and you just shake it out.
If you’re a yogi, chanting mantras in Kirtan could produce these states. You can seek a Bhakti yoga practice. Many cultures and religions have their own styles of song, and some may take you into ecstasy. Some not. When I used to go to the Agape Church in LA, their gospel choir had me in tears and I sang and danced til I lost myself.
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2// Explore your blocks. Because it can take years to release your default programming and open to the ecstasy available through song and dance, many people reach for a psychedelic or drug—because it offers a quick way in! But that also means it may have the most emotional, spiritual, and physical hangover, since you are literally stretching into an expanded state very quickly, flooding your body, and then snapping out fast.
You can micro dose different plant medicines if you want to go slowly. But beware; before you are granted ecstasy, you will likely first be shown any blocks you have to ecstasy! If you take MDMA, for instance, you may be opened quickly, but will likely be asked to deal with some spiritual and mystical pain the day after from that flood of chemicals and expansion, and the ensuing lack thereof.
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3// Ease in with meditation. It may take years before you get to ecstasy this way, but it will happen. Trust me! I’ve been meditating for 15 years and it happens often now. I feel like I am being made love to by an invisible force (consensual of course!) and it is amazing.
If you want to reach ecstatic states in meditation and not wait 10 years, you can try White Tantra or a Vipassana retreat. Both are in-depth practices and you’re likely to access ecstasy faster. But no guarantees of course!
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4// Get it on (consciously). If you establish trust, a deep connection, and emotional and physical safety, you can achieve insane ecstatic states with sex. Again though, if you open too fast, without a safe container and the spiritual and emotional components, you will suffer the repercussions. Chances are, you will feel depressed, anxious and shitty for days after. Perhaps you will feel guilt and shame as well.
Conscious BDSM is an amazing way into ecstasy in a safe space. Set the intention to open to the Divine before you begin. Japanese rope bondage and suspension work in particular has taken me to great heights of ecstasy, and I led two retreats last year that took women into that space for transcendence, ecstasy, and healing.
Pain can be a tried and true portal to ecstasy. Again, within a safe container, an intense consensual pain session with spanking or flogging or whipping or caning can produce deep and ecstatic bliss. Some religious sects also used pain as a portal to divine and ecstatic bliss. Light spankings are a safe place to start!
You can also start a self-pleasure practice that opens you to ecstasy. It will take time. Practice. A safe space so you can let go and scream and cry and release. At dinner the other night with my two besties, I was talking about my magical rose quartz wand and the orgasmic bliss I have with it, and their jaws dropped. It’s profound!
Japanese “Shibari” rope bondage
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5// Remember that integration is KEY. Integration means the time you take in between practices to process, rest, release, and allow your system to recalibrate. If you mix drugs and sex and pain and all of it you may go into wild ecstasy, but have a “WTF did I just do?!” the next day, feeling like you got hit by a train.
Unless you have stretched yourself internally to hold some levels of ecstasy over time, you will fuck with yourself psychologically, spiritually, emotionally and physically if you rush things. Seriously. I’ve learned this the hard way.
If you don’t have the skills or tools to integrate ecstatic experience into your life, you can blow a fuse, go back to exactly where you were before, or contract even smaller. But if you integrate your experience fully, you can allow the ecstatic experience to expand you. And you can STAY expanded, therefore experiencing levels of ecstasy OFTEN.
Begin by simply noticing when you feel ECSTATIC and take note. Breathe it in. Don’t zip by. As you notice, your capacity will grow. As you practice, you will stretch into holding more.
Rest. Be gentle on you. You’re re-teaching your system that’s its safe to feel this good. After centuries of being told that IT IS NOT. Write. Journal. Take salt baths.
Start slowly, but be diligent and don’t give up on finding this KEY and GIFT to your human system!!
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Stay tuned for more Holy F*ck from Alexandra. Over the next few months, she will be interviewing women who learned how to access deep healing and ecstatic states during her yearlong program. Learn more about Alexandra and her work HERE.
Intensified by powerhouse Pluto, the 2018 Libra New Moon wants us to sit with challenging emotions, tend to deep-rooted wounds, and embrace release through conscious healing, says Sandy Sitron …
New Moon :: October 8, 2018 :: 11:47 pm ET :: 15 degrees Libra
A droplet of rain rolls slowly off a leaf and lands in the shadows below. The sun comes out and the leaf quickly dries. But the water that has pooled in the shadows remains.
The symbolism reads: just become a tiny puddle. Find your spot in the shade and wait. While you’re there, feel your feelings and heal.
This New Moon is in the sign of balance, and the Moon and Sun are making a square to Pluto, the planet that symbolizes grief, loss, letting go, healing the past, and rebirth. This is an emotional New Moon, but in air sign Libra, it’s an intellectual time as well. Tending to your feelings will help you make room for new ideas.
Letting yourself go through the phases of grief will support your ability to speak your mind, say what your boundaries are, and communicate diplomatically with those who have different viewpoints. This air sign New Moon can help you verbalize and communicate your emotions.
Because this is a New Moon, it’s a time of germination. A chance to plan the future. While you’re resting in your emotional puddle, tucked away in the shadows— pinpoint what you want. What are your intentions for fairness, harmony, balance, healthy relationships, and open communication?
The balance that is developing will feel like fresh air after a thunderstorm. But the first step is to slow down and sit quietly with what you’re feeling.
Remember that somewhere along the way, it’s important to face challenging emotions. The Plutonian wound is festering. This New Moon invites us to perform a sacred purge. The only way to move past this moment in history is to push right through. We must sit with the wounds. Let the emotions move. Let the emotions flow. Release. Burn it up. It will take time. This is a cathartic process of healthy release.
Heavy healing. We don’t always want to do it. But here we are, working with personal and collective wounds to move through and come out the other side. Pluto’s symbols are the Phoenix rising out of the ashes, the butterfly coming out of the cocoon and the snake shedding its skin. We can move through this phase with the resilience of a Phoenix, the grace of a butterfly, and the wisdom of a snake. The cycles continue and change is wonderful.
The heaviness of this moment will soon funnel into action and activism because of an upcoming t-square between Uranus (change), Mercury (clarity), and the North Node (purpose). So don’t worry, we won’t be sitting in the emotional muck for ever. But sitting here for now can help
Heal as deeply and powerfully as you can. Put your conscious attention on it. Ponder the parts of you that are triggered and asking for support. What kind of support do you need to rally, so that your inner child feels safe? Imagine your healing happening on a cellular level.
As this is an intention setting time, keep part of your vision trained on what you are creating. Mark some intentions. Visualize what you want to see when the healing is complete.
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New Moon Trine Mars A fire ball. An important part of this New Moon story is the energizing jolt that comes through its trine to Mars. Drive, enthusiasm, motivation. Where does this energy want to go? Let it help you integrate your healing and impassion your speech. Having energy can help you feel that you can get through whatever needs to be done. This aspect offers a dose of spirit.
New Moon square Pluto Sharpening a stick until it becomes a spear. Getting yourself to sit down and do the work of emotional healing may be a challenge. The Moon and Pluto are square, which is an aspect that requires practice before it can be mastered. Repetitive, steady effort is required. Keep chipping away and soon the stick transforms. Eventually, you’ll break through into a new shape. Look at whatever is happening in your life and notice where persistence may be the answer.
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Use the below journal questions to help you set intentions the 2018 Libra New Moon. Look for the house containing 15 degrees Libra in your chart for the most accurate insights. Don’t know your chart? You can enter your birth details HERE to calculate it for free.
