The Numinous

TIME FOR CHANGE: 10 SIGNS I WAS LIVING A LIE

Posted on by Victoria Cox

As Mercury goes retrograde, the coming three weeks are the perfect time for some life laundry. For Victoria Cox, this meant asking: “am I living a lie?” Artwork: Aneta Ivanova via Behance.net
Aneta Ivanova on The Numinous

It’s an unsettling feeling to look back on the last decade of your life, only to discover that you’ve been living a lie. No, I haven’t recently been arrested for identity theft nor do I want to be the next Caitlyn Jenner. What I mean by living a lie is this: upon looking back at the arc of my burgeoning adulthood, I was astounded to discover that the career choices I had made, had never, in fact, been the choices I wanted to make.

There was no gun being held to my head. I made these decisions entirely voluntarily. Succumbing to my own burning desire to please others, I began to emulate a path that would impress my father. Abandoning my creative desires, I launched headfirst into a career in law.

Essentially, I took on what had been one of his ambitions and pursued his goal for myself. All, I can see now, in the hope that he would love me just a little bit more. Of course I didn’t realize what I was up to until much later in life, that’s the power of the subconscious mind. But there were signs along the way, tiny whispers asking if this was truly what I wanted.

Ultimately, it was finally paying attention to these signs that opened my eyes to the fact I’d been faking it all along.

SADNESS: The first sign was the persistent, heavy sadness that was my constant companion. I spent so long convincing myself that I was doing the right thing that I simply chose to ignore it. I knew it wasn’t normal to feel this way, but it took me years to confront my sadness and ask myself that terrible question. The one you don’t want to ask because you already know you don’t want to hear the answer. “Why are you really doing this?”

FEAR: Then there was the fear – fear of making any changes to my life. So, cushioned by my regular paycheck, I chose to play it safe. I convinced myself that it was the fear of losing my job that kept me awake at night, when actually I was afraid of something completely different. I was afraid I was missing out on living MY life.

RESISTANCE: I had always wanted to be a writer, yet I never wrote. Instead of putting pen to paper and creating a story, I created a litany of excuses. I was too busy, too stressed and this was killing off any creative inspiration. What I was really doing was a classic case of self-sabotage; I was refusing to get out of my own way.

Aneta Ivanova on The Numinous

DISTRACTION: I would do anything to avoid facing up to the truth of my situation. Cue night after night when, instead of turning on my laptop to write, I poured myself a glass of wine and checked in to see what The Real Housewives were up to. Anything to divert myself from… myself.

EMOTIONAL GUIDANCE: Sensing my malaise, a friend suggested I try a meditation class. Once my monkey mind finally settled I discovered a sense of peace I hadn’t felt in years. Meditation began to show me the true purpose of emotions and how they can actually provide valuable guidance. Quieting my mind had highlighted the fact that anxiety and fear were my sole companions while I was at work. In stark contrast, I discovered that the only time I felt any semblance of joy was in a creative environment.

BOREDOM: Another sign that showed me I was living an inauthentic life was a constant sense of boredom. I was bored by my work and bored with life. I would plan vacation after vacation in the hopes of brushing up against some kind of enjoyment, but nothing excited me anymore. The world seemed to have become one, long, monotonous…nothing.

ILLNESS: Being stressed and unhappy takes its toll on the mind, and on the body. My body decided to give me a sign of its own making, a physical wake-up call. My skin reverted to its teenage years and broke out constantly. I had severe insomnia and my adrenals were burnt out. My body was essentially screaming at me to get my attention the only way it knew how, through sickness.

IDENTITY LOSS: Despite the fact that I was desperate to change my career I hid behind my profession. I used my identity as a lawyer to impress people, because I was too afraid to show them who I really was. Ironically I spent so long holding up this mask as a “successful lawyer” that it was no longer a mask. I had morphed into somebody that I didn’t want to be.

Aneta Ivanova on The Numinous

SELF-LOATHING: I was disgusted by the realization that I had let fear hold me back from pursuing my creative dreams. In an attempt to remove these loathsome thoughts circling around my mind, I began journaling every evening. A torrent of hateful words poured forth providing another sign I desperately needed before I could move forward. I now needed to forgive myself.

PERSPECTIVE: The act of writing out my deepest fears in my journal showed me that I was stuck in a victim mentality. Instead of throwing a 24-hour pity party, what I needed was a change in perspective. Why was I choosing to hide this experience in the Life Mistakes folder, when I could file it under Life Lessons instead? Looking at my situation from a fresh perspective showed me that my experience had actually created a swath of writing material. What if I chose to write about my story so that it could help others who were in the same boat?

I’m still a long way off from the writing career of my dreams but that’s the not the point. The point is that each step of my journey has shown me I was living life out of duty rather than desire; acting always to please others rather than pleasing myself.

I hid behind my fears because I didn’t want to face up to the fact that in order to follow my writing dreams, I had to let go of those parts of my life that no longer served me. Yet the very act of finally facing these fears gave me the permission I had been desperately seeking; the permission to pull off the mask of inauthenticity and show my real self to the world.

ON CLOUD NINE: 2016 NUMEROLOGY

Posted on by Felicia Bender

2016 numerology means we’ve entered a 9 Universal Year – where conclusions, letting go, surrender, loss, and transformation are key themes, says Felicia Bender.

2016 numerology on The Numinous

 

One of the reasons we simply can’t resist making New Year’s Resolutions is because we’re feeling a very real, very profound shift in energy from one year to the next. By the Numbers, it’s undeniable.

The number for each Universal Year is like the landscape or terrain we’re driving through all year, the state or country we’re driving through on our annual “road trip.” And everyone on the planet will be feeling the energy related to this particular number during the entire year.

You calculate the Universal Year by simply adding the numbers in the current year (in this case, 2016) together like this:

2016 = 2 + 0 + 1 + 6 = 9

So the 2016 numerology makes this a number 9 Universal Year.

All of us begin feeling this energy starting January 1, 2016 and it’ll end on December 31, 2016.

So what about this 9 Universal Year?

Close your eyes and think back to 2008 (global financial crisis, anyone?). What were we collectively doing then? The reason I ask is because together we’ll be closing out the cycle that started in 2008—meaning, we’ll be evaluating and wrapping up what we started during that particular year because it was a 1 Universal Year. The 1 Universal Year is the start of a cycle—all about new beginnings. 2016 is a 9 Universal Year, which is the end of a cycle—all about completions.

Everyone on the planet will experience a year where conclusions, letting go, surrender, loss, and transformation are key themes. We can feel this, can’t we? From world politics to the microcosmic detail of our personal lives, it’s simply not business as usual right now.

2015 was the beginning of an intensly transformational Universal Year cycle. I call it a three-year “push” time (the Universal Year Cycle 8-9-1) where all of us will be met with challenges forcing transformation—pushing our lives into the next level of development and evolution, personally and for the planet as a whole. I keep seeing end-of-year postings on social media about how people are wishing “good riddance to bad rubbish” to the year 2015. This year was a challenging and intense year all around.

2015 tested all of us in the realms of personal power—it insisted that we stand up, step into our empowerment, and get it together with the material aspects of our lives. It was a year for financial gain (or loss) and was quite demanding on our time and energy. Everything was amplified in 2015. We were all being tested (again and again and again) in order to clarify who we are and what we want in our lives. Then it was the time to follow that up with action – whether that meant leaving things that weren’t working for us, or expanding our scope, taking some calculated risks, and moving into the “real us” with decisive action.

2016 is not the time to push, push, push. It’s the time to go back to the future (so to speak) and take inventory of the past—make amends, forgive, say your good-byes, and let go.

This is the year for surrender. It’s truly the time to place the oars with which we’ve been furiously paddling our life’s boat and give them a rest—to settle back and go with the current. It’ll take us where we need to land—despite the discomfort (if not downright terror) of not knowing the final destination. After all, there might be some rapids, waterfalls, shallow points, and maybe even some leeches and alligators along the way!

Handing over control and trusting a Higher Power instead of clinging to our Individual Will is the ultimate challenge of the 9 Universal Year—while at the same time moving forward with right action. Surrendering doesn’t mean sitting around and waiting for stuff to happen. If we’re ready, willing, and able to let go and move into a new, more highly evolved state of being, then 2016 is the year where dreams can manifest instantly. When there is no resistance, the full force of transformation has nothing to collide against.

When this happens, the beauty is in the breakdown. The butterfly is released from the chrysalis and can express itself fully and completely. Just imagine the transformation that could occur if, collectively, we could let go of what is no longer serving us and create a new paradigm. That’s what 2016 offers—the supporting energy to get rid of the old and make room for the new. This will happen across the board – in the world political spectrum and in our daily personal lives.

On the other end of the spectrum, the destructive tendencies of the 9 energy have to do with stubbornly and myopically hanging on for dear life to everything from the past (the comfort zone residing in suspended animation) — like a mausoleum of our own making. The whole idea that everything was better “back in the day” can be the ultimate caveat to progressing forward.

Clinging to a nostalgic past is one aspect of 9 energy that keeps us wallowing in quicksand. And then we wonder why nothing’s moving forward and life is clunking along as if we’re still driving a Model T in the age of hovercraft.

The magic of the 9 Universal Year won’t be fully evident until the dust has settled and we collectively create new systems to replace the old, outdated, or demolished ones.

2016 will demand our unabashed trust that what’s going is meant to go, even when there’s nothing solidly tangible to replace it with yet. The experiences gleaned in 2016 are a catalyst for global change and transformation with a humanitarian focus. The vibration of the 9 is highly creative and I daresay the Arts will be instrumental in this global change and transformation we’re working toward.

The number 9 is an innately “spiritual” vibration and, when we experience it, the challenge is in embodying and acting upon the constructive elements of all the numbers. That’s a big order to fill!

So 2016 is prodding all of us to take the lead in our lives (1) using love and diplomacy (2). We will be offered opportunities to communicate with a sense of joyful self-expression (3) while using our good sense, setting up a plan, and following through with hard work (4). “Freedom” can sought with focused discipline (5) and we’ll need to pay special attention to our domestic relationships and take on some added responsibility (6). It’s also about delving into our spirituality (7) while taking charge of our material existence (8).  And then wrapping it all up in a humanitarian bow! (9)

MY MYSTICAL LIFE: DARING GREATLY, AND MY SOUL MISSION IN 2016

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

Daring greatly, a new favorite movie, some high-vibe gifts, a LOT of cosmic reading, and a 1/1 NYC tradition…

Ruby Warrington founder of The Numinous in her Yarnlight Collective healing scarf

 

:: MONDAY ::
In Berlin, celebrating Christmas #2 with my brother and his family (inc. my baby nephew Henry, see below!) Already deep into my internal review of 2015 – a majorly transitional year for me and pretty much everybody I know – I spent most of the time between swigs of gluhwein with my nose in Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly, which I have finally got around to reading since “daring greatly” is essentially what the lessons of 2015 have suggested I will be spending most of 2016 doing. A favorite take-away for you today – Brene’s definition of spirituality: “Not religiosity, but the deeply held belief that we are inextricably connected to one another by a force greater than ourselves – a force grounded in love and compassion.” So simple, so heart-shudderingly effective.

