MY MYSTICAL LIFE: CHATS WITH GURU JAGAT, AND THANK TM FOR THAT

Also the week of 5am wake-up calls (thank TM), a cosmic soup diet, and a message from Mother Mary…

Ruby Warrington founder Aries Arise sweatshirt The Numinous
Aries Arise sweatshirt: standard issue book-writing attire

:: MONDAY ::
Skype time with the one and only Guru Jagat, kundalini queen of the Ra Ma Institute in Venice. We were talking all things yoga for some research for MY BOOK (have I mentioned I’m writing a book? Only 2 more chapters to go *wipes sweat from brow*), and her parting piece of advice for anybody getting serious with their spiritual practice is to set your alarm for before sunrise (“any time from 3-5am is great”) to do some kind of meditation. Well…as the cosmos would have it, I’ve been waking at 5am on the dot (no alarm needed) for the past few days. I’m blaming the TM.

Guru Jagat on The Numinous

:: TUESDAY ::
So I’ve been eating a lot of soup – because basically the Universe said so. As in, a few days ago I overheard 4 different conversations where people were talking about soup and how great it is (seriously – like in the yoga studio, on the subway, in the street), the same day I saw some thing about this book called THE SOUP CLEANSE. Had to be a sign, right? So I had soup that night and it just felt so GOOD! And so nourishing, and so and right for my nutrition needs right now. And so not fancy, I’m getting mine from Amy’s Organic. The Universe delivers her guidance in mysterious ways.

:: WEDNESDAY ::
Got my first Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards! Yep, more book research, and also because I had a mini Goddess reading with lovely Erica Wiederlight of We The Light last week and the cards that came out were SO inspiring I was like, yes I’ll have more of you in my life thanks. Funny thing is, Mother Mary keeps coming up – which is weird for me since I don’t connect with the myth of Christianity on any level. But I do like her message – “Expect a Miracle.” As as for the immaculate conception…well it does feel like I’m currently birthing a #bookbaby (did I mention I’m writing a book?)

Doreen Virtue Mother Mary Goddess card on The Numinous
Scenes from my desk

:: THURSDAY ::
Got the first peek at samples of the sweatshirt line we’re launching on the site next month! So so good, I literally can’t wait to get share them. Even better than my Aries Arise “Don’t Be Square” shirt (see main pic), which has become my standard book-writing attire (did I mention…?) Also, something strange. I’ve always been majorly selfie-averse (upcoming 40th birthday etc), but for some reason I had no qualms whatsever posting this “make-up free” pic today. It honestly feels like something has shifted in the way I see myself this past week. Again, I think I’ll blame / thank the TM.

:: FRIDAY ::
So this is the year I’m really, fully, embracing sobriety. Not in a total abstinence sense, more of a “this feels like the healthiest choice for me and actually it appears to be making me really happy” kind of way (p.s. I’m also working on a really exciting project to further this conversation – watch this space!) And so today I’m on my way to the left coast for…a sober Las Vegas weekend! I used to have this thing about certain destinations (Vegas, Ibiza) being off-limits if I wasn’t drinking, but how lame is that? I’m excited to see what the bright lights look like through the lens of absolute clarity. Oh and ALSO it means I’ll finally get to visit Vegenation – the downtown Vegas vegan joint I’m totally obsessed with on Instagram… #sobervegas!

Taco time at Vegenation las vegas on The Numinous
Taco time at Vegenation

MOVE, SIT, WRITE: 10 REASONS TO WRITE AND MEDITATE EVERY DAY

As she prepares for her Move, Sit, Write tour of the US, Tatum Fjerstad explains how learning to write and meditate every day is about sparking a conversation with your higher self. Artwork: Brian Lynch

Tatum Fjerstad on the Numinous

Call it an exercise in trading comfort for terrifying uncertainty (she does, in this brilliant blog post), but when something broke in Tatum Fjerstad in December last year, the only option was to pretty much quit what she’d been doing and start again. Which looks a lot like setting off across America to teach her twin (okay triplet) passions of yoga, meditation and writing – a.k.a. her Move, Sit, Write tour, which will take place in 15 studios in seven states, beginning March 3 in Portland, Oregon.

Up until this point, Tatum had been making her life / career decisions a lot like: “If I do this, people will think it’s cool. If people think it’s cool, then I’m cool. If I’m cool, people will like me and then I don’t have to work so hard to like myself because everyone else will be doing it for me.” And if you too suspect, on any level, you might also be living this life: “Get out now,” she advises. “It will bring you to a very dark place where you will feel so very disconnected with your own wants and desires that you’ll start to have bleak feelings about how we’re all just atoms bumping into each other and everything is meaningless so what’s the point.” Our point, in general, precisely.

It’s been through her own move, sit, write practice that Tatum has learned to re-connect to and value her sense of self – and since it’s often our own wounds that lead us down the path to our dharma, who better to guide others to do the same. Here, she shares 10 reasons to write and meditate every day…

For more details of Tatum’s Move, Sit, Write tour check out her Go Fund Me page  or book tickets at Tatumfjerstad.com

1. Take An Inventory: When you create the space to listen to your patterns by meditating on and writing down whatever is bouncing around in your head, you (and only you) can decide what you want to keep and what you want to release. This doesn’t happen after one go at it. You have to do it every day.

2. Own Your Shit: When things are rough, this practice can help you get super clear on your hand in the matter. All of us are walking around with a LOT of baggage, no matter who you are, and we can’t unpack it by ignoring it.

3. Sleep Harder: I started meditating twice a day everyday and journaling once in the mornings almost a year ago. Since then, I have had some of the best naps, dreams, and deep sleeps. When you give yourself the time to slow down during the day, your body settles much easier when it’s time to do so.

4. Deeper Connections: When you become a better listener to yourself, you become a better listener to others. It’s a lot easier to put your phone down during a conversation and make eye contact with another person if you know how good that feels when you do it for yourself.

Tatum Fjerstad on The Numinous

5. Forgive Freely: This soft quiet practice initiates the nurturing of your inner teacher, who happens to be pretty benevolent, empathetic and compassionate. You’ll start to be more lenient on yourself and that will trickle down to others because you’ll realize that we’re all doing the best we can with the tools we have.

6. Treat Yourself: So many of the people I teach think this sort of work is too indulgent or they say they don’t have time. If you have time to scroll through your Instagram feed in bed in the morning, or wash your hair every day, you have enough time to get up a little earlier and do yourself this favor.

7. Increase creativity: When you sit and watch your thoughts and freely write them down you are sitting at the seat of creativity. You can’t force that shit. It has to come on its own with space and sweetness. What better space than writing and meditation?