Aries // Aries Rising // New Moon in the 7th house “My most healing relationships allow me to …”
Taurus // Taurus Rising // New Moon in the 6th house “I feel most joyfully productive when I …”
Gemini // Gemini Rising // New Moon in the 5th house “I am falling in love with …”
Cancer // Cancer Rising // New Moon in the 4th house “Truly caring for my self means …”
Leo // Leo Rising // New Moon in the 3rd house “I can’t stop myself getting excited about …”
Virgo // Virgo Rising // New Moon in the 2nd house “I understand my value in the world when I …”
Libra // Libra Rising // New Moon in the 1st house “My confidence gets a boost whenever I …”
Scorpio // Scorpio Rising // New Moon in the 12th house “I am taking the steps to seek closure with …”
Sagittarius // Sagittarius Rising // New Moon in the 11th house “When I rise above the small stuff I see …”
Capricorn // Capricorn Rising // New Moon in the 10th house “I feel most confident in my abilities when I …”
Aquarius // Aquarius Rising // New Moon in the 9th house “My next big adventure will be …”
Pisces // Pisces Rising // New Moon in the 8th house “A deeper level of intimacy requires me to …”
Get this week’s astro symbol for your sign with Sandy Sitron’s Numinous Weekly Horoscopes …
Photo: Toby Wong
Libra // Libra Rising A sundial. Get to where you want to go by being logical. Find a way to measure your progress. You don’t have to get bogged down by the details, but you do need to look at the facts. A sundial is a simple way to measure time. What are simple ways to measure your effort and your success? Take stock so that you can move forward more effectively.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Scorpio // Scorpio Rising Making a nest. Go inward. It’s time to take a time-out. You could probably use a nap. Take a nap, but when you wake up, don’t run right back into the fray. You’ll find that you’re running on empty. Slow way down. Nap, read, journal, meditate. Just sit. Sit with all of the feelings. When you plug back into your normal life you’ll find that you have much more energy.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Sagittarius // Sagittarius Rising Spoonfuls of medicine. Give yourself your daily dose of positive thoughts. The medicine in the symbol represents a visionary thought. A magical thought that can change your reality. Use your mental power to create a wonderful world for yourself. What is your vision? Feed yourself the mental medicine every day.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Capricorn // Capricorn Rising Horseshoes. The superstition states that it’s lucky to hang a horseshoe over a door. Iron is deemed magical because it can withstand fire. What is like iron in your life? How is your discipline? What are your boundaries? All of these strong structures will bring you luck. They will help you minimize effort and maximize results.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Aquarius // Aquarius Rising Sewing clumsy stitches. At this moment it’s not so much about technique. Think of whatever is coming up in your life right now as your first draft. Piece together a pattern for a new outfit and try it on for size. After you’re sure you love it, you can make adjustments and then finalize your plan.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Pisces // Pisces Rising Journeying to new lands. What happens when you let go and move on? Possibilities open up. Letting go doesn’t have to be extreme– you don’t have to make big changes. But start with forgiveness. By forgiving yourself and others you open up space for prosperity. Set intentions to forgive.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Aries // Aries Rising A match flame. When you spark, you become visible. The light becomes a beacon and you attract the moths. Light yourself up and notice who begins to orbit around your flame. There’s a chance for relationships and partnerships to become more defined. Begin the process by knowing yourself.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Taurus // Taurus Rising Jumping on a pogo stick. It’s time to focus on your health and wellness. When it comes to taking care of yourself, get into a rhythm. Balance and moderation are key. If you can make it fun, you’ll be able to maintain positive habits. How do you make it fun? Think about what you loved as a kid. Encourage yourself without criticism. You’ll find that with the right mindset, fun comes easily.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Gemini // Gemini Rising Flying close to the Sun. It’s time to get close to the Sun and experience success. Examine any fears that may linger around success. Icarus was instructed that flying close to the Sun was dangerous. But what’s been erased from the myth is that flying too close to the sea was dangerous too. We’re taught that success is more dangerous than failure. Is that the story you want to believe?
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Cancer // Cancer Rising Feather beds. Comfort is important. When you are comfortable, you feel secure. Can you let yourself sink in to the metaphorical feather bed? Can you train yourself in relaxation? Survival instinct keeps us on our toes. Comfort opens up space for creativity. It’s a mindset more than anything else. Allow yourself to feel cozy, expansion will follow.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Leo // Leo Rising A canary flies. The freedom that birds represent is profound. What if you could just jump up and fly out the window? How would your life seem different if you could do that? The message for now is to free yourself from old ways of thinking and get fresh perspective. The birds-eye view will open up new possibilities.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Virgo // Virgo Rising An umbrella shelters from most weather. You can’t plan for everything, but you can definitely be prepared. There are some practical things you can do right now to help yourself feel more secure and grounded. Do those things first. Don’t put them off any longer. Taking care of business will help you expand your sense of self-worth.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Growing up British but with her family history in Mauritius, it was reconnecting to her Hoodoo roots that helped Stephanie Victoire finally feel at home …
My grandmother always said that bad luck could never follow you across water, the oceans would purify you anew. That the ocean could take away spirits who wanted to join you for the ride, and you’d land on the other side of water, cleansed and blessed.
Flying every few months back and forth from England to Mauritius as a child, I was always set to start anew. On hot tarmac I’d step with tiny feet in jelly sandals, my hand in my Nana’s, and my English tongue would immediately be lost, Creole nestling itself into my small canon of words. Crossing the Indian Ocean back, somewhere over the Sahara desert I’d leave that language behind again, which at the time had no dictionary—no official place in the world. And, just like that, I’d become English again.
I acquired a nickname with my Mauritian relatives: Ti Anglaise, “Little English One.” With English-born island friends at school, we’d laugh that I was a “coconut”—brown on the outside, white on the inside. But I also remember how confused and disconnected from myself this made me feel. I was two different things, rather than one whole. I was being mocked for my Englishness, while being called out as somebody who looked like she had roots elsewhere, but was actually clueless as to what they were. From a very young age, I had no idea who or what I was—something I would grapple with well into my adult years.
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My parents are both Mauritian, my mother white with green eyes, my father dark-skinned with brown eyes. It was hard to explain to people that I wasn’t ‘mixed-raced’ as they classed me. The simple fact was, the French somewhere in our lineage had milked our tea-colored skin and heavily creamed my mother’s. I wanted to look like her, to be her child in the eyes of strangers as we walked down the street together.
But there’s no denying I was birthed of my grandmother’s line. Even though her skin is also pale—more European-looking than Mauritian—there’s no question that she is Creole. It’s a glint in her eye as she bites into her chilies, the way she fries up salt-fish, kneads flour for roti. Her Creole is in her accent; thick, warm, and wise. She is full of phrases and double-entendres that only hold meaning in the language they were first created in. There is magick in everything she does and says, in the way she speaks to God under her breath.
Mauritius humbly hosts a multi-religious population. A Hindu temple is built next to an Islamic mosque that’s built next to a church. Be them Hindu, Muslim or Catholic, all will tell you that they are Mauritian. I learned very early on that I was not Indian-Mauritian or Chinese-Mauritian, or of any other Asian heritage. We were Creole people, descendants of African slaves, the first people to inhabit the island when it was colonized. We had grown with the sugar cane fields from the ground up, with the papaya and lychee trees. We were the ones who sang sega songs to feel some small piece of freedom in our voices, beating our cries into the Ravanne drum.
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I was sent to Catholic school in London, with my very English packed-lunch of ham sandwiches, crisps and yoghurt. But Mauritian Catholics are not exclusively Catholic. Sure, they feel connected to saints and enjoy the ritual of prayer and church service—but they also believe in hexes, ghosts, omens and witchcraft. And I had all this knowledge with me, too.