Me and Baby Henry
Me and Baby Henry

:: TUESDAY ::
Bagged an actual bone fide upgrade into business on the flight back to NYC! But then I should have seen it coming – I’d been seeing angel numbers all day. We even departed from gate 22 at Heathrow, the number for manifesting your highest ideals and desires 😉 I had been planning to use the flight to get back on top of my email inbox, but decided to kick back and enjoy the hospitality instead. Which meant discovering The End of the Tour, a film telling the story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace (Jason Segal). MUST SEE ALERT for some of the best quotes on celluloid about life, the Universe, and everything.

:: WEDNESDAY ::
Returned home to some bonus holiday gifts in the mail, woot! From Numinous contributor Wolf Sister, a dark and mysterious chunk of Nuummite crystal (a personal power stone for accessing inner gifts, um hello daring greatly) and a vial of her signature Wolf Juice crystal tincture. And from Yarnlight Collective designer Adam Jones, a healing energy-infused meditation shawl from his latest collection (see main image). Just perfect since one of my other 2016 intentions is to finally learn TM.

:: THURSDAY ::
With my mind on those intentions, I got stuck into the plethora of cosmic year-ahead reading material that had been landing in my inbox all week. Namely, Louise Androlia’s 2016 Tarotscopes; The Astro Twins 2016 Planetary Planner; Gala Darling’s Radical Self-Love Almanac; the new year ‘scopes from Chani Nicholas; Hannah Ariel’s new year mantra from our own weekly newsletter (sign-up in the side-bar); and Felicia Bender’s reading of 2016 as a Universal “9” year in numerology (check back here tomorrow to read her post). Phew that’s a LOT of information! And having crosschecked a lot of the info, for me so much of it comes back to one key theme – as summed up by my “Secret Soul Message” from Louise’s Tarotscopes: “It’s time to get super friendly with your fears” (a.k.a. daring greatly).

2016 tarotscopes by Louise Androlia on The Numinous

:: FRIDAY ::
That’s today, and here’s the plan: my husband (a.k.a. The Pisces) and I will be engaging in what’s become something of a 1/1 tradition since we moved to NYC four years ago – a four/five-hour mega-walk over the bridges and around the edges of Manhattan, talking out and writing down our intentions, hopes and fears for the new year and sending them into the Hudson river as we go. As well as the daring greatly, here are a few that have already come up for me this week:

Be the lynchpin in healing some of my family’s “stuff”
Get my US drivers license
Get coached
Forgive and accept my binge / purge personality
Go to Hawaii
Get back off sugar
Learn to take better selfies (see main pic)
Retrain my inner perfectionist to work for me instead of against me

How about you? For me, the new year isn’t about “wiping the slate clean” or a “new start,” but a man-made opportunity to check in with where I’m at on my journey and make any necessary adjustments to the co-ordinates. Happy sailing, tribe.

TAROTSCOPES: JANUARY 2016

Posted on by Louise Androlia

Cast by Louise Androlia using the Cosmic Tarot Deck.

Happy New Year! This month’s special edition Tarotscopes include your card and reading for January, PLUS a sneak peek from your Year Ahead 2016 Forecasts.

As a treasured reader of these scopes I’d like to offer you 10% off your 2016 Tarotscope using the code NUMILOVE2016. Download yours here!

Capricorn / Capricorn Rising :: Three of Wands

You are more than ready to dive into the space ahead of you, right? I’m excited to say that your January looks as though it will be off to a passionate and creative start. The key theme for this month in a social sense is collaboration and celebration – don’t feel that January has to be about the hard slog. Recognize that you are allowed to have fun on your day job.

On a personal level I feel as though you will probably start to see the rewards of what you’ve been working on over the past few months. At times it felt like maybe you were the only one who couldn’t get the hang of this ‘manifesting’ thing everyone is up to, but nope, the world is your oyster too babe! You are allowed to pat yourself on the back now, and proud of your achievements. And if something doesn’t show up, believe that it wasn’t meant for you. Sometimes we actually gain when it appears we’ve lost, because whatever it was wasn’t going to be for our highest good. What is present, is correct.

Your Year Ahead…
There is such a strong theme for you over the coming year, one of personal power, movement and victory! Which of course means that on the flip side, your job is to remember to stop and take a breather and accept rest when you can. This may well be your challenge, as it often is, to master the art of sensing in advance when you need to slow down – rather than actually reaching the point of burn out. I will leave this up to you to discover, but know that self-care does have to be a choice.

It seems as though the end of 2015 involved tying up a lot of loose ends for you, across the board. You got yourself clear on what wasn’t working, you stepped up to admit where you needed to make changes, and you accepted that things aren’t always in your control (or at least you kind of admitted that maybe they weren’t).

There is a lot to be celebrated and in order to notice these miracles, you are required to pay a little more attention to your day-to-day movements, and believe that there is possibly more magic in the subtleties of life than you first thought. Everything does not have to be black and white, life isn’t about winning or proving a point, and actually your intelligence is wasted when you don’t look outside the box.

Download your 2016 forecast here, and use the code NUMILOVE 2016 at checkout for a special 10% discount! You can also find Louise on Instagram @louniverse.

Aquarius / Aquarius Rising :: The Magician

Where are you going to place your will? What are you going to put your best energy in to? What are you holding yourself back from? What ideas have you dismissed to the shadows? What is your life force? This is a call back to your soul’s essence, the unique toolbox you arrived on Earth with, and the plan you came here to live out. So begin all of your endeavors for 2016 with the belief that you have everything you need – in fact “I have everything that I need” is your mantra for the coming weeks.

This is all positive ego energy, and I want you to work with it by owning your words and taking possession of your desires – especially by using your voice. Stand tall and accept complements, and proudly share what you are doing with others. Shred any last scraps of people pleasing tendencies you’ve been clinging to, and know that you are perfectly aligned for your year ahead.

Your Year Ahead…
You are set up to dive into a time of major expansion and new beginnings. Are you ready? I invite you to step into this new year with a strong intention to believe in everything about you and everything that you do. I know that sounds like a cliché but really it has to be a non-negotiable now. You are the only person that can renew your confidence; you will not find it outside of yourself. Over the coming months I feel that you have a stunning opportunity to awaken a new level of self worth and be totally surprised at how natural it feels. Um, that’s because you always were worth it, the search party can be called off!

I feel that any challenges will be around the concept of letting go – yes that old trick again, but with a stronger focus on how you perceive loss and failure. It In fact, I want you to chuck the word “failure” out of the dictionary along with any desire to constantly check what everyone else is doing and go into “compare and despair” mode. There is a natural flow to your life, and it’s completely unique to you. If you try and fit into someone else’s box it will NEVER work. It is pointless to try and be anything other than you.

With this in mind there is a wonderful spotlight on your talents, and for those of you who may be trying to find your “purpose” you might be relieved to discover that it doesn’t have to be an endless search and slog. Instead I invite you to bring yourself back to the present moment and start recognizing what you are naturally skilled at, and the curiosity you have for life and it’s lessons.

Download your 2016 forecast here, and use the code NUMILOVE 2016 at checkout for a special 10% discount! You can also find Louise on Instagram @louniverse.

Pisces / Pisces Rising :: Two of Wands

January suits you because it’s the perfect time to work on what you want to manifest over the coming months, and dreaming up your potential is always time well spent for you. Remember that manifesting = Intention + Action + Surrender, and that you are not required to put any of your dreams into a headlock.
This is also a great few weeks for thinking expansively across the board. Remember that knowledge is power, so if you want to discover something, don’t sit around waiting for it to present itself to you. Get curious and find out more.

You can think of this month as stepping through a doorway into a new home. What would you pack in your suitcases for the move, and what would you send out with the trash? Anything that feels too heavy to bring in, it’s time to let go and forgive. Know that you are clearing space for a grand adventure.

Your Year Ahead…
Grounding isn’t always your most practiced activity and this year I feel that you have a beautiful opportunity to actually get ROOTED in your experience. To be able to accept the material world and your place within it is an act of magic in itself. You see, the more that you welcome in the ground that you are standing on, the more you will trust it. It can be easy for you to reach outside of your self to put blame on things and people for what you are experiencing, but with these new roots attached you can discover that you always have empowered input to add to the story.

The human world may indeed bring its challenges but that’s okay and also normal – after all it is your home. I feel that you will be much less inclined to run away from people and situations this year and in fact be quite excited about rising up to meet them. The act of showing up, accepting where you are and then working with it produces more positive results than you could have ever dreamed.

All your miracles and magic this year are going to arise out of the unknown, so of course a grand theme will be a constant willingness to move forwards and let go (yeah that again!) None of us are designed to stay walking around in our past. Life is made up of a series of moments and energies that all hold hands to make a cycle. The unknown deserves your love and attention – and also your admiration. Go forth into tomorrow knowing that it isn’t a trap – it’s your rightful place and exactly where you are supposed to be.

Download your 2016 forecast here, and use the code NUMILOVE 2016 at checkout for a special 10% discount! You can also find Louise on Instagram @louniverse.

Aries / Aries Rising :: Six of Cups

The year kicks off with you feeling like you really want to assess the past year or so. This is totally okay, as long as you do it with a loving eye. For instance, casting your eyes back and picking out your perceived failures will not bring any great energy into the space ahead. Nor will comparing yourself to your peers and other people you choose to decide have it more “sorted” than you. Instead, this is a time to outrageously love recent events and remember that the past is best used as a teacher. Absolutely no time has been wasted and instead so much wisdom has been gained. You now have a whole wealth of knowledge that you get to play out in the days ahead of you – isn’t that kind of cool?

Another way to use the past in a positive way is via sweet nostalgia, the really good kind where you look back and feel gooey inside. I feel that within some of these happy memories, there are some magical tidbits too. It might be that you recall a great piece of advice or discover that you have finally kicked an old habit. Now is also the perfect time to request connection from loved ones who have passed on, so pay attention for winks from the spirit world.

Your Year Ahead…
It felt like 2015 was a really significant year of stepping up a level, whether that was personally, professionally, or both. Now, the task is to ground everything and learn to live within that space you have created. On that subject you will be frequently called to connect back to the faith you have in your journey, to choose NOT to mistrust your choices, and to really believe that magic is something you are completely connected to.

