Numinous

TURNED ON: SHAPESHIFTING TO MEET MY MANIMAL

Posted on by Ellie Burrows

In this month’s column, Ellie Burrows investigates how the ancient Shamanic art of shapeshifting has infiltrated her relationships – and what she’s learned about herself in the process. Portrait: Katie Fischer.

Ask any of my friends – when it comes to my lovers, I’m known to be a shapeshifter. As in, I change form depending on my bedfellow. I admit it.

In 1998 I met my high school sweetheart. We wore Air Max 96’s, Jordans, Nike snap pants, and listened rap music in his black two-door Ford Explorer Sport. I had cornrows and rhinestone sunglasses. He was captain of the basketball team and regularly had one pant leg scrunched up to the knee. Young love at its finest, we were a match made in 1990s high school heaven. We were each other’s dawgs.

In the summer of 2006, I met an Israeli businessman twenty years my senior. It was always DJ Tiesto and the mispar echat (number one) everything: the number one restaurant, the number one hotel, the number one vodka, the number one yacht. Lots of excess, free love and bacchanalian behavior. Everything was a teachable moment and I learned all sorts of sexual lessons. He was a bird of prey and I was his helpless kill.

In my twenties, it was my seriously cool East Village architect. All raw denim all the time. No shampoo. He taught me how to dial down the fancy, wear my curly hair like a mane and eat meat off a bone. I was a lioness and he was my lion, the king and queen of a concrete jungle. We had a lot of pride. And frankly, that’s what killed us.

Shapeshifting litters the landscape of divine folklore and shamanic traditions. Magically speaking, it’s all about changing form in order to take on and assume the nature and qualities of a specific creature. A shapeshifter morphs in order to alter or enhance particular thoughts and perceptions or acquire new abilities. One changes shape to see and access the world from a different perspective.

As the dawg, the kill and the lion, I fully embraced and emulated the quality of each manimal I was with. I immersed myself in our love and thoroughly explored their natural habitats. I invoked their energy within myself, adopted their characteristics and saw the world from their vantage points.

This was a practice of sorts, the method by which I connected to the symbol of my desire. And it was most definitely a symptom of my immaturity. When I loved what they loved, enjoyed what they enjoyed and preferred what they preferred, I felt a deeper sense of closeness and communion. I think it goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, not love. And in fact I royally fucked up because I lost myself completely in each beast.

As of late, my ability to shapeshift is non-existent. Turns out, I prefer not being anything but myself. Venturing into someone else’s habitat and taking on their views, behaviors and tastes to enhance our connection no longer serves me – especially when that person drinks like a fish, doesn’t work out, lacks a connection to the divine or fucks without reverence for the act of fucking itself. I tried to get down with that species and it just didn’t work.

Changing form to align myself with my partner stifles my own needs in relationship. I became unrecognizable in the mirror and then there was no perspective at all. And if I can’t see my self in the mirror, then it defeats the whole point of partnership in the first place.

The mirror is one of my favorite metaphors for a lover, spouse, significant other, partner, friend or soul mate. It can feel vulnerable to step in front of a mirror and take a good look. You will see all your beauty, your ugly, your gains, your losses, your shortcomings and strengths. It can be exhilarating, humbling, ecstatic and painful. The human mirror is an extraordinary thing because we have the capacity to really understand our very existence in the presence of another being.

What ultimately serves me in my relationships now is to be in my true form, my authentic self, and see how I occur in the context of another human being. I’ve learned that it’s my responsibility to grow as a result of that reflection. And if I’m really honoring myself, then I can honor the other too, and hopefully be the ultimate mirror for them.

Ellie Burrows is a storyteller, seeker, mystic and guide living in New York City. Discover more at Ellieburrows.com
@ellieburrows (Instagram)
@_ellieburrows_ (Twitter)

CALLING IT IN: DESIGN A RITUAL TO RECEIVE

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

From a regular yoga or meditation practise to the way you like your morning latte, we all have our daily rituals. But what happens when design one that’s just for you? You become a vacuum to receive, that’s what. Ruby Warrington shares her experience of creating the custom ritual that helped call in The Numinous. Video: Shine Creative.

Last month, the Numinous hosted a guided meditation to meet your Spirit Animal, with the Modern Shamanic Practitioner Marika Messager. The event took place on a balmy early summer evening in London, at spiritual concept store Celestine Eleven, and attracted an elegant crowd – including jeweller Gina Melosi, illustrator Erin Petson, a talent booker, some girls from Elle magazine, and the fashion designer Henry Holland. The atmosphere was one hundred percent high vibe, and after the meditation, when people shared about their experience meeting their animals, they were like five-year-olds on a sugar high. In short, they were amped to have participated in this ancient Shamanic ritual.

And how funny, it took place almost six months to the day after I enacted a custom ritual, designed, in part, to ensure that when people experienced the Numinous they’d feel; “a sense of discovery, more joy and happiness and a way to connect to their true life purpose.” These were my exact words to “receptivity expert” Emily Tepper, the woman who helped me design my ritual, which eventually took place as a day-long series of events. The manifestation of which I could expect to see, yes, six months down the line.

Let me back track a little. I met Emily at one of Gabrielle Bernstein’s lectures in New York City, towards the tail end of last summer. The Numinous had only recently launched, and when she told me she designed custom rituals for people, to assist in calling in their deepest desires, I was obviously intrigued. The Numinous was a new born at the time, with so much potential ahead of it, and like a proud mamma I wondered if a ritualistic or ceremonial baptism would help set my project on the right path from the get-go. But actually, working with Emily turned out to be so much more than that.

We met on a grey day a month or so later at the Ruben Museum in Chelsea, where sombre gong music in the deserted cafeteria created a fitting backdrop for the initial ritual design session. With a background in dance, Emily, an empathetic and mystical yet earthy Piscean, described “a yearning for other people to experience their body as an agent for change, like I had from a very early age” as one of things that led her to this line of work. Studying for a degree in Experiential Design then helped her create a modality in which “everything we touch becomes the props we use to facilitate relationships, exchanges, transitions and personal growth.” And so her company, Receive Everything, was born.

Emily’s ritual design clients receive a “Receive” necklace as part of the process

Because we’re pretty well versed in the concept of manifesting these days (like attracts like, act “as if,” yada yada) – but what happens if the conditions in our body, and our life, aren’t set up to receive? What if there are “energetic cysts”, as Emily put it, stored in our tissues that need to be removed before it’s safe for our manifestations to land? This is where ritual, physical acts designed to empower our intentions, weed out doubt and link us directly to our creative, or feminine, energy comes in. It could be described as literally “going through the motions” to hardwire your body to receive. If, “your nervous system is like a riverbed, and the water is used to flowing one way,” Emily’s ritual – “a piece of performance art for your life” – would be about “taking the flow slightly outside the well-worn groove. It’s a quantum physics service!” she joked. Kind of.

Emily’s ritual process is divided into three parts – Design, Do and Download – with the design part acting like an opportunity to really get clear on what you’re calling in, as well as any impediments (negative beliefs and crazy talk) in its way. In this sense, it also rapidly becomes a bit of a therapy session. “Why is it so important to you that people feel a sense of self-ownership and freedom to choose their own life when they connect with the Numinous?” asked Emily when these emerged as key words and phrases around crystalizing the essence of my project.

Of course, it came back to a time in my life, between ages 16 and 22, when I’d been a very controlling relationship with an older guy, who imposed his tyrannical worldview to the extent that I lost all my self-confidence and developed an eating disorder. It was like I’d been brainwashed by a cult made for two. If I’d had access to the kind of tools I’ve discovered through the Numinous then – tools designed to empower us to trust our intuition and truly know ourselves and our life purpose – who knows how differently things might have gone.

From there, it was a question of coming up with visual symbols to represent the different elements of my manifestation – which would then be transformed into the elements of my actual ritual. “When you think of the Numinous, what do you see, feel and taste?” asked Emily. If the Numinous was about “enlightenment and beauty, a playful experimentation with ideas – fashionable, stylish, the zeitgeist,” what were the visual metaphors for this? In my mind’s eye, these words immediately conjured an image of white sails billowing in the breeze against a clear blue sky at high noon. Emily jotted that down.

Thinking about my former relationship, my nostrils filled with the cloying scent of skunkweed. My ex was a dedicated smoker, and I believe being stoned myself for the majority of our relationship was one of the key reasons I felt so powerless to leave him. And when Emily asked; “what would it look like if the Numinous could really change the world?” I saw a tribe of Numis taking to the streets for a party/ protest to celebrate our connection to the Universe and the freedom to chose our own belief systems. And on and on her questions went, until we had the bones of what would become my custom ritual.

In the end, we devised a day of interconnected events, beginning with me using some of my Numinous tools (smudging my space with sage, meditating with my chakra totem), before taking in a trip to the center of the Brooklyn bridge to fly a white flag at noon (see above). Then we’d travel to Emily’s studio in Bushwick, where I would bestow Numinous gifts on my friends, and stage the ceremonial burning of a time capsule representing my ex (would anybody notice the burning joint inside, I wondered?) Finally, we’d all take to the streets in celebration of our collective freedom and empowerment. My friends at Shine Creative would capture the whole thing on film, as Emily highly recommends creating a visual record of the ritual. And I now had two weeks to produce it.

The day itself, November 22, was cold and bright and went by in a happy, emotional blur. I felt like the star of my own reality show, or a bride on her big day. I was happy I’d involved my friends, as so much of creating the Numinous was about wanting to collaborate creatively with my soul tribe, and being followed by a film crew made the whole thing feel somehow more real.

And if that was “Do,” then the final part of the ritual process was to “Download,” which meant a bodywork session with Emily, who is also a certified Pilates instructor and craniosacral therapist, to ground the teachings and intention of the ritual into my tissues two weeks later. When I arrived at her studio, she asked me to write down some key phrases that summed up how I’d been feeling since. I came up with; “No more apologies,” “Trusting myself,” “Stepping up to the next level,” “Who cares what people think?” A process she described as “crystalizing my new energetic signature.”

And a little over six months later, I can feel myself stepping into all of this as I prepare to host two Numinous Live talks for Lululemon at this weekend’s Wanderlust yoga festival. The first? I’ve invited Emily to join me in introducing The Art of Ritual, what she calls a “lost social technology.” And something that, for me, has been a powerful tool in showing the Universe that I’m ready to receive the gifts I know it’s sending my way.

Numinous Live will present two talks at the Wanderlust yoga festival in Vermont. Both talks are fully booked, but clink the links below to be added to the wait lists.

June 21: The Art of Ritual with Emily Tepper
June 22: Your Yoga, Your Intuition with Betsy Cohen

I CAN SEE CLEARLY: NEPTUNE RETROGRADE FOR YOUR SIGN

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

King Neptune, planet of intuition, imagination and illusions, has begun its annual backward spin of the Zodiac. Ruby Warrington gets to grips with this elusive but powerful entity, and asks what this retro period will ask each sign to confront.

Neptune is the planet I find it hardest to get my head around – but then, that’s to be expected. Ruler of Pisces, Neptune is the dreamer and the empath of the cosmos, the planet ruling our imagination, our intuition and our ideals. One of the slower-moving celestial bodies (or “collective,” as their influence extends over generations), in the natal chart of anybody born between November 1970 to January 1984, and again briefly between June and November 1984, Neptune will be in Sagittarius, a sign where this deep-sea diver feels quite at home.

Sagittarius appreciates high ethics, prophetic thinking and spiritual seeking too, and has been working hand-in-hand with King Neptune to wire today’s thirty-something generation to idealize a broadening of our collective worldview. Welcome to the global village, baby, where the lure of escape into foreign cultures and spiritual codes is felt like the pull of the poles, altruism is aspirational and even the yoga or meditation practice we idolize is often seen as a gateway to a higher state of consciousness.