But I had no translation for what I witnessed growing up, playing in the tropical gardens of my Mauritian kin: the incessant sweeping, the lighting of candles at the mini mausoleums, which to an outsider seemed like a prayer space. I did not know back then that these shrines were for keeping the garden protector spirit, Gardien Lakour, appeased, with offerings and prayers in exchange for keeping ‘evil’ spirits away from the house.
I also learned that if you sweep a bachelorette’s feet with a balyé—a makeshift broom traditionally made of twigs and vegetable matter—the single lady will never be married. If you throw salt under the chair on which an unwanted guest is sat, they will not return to your home; another handful on the doorstep after they leave will ensure they’ll never darken your door or your life again. If I had a rupee for every time I heard such superstitions from my grandmother, I’d have enough to buy myself a villa on the beautiful Northeast coast. Except these were not superstitions but traditions, brought from Africa, the same way they arrived in Haiti or New Orleans or anywhere else the magick found itself.
Stephanie with her grandmother, Giselle, in Mauritius
Rebelling against everything I was taught in my teens, I left my ‘Mauritianess’ alone, confused about whether I’d really had it anyway, and certain I didn’t want to be Catholic. But after a brief spiritual hiatus, witchcraft found me. Just as Mauritius is a patchwork of different nations and different religions, I developed my own blend of spiritual truths, mixing in Pagan, Hermetic, Native American, and Eastern ideas and practices. Along the way, I’ve worked on healing my confusion around my identity. But I’ve still never felt fully in my skin—more one with the cosmos than with life here on Mother Earth.
Mother. The very word can knock me unsteady, see me crying on my knees. I’ve wanted so much to feel I belong here, I’ve dug my hands into cold, loose soil just to see if I could feel a heartbeat. I’ve travelled the world to try to make the whole planet my home. And it was during a trip to New Orleans last summer, I discovered there was something I’d overlooked.
The Creole words, the Creole faces. Similar to those of my family’s island, but not quite, still I was asked to explore it. I felt it in puddles of rum, the worn wooden doors, the whispers of ghosts. Something was being recalled in my blood, and I warmed to the sensation of ancestral spirits drawing close. It was powerful and overwhelming, a feeling that I was being called back to something I’d find depth and beauty in—the depth and beauty of where I truly came from, that was the makeup of me.
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I started to read books on Hoodoo, and as I read through conjures and fixings, I heard these stories in my grandmother’s voice. Because of course there was Hoodoo in Mauritius. We had come from the same place as the Creoles of New Orleans. Brought our magick down generations with the teachings of the tongue, the ways of the elders, and my grandmother was no different. Old tales told under the moon on a balmy island night; the properties of herbs explained in the kitchen; candles lit for prayers; curses broken with salt, heart and will.
She is a witch, a priestess; a spirit woman, just as I am growing to be. As I recovered memories of the magick in my family, something in me shifted. I had found the roots I was looking for. I stepped further into my power, shedding from myself a fragmented identity, and in its place claiming one that feels like the entire Universe itself. Each star, each planet, each galaxy is a piece of me—a complex and powerful harmony I can feel as I walk the land of this great mother we call Earth.
All of it is mine to belong to, and all of it is me. This magick that Mauritius possesses so quietly finds its voice in me. A witch, a priestess and a spirit woman. This has been my birthright to claim all along. I feel blessed to have been born in England, to speak a language that can share with the world the stories I have stored in my Creole blood. I will tell them with pride.
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Stephanie Victoire is a London-based writer and author. You can discover more of her writing HERE, and follow her on Instagram @petalandmossapothecary for more about her HEALING WORK.
Dive into this month’s medicine for your sign with our Numinous Tarotscopes October 2018, cast by Melinda Lee Holm. Artwork: Invisible Light Tarot by Brandy Eve Allen
Happy Solar Return, Libra! Your birthday gift from the Tarot is a brand new relationship with the vast possibilities inherent in the material world. While the Aces are the pure gift of their element, you could make an argument for the Twos carrying the most promise. Two gives us something to bounce off of, something to stack, it’s the number that lets us know that something MORE is possible. When this card comes up in readings it always gives me the image of that spark of expansion that happens when, after a period of relative financial hardship, you finally have those 2 proverbial nickels to rub together again. It’s that sweetness of anticipation that really colors this energy and it’s truly a fabulous way to begin your personal new year.
What are you truly wishing to receive for your birthday this year, Libra? What special gift has your eye? Is it something you could begin building yourself? Is the real gift this year that you awaken and heighten your power to create what you’ve been waiting to receive? Try to keep this grounded down in the Earth, your physical world. With Venus retrograde starting the 5th, bringing it up into the watery emotional realm will not prove as fruitful. If you are looking for love, focus on building your own platform. Water does find its own level after all. You don’t want to be down rolling in the mud when it comes calling. I mean, unless you do … What you draw into your sphere to fill it is a choice. Use this month to build out the container.
Libra stone for October: Carnelian. Carnelian is the stone of the warrior. It ignites the Fire of courage, strength, and passion needed to keep pursuing goals when the going gets tough.
Two of Earth (Pentacles), Invisible Light Tarot
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SCORPIO // SCORPIO RISING Three of Pentacles
Your passion has the power to draw collaborators into your sphere this month, Scorpio, and they will posess skills highly complimetary to your own. Whatever it is that you were getting fired up about last month has a great opportunity to start to become very, very real in October. Now is the time to look around and identify people around you who posess three essential qualities: 1) High level of enthusiasm about you and your ideas 2) Skilled in a discipline you are not, and that is needed for your planned endeavor 3) You like being around. This last one is so important. Sometimes we can be quick to pull people in who are admirably talented, but have personalities that can conflict with our own. It can be tempting to try to “make it work” in the service of long term goals. Avoid this temptation at all costs.
The thing is, Scorpio, you are a deeply emotional person at your core. You need to feel supported and appreciated to feel accomplished. Sometimes your enviable ambition can get in the way of prioritizing this need. But getting into a partnership with someone who does not provide this support will only be bring more delays down the road when you have to take a break from productivity to work out interpersonal issues. And with your … “gift” for cutting to the core with your words when cornered, these could prove to be lengthier than you think. Keep everything in alignment with your heart and you’ll be on your way to building that metaphorical (or literal) castle you’ve always dreamed of.
Scorpio stone for October: Rose Opal. Rose Opal brings a soft serenity to the emotional and energetic body. It helps to provide a tranquil place for the mind to clear and more accurately assess a way forward.
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SAGITTARIUS // SAGITTARIUS RISING Six of Wands
Be ready to bet high and win big this month, Sagittarius! You’ve got the energy of accomplishment in the realm of Fire on your side. In Pamela Colman Smith’s classic illustrations, this energy is depicted as a figure riding into town on a white horse and I like that vibe – triumphant, not ashamed to celebrate victory, close enough to the chaos and devastation of battle to not take any of it for granted. That’s the real secret to betting big – never forgetting how you survived what came before, always remembering you posess the tools to fight your way out of the worst of situations to emerge victorious. There’s a scrappiness to the sixes and I feel it most strongly in the suit of Wands. That ability to act instinctually, to intuit the best way through and out of a jam, to turn those sticky lemons into lemonade.
So, what’s it gonna be this October, dear Archer? Did the housekeeping you got into last month reveal any areas of your life that could use a little love and attention? Has the changing of the seasons got you remembering some goals you were distracted from over the summer? If nothing’s coming up immediately, take some time to clear your mind and tap into your intuition. Drink ginger tea, eat spicy food, light an orange candle, carry blue kyanite in your pocket, meditate like your life depends on it. Acting on instinct will lead you directly to the places where you can safely take the risks you need to take to come out on top.