It’s clear that you will be dealing with a lot of people’s opinions, whether personally or related to how you connect to the world as a whole, and your way of navigating through this successfully is based on the relationship that you have with your self. I feel as though if you constantly work on communicating at a higher level, you will be able to step back from internalizing any anger and frustration. Instead you can work on channeling it into having confidence in your abilities and towards creating a strong community around you.

You are someone who always has the option to be a leader, and so it’s important to be solid within your own skin so that you can be received in the way you desire. There is nothing more empowering than really feeling like you’re able to manage the twists and turns of life, and of course – YOU CAN! Never forget that you are perfectly designed to be you.

Download your 2016 forecast here, and use the code NUMILOVE 2016 at checkout for a special 10% discount! You can also find Louise on Instagram @louniverse.

Taurus / Taurus Rising :: Three of Pentacles

There is a strong teaching element coming in for you at the start of the year, and I have no doubt you may be quite in demand as soon as the month kick off. Know that teaching and learning is a constantly evolving cycle – there is always knowledge to be gained and there is always wisdom to share. It feels as though you are able to be of service based upon wisdom that you have received from your experiences. It is a powerful thing to be able to give someone a “me too” moment, so know that even just sharing your story is a powerful act of healing in itself.

I feel you will also thrive from sharing ideas with another person or a group; it’s easy to feel stagnant when everything is just in your head. Having a “2016 brainstorm” exercise with a few friends should help to shift a few cobwebs and no doubt bring a few clarity-charged “ah-ha” moments your way.

Your Year Ahead…
This is a year ruled by higher learning and passionate action. I feel as though you have a huge opportunity to take that leap of faith you’ve been building up to for a while. You are also being uprooted from your earth element for a while and encouraged to move forward based upon intuition, empowerment and desire. It feels so good for you to accept these parts of yourself willingly and freely, without needing proof of what the outcome might be.

You will discover that empowerment comes hand in hand with how often you are able to accept your present moment. Every time you allow yourself to LISTEN and be guided. And when you finally power on with those decisions that you’ve been wavering on. It may feel wild at first to get used to perhaps a more fast-paced energy than last year, but do not be fooled into thinking that speed equals potential downfall. If Commit to trusting your intuitive feelings about your actions, and you will always be moving along the correct path for this moment in time.

Many things are going to return to a sense of fun and playfulness, alongside a nice celebratory energy. Your experience is of value and deserves to be nurtured. You really don’t have time anymore to be fighting against yourself OR to be blaming others for what you have the power to change and create. In any area where you are holding on soooo tightly, just start to allow yourself to shake it all loose and surrender to a more beneficial flow. Nothing can grow or succeed when it’s being held in a chokehold, and that includes you.

Download your 2016 forecast here, and use the code NUMILOVE 2016 at checkout for a special 10% discount! You can also find Louise on Instagram @louniverse.

Gemini / Gemini Rising :: Two of Cups

Your year begins with an air of romance; how does that feel to you? Think about old Hollywood-style swoon energy, and how you might be able to invite it into your days. This doesn’t just have to be a feeling that comes into your relationships, how about a love affair with your life in general? Love creates a perfect balance, and if you can infuse huge amounts of compassion and kindness into all areas of your life, you may just receive a love note from the Universe right back.

On the people front, this is a call to kick off the year with as many meetings with those high on your nearest and dearest list as possible. There’s no point trying to force anything, trust that what is right for you will feel easy, and games and dramatic theatrics will not bring you much but frustration. I feel a lovely leap of faith energy entering the scene too, so maybe it’s time to act on that healthy crush. Even if things don’t turn out how you think they might, you still have an opportunity to be surprised.

Your Year Ahead…
This feels like a very empowered time for you and definitely features a mastery of all that has been brewing in recent years. I can see many cycles being completed and created as you suddenly become aware of wisdom gained and lessons learned. It’s a joy to be able to finally see the circles completing and regenerating, and surely a great relief too. I encourage you to really take responsibility for your own adventure and be wide-eyed and willing to receive the unknown.

Your challenges will most likely be within the realms of showing up for your empowered self and not getting overwhelmed in the face of new responsibilities. You may find that it’s difficult to step fully into your brightest self however, and feel tempted to remain just slightly in the shadows. This way of working probably won’t be beneficial for you anymore, especially any of you hiding in the spiritual closet. It’s time to be very sincere about being YOU and all that it entails.

There is also a wonderful synchronistic energy hovering over your life this year, especially in regards relationships and expressions of love. Experiment with being insanely open to the idea of magic and miracles, you know, just in case they might be real. Just kidding, OF COURSE they’re real! I feel you have an opportunity to be really wowed, so do as much as possible to get yourself out of tunnel vision mode and into the energy of I’M READY, BRING IT ON.

Download your 2016 forecast here, and use the code NUMILOVE 2016 at checkout for a special 10% discount! You can also find Louise on Instagram @louniverse.

Cancer / Cancer Rising :: Seven of Wands

It’s time to truly release any expectations you’ve layered upon yourself. Whether it’s wishing that you could be less “weird,” that you had all the answers, or simply trying to force yourself to be “better.” Switch that pressure cooker off. The next few weeks are in places for you to set up a new and improved, non-negotiable practice of self-kindness. You do not need to prove yourself to anyone else, including yourself.

You also don’t need to fight in order to be heard. The best way to feel as though you’re able to express yourself clearly and get heard is to simply and fully embody everything you know. The idea of “walking your talk” is powerful for you this month. You don’t need to justify why you’re living your life the way you are. If it feels good for you, then GOOD, and if not – you always have the power to make new choices. Nothing is ever set in stone and there is always room to stretch, so make use of it.

Your Year Ahead…
Okay, so last year brought rather an overload of the fire element. Many of you were fire starting, but equally you really felt that burn, and that burnout. If you are nervously standing at the beginning of 2016 thinking OMG WHAT’S NEXT, you are not alone. This year is about settling the whirlwind you’ve created and about absorbing your ideas and then expressing them in a true and embodied way. You are you and no one else can do this job, your days are itching to be worked with. It’s time to get fully in your body and realize you can make it all work.

It’s also up to you to clear out stagnant energy within you, as well as accepting your own vulnerability as something to be embraced and nurtured. In order to receive what you really need, you must be willing to surrender up what you “think” you “want” – and that includes letting go of habits and thought patterns you might be hanging on to. This is certainly not the year of the grudge.

It’s a year of solidarity rather than illusions and delusions. The EARTH element wants to meet you now, and the present moment totally wants to be your BFF! Flapping around in the past or the future just isn’t your game anymore. It really is time to say a sincere hello to right now. You weren’t designed to be anyone other than you, so don’t wish away your experience or believe that everyone else has got it “sorted.” There is no such thing as normal, and your light bulb can only be switched on by you.

Download your 2016 forecast here, and use the code NUMILOVE 2016 at checkout for a special 10% discount! You can also find Louise on Instagram @louniverse.

Leo / Leo Rising :: Three of Cups

I feel like many of you were working so intensely at the end of last year, that you’re really ready for a break. And there’s nothing wrong with taking a slow start to the year, there’s no need to catapult yourself into chaos – so how about stealing some of that holiday spirit and infusing it into the whole month ahead?

There’s also a great emphasis on socializing this month, especially in terms of supporting the talents of those you most cherish and adore. Sometimes it can be really easy to get jealous of your friends, can’t it? However, know that whatever anyone else is doing has no ability to dim your light. If you rise up above those green eyes and really shout loud and proud about your friends then you will notice that you instantly feel a little more hopeful about your own endeavors. So how about hosting a start of the year ritual with your favorite people, and appreciating each other wildly.

Your Year Ahead…
There is a huge amount of softening to come over the course of 2016, and I love how this can really help you thrive in your day-to-day life. Naturally as a fire-starter you are used to working with a ‘GO GO GO’ energy, and it feels as though last year really was an example of that. If you are feeling a little exhausted and checked out, then it’s only a reflection of how much you put in. Something to be excited about, but perhaps also a call for a higher level of self care.

Over the course of the year I invite you now to really inhabit the more embodied and confident space that you have created for yourself recently, and discover that there are many different types of “action.” This type of settling is a sort of marinating of everything that has happened over the past couple of years, and it comes with a lot of celebration. I love your cards for this year because they are so watery and gentle – oh and very magical too. There is a real contrast to what came up in 2015 and so I hope that you will embrace this with open arms.

In regards to how you prepare to dive in, it’s wise to be intelligent and intuitive about where you place your will, your drive, and your power. Your will is precious and so is your time. You have a very lit up year ahead and it won’t serve you to push for anything that just isn’t working for you! I know this is hard for you, but letting go and letting be really will create more magic in your life. Ignore the signposts for self-sabotage and walk that path that feels good, trusting it leads in the perfect direction.

Download your 2016 forecast here, and use the code NUMILOVE 2016 at checkout for a special 10% discount! You can also find Louise on Instagram @louniverse.

Virgo / Virgo Rising :: Two of Swords

The year starts with a few major decisions to be made. These might relate to really physical things in regards to work or your living situation, but also maybe subtler choices about your own wellness and spirit. In times of overwhelm it can be easy to think that you “can’t” make a decision, which is just because anxiety often blindfolds your intuition. Of course it will still help to weigh up the pros and cons of a situation, but returning to your gut feeling is always the way to get to the heart of what you really want and need.

I also want you to consider the possibility that you aren’t really supposed to know the outcome of the situation you find yourself in. The Universe doesn’t reveal all at once, and the unknown is supposed to be a surprise. Your job is to drag yourself back into your body, to the RIGHT NOW, and ask yourself: “What is the most loving thing I can do for myself right now?” Then, go and do that thing!

Your Year Ahead…
Over the course of the year I want you to constantly check in as to whether you’re actually in the present moment. This is the only place that’s real; it’s the only place that is alive, active, and empowered. In fact, the present moment is really the VERY best friend of a Virgo, if you are willing to say hello. You love results and so can be quick to fly away into the future, planning, scheming and sometimes controlling. It can also be very easy to charge back into the past to find ways to explain what you are currently experiencing. The past and the future have their benefits, but nothing actually gets DONE there. Everything that is active has to happen in the now.

Ruling themes for 2016 center around a balance of giving and receiving. This includes a very big shouty sign pointing to SELF CARE, on repeat, and also includes releasing resentments you are holding towards yourself and others. There is also a chance to allow a softening of any walls you have built around yourself, knowing that you don’t have to close up in order to protect your energy and your boundaries.

Change is also on your side and a surrender practice will make a massive difference to any part of your life that you feel has you in a controlling headlock. Remember that letting go doesn’t mean you will be out of control! All that happens is that you hit a pressure release button, and instead of feeling like you’re fighting the tide, a gentle sense of flow starts to creep back in. Things are able to just be, rather than be forced.