For Neptune the escapist and the mystic, mind-altering substances are another portal to the other dimensions that are always there in our peripheral vision. And with expansive, optimistic Sag on hand to pour or roll us another one, “go on, why not, it’ll be fun!”, it’s not surprising we found a stairway to heaven through ecstasy culture and invented binge drinking in the 1990’s. Or that addiction is the symptom of so many Neptune-in-Sagittarius casualties. Lucky we’ve learned to embrace the Neptunian notions of self-help and self-love too.

With Sagittarius rising, I have also have Neptune in my first house. Enter the body dysmorphia that led to an eating disorder in my teenage years, compounded by my controlling Scorpio North Node return – but also, Sag, for granting me the compassion to love myself out of it, allowing me to learn from it and refusing to let me take it too seriously. Neptune in the first house can also mean an effortless slide into the deeper reaches of the imagination, an alluring shape-shifter and a storefront displaying the mysteries of the Universe. So go figure, Numis…

Why all the Neptune research this week? On June 9, he began his annual retrograde cycle. Of all the outer planets, Neptune spends the most time treading water in retrograde motion – 158 days every 12.07 months – a fitting pattern for the planet that also governs subconscious memories of distant childhood and even past lives. In a Neptune retrograde cycle, the mysteries he usually conceals are brought to the surface for us to examine in real time. Our intuition is given more currency. Dreams demand to be interpreted. Illusions, and delusions, are exposed, and creative ideas that have been gestating come forth and begin to take shape in the material world.

Currently in Pisces, Neptune’s cosmic castle, I was curious to explore what this might mean for me in the coming months (he resumes direct motion November 16) and what subtly sensed waves his backward strokes will send across the Zodiac at large.

* For a truly accurate reading, get your birth chart for free here. As an Aries with Sag rising, I will feel ripples of Neptune retro in Pisces in both the twelfth and fourth houses. But as Pisces actually rules the third house in my natal chart, I’ll look here for the most meaningful and relevant insights.

Aries / Aries rising (twelfth house)
Here is your chance to dive deep and rise to the surface of your subconscious with that most highly valued prize: the truth. Pay close attention to the neuroses that occupy your thinking now, and be bold in seizing the opportunity for healing that comes with smoking them out. Avoid indulging in mind-altering substances. Be honest with yourself and embrace clarity as a tool for lasting personal development.

Taurus / Taurus rising (eleventh house)
Choose not to ignore your paranoia about issues affecting any area of your life where group dynamics rule. Demand to know the details of the political dealings you rightly sense are going on behind the scenes. Then, think not what your friends can do for you, but what you can do for your friends. Fall into compassion and fire up your humanitarian efforts. Meditate on the germ of a revolutionary idea, and watch it flourish.

Gemini / Gemini rising (tenth house)
Duties or responsibilities you’ve been avoiding can no longer be ignored. It’s time to take the reins and begin to steer your ship into deeper waters, however intimidating this might feel. Don’t be afraid to tap into your inner ball-breaker. Act “as if” you’re the boss. When the limelight beckons, don’t hide away in the shadows. Get real about the sacrifices you need to make if you want your career to take off the way you envision.

Cancer / Cancer rising (ninth house)
Come out of your cave and give in to your wanderlust. A spiritual awakening could be in store for you when you open your mind and put paid to fears you can now see are completely unfounded. Dive into your studies in the University of Life, and embark on a vision quest or spiritual pilgrimage. To achieve enlightenment, deal only in what you know in your soul to be the truth, and demand the same of others.

Leo / Leo rising (eighth house)
Like a butterfly, you are on a journey of transformation and rebirth. But now you’re being asked to come clean about wherever wallowing in your comfort zone is stunting your personal growth. Escape into obsession and control will only compound your sense of being stuck. Ignore your intuition at your peril, and pick up creative projects with Leonine gusto. A mystery about an inheritance or money owed could also be resolved.

Virgo / Virgo rising (seventh house)
Expect a breakthrough in your couple’s therapy sessions, as deep-seated fractures in your closest relationships come up for air and healing. Embrace situations that show your creative and business collaborators’ true colors, and resolve to accept what you see. Give in to the notion of compromise. See past your ego for ways for justice to be served. Accept that the skeletons in your closet could actually be good PR.

Libra / Libra rising (sixth house)
Any flaws in your logic will be exposed now, so arm yourself with a backup plan. Details you’d prefer to gloss over will demand your attention. Tackling mundane-seeming tasks could actually lead to the breakthroughs you’ve been looking for. Knuckle down. And no more excuses about your emotional over or under-eating. Your health and wellbeing is at risk if you continue to delude yourself about your diet. Be ready to redraft a creative project to perfection.

Scorpio / Scorpio rising (fifth house)
A clandestine affair or flirtation could come to light, or maybe you’ll be asked to play your hand in matters of the heart. Your secret vice won’t stay a secret for long. A creative project you’re personally invested in could come to fruition now, and this fertile creative phase could also see your parental urges kick in. Be wary of situations that allow you to escape into over-indulgence. A hidden talent for the performing arts could also be revealed.

Sagittarius / Sagittarius rising (fourth house)
Expect the unexpected from a family situation, as whatever’s been going on behind the scenes is unveiled. Family constellations therapy could prove especially insightful. In all other areas, embark on a Dream Quest to get to the heart of the matter, and let your subconscious be your guide. Now examine your daily habits. What nourishes you and what is holding you back will be clearer to you now.

Capricorn / Capricorn rising (third house)
Be ruthless in speaking the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Allow yourself to hear the same in what others are saying. A hidden affinity with writing or speaking may come to light, embrace opportunities to explore this. Allow your logical mind to be infiltrated by your intuition. Journal about your dream life. False advertising won’t be tolerated. A sibling’s or neighbor’s secret may be revealed.

Aquarius / Aquarius rising (second house)
Get real about your finances and banish your credit cards to the back drawer. No more hiding your head in the sand and spending beyond your means, especially if shopping is a means of escape for you. Ask yourself; who am I without my luxuries and creature comforts? A creative way to add to your income may be unlocked. Look out for it, leave no stone unturned. Then act.

Pisces / Pisces rising (first house)
You’ll see past what’s in the mirror and view body image issues for what they really are: nothing but a figment of your insecurities. Now is the time for honest self-observation. Get real as you analyze your actions. In what ways do you allow your emotions to sabotage your personal vitality? Clean up your act. Insist on clarity of self-expression, no lying to yourself or your inner child.

TO SKINNY DIP OR NOT TO SKINNY DIP: KNOW YOUR YOGA RETREAT ETIQUETTE

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

Yay, you’re going on a yoga retreat! You want to get the most out of your experience, right? Who better than Heather Lilleston and Kumi Sawyers from Yoga For Bad People to lay down some summer retreat etiquette. We’re talking less freaking out, more more F.U.N.

Respect your roomie. Adults sharing accommodation is basically a very tricky situation, so when you’re sharing, let them have their space. We’re not here to make best friends, and if that does happen it should be a natural thing. You don’t need to hit the beach together every time.

Now give everybody else their space. The first day is always hardest and weirdest because everybody is landing. Maybe you’re dealing with some travel issues – your luggage gets lost, you can’t poop. Whatever it is, just know that you need to give yourself and everyone else the time and space to deal.

Be present with your packing. On a retreat in India for example, of course bring your yoga clothes but be prepared to honor local dress codes and maybe wait until you get there to buy something to wear. But Brazil is all about spandex and booty shorts. Also bring enough yoga clothes so you won’t need to wash them. Nobody likes a stinky yogi.

Don’t list your shit in the sharing circle. Sure it’s one way to get to know each other, but telling a 20-minute story listing the injuries you’re here to heal is too much. Choose your moments, and your listeners. Often people are blind to being the talkers, so practise a little self-awareness. Be responsible for your own situation.

Respect the property. It the place has a homey vibe, it can be a fine line but it’s not an open kitchen. You’re getting two meals a day and possibly some snacks, and no, it’s not okay to just go and open up the fridge.

Bring your own props. Check with the teachers about what’s available, and pack a block and a strap if you need them so you’re not shorted in your practise.

Remember this is not a private. If the classes are either too advanced for you or not fast enough, complaining to the teacher is not the way to go. But do ask, “how can you help me modify?” – it’s why we’re here. Don’t just slam your yoga into an hour like you do back home. When your teacher is there at breakfast with you, don’t waste the opportunity to use us. We chose to do this work because we love it.

Let the teachers be the leaders. If you speak the local language, by all means step in when it’s useful, but part of the whole lesson is; “this is your time to retreat, not to run the show.” Especially you, men. You may see two female yoga teachers and feel like you need to be the man – but you know what, we have this. Chill out.

Don’t be too schmoozy. When people come out of savasana, especially after a few days of yoga, they’re in a calmer space than usual and might not want to talk. If you’re in the mood to chitchat, feel out where everybody else it, and give people a little transition time.

Be tech appropriate. We have no problem with people using their cell phones or computers, we’re equally addictive about technology, but on other retreats that might be really annoying. Also, ask before you Instagram.

Show up, whatever the weather. Rain can ruin an entire retreat – but only if you let it. Don’t let it. If the forecast is bad, how about you just don’t look at it. Now is the time to remember your meditation teachings. We don’t angst about the things we can’t control, we just let them be.

Hook up with your fellow yogis. Why not? You’re on vacation and it’s cute. But if you end up in a couple or you’re travelling with your partner to begin with, maybe keep the PDAs to a minimum (#smug)

Enforced skinny-dipping? No.

Yoga For Bad People’s next retreat will take place in Turkey, August 18-25th. For more details and booking information click here.

@yogaforbadpeople

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEAUTIFUL! NUMEROLOGY FOR EVERY AGE

Posted on by Felicia Bender

Forget what life stage you’re at. Every age carries its own unique energy for you to master, says Practical Numerologist Felicia Bender.


In every culture, the day we were born has special significance. We celebrate it every year. It defines us in ways we can’t even comprehend. Darn near all of us know who we are – on a most basic level – Astrologically. You can meet someone and ask: “What’s your sign?” and most people can answer that question without missing a beat.

And Numerology offers yet another window into our life potential. Think about how powerful it is to have both tools at your fingertips! Anyone who says that we don’t come with an instruction manual needs to look into these two powerful arts and sciences to really get their Lesson Plan for Life.

Since I love looking at the practical way Numerology can guide us in this material world, here’s a little “Happy Birthday” message for each and every one of us.

Numerologically speaking, what does our AGE reveal about us?

In Numerology, each number – one through nine – holds a particular frequency that carries with it meaning and influence, even if we don’t know it’s there. It’s like gravity or cell phone reception; we don’t have to believe it’s there in order for it to be operating and exerting an influence on us. Know it or not, like it or not.

So let’s take some “turning point” ages as we experience them in our Western culture, and what the numbers might bring into our lives as we experience these benchmark birthdays.

The way to look at it is this: Each number will carry with it a “theme” for what you’ll be asked to learn and master during the year. And you’ll be given all kinds of different opportunities from a variety of angles to experience and master your particular theme.

So check these out:

Five Years Old: Entering Kindergarten! In Numerology, the “Five” is the number of freedom. It’s supportive of pursing adventure, change and fun. It’s a frenetic number and is full of life. Do you remember your own Kindergarten year? Or the Kindergarten year of your children? It can be a year of fearless adventure, or a year of fear. Or both; back and forth and back and forth. Which was it for you?

Sixteen Years Old (1 + 6 = 7; also this is a Karmic Number 16/7): Driver’s License! In Numerology, this is a “Seven” year and it’s the number of spiritual seeking, of digging for the Truth, of testing your sense of trust and openness, of using your gifts of analysis to expand upon your sense of your authentic self and how it connects to the world as a whole. What better energy to surround you as you get your “wheels” and gain a sense of personal responsibility and a grander sense of yourself as you connect with the world at large?

