So many decks, so little time! How to choose? Discover your tarot type, and start casting spreads that speak straight to your spirit, says Haley ED Houseman.
With the explosion of new and evolved tarot decks, it’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole of gorgeous artwork and Insta-worthy spreads. But because the tarot works with your intuition, it’s important to work with designs that truly inspire, fascinate, and draw you in. Whether you’re a novice reader or a devoted collector, there’s a perfect deck (or decks!) for everyone.
Discover your tarot type below and start casting spreads that speak straight to your spirit…
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THE CLASSIC QUEEN Tried and true, you’re drawn to sophisticated silhouettes, the timeless scent of Chanel No. 5, and upholding treasured traditions.
L—R: The Rider-Waite, Morgan Greer, and Aquarian Decks
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THE EARTH MAMA You’re a rooted revolutionary with your hands in the dirt and your head in the stars. You love 60s & 70s bohemian looks, loads of crystals and, of course, all things herbalism.
L—R: The Pythia Botanica, Motherpeace, and Mountain Dream Decks
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THE NOW AGE MAVEN On the cutting-edge of cosmic cool, you’re equally comfortable rocking up-to-the-minute fashions and getting deeply mystical, and your Now Age lifestyle demands a buzz-worthy deck.
Your Dream Decks: The “new wave” of tarot design focuses on pastels, geometrics, the fiercely feminine, and light work. Try the lush Fountain Tarot’s gentle geometrics and additional arcana, the goddess iconography and Art Nouveau revival style of the Serpentfire Deck, or The Starchild Tarot’s ethereal, Akashic imagery, and dreamy pastel palette.
L—R: The Fountain, Serpentfire, and Starchild Decks
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THE MINIMALISTA You’re a stripped-down boss lady on-the-go who loves blazers and heels, and takes her cosmic inspiration with a shot of espresso.
L—R: The Chelsea Lenormand, Golden Thread, and Linestrider Decks
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THE COLOR ADDICT You’re a wild child, interstellar explorer drawn to psychedelic patterns and mind-altering experiences.
Your Dream Decks: Try the hyper-saturated rainbowed vision of the Oliver Hibert Deck, the wild animals and mythical beasts of the Ellis Deck, and the soon-to-launch Yoshi Yoshitani’s Fairytale Deck, which draws on magical stories from around the world.
L—R: The Oliver Hibert, Ellis, and Yoshi Yoshitani Decks
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THE COSMIC CREATIVE An artistic intuitive with iconoclastic impulses, you turn to the tarot to fuel your passion projects and might already be hard at work creating a deck of your own.
Your Dream Decks: Try Stretch Tarot’s mélange of vintage collage and mixed media, awaken the muses with the fantastical oil paintings of the Mary-El Tarot, and power up with Dust II Onyx’s latest, infused with modern black experiences, ancestor work, and African traditional art.
L—R: The Stretch, Mary-El, and Dust II Onyx Decks
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THE WITCHY WOMAN You’re a gothic guru who dives deep into the occult, revels in ritual, and isn’t afraid of blending her darkness with the light.
Your Dream Decks: Try the Iona Tarot’s complex intaglio printing style and high ceremony, the rich Haitian occult history of Alice Smeets’ Ghetto Tarot, and the elemental powers and ancient alchemy of The Order of the Golden Dawn- inspired Hermetic Tarot.
L—R: The Iona, Ghetto, and Hermetic Decks
Haley ED Houseman is a freelance writer, illustrator, and tarot reader. Her focus is on the modern mystical, as well as art, fashion, and the natural world. She’s also the host of Occulture Talks, a monthly panel with occult experts in NYC. Sign up for her newsletter and follow her on Twitter for more musings.
The Eight of Swords is a card of transformation; it’s medicine is to remind us that for every locked door, there is an open window, says Lindsay Mack in her weekly Numinous tarotscope…
Wanna get jacked up on magic? Bess Matassa explores workout as ritual with fitness witches Shanda Woods and Russ Marshalek of New Jack Witch…
Shanda Woods
“The working of the human body is in and of itself a magical process”—New Jack Witch
Inside of a dimly-lit warehouse on the Greenpoint waterfront, New Jack Witch is making sweaty magic. Musicians. Witches. Fitness Instructors. This is where Russ Marshalek, an excitable, feline moon prince, and rooted revolutionary Shanda Woods, craft seamless, full-body enchantment—that also gets you ripped.
What exactly is their signature “Fitcraft” session? As I strip down and start to move to a soundtrack of goth rock, witch house, and Twin Peaks instrumentals, it seems deceptively simple. Combining yoga and cardio, it’s a minimalistic workout that thrives on repetition.
But as we continue through our reps, the energy begins to shift. “You’ve got your own back,” Russ repeats. “You’re fucking alive,” commands Shanda. I begin to experience an invigorating collision between light and dark, and a deep sense that feeling good and strong in my body can coexist with the widest, rawest range of emotion.
Post session, I sat down with the fitness witches to talk rockstars, ritual, and a workout that’s both wonderful and strange.
TN: How did you each come to your fitness practice? And when did it merge with witchcraft?
Russ: The torture and torment of being the “fat kid” really fucked with me, and was the beginning of a lifelong flirtation with an eating disorder. To quiet my anxiety, and strike the balance between my deep-fried youth and my anorexic high school years, I started exercising. Combine that with a deep disdain for the patriarchy, a seed first sown through Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, and you have the foundation.
When I moved to New York 7 years ago, I had a really intense period of unemployment that found me focusing on both witchcraft and fitness for self stability. And the more I worked on both, the more the two became vital facets of my everyday that I can’t really separate.
Shanda: My witchcraft and fitness practice have been intertwined for as long as I can remember. I’m a member of the Chickasaw Native American Tribe, and other parts of my lineage are from Ireland, so my blood is steeped in the craft. And I have always been physical—playing competitive sports since elementary school and practicing yoga since high school.
I also loved playing nontraditional “yoga” music in my classes, and got hooked on the energy of a room full of people working to change themselves. So I’ve forged my own style that blends my personal history with lessons from all of my great mentors.
Russ
TN: Both of you mention a dissatisfaction with existing fitness culture that led you to your current practice. What was lacking for you?
Russ: The “new year, new you” concept sold by gyms everywhere actually removes the agency and ability of the individual, and places “fitness” as some unattainable goal. Self-care and working out should simply be present in everyday life. You don’t need a “new you,” you just need to actualize your intentions. You’re perfect and you’re strong and you’re powerful. That’s what magic is about for me, too.
Shanda: Turning the art of helping and healing people into a commodity or ego-boosting strategy is what I really cringe at in the industry. Not to say you shouldn’t make money as a fitness professional, or that you can’t become well known, but those should be additional outcomes of helping people, not the goals.
I also believe that a lack of authenticity inspires the perpetuation of stereotypes, which leads to less variety for people who may not subscribe to the mainstream ideals of what “fitness” is. This is where we come in—we provide an honest version of ourselves, so others that are not seeking mainstream content or delivery can find a place to belong.
TN: Tell me about some of your early icons and inspirations in both worlds. Who are the “patron saints” of New Jack Witch? Who do you see as your audience?
Russ: For me, this traverses boundaries. It’s Janet Jackson in Rhythm Nation—force, grace, power, intention. Gordon White of Rune Soup fame is another, for his combo of magic and political theory with pop culture observation. Grant Morrison. Tori Amos is our Ultimate Mother Witch. Michael Macneal of MonsterCycle is the fitness person who has inspired me the most. And my wife, Vanessa Irena (the third facet of New Jack Witch), inspires me daily to be a better person and a better witch.
But our patron saints are all those witches getting their fingers dirty, planting and growing and renewing and sweating and fucking, every day. I think our audience is everyone who wants to exist outside the currently established systems. Those for whom magic and fitness are both methods of creation and self-improvement, or those who want to align to that frame of mind and learn how.
Shanda: My mom and her best friend of 40+ years (who recently passed away, but is still here to guide me from the other side) are huge influences on my connection to the craft. As far as athletes, I’ve always loved the Williams sisters and any athletes or yogis that are rebellious and caring, sharp but kind. And patrons who speak to me through NJW are the Goddesses Isis and Diana.
TN: People often discuss the “mind/body” connection, but what’s the relationship between making magic and working out?