Download your 2016 forecast here, and use the code NUMILOVE 2016 at checkout for a special 10% discount! You can also find Louise on Instagram @louniverse.

Libra / Libra Rising :: Ten of Pentacles

As the year opens up and invites you in, I want you to think about the footprint you’d like to leave upon the days ahead of you. This is a call to action and a call to being of service. Who would you like to help and how would you like to be guided? I feel that you can leap straight into the role of mentor, but also that you will find benefit in receiving some lessons yourself. If you’ve had it on your mind to contact a coach or a business advisor then what better possible time than right now? We all need help and if you’re always the one giving it, then you may find the scale gets a little unbalanced.

This is also the perfect time to jump right in with all your plans of action and get your goals set. Goals, by the way, are only helpful if you allow them room to stretch. Never, I repeat, never set a goal with a punishment attached to it. Always allow things the potential to change and flow, as this helps invite opportunities and also detaches you from any belief in the word failure.

Your Year Ahead…
2016 launches with a much higher energy than you may have felt over recent months. In fact some of you may be excited to leave 2015 and it’s deep-diving cycles behind. I hope though that you can also appreciated that your challenges were in place to lead you to higher ground.

There is a beautiful harmony between order, intuition and wild adventure to life now, and I feel you have the option to dip in and out of these energies throughout the year. Each area has potential for highs and lows and so your power will be grounded in your ability to really trust in the present moment. The fire element is present to remind you that magic is found through creativity and exploration, the earth element to help you step back from chaos and allow a sweet surrender of control. The water element is also constantly at play as you realize you can live and take action via your inner knowing.

Your confidence is on the up, and will get sturdier and sturdier every time you realize that life is not about approval. Seeking validation from others is a spinning circle going nowhere fast, and you just aren’t interested in that way of thinking anymore (right?) Now is the time to really show up and accept who you are and where you are, and in turn be excited for the days ahead. To have faith in your journey, even with it’s twists and turns, is an act of empowerment after all.

Download your 2016 forecast here, and use the code NUMILOVE 2016 at checkout for a special 10% discount! You can also find Louise on Instagram @louniverse.

Scorpio / Scorpio rising :: Queen of Swords

Do you own your story right now? In fact, have you even clarified what your story is? Your story is the life that you have lead so far, and its value is the wisdom is has gifted you of how to be of service to yourself and others. You have been given certain experiences very specifically to allow you to help others this month, and onwards throughout the year. In order to not feel weighted down by this web you’ve woven, I want you to mix the time spent bringing forth your truth with a lot of self gratitude and care.

Our personal lessons in self-awareness never end, there is always something new for us to discover and always-another can of worms to open. I want you to be also extremely aware of any comparison of your story to others. I see this in particular relation to a sense of time running away from you. Comparison is the thief of joy, they say. Don’t join the wrong party.

Your Year Ahead…
Last year I encouraged you to shake yourself into an expansive state of mind and remind yourself what FUN really meant to you. Did you notice yourself making any shifts in this department? As the deep sea diver of the zodiac it can be easy to think that the light hearted stuff is way too shallow for you, when you could instead be really getting to grips with everyone’s darkness. But balance is always key and it is important for you to create a harmony between your desire to be truly “seen” and a place where you can outwardly express yourself creatively and passionately.

As 2016 begins, I feel that you will be bringing a lot of chaotic energy down to earth – quite a relief, especially if you ended last year like many people with an abundance of overwhelm. You have over recent months been involved a lot of collaborating and manifesting, harnessing your creativity and experimenting with what worked and didn’t work for you. This year the focus is on bringing all of those discoveries back to the present moment and then working out the best way to manage everything to suit you in the most beneficial way.

I also want you to make this year about empowering your own individual sense of magic and the unknown. There is no longer space for you to be in a place of neediness about the future, or for you to demand that the Universe listens to you! Yes, things do happen as a result of external circumstances, but if you’re constantly blaming the external for your experience than you are choosing to give away your power. You deserve to feel the wonder of your own embodiment and now is as good a time as any!

Download your 2016 forecast here, and use the code NUMILOVE 2016 at checkout for a special 10% discount! You can also find Louise on Instagram @louniverse.

Sagittarius / Sagittarius Rising :: Four of Pentacles

You don’t have to do everything at once. It may seem like it, since you have soooo much to do right? But the message is to just start somewhere, not everywhere. If you get your claws too deep in too many things then it may be easy to slip into controlling mode – and didn’t you just do a lot of work on letting go? So, yeah, just go slowly, but still surely in the direction you have set with your intentions, and allow things to play out, with your guidance, but still some breathing room.

You also may want to take this start of the year energy to do some financial check-ins, again without a sense of panic. Try and take on a compassionate viewpoint as far as money is concerned, and allow some give and take. As much as you can overspend perhaps you can also hold back? And if you are afraid to spend some of the money that you have so carefully earned, know that you are allowed to give back to yourself.

Your Year Ahead…
Looking back over the past few years there has been this gentle wave of barriers crashing down and a softer energy moving in. You’ve stepped much more into your feelings and your intuition in ways that perhaps even you wouldn’t have predicted. As a sign that’s very much aware of the journeying of life, it is fitting that you constantly remind yourself of how your own personal cycles take shape.

You definitely have strong feelings of change around you, but this feels more like renewal and reactivating. The changes don’t seem to carry any drama, in fact your energy feels extremely loving and joyous and it seems that if anything your biggest challenge will be learning to accept feelings of happiness and stability. It sounds strange but often they are the things that scare us the most, the idea that perhaps you are fully equipped for your journey and you do have everything you need. Who knew?

I also encourage you to really embrace your weird and the woo woo this year, even the more skeptical of you. This can come by realizing that you don’t have to do things like anyone else, and that your spiritual practice is something that you can totally create yourself. You are the guru in your journey and the fun comes from experimenting with what feels magical to you.

Finally, I would love for you to remember that softening isn’t about becoming powerless or weak. If you keep building up on the self-trust that you have been working on over the last year then you will be more confident in all your endeavors. You’ve got this.

Download your 2016 forecast here, and use the code NUMILOVE 2016 at checkout for a special 10% discount! You can also find Louise on Instagram @louniverse.

BEST OF 2015: THE NUMINOUS YEAR IN REVIEW

Posted on by The Numinous

So many fantastic contributions from the Numinati this year! Here’s a month-by-month run down of some of our favorites in a special best of 2015 review…

JANUARY :: WHAT IS DHARMA? THE JOY OF SERVICE AS LIFE PURPOSE
Author: Naomi Costantino / Artwork: Erin Petson

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FEBRUARY :: FASHION DESIGNER TAROT
Words: The New Age Hipster / Image: Alexandro Palombo

Karl Lagerfeld by aleXsandro Palombo featured on TheNuminous.net

 

MARCH :: THIS ONE TIME, WHEN I WENT TO SHAMAN SCHOOL…
Words: Wolf Sister / Image: Karolina Daria Flora

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APRIL :: SEXUAL HEALING (A.K.A. FINDING F***ING ENLIGHTEMNENT)
Words: Hanna Bier / Artwork: Romain Gorisse

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MAY :: 20 THINGS I LEARNED AT CRYSTAL SCHOOL
Words: Ruby Warrington / Artwork: Karina Eibatova

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JUNE :: INSIDE CAITLYN JENNER’S BIRTH CHART
Words: Kimberly Peta Dewhirst / Image: Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair

Image: Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair

 

JULY :: HOW TO CAST A MONEY SPELL
Words: Nabeel Afasr

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AUGUST :: TAKE A LOVER WHO LOOKS AT YOU LIKE MAYBE YOU ARE MAGIC
Words: Ellie Burrows / Portrait: Mikal Marie

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SEPTEMBER :: HOW TO NAVIGATE YOUR SPIRITUAL ROADMAP
Words: Shaheen Miro / Images: Benoit Paille

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OCTOBER :: HOW TO WORK WITH EACH MOON PHASE
Words: Hannah Ariel

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NOVEMBER :: PROTECT YOURSELF FROM VAMPIRE LOVERS
Words: Alexandra Roxo, Natalia Leite, and Cat Cabral / Artwork: Pa-kwan Promsri

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DECEMBER :: THE ART OF SACRED ADORNMENT
Words: Kitty Cavalier / Photography: Anna Dabrowska / Illustration: Mara Gonzalez Telman

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AQUARIAN ALCHEMY: NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS FOR THE NOW AGE

Posted on by Fern Olivia

In the Age of Aquarius, your New Year resolutions are about accepting your role in working towards a new Earth, says Fern Olivia. Artwork: Christine Belanger

Aquarian assignment for the now age kundalini yoga on The Numinous

“The Age of Aquarius will be the Age of experience, in which people of experience will be liked, respected, worshipped, talked to, and understood.” – Yogi Bhajan, Sensory System of the Aquarian Age, August 1, 2000

The Earth rotates on an axis and the line going through the center of the earth has a slight wobble to it, which happens about once every 24,000 years. “This cycle has been broken into 12 parts associated with the 12 astrological signs, based on which constellation the axis is wobbling towards. From 0 A.D. to the present we have been in the Age of Pisces. For the next 2000 years we will be in the Aquarian Age. We have been in the transition from the Piscean Age to the Aquarian Age for the last 50 years. The official beginning of the Aquarian Age is November 11, 2011.” – 3HO

And every person on planet Earth has been and will be affected by this shift.

So what does this mean for us and our New Year resolutions, Numinous beings?

During this time, our life lessons and assignments will test the development of our sensory system, which essentially is the development of our creative self. As my teacher Guru Jagat explains it, to connect to “the sublime sensory self concept” in the Aquarian Age, we need to fully understand both our abilities and our strengths.

Think about the sensory system as an open circuit; open enough to circulate energy through it and experience the world. Being “open” allows us to move through the world in an inspired way, but also as a Warrior Saint – so we’re not just being open and loving, but living with the conscious intention to be brave and stand in our highest truth.

Seen in this way, the Aquarian Age is asking us to lead and inspire and develop ourselves in a way that will blaze a trail for the next evolution of humankind. And having been birthed at this moment in time makes this our divine destiny.

As such, we have all been given assignments of the Aquarian Age, designed to help make our lives more easeful. Accept these assignments, and we will excel in our work and our relationships, and manifest everything meant for our destiny, so we can play our part in healing the suffering on this planet.

In my work with clients on lifestyle design and conscious communication, I have noticed three main assignments that keep showing up. I’ve also accepted these assignments in my own life and have done years of work – deep introspection, kundalini yoga, and meditation – to strengthen my sensory system and radiant body.

The result: Magic. Miracles. Manifestation.

The sooner we all recognize these lessons and stop the patterns of self-sabotage that may have been deeply engrained in our subconscious, perhaps even handed down through our lineage, we can move forward and live a beautifully radiant, Numinous life.