9. Inspire Others: The longer you do this, the more your friends will want in. They will see your softness emerge and they will ask for your secrets. Share them.

Tatum Fjerstad on The Numinous

10. Get it Out: Omg, it feels so good to write a bunch of shit about someone who is pissing you off. It feels WAY better than telling them this stuff and then immediately regretting it. I’ve solved entire friendship dramas without speaking a word to them and having the conversation with myself until I was done with it. Sometimes that takes a few days, sometimes much longer.

11. Be Your Own Best Friend: You know that feeling when it’s whatever-night-of-the-week and you don’t have any plans and everyone is doing cool shit and you feel like a big loser full of FOMO? That goes away because you’ll start to really love those cuddly moments with yourself when it’s just you, a good book and some great music.

WEEKLY TAROTSCOPE: FEBRUARY 15-21

The Ace of Swords brings clarity and confidence in our own abilities, helping us see beyond the challenges of the week ahead, says Louise Androlia.

You can watch last week’s weekly tarotscope at the link – did Louise’s message resonate with you? Share in the comments below, and connect with us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

AN HONEST RELATIONSHIP: HOW TO LOVE AND BE LOVED

Step fully into your light for an honest relationship that shows you how to love and be loved, says Hannah Bier. Artwork: “Lovers” by Marina Gonzalez via Behance.net

mindful relationship abstract lovers by Maria González on The Numinous

They told me that true love was sweet and sticky. They told me that if I manage to stay obedient and pure, a Prince will come and save me. He will wear tight-ass leggings and put me in a castle, where we will have mediocre sex until the end of time.

Well, my dating life used to be land mine after land mine and I know all too well about the brain fuck of modern societies’ views on romantic love. And it’s time to stop shitting ourselves and get real about what truly enlightening love looks like.

Here’s what you need to know if you want a mindful relationship where you’re free to love fiercely and be loved rapturously:

1. LOVE THEM SO MUCH THAT YOU PISS THEM OFF
Relationships that are either dysfunctional or incredibly boring share one common trait: the lovers dance around one another trying not to piss each other off. The truth is, the best thing you can do is to be your wildest, most obnoxious self, especially around the people you want to keep in your life.

We’ve been through tremendous amounts of family programming, plus the societal conditioning that piles a ton of limiting beliefs on top of the unhealed trauma we’ve amassed over the years. As a result of our lived experiences, we develop vices and behavioral patterns for dancing around our true fears and desires. It becomes easier to surround ourselves with people who join in this dance with us, and to never even try to get off auto-pilot.

Being your awakened and audaciously high-maintenance self means dancing in the way of your lover, and interrupting their pattern. It means being the one who loves them enough to not enable them to keep re-living their past. So do not restrict your own beautiful range of expression to accommodate their sleep-walking.

Just being you, you are going to piss people off who’d rather not wake up—especially those closest to you. But it is an act of fierce love to make them deal with their shit instead of trying to make it easy for them.

It is your business to love, not to look the other way. But too often this is misunderstood, and people make it their business to keep the people they love comfortably numb. If you want to support the spiritual evolution of a person you’ve come to care deeply for, let yourself be difficult and speak your truth.

mindful relationship abstract lovers by Maria González on The Numinous

2. TELL THE TRUTH
The #1 reason relationships end is because the lovers prioritize their own sense of comfort over the relationship. The glue for any mindful relationship is emotional intimacy, for no intimacy means no connection, and therefore no point to the partnership.

In order to keep the juices flowing, you need to continuously gather the courage to say the things you almost daren’t. You have to have the courage to be vulnerable and to make yourself look like an idiot. You have to value the relationship more than the desires of your own ego.

You can either be comfortable or be loved. Because if you don’t step up and show yourself in all your messy glory, it is simply hard to love you. We need to see you, to be able to love you. Don’t blame your shallow conflicts about who bought the wrong toilet paper for the deterioration of your relationship.

Every conflict is an opportunity to stand up and tell the real truth. To throw your lover on the bed and to show them how deeply you want to be with them. Fuck them until they know how much you love them. Or to keep screaming and making up stories, so that you can stay comfortable and lonely. It is completely up to you to show up and give it your all.

mindful relationship abstract lovers by Maria González on The Numinous

3. HOLD THEM THE WAY YOU WANT THEM TO HOLD YOU
It is your job to see people for who they truly are. We all have a tendency to downplay our brilliance, to dim our lights, so that we can keep living within what feel like safe boundaries of being. If we never reveal our true nature, we will never make ourselves vulnerable, and we won’t be subject to any criticism.

But you know this won’t work.

By covering up what we really want and settling for something less, we are directing our creative force against ourselves. Playing small is lethal, because every heartfelt dream contains the energy to make it happen. If we pull back instead of going full blast, the energy intended to help you take massive action ends up being trapped in your body where it will slowly kill you.

Don’t let the people you love hurt themselves like that. See them for the genius they truly are. Remind them of how you see them and make a vow to only speak to their higher selves.

How do you want the people you love to show up for life? Don’t you want them to be empowered as creators, infinitely brilliant artists, and deeply loving souls? Hold them the way you want them to show up. Humans are forgetful, make it a habit to remind people of what they really need to understand about themselves.

This, is fierce love.

MY MYSTICAL LIFE: TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION, AND MORPHING INTO TRUDIE

I finally tried transcendental meditation, hit up a NYFW zen-den, and decided we must be morphing into Sting & Trudie Styler…Main photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya

Ruby and Simon Warrington on The Numinous

:: MONDAY ::
This week has been A LOT about meditation, beginning with a visit to Numinous writer Ellie Burrows’s MNDFL meditation studio in downtown NYC. Ellie and her business partner Lodro Rinzler opened up shop in November, offering New Yorkers in need a space to come breathe – that also looks and smells divine, and has Rishi tea on tap. “But when are you coming to Brooklyn?” I whined, since as beautiful as the MNDFL experience is I can’t see myself getting on a subway to go meditate. Or maybe I should take a leaf out of one member’s book, who travels in from Willamsburg to attend two classes per day – now that’s what you call a dedicated practice.

Ellie Burrows and Lodro Rinzler of MNDFL on The Numinous
Ellie Burrows and Lodro Rinzler of MNDFL

:: TUESDAY ::
Speaking of which, having dabbled with various meditation techniques over the past five years, I have yet to find one that’s stuck. Mindfulness, zen Buddhist meditation, the Headspace app…I’ve lasted a few months with each at best. And then there was transcendental meditation (TM), which I always figured had to be the real deal since it demands two 20-minute sessions per day, but was always totally intimidated by for the same reason. Until I met Bob Roth from the David Lynch Foundation, who tried to convince me that actually TM was an effortless technique. Well this was the week I took him up on his offer to teach me and…WOW. Effortless IS the word (who knew?), and even a few days in I’m like: why would I not maintain this practice in my life? It’s like I can literally feel my body being de-programed of stress at a cellular level while I sit.