Russ: Magic uses the body and mind, as does exercise, and both require centering, intention, and the synching of the two. Think of breathing. Really. Your mind has your body do it subconsciously. It’s a brilliant trick when you think about it! When you’re in tune, both magic and exercise are like that—the two moving as one.
Shanda: Magic is learning how to control and manipulate frequencies, elements, and energy. Fitness is learning how to control your personal frequencies, energy, and breath. To me, they both address the strength and ability of the individual to transcend the artificial disconnect we’ve been conditioned to believe in—melting and coalescing mind, heart, spirit, body, and the physical external world, in order to manifest a desired outcome or reality.
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TN: You’re both musicians also. How does your music-making feed into your witchcraft and your fitness practice?
Russ: Music is ritual, fitness is ritual. It’s about creating a spell, setting an intention, and eventually enacting a change, be it large or small. In our music and our workouts, ultimately it’s about creating a spell to get from point a to point b, to reach the desired intention and response.
Shanda: Just like magic and fitness, music is the art of controlling or manipulating frequencies, energy, and emotions in order to produce a visceral emotional connection or shift in consciousness. They are all the same thing, just in different forms!
TN: You mention wanting to “rebrand” the notion of the “rockstar.” What do you mean by that?
Russ:The concept of the rockstar has meant egotistical, out of touch, slobby, etc. Yes, we drink, and we have fun, and there’s a certain glamor to the showmanship of the music industry, but we’re also engaging with our bodies daily to keep them strong and healthy. It makes us better performers, humans, and witches when the main tool we have (our body) is sharp.
Shanda: We are trying to show people that caring for yourself and finding your power is one of the biggest things you can do for yourself and the world. There is an archetype of the rockstar that doesn’t cherish this internal divinity. It’s an outmoded archetype of self-abuse, unnecessary decadence, and an egocentric notion that’s not based on service, which is really what all musicians and teachers offer through art and knowledge.
While indulgence or the use of substances isn’t always a bad thing (witchcract is often connected to entering a trancelike state either through meditation or substances, after all), indulgence to an excessive degree is counterproductive to lifting the spirit.
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TN: Some people think of goth culture and music as dark or cynical. What myths would you like to dispel about both witchcraft and about the music you use during your sessions?
Russ:Well, first off, there isn’t any separation between “darkness and light.” And once you start saying things like “I don’t fuck with that dark shit,” well, you’re already off to a highly misguided start. Both goth and witchcraft celebrate the lightness in the dark and the darkness in the light. Playing Godflesh’s “Streetcleaner” in a fitness class puts a huge smile on students’ faces.
Shanda: I believe that there’s a clarity that comes from practicing ritual or fitness, or creating music, when you approach them through a lens of innocent excitement. I believe everything should be viewed with an open heart. Vulnerability allows for the truth to filter through easier than upholding a wall of judgment. When you break down the walls, nothing but truth is left, and that’s where real growth and change can occur.
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TN: What are your personal definitions of a witch? A fitness instructor? A musician?
Russ:A conjurer. A creator. A fighter. The definitions for all have been too rigid for far too long.
Shanda: Wavelength manipulators.
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TN: How do you want people to walk away from a Fitcraft session feeling?
Russ:To steal a phrase from President Bartlet: Ready for “what’s next.”
Shanda:Empowerment, which is the knowledge of and faith in their own beauty and strength, backed by an infinite sense of self-love.
Learn more about New Jack Witch here, and check out their upcoming Goth Cycle + Yoga Class on Saturday, February 25 2017 at The Monster Cycle Limelight: 47 West 20th Street, New York, NY, 10011
Five years ago I moved to New York City, with high hopes that I was basically going to morph into Carrie Bradshaw—with a closet full of designer shoes, fabulous cocktail-fueled social life, and a column in Vogue. 15 years working as a fashion journalist in London had taught me two things: 1) my sense of self-worth was directly linked to the level of kudos attached to my job, and 2) you could never have too many shoes.
My first apartment was on Christopher Street in the heart of the chichi West Village, and even had a walk-in closet. It also had holes in the wall exposing live electrical cables, and was infested with vermin. With hindsight, this is pretty much a metaphor for the holes in my materialistic worldview. Because it turns out no amount of Cosmos was a substitute for the friends I’d left behind, and that as a lowly freelancer, working out of my dingy kitchen using my ironing board for a desk, I barely even got to wear the shoes.
Chasing the SATC dream…
As my SATC dream began to crumble, I found myself questioning everything. Why was my NYC adventure so fraught with anxiety? If none of the editors I tried to get meetings with ever called me back, did I even exist? And how come every Skype with my mum made me feel so angry? As if the physical ocean between us served as a reminder of how emotionally distant we’d become over the years.
Which is right about when I decided to create The Numinous, and in doing so totally flip the script.
Let’s face it, five years ago I was kind of an entitled, over-privileged asshole. And definitely not a happy asshole either. Today, I definitely still love shoes. But I’ve also remembered that, for me, true “success” means being connected to myself and others, and contributing something valuable to the planet. Less conspicuous consumption, more conscious creativity. A journey I’ve written about in my upcoming book Material Girl Mystical World. Yes, MY book is the book that changed my life!
The Book That Changed My Life…
My personal revolution has actually been a result of walking the talk and embracing with an open heart and soul the mystics, the teachers, and the healers I’ve encountered on my Numinous path. Diving head-first into the transformational experiences of the Now Age, many of which are chronicled in all their far-out, emotional, and often hilarious glory in my story.
All with the aim of showing how (contrary to the Eat, Pray, Love school of spiritual awakenings) you don’t have to travel to an ashram in India to find yourself. I found “me” in the heart of NYC! The birthplace of the American Dream—the capitalist ideology that tries to convince us true happiness comes in the shape of a Louis Vuitton handbag. And which, since the Mad Men have made it to the Whitehouse, it is increasingly evident is the root of so many of the evils of the modern world.
So how did I get here? In the book, among other heart-and-mind-expanding topics, I talk about:
Astrology As Basic Life Skill. Raised atheist, astrology was the first thing that ever spoke to the deep human need in me to feel connected to something greater than myself. To feel like I have a unique role to play in weaving the fabric of humanity. This chapter explains the basics of birth chart interpretation as the path to Cosmic connection.
Doing My Dharma. How I came to understand the concept of my work as an act of service—opposed to pursuing a career for the status, the financial security, and the shiny baubles alone. (*When you pre-order the book you’ll gain access to a special Dharma School webinar with me, to help you discover your dharma too!)
Finding My Divine Feminine. A deep dive into modern feminism, and how this is intimately connected to the social, political and environmental issues of the 21st Century. Also, how connecting to my Divine Feminine has been instrumental in healing my sexual identity and my relationship with my mum.
The Inner Beauty vs. Botox Debate. Why it’s possible to get Botox and still love yourself / identify as spiritually woke. But also how cleaning up your emotional life and doing your dharma, AS WELL AS the yoga and the green juice, is what will truly give you that “glow.”
Healing As The New Nightlife. How I have slowly but surely replaced the cocktail highs with spiritual highs, and become a happier, healthier, more compassionate and more WHOLE human being as a result. Who. Freaking. Knew.
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The book is out May 2 2017 (yes, she’s a Taurus—the original “material girl”) and the above is just a taster. There’s so so SO much more juicy content—and in the lead-up to the pub date I’ll be hosting a series of Facebook Lives to introduce the different chapters, and take your questions. Keep following on Facebook and Instagram for more details.
There’s also a sweet BONUS PACKAGE when you pre-order! Including the Dharma School webinar I mentioned, an exclusive missing chapter on how to work with Angels & Spirit Guides, and a month’s free membership to Moon Club. Get all the details and order your copy here.
So there you have it. THE BOOK THAT CHANGED MY LIFE. I hope my story can help you re-write your own.
Pisces season 2017 invites in the energies of Universal love. Time for a group hug with the cosmos, say Cara George & Bess Matassa of Mojave Rising… Main Image: Sue Lyn Ting
Pisces season beckons to us from far beyond the edge of the infinite ocean. The zodiac’s ombréd siren expands the definition of “romance” by dissolving our heart’s boundaries completely, and initiating us into a radical form of love through total allowing.
As we surrender to our sparkling status as deliciously tiny specks amidst a vast carpet of stars, we cannot help but believe in the mysterious majesty that exists just beneath the seemingly mundane.