:: THREE KEY ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE AQUARIAN AGE ::

1) Embracing Self Love, Self Worth, and Self Respect
“The fact is, there is nothing more beautiful, more worthy, or more conscious than you. The time has come for self-value. And the question is not: ‘To be or not to be.’ The statement is: ‘To be, to be.’ ‘I am, I AM.’ – Yogi Bhajan

For years, I struggled with an autoimmune hypothyroid condition that resulted in chronic fogginess, weight gain, puffiness and all-over yuckiness – and as a result, felt broken, unsexy, unworthy, and insecure in my relationships and in my career.

Finally, my mentors and dear friends Elena Brower and Donnalynn Civello asked me: “Why are you sabotaging yourself? You are pure light. If only YOU could see you like everyone else sees you.”

BOOM. That hit home for me. I realized I had to stop giving up my power by calling myself “broken” and acting “insecure.”

In any situation, we have the ability to respond in two ways.

A. With fear, judgement, and self-doubt
B. With self-love, self-worth, and fearless creative expression

We absolutely need to choose the latter.

It is our responsibility (ability to respond) to show up and step up, to open ourselves up to receiving abundance and prosperity (pro spirit – living in alignment with our spirit). We can only live in this way when we fully accept ourselves and get out of our own way.

It is our responsibility to this planet.

2) Living with Integrity and Authenticity
“Those who hustle and hassle and move and want will suffer. They will not get what they want. Now the time has come that we will have a meditative mind to wait and see what comes to us. Our minds will direct us to work toward the right channels. And we will meet the right people.” – Yogi Bhajan

Our work will thrive when we are in alignment with our divine truth. When we lead with our purpose, our dharma, inspiring people, positive experiences, and abundant wealth will naturally flow to us.

I learned this lesson when I was working in finance and my health was suffering, as my Hashimoto’s Hypothyroid symptoms were at their peak. I felt like a zombie sleepwalking in a life that wasn’t mine. It was a low vibration situation, and the people I attracted in my life were on a similar path – everyone around me complained about the hamster wheel they were on, yet no one was consciously leaping off.

I knew I had a bigger purpose on this planet than entering data into spreadsheets, and I was ready to change; I was fed up with the constant complaining, the toxic, superficial conversations, and widespread scarcity mindset.

When I left my corporate career and began my spiritual path as a healer, I found the transition to be easeful and seamless. Everyone around me was utterly shocked – but I was not surprised. I have been guided by my intuition, so it feels natural that opportunities just seem to magically show up around me. I have a daily meditation practice where I don’t simply silence my mind. Instead, I listen, I download information that guides me on my path and leads me to prosperity. I am guided.

We all are.

When it feels like we are continuously hitting walls, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves whether we are truly doing what feels authentic. Anytime the answer is “no” (be honest!) we must re-evaluate our situation and project forward with integrity.

When we recognize patterns of jealousy, competition and scarcity, we immediately acknowledge these feelings with the ability to reprogram our thoughts, shifting to compassion and gratitude.

When we lead our lives with truth and dignity, the Universe shows up with offerings of wealth and abundance. We no longer have to be victim to the scarcity mindset that there will never be enough. There is always enough for those who are doing spiritual work, for those living in alignment with their true purpose.

In the Aquarian Age, it can be no other way.

3) Communication and Self-Expression in Relationships
“We will master ourselves through our service, through our character, through our commitment, and through the most powerful thing that we have—our grace. Our individual grace is the most wanted quality today. And our projection, which will give us satisfaction, fulfillment, and exaltation, is our nobility. We will act nobly, graciously, kindly, and compassionately. These are our essential features.” – Yogi Bhajan

Being a Sensory Human in the Aquarian Age will affect all of our personal and professional relationships. In this Age, we are tested to recognize patterns of co-dependency, insecurity, and mistrust.

For six years, I was in a relationship with a man whom I loved very deeply, but our relationship could not work because we weren’t evolving together and I found myself scared to speak up and communicate what I needed in the relationship.

I never told him how I was feeling, or how his words or actions hurt me, until finally they weighed me down so much that my body got very, very sick. Why? I was simply too scared to speak up. Frightened to the point where I would sacrifice my own needs because I didn’t want to risk rejection, judgment, or an argument.

The fear of asking for what I needed in relationships, essentially holding my fear inside, brought stress to my whole glandular system, and when I don’t release that stress by speaking freely, the blockages bring up my autoimmune hypothyroid symptoms.

I thought I had a pattern dating “emotionally unavailable” men. It was not them who were unavailable, however. It was my OWN voice, which I was too afraid to speak. I never asked for what I wanted – when it came to intimacy, emotional support, or simply what I needed in order to feel heard and loved.

Energetically we are so aligned with our emotions that our physical bodies can either hurt or heal depending how we are living our life. Just think about how chronic stress can affect our health. The same concept holds true for the inability to express ourselves – creatively in our work, honesty with our business partners or clients, or in our relationships.

When Sensory Human beings meet, the attraction is timeless, limitless, and forever. Relationships that will thrive in the Aquarian Age are productive and free of guilt. These are relationships formed and sustained with sincerity, with conscious communication, with integrity.

Our work in the Aquarian Age is deep.

We must remember our worth, our responsibility to our integrity, and communicate consciously with all we come into contact with.

And as we strengthen our sensory system, our full expression of our creative self, we can ease the suffering on this planet. So we create a new society, a new humanity that is filled with love instead of fear. Ease instead of worry. Abundance instead of scarcity.

Connect with Fern Olivia and receive your Radiance Blueprint, a guided meditation journey at FernOlivia.com

PEACE ON EARTH: A PRAYER FOR THE PLANET

Posted on by The Numinous

Recorded for The Numinous in August 2015, during Guru Jagat’s RaMa Glastonbury Retreat, Rebecca Campbell‘s Prayer For The Planet is a chanting meditation designed to raise our collective vibration and send peace to the world. Visuals: Christel Chaudet

Mother Earth doesn’t need us in order to survive but we need Her.

After launching my book Light Is the New Black last summer, I found myself feeling exhausted and depleted. No amount of meditation or Netflix marathons could fill up my well. And when I listened, what I heard was my soul was calling me to return to the mystical land of Avalon (in the UK’s Glastonbury) to be nurtured by Mother Earth. It didn’t make sense at the time, but knowing my intuition when I hear it I cleared my over-spilling diary, packed a bag and set off – for what would become a magical mystery tour of the region’s ancient sacred sites.

24 hours later I found myself laying star shaped in the long grass and roses of the Chalice Well Gardens. My body felt replenished, as my own well filled to the soundtrack of the red springs bubbling eternal from the depths of Mother Earth. And just ten minutes later, while back in my B & B playing kundalini mantras, there was a knock at my door.

I opened it to find a white-clad yogi standing there, asking me if I was here for the RaMa retreat starting the next day. “I must be,” I thought, and soon found myself joining a group of 30 yogis (including the Numinous’ Ruby Warrington, Guru Jagat and Madeline Giles) chanting our way around the sacred sites of England (more on this here).

The magical thing about returning to sacred lands our soul once trod is that something is unlocked, not just in ourselves but in the land too. It’s as if the Earth has called us back to remind us of things once forgotten.

I realized this visiting a Vesica Pisces crop circle near Avebury. The moment I stepped inside, it I was overwhelmed by an sense of being held. It was subtle yet extremely significant and powerful. As the group formed a circle in the center of the sacred symbol, it was as if Mother Earth was welcoming us into her arms, rocking us back to a place of deep receiving, healing and surrendering. As we began to chant I hit record on my iPhone, knowing that this moment was not only for those of us who had physically journeyed there.

And so I offer this sacred chant up to you. May it soften your heart to receive all of the love, healing and wisdom needed as you navigate the next portal of your journey. For as we each soften, awaken and heal, our magnificent planet does too.

FEEL YOURSELF: READING FOR THE FULL MOON IN CANCER

Posted on by Hannah Ariel

The Full Moon in Cancer is inviting us to feel our way home…as we simultaneously step into brave new world, says Hannah Ariel.

Reading for the Full Moon in Cancer by Hannah Ariel on The Numinous Christmas Day 2015

“Like great works, deep feelings always mean more than they are conscious of saying. Great feelings take with them their own Universe, splendid or abject, they light up with their passion an exclusive world.” – Albert Camus

If you feel like you’re having an existential crisis – hang on a minute. If you feel like you’re feeling too much to put into words, that’s okay, be still inside and keep quiet for a while. If you feel like you are bursting at the seams to say something – maybe it’s time to say it!

And if you feel like you are opening up to feelings you’ve never felt before – say hello to a Full Moon in Cancer that began as a New Moon in Sagittarius. (And if you feel nothing, make sure you aren’t somewhere hiding in a corner, in total denial of what’s happening in your life right now!)

Astrologically, December has been a month of shifting our long-standing perceptions as a result of more expansive experiences in our lives; experiences that have re-defined our purpose here on Earth; experiences that shook us right off the branch we were clinging to for dear life; experiences that have left us here, now, with an opportunity to become more emotionally rooted in what is TRUE for us personally.

Just think for a moment – the constellation of Cancer is ruled by the Moon, which rules over how we experience our greatest, biggest FEELINGS, our deepest subconscious habituations. It is where we find our sense of belonging, our ability to be receptive, and our ability to establish a connection with our sensitivity.

Essentially the Moon is HOME, and in its full creative potential in Cancer – so even if it feels like you can’t recognize the territory this Sagittarius New Moon carved out for you, call on this energy now. It is time to let go of whatever is keeping you from feeling at home within your own life.

For a Full Moon in Cancer is pure maternal energy. This Full Moon is here to nurture our future development, by feeding us just what we need. Like the tide, she guides us with a subtle body of heavenly energy, helping us know how to act, when to re-act, and when to go with the flow with life.

Allow this to be a sweet and deep and personal experience, that may begin with a welling up of sentiments. Sentiments, perhaps, that you need to let go of. This may involve tears. It may involve laughter. It may involve silence. Whatever this Full Moon in Cancer brings forth in you as she rises to her full expression, feel the protective flow of energy the Universe is offering, and just a few days after Winter Solstice.

The Solstice is the exact moment where the Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest from the Sun. It is the longest night of the year, and without awareness, it can potentially be a time where we feel as if we’ve lost our “truth north,” or guiding light. As the Earth turns now, we’re being pulled to a place where only karmic memory can remind us of our next move.

The Full Moon in Cancer IS karma. Its light is a reflection of the Sun in Capricorn, on its way to its annual death/rebirth date with Pluto in the same sign. We are being asked to let go of the old and birth something new. It is within this alchemy that destiny will do its best work. Feel this. Find whatever it is that brings a strong sense of being peacefully in the right place, at the right time, within yourself, ready to nurture your future.

