The Cancer waxing quarter Moon forms part of a Cardinal Grand Cross. The message? Time to act with integrity and compassion, says Jennifer Racioppi…Collage: Seana Gavin
Waxing Quarter Moon :: April 3 2017 :: 2/39pm EST :: 14 degrees Cancer
This Cancer waxing quarter Moon, in the sign that represents the feminine, family, and home, brings more than just a regular Sun/Moon square—it forms part of a Cardinal Grand Cross in the sky. Before I go down the rabbit hole of explaining this fancy terminology, let me express this: this moon offers all of us an initiation, should we choose to see it as such. An opportunity to rise to the next level of our creative power, claim the truth of who we are, and cut away that which does not align with our most vivid and desired outcomes for our soul. Are you up for the challenge? Cause the Universe is sending us a massive dare!
So what’s a Cardinal Grand Cross?!
An astrology chart with this configuration looks like a box with a cross in the center of it. It occurs when four planets “square,” or form a conflicting 90-degree angle, in the “cardinal” signs of the Zodiac, creating two sets of oppositions.
In this particular case, the Sun at 14 degrees of Aries, squares the Moon at 14 degrees of Cancer, while simultaneously squaring Pluto in Capricorn at 19 degrees. The Sun opposes Jupiter in Libra also at 19 degrees while the Moon also opposes Pluto and squares Jupiter.
And this cosmic showdown happens in the fierce, assertive, and get shit done cardinal signs.
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:: The Sun :: The Sun, now halfway through the 30 degrees of Aries, holds the match to the fire that’s smoldering. Over the last few weeks the cosmos endured an enormous emphasis on the element of fire, and on the opening quarter of this lunation, the Sun in get-it-started Aries pushes us to think about what seeds we want to sow, and what crops we wish to cultivate right now! Opposite Jupiter in Libra, the emphasis is on standing our ground in our collaborations with others.
:: The Moon :: The Moon travels through her own domain in the sign of Cancer, the sign she rules. Here, she asks us to reach down into the depths of emotion, and our feminine force from within. She asks us to feel our needs, connect with our capacity to nurture ourselves, and others, and grant ourselves the dignity of our Queendom. Her opposition to Pluto may bring forth an awareness of the places in which we’ve subconsciously given away our power to please others.
:: The Square :: This Cancer waxing quarter Moon brings a focus on emotionally driven action. Given this quarter Moon’s status within the Cardinal Grand Cross, compassion and wisdom are a non-negotiable! At the same time, the Sun hovers around the same degree of Aries where Venus initiated her retrograde cycle on March 4: meaning this waxing quarter moon and Cardinal Grand Cross will likely highlights lessons of the current Venus retrograde period. Simultaneously, Mercury in his shadow prepares to go retrograde, too, on the 9th. While this cardinal, action oriented Moon asks us to lunge forward, it also presents us with a fierce point of reflection. Embrace the duality and lean in to both.
:: The Message :: If we embrace the tension and mystery of this Cancer waxing quarter Moon, we may just find our voice and rise. Yet, it’s essential to witness and digest what emerges before acting. Staying in the place of the observer allows us to understand how we want to proceed. Allows us to genuinely hear and listen to the call from within, so we can set clear and compassionate boundaries with others. Will it feel smooth? Probably not. However, if we can pause and choose our words and actions with intent, this potent waxing quarter Moon offers an opportunity to awaken and integrate. Worthy of the work, see any tension as a pathway to a higher consciousness. Rise, baby rise.
For more Moon wisdom or to book a coaching session with from Jennifer visit Jenniferracioppi.com. To learn more about how to work with each Moon phase, join our community of likeminded spiritual activists at Moon Club!
When Love is our teacher heartbreak can be the most powerful medicine, says Alexandra Roxo in her latest Holy F*ck column…
So maybe just maybe some mega shit has been hitting the fan during this Venus Retrograde? Or perhaps it’s minor pieces of shit for you. Little annoying pieces of shit you thought were gone…but are still stinking up the place? Perhaps it’s around romantic love, rejection, partnership. Or perhaps self love, worth, value.
Chances are you’ve been stung. But guess what??! This means your heart is open—that it’s accessible, soft, tender, growing, reshaping, adapting, expanding. THIS IS A GOOD THING. Heartbreak can be the most powerful medicine.
Committing to living with an open heart it is not an easy road. It can mean letting your heart break and break and break, but each time it breaks it swells and becomes bigger and messier and wider and has the capacity to hold more.
Love has always been my personal teacher of choice. When I was 20 and all my friends had gurus, I was secretly writing the words “AHEM PREMA” (I am divine love) on my hand and telling folks, “Love is my guru!” I’ve been obsessed with Love for as long as I can remember. I’ve been in Love MANY times and rejected MANY times more, and still I keep on going for it.
How do I define Love?
Love is that which we were made from and that which we will return to. The primordial ooze in us. The ever present God-Goddess sparkle living in each cell. Which we feel when we”fall” in Love. Really what I believe happens is that this “falling” is us OPENING to the Love that already exists within us. What if you could feel that without an other person? This is what I’m talking about!!
And because I also never quit being curious and doing things that scare me, I signed up for a two-day intensive last week called “The Yoga of Intimacy” with Londin Angel Winters and Justin Patrick Pierce (who also may be the hottest couple on the planet. Major #RelationshipGoals.)
Arriving at a beautiful inn in Topanga I prepared myself to be “crucified by Love.” (My ideal Saturday!) Standing across from a man whose name I didn’t know, who wasn’t “my type,” I let Love show me where I was guarded. And I let it make me feel safe enough to pull down the walls and completely open to said stranger.
I looked into his eyes and cried. I shared my depths. And it felt as powerful as an Ayauasca ceremony. If not more powerful! With eyes open and locked onto someone else’s, instead of eyes closed solo-style like in plant journeys, I couldn’t escape my demons or pain or shut down or dissociate. Justin said it perfectly … “If you think ayahuasca is crazy, try love.”
I could literally NOT form a sentence afterwards. As a writer and wordsmith I was kinda freaked out by the temporary mush in my brain. But I was assured that this meant I had surrendered to the pure-as-hell-delicious Shakti/Divine Feminine energy that resides outside the mind.
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99 HEARTBREAKS & I DON’T WANT TO SOLVE THEM
At the workshop, I also had to go on a practice dinner date with an older doctor from Beverly Hills who talked like I imagine Freud would have sounded. I did NOT wanna get vulnerable with him but I did, and I broke into tears across the dinner table as I revealed to him my deepest desires. He was beyond grateful that I showed him my Heart.
As I cried and told him of all the times I had broken my heart, he said “At the end of your life would you rather have loved and had your heart broken 99 times and on the 100th found someone special, than hidden your heart and not loved at all?” It was true. And all 99 times of heartbreak are heart opening and “special” in my book.
Two days at this intensive rocked me to my core. It was SO terrifying to let go and let Love do its thing. Yet I felt more delicious than I had in ages.
SO HOW CAN YOU WORK WITH LOVE’S MEDICINE?
When Love becomes a skill and a medicine, you can hang out with a close friend and feel deeply nourished and fed when you leave them, like you just got 10 hugs and a bowl of soup from your Grandma.
Or you and your Lover can be in a constant state of divine communion, and one glance feels like 1,000 gourmet raw chocolates for your soul.
A solo Love practice means at a stop light in the car you can feel the depths of Love swimming through your body and yoni, and you have the power to release a warm honey glow throughout your body that feels like you are cumming. Try walking into a meeting from that place!
Here’s how to start …
– Love and be loved. Identify the 5 ways you feel most Love(d). I do this with all my clients. Perhaps it’s petting your cat. Or watching your fave film. Meditating. Chanting to Goddess. Get to know the direct path to your Heart, if you don’t already, and start feeling the Love vibes often by using those tools.
– Connect to humans/animals. The internet doesn’t count unless you are one-on-one on Skype with someone. IRL is the best way to go. Make this a priority. It is the remedy against overeating, loneliness, indulging in bad habits, overworking … I’m talking real connection! Even one solid hug and “Good Morning” from a roomie is something.