Sagittarius stone for October: Blue Kyanite. Blue Kyanite forms a bridge to the astral plane, opening intuition and psychic abilities. It helps to clear energetic static and barriers to receiving non-verbal and non-physical messages.
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CAPRICORN // CAPRICORN RISING The Fool
I just knew last month was getting you ready for something special, Capricorn. And here we are, sending off into October with the cleanest slate in the cosmos! The Fool is a dreamy, child-like energy. Not immature, but closer to Source, lacking the buildup of barriers to trust and perception that our human lives inevitably gather. This is not to be mistaken for naivety! Often it means quite the opposite. To earn the ability to walk in the enlightened footsteps of The Fool, we most often must endure hardship, learn hard lessons, and have our petty concerns stripped away by circumstances beyond our control. Getting here is not easy and it is not usually comfortable, as you likely found out in last month’s chaos of communication.
All through October, I want to invite you to experience your life and the world with a trust you’ve never allowed yourself to have. Imagine what the world would be like if it didn’t matter if you tried and failed, if you stumbled and everyone saw, if you spoke your truth and it fell on deaf ears. Would you believe me if I told you those things really don’t matter? The ultimate embodiment of strength is being impervious to the woudings the world can inflict. What better way to accomplish this than by being utterly and radically vulverable and open? Stripped of artifice and hiding nothing, we can have no regrets or doubts about how we’ve presented ourselves. The ultimate freedom. How would you live if you had no fear of falling?
Capricorn stone for October: Lemurian Seed Quartz. Lemurian Seed Quartz Crystals are imprinted with the records of ancient Divine wisdom handed down from the lost city of Lemuria. They elevate consciousness and promote trust in the Universe.
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AQUARIUS // AQUARIUS RISING Page of Swords
You’re being carried into October on a fresh, youthful breeze, Aquarius! And not a moment too soon. You’ve had your thoughts wrapped around the weighty topics of work and productivity (or perceived lack thereof) lately and this should be a very welcome reprieve! The Pages don’t seem to know the word “should.” They never got the rule book and they do not make it their business to read posted signs and regulations. Children of the Earth, they trust in their inherent connection to the most stable of elements to keep them steady while they freely explore the vast field of possibilities in the element of their suit, in this case, Air. The freedom to try out new and unfamiliar ways of thinking, of communicating inwardly and outwardly, of creating intellectual frameworks, is knocking on your door, Aquarius!
Take advantage of this while you can. These bursts of fresh perspective are incredibly valuable and they don’t come around very often. Getting the opportunity to open your mind to new ways of thinking and of expressing these thoughts can be revolutionary. Our whole experience of life and our world is shaped by language – a tool of Air. How can you broaden the reach of your experience by expanding your vocabulary? What old definitions are you ready to update? What new words and concepts can you integrate into your lexicon? Is there a whole new language – verbal, written, symbolic – that you are finally ready to take on as your own?
Aquarius stone for October: Aquamarine. Aquamarine is at once calming and empowering, soothing the emotional body and strengthening connection to the divine feminine. It can help uncover deep subconscious emotions and open clear, loving communication.
Page of Air (Swords), Invisible Light Tarot
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PISCES // PISCES RISING Queen of Wands
Remember when I said last month was not the time to make any big changes in your life, Pisces? I hope you took my words to heart and got all your internal alignments in order because now IS the time for those changes. And the direction is coming straight from your sweet spot – that big dreamy heart. Queens all carry a center of Elemental Water. As a type, this means that they whatever suit they are in, they lead with their emotional self, always checking in with the heart before taking action. In the suit of Wands, this develops into a kind of emotional instinct for magick that has your name written all over it. October should have you feeling right at home!
Enjoy this cozy feeling, but don’t let it make you complacent. Fire needs fuel and it’s up to you to provide it in whatever form feels right to stoke the flames. Feeling a need to burn away past disappointments or failures? Great. Feed that to the Fire, but get it out of the way early in the month. You’ve got more forward-looking pursuits to tend to. What can this Fire burn a path toward for you? What kindling will clear the way most quickly? What are you willing to let go of to make yourself light enough to keep up with the most unpredictable of elements? Look deep into your heart to find what it is you want to manifest, put on that wizard’s hat, and get to work.
Pisces stone for October: Prehnite. Prehnite gently releases emotional wounds and provides a deep inner peace that allows motivations and actions to be intrinsically connected to the heart.
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ARIES // ARIES RISING Two of Wands
Your journey of Fire continues, Aries! Beginning in July, you’ve had a string of lessons from the Wands family. From chaos to mastery to play, it’s been a pretty well-rounded curriculum. And now in October, it’s time to begin to explore the real, tangible possibilities of all the concepts you’ve opened up to and integrated over the past few months. The twos offer the first spark of practicality in their element, giving us a glimpse into what we can accomplish in their suit. In Fire, it’s a promise of magick, of finely tuned instinct, of acting and knowing from the gut. If the Pages ask us to throw out the rule book, the Twos ask us to begin to compile our own personal grimoire based on lived experience.
Being an independent spirit at heart, this should be music to your ears! Essentially, the Universe is graduating you from your studies and offering up an internship where you can put all your hard-won knowledge to work YOUR way. You have four glorious weeks to take advantage of this opportunity. How will you spend them? Have you been eager to get deeper into your practice of magick? Wanting to hone your intuition? Get moving on a particular project – professional or personal? Whichever aspect of the element it is that has you yearning to jump out of the frying pan and into the Fire, dive in early and keep going all month long. That magic wand isn’t going to wave itself and it would be crying shame to let all this incredible potential go to waste!
Aries stone for October: Pyrite. Pyrite is the master stone for manifesting dreams into reality. It promotes the confidence, creativity, and willpower needed to accomplish goals large and small.
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TAURUS // TAURUS RISING King of Pentacles
Could this be the culmination of your entire year’s journey, Taurus? Or is it just the beginning? The Kings offer us both. Being the last in line on the subtle journey of elemental flavors that is the Court, they hold the satisfaction of completion and the inevitable return to the role of novice in the Page or even the original gift of the Ace. I’d like for you to keep this in mind this month as you celebrate this moment of mastery in your native element. I subscribe to the system that names Kings as the Air of their suit, the intellectual of the bunch. While in some cases this can make the energy veer a bit cold, in the case of the Earth suit, it brings a much needed lightness to the heaviest element.
What can you see about your material world when you climb up onto the Air that you can’t when you’re down digging around in it? How does your understanding of your world, your place in it, and your ability to mold it change when you consider it with an intellectual distance? My usual takeaway from this card is that the surest path to abundance is to allow and encourage everything in your sphere to be exactly itself, nothing less and nothing more. The appeciation and cultivation of natural inclinations and talents – in humans, communities, situations, even materials – allows us to expend minimum energy for maximum results. And what do we do with all this leftover energy? We’ll leave that to the Ace and the Page.
Taurus stone for October: Agate. Agate emanates an energy of gentleness and overall wellbeing. It has a stabilizing influence that allows small concerns to fade away so focus can be turned to the bigger picture.
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GEMINI // GEMINI RISING Judgment
Now that your emotional core has been thoroughly stirred by the Queen of Cups’ visit last month, Gemini, it’s time to sift some of the heavier stuff out of that beautiful mud. All through October, you’ll have opportunities to let go of emtional patterns, frames of reference, old woundings, limiting thoughts, and anything else that is generally not in service of your personal evolution. This can sometimes be an unpleasant process, but with all the work you’ve already done to soothe and renew your emotional body, I don’t see it being too painful for you. Instead, my guess is that you’ll welcome this wave of release as a well-earned thank you gift from your future self and the Universe for your kind efforts and gestures.