Interestingly, the 16/7 is also a Karmic number in Numerology. I’ll address Karmic Numbers more directly in another posting since it’s a lot to cover. Yet the bare-bones of what that brings to the party when you’re sixteen years old is this: With this number, you’ll be taunted by issues surrounding self-awareness, pride, secrets, lies, and lack of accountability. DUH! Yet the energy of that Karmic number demands that you conquer these issues, master the demons, and prove to yourself and the world that you can operate on a higher plane.

Twenty-One Years Old (2 + 1 = 3): Cocktails! In Numerology, this is a “Three” year and it’s the number of joyful self-expression and emotional sensitivity. This energy is all about fun, socializing, getting out there, and enjoying life. It’s a year that supports really digging deep into your emotions and healthy expression of them. It’s also a number that supports communication of all kinds, including performance. Of course, you must learn to temper the extremes. Dancing on a table with a lampshade on, anyone?

Forty Years Old (4 + 0 = 4): OMG. In Numerology, this is a “Four” year (with double intensity, given it’s followed by the “0” which intensifies whatever it accompanies). This is a “Holy-Cow-Who-Am-I-Really and Where-Am-I-Going” year. The energy of this year is more serious and is about hard-work and setting up foundations. It’s about facing old emotional/family stuff that may be holding you back. It’s a demanding year that will set the stage for what you’ll manifest in your forties.

Fifty Years Old (5 + 0 = 5): The Big Five-OH. This is traditionally the age of the “Midlife Crisis!” Notice, though, how this is the same “Five” (FREEDOM) energy that you experienced in Kindergarten! Except this five is accompanied by that zero, making it a double-whammy. So Numerologically speaking, this is a year that requires that you again redefine your sense of yourself in terms of freedom and self-discipline. And the added “0” makes that energy super-intense. So no wonder many people do “crazy” things in their 50th year – like getting a divorce, finally telling your mother that you aren’t going to call her three times a day anymore, moving to Tuscany, or getting a tattoo.

I could go on, yet you get the general idea.

What I focus on over and over again about knowing your numbers is this: When you can have some clarity about certain key words or themes that are at play in your life, your chances of aligning more successfully with the positive aspects of those themes raises substantially.

And it makes things a lot more fun.

It won’t make whatever you’re going through any easier, really. Yet it certainly does provide a difference lens from which to view, experience and process things along the way.

So Happy Birthday! Now blow out your candles and make a wish.

Read more from Felicia Bender at Feliciabender.com 

@FeliciaBender1

 

DARK FAIRY DELIRIUM: WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A GEMINI

Posted on by Nadia Noir

We’ve just experienced a powerful New Moon in multi-faceted Gemini, gifting us an opportunity to embrace the quicksilver side of ourselves. Nadia Noir gives an insight into a life spent searching for “the other me.” Images: Bela Borsodi for Document Journal.


When I was 10-years-old, my mother took me to a bulk retail store full of tiny sausages, discounted toilet paper, seven kinds of hummus before that was a thing, and kitschy forms of entertainment. It was coming up on my birthday so she told me I could buy two things. Anything I wanted. I went for a box set of every Disney song ever recorded and a giant astrology book with hundreds of pages of words, pictures of animals, gemstones, and a diagram for drawing out your natal chart.

I remember turning to the pages that talked about Gemini and seeing birds and monkeys inked across the pages, “yellow” being a prominent theme color, and descriptive words like “superficial,” “mercurial,” “intellectual” and “social butterfly” describing the tiny little Gemini creature that was me. I took the book home and with compass in hand, painstakingly drew out my chart. Eventually, months later, I thought I had solved the puzzle that was me. I was done. Everything about me was illuminated. Or, so I thought.

From that point forward, I told people that I was not a Gemini. There were other parts of my chart that described me and I was not, I was never a Gemini. I was something else entirely. An astrological amalgamation of all the other things in my chart. I was the diplomatic, regal drama of my Leo Rising. I was the lurid, panty-scorching nymphomania of my Scorpio moon. I was the warm campfire-scented sensuality of my Venus in Taurus which was also my Midheaven which was also in my tenth house and one time an astrologer I met at 3am in a coffee shop said I am basically ruled by Venus, which means I was definitely not a Gemini.

Geminis were bubbly. They talked a lot. They didn’t feel. That was the main reason I decided I wasn’t a Gemini. I had feelings. Massive ones that swung me up into the air like a father tossing his child into a sun-drenched sky only to forget to catch the child. I was a broken fairy, wings crushed against the pavement.

And for years I walked in this haze of what I perceived as Scorpionic darkness, sometimes washed over with emotions so cruel and body-crushing that the manic-pixie-dream-girl that was my Gemini side couldn’t survive. She would either choke on saltwater tears, sleeping in bathtubs and reading Victorian erotica, or she would rebel by taking my Moon out dancing in full-on drunken nymphette revelry, a sheen of lascivious Gemini glee captured mischievously through the stoic mask of my Leo features.

I called her the “Party Slut.” She would die the next day in a wave of pity or guilt or hungover misunderstanding. Her glitter, scattered across the floor in impossible rainbows, would be swept up into a tiny bottle with a stopper that was to be cracked open for “emergencies only.”

The emergency came half-way through my Saturn Return. I was red wine drunk at my friend’s clothing store. We were listening to Mariah Carey and in our perpetual, drunken Thelma and Louise-ish state, I was finally understanding what love might mean and I knew one day I wanted to find real love and instead of just flailing and weeping naked in a series of hot and cold baths that lasted for hours like I would usually do, my supposedly Scorpionic shell cracked. What I uncovered was a changeling, a creature so fierce and fluid that only the power of the wind (which I’ve always adored) could whip the edges into place after a few nights of unashamed shape-shifting. What I uncovered (or stopped negating, rather) was my Gemini.

That pendulum swing of moods? That was pure Gemini. Dancing around the Maypole. Dry humping the Maypole. Turning the Maypole into a stripper pole. And then, when the Maypole stopped being amusing, smashing and burning the Maypole into a sacred effigy of youth lost. The lack of the supposedly quintessential Gemini charm? That was my Gemini side analyzing, surveying, prospecting, dissecting, and poking at people. Pinching their souls until they were bruised and raw. I was writing an eternal, internal book on everyone’s every movement until I could find the two sides to them. I wanted everyone to have two sides. I wanted to see in them what I could not find in myself. It was then they became whole.

All that time that I was denying my Gemininess, I was being a classic Gemini. Trying to find another piece to make me feel complete, to solve the riddle, to cease the shifting, from light to dark and back again. Every time I switched my style from ’60s girl group to ’50s beatnik to sequin-crazy glam rock goddess to paisley goth to raw vegan yoga girl, that was me trying to find my other half. Every time I took a shot of Patron or a shot of wheatgrass or burned sage or burned bridges, that was me trying to understand the other me.

My Gemini search engine was constantly spiritually downloading all the information ever over the yin-yang network of life. And, I am not alone in this. Gemini Stevie Nicks may be the White Witch, but she twirls around in black fringe and scowls at the world through her mystical lyrics. Everyone adores her. Gemini Prince is the Purple One; he also scowls at the world through his sex-laden, dualistic androgyny. At one point, he even denied his own existence and renamed himself (something I also always do.) And yet, everyone adores him. Morrissey is a Gemini and he’s like the King of Scowling. For some reason, everyone loves Moz. Angelina Jolie, the world’s favorite altruistic sexpot who once wore her ex-husband’s blood in a vial around her neck? Much beloved Gemini.

Danny Elfman, who is known for his childlike yet dark and twisted music? Everyone’s favorite creepy Gemini. All these Gemini celebrities and musicians walk on the shadow side of life, communicating their dazzling talents through the erotic or the wanton or the esoteric and they do it in a way that perpetuates that primal, intoxicating buzz of teen lust. And that’s why a Gemini is so adored.

Just like me, they dance deliriously to the sound of the pan pipes leading them into a forest full of flower-strewn orgies and sequin-studded shoes, consummate teenagers in a state of angst or ecstasy. Dark fairies or genies ready to grant your every wish or impishly antagonize you until they get bored and give up.

But that’s the thing I learned about Geminis, that I should have learned that day when I was ten years old, drawing out my birth chart and plotting to succeed at it no matter how much it confused me. A Gemini never gives up. They pick up the broken skeletal remains of their wings, glue them back together with blood and stardust, and wink at the next person who passes by to hitch a ride, get a job, make-out, or maybe if they’re lucky, all three.

Nadia Noir is a writer that likes black tea, blackberry scones, black cats, the smell of black leather, and the sartorial combo of black and gold. She likes to twerk naked until she’s drenched in sweat and make love to the sounds of psychedelic sitar. She still cries a lot and goes into fits of possessive Scorpionic rage, but her Forever 16 Gemini just pushed her off the bed and told her to shut up and get over herself. She just now got over herself and totally forgot what we were talking about. 

@nadianoir

NEED-TO-KNOW: YOUR SPIRIT POWER ANIMAL

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

Dealing with a situation that had left her feeling vulnerable and alone, when Ruby Warrington met her spirit power animal last year…it got emotional. Here’s how to connect with your own beast of the wild unknown.

Somewhere in the garden of my subconscious, a powerful black stallion is biding his time, waiting for me to call on him. The horse exudes the kind of strength that needs no armor. He’s as high as a house, and his sheer presence makes my body quake. But he’s also calm and loving, and will always, forever and a day, be loyal to me. How do I know? Because the stallion is my spirit power animal, and when I met him it was one of the most moving encounters of my life.

The story begins at a dinner in New York City, thrown by the publicist Kelly Cutrone for her client, fashion designer Raif Adelberg. Kelly’s been a long time supporter of The Numinous, so I knew something mystical was up when she told me I had to meet him. And sure enough, before long we were discussing the fact that Raif’s power animal is the orca, or killer whale.

Of course I was instantly intrigued. How did he know? Did we all have a power animal? How did the whale show up in his life? In response; he was given his animal reading by a friend, a Native American chief, after discussing with his wife (also Native) her butterfly power animal. Yes, we all have access to backup from the animal world. And in his case, Raif feels connected to his animal in many ways.

In a literal sense, “I live on an island (off the coast of Vancouver), where orca actually play in my backyard,” he told me. But the killer whale is also known in the animal kingdom for its steadfast family values. They mate for life and travel in packs, and in Raif’s case; “I feel most secure with the comfort of my family around me.” How cool that he even got a tattoo of a butterfly years before he met his wife.

My subsequent mission to meet my own power animal led me to modern shamanic practitioner Marika Messager, and a deep guided meditation – over Skype – that transported me from a still, Tuesday afternoon in my apartment in NYC to the dank depths of the forest that exists somewhere in the middle of my being where my stallion lives.

I met other animals – a hedgehog, butterflies, even a Unicorn – en route, but only when I found my horse did my skin prickle all over with goose bumps and the tears wet my face. They were tears of relief. I had recently experienced something that had left me feeling quite vulnerable and alone in the world, and the transference of strength, sheer power, from the horse to me, felt like being rebuilt from the inside out.

Before you embark on a journey to meet your own power animal, here’s what you Need To Know:

• To meet your power animal you need be relaxed enough to access your subconscious. This means shifting your brainwaves into a theta state (similar to a meditative state). Shamans use drumming to do this, but hypnosis can invoke this same sense of deep of relaxation.

• In shamanic tradition, it is thought that we have three power animals, from the air, land and sea. Although you may meet many more, depending what’s going on in your life at the time and the kind of healing they can offer you.

• Our animals are there to lend us their wisdom. To fully appreciate the message your power animal has for you, research how the animal lives, mates, socializes, hunts. What lesson is there for you in the animal’s habits? For example, an eagle might appear to remind you to view a difficult situation “from above.”

• Mythical animals – dragons, unicorns – may appear to you too. But all animals are equal; no animal is “better” than any other.