– Let your heart get naked. This is where you get vulnerable. If you can practice this daily, you’ll either deepen your already existing partnerships or tenderize the nest of your heart to get it ready to let love in. Call a new friend and share something intimate. Write a poem and share it online. Ask someone for help. Practice vulnerability and practice receiving some Love. (Like let the guy at Trader Joe’s help you to your car already!)
– Feel, feel, feel. Sounds obvious, right? But how often do you feel your feelings in the moment? Practice vocalizing your pain. Frustration. Sadness. As you’re experiencing it. Let yourself feel the depths of your yearning/your rage/your sadness/your joy DAILY.
– Daydream. Do a little bit of daydreaming each day. Imagine your lover caressing your neck. Imagine your lover giving you that “I wanna fuck you” look across the room at a crowded party. If this sounds cheesy to you then work on the vulnerability of your heart.
Whether you are in partnership or flying solo, you can play with Love every day. You can become more and more conscious of living in your full beauty and radiance and sexiness the more and more you release the fear of getting hurt. You can just open. The pain becomes part of your practice too and, trust me, you even start to love that! WHAAA?!!! Can it be?!!! Yeeeep.
Want to map out a magical month? Swap your iCal for a tarot deck. Melinda Lee Holm helps us navigate the wild ride ahead with the key tarot cards for April 2017…
This April, it’s all about letting go of control and riding the emotional waves to abundant new shores. With Mercury going retro just before Venus stations direct, April has some wildly shifting energies in store for us. Fortunately, the Tarot is here to help us navigate the vibes!
Meet this month’s guides for cultivating presence, serenity, self-love, and nurturing …
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:: 04/01 April Fool’s Day – The Fool :: As adults, we’re expected to be experts in our work and pragmatic in our personal lives. The lack of control that comes with April Fool’s day tricks is not something we’re always comfortable experiencing. Yet embracing this carefree energy can be exactly what we need to reinvigorate our beings.
The Fool is the zero point of the Major Arcana. Having no experience, he moves freely through life with a pure and open heart until he builds enough wisdom to know that wandering through life with a pure and open heart is the soul’s highest aspiration! With all of the turmoil in the world, we can allow him to guide us to moments of grace and love that are suspended in the present moment—and to learn to laugh at ourselves!
Calling in The Fool:
Take a class where you’re a complete beginner.
Practice conscious breathing to stay in the present moment.
Drink Earl Grey tea—the bergamot in it promotes joy and soothes stress.
Wear that wild dress you got for a special occasion that hasn’t yet come.
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:: 04/09 Mercury Retrograde – The King of Cups :: Mercury retrograde periods have a bad reputation for causing trouble with communication and travel. But there is another level to thi energy that can allow us to sink deeply into emotional and intellectual reflection, and the King of Cups is a great ally in both cases.
In the Smith-Waite deck, the King of Cups is seen seated on a throne made of stone, floating on the waves of the sea. The King is undisturbed by the waves of emotion passing beneath him. He remains calm and alert, gazing out over the open sea. During Mercury Retrograde, call on the King of Cups to help you to stay calm, flexible, and aware.
Calling in the King of Cups:
Practice loving communication in all interactions.
Maintain a sharp awareness of the external world, even when internal reflection gets deep.
Wear lavender oil—the smell can calm and soothe you and those around you.
Carry a relic of the sea with you—a small shell, a pebble—to remind you of your ability to ride the waves with grace.
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:: 04/15 Venus Direct in Pisces – 8 of Cups :: The past 6 weeks of Venus retrograde have been ripe for insights into our old romantic patterns. Now with Venus resuming direct motion in her exalted sign, we’re pushed to realign with our hearts and dream big for the future. The 8 of Cups is the perfect guide for us as we review info gathered during the retro period, get clear about our passions, and adjust our emotional patterns.
The card shows a figure dressed in red walking into the wilderness away from a set of carefully stacked cups. This movement away from an established, known emotional pattern into the wild unknown—by a figure clad in the color of passion—is a wonderful inspiration for our realignment. Let go of attachments based on habit and forge a new path forward.
Calling in the 8 of Cups:
Wear comfortable clothing made of soft fabrics like silk or bamboo—in red whenever possible!
Take a walk alone in the wilderness to reflect on your true passion.
Carry Rhodochrosite for self-love and Black Obsidian for letting go.
Eat foods made with basil—the heart shaped leaves will emit gentle love energy from within.
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:: 04/22 Earth Day – The Empress :: With the EPA and our environment under great threat from the current administration, celebrating this day is more important than ever. The Empress is the perfect patron saint to keep you sane and tapped into the earth’s power.
The Empress corresponds to the Goddess Demeter, the Great Mother of the Greek pantheon. She is loving and nurturing, creating abundance all around her through the force of her glorious heart. And like most mothers, she is also fiercely protective. Even if you can’t attend a march or other Earth Day event, you can call on The Empress to empower you to care for our planet with love, and to protect her with a ferocious heart.
Calling in The Empress:
Plant a tree.
Bring a trash bag on a walk through nature, cleaning up what others have left behind.
Carry Rose Quartz or Aventurine, stones of love and abundance.
Wear bright floral print or jewel tones to celebrate the glory of the natural world.
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Want more tarot magic? Book a session with Melinda here, and make sure to follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
Get inspired by this month’s Mooners & Shakers, the Moon Club members making waves and fueling their passion projects!
HEBA TALLAH, LUMINOUS FEMME “The medicine is in the remembrance. Cutting through the BS and the noise – going straight to the truth, and calling on it.”
The Project A Luminous Femme is a woman who has remembered that her greatest power, beauty, and strength, have been within her all along.
She knows that her trials and tribulations are opportunities for more self-awareness, growth, and compassion. And she jumps into this journey of deeper and deeper self-love and self-awareness with gusto and no apology. She cultivates a deep love and respect for her Femmebody, for the way she waxes and wanes, and for her inherent superpowers along the way.
The Medicine I have been called here to anchor the Light and the Divine Feminine (in the Middle East, no less) and across all borders on Mama Earth. I feel the deepest honor and gratitude for carrying this calling. And such reverence for this life!
Being a woman (or a human, for that matter) in today’s world can feel so draining, confusing, and sometimes downright infuriating. Claiming who we inherently, truly are—and our connection to Source that is right here, in our heart space, in our every cell, at any given moment—is the fast track to inner peace. The medicine is in the remembrance. Cutting through the BS and the noise—going straight to the truth, and calling on it.
The medicine is also in knowing that the divine feminine that is within us all is awakening en masse—and she is not to be tamed, or quieted, any longer. I created Luminous Femme as a container to facilitate a woman’s return to her inner core, which is already perfect and whole, and to remember how to live from that space on the daily. Because there’s nothing juicier or more healing for the world than a woman in her divine feminine element!
The Birthing Process It has been at least five years (more like my lifetime really) since I’ve had this luminous gift and voice pulsing inside, wanting to be expressed. This has meant healing myself and my blocks, my stories, and working through them all. It’s been knowing I had a message to share but having life keep throwing me curveballs to fill in all the blanks and help me get over whatever held me back in the past.
Discovering yoga at age 18, becoming a teacher 12 years later, and the journey it takes me on a daily basis is humbling and so fulfilling. My mat is my healer, my sanctuary.
The Moon Club Inspiration It really feels like the coolest place to hang out on the web. I’ve been a Numinous reader for years and a lover of all things Moon related, which is a big part of Luminous Femme philosophy—cyclical living and connecting to the Moon phases.
When I see how this conversation is so normalized in the club, and the presence of all the women in the group who are so strong and healing and brave, it fills me up with so much juice and passion for this way of life. We’re all so connected and willing to do the work—to show up, to accept, and to self-realize. It’s not only deeply informative, it’s also so much fun, like a cosmic pajama party! It’s such an honor to walk this way with you all.