Though you’ll be working at this all month, you’ll have a major push with the Full Moon on the 24th. I like Full Moons for releasing work, setting intentions and then feeling the pull away as the Moon wanes. You have a lot of time to prep for this one, so make it count. Let go of the little things that don’t give you much trouble throughout the month and make notes on things that are a little stickier. These will be your focus on the 24th. Keep the energy in release – not banishing. The more we stay in a loving mode with ourselves and the rest of the world in our magickal workings, the less risk we have of getting a cosmic backlash.
Gemini stone for October: Epidote. Epidote is a powerful ally for being made aware of and releasing any attachments or patterns that stand in the way of achieving full potential and enlightenment.
Judgment, Invisible Light Tarot
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CANCER // CANCER RISING Queen of Pentacles
You really are getting into the spirit of harvest season, Cancer! The Queen of Earth is all about gathering up the bounty she’s carefully and tenderly cultivated and using it to create something magnificently and utterly her own. This level of personal creation requires a level of dedication bordering on obsession. Every card has a challenging aspect and with the Queens, this tendency to shut out the outside world must be managed carefully. Make sure to lift your head up from your project now and then this month. Take daily walks, share a meal with a friend once a week, go out for coffee once in a while instead of making it at home. Remember – you are a human taking guidance from a Tarot archetype. You are not expected to embody this archetype in ways that impede your ability to live a healthy human life.
The keyword we want to embrace with Queens is devotion. Pick a project early in the month, one close to your heart, and devote yourself to it. Make it something that really reflects your highest aspirations for yourself, something truly and uniquely your own. This can be work-related or purely personal, private, or intended to shine out to the whole world. The important thing is that it’s of you, by you, and in the service of your own happiness and personal evolution. Unsure if what you’re thinking of checks all those lofty boxes? Ask your heart. She always knows. You don’t want to miss out on this chance to indulge your reclusive side in such a richly productive manner.
Cancer stone for October: Lapis Lazuli. Lapis Lazuli opens intuitive inner vision, allowing the deep insight, self-knowledge, and reflective wisdom needed to fully embody the role of King or Queen of the Self.
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LEO // LEO RISING The Hermit
Ooooo, Leo, I have to admit I’m a bit jealous of your card this month! Being called to get snuggly with wisdom right as the seasons turn is absolutely perfect in my book. As the days begin to shorten in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s a wonderful time to be called inward, to pull back on all that beautiful magick you’ve been pouring forth and take some time to reflect, gather, and regroup. And for my friends in the Southern Hemisphere – this calculated retreat can be just the thing to get you set up for a gloriously productive spring, spiritually speaking. Any time the seasons shift, getting a moment to really process all that we’ve learned over the last few months with purpose and dedication is an absolute gift.
So, whichever season you’re headed into, consider what lessons this past one has presented and seek out ways to lean further into those teachings. Whether you’re curled up alone under a blanket or out on a beach, synthesizing knowledge and experience into fully formed wisdom is a pivotal excercise in spiritual and personal growth. After all, if we don’t take time reflect, we can find ourselves doomed to relive the same lessons over and over! Now there’s one more piece here that cannot be overlooked under any circumstances: The intention you hold as you churn through this information you’ve piled up MUST be one of putting the wisdom in a container you can hand out to others. Wisdom is just a plain old secret until it’s shared.
Leo stone for October: Sodalite. Sodalite carries a dual influence of inward journeying and discipline. It assists in identifying and staying on the path to greatest personal evolution and expansion.
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VIRGO // VIRGO RISING Justice
Usually when this card comes up, Virgo, I get a strong feeling about a decision needing to be made, a single motion or situation that tips the scales from one side to the other. We so often think of Justice as a pretty heavy energy, a sign that someone or something is going to get what’s coming to them – for better or worse. But with you this month, I am seeing things differently. Why not ride the scales of Justice like a seesaw, reveling in the incredible ability we have as intellectual, emotional, and spiritual beings to consider both sides of any debate? After your wild ride through the heady realm of Air last month, even an Earth child like you should be up to the challange. And I have to admit, the mental image this creates brings me great joy.
I’d like to propose a game for you to play all month, Virgo. Whenever you are confronted with a situation or question that seems to have an obvious answer, especially if that answer is “right” or “wrong,” just take a moment to try on the other answer for size, just for sport. The idea is to stretch out your thinking a bit, get you out of your comfort zone, expose you to new points of view. You have an incredibly fine tuned moral compass, even if your views dont always mesh with those of others, and with that comes a real imperative to try on different points of view. Without these exercises, we risk falling from discernment into harsh judgment.
Virgo stone for October: Black Tourmaline. Black Tourmaline provides protection from negativity and purification of the energetic field, and helps in establishing and maintaining healthy energetic boundaries.
Get this week’s astro symbol for your sign with Sandy Sitron’s Numinous Weekly Horoscopes …
Photo: Aakash Mally
Libra // Libra Rising Releasing doves. Let a part of your spirit fly. Journey to discover what riches are available. Lift up your thoughts and your words to a higher standard. Lift up your mind. The doves return home having received a message of inspiration. If you calibrate your mindset toward positivity you’ll become inspired too. And it will help you feel more alive and creative.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Scorpio // Scorpio Rising A sponge in the sea. You can’t possibly clean up all of this emotion. You need to let it overflow. Swim in the feelings. Don’t try to stop them. Soon you’ll understand exactly what brought you here. Soon you’ll know how to navigate. In the meanwhile, pray and serve your spirit by spending sweet time with yourself. There’s no need to worry. Wonder instead.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Sagittarius // Sagittarius Rising A drawing of wheels etched into the sand. You are ready to travel, but remember that everything is changing. You can’t use up all of your energy by trying to plan. You must go with the flow and let the plans change around you. The urge to get into motion is strong. Follow the urge and come up with the plan after the fact. Trust in your ability to innovate.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Capricorn // Capricorn Rising A polar bear stands on hind legs. You shout it out to the rooftops … I am here! I am ready! I know what I need to do. Don’t let fear of success or fear of failure stop you now. You actually are ready. Examine resistance and discover that it can be squashed. Your habits are important. Notice which ones are muffling your war cry.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Aquarius // Aquarius Rising A blade carves a pumpkin. Carve out this new identity. Your dream can become your reality. Your brand is malleable and ready to undergo renovation. Make a new face for your jack o’ lantern. Make a new face for yourself. Let it be carved by inspiration. Your highest truth can be your visage.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Pisces // Pisces Rising The jack hammer makes a hole in concrete. You’re ready to drill down. Anything that brought you pain in the past can be understood by digging deeper. Hold steady, hold true, and go further into the past than you want to go. Look at old pictures. Let yourself cry. Soon you’ll reach a a layer of gold. You’ll understand why the excavation had to be done.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Aries // Aries Rising A racing sled. You speed down the hill and physics takes over. Most of life is a physics experiment. How much control do you have over your momentum? How much of your direction is determined by past decisions? To change direction you must factor in the inertia that’s built up. If you need a new beginning, start with honesty. Tell yourself the truth and be bravely honest in your relationships. That’ll help you know where you really stand.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Taurus // Taurus Rising A hippopotamus runs. The sheer force of the hippo’s feet clobbering the ground is impressive. Are you the hippo? This symbol says that there’s a force coming— you’ll either be the power or you will need to react to the power. Which would you choose, if you had fair warning? How do you harness your power? What gives you energy? Build up your stores of energy, drive, and determination. It’s time to make things happen.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Gemini // Gemini Rising A golden ticket. Jackpot! This is your moment to believe in yourself. Set goals that are your very own. These are the things that you want for yourself, they aren’t what anyone else would have you do. Goals that bring you joy and spark your heart fire. A golden ticket is the license to realize your dream. What concrete steps can you take to tell the universe you’re ready?