:: WEDNESDAY ::
The limited edition astrology collection by Christian Louboutin for Moda Operandi. That is all.

Christian Louboutin astrology collection for Moda Operandi on The Numinous

:: THURSDAY ::
A blissful start to New York Fashion Week at the Serene x Bandier pop-up SereneHouse – a totally high-vibe zen den at fitness fashion store Bandier’s new Fifth Avenue space, Studio B. Oh who am I kidding, I don’t do NYFW (TF), and basically swung by to say hi to beautiful Serene Social founder Millana Snow, who curated the space, get me some reiki and grab a juice from The Butcher’s Daughter on the way to my next TM session. And if you’re in NYC this weekend, I suggest you do the same. The full event line-up is at the bottom of the post and you can RSVP here to reserve a spot.

:: FRIDAY ::
So when the Pisces (husband) and I first got it together BACK IN 1999 (see main pic), we were basically Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue in this music video. Then we got married and went through a kinda David and Victoria Beckham phase (mainly me helping him work on his look). As for our latest incarnation? Well we’ve given up booze and eat mainly plant-based, and we meditate together when we wake up. Our plans for V-day: “fancy trying tantric sex?” he asked last night. Which can only mean our metamorphosis into the next Sting ‘n’ Trudie must almost be complete 🙂

Serene x Bandier line-up NYFW on The Numinous

THE MAGIC INGREDIENT: 10 HEALTHY DELIVERY SERVICES YOU NEED TO KNOW

Pizza, we love you long time – but these 10 healthy delivery services will change how you think about ordering in, says Magic Ingredient columnist Raquel Griffin…

Raquel Griffin The Magic Ingredient shot by Margarita Corporan for The Numinous

 

As much as I’m all about cooking as much as possible from scratch, the truth is sometimes you just want to let the goods come to YOU (since life in the material world all too often fails in the enough-hours-in-the-day stakes). So if you find yourself short on time and needing to outsource elements of your high-vibe life, here are 10 healthy delivery services that will help to keep the vibes high and maybe even snag an extra moment to stop & smell the roses.

1. The Purple Carrot (National delivery)
The Purple Carrot is a subscription based vegan meal delivery service that takes the thinking and time out of creating a plant-based culinary tour-de-force. They deliver pre-measured ingredients, quick cooking meals (most clock in at under 45 minutes) and easy, yet unique plant-based recipes from some of the world’s most sought after chefs. Even if you’re already Vegan Iron Chef material, everyone needs a night off – and who knows, introduction to this vegan-meal-magic -in-a-box might just be the loving nudge your parents/ friends/ colleagues could use to make going meat-free a reality.

2. Udder Milk Creamery & Raw Dairy Co-op (Northeast delivery)
At a time when raw dairy purchases still happen largely via unmarked brown paper sacks and are vaguely reminiscent of a drug transaction due to raw milk’s illegal status in most U.S. states, the Udder Milk Creamery & Co-op is a revelation. And with a delivery map that keeps expanding (currently they service from New Hampshire to New Jersey) it means raw dairy devotees (along with the raw-dairy-curious) can all get our fix of the white stuff. In addition, they also offer a lovely selection of delicious handcrafted food imported directly from the Middle East. Plus, if you’re lucky enough to get Kathy (one of the owners) talking during your delivery, you’re liable to receive a treasure trove of free healing gems from her fount of holistic health knowledge.

3. Thrive Market (National delivery)
 I’m sure many of you Numis are up on this but if you’re not: THRIVE MARKET, people. Thrive. Market. Similar to popular low-cost online health emporiums like Vitacost but waaayy better, this membership-based delivery service is all about amazing “Wholefoods-like” (read: organic, vegan, non-gmo, etc.) products at wholesale prices. Plus they have an amazing “live good, do good” ethos in which every membership purchased nets a family in need a supply of high vibe groceries via a donated membership, making the pay-it-forward pay-off even sweeter.

4. Notmilk (New York & Brooklyn delivery)
I love making fresh almond milk as much as the next gal but sometimes you had a late night at a Red Tent event and you forgot to soak the almonds…but does that mean that you should have to compromise your high-vibin’ ways? The sisters and NYC hometown heroes’ behind Notmilk delivery service say HECK NO. So whether you’re living life in the fast lane or the thought of blending your own milk seems mildly daunting and/or unappealing their subscription-based delivery service is the easy way to “do fresh.” Not to mention their almond milk flavor profiles are kind of insane…Honey lavender almond milk, anyone? Or their big kahuna of choice – the “custom nut/seed milk blend” option. So, let there be fresh Almond milk for everyone!

5. Mountain Valley Spring Water (National delivery)
In an ideal world, collecting your own spring water would be the way to go and with Find a Spring that is fast becoming a reality. However, for many urban dwellers this can often present a journey of E-P-I-C proportions which is when it’s definitely time to outsource. So call Mountain Valley Spring Water instead. Bottling spring water from the same source in Arkansas since 1871, in a world of bottled spring water charlatans Mountain Valley Spring Water is the real deal. Voted the best tasting water in the world, TWICE, and delivered straight to your door in gorgeous recycled glass jugs. Done and done.

6. Bhagavat Life (New York & Brooklyn delivery)
We’ve all heard of the many benefits of the ancient science of Ayurveda. Heck, many of us are card-carrying oil pullers but how many can actually boast true Ayurvedic cooking skills (and if you can only make kitchari that doesn’t count)?  Enter Bhagavat Life – Wellness Meals delivery service. For those intrigued by the sparkling wellness that Ayurveda can offer, yet intimidated by delving into the world of Ayurvedic cooking, Bhagavat Life offers the perfect entry-point. Plus included with each meal subscription is a health consult ensuring your meals are in perfect sync with your evolving health needs.

7. Aadhi Cuisine (LA & Orange County delivery)
From weekly meal delivery in traditional clay pots complete with coconut shell spoons, Aadhi Cuisine offers a lovingly handmade take on Sri Lankan Ayurvedic cuisine, perfect for Numis on the Left Coast longing for an Ayurvedic meal delivery service they can all their own.