Get this week’s symbol for your sign, in our weekly Numinous horoscopes by Strong Eye Astrology…
Aries :: Aries Rising Skiing down the slope. This is your time to take action on your dreams. Can you build up some momentum here? The conditions are good. Don’t be afraid of the speed. Sometimes, taking action helps you define yourself. Now is one of those times. Being able to take action can bring you freedom and exhilaration. What have you been wanting to begin? What have you been wanting to express? How have you been needing inspiration? Let yourself fly now, down the slopes, and let the mountain surprise you.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Taurus :: Taurus Rising Shading the sun from your eyes while peering into the distance. The horizon you seek to see is a metaphor for the furthest reaches of your psyche. You are looking beyond the world you know and searching for the memory of a dream. The mystery of your subconscious. The root of an emotion. Look deeper. Look for the patterns of your subconscious that are hard to see. Go slow and make space for your emotions. They are the best guides you have in this dusky terrain.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Gemini :: Gemini Rising Playing hopscotch. Have you ever had a friend see your potential in a way that you couldn’t? Have you ever had a friendship carry you? This is a time to put energy into your friendships. And from there, begin to invigorate your community. Show up. Plant seeds of intention. How do you want to belong? How do you want to play? How do you want to co-create? Your kindred spirits can help you fulfill your dreams and you can help fulfill theirs. It’s time to appreciate your people.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Cancer :: Cancer Rising Cooking a stew in a restaurant kitchen. This week’s planetary action is revving up your career zone. It’s time to step out into the spotlight. Bring everything you’ve got. Your symbol is about food (nurturance) that is being made in a public place. Can you bring self-nurturance into your work? This is the area in which you need to show yourself so much love. And your self-love will result in success. Because when you love yourself, the Universe will bring you more of the same.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Leo :: Leo Rising Walking over a hilltop. Can you let your leadership abilities shine through right now? Your urge for exploration is high. Follow it. Don’t be afraid to blaze a trail. Maybe it’s in your work, your relationships, or your health. Wherever you feel inspired to begin something new, let that feeling propel you forward. It’s time for action. It’s time for a new approach. But most of all you need new inspiration. That inspiration will teach you how to push forward to make your mark on the world.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Virgo :: Virgo Rising Piecing together a quilt made of sentimental fabrics. It’s time to let go, but to that you need to review. Take an careful inventory of your memories. Learn where you are ready to let go and where you are ready to begin anew. Notice what you need to hold onto. By bringing all of this to the forefront of your consciousness, you can consciously release. Create order out of your experiences and move on. It’s time for a new chapter.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Libra :: Libra Rising An EKG reading, the symbolic image of a heartbeat. Your relationship zone is getting activated. It’s time for some new patterns here. Maybe an electrical shock to the system? Are the old relationship patterns getting tired? Can you just change them, now? It really can be that simple. Look for your path to the new. You can begin by simply stating, “I am willing to change,” or “I am willing to release the pattern in my consciousness that is responsible for this condition.” Every heartbeat is new. Every moment is new. Just choose something new.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Scorpio :: Scorpio Rising The ecosystem of a forest. It’s time to take practical action that will bring you more balance in your daily life. Just as there is a delicate balance in the ecosystem of the forest, there is a delicate balance to your day. You can’t just overwork or undernourish without paying the price somewhere. Focus new attention on your schedule and your health. Begin some healthy daily habits. Find better systems. Take action here.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Sagittarius :: Sagittarius Rising Watching a beaver build a dam. The river teems with creative life-force and the beaver creates a structure to contain it. Where will you put forward your creative energy now? Be very focused in your approach. This is your time to start a creative project that brings you joy and maybe even some recognition. Imbue this action with both love and effort. Don’t back down an any level. Do it as if the action is coded in your DNA. There is a purpose you are meant to fulfill and now is the time to begin.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Capricorn :: Capricorn Rising Blessing the bread. It’s time to do things you might not normally. Bless your food. Bless your life. Give gratitude for every aspect. And then use the high vibration of gratitude as a vehicle to love yourself more. Your self love is your emotional security. And this is the foundation from which you will succeed. So it’s important to push your Inner Critic out of the way, (or say politely, “Thank you, not today,”) and nestle into a comfortable cove with yourself. Make an effort to remind yourself over and over again how completely wonderful you are.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Aquarius :: Aquarius Rising A cluster of stars growing together like grapes on a vine. The stars are symbolic of aspirations. Grapes are symbolic of dreams coming true. Are you ready to harvest your dreams? Set your sights on a star, or an aspiration, and then expect it to come true. Change your thinking to make room for this to happen. Think about it as if it’s already done. The secret to the fruition of your goals is in your thought process.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Pisces :: Pisces Rising A red bird taking a bath in a puddle. You are supported by your environment- everything you need is in abundance. Your effort should be on making yourself more free. Make choices from love, not fear. When you are acting out of love, you know that you are safe, all is well, you are enough. When you are acting out of fear, all outcomes look dim. Act from a place of security, abundance, and love.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
The message of the 2017 Aries New Moon is to streamline, get excited and leap into action, says Sandra Sitron…
Get a brand new workbook for the coming Moon phase when you join Moon Club! Sign up here.
New Moon :: March 27 2017 :: 10:57 pm EST :: 7 degrees Aries
Do you remember what excitement feels like? Do you remember what anticipation feels like? This is the energy of the 2017 Aries New Moon. She whispers, “Ready?” But not into your ear. She whispers into your heart. And the question builds there like a drumbeat, until it pounds along in tempo with the rhythm of your spirit. And suddenly, you know you are. Ready.
March 27 brings us a New Moon in Aries. The New Moon is the time when the Sun and the Moon join together. The Moon does not reflect the Sun’s light from this angle, so the Moon is dark. In the darkness, we ready ourselves for the next stage of growth by planting seeds of intention.
As the first sign of the zodiac, fiery Aries symbolizes the new seed. Aries is the grand initiator of the Zodiac. It all begins with Aries energy. In the beginning of our lives, when we are babies, our only responsibility is to be ALIVE. This is the Aries life stage. I like to describe Aries as the baby’s first cry. That sound is the assertion of Self into the world. “I am here!” Aries’ work is to live, lead and act.
This energy is coming in strong at this New Moon with five planets grouped together in Aries. This brings exciting creative possibilities. We can harness this energy to know ourselves better. We can become leaders and producers in a completely new way. And yet, there can be a proliferation of aggression or rashness as well. To maintain your balance stay actively engaged and present. Watch your thoughts. If things are making you angry, find out why. Can you choose a different thought?
The 2017 Aries New Moon makes only one major aspect, a conjunction to Venus in Aries. To me, this signifies simplicity and focus. The overall feeling of the 2017 Aries New Moon is that it’s time to bathe in your own fire of purification. It’s possible that you’ve been processing, working, holding, and storing. As this new energy comes in, see what you can burn away. Notice what you no longer need. Clearing and purifying yourself in this way will make you ready for action. Imagine yourself ready to take on the world totally unencumbered.
How to do this? You may try meditating to clear out and simplify your thought patterns. Breathwork, shamanic practice, crystal bed healing, reiki, or acupuncture to energetically clear. Exercise to clear yourself physically. Feel your feelings to clear yourself emotionally. Use all of this as momentum to help you spring into action.
Let yourself become energetically, mentally, physically, and spiritually refreshed. This will allow you to surprise yourself with higher energy levels. Meditate on how you are ready to lead. Make yourself more free. Assert your individuality. Define yourself. Make strong choices and take action.
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New Moon Conjunct Venus in Aries Fire at sea. Normally, Moon conjunct Venus is liquid love. It’s love in all of it’s facets, love for self, friendship, love for family, and passionate love. And this love expands and crests on the sea of lunar emotion like a tidal wave. And yet, in this scenario, Venus is slightly uncomfortable in Aries. She hasn’t quite got her groove on, and it can make her a little bit angry. There’s a fire on the water. Keep tabs on Venus in Aries to make sure she doesn’t become passive-aggressive. Give her gentle nudges to remind her that being defensive isn’t going to get her anywhere.
But do allow your passion to rise with the 2017 Aries New Moon. Get yourself in a fiery, loving mood. Take yourself out of your comfort zone to love even harder. Declare it. This is a great time to affirm to yourself that you are worthy. You deserve.
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Use the questions below to dive deeper into the lessons of the 2017 Aries New Moon. For a more accurate reading, calculate your chart for free here and see what house holds 7 degrees Aries…
Aries or New Moon in the 1st house What project do you need to begin this year? What are action steps you can take now to get the wheels in motion?