• The first time you meet your animal, first thank him for his presence. After that, you can ask him questions, to which he may reply with a vision, a sensation or a voice in your head. Be aware that his support may appear in any of the ways you usually connect with your intuition.

• Once you have met your animal, or animals, call on them in times of need. For example, the horse symbolizes freedom, so call on him whenever you are feeling restricted by beliefs about your supposed limitations.

• Finally, your animal may continue to appear to you in “waking” life – in iconography, conversations or popular culture – to remind you of his continued presence in your life. Acknowledge him with a wink when he does.

Marika Messager assists, advises and counsels people in all areas of their lives, through a blend of executive, life, career and transition coaching, mentoring and healing. She has developed an interest in indigenous healing practices and particularly the influence of consciousness and the mind on the healing process. In her work, she bridges and blends these techniques to encourage and empower her clients to find the answers they seek within.

www.marikamessager.com

TURNED ON: THE TANTRA OF ONLINE DATING

Posted on by Ellie Burrows

In the second instalment of her brilliant column on sex and spirituality, Ellie Burrows takes a Tantric approach to online dating…

I’m pretty sure I discovered the secret to online dating.

And it’s Tantra.

I’m not talking about super-connected, total body orgasm, tantric sex. I’m talking about the energetic concept that makes that kind of sex possible: balance of the masculine and feminine energies. Let me explain.

After getting out of a very intense five-year relationship, I actually took a year off from dating altogether. At the end of the year, I met a lovely lawyer in LA who subsequently flew to New York City to woo me. The weekend was wonderful. He really had his shit together, but one night lying naked in bed he called me a “stallion” – and I knew as soon as he uttered that word that we weren’t a match.

The part of me that was also a mare shuddered. But to his credit, the dating experience was so positive it got me back in the saddle and over my fear of opening up my sacred sexual energy to a new partner. I wanted to repeat it many times over with all different kinds of men. And that the fastest way for me to accomplish this was to bite the bullet and get online.

Almost immediately my inbox was flooded with hundreds of messages from dudes who:

1. Hadn’t actually read my profile: “hey sexy ;-)”

2. Were clever but weren’t particularly attractive: “Multiple photos of you in leggings before 11am. Thank you.”

3. Were so totally wrong for me (and also crazy, with really poor grammar): “So I was reading your profile and then I was like goddammit…this always happens every time, I’m reading some nice girl like your selfs profile and then I remember I didn’t check your diet…Bam! I know I’m fucked before I even look, she’s going to be a god damned vegan, CRAP! Then by some magical stroke of luck or maybe the stars have aligned in my favor I see, I see: “Strictly Anything”…fucking finally a girl who isn’t a new age picky bitch, thank god! Hi I’m Johnny, its nice to meet you.”

Where was the quality? Where were the guys that I would actually want to meet and touch in person? The discerning, thoughtful men weren’t sending messages to every chick on the site. Then I remembered three very important things.

1. I’m a class act. And if I’m online, then my equal is probably online, too.

2. Insecurity is not gender specific, and rejection is scary.

3. We all have egos that need to be stroked once in a while.

As I browsed through the online shopping mall of men, I realized my approach needed to evolve. Big time. What if the right men weren’t reaching out to me because they thought they might get rejected? What if they needed me to reach out to them? After all, my profile status was set to “Replies Very Selectively”. This was going to require a serious shift in consciousness. So like everywhere else in my life, I decided to approach it from a spiritual perspective.

When it comes to love and sex, Tantra is my subtext. And Tantra embraces opposites, playing with concepts of light and dark, attraction and repulsion, hot and cold, and obviously, male and female.

As Osho writes in The Book of Secrets; “Tantra says that when the ultimate bliss and ecstasy comes inside you, it means your own positive and negative pole have come to a meeting – because every man is both man and woman, and every woman is both is both man and woman. You are born not only from woman or from man, you are born out of a meeting of the opposites.”

Now do me a favor and look between your legs. Seriously, look. Imagine what’s underneath those jeans…Now, completely forget what you just imagined. We’re all over the spectrum, people. There are masculine and feminine energies in all of us despite what our genitals tell us. Male energy is about focus, purpose, and drive. Female energy is about creativity, nurture, and radiance. ALL of those qualities are in EVERYONE. However, sometimes we get our energetic wires crossed when it comes to the dating dance and we can short circuit.

In 1995 the authors of The Rules, claimed that the male must be the sole initiator when it comes to dating. Yet according to ancient tantric rituals, the female is deeply revered and considered an initiator of sorts. She’s the creator. So you see, either the male or female energy can initiate. The feminine is always on the receiving side of the masculine penetration, but in Tantra “penetration” and “initiation” are two different things, and that’s where we get confused.

Having wrapped my head around this, I was now ready to send out some serious digital fuck me eyes.

My first online date was EPIC. A dreamy Vintner from Northern California (match 97%) was visiting the city and geo-locating attractive ladies using a feature called Quickmatch. Basically, the equivalent of telling me I was hot but not being bold enough to send a message.

I showed his photo to my friend Sarah who was staying with me for the week. Call it kismet, fate, even divine intervention, she responded; “Oh my God, I know him. That dude is amazing. I did some day-drinking with him a couple months ago in L.A. You need to message him.”

I dreaded sending my first message, but I knew it was all in the name of Tantra: “Small world moment of my day. Sarah was overlooking my shoulder when your face popped up on my quickmatch. She says you’re good stock.”

I gave no name. No mention of his profile. Didn’t ask him out. I wanted to rouse him out of his man cave, give him a little confidence, and let him know I was willing to play. Now it was up to him to show me his peacock feathers.

And boy, did he show me. He was only in town for two more days so he asked me out immediately. I was supposed to leave town but it was a blizzard outside and when I got snowed in, I agreed to meet him that night – which turned into a 36-hour first date. It included closing down two bars (Smith and Mills and a deserted Greenwich Hotel), dim sum (with his friend), sushi (just the two of us), two sleepovers (one at his, one at mine), and one flight change (his).

I can’t believe a computer told me I would like this person so much. So okay, online dating is kind of awesome.

Next, I tried my newfound strategy on a very handsome Corporate Lawyer with perfect abs and a brilliant mind whose profile I had been circling for a couple weeks (match 89%). We had also matched on Tinder, very equal opportunity in the cave-door knocking department. On OkCupid, we both had the same answer to the question “The most private thing you’re willing to admit?” which was that we both loved reading Missed Connections. I sent him the following:

“High percentages.

Tinder Match.

Missed Connections.

Nice Abs.

Your move.”

Again, no name. No overly thorough message. Just a little Tantric taunt.

Well, Corporate Lawyer asked me out immediately and told me that was the most effective message he had received to date. We went on a date and shared some steamy make outs and engaged in a pretty intense cerebral texting relationship. He also serenaded me with The Magnetic Fields’ “Come Back From San Francisco” begging me to return from visiting the aforementioned vintner. Timing wasn’t on our side; he got a new job, moved to Colorado, and although my body was back in New York the truth was that I had left my heart in San Francisco.

A key part of online dating is discernment. Over the course of four months I went on six dates, with five truly viable options. Only one was terrible. It was my first Tinder date and I didn’t vet him enough over text. Amateur hour.

But my point is, I didn’t go on hundreds of dates. I didn’t shoot twenty arrows and hope one hit a bull’s eye. I shot six and missed once. The men I met were of the highest quality and I had played my part in the courtship. It’s too bad I can’t have five boyfriends at once.

I’m sure it’s no surprise that in preparation for the this article I picked up The New Rules: The Dating Dos and Don’t for the Digital Generation to see how the game had changed with the advent of social media.Inside, I came across lines like “Don’t talk too much in the first weeks” and “Don’t write to guys first,” and “ignore winks.”

Yikes. I had to throw it across the room. It was entirely missing the opportunity for an open dialogue about the nature of our hearts and gave total disregard to spontaneity, two pretty important tenants of love.  More importantly, it diminished the equal power of the male and the female to ignite something.

At its core Tantra is about expressing everything that “comes up,” including all that you feel. It’s about allowing ourselves to feel and express everything between two polarities. It would never have you suppress anything for the sake of strategy or gain. It wants you to dance openly with everything and everyone you encounter. It’s all checks and balances, and I am glad I went with the ancient wisdom on this one.

Which makes me a rule-breaker I guess. But I expressed myself fully and created something magical.

NB: I had roughly 1000 words to make my case for Tantra as an online dating strategy, so I’ve seriously cherry picked my way through the infinite Tantric garden here. For a more in depth lesson, see the following reading list:

Ellie Burrows is a storyteller, seeker, mystic and guide living in New York City. Discover more at Ellieburrows.com
@ellieburrows (Instagram)
@_ellieburrows_ (Twitter)

//mineD//: A NEW COLLECTION FROM GINA MELOSI

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

With her new collection, //minD//, award-winning jewelry designer Gina Melosi has found a way to connect with her family history on both the physical and the metaphysical plane. Photographer: Maya Art. Art direction/model: Gina Melosi. Styling: Tony Hortal. Makeup/hair: Myo Mint. Color: Jason King at Lily Maila. Photographer’s assistant: Alessia Palombo.

After a recent trip to explore the Montana mines, visiting small mining town Butte ­‐ home to her recently deceased Grandmother ­‐ //mineD// embraces raw metal materials, intensified by the setting of uncut Sapphires, Herkimer diamonds and other locally sourced minerals such as Pyrite and Covellite. Returning to a recurrant theme in her work, the beauty which arises out of destruction ­‐ the broken, abandoned and overlooked ‐ this time she was inspired by her family history and a wish to feel a closeness to lost loved ones…

Director / videographer: Joseph Eardly

Why did you specifically want to create a collection inspired by your Grandmother?
A few things came together at once. I was thinking about doing something more related to my personal heritage, when my dad asked me to work on a project with him for a new book (he’s an environmental historian). Around this period I had a chance to visit my Grandmother in Montana (she lived in the mining town of Butte her whole life) for her 97th birthday. I hadn’t seen her for eight years, and I knew it’d be the last time. I was reminded that some of my fondest memories had been of dressing up in the costume jewelry that she handed down to me when I was a kid.

Is that why you went back to Butte to research materials for this collection?
And having grown up visiting mining ghosts towns and taking photographs, panning for gold, collecting rough garnets and sapphires, admiring the copper-hued treats on offer in souvenir shops…I was also fascinating to revisit it now that I had my own jewelry business and know so much about minerals and precious metals.

So what did you discover there?
The town of Butte is sprinkled with discarded mine shafts from before the world wars. There’s a huge open pit mine called Berkeley Pit, which, although it’s been decommissioned for ages, is open to the public for viewing. It’s a massive toxic lake and one of the largest Superfund sites. Interestingly, some species have evolved to ingest the heavy metal waters, and compounds have been isolated which have cancer-fighting properties. The themes of destruction, abandon, and neglect began to surface for me here. So I began filming and discussing further with my father, and the narrative for //mineD// started to flow…

How do you feel like you connected with your Grandmother creating this collection?
There has been a physical and emotional reworking of materials which were entrusted to me that’s felt like a powerful means of communication with her spirit. I was also able to look into the heritage of my whole family through connecting with their surroundings, and make a link to what I’m doing now with some of these very same objects. In this way, the project also helped me feel like I could connect more to myself.

And in what ways do you think your ancestors are alive in you?
I think my Grandparents are of the reasons I became a jewelry artist. When my Grandfather on my dad’s side retired from banking, he became an obsessive crafter. I learned the art of cross-stitch and developed a penchant for sequins from him. My mom’s mom collected all the glamorous costume jewelry that was popular in her day, much of which has been passed down to me. These stories and memories from my youth helped shape my interests and creative endeavors today, and in this way I believe they live on through me, bypassing words and filtering through the elements.