8. Four Seasons Herbal CSA by Field Apothecary (National delivery)
This sweet little Hudson Valley, NY-based herb farm is like a veritable “Tinctures n’ Salves R Us” offering both seasonal and annual memberships to it’s herbal CSA which ships nationally. Their seasonally themed boxes offer a cornucopia of herbal delights and are the perfect solution for concrete jungle dwellers looking to get a daily dose of green-witch/wise woman mojo delivered straight to their door.

9. OurHarvest (New York delivery)
Checking out the weekly farmers market is definitely a highlight for many, but sometimes getting there just isn’t a reality. OurHarvest to the rescue. Working with some of NYC’s premiere greenmarket purveyors, OurHarvest lets you shop local greenmarkets based on your location and offers you the ability to either pick up your items later or get them delivered direct via Uber (of course). Plus, for orders over $25, OurHarvest donates a meal to a local food pantry. It’s all good.

10. Urban Organic (NY/NJ delivery)
Doing home organic produce delivery long before it was cool, Urban Organic offers the most affordable & plentiful organic food delivery in all of New York. At only $25 for a “small box,” filled with 10-30 organic fruits & veggies it’s a steal – and at a time when organic produce is everywhere yet still out of reach for many, Urban Organic offers an oasis of high vibe health and healing to all.

TEMPLE OF VENUS: A MEDITATION FOR MANIFESTING TRUE LOVE

Elyssa Jakim’s monthly Temple of Venus column returns…this time, ahead of Valentine’s day, with a meditation to feel and call in the love of your twin flame.

Elyssa on the Numinous

Hi, Venusian Friends! It’s almost Valentine’s Day, so let’s talk about LOVE.

A couple of years ago, someone mentioned a book to me called Calling in “The One”: 7 Weeks to Attract the Love of Your Life. At the same time, I took a spontaneous three-day trip to Tulum, Mexico, with my roommate in order to escape office banality in favor of much needed tropical revivification. As I sat on the veranda, with my fruit plate and copy of Calling in the One, I met a woman who had an inexplicably magical air. She showed me a book she’d written and asked me to open it up any page, akin to pulling an oracle card. I opened the page to a section called “soul mate” and we laughed for some time (since I was reading a book about soul mates!) And when I read the chapter in Sandra’s book, I found tears in my eyes.

Learning about the idea of soul mates in Tulum allowed for something to change in me. I had spent most of my twenties dating people who were distinctly not my soul mate or soul partner, people whom I thought were cool or aloof or better than I was. People who were unavailable, and who triggered deep insecurity in me, which made me hunt for affection and praise. I hid my intelligence from partners, thinking, strangely, that it made me less attractive. But I found myself opening up to the idea that the way to attract a partner, was to be simply be myself, and found myself considering that men too might be looking for this type of connection. This was revolutionary to me.

But the journey to letting this in took time. Essentially, it was a journey of claiming my worthiness and challenging my insecurities, as well as the programming of the jaded NYC dating scene. As well as a journey to claim something that I had always secretly believed in: true love. In the Now Age, phrases like “soul partner,” “twin flame,” “manifesting a partner” seem to be ubiquitous,  and the story always seems to be the same: love yourself first. Vibrate love and your person will come. In fact, we hear it so often it can sound hackneyed, unsatisfyingly vague, or too granola.

But we can choose to see it differently, with eyes of innocence, just like I chose to allow myself fall in love and be loved in Tulum. We can choose to believe that all of this talk of soul mates is, in fact, speaking to a growing phenomenon, a societal shift, a rallying against the bullshit of modern dating. The more people allow themselves to claim a desire for soul partnership and connection, the more the dating dirt is swept up and, well, the more love there is to go around.

While on my search for my inner confidence and true love, I developed an exercise that ultimately manifested my soul mate in real life. For Valentines Day, I would like to share this exercise with you. Of course use it as you like, and feel free to make any alterations you see fit.

:: A Meditation to Manifest Your Soul Partner ::

  1. Set aside some time for yourself to do this and set your space up. Light candles, put roses or lilies on your bed, anoint your body with essential oil, play soothing music, smudge your room with palo santo or sweetgrass. It’s particularly luxurious to do this before bed.
  2. Whether you’re sitting or lying down, feel the space that’s surrounding you. Feel the surface that’s underneath you and surrender your weight to it. Sigh out of your mouth a few times to release anything that you don’t need. Now feel the energy of the earth in any way that speaks to you. You can imagine fire from the warm core of the earth, tree roots going deep into the ground, your favorite tree, or hold a crystal and breathe in the earth element. The earth symbolizes the mother, the feminine principle. Once grounded, open up to the stars, the sun, the sky, the divine, the cosmic, the heavens. This starry energy (the more outward expression of God) symbolizes the father. Feel the play between these forces in your body: heaven and earth, mother and father, foot and crown.
  3. If you feel comfortable doing so, invite in your divine team in. (If not, skip this step.) Your divine team might include: ascended masters, angels, guides, spirit animals, fairies, mermaids, unicorns, and any other symbols that make you feel loved. Invite them by saying “I’m calling in Archangel Michael” (for example). Tell your team your hopes and fears. Say what you’re looking for in your mate, how doing this makes you feel, and what you desire. You can also speak this to a stuffed animal or crystal if you like!
  4. Ask to see your higher self. Does this bring forth a vision in your mind? A feeling? A sense of knowing? Stick with it. Now declare: “I would like to see the higher self of my soul partner.” See what comes up. Imagine your deep love, your spiritual lover. Feel his or her energy and see what it reveals to you. Have a conversation with him or her. Get to know them. Feel the unconditional love he or she has for you. Imagine this person in front of you is holding you tightly, is kissing you, is making love to you, is laughing with you, is smiling at you—whatever comes up is perfect. Feel held in this energy for as long as you like. Feel held in the arms of your beloved.
  5. When you’re ready, thank your divine team for coming in and tell them they are released. Send up a prayer for yourself, for love, for the planet, for anything and everything that feels good. Rest in the energy of your beloved. Imagine your soul partner holding you as you fall asleep.
  6. You can return to this place of soul-partner love whenever you like. Daydream about him/her, feel him, cultivate a fantasy relationship with them (yes, really! This is a sublimely fun game and it feels divine if you treat it as such). Let the dream world be playful and loving, let it fill your heart with hope and glee. Let him hold you every night as you go to sleep.

Connecting in this way made me so satisfied that by the time my bonafide flesh and blood person came in, I had already let go of the desire for a partner. That is because I already felt him right there next to me.