Taurus or New Moon in the 12th house How can you more actively connect with your intuition? This post could help you find new ways.
Gemini or New Moon in the 11th house What can you do to build your network? Challenge yourself to take some action steps.
Cancer or New Moon in the 10th house What are five risks you can take in your career? What kind of expansion might taking these risks bring you?
Leo or New Moon in the 9th house Write “I should” on a piece of paper, then write all the things you “should” do. Now change “I should” to “If I wanted to, I could.” Does this change give you more freedom?
Virgo or New Moon in the 8th house What are you willing to release? Write it down. Burn the paper.
Libra or New Moon in the 7th house How can you love more passionately? How would you express your love for another if there was no risk of rejection?
Scorpio or New Moon in the 6th house What new healthy habits are you ready for? What area of your life feels toxic and how can you purge this?
Sagittarius or New Moon in the 5th house What new creative practices will you put into action now? When do you feel most in your “flow”?
Capricorn or New Moon in the 4th house Do you feel safe enough to be yourself? Why not? What do you need to experience more safety, comfort and nurturing?
Aquarius or New Moon in the 3rd house What do you need to be thinking about in a new way? Arrange to meet up with a friend who always gives you new ideas.
Pisces or New Moon in the 2nd house What risk would you take if you were completely confident it would all work out perfectly?
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here.
Magazine career, eating disorder, bad boyfriends, addiction. In another life, could Cat Marnell have been me, asks Ruby Warrington?
Cat Marnell
What I like best about Cat Marnell’s car crash autobiography How to Murder Your Life: A Memoir is that she makes absolutely zero apologies for who she is. Yeah there’s a line in there about “white girl privilege” (“warning! If you’re grossed out by it (who isn’t?), you might want to bail now”), but otherwise Cat tells her story with an utter lack of self-judgement and the kind of honesty that is a direct channel from the heart. Fuck yeah!
For the uninitiated, Cat Marnell rose to notoriety earlier this decade as the openly drug-addicted beauty editor for titles Lucky, Vice and xojane.com. Her drug of choice was Adderall (with pretty much everything else layered on top), her stories (GONNA WASH THAT ANGEL DUST RIGHT OUTTA MY HAIR: “Miracle” (Uh-Huh) Treatments To Help You Pass Those Follicle Drug Tests, Naughty Nancys!) written on no sleep “in an amphetamine spell.”
How To Murder Your Life reads like a Bret Easton Ellis novel (except it’s real life) and is the story of the ghouls behind the gloss. In Cat’s own words: “AUUUUGHHH!” But what struck me while I was reading it, was that served a different set of life circumstances, Cat Marnell could easily have been me.
Let’s examine the evidence…
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She was a teenage magazine addict. Like Cat, when I first discovered magazines at around age 12, it was like being given an instruction manual on how to be a woman (read: look good so I’d fit in and boys would like me). Like Cat, I gravitated towards a career in magazines—when she moved to New York, she became hell bent on scoring a role at Conde Nast.
Unlike Cat, when I moved to New York I began work on the Numinous, and immersed myself in exploring all the other very, very important things it means to be a human. Not to mention began to see the glossy magazine message for what it often is—a way to keep readers locked in the cycles of craving (for trends, for stuff to make us happy, for a “better” body) that fuel the capitalist machine.
She’s a perfectionist. Cat’s birthday is September 10, making her a Virgo. And if Adderall had a sign…it would so be Virgo! Total “no-sleep-until-every-last-detail-has-been-quadruple-checked” vibes. Plus Cat started taking amphetamines because “I felt like such a failure getting those terrible grades.”
My perfectionist streak comes from Mercury (Virgo’s ruler) conjunct my Sun in Aries (“must-maintain-image-I-have-it-all-together-at-all-times”). Cue teenage eating disorder (me too, Cat), and reaching for drugs (in my case booze) as a way to just chillax for a sec. These days, meditation and a whole lot of healing of my inner child is what keeps the perfectionist in its place.
Her parents are mental health professionals. Cat’s dad, a psychiatrist, was the first person to prescribe her Ritalin (and then Adderall) at the age of 16. In America, most psychiatric consultations seem to end with a prescription.
Back in the UK, my mum trained to be a psychotherapist in her late 50s, having faced her own demons with years of talk therapy. Years of therapy that have made her the kind of parent who wholly accepts me for who I am, since she accepts herself for who she is. Part of the reason I used drugs and starved myself was because I didn’t believe this. But as my own healing journey has shown me, all the years I thought my mum / society was judging me, I was judging myself.
She idolizes Marilyn Monroe and Edie Sedgwick. The damaged (and self-medicated) heroines of late 20th Century folklore! I collected Marilyn books from around age 10, and even made a magazine about her for my first big school project. And I fell in love with Sedgwick’s story when I read Edie: American Girl (the SO GOOD) biography of Andy Warhol’s muse.
As archetypes, these two women represent some of the ways our inner wild woman acts out when we get duped / spooked into playing by the rules (be beautiful, thin, submissive, SMILE!). And I no longer idolize them. I see them as a mirror for the parts of me that still don’t believe I’ll be accepted / loved unless I am beautiful, thin, submissive, and happy.
She loves fake tan. It makes you look thin and like you got enough sleep. In other words, like taking drugs, faking a tan is another way to fake feeling good about yourself. Another addiction I developed in magazine land (my friend Henry used to call me Umpa Lumpa) and one my Numinous path has not yet helped me kick.
She’s lets men use her like a sex doll because she thinks it’s normal. Some of the hardest stuff to read in Cat’s book, and one of the themes in mine. I tear up every time I re-read my chapter on the Divine Feminine, and I would love for Cat to read it sometime too. For a lot of women to, actually.
She had a lot of fun on drugs. Some might say Cat glamorizes drug use, but one dictionary definition for “glamour” is: “magic or enchantment; spell; witchery.” And if drugs do anything, it’s cast a spell, creating an illusion of happiness, connection, enlightenment, etc, making narcotics by their nature “glamorous.” I too fell under this spell coming of age in the UK’s rave culture, and I have also had some pretty “magical” experiences getting high.
Which is not to make light of addiction, which is both a killer and a tragedy. My heart wept for Cat every time she reached for the Adderall again in her book. But it’s also way too simplistic to label all drugs “bad.” And unlike Cat, as I write about in a chapter of my book called Healing is The New Nightlife, I have discovered SO many better ways to get high on my own supply.
Writing her book was a healing experience. Not least because having an 80,000-word deadline was the thing that finally made her take rehab seriously. We leave Cat listening to Louise Hay affirmations, getting eight hours sleep a night, and even praying. “Spirituality is so dope,” she writes. But best of all; “I’m supertight with my family now. Can you believe it?”
And yep, writing my book had a similar effect on me—my own 80,000-word deadline being what helped me kick booze once and for all. But living my subject matter, day-in-day-out, has also taken my relationship with my mum to a completely new level of intimacy and mutual respect. Not least because, the way I see it, as women our relationship with our mother is often a reflection of our relationship with our self.
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I loved Cat’s book so much. Yes, because I can relate (anyone?) But also because it’s a straight-up, honest-to-Goddess account of living with addiction, AND the society that feeds it. Meaning a society that medicates the fuck out of any personality type that doesn’t fit the cookie-cutter mold for “success”; that places utmost value on productivity (fuel for the capitalist model); and that celebrates thinness and the ability to dress like you swallowed a copy of Vogue as the epitome of attractiveness / worthiness in women.
And also because the lessons of my Numinous journey mean I have written something kind of like the antidote. Perhaps I should have called it How Not To Murder Your Life.
Material Girl, Mystical World is out in May 2017 on Harper Elixir. Read more and pre-order your copy here.
With her Shamanic Beauty Sessions, Ceremonie founder Mimi Young is taking holistic skincare to a whole new level. Ruby Warrington journeys with her into the spirit realm…
The arrival of the Spring Equinox is a time of rebirth, for making soul promises to be delivered through the subsequent seasons. For Vancouver-based shamanic practitioner and spiritual beauty queen, Mimi Young, it felt like the perfect time to re-introduce her shamanic skincare line, Ceremonie.