No matter what kind of Sagittarian adventure you’ve been on the past two weeks, it’s time to come home to yourself and your inner journey, and experience true emotional re-calibration. Sure, we’ve had our eyes opened to fresh new visions. But how can we move into these realities without connecting to the reality of our… FEELINGS?

How can you be upfront with yourself when asked the question: “How does what I am currently experiencing make me feel?” Does the answer to this question serve your future? And how can you answer without grasping for the same old familial patterns you’re accustomed to leaning on for emotional stability?

It could be all too easy for this Full Moon in Cancer to trigger old habits, old instincts, and old patterns that used to make us feel safe and “at home,” especially at a time of year steeped in family traditions.

Perhaps Christmas always sees you revisit certain family members, and the accompanying emotional patterns – but whatever tradition you find yourself carrying on, know that astrologically it’s a brilliant time to experience yourself ANEW.

Tap into the energy of the Winter Solstice for this, and know that you are supported as you go further into exploring a new spiritual identity, shining like a beacon in the dark. Know that this is about feeling your way into a new reality. The Sun has just passed through the “galactic center” of the Universe – literally – a time in space that offers the opportunity to go way further into your cosmic self. So allow yourself to be re-wired. What if the Universe promised you that on this day, this year, you have the power to create a new tradition? A new space to experience yourself. Then what would you feel?

On December 25th, 2015, how about cozying up to a new enlightened idea of what makes you feel alive. The light you have longed to kindle all year is ready to be ignited now, ESPECIALLY as Uranus, retrograde since July 26, goes direct in Aries. When Uranus is retrograde we may doubt sudden new potentials as they present themselves. When Uranus goes direct, we are booted out of the status quo in order to re-boot something important about ourselves.

So acknowledge where you’re experiencing twists and turns in your destiny, FEEL how it makes you feel, upgrade to the new reality, and acclimate. Although you may feel like you’ve been supercharged with something otherworldly, unrecognizable, unacceptable, and out of bounds, this Full Moon in Cancer is not meant to shock so much as it is here to bring you to where you belong.

SURPRISE; this is how you now feel “at home.” SURPRISE; this is where you’re supposed to be in your life. Whatever you uncover, maybe you’re most surprised to find you’ve had it in you all along – what you need to move forward, and this ability to feel your way into the future. So be receptive to what has suddenly become true for you, and feel its existence with your whole heart.

For a personal reading with Hannah Ariel contact [email protected]

MODERN FAMILY: A HIGH-VIBE HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE

Posted on by Erin Telford

In her holiday survival guide, Erin Telford has some tips for staying zen when you’re home with the fam… Images: Ofir Abe via Behance.net

how to survive the holidays last supper illustration by Ofir Abe on The Numinous

 

“If you think you’re enlightened, spend a week with your family.” – Ram Dass

Nothing is truer than this statement, since THIS is the real spiritual work. Take it off the mat, take it out of the personal development book, take it off the cushion – family time means time to walk the talk.

If you are mentally steeling yourself for holiday family time this year, know that you are not alone. We always revert to children when we go home, no matter our actual age. And this inner child will always re-experience the same unmet needs for attention, affection, allowing, acceptance or appreciation.

This inner child may even be coming into a family gathering with an expectation of feeling old hurt. This child may unconsciously be watching and waiting for familiar signs that he or she is inadequate, unwanted, or less than.

And if these wounds haven’t been addressed and healed, even if there isn’t an overtly toxic situation to navigate there will always be people present that push these buttons.

The trigger might be a casual remark about your job or relationship status, your parenting style or appearance. The deeper the wound, the more power these off hand comments can have to throw you off your game, creating a spiral of anger and insecurity. Happy holidays!

And we’re talking deep, subconscious stuff, the kind of stuff it’s hard to see coming. One minute you’re “fine,” the next, an insecure little girl who wants to lash out teenage rebel style – or else go hide in her room.

With this in mine, here are a few tips to keep in your back pocket while you navigate…

how to survive the holidays last supper illustration by Ofir Abe on The Numinous

:: EVERYONE IS FEELING IT ::
And truly doing his or her best (even if it doesn’t look anything like it from where you’re standing).

What if everybody was overtired, over sugared, feeling small, feeling ugly, feeling overweight, feeling anxious, feeling insecure, nursing old wounds, hurt by something that was just said to THEM, grieving, feeling lonely, feeling sick, trying to stay sober.

There are any number of reasons that people don’t act the way we wish they would, especially when our usual routines and coping mechanisms are taken away. They are trying with everything they have just as you are.

:: FORGIVE YOURSELF FIRST ::
If you lose it, if you feel petty, if your buttons get pushed, if you respond exactly the way you didn’t want to, if you fall into old unhealthy patterns of relating, if you get sucked in…you are ALSO doing your best. Here is my prayer for you: A Prayer to Release Your Burdens

I forgive myself.

I will no longer be held hostage in my own mind.

I will no longer replay events and wonder if I could have/should have/would have done more/been more.

I did all I could do.

I gave it everything I had.

I acted with all of the tools that I have and to the best of my abilities.

My intent was always love.

I forgive myself.

Say this in the bathroom when you sneak off to get away. Say it into your pillow at night.

how to survive the holidays last supper illustration by Ofir Abe on The Numinous

:: WE CAN’T CONTROL HOW WE FEEL BUT WE CAN CHOOSE HOW WE DEAL ::
You are not a victim. You are an adult who has created a cozy little corner of self-love, proud achievements, acceptance for your authentic self, and emotional stability back home. HOLD ONTO THIS VISION.

If we walk into a situation feeling insecure and anxious, we are already poised to get knocked off our center. No wonder, then, that first obnoxious or critical comment already feels like the famous Last Straw.

It’s important to remember that what’s been said is magnified by the open wound we’re already re-experiencing. It’s like the salt jar accidentally fell in. So we can pick up the gauntlet and do battle, we can withdraw, or we can decide to eat/drink our feelings, depending on our personalities.

Or we can pause, we can breathe, we can excuse ourselves, and we can physically shake it off with a jog around the block or a brisk walk. Our call.

:: FOCUS ON GOOD SLEEP, EXERCISE, WHOLE FOODS, MEDITATION, PRAYER :: 
…but since it may not feel that easy to maintain your usual high-vibe routine, you can also ground and own the holiday space with this simple visualization. It will help shift the energy wherever you are to support you and help you feel comfortable:

Imagine a column of golden light in the center of the space you will be in. This column extends from the center of the Earth to the heavens.

Place a golden rose at the top of the column with three words that signal your intention for your experience. These can be words like Stable, Peaceful, Relaxed, Strong, Joyful, Happy.

Imagine writing your name on all of the walls in the space or hanging pictures of you smiling and having fun.

This exercise helps you to set the energy of the space to a vibration that supports your highest good. And I wish you the absolute loveliest holiday season and strength for any challenges that come your way!

BOOK OF SHADOWS: A WINTER SOLSTICE RITUAL

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

December 21 is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. Ruby Warrington has a simple ritual to mark what some see as our Astrological New Year…Video: Christel Chaudet feat. The Unseen

I first came across this simple winter solstice ritual several years ago, when I was working at the Sunday Times Style magazine. Our editor had arranged for our office Christmas dinner to take place on December 21, the winter solstice, or shortest day – and longest night – of the year.

Excited, I told my boss I thought we should mark the occasion. “Great idea! You can lead a ritual,” she told me – as my stomach dropped through the floor, and I broke out in a cold sweat. My passion for astrology had already got me the office nickname “Mystic Ruby” – but this was taking things to another level…

Determined to do things properly, I reached out to a designer I’d recently met – who also happened to be a practicing Druid. He gave me the following simple winter solstice ritual (which can also be used to mark the summer solstice, as well as the spring and autumn equinoxes), and for the event itself I also invested in a vintage black fur cape, as I figured it would also help if I dressed the part (it does).

:: WINTER SOLSTICE RITUAL ::

  • Begin with a short meditation to connect to the energy of the Earth element. With eyes closed, visualize roots growing from the soles of your feet and your tailbone, down to the molten crystal rock at the core of the Earth, winding around this three times, and pulling snug. Breathing deeply into your core, allow your body to relax and experience the sensation of being completely supported by the Earth.
  • Meditate on the year that has just passed, allowing memories to surface effortlessly. Now take a pen and paper, and write down all the things that come up that you would like to bid farewell or move on from this year.
  • Take a lighter or match and burn the paper, to symbolize these energies being transmuted into creative passion for your adventures to come.
  • Now meditate on the year ahead, allowing yourself to visualize everything you would like to come to pass. Take your pen and paper and write down all your hopes and dreams for the coming year.
  • Fold this paper and bury it, to symbolize the seeds of these intentions being planted in your future path. (This can be done up to a week after the ritual).

The Book of Shadows notebook by The Unseen is bound in calf leather, and hand-dyed with environmentally reactive ink to respond to your touch as if by magick…Theunseenemporium.co.uk

The Unseen Book of Shadows on The Numinous
The Unseen Book of Shadows, from £35

MY MYSTICAL LIFE: XMAS GIFT IDEAS, AND BINGEING ON TRANSPARENT

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

Read on for at least three high-vibe Xmas gift ideas, an astro walking tour of NYC, and all the reasons I love Transparent…

Ruby Warrington head shot by Francis Catania for The Numinous

:: MONDAY ::
Whipped up a batch of my favorite new thing – hemp milk. I’ve been making my own nut milks for most of this year, mainly as, oh let’s see, it’s way cheaper and tastier and healthier than buying the store-bought stuff. I’ve been through almond (too much pulp) and cashew (digestive no-no for me), and had settled on Brazil nut as my fave. But then I got my hands on a copy of Rich Roll and Julie Piatt’s plant-based lifestyle bible The Plantpower Way (an excellent Xmas gift btw), and was convinced to give hemp a try. OMG, it’s lighter than air, mixes like regular dairy milk into hot drinks, AND YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO STRAIN IT. Here’s my recipe:

1/2 cup hulled hemp seeds
4 cups of water
Pinch sea salt
1/2 tspn raw honey

Blitz.