The most marvelous thing I discovered in pursuing this soul partnership is that the love is all the same. The love for a partner is the love for a child is the love for a beautiful flower or poem is the love for God is the love for creation is the love for a stranger who smiles at you on the street is the love for the sunset over Tulum’s luscious ocean. So try it out, beloved! I can tell you it has transformed my life and I hope it does the same for you. Here’s to true love.

I also recorded this meditation for you to listen to below.

In real life Venus hang time! : If you’re in Los Angeles this V-Day, Holy F*ck genius Alexandra Roxo and I are teaming up to create a special ritual for self-love and partnership, culminating with a sharing of aphrodisiac chocolate and tea, custom card pulls and one-on-one love advice. Find out more here.

Need more Venus inspiration? Check out Elyssa’s post from last month’s Temple of Venus column.

WEEKLY TAROTSCOPE: FEBRUARY 8-14

The King of Wands says get positive and think big! The perfect energy to max out this week’s Aquarius New Moon portal, says Louise Androlia in her weekly tarotscope.

You can watch last week’s weekly tarotscope at the link – did Louise’s message resonate with you? Share in the comments below, and connect with us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

A REVOLUTIONARY ENERGY: READING FOR THE AQUARIUS NEW MOON

This lunar cycle, you might feel unstoppable. Master your energies during this Aquarius New Moon to set your intentions for the months ahead, says Hannah Ariel.

Aquarius new moon Feb 2016 on The Numinous

This is the New Moon that may have you feeling it’s now or never – and, it may as well be! The nature of an Aquarius New Moon is idiosyncratic – how it speaks to you will be different from how it speaks to another, and yet one message is clear: something has to change. Aquarius is revolutionary – this energy waits for no one, trusting its own clarity of mind to distinguish what needs to happen next for the future’s sake. Once a year the timing is just right to set intentions that you want to see have a ripple effect – the boundaries of time reach far into the future. Something’s gotta give and the time is NOW.

Sometimes, events set off by an Aquarius New Moon may appear to occur “out of the blue” – really, these events occur as an expression of the Sun being in Aquarius, energizing you with a liberating energy that allows you to recognize your right to experience your own personal freedom – to detach you from all that is keeping you from awakening to the truth that, at any given time, if something needs to be innovated, released, said, done, or acted upon IT CAN. It’s like the moment you restart your computer or refresh your browser; it doesn’t necessarily matter what you were up to just moments before because, in an instant, it’s going to be about how you use your energy, the technology, now. That’s how progressive this moon will be.

With a revitalizing boost from two major planetary forces, this Aquarius New Moon can make you unstoppable. You will be energized to make resolute shifts in both your perceptions and actions at once. Uranus in Aries urges; innovate NOW, open your mind to the prospect of what is possible for you personally. And Saturn in Sagittarius reminds; the dharma of these days is to create structures that will support your future’s expansion. With these two in trine with one another, and in a working sextile with the moon on February 8th, there is nothing and nobody standing in your way but potentially your own indifference. Otherwise, it is GO time.

In the background, Venus, Mercury and Pluto are all going direct in Capricorn, offering us profound realizations regarding our attachments and whether or not they are serving or detracting from the Plutonian soul-path we’re on. Since Capricorn does come before Aquarius think of this time as a “cleaning of the closet” – an opportunity to mentally get on board with the transformations you may be experiencing in relationships, as well as other Venus related matters. Venus in Capricorn speaks to your financial security and your ability to attract what you need by acknowledging your own authority and accountability.

Know that accountability, self-mastery, self-trust and inner resolve will indeed be major themes now, as this lunar cycle is also being driven by a square from Mars in Scorpio. Give deliberate attention to the Scorpio area of your personal chart as lessons here will have EXTENSIVE influence on how your intentions play out over the next few months, as Mars will be journeying in and out of Scorpio for quite some time.

To delve further, if you recall from 2012-2015, when Saturn cut through the constellation of Scorpio, we were taught some serious lessons around how we merge our energy with other people, places, resources, ideologies; you name it. These were transformative years where we learned the energetic power of boundaries. Life forced us to get real and see where we may have unconsciously been giving our power away, undermining our deeper desires and truths out of fear of losing control altogether; over these years, we were cracked open in order to understand what gives us LIFE.

Well, these lessons will come up again now, but this time, with Mars in the driving seat, we have an amazing opportunity to liberate and take conscious action to create more a more sophisticated intimacy with our vitality. We will be compelled to give these inner lessons shape in our external world. With Mars square the Aquarius New Moon there is an enormous amount of energy available now, before Mars goes retrograde in April, to choose what stays and what must go once and for all – may it be a lover, a destructive habit, an unhealthy belief about yourself – you can let it go now. It’s done. Refresh the page. Get something else going that will strengthen your will more than ever before.

The future is all that matters now. And not to forget, the most sincere and beautiful quality of Aquarian energy is that it is concerned with creating a future that is being created for the beneficial good of all. It is pure good will. So, whatever you begin, end, or claim in this lunar cycle will be most empowered if it contributes to the prosperity of the collective in the long run. Have a wild idea about where you belong? What to launch next? How you can help someone? Who you have the power to be? How your own story can inspire others? Give it a go. Free yourself, master your energies and you may, in a very Aquarian fashion, be shocked to find how much others needed you to do so.

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

MY MYSTICAL LIFE: SOME EARLY VALENTINES SELF-LOVE, AND CHELSEA DOES DRUGS

Haute Chocolate and some new lingerie on the path to self-love, and thank you Chelsea Does Drugs for a grown-up conversation about humans and the quest for altered states of consciousness…

Haute Chocolate Brooklyn on The Numinous
Pandora’s Box, $30, Haute Chocolate Brooklyn

:: MONDAY ::
Early Valentine’s #1. So when the founder of a local fine chocolate company reaches out to ask if you’d like to sample her wares, you do not say no, despite the fact that a couple of weeks back you vowed to get off the sweet stuff “again” having got back on it in a pretty major way over the holidays. But wait! The mouthwatering treats at Haute Chocolate that arrived today are all organic,organic, vegan, and bittersweet, and billed as “virtuous hedonism.” Yay party in my mouth.

:: TUESDAY ::
Early Valentine’s #2. When my friend Sophie alerted me to new lingerie site True&Co I had to check it out, since treating myself to good underwear has become an ongoing self-love practice of mine. Not least since writing my book means I barely wear “outside” clothes these days, and a nice piece of lace is like literally the only thing standing between me and all out pyjama-geddon. The most fun thing? As a new customer you get to do a quiz that helps work out what items on the site will fit you best – kind of like…brastrology! And yay, when my pieces arrived in the mail today they fit like a dream.