How do you define “family”, and why is this such an important theme in your work?
Our families’ influence defines who we are and shapes our personal approach to the world. It’s through our blood ties that we first learn about love. I don’t think we can figure out where we’re going if we don’t understand where we’ve come from, both physically and metaphysically.

Ginamelosi.com / @ginamelosi

 

SPELLBOUND: INTERVIEW WITH A WHITE WITCH

Posted on by Madeline Giles

The ancient holiday of Beltane (May 1st in the Northern Hemisphere), is celebrated as the first day of summer and carries a unique opportunity to authentically connect with faeries, romance, and magic! On its eve, white witch Lucy Cavendish shares with Madeline Giles what being a professional witch entails – and how true witchcraft is about inspiring others to remember their own innate magical powers.

“There’s an artistic aspect to being a witch,” muses a bright and bubbly Lucy Cavendish, calling from her native Sydney, Australia. “Even though a lot of spell work seems to be about attracting, it’s also about creating and contributing – there’s an eclectic, free-spirited vibe to it.” Cavendish, who is a self-declared bohemian witch, has been teaching, writing, speaking and practicing witchcraft for over 20 years. Through her bestselling oracle card decks and books (including Witchy Magic, Spellbound, and several others), Cavendish disparages the hoary viewpoint that real-life witches are fantasy.

Witches hold a rather notorious reputation in society. What’s your personal opinion on that?
I understand why people have a negative perception, because that’s been in our popular culture for some time – and I would say that just like there are bad postmen and bad teachers, of course there are people who work witchcraft in ways I would consider irresponsible and unethical. But the point people overlook is that there’s corruption and selfishness in all paths – whether you’re a policeman, a politician, or a witch – it all comes down to the individual and his or her intent.

How does one go about becoming a professional witch, out of interest?
It depends on what particular path you choose to travel, as there are various forms of witchcraft. Personally, I’ve chosen to follow a more eclectic, non-hierarchical path. I’ve done my Year And A Day, which is where you sit in a circle for 366 days with mentors discussing and practicing spells and conducting rituals. It’s a collective approach so you’ve always got people to support you and to question you if they think what you’re doing is unethical.

And how do you pass the teachings on?
It feels like; “I’ve developed this connection, if you would like to, you can develop this too. Maybe we could work together.” My aim is to inspire people to have a beautiful experience of the divine whether it occurs sitting in a grove of trees or through a celestial vision.

What was your life like before you became a witch?
Even though I was always really drawn to this work and I did readings for people all the time, I spent a lot of time trying to fit in. I wanted to live a life that didn’t look quite so weird from the outside. So I went to university and worked in really ordinary jobs, but I never lasted long. I’d be the production editor at a magazine, but have my cards out on my desk – which is probably why I didn’t last! At the time I assumed that other people wouldn’t accept me, but really I wasn’t accepting of myself. I honestly thought if I did what I loved – which is what I’m doing now – I’d starve and my cat would die. I thought I’d be a little street witch, a magical homeless person doing readings on street corners (laughs). That’s what I was afraid of.

So how did you make the transition?
I ended up leaving Australia to travel for a few years, and that really opened me up by helping me get through the fear of making ends meet while doing what I love. I never thought I could be doing what I do now – I assumed I would have to be unhappy in a “real” job, and that this would be a passion to be kept secret from some people. Thank goodness I took the risk! I chucked myself out of the nest and learned that it is possible to live a precarious, artistic and magical life – that somehow, if you commit to it, it will work out.

Now let’s get into the detail. Can you cast spells on other people?
There are very strong ethics and laws around what we do, one of which is never cast a spell against the free will of another person. So if someone comes to me and says; “I’d like you to cast a spell for me,” I can do that – but it needs to be for them. Not for that man or woman they’re interested in, for their mother’s inheritance, their ex-husband or wife, etc. That’s not what we do, and I don’t consider people who do do this kind of thing witches as they’re ignorant of the law, and it’s not healthy. Witches uphold the Law of Threefold Return, which means whatever you send out will return to you to the power of three. It’s important to be aware of that. It’s not the same as karma, but it’s similar to it – and if you’re going to sit in that consciousness and stir up that energy, there’s no way you can avoid it impacting you.

What types of spells do you cast most often?
A lot of spell work is about empowering people by raising their confidence and self-esteem – because that’s really the root of manifesting the things we want in our lives. Sometimes people are afraid to go after what they want because they feel they’re not good enough to deserve it, and spellcrafting is designed to shift a person’s energy and help them get to a place where they feel strong, confident and grounded – and then their contribution can begin.

What’s the first thing you’d recommend to someone interested in strengthening their divine connection?
The first thing I’d ask is how often they’re outside. How much time do they spend in nature? Are they aware of their local environment and what grows near where they live? What phase the moon is in? How often does it rain? It may sound like I’m asking everyone to become climate specialists, but it’s more that I’m asking people to get back in touch with how things work at a natural level in their environment. When you begin observing where you live and how energy works there, you begin to restore the natural power source that flows not only around us, but within us. That way, we begin to feel more powerful – and thus increase our opportunities to be a fully contributing, creative soul, which is empowering for anyone whether you want to be a witch or not.

In the below extract from her book Witchy Magic, Lucy elaborates on how to celebrate Beltane. Back in the day, our ancestors used to welcome the sweetness of summer on this enchanted holiday by dancing around ceremonious Beltane fires and making love underneath the stars. Today, witches continue to celebrate this festive day with large celebrations and generously sweet offerings to mother earth.

“Beltane is representative of vitality, fertility and the energy of the sun, so its foods include luscious fruits like cherries and strawberries, green leaf, herb and flower petal salads, oat or barley cakes, and honey. Beltane is a festival of love and romance, and roses and other flowers can be added to your food, used as a garnish or table decoration, woven into a garland for your hair or used in spells for love, which can be as simple as lighting a pink candle and making a wish or soaking in a bath filled with pink rose petals. You can also leave a little plate of nuts, berries and flowers out for the faeries, as this is a cross-quarter day when the veils are thin, and their energy can be drawn upon. Dress in long, swirling clothes with flowers in your hair and dance barefoot on the grass, soaking up the vibration of the earth and of this powerful, potent time.”

LUCY’S BELTANE ROSE PETAL TEA
Rose tea has a light flavor, a sweet scent and a calming effect.
*Using one cup of fresh rose petals, cut off the biter white bases from the petals and rinse well. Place in a teapot and pour two cups of boiling water over them. Allow to steep for five minutes – the petals will darken and become discolored, which is normal. Strain the rose petal liquid into teacups and add a little honey of you like.

Read more from Madeline Giles at Mermadeline.com, and follow her on Twitter.

EAT, PRAY, DANCE: THE ONLY FOOD RULES YOU NEED

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

Certified health coach Robyn Youkilis is the creator free video training series The Rockstar Roadmap, which she designed to prove it’s possible to love food and still lose weight and get the body you want. If, that is, you follow The Rules (and say a prayer or two).

Image: Mathilde Francois Girbaud ad campaign SS 05

1. If you’re dining alone you must eat with ZERO distractions. Turn away from your computer, close the magazine. You may look out the window and listen to music, but do whatever you have to do to enjoy your breakfast, lunch, dinner or even just a snack in peace. I know, it’s boring. You want to cry. It just feels so lonely! But it also feels great to learn when you’re full and to be able to end your meal at exactly that time, which will never happen if you’re not 100% in your body while it’s eating. How about you get a Buddha and eat with him? I have a large black stone Buddha that sits on the corner of my desk with a few other trinkets, and every day I dine with him. Of all the food rules, this is one is the hardest (that’s why I got it out of the way first!), but it’s also EVERYTHING. But please don’t stress if you’re not able to do this for all your meals.

2. Tea is your new best friend. “But I thought YOU were my new best friend Robyn!” Well I am, but so is tea. Herbal tea, that is. Ginger will help with digestion, nettle is good for digestion, mate gives you energy and run will clear your mind.But mainly, as you try to become your healthiest you it can takes a while to calm the cravings, which are usually based in the need for a calming moment. That’s why I call a tea a hug in a mug.

3. Breathe, God dammit. Half the time this is the answer to stopping cravings and getting back in the moment. There, you’re cured! Just kidding. But seriously breathe DEEPLY. None of us do it enough.

Breathing will help:

  • energize you
  • lift your spirits
  • keep you from making less than stellar decisions (in food and life)
  • help you feel connected to something bigger than you
  • calm you the f*** down
  • calm the situation around you the f*** down
  • make you a happier, shinier and more likable person (promise)

4. Eat greens until they’re coming out of your ears and mix them up (okay, that’s two rules). I can already hear you…but I have a salad for lunch and a green with dinner most days (and if you do, that’s already awesome)! Well, I want you to have more. Find a way to get them in your breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I’m not just talking kale smoothies. I mean mustard greens, dandelion, sprouts, purslane, bok choi EVERYTHING GREEN. Don’t know what to do with them? Shred them and have them raw with a simple dressing massaged in or steam or sauté them with olive oil, garlic and lemon.

5. Healthy fats are your friend. Avocados, nuts and seeds (small amounts, like way smaller than you think), coconuts, oily cold water fish should be welcomed onto your plate on a daily basis. As the former Snackwells queen, I’m still getting over my fear of fat too. Personally, I was never heavier than when I was eating fat free. When I began eating all the yummy, healthy and satisfying fats listed above (in moderation), I lost not just the 20 lbs I put on, but another 10. Oh, and your new glowing skin will thank you too. Remember, fat is not a four-letter word (it’s not, it’s three).

NB: these girls are not following The Rules

6. Chew your food until it’s liquid. I know this sounds like pure insanity but trust me, contrary to popular belief, your stomach does not have teeth. Half the time pesky digestive issues (bloating, less than frequent pooping, etc) can be solved by chewing more. And you don’t have to sit there counting. Until liquid is good/great enough.

7. Start your day with a prayer or blessing and end your day with a prayer or blessing. Not into the spiritual thing? Tough. It’s been proven that individuals with a spiritual practice of any kind (concentrating on your breathing is already a spiritual practice by the way) are happier, healthier and most likely to be living in the body they desire. It can be something as simple as; “Thank you for today.”

8. Smaller plates, smaller forks, smaller everything. I know, I know. The idea of eating my lunch or dinner off of a salad plate used to feel pretty lame too. Eventually I got used to it, and you will too (promise). I found a smaller plate that I loved (these can vary a lot so shop around, look for 6-8 inches with a border – we tend to want to stay within the lines). Now, a regular dinner plate (and the amount of food that typically accompanies it) looks enormous to me. This switch can sometimes be the easiest rule to follow because all you need to do for this one is swap out a physical item.

9. This is your life and it’s not meant to be painful, restrictive, unpleasant or unfun (I made that word up), but it’s also important to remember that as human beings, we do better with accountability, support, love and goals. So keep it real, girl. I am here for you, yes, but most importantly, you are here for you.

10. With that being said,  here’s a song to dance to! If you’re somewhere you can’t actually dance, then just close your eyes and dance in your mind. If you’re in bed reading this, use the song to sit up and meditate too and if you happen to be working out right after this GO FOR IT. Dancing is FREE. It relieves stress, lifts the pressure and gets us moving and back in our groove.

The Rockstar Roadmap with Robyn Youkilis is a free video series about getting healthy and losing a few pounds while NOT giving up your life to make that happen. It all kicks off on May 14, and you can sign up here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiQW2O9s2iM

TURNED ON: LIFE AS A CONSTANT STATE OF AROUSAL

Posted on by Ellie Burrows

In the first of a regular column on sex and spirituality, Ellie Burrows explains how getting really turned on is about allowing your body to open up to the world around you. Portraits: Katie Fischer.

I’m always turned on. I walk the earth in a constant state of arousal. It’s. The. Best.