As she announces the addition of remote Shamanic consultations, a.k.a. what she calls The Shamanic Beauty Sessions, to her offerings, we sat down to chat skincare as ritual…and quickly got into plant spirit allies, power animals, and how joy is the best beauty ingredient out there. You know, all the good stuff! (Oh, and before we get started, you may want to check out Mimi’s amazing Instagram feed!)
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Ruby Warrington: Mimi! The last time we chatted, we focused more on your product offerings of skin and aura care. Can you remind us of the ethos of Ceremonie? Mimi Young: Indeed! Last time I was featured on The Numinous, Ceremonie (then called Trimaran Botanicals) was more product-centric in her offerings. (Yes, the company is female). I felt it was important to honor both body and spirit in our daily beauty regimen, and created a line to bridge what is so often compartmentalized. In many ancient healing modalities, including traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine, wellness is linked to the understanding that we are spirit beings residing in physical bodies. Our skin, being the largest organ of the body, reveals much about our emotions, psychology, and beliefs.
RW: So it’s kind of like our skin and external beauty is a hologram of our innermost world… MY: Exactly. Ceremonie seeks to honor the internal self with products that care for both the inner and outer bodies, resulting in a more supported and holistic way to approach beauty.
RW: How is this reflected in the products you offer? MY: I formulate with herbs, flowers, barks, and other plant matter known in Earth-based spirituality and shamanic circles as supportive of chakra balancing, clearing and shielding energy, creating sacred space, divination, and other forms of ritual work. The selection of various plant ingredients is rooted in Earth spirituality and modern science. I love how my work is both historically informed and futuristic, and merges the spiritual with that which is conventionally seen as not—physical beauty.
RW: How does your work as a shamanic practitioner inform the process? MY: All Ceremonie products are hand made (without machines) and in shamanic ritual! I follow several shamanic and Earth-based spiritual practices of clearing energy, inviting spirit allies, noting special cycles/dates, and being open to their messages.
Whatever messages are being imprinted is private (between the spirit allies and the customer), and is special because it is so customized, meaning ALL products are made to order. I merely facilitate this very beautiful, uplifting, and healing process. The power animals / plant spirit allies of my customers sometimes share with me brief messages so I can add that piece of information when I send off the orders with an accompanying handwritten note.
RW: What do you mean when you say these messages are “imprinted” on the products? MY: It means blessing and creating a vibrational frequency (quantum physics recognizes that everything holds a specific vibration— from matter, to sound, to even emotions) that is then passed onto the products themselves. Careful attention is paid to every aspect: from the mood I’m in when I am fulfilling orders (I don’t work when I frustrated, drained, etc), to the music selected when working (solfeggio music is my favorite), and even how I ship (all parcels are anointed with sage oil and I send protective plant and animal spirits to accompany them).
This is essentially applying the discoveries made by Dr Emoto, who made breakthroughs in understanding how consciousness and intention can shape matter, to both my process and the products themselves.
RW: I find it so special that even the shipping process is honored this way. Can you speak a little to the concept of “intention” and how it relates to spirituality and even magic? MY: Intention is everything in healing, magic, joy, and love. Consider this: we all know how to make soup. You take some onions, leeks, spices, and add some bones for flavor. Then you add beans, vegetables, and maybe even some olive oil for drizzle. These are standard ingredients. A restaurant can make it. You can buy it pre-made at the market. Or…you could have the soup that is lovingly made by your grandmother.
She makes it with the same ingredients as the restaurant or market, but why does hers taste better? This is what I mean by imprinting and intention. It may be invisible, but it is what makes Ceremonie products so loved by our customers. It’s why many say they experience a heightened sense of self-acceptance, self-love, liberation, and an appreciation for their place in the world. Experiencing yourself this way will naturally bring a glow to your face that no amount of “scientifically proven” skincare ingredients can, because you now have the greatest beauty ingredient of all—joy.
RW: Goosebumps! And it sounds like this goes even deeper with the new Shamanic Beauty Sessions. How is this offered? Why would someone be drawn to this? MY: I began offering Shamanic journeying to local clients. The word spread, and the demand grew organically to nearby communities and beyond. Shamanic journeying is a sacred ritual using a rattle and drum to enter an altered state of consciousness and travel between the unseen worlds. In a shamanic and hedgewitch hybrid tradition, I travel to those realms on the client’s behalf, embarking on a sacred journey to meet plant spirit allies, power animals, mineral spirits and other benevolent spirits, ancestors, and even the elements.
I also provide a detailed written summary of my findings via email. At the time of booking the reading (before the journey), the client is welcome to present a question or concern, or I can simply intuitively explore and discover. The readings work best when the client is open to receive practical and sacred insights related to their skin or other areas of their life. An individual may feel called to receive a Shamanic reading if simply curious, or when experiencing an imbalance in physical, emotional, or etheric body. It’s designed to help anybody seeking clarity, encouragement, wisdom, and self-compassion.
RW: Soul medicine that can also give you amazing skin; so Numinous! You mentioned that you “work in the shamanic and hedgewitch traditions.” Can you elaborate? MY: Let’s back up a bit. I also use the term “Earth-based spirituality”. When I use this term, it includes (but is not limited to): shamanism, paganism, Wicca, I Ching, Tarot, tea leaf divination, and many other practices from around the world. Practices that were originally designed to forecast weather, invite hunting and gathering, honor the seasons and cycles, and bring discovery, insight, and healing to individuals, tribes, and the Earth.
I work in the shamanic and hedgewitch traditions, which means I incorporate plants and spirit beings (plants, animals, mineral spirits) in my creative and work process. As a modern woman, I also stay current in quantum physics, which lends an updated language to what has been known in metaphysics and spirituality for centuries. I am also aromatherapy trained. Above all, I really enjoy this personalized process. Getting to know my clients and their needs, emotional and physical, better, has brought a new layer of meaning to my work.
Personalized Shamanic Beauty Sessions with Mimi Young and Ceremonie can cover a wide variety of services, including:
– Making contact with Guides and Spirits (power animals and other animal totems, plant spirit allies, and mineral allies (crystals and metals) – Divination – Soul development and life purpose work – Past life healing – Healing the ancestral line
Discover more online, and book directly via [email protected], including SHAMANIC READING in the subject line. Mimi offers a limited number of readings per month—so book ahead!
In their sensory exploration of Aries season 2017, Cara George & Bess Matassa of Mojave Rising pick the sounds, the color palette, the styles, and the flavors for the month to come…Homepage image: Maciej Bernas
Mario Testino for Vogue
Strike a match, stoke the flames, and break into bold blossom like the hothouse flower you were born to be. As the astrological New Year begins, it’s a deliciously innocent moment for rediscovering the strength in exactly where we stand, and then leaping open-handed into the fierce future.
The zodiac’s lusty little lamb schools us in the true wisdom of inspired action that springs seamlessly from our creative cores. So sidle up to the starting line dressed in nothing but your unapologetic desire and the unbridled urge to just say “yes.”
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The keyword: Innocence.
The song lyrics: “We’re heading for something/Somewhere I’ve never been/Sometimes I am frightened/But I’m ready to learn/Of the power of love”—Celine Dion, “The Power of Love”
Check out our Aries Season Playlist, complete with heartfelt rockers, lyrical honesty, and disco infernos.
The color palette: vernal, just-born hues, and stripped-down southwestern shades: sparkling eggshell whites, ripe and ready bright greens, and the sun-bleached reds and oranges of exposed desert living.
Celine SS17
The style: masculine minimalist meets Victorian garden. Botanical print tees paired with high-waisted blue jeans, functional lace adornments, loose locks, slim-fitting motorcycle jackets, and low heeled boots.
The scents and flavors: deliciously simple, and farm-fed fresh. Think goat’s milk ice cream, violet candies, and barnyard scents of grass, hay, and dirt.
The healing: fiercely fun and invigoratingly frictional. Think capoeira, salsa class, blind dates, and finger painting.