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Cancer // Cancer Rising Houndstooth pattern. Patterns are real. They guide us, they drive us. Our subconscious minds use thought patterns to keep us safe and conserve energy. But it’s easy to stay stuck in limiting beliefs. There are times when you need to break free of the patterns. This is a moment to bring consciousness to your emotions. Feel and release. Get familiar with the old metal habits and let them go. Start by noticing where you feel stuck and dig into the story that keeps you there.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Leo // Leo Rising The keys, hammers, and strings of a piano. It’s time to fire up your mind. Start hitting the keys and activate the hammers and strings of your mental piano. Maybe that means that you read more, talk more, listen more. Engage and start firing on all circuits. When you’re learning, there’s no time for self-criticism. That’s why it’s so much fun. Nurture a fertile mind.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
Virgo // Virgo Rising A beehive. You’ll get to start fresh. You’ll get to discover a new part of yourself. All you have to do is share. Share your resources and trust in security. Then you’ll truly believe in abundance. Just like a bee, you’re an integral part of your ecosystem. Don’t separate yourself because of fear. Participate, give, promote your skills and flourish.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandyhere or follow her on Instagram.
As Venus prepares to travel retrograde, the 2018 Cancer Waning Moon marks a powerful moment to integrate our feminine and masculine, and embrace the fierceness in putting our feelings first, says Jennifer Racioppi …
Waning Quarter Moon / October 2 2018 / 5:45am EST / 9 degrees Cancer
The 2018 Cancer Waning Moon invites a poignant pause. With Venus moving towards her retrograde station and descent into the darkness, the Cancer Waning Moon asks everyone, regardless of their gender orientation, to adopt the feminine qualities within.
This can be an aggressive position for Venus when she embraces her warrior aspects, and this Moon’s relationship to Venus profoundly amplifies our powers of intuition, empathy, and feminine moxy. As we prepare for her retrograde journey by surrendering what is no longer aligned, feminine values and voices will rise …
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//The Cycle// The Waning Quarter Moon falls at the halfway point between the recent Harvest Aries Full Moon and the upcoming Libra New Moon. This halfway point asks us to actively release our blocks to success. What’s standing between you and the fruition of your most heartfelt intentions and goals? Consider what you can let go of, and burn it, baby.
From a long-term perspective, this Waning Quarter Moon brings intentions set with the Cancer New Moon on July 4, 2016, to fruition. What are you cultivating in your life now that relates to what you hoped and prayed for on the New Moon in July 2016?
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//The Transits// This Moon occurs just three days before Venus, the planet of love and beauty, stations retrograde. Venus will travel retrograde from October 5th- November 16th. Unlike Mercury, who goes retrograde 2-4 times per year, Venus only travels retrograde once every 18 months. As one of the most potent transits of 2018, this brings with it strong and necessary medicine. Her retrograde periods support realignment with feminine values.
This Waning Cancer Moon forms a perfect manifestation trine to Venus at the degree of her station, 10 degrees of Scorpio. The water trine deepens emotional introspection, and supports inner alignment in preparation for the upcoming retrograde cycle. And with Mars simultaneously clearing his retrograde shadow (finally) at 6 degrees of Aquarius, he makes an air trine to the Libra Sun.
This combination offers us profound resources that we can use to harmonize the masculine and feminine, both within ourselves and for the collective.
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//The Square// This cardinal square between the Libra Sun and Cancer Moon instigates an in-depth look at personal values. Fairness (Libra) squares safety and security (Cancer). As you prep for both the Venus retrograde station, and October 8th’s Libra New Moon, let the cardinal focus empower you to stand strong in your values. Now is not the time to let old limiting beliefs and insecurities stand in your way.
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//The Opportunity// This Waning Quarter Moon amplifies feminine prowess. The Sun in Libra, who is ruled by Venus, prepares us for Venus’ descent into her underworld. Venus, who represents love and beauty has two sides— she the goddess of love and the goddess of war. The feminine, after all, protects what she loves.
We can expect this lunar moment to elicit deep emotional connection. Use it to your advantage. Prepare yourself for the upcoming Venus station and Libra New Moon by standing up and fighting for what YOU believe!
For more Moon wisdom, or to book a coaching session with Jennifer visit Jenniferracioppi.com.
With Pluto stationing direct on September 30th, it’s time to meet your shadow self—and you can use your birth chart to come face-to-face with the skeletons in your own closet, say Ruby Warrington and Bess Matassa …
Ruler of Scorpio, the planet Pluto urges us to dive deep into the more Numinous realms of being—which can feel downright scary, depending on how comfortable we are with our more primal urges and shadowy desires.
Pluto governs the parts of ourselves we tend to keep buried under layers of social conditioning, but which are aching to be witnessed in all their gory glory.
But there’s no need to be afraid of these less fragrant parts of ourselves. And in fact, the more time we can spend acknowledging, loving, and socializing them, the less likely they are to leap out of the shadows and bite somebody’s head off. And our birth charts are a great place to begin.
There are several key placements in each and every chart that give clues to the more shadowy parts of our beings, giving us the opportunity to unlock our own secret basement rooms and hidden passages. Read on for 7 ways to use your birth chart to go behind the veil …
*If you don’t have your birth chart, you can do yours for free HERE.
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The 7th House: Hello, shadow self Known as the house of relationships and sitting opposite the 1st House of self and personal expression, the 7th House can also represent the parts of our nature where we’re in denial. Planets here can show aspects of ourselves that we’d rather not “see,” and which we project onto our life partners (in marriage, friendship, and business) instead. We may also seek relationships with people who embody these traits in order to “complete” us. For example, Mars in the 7th House could represent suppressed or unacknowledged anger, meaning we seek partners who either express their anger easily—or know how to push the right buttons to help us to express ours!
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The 8th House: How we dance with our demons Ruled by Scorpio herself, the wicked witch of the zodiac, the 8th House is where we walk the tightrope between the two worlds. In our earthly lives, planets in the 8th House can show how we access our psychic powers (for example, the Moon here suggests strong gut feelings, while an 8th House Mercury may mean we actually “hear” voices from the other side). The sign ruling the 8th House meanwhile (look for the sign it intersects at the bottom), shows our relationship to our shadow self. For example, Leo ruling the 8th House has no problem expressing its demons—while Cancer here may need to find a safe place to let it all hang out.
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The 12th House: Let go and let God Representing the most profound depths of the chart, this house is often described in vague terms such as “the house of self-undoing,” or “secret enemies,” and you can think of this zone as the underground cellar of your chart. Any planets living down there are sometimes kept under lock and key—while they may rise up and “possess” you from time to time. For example, Pluto or Mars here can lead to repressed anger and control impulses that suddenly break out of the cellar and threaten to smash all the china. Meanwhile, Venus here marks an invitation to notice where you deny yourself pleasure. If you’re a 12 house astro babe, your work is to embrace whatever planets hang in this basement, and invite them into the main house for a midnight snack.
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Neptune: Your inner spiritual guru Neptune is the planet ruling mystical Pisces, representing our spirituality and our connection to the higher realms of existence. The sign and house containing Neptune in our birth charts shows how and in what areas of life we experience this connection most strongly, and also where we may seek to “merge” with the Universal oneness—or lose our sense of “self.” The biggest emo of the zodiac, Neptune also shows our sensitivity, and where we may try to escape from the “real” world in search of something altogether softer and more forgiving. Any kind of mystical or dreamlike experience, from being guided into a Shamanic trance, to losing ourselves in music at a concert, will have Neptune at its helm.