:: TUESDAY ::
When Bess Matassa, a.k.a. Street Sign Astrology, invited me on an “astrological walking tour of NYC” obviously I wasn’t going to say no. Even better, Bess’s tours are based on your actual birth chart – taking in sights, stores, and hidden secrets of the City that act as experiential representations of different aspects in your chart. Wow! Mine began beneath the giant whale at the Museum of Natural History, since so many of my planets are in the watery (read: totally emo) 4th and 8th houses of my chart. We then moved on to check out some fierce mammals, since the “learning edge” that Bess saw in my chart can be summed up as: “getting cozy with savagery.” Grrr…(p.s. a tour with Bess would also be a great Xmas gift)

:: WEDNESDAY ::
Hello, exchange economy. Since I was in need of some energetic clearing, and my friend Aly wanted some advice on her website…we agreed to do a swap. A healing session for me, a coaching session for her. We met for the exchange over a 2-hour session today, with amazingly high-vibe results! It got me thinking: what skills could you exchange with one of your friends for an alternative kind of hang-date? It’s a win-win – you both get something out if it that you might otherwise pay a couple of hundred dollars for, and it’s so so much more bonding than getting your gossip on over a bottle of wine. Promise.

Transparent season 2 poster on The Numinous

:: THURSDAY ::
Totally binge-watched the entire second series of Amazon Video’s Transparent, which is definitely one of my favorite shows to have emerged in the past year. If you haven’t seen it a) it’s the story of a (fictional) boho Jewish family in LA coming to terms with the shift in tribal dynamics after the father comes out as trans (“trans-parent,” geddit?), and b) basically clear your diary and get stuck in. Reading this back, it strikes me that it’s essentially a clever, hilarious, emotionally resonant version of the Kardashians – with some really great music, plenty of sex, and copious amounts of medicinal marijuana thrown into the mix.

:: FRIDAY ::
Not quite sure how this happened already, but this is the last weekend you (London crew) can visit the mystical Astrolounge Xmas boutique we curated with the team at Selfridges Oxford St. It’s really been such a special project, and what an amazing opportunity to bring all things Numinous to life…in one of Britain’s most iconic department stores, no less. You can also get your custom birth chart tee printed to order while you wait – oh hello, excellent Xmas gift idea no. 3.

Numinous founder Ruby Warringon at the Selfridges Astrolounge opening in October
Me at the Selfridges Astrolounge opening in October

UNDER THE ARMOUR: WHY MEN FIND IT HARD TO FEEL

Posted on by Darren Austin Hall

Why men find it hard to feel is a case of nature and nurture. But when the new empowered masculine is invited to express himself, relationships become a catalyst for healing, says Darren Austin Hall. Images: HANs via Behance.net

why men find it hard to feel artwork by HANs on The Numinous

“The rule of patriarchy demands that men armor themselves, not only to impose force upon the world, but to resist the Feminine externally, and deny or conceal its presence internally, in themselves. On the path of the hero…the genuine hero is a man who develops his power against patriarchy, rather than in support of it. He overcomes armor in the cause of amore.” – John Lamb Lash

I once had an insightful conversation with a female friend about her romantic struggles with men who perpetually shut down emotionally, a common dynamic in many relationships. I’ve also seen this complaint broached in neo-feminist articles online, often reading something along the lines of: “If you haven’t got your emotional shit together you don’t deserve me,” OR “I’m a queen and if you can’t handle intense communication then hit the road.”

Firstly, I want to affirm that the kind of Kali fury women feel when their male intimate won’t communicate with them and/or shirks emotional connection altogether is totally valid – and can, when appropriately utilized, actually compel a lazy King out of his benumbed emotional doldrums into attractive action.

But what many women don’t understand is WHY men shut down, and how they can support us with compassion when we do.

I’ve been interested in developing the “healthy masculine” ever since a life-changing trip to India, where I met a beautiful soul brother who introduced me to several inspiring texts on the subject. The insights of the King, Warrior, Magician, Lover series by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette, and the raw, brutal truths of Iron John: A Book About Men by Robert Bly, shone a light on the struggles facing men in the modern world. Things I had always vaguely felt, but never knew how to express – due in part to my own emotional dullness.

And as I delved into these studies deeper, I began to feel a tremendous sense of compassion for my brothers and myself.

Foremost, men are conditioned to shut down emotionally by society itself. Men are taught that to express emotions is “unsafe,” because it makes our masculinity appear weak and soft. For so long, we’ve been taught that to be masculine is to be “hard.” And if you’ve ever given a modern man a massage, you’ll know this hardness is tangible, our emotional armoring manifesting as layers upon layers of muscular tension.

Here’s a massive truth that I want us all to pause for a moment and reflect upon: that hardness in the body is actually layers of ice-cold frozen tears.

why men find it hard to feel artwork by HANs on The Numinous

My own inner-work has been about reimagining my masculinity in a patriarchal world which conditions an immature and dysfunctional masculine identity that doesn’t know how to feel. Along the way, I have been shocked at how reading about the pain of male warriors going to war for corrupt political aims provokes massive grief in me.

And also how reflecting on this subject awoke the realization in me that every time I got my heart broken, I did my best to bury the wounds so deep that only through psychic scuba-diving in my meditation practice years later would I be able to excavate and process them.

It soon became clear that I’d been carrying around a hospice of old wounds, waiting to be healed and transmuted into wisdom – since every feeling I liberated held its own insights and revelations. One reason I’ve come to believe women, as I’ll explain, often seem wiser than men.

Women are at advantage in the emotions department for a couple of reasons. One, women are encouraged to be emotional. As a result, while many women still struggle with how to process emotions skilfully and use them as tools for alchemical transformation, they are usually more comfortable than men in this realm.

Secondly, diverse ancient traditions purport that women are at an advantage to men spiritually. I didn’t really understand the rationale behind this until I studied Chinese Medicine, and realized some important facts about our physical differences.

In Chinese Medicine, a person’s shen, or spirit, expresses itself as our sense of conscious awareness. It is said that this spiritual force is housed in the Heart and travels in the blood. And when women have their menstrual cycle and bleed they are actually cleansing this shen; their spirit!

Furthermore, I was taught by Native American elders that the sweat lodge was actually created to help men cleanse in a similar way, to help them keep spiritual pace with women! Totally mind-blowing.

why men find it hard to feel artwork by HANs on The Numinous

Could this be why men are more vulnerable to being murky of spirit and emotional awareness than women? If women’s blood, or spirit, runs more clear, it comes as no surprise to me that women are able to feel more clearly and thus exhibit more emotional wisdom than men – for as I’ve learned, feelings are the catalyst for spiritual revelation.

Moreover, menstrual cycles mean women are energetically connected to cycles of the Moon, which in turn is energetically linked to our unconscious. This is why the cycles of the moon can inspire utter wildness of feeling in women! The moon is literally prodding their unconscious to come to the surface to be integrated into the light of consciousness.

A final stunning detail on this note: I was told by another wise teacher that women traditionally would intention their menses to cleanse not only themselves but the spiritual nature of the world at large, using their moontime to help bring the unconscious of the collective into the light of consciousness to be integrated. It’s no wonder women can feel so heavily burdened during their moontimes: they are cleansing so much more than themselves!

In saying all this, I’m not trying to excuse men who refuse or don’t know how to acknowledge their emotions. I know first hand from my own relationships how difficult for women this can be. My intention is simply to create a space for compassionate understanding of our differences, helping us pave the way for better relations in the future.

Ultimately, when it’s understood that women are by nature (and nurture) better feelers than men, this can be integrated into not only romantic but all relations between men and women, as well as utilized as a dynamic tool for healing.

In the past, I used to fear the way women seemed to know my pain even if I didn’t express it. Now I understand that female intuition is a great power that needs to be honored – but that we also need to honor how scary it can be for a man that she can usually tell when something is up no matter how hard he tries to hide it, for fear of appearing weak.

why men find it hard to feel artwork by HANs on The Numinous

In the ancient romantic culture of the Troubadours, there’s an old adage: amore over armor. Men are constantly armoring themselves to fit an outmoded idea of masculinity, and while some protection is useful to buffer us against the trials of the world, most men are carrying way too much (which actually goes for women too, as we’ve all been conditioned by the patriarchy).

So the next time a man, either your partner or a friend, exhibits this kind of emotional armoring, instead of falling into frustration and even anger, choose compassion. Allow space. Ask tender, loving questions. Use touch and the beautiful arts of seductive love to tease out the truths from his tense body in a safe space that welcomes vulnerability.

Women’s gifts of sensuality and feminine beauty can entice the masculine to drop its defenses and open its overly guarded heart. In the ancient romantic traditions, this was seen as one of the great powers of women: to disarm men and invite their innermost essence to be expressed. Imagine if the women of the world used this power against all the war-mongering tyrants, to draw out the wounds that are at the root of so much violence!

When a man starts to feel openly, sharing his tender truths with women, then intimacy can blossom exponentially. Women will see, perhaps for the first time, the beautiful innocence that men hide in our hearts, and have been too afraid to show to a world they felt would demean them for it.

Further, perhaps we’ll realize that there’s a profound context in all romantic relationships for cultivating the balance between the masculine and feminine; for these two cosmic polarities to dance finally and ultimately in unison, fusing in the beauty of the divine.

Darren Austin Hall is a sacred musician, sound healer and spiritual teacher. His empowering music entails diverse, salving instrumentation, across crystal singing bowls, Indian tanpura, mystical guitar and shamanic singing. His new album, The Tantra of Truth, is a collection of ecstatic songs inspiring the evolution of consciousness and deep transformation, and he is one of the headlining musicians for The Yoga Conference in Toronto. He is also trained in Chinese Medicine and shamanic healing and is a gifted teacher and facilitator of a wide array of workshops on new paradigms of spirituality and healing. His writing appears on the blog The Druid, and is published online on sites such as Elephant Journal. Darren also co-facilitates a men’s group in Toronto devoted to raising the consciousness of the masculine and is a devotee of the wisdom of nature. Darrenaustinhall.com

JAMIE GRABER: NOURISHED BY MIRACLES

Posted on by The Numinous

Working with metaphysical text A Course In Miracles has helped Gingersnaps Organic founder Jamie Graber enjoy every step of her journey – anxieties and all. She shares how…Images: John von Pamer

Jamie Graber interview on The Numinous

It can sometimes feel like all roads to spiritual awakening lead back to A Course in Miracles – a channelled, self-study workbook perhaps made most famous by the likes of Marianne Williamson and Gabriel Bernstein, who both reference the teachings of ACIM heavily in their own work.

Most recently, the classic text popped up on our radar thanks to a weekly study group that meets at chic West Village juice bar Gingersnaps Organic. Inspired by founder Jamie Graber’s own journey with the teachings of ACIM, here she shares how the Course has helped her re-imagine her relationship with food and step fully into her life purpose…

The Numinous: When did you discover A Course In Miracles?
Jamie Graber: I discovered ACIM three years ago through Gabby Bernstein, who I met when she used to come and get juice when Gingersnaps was in the East Village, near her apartment. I was questioning a lot of stuff in my life at the time, and the Course helped me realize I could see things a different way. In turn, this helped me see that I had power over any situation.