Want more juicy cosmic insights and sensory explorations? Arrange an astrology reading or private event with Mojave Rising here or follow them on Instagram.
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Sensuous Invitation of the Month:Bond Girls for Your Mars Sign
Ruled by Mars, Aries season urges us to harness our potency, sexual desire, and action-oriented instincts. Your Mars sign is your birth chart’s muscle car—it describes your personal style of power play, and how you drive towards what you want.
Below, your sign-by-sign guide to starting your engines. Shake it, stir it, and serve it up!
**New to your birthchart? Discover your Mars sign here!
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Mars in Aries: Aries season invites you to fight cleanly, and to sink your teeth into frictional encounters in a way that feels innocently invigorating. Bond Girl:Goldfinger’s Pussy Galore– the ferocious leader of an all-female flying circus, Pussy was rough, tumble, and absolutely ready for Bond.
Mars in Taurus: Aries season invites you to honor your steady, sensual brand of power, and to root deeply into your ability to use your material resources to create change. Bond Girl:A View To a Kill’s May Day– the bombshell of a bodyguard who uses superhuman strength to lift men over her head with ease.
Mars in Gemini: Aries season invites you to revel in your capacity for curious action, seek inspiration through communication, and tackle life from multiple perspectives. Bond Girl:Diamonds Are Forever’s Bambi & Thumper– the nimble pair of acrobatic vixen who come at James from all angles.
Mars in Cancer: Aries season invites you to emotionally assert yourself and celebrate empathetic action that honors both your own feelings and your ability to fight for others. Bond Girl:Thunderball’s Domino– the snorkeling seductress with deep family ties.
Mars in Leo: Aries season invites you to playfully seize power with a sparkling, generous heart that delights in shared strength and creative collision. Bond Girl:Diamonds Are Forever’s Tiffany Case– the jewel-smuggling Vegas showgirl with hair as high as her bets.
Mars in Virgo: Aries season invites you to capitalize on your measured responses, and to align your actions with the subtler rhythms of your environment. Bond Girl:Miss Moneypenny– Bond’s stalwart sexpot secretary who acts with integrity and outlasts them all.
Mars in Libra: Aries season invites you to tap into your ability to go after high-minded ideals, to collaborate, and to contemplate movement before making the leap. Bond Girl:Casino Royale’s Vesper Lynd– Bond’s absolute equal and one true love.
Mars in Scorpio: Aries season invites you to relish in your darker, carnal desires, and to harness your primal power through their full release. Bond Girl:Goldeneye’s Xenia Onatopp– the ruthless assassin who crushes Bond between her powerful thighs.
Mars in Sagittarius: Aries season invites you to expand your actions wider and wider as you embrace wild visions big enough to criss-cross the entire globe. Bond Girl:The World Is Not Enough’s Dr. Christmas Jones– the border hopping nuclear physicist who gives Bond a run for his money.
Mars in Capricorn: Aries season invites you to savor your self-sufficiency, and rise up from an inner authority that answers to absolutely no one. Bond Girl:Octopussy’s Octopussy– the luxe, eponymous lady who reigns supreme over a self-sufficient island of femme fatales.
Mars in Aquarius: Aries season invites you to shoot your potent love beams straight into the unknown future as you break past limitations with tenacious trust in your innovative approach. Bond Girl:Moonraker’s Holly Goodhead– the feminist astronaut who sends Bond into outer space.
Mars in Pisces: Aries season invites you to fully delight in the concept of allowing as you celebrate empowerment that comes from letting it all be exactly as it is. Bond Girl:Dr. No’s Honey Ryder– sporting nothing but a saltwater-soaked bikini and a hunting knife, this shell-collecting sweetheart is both innocent and independent
Want more juicy cosmic insights and sensory explorations? Arrange an astrology reading or private event with Mojave Rising here or follow them on Instagram.
A symbolic week ahead reading for your sign in our Numinous weekly horoscopes, direct from the third eye of Sandra Sitron—a.k.a. Strong Eye Astrology…
Aries :: Aries Rising Surfing the waves. Find the exhilaration of freedom. This is your time to step out. This week you solidify your independence. Your anger will rise if you feel that anyone is undervaluing you or holding you back. If this happens, notice the anger and work with it productively. Give it your full attention, but don’t let it own you. Stay balanced on the building wave and enjoy the ride. Slice through the water in a clear and powerful direction. Make yourself free on every level. Free from comparison, free from scarcity mindset, free from self-doubt. There will be currents of energy coming through this week that help you do this. Stay open to the journey and ride the waves.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Taurus :: Taurus Rising Blowing dandelion seeds. Make wishes this week. The action in your chart is happening on the subconscious level. This means that you can determine what you would like to change on the conscious level, but the real work is going to be happening below the surface. Your subconscious mind loves symbols and rituals. If there is something you are ready to let go of, you can use your imagination to put it into a leaf and then throw the leaf into a rushing river. If there are wishes you would like to make, make a wish on a dandelion seed pod and blow the seeds out into the open air.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Gemini :: Gemini Rising Drinking from a water fountain. You are tapping into an endless source. Examine your thirst in life. Are you thirsty for financial stability? Justice? Knowledge? Can you break into a new mindset around this? Can you free yourself from lack? Know that you have access to abundance of whatever it is you desire. Even if it doesn’t seem that way on the surface. The fountain is there. You just have to turn it on.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Cancer :: Cancer Rising Cotton candy. This symbol represents awards and personal satisfaction. There is action happening in your career area of your chart this week. Are you ready for expansion here? Are you ready for lightening bolts of inspiration? This mindset shift may be paired with some high emotion like anger. If that happens, let it help break you into seeing things in a new way. Just don’t let it overtake you. As you open up to higher understanding, you will be primed to achieve new levels of sweet and fluffy satisfaction.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Leo :: Leo Rising Making a clean cut through butter. Slicing through. A clean, straight line. It’s time to go after what you want. You are ready for forward motion. Progress. Do a mental inventory of which parts of your psyche are on board to move forward. The Adventurous part of you is, certainly. The Sage archetype within you is saying, “Sign me up!” But what about the 6-year old who is afraid of being different? What about the Anxious one within who is not sure if she belongs? Can you convince these parts of you to get on board? Listen to each and every part of your psyche who has something to say. Listen, empathize and help them learn a new story so that you can proceed on your path.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Virgo :: Virgo Rising Whitewater rafting. Adventure in the depths of emotion. This journey requires focus and courage. It’s time to free yourself by letting go and moving on. Begin a study on forgiveness. You can let go and forgive in exactly the way that you need to now. It doesn’t have to happen all at once. It can be something that you put into motion now, and then let it happen slowly. Flowing through the rapids can be fun if you let go of control. Steer your ship just enough by staying in tune with your emotions. Trust the river of emotions.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Libra :: Libra Rising A clear view of pristine landscape. You are looking for simplicity and balance. As well as aesthetic harmony. Find that in your relationships now. Keep your side of the street clean as you communicate very clearly about how you feel and what you need. Look for balance by reaching out to find out what the other person needs and feels. There may be a high desire to rebel a little bit right now. Watch it. Remember that your overall need is for harmony and peace. Stay centered.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Scorpio :: Scorpio Rising Making a trail of breadcrumbs. You’re able to remember your way home. Home to yourself. Home to your body. You don’t need to worry about what’s just beyond the bend right now. Focus on organizing your immediate environment. Be present in the moment and take good care of your body. It’s time to stabilize your schedule. Remember how to slow down. Remember to give yourself nourishment. Use the energy that you have to help yourself feel grounded.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Sagittarius :: Sagittarius Rising Sliding fast through the tunnel of a slide. It’s time for play. Let yourself go. Let yourself enjoy the freedom of self-expression. Lightness, play and creativity are so important right now. If you hold back from them, there will be a part of your psyche that will feel ignored and a little rebellious. So shower yourself with love and appreciation. Prove it to yourself by having some fun.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Capricorn :: Capricorn Rising Raccoon prints in the snow. Resourcefulness. It’s time for you to get clear about the depths of your resources and abilities. if you have felt like you’ve been scrambling to keep up, maybe it’s time to just let go of that. Maybe what you are doing is enough. Maybe you have enough skills, enough resources, enough support. Maybe there is another way of looking at this. Try to put yourself in a real or imagined nest of safety and protection. Keep reminding yourself that you have enough, you are enough. You are safe.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Aquarius :: Aquarius Rising Leaves rustling at the top of a tree. You are being beckoned to higher height of understanding. It’s time to jump into a new stream of thought. There’s information that you haven’t yet discovered, and it can really help you. If there is a situation that feels stuck or painful, choose to get curious. How can you think about it differently? It’s time to break free of a mindset that’s been holding you back.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandrahere or follow her on Instagram.