Everything turns me on: my morning ritual of almond butter and raw honey toast accompanied by black tea with a dash of milk; an episode of Scandal; a conversation about the Universe; a pair of Alaia boots; meditation dance at 5Rhythms; riding the subway listening to Beyoncé; having my hair pulled; cleaning my bedroom; practicing mindfulness; fancy lingerie; a cute puppy on the street and its hot owner holding the leash. Basically, I’m experiencing one big Lifegasm.

Last weekend, I was strolling through Manhattan with the current object of my affection. We stopped at a corner and waited for the crosswalk to change. He let his hand brush up against my ass and I felt an energetic burst in my second chakra. A simple gesture with a massive impact, my vagina actually pulsed, warmed, relaxed, and opened for him. My body sent out a physical invitation hoping for an RSVP marked “Will Attend”. An example of arousal in its most pure form (and for the record, he attended, to it, later).

If we’re most familiar with arousal in a sexual context, most of us associate it with being DTF. And frankly, I’ve come to believe that’s totally limiting. We should really consider all the definitions of “arouse”: to awaken, excite, evoke. The highest level of arousal happens when we’re alert and open to all that’s around us. It’s about the expansion of our sexual energy well beyond the confines of sex.

Turned on from sunrise…
…to sunset

In ancient Taoist traditions, life force energy is called chi and supposedly we can feel this energy moving through us. The subset of this energy that’s specifically sexual or creative is called ching, which is believed to be essential to our health and wellbeing. Well, I can definitely feel my ching moving through me and it’s absolutely vital to my existence. But somewhere along the way, through various forms of cultural conditioning, we were taught that this energy should be strictly reserved for the bedroom. I think the Taoists, Justin Timberlake and I are all agreed that it’s WAY better when we bring sexy back into everything.

So how do we do this? How do we carry that powerful energy beyond the bedroom? How do we decorate every moment with this sexual electricity? Well, firstly we need to allow it to spread beyond our penises and pussies. It needs to evolve and literally “grow up” into our hearts and minds. We need to make like an aroused vagina and feel it pulsing through our entire bodies, warming the cold parts of ourselves, thereby relaxing our insides and creating an opening in our beings.

So let’s try a simple visualization. Imagine you’re staring at a chocolate chip cookie from Levain Bakery on 74th and Amsterdam (if you don’t know what this is I feel mildly sorry for you, and instead invite you to just envision the moistest, most chocolate chocolate chip cookie in the world). How do you feel about this cookie? What does it look like to you? To me it’s a big, dense, delicious, warm pile of goo and I can’t wait to have it in my mouth.

Turned on by cookies…
…and being Buddha

I’m breathing in the intoxicating smell of fresh baked goodness. I can feel the desire for this cookie all over my body. I can feel my deep appreciation for the cookie in my heart. My mind is doing summersaults just thinking about those chocolate chips dancing on my tongue. Holy shit, this cookie is turning me on. I can’t stop smiling at it. But see, I don’t want to actually fuck the cookie. The experience of eating it, appreciating and enjoying just became heightened, elevated and way more awesome.

Sometimes arousal happens to me on a subway when I see someone give up a seat to a pregnant lady or a senior citizen. I feel a pulsating sensation in my chest, a sense of warmth spreading through my being. I can’t help but smile at this display of human kindness and feel a deep connection to the other beings on the train. For a moment, I am in love and energized by the small simple gesture of one human towards another.

The vagina is the mother of all gates and most people think it’s the only doorway to arousal. And yes it’s an arousal superhighway, but for me, arousal is really about accessing the heart and I use my whole being and all my senses to do that. If my heart isn’t activated and engaged, then I can’t be turned on.

Real arousal creates openings in our being. It’s a state of connectedness with the world around us, in which we let it awaken and excite us. It’s the sensation of being genuinely excited about life. This column will touch upon arousal in many different ways. Often sex will be the entry point, but ultimately it’s about elevating our consciousness around our sexual energy to enhance all our experiences. Most sex columns are about getting off. This is an arousal column and it’s going to be all about turning on.

Ellie Burrows is a storyteller, seeker, mystic and guide living in New York City. Discover more at Ellieburrows.com 
@ellieburrows (Instagram)
@_ellieburrows_ (Twitter)

ARIES ARISE: FASHION FOR RAMS

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

Oh yeah, you can imagine how much we heart new fashion label Aries Arise, a line of casual separates from street wear designers Sofia Prantera and Fergus Purcell…Nuff said.

“ARIES 4EVA”
Aries SS14 - 4&5
“Those marijuana leaf motifs you used to get on T-shirts in Ibiza”
“Fergus and I like to have fun with cheap, bad prints”
“It’s almost like going back to the 1990s”
“We had people asking about the theme for the season…er, I don’t really do a theme”

Ariesarise.com

COUPLES THERAPY: DIARY OF A DETOX A DEUX

Posted on by Alexandra Roxo

When Alexandra Roxo decided to embark on a hardcore nine-day Ayurvedic cleanse, she had no idea her girlfriend would decide to come along for the ride. Cue tears, tantrums and an ocean of emotion.

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I was a bit nervous about telling my partner about the detox. We’d only been together five months, after meeting at a karaoke bar in Koreatown where I was instantly drawn to her off key rendition of “Stand By Your Man.”  Since then, we’d been falling in love over wine, croissants, late night snacks, drunken dancing…you know, the general dietary rule breaking that happens when you’re in a state of hormone induced euphoria. So deciding to put the brakes on the fun, so to speak, was a bold move. Especially seeing as we were moving in together a week later.

But I’ve always been one to take risks and do things in extremes, so I went with it. To my surprise, my girlfriend’s response was “I want to do it too.” This caught me very off guard because a) she’s more religious about her nightly cigarettes and wine and her morning coffee than her Jewish heritage, and b) I had been planning spending the week wearing mumus and listening to Enya while journaling, and never imagined doing it in front of my lover. Not to mention the idea of us both of being hungry/grumpy/gassy at the same time! Ew. I was hoping she’d be bringing me tea and holding down the emotional fort while I was the one being “transformed.”

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Okay, so what’s the big deal about a silly cleanse? Well THIS cleanse ain’t for the faint of heart. It’s a full on Ayurvedic experience, which includes rising with the sun, doing daily yoga, meditation and dream journaling, eating only two handful sized portions of vegan food at meal time, drinking your weight in greens, doing a three day juice fast, skin brushing, self oil massage, garlic liver flushes, kidney flushes, oil pulling, salt water colon cocktails. It’s basically its a full time job. But I did it last year and emerged glowing like a baby’s bum and happier than I’d felt in ages, so after this #$%^ing winter it was the medicine I needed. Plus with all the falling in love stuff (loads of white bread, recreational drugs…) I felt like I was in need of a full-on detox to get back on track.

What I wasn’t expecting was the emotional upheaval that occurred. Geez, not only had I stored up a few extra pounds this winter but also like, A LOT, of emotions. Four of my close friends also decided to do the cleanse and we were group texting about it all week. The word “meltdown” came up almost daily. Why were we all crying so much? Were we pms-ing? Nope. Were bad things happening? Not really, except not being able to eat. Shit just comes to the surface when you’re doing a detox, which I guess is why some people opt to take off work or go to a spa to do it. But alas, I’m not Lilo, so the closest I came was steaming up the bathroom and chilling in some epsom salts.

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And of course, the meltdowns melted into my relationship. It began with me announcing I needed to be alone for the week and storming off in tears, and soon I was dividing the green powder and groceries in two as if I was the star in a reality show about cleansing. I also cried pretty much every day as I released fears about all the attempted relationships gone awry in the past year. And I’ve already gone to therapy and done a peyote ceremony to try and work through that shit.

But those past heartbreaks and insecurities came rushing to the surface with a vengeance with every organ flush I did. And all of a sudden my girlfriend was angry at me! I’d “taken away” her freedom and her ability to be herself (i.e. eat when she wanted to). She grew resentful of me as I asked her; “Did you read the cleanse booklet?” and reminded her “wait, you can’t drink out of the faucet!” As she was too embarrassed to admit she was having these feelings, she just got really cold and distant until I broke down and cried into my turmeric stained hands. (As an aside: she said she didn’t cry at all, but later admitted to sobbing while watching a film about low income housing in Israel. I mean…) It’s an emotional thing, this cleansing.

Very dark green juice

In the dark alone time while staring at my garlic olive oil slurpee, I found myself challenging and questioning everything about the relationship. Everything. No stone remained unturned. The cleanse had forced me to get REALLY real with myself, and now there was no turning back and nothing to hide behind. No robust red wines, no morning coffee in bed, no trips to the bakery on the corner holding hands like we were in some 1990’s rom com. No spontaneous nights getting stoned and laughing ‘til you pee your pants and pass out holding a bag of Doritos. None of that!

You’re just raw. Real. Without frill. Looking tired, feeling grumpy, stinking of garlic and coconut oil. And actually, an honest look at yourselves as individuals and as a couple is pretty much the best gift you can give your relationship. Detoxing together as a couple is hard, but worth it. You don’t have to cleanse your colons together or scrape each other’s tongues, but making a goal and seeing each other for who you are without all the other stuff is a risk that – hopefully – will only deepen your bond.

Here are some tips for doing a detox for couples and not fucking up your relationship:

  • If you’re fully addicted, the first few days without coffee are bad. You may get evil, so maybe take this time alone to yourself and try to start on a weekend when you can scream underwater or hide in a closet.
  • Do not micromanage your partner. If you know more about cleansing than them etc, it’s easy to say things like, “wait that apple’s not organic!” before snatching it out of their hand and throwing it across the room. Just don’t.
  • Be gentle on yourself. Be gentle on each other. Ride the emotional ups and downs like a pro surfer and don’t do anything rash. Just breathe and imagine yourself in that exotic spa, staring at an extremely overpriced juice while gazing at a partial ocean view.
  • Resist the urge to send a photo text asking “does your poop look this green?” Just ask Google instead, please.

Alexandra Roxo is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker. She and her business partner Natalia Leite have a company called Purple Milk that makes all kinds of fun stuff. See more here: Drinkpurplemilk.com

Their new web series Be Here Now-ish, which chronicles the spiritual pilgrimage of two girls’ from NY to LA , will be premiering April 10 on Beherenowish.com

TAROTSCOPES: APRIL 2014

Posted on by Louise Androlia

APRIL 2014: INTRO

If you’re interested in these tarotscopes, chances are you’ve probably already clocked that astrologers have been speaking about the coming month for a long time. The Cardinal Grand Cross peaks around April 23rd, and the weeks leading up promise to be a pretty intense period to say the least. Imagine four people in a room, all with wildly different ideas and all trying to shape the world in their image.

When the Grand Cross forms the four planets involved will also all be at 13 degrees, and in the Tarot this is the number of the Death card, representing the sign of Scorpio. So think – change, transformation and reinvention. This energy has been building since December, and I for one have certainly been feeling it, have you?

You should know by now that I’m not one to embrace fear. I like the idea that if we try always to live in our highest and best energy, then we will always be exactly where we should be no matter what’s going on around us. I believe our struggles are in place to lead us to higher ground, and all we need to do is just keep walking. Life isn’t always going to be sparkles and unicorns, and if you are feeling less than 100% remember that we’re all in this together.

Through my coaching practice, I’ve come to discover that we all have the same fears packaged up in unique ways and yet we all feel totally alone some of the time. So share, love and support each other, or as I like to do when I’m feeling the winds of change – open up your arms wide and shout I’M READY!

P.S. If you know your full birth chart, this month read your sun and your rising sign tarotscopes for a double dose of guidance.

Cast by Louise Androlia using the Rider Waite Tarot Deck

ARIES / ARIES RISING – THE KNIGHT OF CUPS
Happy Birthday babe! It doesn’t surprise me to see an action card in place for you this month, because it’s not exactly news that you rarely stand still and just soak up the view. However this is definitely a time to really embrace some of the natural cycles of life, rather than try forcing the forward motion yourself. Get in tune with the flow and synchronicities of your life right now, make notes of how one thing leads to another, and you might just weave a web of action that gets you to the same desired outcome but with a few less puffs and pants.