What would it mean to trust into the subtlest sensations of the unseen world? How can you render yourself fully permeable, and tenderized, and oh-so-soft without fearing the loss of your own story or ego? Melt. Dissolve. Drift away. Come undone completely. Because you already exist absolutely everywhere.
The keyword: Romance.
The song lyrics:“We’ll put out to sea and we’ll perfect our chemistry/And by and by we’ll defy a little bit of gravity/We’ll get there fast and then we’ll take it slow/Way down in Kokomo”—The Beach Boys, “Kokomo”
Check out our Pisces Season Playlist, complete with yacht rock, tropicalia, and expansive 80s dreaming.
Christopher Kane SS17
The color palette: Iridescent, soft-focused, and translucently transcendent. Blush, violet, and turquoise ombré, white sparkles, and watercolor conch shell creams.
The style: The Little Mermaid in Malibu. Nude bodysuits, halter tops, raffia bags, balayage, dewy skin, beachcomber jeans, and waterproof plastic jellies.
The scents and flavors: Ephemeral, fusionary, and deeply mystical. Cucumber-infused water, foamy desserts, wet mossy “chypre” perfumes, patchouli, and the evanescence of incense.
The healing: Boundaryless and dazzlingly macrocosmic. Sound baths, sensory deprivation tanks, and wanders through crowded cities or at the foot of mountains where you can feel deliriously small.
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Work the Pisces season vibes in your life, with our Sensuous Invitation of the Month: Expansive Excursions
Aries Pisces season invites you to let “allowing” become a new form of inspired action as you realign your willpower with the world as it is. Excursion: Intrepidly explore the icy wilds without having to steer the boat on an Alaskan cruise ship.
Taurus Pisces season invites you to move beyond the material into the subtle sensations of the invisible realm. Excursion: Explore spiritual habitats with an epic buddhist temple pilgrimage on Japan’s Island of Shikoku.
Gemini Pisces season invites you to delight in emotional possibilities as you tenderly expose your heart in one-million ways. Excursion: Celebrate the full-range of feeling on Rio De Janeiro’s smoking hot beaches and scintillating streets.
Cancer Pisces season invites you to feel it ALL without taking anything too personally. Excursion: Channel the intense memories and history of the Southwest’s Four Corners Monument while letting the desert vistas give you a panned-out perspective.
Leo Pisces season invites you to trust in your fullest glow, even when it’s not reflected by the world. Excursion: Lose yourself to Tokyo’s mega-city crowds, and discover the shining expansion found in accepting your status as a speck.
Virgo Pisces season invites you to let it loose and revel in the madness without imposing a method. Excursion: Come undone amidst the creative chaos, crumbling vitality, and raucous revelry of Naples.
Libra Pisces season invites you to soften judgement and assessment, and simply let it all be. Excursion: Relax with salty waves and SoCal strangeness in Venice Beach.
Scorpio Pisces season invites you to discover a lighter form of emotional fusion, where intimacy doesn’t always have to equal full-throttle intensity. Excursion: Delight in Paris’ classic romance, impressionist art, and pastel macaroons.
Sagittarius Pisces season invites you to have complete faith in whatever feels right, right now, without having to seek and sift through alternative philosophies. Excursion: Trust into the solid religious and political foundations of Turkey, which still sits at the gateway between geographies and cultures.
Capricorn Pisces season invites you to dissolve structures completely and toss out the notion that your worth must be laboriously built. Excursion: Sail away into Tahiti’s turquoise lagoons and shifting, black sand beaches.
Aquarius Pisces season invites you to infuse your penchant for out-there thinking with a strong dose of “irrational” feeling. Excursion: Immerse yourself in New Orleans’ wickedly weird mashup of darkness, light, voodoo magic, haunting humidity, and overgrown swamps.
Pisces Pisces season invites you to “check in” rather than check out, as you explore how to swap evasive escapism for emotional presence. Excursion: Ground down and sink your teeth in with flamenco stomping, meaty red wine, and dramatic acts of endurance in the autonomous region of Andalusia, Spain.
Want more juicy cosmic insights and sensory explorations? Arrange an astrology reading or private event with Mojave Rising here or follow them on Instagram.
Reclaiming your sexual power and potential is part of the collective awakening happening now. And it’s never too late, says Alexandra Roxo…Portraits: Alexandra Herstik
I’ve taken a few months off from really diving into topics of sex, eroticism, and partnership here in my column. Why? I must admit, I’ve been distracted by politics and found myself thinking: “How can I dare talk about sex, as the world is seemingly in dire need of discourse about so many other things?!”
Well, as my passion for sharing about love and sex wandered around my brain like a disenfranchised child with no home, who else but Sigmund Freud swooped in to validate it—and shove it back into the world!
Freud said that sexual repression is the chief psychological problem of humankind, and the root of many crimes, illness, war and woe. As if I need a dead white man to remind me of something I already knew! But I did. Touché Dr Freud, touché.
And his theory reminded me that it’s okay to continue sharing about love, sex and partnerships—even in a time when ICE raids are being done to innocent people, families are being separated and deported, and the whole structure of a country that felt like it was moving towards progress is being threatened.
Because this includes LOVE and SEX.
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THE SEXUAL LANDSCAPE YOU WERE BORN INTO
Let’s take a very brief tour of history. Some say that we once lived in a “partnership” society, where people co-existed in some states of harmony. This shifted into a “dominator” society. Have you seen the movie or read the book “Mists of Avalon?” In the book there is a battle between the “old” religion—a religion honoring nature, The Goddess, the many faces of the Divine—and the “new” religion, a religion honoring ONE man.
Pantheistic to monotheistic. This shift changed everything for humanity. When the Goddess religion/pantheistic religions went out, so did our connection to nature, to ecstatic states, to sex, to the Feminine. By denying sex we denied nature! As Terrence McKenna said in his book Food of the Gods: “The dark night of the soul for planet Earth began.”
The “Wild Woman” (seen as a reflection of nature herself) was then sought to be tamed. We saw the literal possession of women. Burning of witches. Corsets. Chastity belts. Women’s rights being taken away in many many cultures. The polarization of “the virgin” and “the whore.” And this, my dears, is what YOU were born into.
Fair enough, in this country we got it about the LEAST bad—we are able to vote, get an abortion, wear what we want. BUT this also created a dichotomy that can be VERY confusing.
You were told you can speak up and be you. But you must also be sweet and pretty and skinny. You were told it was slutty to enjoy lots of sex. But you were told also “Claim your sexuality!” You were told you could wear what you want. But when you wore it you were treated differently. At least when it was scandalous to show an ankle it was very clear. ANKLE = SLUT. Now the dial is all over the place.
If you were born into any religion that is monotheistic and patriarchal then whether you want to accept it or not, you probs have internalized all kinds of sexual repression with a side of shame, and a dash of guilt on top. (If you somehow escaped all this then…GODDESS BLESS!)
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SO, HOW THE HELL DO WE MOVE BEYOND THIS?
It’s going to take a lot more work. See my piece from last year about “Sexual Healing” for a refresh and jump start.
The biggest thing we can do is keep QUESTIONING. Everything. In sex. Redefining our experiences as our own. Making our own rules. Reclaiming what is our human right.
FOR EXAMPLE. Perhaps by society’s standards it’s not acceptable to sob uncontrollably during sex. HOWEVER, the energy of sex is MAD powerful, and when used to it’s full conscious potential can be a shamanic experience. So, if you are having conscious deep deep sex, and start releasing trauma or shame or guilt from your body you will probably sob. This can cause more shame because we’ve been taught that’s not okay.
My first girlfriend was a shamanic mover of energy and she knew it. The orgasms I had with her moved massive amounts of shame I had internalized growing up in the Christian south, out of my body. She held space for me. Made me feel safe enough to completely release into my body and use the energy of sex for deep healing. Sometimes that meant opening further and further when I thought I couldn’t anymore, but she helped me keep going, much like in a plant medicine ceremony, or even running a marathon. The altered state that one enters during sex can be a place where so much work can take place.
So how do you allow yourself to let go enough to work with the energy of sex, or even love or partnership, for healing and ecstasy?
HOW TO LITERALLY RECLAIM YOUR SEXUAL POWER
Create a conscious container. By container I mean a defined space. Whether you are coming together just for sex or also for a certain amount of time weekly for sexual exploration define the rules, the terms. How long? What do we do if someone wants to scream or cry?