Pisces :: Pisces Rising A pyramid. There is an idea that the pyramid shape is filled with powerful energy. It is stabilizing. It’s time for you to fill yourself with stabilizing and powerful energy. This energy is self-love. Think of a situation or task that is on your mind. What would happen if you brought more love to this idea? Love for yourself. Trust in the universe. Stabilize yourself by holding onto the gentle awareness that love is the base of your pyramid. From the feeling of love you can build the exact life you desire.
The Capricorn waning quarter moon helps tie up loose ends so we can begin anew, says Jennifer Racioppi…Collage: Seana Gavin
Waning Quarter Moon :: March 20th 2017 :: 11.58am EST :: 0 degrees Capricorn
As a new season arrives, the verve of pristine beginnings abounds. With the Sun in Aries and the waning moon in Capricorn squaring at the precise time of the spring Equinox, the cosmic clock turns forward.
Halfway between the recent full moon in Virgo and upcoming new moon in Aries, this Capricorn waning quarter moon supports you to release that which you do not wish to take with you into the astrological new year.
Warning: this is NOT a mild energy. Things may feel like a shaken bottle of champagne about to explode. Lean into the intensity and let go of what does not serve you.
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:: The Sun :: The Sun, in the first sign of the zodiac, joins Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Eris, also all in Aries. Aries, a fire sign, kicks off the entire zodiac and initiates new beginnings. Yes. Expect things to feel on fire. Collectively we crave this bold, brazen and enthusiastic focus of initiation; especially those of us in the northern hemisphere experiencing the last dregs of winter. However, this Capricorn waning quarter moon offers the opportunity to productively to bring things to completion before initiating new beginnings.
:: The Moon :: This industrious moon asks you to focus on what you most need to complete, so that come the March 28 new moon in Aries you feel ready to begin again. Since the Moon at 0 degrees of Capricorn just met up with Saturn at 27 degrees of Sagittarius, this sobering waning quarter moon fosters the perfect conditions to finish any old projects and wrap up lose ends.
The Moon represents our emotional needs, and Capricorn signifies ambition, drive, and determination. Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn, epitomizes discipline, hard work, and structure. This isn’t a soft and gentle moon. Therefore, staying kind and compassionate with yourself goes a long way, specifically as you complete meaningful projects, end relationships and clear the decks of your life.
:: The Square :: This cardinal Capricorn waning quarter moon brings a concentrated focus on productivity—especially as it serves your goals, dreams, and desires. With the Moon and Sun squaring, your emotional needs might not align with your conscious desires. If so give yourself space to sort things through. With so much fire in the sky, impatience is a theme this waning quarter moon. It’s essential to take a step back and reconcile this internal conflict. Doing so sets you up for success come the new moon in Aries next week.
:: The Message :: Aries and Capricorn, both cardinal signs, suggest action. This quarter moon sees where your soul’s purpose is guiding you and how you can apply prudence and focus on behalf of your dreams and desires. Let Saturn guide you. Take the high road and channel your focus on discernment so you can shed that which doesn’t serve you. Stay in a place of self-compassion and empathy, and guide the intensity of the fire in the sky towards your deepest desires. As the moon moves through disciplined and structured Capricorn, it’s a time to get things done.
For more Moon wisdom or to book a coaching session with from Jennifer visit Jenniferracioppi.com. To learn more about how to work with each Moon phase, join our community of likeminded spiritual activists at Moon Club!
Think love should be like a screening of “The Notebook”? The truth about soulmates is dutch ovens, stretch marks, and past life pacts, says comedian and energy healer Jessica Brodkin.Main Image: Mariano Peccinetti.
Want to learn the truth about soulmates? Then listen to a psychic healer who’s had two divorces and a broken engagement. Trust me—I’ve met a lot of soulmates. But after massive heartbreak, and seeing my own clients through theirs, the same patterns and solutions have begun to emerge.
And I’ve discovered that real soulmates aren’t like the people you see in The Notebook. They’re more like my Mom and Dad, who believe they are soulmates…and who make fun of each other. “I must have been a real jerk to your father in a past life to have to put up with him now,” my Mom frequently quips.
With Venus retrograde until April 15th, we have an opportunity to re-examine our relationship with love, and to determine what is and isn’t working for us. Here are the five things I wish I’d known about soulmates ten years ago…
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1. Your Soulmates are Not Just Your Lovers I think of incarnating (being born into your current life and body) as traveling with a plane full of your friends to Cancun, with only a few vague plans. “Marissa—see you on Tuesday in Tulum. Mark—save the last night for me, we’re going dancing and I wanna make out in the sand. ”
As someone who has always believed in past lives, I was one of those creepy kids who remembered how I died. I have a strong conviction that we travel throughout our lives with some of the same people in order for our souls to grow. Your mother, your siblings, your nephews, your boss, and even your roommate can all potentially be your soulmates.
2. The Person You Think is Your Soulmate is Probably Healing Your Parental Issues If you feel that your partner is tormenting you, he or she is probably helping to heal your parental issues. According to a lot of psychological theories, we choose partners based on the hurts we either experienced or witnessed as children.
In the summer of 2015, my then husband and I were planning on having a child. Two healers had something to say about this—the first that things weren’t going to work out as planned, but I wasn’t ready to hear that my marriage was going to end soon. However, the second healer convinced me to do a detox in order to have a healthy baby and halfway through, I realized I could not have a baby with this man. His issues, and our issues, were unresolved stuff from my childhood. He was definitely one of my soulmates, if not necessarily “the one”…
3. Love the One You’re With We all like to think we’re royalty, but we’re more like Princess Fiona—expecting some charming prince or princess, but falling in love with Shrek instead. While Fiona became a green ogre in order to love him, when I got married and ruined my credit rating. Which is to say, your soulmate may not come in the package you expect, and he or she may be more into dutch ovens than you’d like.
What if the imperfect partner you have right now is your soulmate, and what if soulmates didn’t have to be forever? All of our partners are teachers—and some are here to show us our shadow side. If we abandon our current partner without doing the inner work they ask, we’ll find ourselves repeating our relationship patterns over and over again.
There’s nothing more important than loving yourself. Trust me—I’m trying to get a crystal sex toy company to sponsor my radio show. This isn’t about arrogance, or attention-seeking behavior. It’s about accepting yourself where you are, and seeing the perfection in your imperfection. So love yourself so a partner can meet you where you are in life—the partner in your life is always a vibrational match for how you feel about yourself right now.
Write a gratitude list of all the awesome things about you. Talk to your stretch marks and scars, and tell them that you love them. Think of all the fun you had creating them! Practice self care. What makes you feel like a queen? What brings you bliss? Follow that joy.
5. And Finally … Trust Your Intuition I once went to a psychic who told me I had a ghost baby living inside of me…and that I needed to pay her $700 to have a ghost abortion. I told her that for $700, I was going to keep the ghost baby. When I was in the middle of my divorce, another psychic told me that a new suitor was my twin flame (a.k.a. super soulmate). After being stood up multiple times, I started to think differently.
If I could give only one message to people who feel any sort of fear or insecurity about their love lives, I would say “Don’t go to psychics!” Even though I’m also a psychic and medium, I work primarily as a healer because I want my clients to develop their own intuition instead of relying on something outside of themselves.
People usually go to psychics to calm their fears. But one of the most difficult (and beautiful) parts of being human is to embrace your life despite those fears. To live your life, and love with reckless abandon. If your heart gets broken you will survive, eventually heal, and then learn to love again!