TN: What inspired the ACIM study group at Gingersnaps?
JG: Because it was always my vision to have my restaurant be a place of community. I also noticed that the more I talked about ACIM, the better I felt, so I thought having the weekly meetings would be a beautiful way to start giving back. An amazing woman name Anne Marie Imperiale leads the class, an incredible coach who uses the Course in her work. We meet every Monday from 8-9pm, the class is free, and people come early to gather and connect. I love it.

TN: Why do you think the teachings of the Course resonate with so many people?
JG: Because because they give YOU the power. It’s not about idolizing or following rules, it’s about remembering that ultimately we hold all the power over how we see things. If we accept this and choose to really live in it, we begin to see that we have the answer for everything within us. The Course really teaches how to live in love and not fear, and who doesn’t want that!

Jamie GraberGingersnaps Organic interview on The Numinous

TN: Can you give an example of this from your own life?
JG: My journey with Gingersnaps Organic actually began with a massive fear around food. I was extremely uncomfortable with my body, unable to embrace or love it, to the point I would actually say I say I hated my body. But out of that, I found raw food and plant based living, which in turn led me to discover my passion in life and to really be able to experience joy around food. I even married a meat-eating chef, and my favorite thing these days is to travel the world eating amazing food with him!

TN: So how has the Course helped you heal your relationship with food specifically?
JG: The lessons helped me realize my illusions about food were just that: illusions. For example, the idea that eating food would automatically make me fat and grotesque to everyone around me. At the time, I was 5 7″ and 85lbs, but when I looked in the mirror, all I saw was fat. In hindsight, I can see this was insane – but at the time, the the illusion felt very real to me.

TN: What’s been your key take-away from the teachings?
JG: That when I’m uncomfortable or going through something tough, I know it’s because I’m in a place of transition and that I have to make a change – and there’s an incredible sense of ease that comes along with that. Also that while often healing hurts, and feels uncomfortable at first, the more you’re willing to push through discomfort, the faster you will come out the other side to a place of joy and freedom that you didn’t even know existed.

Gingersnaps Organic West Village location on The Numinous

TN: And what’s your very favorite lesson from ACIM?
JG: There’s one I love so much I actually set it as a reminder on my phone every night:

“Those who are certain of the outcome can afford to wait and wait without anxiety”

We often think we know what’s best for us, and have an idea of exactly what that should look like. We give a lot of power to this vision, and when things don’t go exactly as we “wanted,” we can lose faith and become anxious that we’re never going to get what we want. True faith believes that we are taken care of. We have to understand that we can’t always see the path ahead – but that if we have faith that everything we encounter is actually a gift, then we can enjoy every step of the journey.

Reaching the “destination” isn’t worth it for me any more if the journey is filled with anxiety and fear, so when I’m stressing about something, I will often read this lesson and mediate on it, remembering I am protected, and that everything is for my best interest. When I first opened the space in the East Village, I was a ball of fear and anxiety, so every day there was torture. I had no faith, and only frustration that things didn’t look like I thought they would.

Having Gabby and The Course in my life really took me back to my childhood, when I believed and trusted. I was the little girl waking up early before school to clear my crystals and talk to Spirit, and when I first opened up Gingersnap’s Organic, I had forgotten that. Opening up in the West Village has been completely different. I’ve done it with ease and trust, and chosen to just let things play out. Even when anxiety sets in, using my tools from ACIM, I am able to release it and actually enjoy waiting for how I want things to be.

51kjJxrsI4LJuice It, Blend It, Live It: Over 50 Easy Recipes to Energize, Detox, and Nourish Your Mind and Body by Jamie Graber is out now.

ADORN YOURSELF: 10 HIGH VIBE TALISMANS WE LOVE

Posted on by The Numinous

Jewelry designer Kirstie Gibbs explains the importance of finding a piece that speaks to your path. PLUS 10 high-vibe talismans we love! Main images: Jacquie Aiche Holiday ’15 campaign

Jacquie Aiche holiday 2015 high vibe talisman on The Numinous

Several years ago, in my role as jewelry buyer for Harrods department store in London, I was introduced to the idea of worn treasures being used for a higher purpose and energetic attraction.

It was around this time a friend gave me a symbolic ring and told me confidently it would bring me love. Having just come through a challenging personal period, I thought ‘why not give it a try?’ and wore the ring every day.

The year that followed was filled with bad dates and disappointments, but what never failed was my deep belief that when the time was right I would find love, because every morning when I slipped that ring on, it uplifted me and gave me new hope. I realized this was my modern day, rose gold and white diamond talisman.

By definition, a talisman is a physical object that is thought to possess certain magical properties and can provide positive and protective energy to the person who wears it. They are generally made of crystals and gemstones, and commonly worn as a necklace or other piece of jewelry.

Throughout history it was the role of the alchemists, shamans, witches and priests to create and provide these magical objects. Talismans ranged in value, material and craftsmanship, but were worn to protect against violence, illness and bad luck – the sorts of human problems that are still rife and troubling to this day.

Jacquie Aiche holiday 2015 high vibe talisman on The Numinous

And so it’s fair to say that talismans are still needed and embraced in our modern society. In fact, in our world of over-stimulation I believe it’s even more important that we awakening women stay tuned in to our own purpose and carry a personal, sacred object of our choosing.

Everyone from Jennifer Aniston, Madonna, Heidi Klum and Rhianna have been spotted wearing the Hand of Fatima/Hamsa – an ancient symbol of luck and protection – so it seems that even these seemingly blessed individuals are still looking for an extra bit of magic in their lives.

And as more and more of us remember who we are and return to a spiritual way of living, we want to celebrate and support our commitment to this connection. When a woman wears her own talisman she charges herself with the energy of what she wants to attract and/or harness, be that protection, a successful Tinder date or a flow of creative ideas in her work life.

And while our core values and fears may not have changed much in thousands of years, our style certainly has. Recognizing this, is a new breed of jewelry designers are creating beautiful and meaningful pieces to take you from the juice bar to dancing on tables.

This was the inspiration behind my brand, The Alkemistry. Recognizing the desire among spiritually minded women for meaningful objects, I created a powerful online tool that harnesses the power of astrology and numerology to match-make women with the finest gemstone jewelry.

It is my hope and wish that all women can find the right talisman to help them manifest their desired intentions, just like the ring I wore for love. It might have taken a year, but once I slowed down, took a step back from dating and allowed myself to just receive, eventually love found me.

Thealkemistry.com

Orion bracelet, $600, The Alkemistry on The Numinous
Orion bracelet, $600, The Alkemistry

 

 

 

Lone Star ring, $1080, Rock & Raw on The Numinous
Lone Star ring, $1080, Rock & Raw

 

Multi-coin necklace, $490, Laura Lee on The Numinous
Multi-coin necklace, $490, Laura Lee

 

Journey Shield ring, $1025, Communion by Joy on The Numinous
Journey Shield ring, $1025, Communion by Joy

 

Blesslev keychain by Jacquie Aiche on The Numinous
Blesslev keychain, $245, Jacquie Aiche

 

Heart Chakra fragrance pendulum necklace, from $325, Unearthen on The Numinous
Heart Chakra fragrance pendulum necklace, from $325, Unearthen

 

Snake totem ring, $1320, Logan Hollowell on The Numinous
Snake totem ring, $1320, Logan Hollowell

 

Moon seal necklace, from $665, Jessica De Lotz x Louise Androlia on The Numinous
Moon seal necklace, from $665, Jessica De Lotz x Louise Androlia

 

Eye of Protection ring, $49, Satya Jewelry on The Numinous
Eye of Protection ring, $49, Satya Jewelry

 

Amethyst pendant, $185, Pound Jewelry
Amethyst pendant, $185, Pound Jewelry

MY MYSTICAL LIFE: S&M ACUPUNCTURE AND THE PERFECT CUP OF TEA

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

Yes…the perfect cup of tea! And plenty of other high-vibness, like Shopping for Syria and the period pants that went viral

Ruby Warrington shot by Francis Catania for The Numinous

:: MONDAY ::
As part of my ongoing research into “our periods as secret Goddess code” (both for myself personally, and for you as a chapter in MY BOOK – which will be out spring ’17 y’all!) I met Thinx founder Miki Agrawal – the kick-ass entrepreneur taking the taboo out of periods with her leak-proof period panties. Most lately with her kick-ass ad campaign that’s currently plastered all over the Bedford St L stop in Brooklyn. For part of the campaign (which went viral btw, after the MTA refused to run ads with the word “period” in them, WTF), Miki asked her customers to complete the phrase: “Thinx is…” One of my faves is in the picture below. Right on, sisters!

Thinx MTA ad campaign on The Numinous

:: TUESDAY ::
I think I had the perfect cup of tea with my friends at CAP Beauty, the West Village high-vibe beauty boutique. As in, not only are the products they stock all natural and chemical free, they contain ingredients that actually contribute to your overall radiance – to which Cindy and Kerriynn, who I met while they were in the planning phases for the store, are the living, glowing testament. Anyway, this is the recipe for the tea they gave me: 1 x Lamill chai tea bag, 1/2 x tspn Sun Potion’s He Shou Wu, 1 x tspn coconut oil. Mix, or even better, blend. Life-changing.

Sun Potion He Shou Wu on The Numinous
Sun Potion He Shou Wu, $66, CAP Beauty

:: WEDNESDAY ::
Shout to my friend Kate for launching her Shop For Syria online auction – a frankly mind-blowing selection of donated gifts, profits from the sale of which will go to. Seriously, how many times when thinking about the holidays does the notion of actual “goodwill to all (wo)men” cross your mind. Yeah, thought so. So whatever Christmas shopping you had in mind, seriously check this out first: Shopforsyria.tumblr.com You can even bid for a personalized VM message from SIA!

:: THURSDAY ::
When your acupuncturist begins your session by asking if you’re familiar with the spiritual roots of S&M…you’re supposed to jump off the table, right? Or not. If you’re me, you pay close attention as she describes how allowing your body to just surrender to whatever sensations it’s experiencing, is actually the path to the most profound relaxation known to human tissue. And since my human tissue seriously needs to relax, I gave her the green flag to go deep. Yes it “hurt” (what’s in a label!) – but floated home in the kind of daze I get after a deep tissue massage. With an added acupuncture buzz. Surrender forever.

:: FRIDAY ::
So I spent a large part of last night texting with my friend about what practitioners and alternative therapies I thought she should try to tackle an issue she’s being faced with right now – and it really got me thinking about how much experience I’ve had in this area. At one point I even texted: “Lol – I’m like Google for healers!” I honestly love nothing better than coming up with this kind of high-vibe “prescription” – I once had a friend who put herself on what she called “Ruby’s Regime” when she wanted to sort her life out…and it totally worked! So what I wanna know it, could I help you in this way too? Answers below, as it’s a string I’m considering adding to my bow…

@NUMINOUS_BOOKS