Communication! If you want to have a soul sob with a deep cervical orgasm you have to make sure your partner can “hold” you through it. Instead of saying, “Hey babe. What’s wrong? Don’t cry,” educate them to hold the space for you, and say instead: “I’m here. Let it out. Stay with it. I love you.”
When you release some of the pain in your body that’s hidden deep within your cervix or womb of COURSE there will be tears, shouting, laughing—ALL OF IT! But you will feel so much lighter and freer afterwards if you let those emotions come out and you don’t hold them in. Not worrying about what you may look like or sound like. Instead, being like a raging river, embodying Kali, embodying Venus, the rivers of Oshun, the energy of a storm, the energy of the ocean. She is never ashamed for her moods and needs. She just IS.
If you look at sex as expansion beyond the “get in and get off” vibe we’ve been taught by movies and TV our whole lives, you will see it has massive healing potential to clear through chakras and move blocks—while increasing your radiance and attraction levels in a major way! It’s a super power and that’s why it has been repressed and controlled for so long.
If you think back to how you “learned” sex it was probably mostly through media. Women “sound” like this or that. They make these faces during sex. They lay on the bed in this or that way. What if that was all learned behavior and in order to reclaim your full sexual potential you get to go on the journey of FINDING OUT what your natural sexual state is?
What faces you make. What sounds. Maybe you sing when you cum! Or make low guttural grunts. Maybe you sob uncontrollably for A YEAR as you release shame from your body. Does that mean something is wrong with you? NO. HELL NO. Maybe you find your fantasy and realize you like to be flogged or spanked. Does that mean something is wrong with you? NOPE.
It’s a choice. You make the choice to embody Bridget Jones. Or Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Or Carrie in Sex and the City. Or…Venus emerging from the ocean. Kali emerging from a fire. Persephone diving into the Underworld and coming back renewed. You choose.
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RE-WRITE THE SEX SCRIPT
Here are some practical ways to begin to rewrite some of your sexual programming…
– Be Curious! Read books. Listen to podcasts. Don’t be ashamed if you want to learn about polyamory. Or multiple orgasms. Or whatever the hell you’re into. Nothing is too strange. Nothing is too weird. As you begin to delve, protect your little seed of curiosity before sharing with everyone. You don’t need anyone’s opinions about your desire to learn about 1950’s Occult Sex Parties or prostate massage. It’s your exploration. Keep it sacred.
– Look at your demons. Your shadows. Your shames. Have you engaged in healing around your sexual history? Chances are your first sexual experiences were rather “unconscious,” maybe with alcohol attached and not centered around heart opening and connecting. And if not, well, kudos to you! (Mine were pretty dope with candles and a fountain and fairy lights and soft music and eye gazing even when I was a preteen cause I was #BornThisWay. But then I’ve also had about 100 that were NOT like that at all…) If you feel you have work to do around love and sex then start journaling about your programming, stories, traumas. Engage in conversations. Do the healing work with a coach or in a group.
– Create the space to explore. If you’re in partnership then consciously communicate with your partner about wanting to make the sex more conscious and expansive, and work to bust through some of the cultural norms together. Perhaps this means engaging in some connecting work before sex. Eye gazing. Doing some tantric breath. Giving each other space to hear fantasies without judgement. That means if your lover says “I’m turned on by watching horses fuck” you have to listen and hold space for that and not be like “EW!” immediately. Trust is very important when opening in this way. If you’re solo then start getting in there and doing your own exploration work with your self. Learn your fantasies. What feels good and what doesn’t.
– Be aware of your words. Stories you perpetuate with your words which can cast magical spells. Sometimes I catch myself talking like Samantha from SATC and I stop myself. Some of that languaging and programming is NOT conscious at all. Sure, it’s fun, but it’s creating a reality that I picked up from TV. Not my own heart.
– Question everything. This can be fun! “Do I actually like to wax my puss? Or do I do it cause someone told me to?” Hmm well for me honestly I think it’s the later. “Do I actually like lingerie and Agent Provocateur?” Resounding YES for me on that one! “Where is my sexuality at on the Kinsey scale?”
– Talk to your friends. THIS IS HARD. One time when I brought up the transcendental power of fisting to catapult you into an altered state in a car of women there was RADIO SILENCE. It was awkward. But without discussion things continue to be taboo Unspeakable. Hidden away in dark corners. So moving past that awkward silence with some laughter and humility is enough to open the floodgates. Before you know it someone will be sharing how they once used a cucumber as a dildo and you won’t feel alone.
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If you want to work with a group on this, I’m doing a monthly HOLY F*CK workshop starting on the New Moon of 2.26! This is a little different than the salon I did last year as this is deeper work, and enough to keep you busy exploring and reprogramming and rewiring your sex energy until the next month’s workshop! Sign up HERE. And as always I do one on one mentorships and coaching sessions which you can book HERE.
Can the dead help you navigate the land of the living? Your “Team Spirit” is only a call away, says medium Rebecca Rosen.
You are not alone. This is what the dead whisper in my ear every day.
I’ve been practicing as a professional spiritual medium—a channel between the living and the dead—for over two decades now, and what I can tell you with certainty is that a team of spiritual beings surrounds each and every one of us, every day. And “Team Spirit,” composed of departed loved ones and spirit guides, is always available to offer you comfort, clarity, and guidance, as soon as you call on them.
Life can be overwhelming and messy. And what the departed want you to know is that your day-to-day struggles have a rhyme, a reason, and a purpose. I call on Team Spirit not only because it’s my job, but because I, too, have down-to-earth challenges: at work, at home, in relationships, with health, money, and everything in between.
Drawing inspiration from my new book, What the Dead Have Taught Me About Living Well, I invite you to start calling on Team Spirit right now, to help you navigate your everyday challenges—from morning until night!
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Early Morning: Before Getting Dressed, Get Spiritually Dressed Time to call Team Spirit in for support! My days flow much more easily—and on purpose—when I acknowledge right off the bat that I may need extra help and then unapologetically ask for it. When I don’t take that time, I feel underdressed.
Your CALL: Take five minutes to close your eyes and breathe. Recite a mantra that sets your intention to face your day spiritually dressed, such as: “I am connected, protected, guided, and directed by my team.”
Their RESPONSE: Spirits tend to communicate through our thoughts and feelings, so notice and subtle shifts in your mood and energy. Team Spirit often responds to our calls for help by flashing memories into our minds (say a favorite beach vacation), shifting our focus from frazzled or unclear to centered and calm.
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Before Work, School, or Errands: Line It Up “Lining it up” is my expression for setting a clear intention for my day ahead, and then surrendering to how it plays out. To validate that my day is unfolding according to the bigger plan, I ask Team Spirit to send me signs throughout the day to support my choices, decisions, and forward movement.
Your CALL: Say to your spirits, “Show me a sign that I’ve been heard!” Then, go about your day, while remaining open and trusting that you will receive a sign that you recognize when you need it most.
Their RESPONSE: Breadcrumbs from beyond show up in many different ways—through dreams, music, found objects, threads of conversation, and even inspired thoughts. Just recently, my husband, Chris, asked his guides whether he should continue with a big work project to build a ranch. Just moments later, a car pulled up beside him with the license plate “RANCH!” These “winks” from the other side come in all shapes and sizes—be receptive to whatever “signs” cross your path, and trust that you’ll know it when you see it.
Lunch or Midday Break: Reset and Rewrap When I’ve done my part to get spiritually dressed and I still feel pushed and pressed upon by strange energy that I can’t seem to shake, I reset by wrapping myself in protective white light. This gives me extra insulation from the outside world, which can sometimes feel frenetic, overwhelming, and heavy to bear.
Your CALL: Close your eyes and call on Team Spirit to surround you in a bubble of white light. Imagine rolling yourself up in a sheet of iridescent bubble wrap as you say, “Spirit, help to bounce any negative energy I will encounter today off and away.”
Their RESPONSE: You may literally feel squeezed or experience the chills, which is a sign that Spirit is surrounding and protecting you.
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After Work & Before Heading Home: Carve out Connection Time Yoga practice and deep breathing connects me back to the present moment, which is the seat of our intuitive guidance and personal power (holding my breath is a good indicator that I’m in resistance and holding in feelings). When I don’t have time for a yoga class, I’ll use my to connect to Team Spirit through music.