Lovestories Nightrider bralette, $64, True&Co
Lovestories Nightrider bralette, $64, True&Co

:: WEDNESDAY ::
MUST MUST MUST watch TV alert!!! Chelsea Does Drugs. A.k.a. Chelsea Handler going to Peru to do ayahuasca as part of her new “Chelsea Does…” series for Netflix. Chelsea has always been a guilty pleasure of mine – I know she rubs some people the wrong way, but I just love her realness. Which comes across in every frame of this segment – in which she also gets high with friends at a pot-themed dinner party, smokes a joint with Willie Nelson, gets monitored by a doctor while on Adderal and then Ambien (+ vodka), and visits a shaman to try and access a non-drug induced trance state. She also interviews recovering drug addicts and experts, and if the aya scenes, which show every step of her ceremony, steal the show, honestly it was just so refreshing to see an honest and non-sensationalist discussion IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA about humans and drug use. How grown up! As for why Chelsea likes to access altered states? Of course I had to Google her birth chart right after – and with a Pisces Sun and Leo Moon…well, say no more.

:: THURSDAY ::
Major kudos to my friend Robyn, who launched her book Go with Your Gut with a party in NYC tonight – and 9 months pregnant too! I didn’t make the event since I’ve been feeling totally wiped out this week (like the majority of people I’ve spoken to actually, what-up cosmos?!), but I’ve got my copy on order – mainly since Robyn’s theory that not only good physical health but our mental and spiritual wellbeing is directly related to our gut health is a pet subject of mine. In fact, here’s a great story we posted on this subject a while back.

Go With Your Gut by Robyn Youkilis on The Numinous
:: FRIDAY ::
Had a “material girl” moment interviewing J Crew president Jenna Lyons today – what a woman! I’ll post a link when my interview comes out – it was for a Red magazine in the UK – but for today, I’m still mainly obsessing over her office, which is about the size of most NYC apartments and stacked to the rafters with 25 years worth of books, pictures, trinkets and momentos (including a MAJOR Citrine crystal cluster she picked up in Marfa, TX). To me, she’s living, divinely feminine proof that you can be a real person and totally rock it in the corporate world, having risen to the top by simply doing 100% Jenna. An inspiration fo sho.

FREEDOM FOR ALL: WORK WITH YOUR AQUARIUS MOON SIGN

Understand your Aquarius moon sign and maximize your self-care practice to be the best YOU, says Ash Bonelli. Artwork: Prince Lauder via Behance.net

Prince Láuder on the Numinous

Let’s dive deep into the unique and progressive energies of a soul born with an Aquarian moon sign. Our Moon is our HEART. Our emotional and physical support system. Our mama. Our deepest, hidden feelings, that only the ones we really trust get the privilege of knowing. We feed our Moon sign so we can go out and be our best selves, our Sun sign. And once you know how to care for your Moon, you can show others how to do the same.

Self-care is one of our allies to a better world. The Moon is also the source of our intuition, and the zodiac sign it falls in signifies the way we instinctively know things. So understanding your Moon sign can really bolster your relationship to your subconscious feelings in a healthy way.

Work out your moon sign, when you do you chart for free here.

So, what if you have an Aquarius Moon sign? This is the independent thinkers’ Moon. Aquarius is an air sign, that uses its intellect to go about its daily tasks. This is also a fixed sign so once you set your mind on something it may prove difficult to persuade you otherwise. You may also have a tendency to think with your emotions versus feel them. This can actually be used as a superpower though, since this level of detachment can give you the upper hand at in life’s more emotional situations. You most likely don’t wallow in your emotions, and this allows you enough freedom and space to distance yourself and apply some of your unique logic to the given situation.

You probably require a lot of freedom in relationships in general, and need a home environment that lets you come and go as you please. Other people’s expectations could feel like a tremendous amount of pressure – as if your true self is being stifled.  But you gladly offer this same freedom in return. Any sort of “boxing in” creates discord and dampens your ability to by authentically you. You need to be accepted for your original and possibly eccentric ideas, philosophies and ways of being. You may even rebel within your relationships just to prove the point that you won’t conform to their ideas about you.

This is also the humanitarian sign. You care deeply about the collective and will rally for a cause you stand behind. It can make an Aquarius Moon sign sing to really support a charity/foundation, or even a circle of friends that has a progressive impact on society. I could see you as the friend people turn to for solid advice. You have the Moon sign of the wise owl that flies so high you see everyone’s perspective with clear vision. You can be an emotional bolster for humanity without diluting yourself in an ocean of feelings.

Below are some wellness suggestions to express, soothe and connect to and from your Aquarius Moon sign. Your heart runs free and needs a whole cosmos of space to breathe. When you find yourself feeling caged in or overwhelmed, come back to some of these tools.

:: Have a writing practice ::
Aquarius Moon signs express their emotions through the use of their intellect. They use words versus demonstrative acts. Start journaling your thoughts, ideas, wishes and dreams. Try your hand at writing poetry. Use your non-dominant hand, just to get a new perspective. Write out the stories you hold dear. Write down what you are grateful for each day. Make a cookbook or keep a dream diary. Whatever is close to your inner sanctuary, take the time to write it out. Come back to it and reflect on your own spiritual/emotional growth.

:: Join a breathwork circle ::
That’s right, air element Moon sign! Your heart has lungs of its own. Connecting to your life force will give you that much needed feeling of freedom, while at the same time allowing you to connect with yourself on a potent level. Plus you get to meet new people and find that sense of community you so thoroughly enjoy. You have a natural spiritual intuition that can grow and expand with grace via pranayama.

:: Find your cause ::
Get into charity work or assist with a non-profit so you can utilize your greatest emotional strength, your compassion for humanity. You can express this humanitarian pulse in the best way possible by supporting a cause that pulls at your heartstrings. Any type of goodwill is up for grabs and the work will add to your quality of life while making this world a little better than it was before. It’s a win-win for the Aquarius Moon sign.

:: Guided meditation ::
Your heart is always in your head – and you need a break from that constant stream. This type of meditation would be good because it covers both bases for you. The spoken words help your mind follow a path. The path, however, leads to the detachment of thoughts. Giving your mind the space to be empty will in turn give your heart a deep rest.

:: Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana) ::
Balance out both hemispheres of your mind to balance your heart.

Bring your first and middle finger down and in towards your palm. You will use your thumb and ring finger for this practice. The pinky can just hang out and rest where it’s at. Press your thumb down on the right nostril and breathe out gently through the left nostril. Now breathe in from the left nostril and then press the left nostril gently with the ring finger. Removing the right thumb from the right nostril, breathe out from the right. Breathe in from the right nostril and exhale from the left. You have now completed one round of Nadi Shodhana pranayama. Continue inhaling and exhaling from alternate nostrils. 10 rounds please.