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South Node: Your soul’s old clothing Have you ever slipped into some threads that feel oh so comfortable but just a little bit stretched out? Think of your South Node placement as your house clothes. Whatever sign and house its in represents an old way of being from another lifetime. This time around, channel your North Node placement for a soul upgrade. The North Node may feel itchy and challenging and take some breaking in. At first, you may not even recognize yourself when you embrace this behavioral pattern. But you’ve got to risk slipping into this new party frock and and heading out on the town to really fulfill your mission.
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Chiron: Your secret superpower Often called the “wounded healer,” you can think about this placement in your chart as a deeply painful spot that needs you to apply the energy of allowing. Dress that wound, love up on it, and let it break you open towards the human experience of tenderized acceptance. Along with Saturn, Chiron is all about something we think we never received and/or don’t deserve. By element it shows us what we perceive as our weakness (ex/Chiron in Earth, connection to the pragmatic, material realm; Chiron in water, fears around surrendering to our emotional tides). But unlike Saturn’s hard work energy, which compels us to apply effort to overcome this placement, Chiron doesn’t respond to “work.” Instead, we must move alongside and with this energy, and use it as a gateway to connecting with others. Sweetly attending to this touchy-feely place lets us tap into our empathetic superpowers.
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Pluto: Where you glow in the dark This planet of hardcore soul collisions and amped-up intensity, which rules the badass energy of Scorpio, shows us where we can practice grip and release. It gives the house it inhabits a glow-in-the-dark kind of light, where we illuminate our life and death battles, and what we’re willing to protect at all costs. Its gift is to reveal to us where we’re most carnal, and to help us mine this intensity for juicy gemstones. Can we learn to live with what lives inside of us, even the inkiest dark matter we’d rather discard? Harness this energy to fight for exactly what you desire, while noticing when your primal beasties can be slightly softened.
Psychiatrist Will Siu, MD, is an advocate for healing from trauma from psychedelics. Currently a therapist on clinical trials using MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to treat PTSD, he shares his insights into a very human way to heal …
When we think about trauma, we often go straight to war, physical, or sexual abuse. But as important, are the traumas of neglect, of feeling un-safe, of feeling un-loved. People think: “I don’t deserve to say, ‘I’ve suffered trauma’. But that’s BS. All of us have suffered numerous traumas in our lives.
When this trauma is unhealed and unresolved, this manifests as suffering—in our bodies and in our beings. And so we find strategies to cope. Depending on our genetic make-up, our family history, and our place in society, this might look like a cluster of symptoms that we call OCD, PTSD, or addiction. I don’t think about these as disorders. They are simply what our body and mind are doing to try to protect us. There’s nothing wrong with us—these symptoms just show us that there is a trauma to be healed.
We’ve been throwing medication at this for years, and it doesn’t work. When it comes to mental health, Western medicine has seen most success with SSRIs like Prozac for treating depression, for example. But they only work slightly better than a placebo. It’s silly when physicians say this is the answer.
In contrast, the data from trials on MDMA for PTSD, psilocybin for alcoholism, psilocybin for end of life anxiety, and MDMA for social anxiety, is better than anything else we’ve seen for mental health. But there’s still a lot of resistance to integrating these therapies, which I believe stems from a fear of these being dangerous or addictive drugs.
I also want to emphasize that the studies being done are using these substances to facilitate the psychotherapy process. It’s not the molecules themselves that are doing the healing. Rather, they are assisting the interpersonal healing process that we call “psychotherapy.”
When it comes to healing trauma, I think of the concept of “catharsis”—and old psychology term for the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. And three things need to happen for our bodies and our minds to release us from our traumas. There is a need for the intellectual memory of the trauma to be coupled with the emotional memory of it, and for this to happen in an empathic setting. Empathy is different from sympathy, when we might hear: “oh, that must have been hard for you.” It’s about really feeling that the person in front of you understands your experience. In many cases with empathy, there isn’t even a need for words.
What you’ll notice in my recipe for catharsis is that psychedelics are not in the equation. That a therapist is not in the equation. That a shaman in white linen a warehouse in Brooklyn is not in the equation. This is because we’re capable of doing this work by nature of us being human. Not that these things can’t be helpful, but thinking that one or more of these modalities themselves is going to heal you, is a mistake.
I believe that because of the way that Western culture has developed—with the breakdown of community, the breakdown of family—we’ve created the need for mental health professionals. It is possible to do this work on our own. When people are trained, there is a higher chance of healing the deepest wounds, but I don’t think it’s necessary. There are people who’ve been doing underground therapy for a long time—not that everybody does it well, including people who are trained to do psychedelic therapy. The key is to trust yourself and the way you feel when you are working with someone.
A psychiatrist named Stan Grof, who was friends with Albert Hoffman, who discovered LSD, has said: “The full experience of a negative emotion is the funeral pyre of that emotion.” This is an important way to think about healing from trauma. With psychedelic therapy, we’re talking about enhancing “negative” emotions and memories, whereas the Western approach has focused on suppressive therapies. Look at the categories of medications we use: anti-depressants. Anti-anxiety meds. We’re really doing the opposite of trying to feel every emotion through to its “funeral pyre.”
Western medicine and psychiatry are not to blame for this. It’s also an approach that represents our culture and where we are as a society. The emotions that we tend to suppress are sadness and fear. Interpersonally, and in self-help memes on social media, they’re thought of as signs of weakness. Something to be ashamed of, as if there’s something wrong with us for feeling or expressing them. I think the way we treat them medically is a result of this cultural treatment of them. Emotions like joy and anger, meanwhile, are very, very acceptable. We need to shift this if we’re going to do any real healing.
Using psychedelics as part of the Western medicine approach in doing this work is also going to take a change in society. These are evocative therapies. They’re the opposite of suppressive therapies. They evoke emotions, they evoke memories, they evoke physical symptoms. Hopefully in an environment that is conducive to healing. The term “set and setting,” coined by Timothy Leary in 1961, speaks to where you’re at personally, who are you with, and what is the physical space like. All of these elements have an impact on your overall experience.
Of course, some of these consciousness altering molecules can also be used to escape from our problems, including ketamine, marijuana, alcohol, MDMA, and nicotine. Again, it comes back to set and setting as to whether these things can be helpful or harmful. I’m also not saying these substances can’t be used for recreation, for fun, for creativity. We just need to not be fooling ourselves when we’re trying to do healing work with them.
The final piece I want to mention is integration. People aren’t focusing enough on this part of psychedelic healing, which I think of as the work that is done in the days, weeks, and months after the experience itself. In my opinion, the majority of the long-term benefits of psychedelic therapy is in the sober work that follows.
Real bravery doesn’t come from taking a third of fourth cup of ayahuasca, or five or six tabs of acid. It’s really about going back to work the following week and seeking to make peace with the coworker that irritates you. It could be calling a sibling you haven’t spoken to in nine months because you felt they aren’t as “enlightened” as you, and choosing to love them anyway. These healing interactions are truly where we find the long-term benefits of this work.
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Will Siu, MD , DPhil, studied medicine at UCLA, the National Institute of Health in Washington DC, and Oxford University. In addition ton addition to his private practice in NYC, he is a therapist on clinical trials using MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to treat PTSD. Learn more about Will and his work HERE and follow him on Instagram.