Your CALL: Play music that uplifts and inspires you and sing along! I often chant along with my favorite spiritual artist, Deva Premal, on my drive home to get in a connected space. The chant Gayatri Mantra works like magic to both calm and inspire me with clear guidance.
Their RESPONSE: As you turn up the tunes, Team Spirit will often reach across the divide, and speak directly to you through song lyrics, relaying exactly what you need to hear.
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Homework & Dinner Time: Shift It Into Neutral When I walk into my house of six kids at the end of the day, there is no doubt in my mind that “me time” is over, and that if I’m not careful, my kids’ erratic energy can knock me off balance. When I feel on the edge of coming undone, I ask Team Spirit to help me shift my energy from a charged reaction to a more neutral response where I can calmly address the situation at hand. My kids’ energy will eventually match mine and a sense of calm (and sanity!) will be restored.
Your CALL: I take a few deep breaths and say a silent prayer: “Spirits and guides, help me stay grounded and balanced, peaceful and calm.”
Their RESPONSE: I sometimes see, but most often feel Team Spirit extend their peaceful, loving arms around me and rock me like a child. It’s kind of like when you’re feeling really upset—crying your eyes out, even—and then all of a sudden, you just stop. This is how it feels when Spirit steps in to soothe you.
Day’s End: Count Your Blessings Take five minutes at the end of your day and count your blessings. Write them down, speak them aloud, or meditate on how they make you feel. The departed tell me that everything in our lives and in our relationships serves a higher purpose in getting us where we need to be right now. Our sincere gratitude for this brings about more to appreciate and feel grateful for.
Your CALL: Thank Team Spirit directly as you count your blessings. Only focus on that which you want, need, and desire; whatever you give energy to in your thoughts, words, and actions is created and multiplied with time.
Their RESPONSE: The proof will come only by putting it to the test! For example, I needed help spreading the word about my new book, and so every night I thanked Team Spirit in advance for all of my abundance, success, and ease in achieving it. Within a week, I was offered great media opportunities and new marketing contacts.
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Dream Time: Invite in Spirit When our waking minds are quiet and our physical bodies are still, the door to our unconscious mind opens. In this wide, empty space, the departed reach out across the divide where they hope to meet us halfway between their world and ours. Spirits may use this time to simply say “hello” and let us know they are present in our lives. Other times, the departed have more important information that they want to imprint into our minds before the sun comes up. The mornings you wake up with sudden clarity or an inspired idea, you probably have someone on the Other Side to thank for the guidance.
Your CALL: Say gently to spirit: “You are welcome to visit me in my dreams.”
Their RESPONSE: Feeling deeply empty and alone on the anniversary of her husband’s death, a client invited her departed love to visit her in dreams. That night, she dreamt of a magnificent eagle (reminiscent of her husband’s tattoo). Yet she was unclear about whether this was her sign. Then, on the way to my office that day, she noticed a bald eagle perched up high on a light, followed by the sounds of the Eagles’ “Hotel California” playing (a favorite song of theirs). Any lingering doubts were completely diminished when she sat down on my couch and the first thing out of my mouth was: “Why am I clairaudiently hearing the song Hotel California? It keeps playing over and over in my head.” This was the icing on the cake! Three solid signs…that began in her dreams.
Rebecca Rosen is an international best-selling author, inspirational speaker, and star of Lifetime’s The Last Goodbye. Known for her accessible and stunningly accurate ability to connect with the departed, her broad appeal and healing message have led to repeated national media appearances on The Dr. Oz Show, Dr. Phil, Entertainment Tonight, Fox and Friends, and more. Rebecca regularly tours around the country performing in front of sold-out live audiences. She lives in Denver with her family.
Here’s to falling in love … with YOU! Tea alchemist and serial optimist Alicia Henry delivers a self love prescription for your V Day. Illustration: Soleil Ignacio
Valentine’s Day … Whether you’re single or in a partnership, this commercial “holiday” can bring on a wave of negative feelings. Some of us become plagued with thoughts of loneliness, heartache, and even begin to question our self-worth. But there is hope for turning this day (and everyday) into a positive, love-filled experience. And you don’t have to search any further than yourself.
Loving yourself is the most vital action you can take towards your overall well-being and vitality in this life. Not only will you come to the realization that you are a divine being, but you’ll begin to draw others into your life who are also aligned with nourishing their souls and evolving into the best version of themselves. A beautiful ripple effect of LOVE.
Like any new skill, self-love takes practice, determination, flexibility, and patience. It’s a practice we have to cultivate. This V Day is the perfect time to renew (or begin) your own self-love affair and I’ve concocted a self-love prescription to get you started. Here’s to falling in love with YOU!
Photo: Danny Lane
1. Morning Gratitude + Affirmation Ritual: Our mornings can make or break the rest of our day, so upon waking, take a moment to acknowledge 10 things that you are grateful for. This could mean being thankful for your soft pillow that you lay your head upon, or your two healthy feet that work tirelessly to get you around all day long! This is the first step to simply becoming grateful for who you are.
*Pro Tip: I love to cleanse my space before beginning my morning ritual. My favorite way of doing this is to light Palo Santo—the aroma is sweet and soothing, and it opens my space for newness.
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2. Solo Date: When we’re feeling lonely, the first thing we tend to do is run away from the loneliness and fill the void with social engagements. Friends are definitely a major component to our happiness, but if we can’t be happy solo then our social circles become a mere distraction from ourselves. Try turning inwards. You may actually love what you find!
*Pro Tip: A solo date could just mean reading an empowering book, like Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ classic Women Who Run With The Wolves.
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3. Write Yourself a Love Letter: Letter writing is becoming a lost art, but that doesn’t mean romance is dead. Write yourself a love letter that you can open up any day you need it. The letter can include recognizing your greatest strengths, honoring what you believe makes you unique, and forgiveness for any negative feelings about yourself.
*Pro Tip: Create a romantic letter writing experience by lighting candles, burning incense, and using beautiful stationery. To get your creative juices flowing, check out this beautiful poem by the Romantic poet, William Wordsworth. Wordsworth describes his beloved as “a creature not too bright or good.” Who’s perfect anyway?
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4. Meditate: Our minds are constantly buzzing, and meditation is an invaluable and truly intimate practice that brings us closer to ourselves, our intuition, our truth, and what really matters in life (to us). Even if it’s 10 minutes per day, give this peaceful, quiet gift to yourself.
*Pro Tip: If you’re new to meditation, there are some awesome apps that will help guide you!
5. Practice Forgiveness: It’s all too easy to get caught up in the mistakes we’ve made, things we wish were different, our so-called imperfections, and other stories that we’ve created and hold against ourselves. But if it weren’t for our mishaps and wrong-turns, we would never evolve. Be tender and forgive yourself for anything that you’re holding onto that doesn’t serve your happiness.
*Pro Tip: The raspberry rose colored Rhodochrosite crystal (above) is known to activate the heart chakra, and promote self-worth and forgiveness.
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6. Dance: Want a ticket to instant joy? Dancing is a way to connect to our essential life force. Don’t worry about what you look like—just let loose and feel the music. Whether you’re dancing with friends, or using your hairbrush as a microphone in your bedroom, never stop dancing!
7. Take a Sexy Selfie: And see yourself through the eyes of lust. Sexy selfies don’t need to be sent to a lover, they can also be sent to your friends! A girlfriend of mine recently started a thread with her friends’ sexiest selfie submissions—it’s been such a beautiful, safe, body-positive experience.
*Pro Tip: The piece of lingerie I’m loving most at the moment is this black bodysuit by True&Co.
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8. Self-Care Spa: Taking the time to pamper your skin, hair, and nails is a rejuvenating self-care ritual that’ll give you that little extra pep in your step.
*Pro Tip: In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, here’s an easy recipe for a truly decadent body scrub: In a mason jar mix 1 cup coffee grounds (just scoop ‘em off the bottom of your french press—no waste, yay!) with ½ cup coconut oil and ¼ cup raw cane sugar. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil and you’re good to scrub! I find that vanilla and/or essential rose oil are great accompaniments to the awakening coffee aroma. Keep your scrub in the refrigerator when you aren’t using it. Enjoy, beauty!