Keep space, move with grace & continue your healing work. From those places, your moon will feel content.

MEDITATION ARTIST: AN INTERVIEW WITH BIET SIMKIN

The girl making meditation the new nightlife, Biet Simkin shares her spiritual practices and how her higher self embraces the shocks of life with Kiran Gill…

Biet Simkin on The Numinous
Artist: Viki Forshee

The Numinous: You’ve experienced a lot of loss in your life, including the death of your parents and daughter, and you describe these events as shocks that have connected you to your higher self. How have these shocks aided you in your spiritual journey? What advice would you offer someone going through a similar experience?
Biet Simkin:
Life is beautiful, but it wasn’t created to be a whole experience. It was broken into millions of shattered parts for our exploration. This is why we sometimes see the beauty in the shattered glass, and at other times the grief and rage. My advice for anyone at any time is to listen, listen to that inner voice and stay close to it. “This too shall pass,” is what they say. And eventually it does, and you will realize it was all worth it. In my life I actually remember experiencing ecstasy around these shocks. My higher self does not want a boring life. Only my mechanics or what some people call “ego” wants it all to be easy. My soul is interested in challenge and loss. My soul is interested in heartache and fear. Get interested in what is breaking you, look closely, it is in the center of these things that your grace can be found.

TN: Your father was a shaman/psychotherapist from Russia. How did his work and beliefs influence you as a child? In your present work, how do your father’s beliefs influence you?
BS: As a child, his influence aided me in being lazy, poetic and curious. He always insisted that I do whatever I want. Being the sad and confused child that I was, having just lost my mother, I didn’t want to do much but sit around, make art, eat snacks and cry sometimes. Eventually, this lack of structure led to rock and roll, drug use, world travel and many lovers. And finally, his passing eight years ago led to a complete shift in being, rendering me a most disciplined and focused entrepreneur in a healthy relationship, with a healthy diet, sober life and perpetual tangos with joy. I am his daughter; I continue his legacy of mixing fun with art and spirituality. The real icing on the cake of his legacy was laughter, and I carry that on.

TN: You have previously described yourself as having a “strong sensual energy.” How have you cultivated this part of your identity in a society that frequently represses and condemns female sexuality?
BS: I do not pay attention to that stuff and consider myself rather masculine, actually. I never really bought into the whole gender thing, it seems kind of silly to me. There are so many feminine men and masculine women….what is gender anyway? I am sexual because sex energy is the highest energy we have on Earth. It is love energy and it is the force with which we create. I consider myself a creator, and to me that is about the sexiest thing a person can remind themselves to be. I think all people want to create, so when they see someone doing it they get excited!

Biet Simkin on The Numinous
Artist: Frej Hedenberg

TN: You advocate for a more emotional meditative experience that encompasses beauty and gratitude. Why is that? How does this differ from more traditional meditative practices?
BS: My work is more than that of just a meditation teacher. I am an artist who realized that utilizing meditation and space (artistic space or otherwise) could transmute the state of a human being, so the next obvious action was getting human beings into beautiful spaces where I could assist them in transmuting their state! Everything about my work differs from anything else out there because it is an experience created from my inner world. Just like a Kubrick film is different from a Spielberg film. In my film, my work is about exploring the emotional center in a super intellectual way. I like to marry these two, and I do it well. People often comment in their testimonials that there is wit in my work. I believe that part of what makes my meditation experiences so emotional is that I laugh a lot and don’t take life too seriously.

TN: Likewise, you speak of cultivating “divided attention” throughout your day. What is “divided attention” and how does one master it?
BS: Divided attention simply means placing your attention on many things at the same time. So, one would experience the music in the room, their hand on the tea, the tea itself, and perhaps the people around them, and do that all at the same time. This helps slow down time. As it is a difficult practice, it is the ultimate practice. It’s easiest learned in a group or from a teacher, but it must be done out in the world.

TN: What are some of your greatest tools in your spiritual tool kit? Do you have a daily spiritual practice/ritual? What is it?
BS: Listen to your inner voice. It is telling you what to do and you do not listen. When you listen, you will hear it give you clear direction. My daily practice is obedience to this voice. Come hell or high water I will pursue what serves this voice within me. This means I do all the things you would imagine someone does who guards their higher state: I meditate daily, I work out, I pray, I journal, I see friends, I help people, I laugh a lot, I make love, I eat sustainable healthy food, I sleep well…It sounds kind of boring I guess, but it actually sheer ecstasy! Also, I practice gratitude as a way of “being” not “doing.” It is in being in a state of gratitude all day that everything I experience gets transmuted into food for my higher self.

To learn more about Biet and her work visit BietSimkin.com, and follower her on Instagram @guidedbybiet. Biet will be one of the featured instructors at SoulLOVEFest in September.

WEEKLY TAROTSCOPE: FEBRUARY 1-7

The Five of Wands says…please step AWAY from the drama! And the gossip and the idle talk. It’s a week to watch your words, says Louise Androlia.

You can watch last week’s weekly tarotscope at the link – did Louise’s message resonate with you? Share in the comments below, and connect with us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

TAROTSCOPES: FEBRUARY 2016

Cast by Louise Androlia using the Cosmic Tarot Deck…

:: Aquarius / Aquarius Rising :: The Three of Wands 

Happy birthday month babes! The good news is that this month is calling you back into the wide-open space of expansive living and thinking, especially if, like most of us, you experienced a little bit of January panic. I feel as though your new year overwhelm was purely down to an overload of ideas. Suddenly they all became a tangled ball of wool and…oh dear, procrastination set in? So, if you are currently feeling like you backed yourself into a cave, know that it’s time to move forward with action.

You are actually very brilliant at thinking expansively about life and your projects, so remember that panic mode isn’t your natural state. Also, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of your ideas is actually a pretty cool crisis to have – after all, you’re never going to run out of inspiration to put your vision out into the world. However, to be the thought LEADER that you truly are, you do need to practice a little focus. I also feel that over the course of the month, something that’s going to help get you into your most productive state will be sharing and collaborating.

When we are just recycling our thoughts over and over in our own mind, it’s easy to hit a brick wall – and it feels to me like you’ve got a whole heap of big plans to change the world that need some airing. They need an injection of breath and life. So who are the best people to brainstorm with? This is for you to figure out, but you will probably find that like minds exist in those who deal in similarly big ideas, those who prefer to question opposed to judge, and those who you find straight up inspiring. These people may be your BFFs, or they may be acquaintances hovering on the perimeter. Perhaps there’s even a mentor waiting in the wings.