Emotionally, you are perhaps going to be a bit more in touch with your watery side over the next few weeks, so if the tears start flowing, embrace them and think of yourself as having a birthday soul cleanse. It’s easy to get annoyed when your deepest feelings decide they want to make an appearance, but this is so a chance to dive in and swim around until you reach a deeper sense of personal embodiment. Think of yourself as having arrived at a blank page about to write the intro to your next awesome story, it needs some sentiment.

Externally I get a sense of commitment issues with this card and so I feel that if plans you are keen to see come to fruition get slowed right down it could be purely because you’re finding it hard to pin a certain someone down to the job. It’s amazing how frustrating it can be to feel like your fire-starting ideas are on hold because you’re having to simply wait it out. However every period of waiting can often just mean the space is being energetically held for you. Whenever that contract finally gets signed, then the time will be exactly right. It’s a more peaceful way to look at a limbo situation, right?

So try and embrace a sense of flow within action, after all if we know one thing for sure it’s that worry and anxiety only serve to thieve us of our peace, so don’t even invite those guys to your party!

In partnerships and romantically this is your chance to loosen your grip on any “all talk and no action” kind of connections. If you feel like you are constantly being emotionally let down, or sucked in by that knight in shining armor then it’s time to draw a line. You don’t need to suffer, even if you are locked in that familiar negative comfort zone. What would your biggest hero do right now? Well guess what, YOU are the hero, so bring in the change yourself and sweep out anything that isn’t working for you. Shake it off and treat yourself to a soul system spring clean – out with the old and in with the new. Keep walking, head high, heart open.

Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse

TAURUS / TAURUS RISING – THE STAR
Take a trip back to this time last year. What was going on in your life? How were you feeling? I pulled this card for you last April, and I feel like you could be immersed in something that was just an idea all those months ago and that you can see how the cycle has passed through all its twists and turns to bring you to this stage. I spoke last month about embracing change and shaking up your foundations to work better for you, and this card follows on SO well from that, bringing in a totally butterfly energy for you. Transformation is such an awesome and empowering thing, it’s a wonder we can be so terrified of the unknown right?

This month I encourage you to celebrate and value your talents, your mind, your body and your spirit. How often do you just stop and pat yourself on the back? Or even look back and notice how things are clicking together. I know you can sometimes feel that you’re tumbling down a dark tube towards a goal, and so I want you to keep expanding your vision in order not to miss any opportunities that are headed your way. I have a sense that you need pushing into your own light and so I want to give you just a little nudge and say go and stand in that spotlight – or at least empower you enough to send an email to get the ball rolling. It’s time to embrace life in a way that works for you, yes you and only you.

Your conversation with the Universe, God, your inner self, Love or whatever energy you might feel connected to also needs a little revamp, and acting on behalf of the Universe, I’m telling you to remember to check back in with your mantras, prayers or gratitude practices. Why? Because those moments of nurture that you give yourself will reflect back on you and the world will feel like a brighter place. You will be able to see clearer and feel more solid, and that light of yours will be just that little bit more luminous.

Also, give yourself a break. Seriously. If there has been a lot of change in your sphere recently then you aren’t supposed to be feeling super stable and strong right now, and this is why it’s even more important to take a break and just be present in your own skin. This will recharge you and give you the energy boost you need in order to be able to withstand any shakeups to your foundations.

Anyway, this month is about Star powered energy, so wrap your arms around everything and everyone that you love. Fly, launch, shine, dream. Share your ideas, gifts, thoughts, talents, words, energy – get it out there in whichever form you feel like you thrive in. We need you!

Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse

GEMINI / GEMINI RISING – THE KNIGHT OF WANDS
A nice change of pace from last month, which felt a little riddled with “what ifs”, “buts” and moments of worry. I hope you have been recharging and getting more on board with some self-love? Well keep it up as a permanent practice, okay?

This month I am giving you a rather large dose of passion and movement, and a big old jab out of your comfort zone. It’s so easy to get locked into a habit, like watching TV for instance, at the expense of other creative hobbies, and granted all those shows are pretty awesome and sofa time is fully supported. But at the same time, know that there is a higher energy for you to be tapping in to. I love thinking elementally, and what you want to bring in over the next few weeks is a lick of Fire. To immerse yourself in something that pumps up your life force, and reminds you that inspiration is always around you, if you just reach out and grab it.

I have a feeling that a few shifts are coming in your direction that might shove you towards a more action oriented place, and so be ready to embrace them. If you’ve been putting energy into the manifestation process recently then some results may start to roll in (hurrah!) Remember that you don’t have to say “yes” to everything, so step back and think about what might be right for you. Not sure? Ask what FEELS right. Avoid making decisions based on what you “think” you should do and allow passion to rule the show. I dare you to give it a shot! Also remember to allow everything in your life it’s own sense of flow. Know that whatever blooms has it’s rightful place, as you don’t want to even think about wasting your energy crying over spilt milk or stamping your feet if you feel like you haven’t got “your way”.

You may also be experiencing a major case of itchy feet, a desire to travel or meet some new faces. No need to race off to the airport right this second, but planning an adventure for later in the year could certainly bring you in the right kind of expansive energy. Same goes for the people you hang out with, are you clinking glasses and locking lips with those who lift you up and support your A-game? If not then your ability to make a shift in your social circle is something to be aware of. While you don’t need to go ditching pals left right and center, it’s very important to make sure that you feel part of a community that supports you.

A final nugget to ponder – always take a moment to check in which direction you are walking. Are you charging towards your dreams and in the direction of Love, or tiptoeing backwards into old habits and denying yourself the blooming and bright experience that you deserve?

Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse

CANCER / CANCER RISING – THE SIX OF SWORDS
You’re on such a journey this year Cancer, as if you’re on a sailboat through the seas of change and the weather is a bit unpredictable. Sometimes it rains for days but then it’s bright and blooming! You have faith that there is a point to all this, right? Hold onto this truth, as it’s always what can comfort you when the winds rattle your bones.

So last month I was chatting to you about drama and theatrics and I’m sure you saw some of that in play. Was it around you externally or going on in your own mind? The next few weeks are a chance to really retreat from your own fears (and everyone else’s) and with a battery pack in tow just give yourself a break. It sounds simple and it kind of is, but I know it’s not always enough stop you panicking about when things are going to move forward or when the next job will come in.

Your goal now is to get embodied and empowered, and this means that you have to get clear on what you want the rest of the year and maybe even your life to look like. It’s so easy to just role with it, to feel a bit like life has got you in it’s clutches and you’re just waiting on other people to make decisions so that you can move forward. Granted, plenty of things do involve other people and their decisions but it doesn’t mean that you can’t be a part of it. Take some time this month to really go deep and connect to what might be right for you, not just as another a notch on your ladder or because it’s what you think you should do.

I just feel like laying low will suit you right now – ideally in a hammock, swaying your way through the day as you hone back into your zen zone. But um yeah, the real world…the real world requires subtle action and constant surrender. So keep moving but just in your own space. Be a little selfish, in the positive way, which means taking some time outs to work through annoyances. Sort through your internal life luggage and prepare a few old habits and ideas for the recycling bin, to exchange for a fresh approach.

You won’t get very far unless you start getting unapologetic about putting your own wellness and joy right at the very top of the list, shining bright. Dive into the little things that lift you up – the smile on your child’s face, the in-jokes with your BFF, the words on a page that always make you smile, the quirks of your pet. Mini moments of joy are what will propel you forwards so that instead of feeling lost at sea, you become the captain of the ship.

Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse

LEO / LEO RISING – STRENGTH
This month is all about getting embodied and embracing the truth. The truth? It’s easy to be afraid of that word and want to run from it, scared of what it might mean – but it’s nothing to be afraid of. I want you to honor what feels right for you in every area of your life, and look at what might need shifting. It’s clear this is a month of spring-cleaning for everyone and as Leo is the sign that matches up to the Strength card, I feel that this is about you returning to your own source and getting really real.

So then, how are you going to dive in? I feel that for a start it’s worth checking in with your ego mind and its “ifs” and “buts” – have you accidentally on purpose been listening a little too much to those “I cant’s” recently? It’s easy to slip into the comforts of some of our favorite fears. I feel that the drama queen in your internal and external environment is a little on high alert right now. Have you noticed a lot of people in your sphere all caught up in idle gossip or low vibe conversation? If so then it’s imperative that you don’t join them, but at the same time it isn’t your job to call people out on their stuff, and definitely don’t lower your vibe to passive aggressive tweeting – such a waste of your time. Be the bright light and allow everyone to move on their own journey at their own speed.

Internally, don’t give the attention to the theatrics of the ego mind either. While the stage of your subconscious might look very exciting and inviting, is it all smoke and mirrors? How about giving peace a chance instead?

The thing is, inner work like this doesn’t have to be catastrophically boring, and it’s not like you have to wave your arms around and claim that you’re going to overhaul your known Universe either. It’s the small shifts we make that often bring about the biggest and brightest changes. Just say a few extra “yes’s” or maybe even a few more “no’s”, and take a moment to consider the direction you’re walking in, as you stop often to pause and breathe.

Remember that joy I asked you to look out for last month? Keep up this practice and know that gratitude will constantly expand your vision if you let it.

Above all, be gentle this month, and compassionate. You won’t overcome your challenges by shouting and screaming at them and punishing yourself when you feel like you’ve slipped up. Instead, operate in a constant state of surrender and forgiveness. The simplest advice for when you feel a little wobbly is to just operate at your highest level – which means your wellness and spiritual practice come first, compassion is a must, and there is no time to indulge drama. Got it?

Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse

VIRGO / VIRGO RISING – THE LOVERS
Set your intentions for the next few weeks with a lit candle and a positive prayer. The intention itself? Simple, make moves from a place of love for your sweet soul and avoid making your daily planner lists when in a fearful mindset. You’re never too far off your A-game, and if you are feeling swayed right now know that you’re part of a bigger picture and not alone. Call a friend and share some of your stress. Yes I know you’d prefer to always be the “strong” one, but seriously – time to give that game up. You’re awesome and awesome people sometimes feel crap too. It’s fine and it’s valid. Instead of everything to everyone, try just being your own savior – feels good, right?

In the romance zone you might be pondering the concept of soul mates and what that really means. If you have been locked in an unfulfilling (for you) love affair recently then maybe it’s time to sweep the sleep from your eyes, stand up and draw the line. It’s easy to glam up a sad story into something that’s “sooo romantic and dramatic” but actually, maybe it’s just not good for you? Imagine if you could up your game to where the real voodoo lives? Just a couple of energy levels higher into the arena of radical self-love and boundless joy. For those of you already in the swoon zone, then indulge in each other’s needs over the next few weeks, re-tune yourselves to a balanced place and remember not everything is about you – you’re a team, so work it.

I feel like there’s a huge amount of power in your perception this month, and in every given moment consider that you might be able to expand the situation to see it in a way that lifts you up to your highest vibe. It seems that you could be in a period of change – not so much the unexpected, more so that you’ll have to make a bunch of decisions. It’s amazing how complicated we humans make our own process sometimes, with so many fears tied up with the “what if’s”. And yet if we can grasp that we really are just on a journey, then bad choices cease to exist.

Allow yourself to move with confidence, even if it is slowly. Tiptoeing is certainly okay this month, you’ll still get there. Think of it as a gift that you can see the light and dark in each situation, it actually gives you a head start, okay? Just make sure you’re headed in the right direction, yes you know the one. I have no doubt that you will be fine, just try and not question yourself so much. Think about how inspiring and amazing you find all your heroes and mentors, and then remember that they are reflections of you. Bask in your superpowers.

Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse

LIBRA / LIBRA RISING – THE EIGHT OF PENTACLES
No, you’re not travelling back in time, but perhaps you’ve been feeling like you’ve had to do a lot of back and forth recently, and are a little tired of it? It’s been an odd couple of months – not bad, but there has been a lot of “thinking”, like ideally you’d be on a Caribbean vacation with a coconut cocktail now right. I pulled this card for you last July, so make a note of any familiarities between now and then, as feelings or situations now may be reflective or working together with what was going on then. For instance, you may be experiencing the revival of an old project, or treading familiar territory in a relationship.

You’ve been working on your balance in the last few months, something that comes naturally to you, but this month you’re ready to get head first into something new. I feel you’ve become a bit restless somewhere, that some of you are feeling bored while others are clamoring for change. A need to “expand” is the common ground, so it’s time to immerse yourself in developing or honing a new talent, or to discover something that’s perhaps a little bit out of your comfort zone. It’s amazing how quickly we can shift out of that place of stagnation by inviting something fresh into our lives. So take a scan across every area of your life, love, health, career, spirituality – where is in need of a revamp?

This is where you can do your best work this month. Make it exciting, change doesn’t have to be a hard slog; your aim is to feel enthusiastic about your life again, and to feel like you are working on something that you’re invested in. Can you get behind creating a life that you want to wake up and participate in?

Yes you might be having to comb over current details but while that’s going on, is there something you’ve been shoving to the back of your mind, worrying about whether you’re “good” enough or if it’s a fruitless idea? Give compassion to your desires and dreams, they don’t present themselves for no reason, so how can you honor them?

You are on this adventure right now – don’t ever forget that, even when it seems like a pain in the backside. It’s sometimes hard to accept that we are on a journey when we can’t see the final destination. This is why working with the idea that the present moment is the only thing that’s solid can really help us out. Work with each moment as it comes, and you will avoid a sense of overwhelm or a need to control. Consider yourself as building your pathway and allow yourself time and compassion. You don’t have to race ahead, this month is about nurturing your adventure and starting to carve out new experiences.

Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse

SCORPIO / SCORPIO – THE PAGE OF CUPS
Faith. Where does yours lie, and in what form? Do you believe in an energy that’s bigger than you? Do you pray to a God or higher power? Are you connected to your own intuition? Do you believe you are the co-creator of your experience, or are you a victim of the Universe? I have no doubt that you can feel things shifting around you and within you right now, which is when it’s easy to be afraid and when old fears come up. But I want you to feel as though you are part of a bigger picture, but also something that resonates with you, that is unique and it’s personal. I can make much more sense of my own challenges when I realign with my belief that I’m on a journey, because I know that everything is a valid part of the puzzle that’s shuffling around to create my story.

This month you will be able to find your peace in the little signs and the tiny shifts, and your only job is to be open to seeing them. Use the word “expand” as a permanent mantra, and when ever you feel stuck or locked in a mindset or a situation make a request to your self or the Universe to open up and create space around you to be able to see your way through. You need every moment of calm that you can create, and I use “create” because it is your own job to support yourself over the next few weeks.

Miracles are circling you all of the time and the synchronicities are there, dancing around waiting for you to tune in. But that tune in will only get locked into place when you just stop and be still. Stillness is always our savior and don’t be overwhelmed by that idea. I‘m not suggesting you lock yourself away to be ‘”alone with your thoughts” for hours on end, how about just one minute breathing steadily with your eyes shut while you’re on the bus? Or a pause on your walk to look up to the sky and down to the earth. Connect.

You’re also still planting seeds that you’ve been scattering for the last few months, and now they are starting to bloom, totally in their own time though and in so many different ways than you expected, right? Choose to remain positive in the face any perceived blockages; perhaps they are in place to make you consider a more relevant and even better direction?

Finally, this week I bumped into an elderly gentleman in the park and we were chatting about his dogs. As I went to leave, he looked at me with a wide smile and said; “Do something exciting this weekend”. The idea of being in the present moment grabbed me. So keep your energy playful, childlike and bright and maybe you can just sail right into the dreams that you desire.

Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse

SAGITTARIUS / SAGITTARIUS RISING – THE FIVE OF SWORDS
I feel that all the inner work you’re doing at moment is about how you shape your environment. Over the next few weeks you may notice some restructuring going on in your social circle, and with the ways you react to other people. Are you typical of your Fire sign? Are you quick to spark an argument or rush to prove yourself “right”? There is a wonderful delight in learning to pick your battles, or perhaps not even battling at all.

All of our relationships serve as mirrors, and diving into this concept can be an awesome self-help tool. The person that you find so irritating or really struggle with? They’re probably pulling out some of your own fears, or perhaps even reminding you of an aspect of yourself that you don’t like so much. But when you are so quick to form a negative opinion about someone else, this is just the energy you’ve tuned in to, and in turn you may only then see that part of that person.

The easy option for us is to just snap at someone or talk about them behind their back, but does that ever make you feel great? Does it solve the problem or bring help in any way? Not usually. So take a moment and pose those kinds of questions to yourself; Will complaining about this situation help me? Could I extend peace towards these conflicts? This doesn’t mean “backing down” or you being “better than” someone else, it just means honoring that your precious energy is better spent elsewhere.

So, where exactly? In regaining your own personal power of course! When you’re caught up in what others might be thinking then you’ve distracted yourself from honoring your own feelings and journey. Spend as much time as possible in the coming weeks putting attention on the positive feelings you’d like to experience going forward. Remember to envelope yourself with those who uplift you, and also that friendships do shift and change over time. It’s been a busy few months for everyone, so offer your very nearest and dearest a little extra compassion right now. I bet there is one person around you that perhaps wouldn’t ask for help but really needs it – so tune in.

Finally, if you have been feeling a little scattered or worn down then try this visualization. Close your eyes and visualize your solar plexus (the energy center just above the navel and under the ribs) as a large magnet. As you breathe in imagine all of your lost energy being magnetized back to your centre and filling you with warmth. As you breathe out ask to release any energy that is not yours and see dust particles scatter away from you. Do this for as many breath cycles as you like and end with a visualization of a bright white bubble surrounding you. Energy reboot, affirmative!

Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse

CAPRICORN / CAPRICORN RISING – THE CHARIOT
Let’s talk about the direction in which you’re headed. Your journey is so significant right now, and of course the balance of it. If every aspect of your life right now were the first brick in the foundation of a building, what kind of city would you be creating? Are the foundations solid or shaky? And most of all, would you want to live there?

You don’t always consider putting your own needs first, but I have a feeling that with a bit of practice you might rather like it. When the astro energy is a bit choppy like it is out there this month, you really will ride it out like a pro if you focus on this, even if feels a bit forced to start with. You’re looking at a few weeks that might seem to go quite fast, and it’s essential to grab the reins and steer in the direction that you would like. I feel that you are also aware from the last six months that when things aren’t right they kind of fizzle out pretty fast anyway, and what you are aiming to hone right now is the ability to beat this before it even happens.

If it feels like things are going too fast for you, check that you are feeling fully embodied in your life. I’ve noticed that when we’re experiencing blocks it’s because we have hopped out of our body a little, perhaps into the future or the past. So just stop and just be present with your surroundings. Try using walking as a meditation, put that phone back in your bag and just focus on what’s around you, each person, each object, what the air feels like, what the colors look like. This is such a quick and easy way to pull yourself back into your body and also a very strong exercise to remind yourself that you are part of a bigger picture. You are not alone in your challenges.

You’re maybe thinking a little more long term than usual too, and certainly exploring new territory. It’s easy to be afraid of the unknown, even if it’s feeling good, because we can never see exactly how things are going to end up, we only have our plans. But I encourage you to enjoy every step, because if it feels good and right then you are exactly where you’re supposed to be, and the rest will form as you go.

Finally, shake your own foundations and chuck out what isn’t working for you, because I know you have plenty of rather nice things to fill that space, right? Make room for the LOVE and the FUN and the JOY. Seriously, these are the things that matter, so move in their direction.

Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse

AQUARIUS / AQUARIUS RISING – THE NINE OF PENTACLES
If last month was about shaking up your foundations, then April is about choosing how you’re going to rebuild them. The chance to settle into new ways and habits can feel a bit odd at first, as it entails getting used to an exciting something/someone, or coping with something that is no longer present. But it’s okay, you’re doing the best job you can. So your whole attitude for this month has to be about staying on your highest energy plane and looking after yourself in an epically wonderful way. Are you ready for that? Of course you are.

First up, rediscover or create what your own miracle saving tactic can be when you feel stuck or stressed out. When I feel blocked when trying to work, I grab my keys and just charge out the door for a walk, even if it’s just around the block – yes this is total a perk of being freelance, but you will find your own way. Breath work, a moving meditation, a song on repeat, a moment of solitude or a mantra. It’s kind of awesome to have a go-to way to calm down, and to know that your “safe place” can be inside you and accessed any time, anywhere.

So now, how about your external environment? This is the place that we really can’t control, as we aren’t at liberty to know what others are going to do around us. But we can hone and help ourselves as much as possible. First up, your home – time to bring in a little feng shui, or just some fresh flowers? Make your bedroom somewhere that you are excited to fall to sleep and wake up! It sounds insanely simple, but there are plenty of us who push nurturing our space to the bottom of the list. The ideal comfort zone is having a precious place in your home where you can practice the above and get a double dose of grounding and reenergizing, all created by you!

I feel like the people around you, at work or in your family or social circle, might be a bit wobbly over the next few weeks, so remember how your energy can often create the scene you’re in. With this in mind, it’s time to bring the light and the encouraging talk to the room. I don’t feel that you need to be very adventurous this month, as it’s a time for really indulging in what you know feels right for you. For instance socially, make time to only hang out with the friends who give you that warm and fuzzy feeling inside and head to the places where you can glide into your favourite seat.

It’s likely that within your happy places, inside and out, you will find exciting guidance, whether your inner voice shouts out quite the epiphany or you spy a career breakthrough right under your nose. Just keep your eyes open.

Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse

PISCES / PISCES RISING – THE HERMIT
As above, so below. As within, so without. This is a month of plugging yourself in to your personal energy charger and sitting quietly and prepping for action. So take that pressure OFF, right now, seriously, you don’t have to do anything or have to be anywhere. Reshuffle your space so there is plenty of time to be still, even if it’s just a few seemingly tiny moments in what you see as a sea of chaos. Find them.

Your outer environment will mirror what’s inside, so of course you have to start rebuilding your inner soul system in order to rebalance what you see around you. If you are surrounded by drama and theatrics, maybe it’s your own inner push and pull that needs attending to. Does the space feel not quite safe around you? Then keep finding that safe place inside. Whatever you see around you, see if you can find the parallel within, and then commit to doing the work.

Remember your ability to flow and work it, you aren’t a fish for no reason! Dive, search, float – but don’t swim away. This is why the power of recharging is so epic, and you can think of the next few weeks as a period of evolution. Usually when these moments are required it’s because there’s a shift up ahead that will need you to be very present. I feel that any projects that you want to launch, people you want to woo or celebrations you are waiting for will be in your vision towards the end of the month, so you are just quietly prepping.

When faced with this card, it’s always useful to edge away from what you think “Hermit” means – you aren’t about to go and sit in a cave and have no friends for the next ten years (which is what people always think when they see this card!) In fact, you’re just making way for the new and improved you and you need to be silent now in order to shine forth in the months to come.

I always like to remind you of avoiding your own dramatics, especially with a card of retreat like this, so go swim in an expansive, adventurous space, not in your own tears. Got it? If you really tune into what’s around you right now you should be able to pick what can go and what should stay. Remember you are not the victim of the story, more so the master of it, and any situations that feel out of your control can be twisted around so that your personal power comes back into the picture. Sometimes we need to just go in and edit our story and make ourselves the hero, right? Time to remember that you ARE the hero, the good guys come out on top and that, yes, LOVE rules.

Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse

Cast by Louise Androlia using the Rider Waite Tarot Deck

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