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9. Rest Sweetly: Never underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep. When we skimp on sleep, it directly affects our mental well-being. We wake up feeling groggy, our digestive and immune systems are thrown off, and we’re easily spun into negative thinking. Create a peaceful sleeping experience for yourself with kind bedding, a dark room, and a no-electronics policy.
*Pro Tip: Whenever I have trouble falling asleep, I add some lavender infused essential oil to my third eye and lower palms. I cup my palms over my face and breathe in slowly. When you focus on your breath and begin to slow your breathing, you’ll simultaneously slow your heart rate and bring yourself to a restful place.
Alicia Henry is an Herbal Alchemist and Founder of Naked Sage Tea, an organic tea company based in Venice, CA. A serial optimist, she is aptly part of the team that achieved The International Day of Happiness, which became a resolution of the United Nations. Follow Alicia and Naked Sage Tea on Instagram for more romance, adventure, and sweet self-love.
Laurey Simmons of The Colourful Dot Boutique, shares a sacred space ritual to open your heart this Valentine’s Day…
Beyond the chocolates and red roses, Valentines Day for me is a precious reminder to keep our hearts open. As psychotherapist and spiritual teacher John Welwood says, our heart’s true purpose is really: “to be an open channel through which great love flows into this world.”
One of my favorite ways of opening this channel is by spending time in my sacred space. A sacred space is simply one corner of our home environment where we keep beautiful objects that are special or sacred to us. The space can be as large or as small as you want. Even if you only have a small section of a shelf, this too can be a perfect place to make your sacred space.
Keeping a sacred space is a precious gift to our soul, a reminder of how we want to be in the world, a mirror reflecting back to us our Inner Beauty.
Read on for a sacred space ritual for an open heart…
1. First thing to do is to cleanse the energy of your space. One of my favorite ways to cleanse is by burning Frankincense resin. Dropping a few pieces of the resin onto a burning charcoal disc allows for the heavenly smoke to rise and fill the surrounding air. Breathing in this aroma, I find my mind-chatter settles, my body relaxes, and my energies become grounded.
2. With the theme of Love in mind, I’ll be adding a few drops of Rose Oil into my diffuser. The combination of Frankincense and Rose Oil smells seriously divine! Rose of course exudes love and beauty, both visually and through her perfect scent. Did you know that Rose essential Oil has been proven in studies to reduce anxiety and produce deep levels of relaxation?
3. Now for some visual beauty. Nothing opens my heart more than beautiful objects from Mother Nature, especially crystals. Three pink, heart-centered stones I’m working with a lot at the moment are Rose Quartz, the mother of Love stones; Mangano Calcite, which radiates the energies of the heart in a very gentle, nurturing, and soothing way; and Pink Morganite, also known as the Pink Emerald, and a wonderful tool to help cultivate qualities of the heart, like compassion. I also love to add fresh flowers to my sacred space—in this case, either fresh pink roses or a bowl of dried pink roses.
4. The next step is to connect to the energy of those who radiate an open heart or Unconditional Love. It could be a spiritual teacher, a historical or mythical figure, a friend or family member. At the moment, the chosen beings of light in my sacred space are Ram Dass, Maya Aneglou, Thich Nhat Hann, Joni Mitchell, and Heqet (the Ancient Egyptian goddess and symbol of new life). Ideally, print off some small images of these people so they can beam their light right back at you from the heart of your sacred space.
5. An open heart is only truly open if we can keep it so in challenging situations. With this in mind, I like to have an object in my sacred space that symbolizes this challenging situation or person. This practice is taken from one of my spiritual teachers, Ram Dass, who spoke about his own puja table and how he’d have pictures of his teachers there, Buddha, Hanuman, Maharajah, Mary, and how every morning he would greet them with love. This included a picture of one of his most difficult people, Caspar Weinberger, President Reagan’s Secretary of Defense. An alternative to a picture of a specific person is simply to include a broken or damaged object. I sometimes use a decaying leaf to, reminding me of those spaces in my heart that sometimes struggle to stay open, allowing feelings of compassion towards that situation or person that challenges us.
6. To finish this ritual, I love to place my hand on my heart and set a little intention: to keep the people who inspire me and the beauty, especially the beauty of imperfection, in my heart throughout the day, so I can be a more compassionate and loving person in the world. I also recommend placing your hand on your heart throughout the day, especially if you ever feel it closing up. This simple gesture can bring you directly back to that inner space of Beauty and Love.
They’re baaacckkk! Eclipse Season 2017 kicks off with a pair of potent cosmic events on February 10th and 26th. Danielle Paige gives us the low-down…
February 2017 is the first of two pivotal months this year (August being the second) that will crack you wide open and bring sudden changes that realign you to your soul’s plan. Eclipse season 2017 is also doubly charged because 2017 is a “1” universal year in numerology, with a strong Uranus, Jupiter, and Saturn influence. The combination of all these elements is about sudden liberation and expansion in a karmic way.
Eclipses are game changers for the soul—they speed events up and re-route us if we are veering off track. This soul acceleration is equal parts exhilarating and challenging. They act as pendulums of fate and swing us in the right direction to keep us in line with our soul’s plan. The difficult part comes in because, as humans, we resist change (especially you lovelies with a lot of earth or fixed planets in your charts!) Eclipses have a tendency to touch on our tender spots, aka our pain points, because it often takes getting those tender places activated (again and again) for us to change our story.
Anything is possible during eclipse season 2017—a wildcard cosmic time—so remember that every soul’s story is different, and hang in there, no matter what you’re feeling! While some of us will experience rapid-fire change, others will experience a slower shift and unfolding over the next six months, which is when we enter a new energetic phase and a new round of eclipses in August.
Also, remember that this energy doesn’t have a precise on/off switch. Eclipse energy can start to boil up a month or more before the eclipse date, and the week leading up to an eclipse can be the peak emotional moment for some of us.
Most of all, don’t worry my dears—as an intuitive being, you’ve likely already got a sense of what’s coming. Which is where eclipses take care of business—they often come in and do the dirty work for us, because even if something feels confusing and scary right now, the cosmos knows these necessary changes are better for us in the long run. What you’re feeling is the shifting of your psyche’s tides. Remember that this energy, like all energy, shall pass!
Read on for some specifics about the two February events of eclipse season 2017—the February Leo Full Moon Lunar Eclipse, and the February 26 Pisces New Moon Solar Eclipse.
***PRO TIP: If you want to dive even deeper into the invitations below, look at your birth chart to see where 22 degrees of Leo and 8 degrees of Pisces fall. If you have a planet or angle within 5 degrees of this degree then that planet or angle will get “eclipsed.” When a planet gets “eclipsed “ it needs to start behaving differently—you can no longer continue to use it the way you were, and there is a new, evolved expression waiting to unfold.
Full Moon Lunar Eclipse :: February 10 2017 :: 22 degrees Leo
Eclipse season 2017 begins with a fiery Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Leo. No matter your personal astrology, this eclipse is reminding us all to create, live joyfully, be moved by our hearts, and express our creative gifts in a GRAND way! This is LEO we’re talking about, after all!
During a Lunar Eclipse, the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon and blocks the Sun’s light from reflecting on the Moon. The Moon rules our emotions, so when she’s eclipsed she temporarily has no mirror to reflect the Sun’s light. As energetic beings we are also synchronistically cut off from our “power supply” and reintroduced to our shadow side. The energy of a lunar eclipse can stir an internal crisis (that’s often brought about through external sources, especially relationships, which act as mirrors). This shadow work often brings confusion, doubt, and panic to its peak. Fear not: all of this is designed to spur a conclusion, culmination, ending, or decision about something in your life.
It’s a time to let your unconscious take center stage and tap into a side of yourself you’ve pushed down for some time—you’ll feel the shift with every ounce of your being, as if you’re being asked to find your way in the “dark.” Those suppressed emotions may come flooding back in a dramatic way because of the Leo energy. However, the saving grace for this eclipse is that with fire it comes in quickly, and then goes out just as fast!
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New Moon Solar Eclipse :: February 26 2017 :: 8 degrees Pisces
New Moon Eclipses signal new beginnings, but because 2017’s eclipse happens in Pisces, we will be asked to let go of something as well. Pisces is a collective storage house of the past—old karma, old energy, old psychic junk that you’re carrying around in your energy field that is ready to be released with this New Moon.