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Jessica Brodkin is a Reiki energy healer and stand up comedian based in New York City. She is an MIT and Johns Hopkins graduate who worked for the Central Intelligence Agency for 11 years, and has been featured on the cover of the New York Post, and on TruTV, AMC, and SiriusXM radio. She also has a weekly radio show on Journey Into the Light. Follow her on Instagram and discover more about her energy healing here.
On March 20th, it’s time to rev our engines for the Astrological New Year! Spring Equinox 2017 is a super potent moment for taking courageous action, say Numi Astro babes Sandra Sitron, Danielle Paige, Jennifer Racioppi, and Bess Matassa.
What do you think the first cry you made as a baby sounded like? Imagine the howl you made. That cry stated simply, “I am alive. I am here. I am ready.” You were a fine elocutionist. Can you make that same sound now?
At 0 degrees of Aries, Spring Equinox 2017 is like that baby’s first cry. This is your time to reaffirm your spark of life and take action. Look back at your New Year’s Resolutions from just after the Winter Solstice—now is the time to implement these resolutions in a new way. Do it!
:: Equinox Aspects :: *Chiron, Venus, and Mercury stellium: 2017-2020 will be massive collective healing years as Chiron loops past the zero degree Aries point. Notice how you protect your ego and where old wounds are triggered. You came here to be free, so don’t keep yourself trapped in an outdated pattern of self-protection.
*Moon conjunct Saturn and square the Sun: The creative challenge with this aspect is to confront self-doubt and criticism. Make friends with your Inner Critic this year and create a new relationship. Talk back to that voice in your head. Love up on it. Show it a new way.
*Jupiter opposite Uranus and Square Pluto: While Uranus and Pluto are revisiting their angry conversation from 2012-2015 about breaking down the patriarchy, Jupiter enters the mix to work some diplomatic magic. How can you work this magic in your life? Reach creative compromises by first understanding and empathizing with your own needs, and then seeking to understand and empathize with someone else’s needs.
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here or follow her on Instagram.
It’s been a long winter of soul searching, deep transformation, and healing, especially with February’s Eclipses AND the current Venus Retrograde. However, as with all seasons and cycles, we ebb and we flow. Nothing stays the same, and you are now entering a new wave of energy and a time of rebirth.
Spring Equinox 2017 marks a time of equal day and night, and with this energy you are brought back into alignment and balance. Take some time to honor where you’ve been, where you currently are, and where you’re going. You’re emerging from the darkness of your shadows into the lightness of your being.
Aries is the leader, the first one out of the gate. This sign’s direct, raw, warrior energy is concerned with the needs of the “self” and thrives on anything new. Aries is here to show the rest of us how to be courageous and go after what we want. This theme of the NEW will be especially potent after Venus goes direct on April 15th.
**Danielle’s Equinox Energy Tip: Create a ritual for yourself to honor your light. Acknowledge how far you’ve come and how your consciousness is expanding at a rapid rate. Remember, you may not be exactly where you want to be but you’re a lot closer than you think. Life is a journey and you are well on your way, babe. Happy Equinox blessings to you!
Find out more about Danielle’s soul healing services and sign up for her free Moon newsletters here.
Occurring at the time of the waning quarter moon (when the moon in Capricorn squares the sun in Aries), Spring Equinox 2017 asks us to access our feminine warrior, own our shadow, and surrender what’s not working.
As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries incites action, and encourages new beginnings and fresh starts. Yet this Equinox’s Sun makes aspects to Venus, and to electrifying revolutionaries Uranus and Eris, signaling that this seasonal transition also asks us to integrate endings.
If things feel heated, take a step back and become the observer. We are learning how to witness the crazy without becoming the crazy. Remember that this too shall pass. Yet, it’s essential to dig deep to understand (and integrate) the lessons coming through at this cosmic moment of change. Commit to your long term vision and plan!
For more Moon wisdom or to book a coaching session with from Jennifer visit Jenniferracioppi.com
Ready to start your engines & strike a match? By all means, stoke those flames, speed racers. But instead of the usual Aries MMA battles and boxing matches, let this Equinox be a chance to refine your relationship to heat, and to rediscover the innocence inside of action-oriented instincts.
Think of Spring Equinox 2017 as a dark chocolate fondue pot, complete with succulent strawberries. Can your ego aggression become a clean, tender willingness to sink your teeth into life? Heat up your pot, say yes, start now … but let your efforts in the world be oh so sweet, as you taste it all as if for the very first time.
Equinox mantra: I fiercely sink my teeth into sweetness. Theme song:Return to Innocence Style: Victorian botanist meets 90s minimalism. Bare skin, plant-based prints, clean lines, combat boots, and a little bit of lace. Flavors: The simple, farm-fed nourishment of spreadable goat’s milk cheese and vanilla ice cream, herbaceous salads, and warming ratatouille. Single-note flower essences that are equal parts freshly vigorous and delicately blooming like violet and lilac.
Want more juicy cosmic insights and sensory explorations? Arrange an astrology reading or private event with Mojave Rising here or follow them on Instagram.
In the first installment of her new column, Ysanne Spevack shares a creamy faux Cappuccino recipe for you to sample some dreamy velvet beans vibes…
Like Jack’s magic beans in the fairytale, velvet beans (Mucuna pruriens in Latin) truly deliver. They’re one of the strongest herbal ingredients I use, and a favorite for total vibe-change. Pods that grow on trees in India, and used as an Ayurvedic medicine, they’ve been tried and tested over millennia, and are now available as an extract in the US, sold as a brown powder that’s water-soluble.
The main active compounds in velvet bean extract fall into two groups: antioxidants, and amino acids, of which the main one is L-dopa, and another is called trypatmine, for obvious reasons. Together, these phytochemicals work synergistically for neural health, and specifically relieve stress and melt our sense of boundaries. Perfect for Pisces season—the archetypal symbol of ego loss and dreams. There’s some research that links velvet beans to sexual health too, but that’s likely to be a result of their relaxing effect.
L-dopa is a precursor to dopamine, norepinephrine and adrenaline, which means it has a profound psychoactive effect. You can feel it working, stimulating a sense of dreamy deliciousness and allowing you a peak behind the veil of consciousness. If you’ve ever wanted to feel the grandeur of the Universe while you melt into your pillow, velvet bean extract is the high vibe ingredient for you. I recommend using it sparingly—a little goes a long way. Also if you’re feeling unstable, or if you’re pregnant, it’s best if you pass on this for now, as with anything psychoactive.
Here’s my recipe for a delicious hot ‘faux cappuccino’ that won’t buzz you like caffeine, and will guide you to feel a subtle oneness with the cosmos. It’s not a bedtime drink— the velvet bean stimulates adrenaline production. But it’s a fantastic way to space out with some music on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and swim in cosmic waters of the Milky Way…
The drink is comfortingly sweet, while the bitterness of the velvet bean and umami of the reishi are similar to coffee, hence the name. Nettles soothe the nerves, and keeps the velvet bean from being jarring while it takes you up a notch.
Imbibe to enjoy about a one hour of day-dreams, in a suitably Piscean way…
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Pisces Velvet Bean Cappuccino Recipe by The Conscious Cook
Makes one serving
Ingredients:
1 coffee mug filled with boiling water 1 nettle tea bag *1/8 tsp velvet bean extract *1 tsp powdered reishi mushroom *1 tsp tocotrienols 1 tsp raw unfiltered honey 1 tbs raw coconut oil
* Denotes ingredients that are available online at Highvibe.com
Method:
Infuse the nettle tea bag in the boiling hot water in a large mug by pouring the hot water onto the tea bag as soon as it’s boiled.
Cover the mug with a saucer or plate, and set aside to infuse for 5 minutes.
Measure the other ingredients into a high-speed blender.
Remove the cover and tea bag, and add the nettle tea to the blender.
Blend on low, bringing the speed up to high, and then switching the blender to the maximum setting.
Blend on high for about 30 seconds, to create froth.
Pour into a large mug, spooning the creamy froth out with a spatula.
Hold the cup with both hands as you take sips, and finish it with a teaspoon to enjoy all of the frothy, creamy goodness.
Finally, relax and allow your dreams to unfold as you swim into the universal cosmos.