As we begin to harvest the fruits of the year so far, the 4 of Wands invites us to spark unbridled joy and celebrate our precious life force, says this month’s reader-in-residence, Alisha Cigalotti …
Ruled by pleasure-seeker Venus, Libra energy invites us to connect with both our inner and outer allure. Let Eunice Lucero‘s top beauty duos for Libra Season kick-off a month of perfectly-paired pampering …
Province Apothecary Jade Facial Roller
With the Sun now in the beautiful, billowy sign of Libra, the astrological weather forecast is for more diplomatic, harmonious times (side-eyeing you, retrograde season).
Ruled by Venus, Libra Season activates our urge to indulge and treat ourselves, and with the recent Fall Equinox marking the official reaping of the past year’s harvest, we’re invited to take a pause and celebrate how far we’ve come with some well-deserved pampering.
Let this roundup of luxurious duos help you lean into the beauty gods and goddesses within …
**We’ve listed beauty duos for each Libra placement, but these pairings are for everyone. Curious about what planet and /or house Libra rules in your chart? You can do your birth chart HERE for free.
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1// Sun in Libra / Libra Ruling the 5th house: Province Apothecary Dual-Action Jade Facial Roller, $44; Rejuvenating + Hydrating Face Serum, $26. Little luxuries that offer sophisticated upgrades are what feed your soul—particularly if they look as good as they feel. This two-step, on-trend facial roller helmed in jade, the ancient stone of beauty and money, helps reduce fine lines, promote circulation and aid lymphatic detox. Supplement it with a pure botanical antioxidant serum either before or after your mini-rolling ritual, just in time for your birthday celebrations.
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2// Moon in Libra / Libra Ruling the 4th house: Lenajapon LJ Moist Shimmer Clear CC Day Serum, $55; LJ Pearly Powder Moisturizing Beauty Face Powder, $55. You put the social in social justice, seeking fair-mindedness in all forms. Your diplomatic nature will resonate with products that mirror a sweet, emotional spark that’s always shimmering below the surface, like this shimmer serum and powder duo that both imparts moisture and a natural, goddess-like glow.
Lenajapon Duo
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3// Ascendant in Libra / Libra Ruling the 1st house: When Rose Coconut Gentle Exfoliating Scrub Mask, $14; When Glamour Base Mask, $28 for a set of 5. Looking the part is half the battle; for your charming, and yes, appearance-conscious approach to facing the world, it’s never just a frivolity. You move through life with a tasteful, refined eye, and making sure your look is on point is a daily priority. A luxurious facial scrub made with natural coconut powder and French rosewater helps gently slough off impurities, while a bio-cellulose, all-natural, collagen sheet mask gives a smooth, flawless makeup base.
When Rose Coconut Gentle Exfoliating Scrub Mask
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4// Mercury in Libra / Libra Ruling the 3rd or 6th house: Alder New York Texture Powder, $27; All Purpose Comb, $10. You have the gift of gab—making you a facile communicator who loves a two-sided, good-natured debate. You can easily see both sides to a story and love witty repartee that doesn’t take away from the topic at hand. Clean, uncomplicated, and genderless beauty touches on this appreciation for inclusivity; a dry shampoo and travel-friendly comb also give you some glam on the go for your mercurial travels.
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5// Venus in Libra / Libra Ruling the 2nd house or 7th house: Amaranthum Gentle Hydrating Set, $187. Elegant, cultured, and sensual, your penchant for artfully crafted experiences extends to everything you can see, feel, hear, taste, and touch. This cleanser-and-essence power duo honors your love of all things feminine and romantic, while upholding your need for integrity—it also effectively clears pores and locks in hydration.
Amaranthum Set
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6// Mars in Libra / Libra Ruling the 1st house: Elate Essential Mascara, $28; Elate Liquid Eyeline in Origin, $25. Making a point without ruffling feathers is your calling card, even when things get heated! A sense of diplomacy serves as your baseline when getting things done, even as you’re girlbossing your way to the top. Punctuate your eyes-on-the-prize mentality with a crisp, sexy cat-eye, from a line that delivers awesome pigments, but which also has a heartwarming credo: They’re currently 75% waste-free, with goals for 100% in the next 4 years.
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7// Jupiter in Libra / Libra Ruling the 9th house: Everyday Resting Beach Face SPF30 Anti-Pollution Sunscreen Serum, $30; Club BFF Natural Rescue Balm, $15. Your gracious, warm-hearted persona will appreciate paraben-free beauty that also packs a punch, and this anti-aging sunscreen serum is the Holy Grail. A blend of beloved superfoods (kale, spinach) is mixed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, all while shielding against UV rays (it also has anti-blue light technology, for protection against your iPhone and laptop glare!) Compliment with a petroleum-free, all-purpose balm.
Everyday Club BFF Duo
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8// Saturn in Libra / Libra Ruling the 10th house: Amour New York Hemp & Gold Hand Cream, $39; Hemp & Gold Foot Cream, $28.50. A polished, dignified, earthy sense of beauty and a knack for tact are the gifts you bring to the table. Your hardworking, exacting manner finds the perfect outlet in the realm of intellect and relationships, giving you an edge in both business and love—a cohesiveness you thrive on. A premium hemp-infused, non-greasy foot cream cares for your peds, as you (diplomatically) climb the corporate ladder, while its matching hand moisturizer makes sure deals you shake on are good.
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9// Uranus in Libra / Libra Ruling the 11th house: Ethique Tip-to-Toe Shampoo & Shaving Bar, $15.50; Bombshell Gradual Tanning Bar, $32. Breaking free from traditional habits, especially in favor of innovation, is your loudest battle cry; revolutionizing old relationships (whether with people, things or the world in general), a close second. A completely no-nasty, Certified B-Corp, sustainable, Leaping Bunny-certified offering that urges you to #giveupthebottle by using bar products instead tugs at your environmental heartstrings, while satisfying your need for being on the new new.
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10// Neptune in Libra / Libra Ruling the 12th house: Lacfin Composited Revive Facial Sheet Mask, $34.99 for pack of 5; Anti-Aging One Step Revive Cream, $39.99. Blessed with an artist’s soul, you’re the sensitive flower child whose poetic, idealistic touch becomes obvious when caring for partners or other people. Tuning inwards to tend to your practical needs first—you can’t draw from an empty well—is the karmic lesson on your plate this lifetime. Small acts of self-love, like pampering your skin with the world’s only cream with Micro Collagen Technology, and using a safe, EWG-verified (!) mask, can keep your hippie heart happy as well.
Lacfin Anti-Aging One Step Revive Cream
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11// Pluto in Libra / Libra Ruling the 8th house: bāsd Indulgent Crème Brûlée Coffee Scrub, $19.99; Indulgent Crème Brûlée Body Lotion, $24.99. Lie your tendency to nitpick at perceived flaws to rest with a decadent body duo that invites you to make nice with your complexion. The natural, organic coffee scrub exfoliates to reveal fresher, smoother skin, while also improving microcirculation. And its follow-up body lotion, which boasts five hard-hitting moisturizers, seals in nourishment to satisfy the over-thinker in you.
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12// *Bonus placement—Chiron in Libra: Way of Will 01 Natural Deodorant Spray in Peppermint + Lavender, $12.75; 27 Cool Fix Energizing Spray Clear Your Mind in Peppermint + Lemon, $19. Free your mind … and your relationship insecurities will follow! Well, a high-vibe practice like yoga, meditation or reiki and crystal work can help temper these love demons, at least, and help you realize a codependent attitude only serves to hold you back from your highest potential. Amp up the serenity in your practice with athletic sprays that have your best intentions in mind, for a truly synergistic flow.