This particular eclipse is a double whammy—Pisces is ruled by the emotional element of water and the eclipse adds an extra charge to this already sensitive situation. With one foot in the material world and one foot in the spiritual realm, Pisces feels it ALL! She pulls on our heartstrings and pain points like no other sign. Don’t be surprised if you’re feeling quite sensitive for about a week and half before this one as the energy builds.
The key to navigating this eclipse is to stay grounded in your body, no matter how much you feel like you want to escape. Pisces is a master escape artist but this will only compounds any problems later on. Focus on your root chakra and even your sacral—dance, do yoga, send down a grounding cord. Really commit to feeling the feels but letting it move through you without attachment. This will help you remain on the earth plane at all times.
This New Moon Solar Eclipse will act as both a release and the beginning of a new chapter in your soul’s story. You’re being given the opportunity to heal your past lives and psychic wounds so that you can move forward with a new perspective on life in 2017! Be sure to offer yourself as much compassion as you do to others during this intense transition.
I wish you all a beautiful adventure in 2017; one that’s filled with all the excitement and joy your heart can carry (Leo)—and one that connects you deeper to your true soul essence (Pisces).
With love and light, Danielle
For an invite to Danielle’s exclusive upcoming island retreat and to receive updates about all the energetic cycles, sign up for her newsletter here.
As a lifetime student of tarot, and a newer student of lunar cycles, I’ve started exploring the moon’s teachings by casting cards for each Moon phase. I call it Moon Tarot. For this workaholic Capricorn, connecting to the phases of the Moon has taught me that there are times to push forward and times to just chill out a little bit, and I seek the cards’ assistance in figuring out exactly how.
The Moon’s magical cycles invite us to sync our lives to universal rhythms. Through her expansions and contractions, each phase offers us a lesson to incorporate. Likewise, Tarot’s ability to tell stories, ask questions, illuminate answers, and bring fresh perspectives to challenges provides a concrete channel for adjusting to the moon’s timing.
Each spread below offers you the chance to explore challenges and lunar lessons and, like the moon, to incorporate times to push forward and times to reflect. Feel free to infuse your own rituals into these readings to create truly customized Moon Tarot magic!
*Editor’s note: Unsure when each Moon phase begins? We love the Luna Solaria app
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New Moons :: New Beginnings
This phase is all about gathering our energy, strength, and willpower, and finding ways to recharge as we prepare for the coming cycle. It’s a moment to think carefully about what we’d like to accomplish. Use this simple 3-card spread to kickstart your lunar month!
Card 1: Where you have been Card 2: Where you are Card 3: Where you want to be
New Moon Spread
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Waxing Crescent :: Setting Foundations
During this phase, we’re ready to develop clear foundations. To break out our notebooks, markers, and post-its as we sketch outlines and create strategies for achieving our dreams. This spread is built to help you identify and utilize all your resources.
Card 1: Your source of energy & willpower Card 2: Your talents Card 3: The environment Card 4: Your resources
Waxing Crescent Spread
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First Quarter :: Actions & Obstacles
Armed with a vision, we’re ready to act with decisiveness and drive. This time is perfect for pushing forward with our plans and setting things in motion. As we shoot into the future, the First Quarter spread identifies any lingering doubts that might be holding us back.
Card 1: Your self-perception Card 2: Your obstacle Card 3: What will help you overcome Card 4: What holds you back
First Quarter Spread
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Waxing Gibbous :: Pivot Point
To flow is to survive, to stay rigid is to break. After we’ve worked on our goals, this phase is a perfect time to take a more detailed look at our approach and to assess alternative pathways.
Card 1: The problem Card 2: Our expectation Card 3: The reality Card 4: Guidance
Waxing Gibbous Spread
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The Full Moon :: Celebration!
The Full Moon is a time of harvest, self-love, and appreciation for all the things we’ve been given and have earned. Go hang with the people that make you happy and celebrate the joy with this spread!
Card 1: What gives you joy Card 2: Your gifts to world Card 3: Your unrecognized potential
Full Moon Spread
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Waning Gibbous :: Turning Inward
The world is a reflection of our inner selves and so sometimes, our greatest challenge is ourselves. This phase of the lunar cycle asks us to look at our shadows, and challenge our beliefs about who we are. This spread is perfect for drawing at night, complete with an altar of mirrors and candles.
After we acknowledge the shadow self, we must also learn to confront it, embrace it, and let it go. Break out the smudge sticks, and imagine yourself banishing all that burdens you. Each puff of smoke that vanishes in the air represents a piece of your suffering that’s dissolving.
Card 1: What to accept Card 2: What to forgive Card 3: What to learn
Last Quarter Spread
Tina Gong is a self-taught illustrator, developer, and designer of both physical and digital things. She is also the creator of Labyrinthos Academy, an online tarot school taught by monsters and mythical creatures, as well as Golden Thread Tarot and Luminous Spirit Tarot. She resides in Bushwick, and in her own bizarre imagination, with her partner and several sassy stuffed alpacas.
The Taurus waxing quarter Moon asks you to tend to your innate need for material comfort and security, to gather strength to rocket into the future—says Jennifer Racioppi…Collage: Bethany Harper-Walsh
Waxing Quarter Moon :: Feb 3 2017 :: 11.18pm EST :: 15 Degrees Taurus
Following the last Aquarius New Moon, this Taurus Quarter Moon asks us to take a look where our rebellious nature conflicts with our desire for stability, pleasure, and security. This opening quarter moon also occurs one week before the upcoming lunar eclipse in Leo. Like furniture about to be rearranged, eclipses sweep through our lives with force, offering us new positions for the décor of our existence. So get ready, because this quarter moon prepares us for the sweeping change February 2017 (a month with two eclipses) will likely bring. Fortunately, the upcoming Full Moon Lunar Eclipse boasts some pretty bad-ass aspects. Nice.
But before we jump to the eclipses, let’s dig into to this opening square between two fixed signs: Aquarius and Taurus!
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::THE SUN:: With the Sun in Aquarius, the sign of the water bearer, rousing our progressive spirits, and the sky temporarily free of retrograde planets, we are pushed to align with our values. While Jupiter, the planet of luck and expansion stations to go retrograde on Feb 5th, and Venus, who will go retrograde next month in Aries, already in her shadow, this Taurus waxing quarter moon emphasizes a moment where we can reflect on our gains so far in 2017. Thanks to the upcoming eclipses and pending Venus retrograde cycle, our values (and our truth) will push us to transcend the surface, reaching for greater depths within. Fortunately, the Sun in courageous Aquarius supports us nicely as we prep for the winds of change ahead! Allow the Sun in Aquarius to guide you in the direction of your progressive ideals.
::THE MOON:: Yet, the Taurus waxing quarter moon at 15 degrees (halfway through the second decant of this fixed Earth sign) resists change, instead clinging to what feels comfortable. Taurus, known for having a stubborn state of mind, helps us to tend to the practical details of our life, and can’t be forced into change. So while the Moon moves through this fixed Earth sign our emotional needs may require some pampering and deep soul nurturing. A craving for routine and luxury may stall us taking a risk on behalf of our progressive ideals. With so much upheaval happening in the political landscape, take the time to tend to your inner needs at this time.
::THE SQUARE:: With the sun in rebellious Aquarius, a fixed air sign, squaring the Moon in security-driven Taurus, progressive forces conflict with the desire for stability. The Taurus moon prompts us towards safety, security, and luxury, yet the sun in Aquarius pushes us to reject routine, the status quo and take a risk. Like a rubber band stretched to its max in two directions, this Taurus waxing quarter Moon we are asked to reconcile our desire for safety, security, and luxury, in the context of our changing ideals and progressive needs. This clash between the desire for comfort and the need for change forces us to take a deeper look at our values (something we’ll be doing a lot of when the ruler of Taurus, Venus, goes retrograde on March 4th for almost six weeks).
::THE MESSAGE:: As we find ourselves amidst eclipse season things may swiftly change. The spirit of the sun in Aquarius prompts us to follow our progressive inclinations, yet the moon in Taurus wants us to nourish our inner, emotional needs. The Moon deserves our quiet attention. Take some time this Taurus waxing quarter Moon to give it just that—tender loving care of it’s emotional needs. With the full moon lunar eclipse right around the corner (occurring in the sign of Leo—ruled by the Sun), and having just acclimated to 2017 (a Universal 1 year in numerology) we stand on the precipice of receiving our new marching orders. With change happening at the speed of light, don’t override your emotional needs. Stay grounded, stay nourished and tend to your comfort. This will help to bolster our resilience: our secret weapon during tenuous political times and eclipse season!
For more Moon wisdom or to book a coaching session with from Jennifer visit Jenniferracioppi.com
Alexandra Roxo meets radical thought leader Daniel Pinchbeck, to talk spiritual materialism, future planetary solutions, and the rise of the extreme right…
Photo: Alexandra Herstik
Daniel Pinchbeck is a writer, thought leader, speaker, and one of few modern radical voices that come from a grounded, realistic, and holistic perspective. Today we are in dire need of leaders and thinkers who can articulate and envision a path towards union and healing that includes our political, environmental, cultural, AND our spiritual state. Daniel speaks of the whole picture, with a balance of right/left, masculine/feminine, science/art.
His new book How Soon is Now REALLY resonated with feelings I’ve been having for years about the nature of the world we live in, which I have explored in my own writing here on The Numinous and in some of my films. This includes the need to make a shift from focusing on the personal, to focusing on the global. To overcoming spiritual materialism. To escaping hyper-individualism and coming together.
Also, how plants may be aiding in our evolution on multiple levels. How our approach to love and sex is so heavily politically guided and conditioned. The need for rites of passage and the need for ecstatic connections to the cosmos and to each other, through experiences like Burning Man, with psychedelic experiences, and a reconnection to the Earth.
Beyond all this, Daniel’s book reveals to us how we can engage with the planetary shift and initiation that we all know at soul level is in progress, and in doing so be a part of the healing of our planet.
Even better, Daniel is going to be LIVE with us for Moon Club this Sunday Feb 5, which means you can join and ask him questions too! Click here to sign up.
I sat down with him for a little prelude to Sunday’s talk…
ALEXANDRA ROXO: So you’re an author, a TED speaker, a radical thinker, a writer. You wear a lot of hats in terms of your work. What’s the common thread? DANIEL PINCHBECK: I think that the core of my work is a philosophical quest for the nature of reality.
AR: Word. Was there was a clear point at which this search began? DP: I had a major spiritual crisis in my mid to late 20’s. I’d been writing for magazines, and it just began to feel very nihilistic. I felt this kind of total emptiness. I also realized ultimately that when people believe conscientiousness is only based in the physical hardware of the brain, then life has no particular meaning. I was like, ‘okay, how can I actually inquire into this?’ I remembered my psychedelic experiences in college as having suggested that there were these other layers of psychic reality that I didn’t really understand.
So I went back to them and went to West Africa, to do Iboga and I went to the Amazon to work with a tribe in Ecuador with ayuasca and so on. These travels informed my first book Breaking Open the Head, and then new questions kept opening up—because these experiences had completely transformed my world view.
AR: The subtitle of How Soon Is Now? is: “From personal initiation to global transformation.” To me it feels like that is what we’re all being called to now, on a micro and a macro level. DP: I came from a leftist background, and I always had this uneasy feeling about our culture and the direction our society was headed. And then when I looked more into the ecological disaster that we’ve constructed and the amount of poverty and inequality that the system creates, I also saw this whole “new age” spirituality thing, with the meditation and the yoga, as kind of like a trap—because I felt that people were using it as just another distraction, getting so obsessed with their own little healing journeys.
AR: There is definitely the idea of: “I’m entitled to my healing and my enlightenment and I gotta just focus on that.” Healing individually is very necessary too—but how do you see us then finding a way to integrate this into healing the Earth? DP: It would require for those of us who’ve been on this evolutionary initiation path to reach another level of our capacity to…hold a new frequency, to express it to people who are out of the loop. One thing that really began to upset me overtime was Burning Man. When I first went I was like ‘oh of course, this is the model for this new society. The point is to now bring this out into the world.’ But overtime I saw it become more like another entertainment complex. I saw the people who run Burning Man being really kind of pleased with themselves because all these rich people wanted to hang out with them.
But I think a shift is actually happening, because of this geopolitical emergency that we’ve unleashed. For example, I saw a really good thing on Facebook—this guy wrote that he used to have three different groups of friends that didn’t really integrate very well. One was artists, one was meditators, and the other was activists, and he was, like, thanking Donald Trump because now they’re all in the same group. We’re basically confronting a very, very severe existential emergency with this situation, that I think people are beginning to comprehend in kind of waves.
AR: In the book you use Burning Man as an example to show how if society praises you for good behavior, like cleaning up your own trash for example, and if we praise each other for good behavior, we can start to rewire the conditioning that says it’s somebody else’s responsibility to ‘do the right thing.’ DP: I feel that what Burning Man reveals and why it was such an ‘aha’ moment for me is that our social nature is extremely malleable and changeable, and humans will conform like putty to whatever reward system presents itself. So, say you get laid by becoming a Neo-Nazi and hating on the Jews, a bunch of people will do that. If you have lots of lovers or one lover or whatever you need, as a result of being generous, altruistic, and sharing your gifts open heartedly, you’ll do more of that that.
AR: So how did things tilt so far to the extreme right? DP: Unfortunately, the extreme right has managed to marshal a lot of collective intelligence by expert use the media system, whereas the progressive community has been much more slow and much less strategic and tactical.
There’s actually been a phenomenon of people on the coasts in LA and New York having greater freedoms, better lives, more opportunities, but we haven’t really taken care to transmit these benefits to the rest of society. And, rightfully in a sense, the rest of society realized they were just being shafted and got extremely angry. I think that theoretically, the more conscious we are of this, we have to bear the blame when things go this wrong.
AR: That’s a tough wake up call for people. If you’re living in light and love all the time, you don’t want to hear “hey, this is your fault, take responsibility, step up to the plate.” DP: But this awareness is spreading rapidly right now. In a sense, what I am trying to show with the book is that the progressive mystical counter culture hasn’t done a good job of articulating the world that we want to bring into manifestation, beyond our individual process.
For example, let’s take The Beatles at their word: “All you need is love.” But how do you actually create a society centered around altruism and sharing and empathy, what does that look like? In the book I am pretty rigorous looking at this in terms of love and relationships, in terms of monetary systems, even questioning whether private property is good for us. I’m sure many people will disagree with some or many of my conclusions but that’s good. At least we have something to disagree about, which can lead to debate and innovation.
AR: I write about sexual healing quite a bit and you share an anecdote about the community, Tamera, in Portugal, that’s so moving—how a young man’s first lovemaking happens with all the group gathered around the house, celebrating and holding space for him. I cried. There is so much internalized sexual shame in our society. I grew up in Georgia in a very, very Christian space and I was totally shamed from a very young age. When I heard that story, I was able to envision people not “losing” their virginity, but embracing this as a rite of passage—leading to us totally flipping the way that we approach love and sex. DP: One of the founders of Tamera in Portugal said that sexuality is a superpower that radiates throughout all different facets of society, and we can totally see that with this last election. We saw it with Trump and the grabbing of the pussy, Hillary and Bill Clinton, Roger Ailes who was the Fox News head who was taken down in a big sex scandal, and all of their connection to Jeffrey Epstein, the pedophile…
In a system where sexuality is oppressed, alpha male types seek power and wealth (versus creating a system that spreads wealth evenly) so they can have sexual access, you know? Since the sexual revolution of the 1960s, society is more open about sexuality, but it’s actually been reintegrated into a system of domination and control. So it becomes MTV Spring Break or Sex in The City, that type of vibe.
AR: Yes, those pop culture markers reveal that on one level we can “have sex” and “be sexy” but on another level it’s absolutely not okay as a culture to accept our sexual nature. DP:Rupert Sheldrake writes about the idea of “morphogenic fields” or “morphic resonance”—that actually, when a small number of a species is able to fully discover or integrate something new it can become generally available to the collective sort of non-locally. So if there’s a small number of communities that have shifted into this different frequency of collective care and responsibility and kind of a truly liberated Eros, or attitude to love and sexuality, then that could really propagate quite quickly. I mean Neo-Nazism didn’t seem to exist two years ago…and now it’s all over the place. Or look at something like Facebook, and how quickly everybody began using it. Ultimately, I think it’s fully possible that positive shifts towards empathic and responsible social system could also happen rapidly.