Carry this expansive with you everywhere, so you don’t miss the conversations which are aligned to help you rise up and meet your highest and most compassionate “of service” self. There is an emphasis on FUN this month, so remember too that self care is always the remedy in moments of stress, and that it’s safe to follow what you are most excited about – rather than what you think you “should” do. Oh and finally – you may see the results of some major manifesting this month. Allow yourself to celebrate all that is YOU.

Download your full 2016 forecast here (using discount code NUMILOVE2016) and as usual come and chat with me on Instagram about how your month is going @louniverse. 

:: Pisces / Pisces Rising :: The Ten of Cups

 We often associate feeling good with seeing physical things or results turning out the exact way we want them too, but restricting our expectations this way often leads to disappointment and a perceived sense of failure. Allowing yourself to receive exactly what you need, when you need it, is a big part of being at peace in the human experience. To feel “out of control” doesn’t mean you have become the victim of your experience, rather it speaks to being to rigid with your limitations. In fact, when you take the pressure off, you will instantly begin receiving a lot more than you even expected. You have entered a natural state of surrender – action combined with expansion.

I feel a sense of relief entering the Piscean sphere this month. This sense of ease will arise from the simple act of allowing yourself to be where you are, not where you think you “should be” – just being where you are, and making friends with the feelings that accompany this moment. To exist absolutely in the now, is an empowered and powerful act of self-care, and I want you to practice it this month using the mantra: “I am exactly where I am supposed to be.”

There is also a sense of movement and things loosening up a little. Emails you’ve been sending out may finally get returned, news you’ve been waiting on shows up, and things suddenly make sense. Hope arises from internal trust and clarity. I feel you can also practice the belief that you are supported in the coming weeks. For those of you who have a strong spirit-based faith, then this is the month to reconnect to your angels, guides and loved ones. If you want to and don’t know how, then try simply asking for their assistance, and thanking the energy around you for showing you signs and symbols to remind you that everything is perfect in this present moment.

You may prefer to keep your support system within the 3D realm, and use this month as an opportunity to share your story with others, to be of service, to bathe in the brilliance of friends who inspire you and to open yourself up to receive more connections for your highest good. Your energy this month is wide open and expansive, but as always, living this way is a choice. Don’t be afraid to feel vulnerable and open up – big old fears and all.

Download your full 2016 forecast here (using discount code NUMILOVE2016) and as usual come and chat with me on Instagram about how your month is going @louniverse.

:: Aries / Aries Rising :: Strength

Your theme for this month is reframing what the word COURAGE means to you. You may associate courage with bravery – but you may also associate bravery with weakness. If you see vulnerability as a weakness, and “toughening up” an act of courage, that is. To you, to be courageous may mean just getting things done, to keep on pushing, to keep your back upright, your face impassive. So what does courage feel like to you? What’s your relationship to this word?

Courage, if you choose, can be an active form of self-love and self-awareness. Courage arises when you fully allow yourself to be YOU, and not only when someone else approves of you. Courage creeps into your empowered set of feelings when you own the moment you are in. Courage ushers you through the door when you take a leap of faith into the unknown. You don’t have to become courageous; courage can be a constant companion.

So this month, I want you to feel FULL of courage, as if it is beaming out of you, encouraging you to go forth and make some big decisions and perhaps also release some things that aren’t working. You no longer need to juggle a million things that don’t feel quite right. Life doesn’t have to be about winning, or waiting for gold star that says “HEY! You nailed it!” Instead, you have to peel back the layers, simply trusting that what’s in front of you will lead to what you want to create in the future. You’ve been doing the work, you’ve been facing the fears, and you’ve walked amongst your chaos. Now I want you to integrate this, and allow yourself to really BE the evolved you, the ever evolving you.

This means no leaning on excuses from the past, or dipping into self-sabotage. The courageous you knows this isn’t the way forward. The future is in the hands of the powerful YOU that exists today, and decides to move forward based upon all the knowledge you have earned. I can already feel the weight that lifts when you let the past become fluid and drop any “should”s and the “if”s about the future. Ask yourself, what feels right today? And then explore that feeling and allow it to be the vehicle for your next adventure.

Download your full 2016 forecast here (using discount code NUMILOVE2016) and as usual come and chat with me on Instagram about how your month is going @louniverse.

 :: Taurus / Taurus Rising :: Prince of Pentacles

February brings a continuation of the “back to school” feeling that accompanied your New Year plans, and now you are in the subtle shift of ideas becoming action. The energy for you over the coming weeks is to take bold steps in the direction you are seeking. I feel that for many of you there may be a grounding of ideas that you’ve been toying with during the past year even, and now it feels as if it’s is time for something to land. You can think of this in a very simple and earthy way – what is it that you want to create in your material world? What do you want to see grow in your external environment?

The emphasis is on solid confident steps, so you probably won’t find much peace if you try and gallop ahead, blazing a trail. Instead, think about movement with intention, because equally you don’t want to fall foul of perfection / procrastination and get bogged down again. So, what do you want to put your focus on? And what ONE THING can you do that can get things moving? Is it making the phone call that’s been on your to-do list for months? Writing an email, or starting a spreadsheet? Your action may even just come in the form of committing to a decision, but somewhere out there a new beginning is waiting for you – and it’s only you will know what it looks like.

Meanwhile, if you had been toying with the idea of seeking some external mentoring or support recently then the time is now. This may come in the form of anyone from a therapist to a business sponsor, but it feels like there is some external force around you that could offer a helping hand if you open up to the idea that you don’t have to do everything yourself.

For those of you who have been feeling less than your grounded self recently, you will also thrive within the company of those whom you feel most safe around, especially if you feel your trust and faith in others has been wavering recently. Remember that the company of one person who feels good is better than coffee with ten who make you feel in any way less than; your job isn’t to be everything for everyone or to be liked by all. Trust in what you need and you will find that it is right in front of you.

Download your full 2016 forecast here (using discount code NUMILOVE2016) and as usual come and chat with me on Instagram about how your month is going @louniverse.

:: Gemini / Gemini Rising :: The Moon

When the energy of the moon comes up in our days we are always been called to look behind the scenes and pay attention to our internal dialogue. Your February is an encouraging you to dive a little deeper into the essence of WHY you feel what you feel, and WHY you do what you do. For some of you this may instantly feel overwhelming, the idea of facing deep, dark fears, or the thought of simply sitting with your feelings. But know that your fears only want your attention, just a wave hello and an “I see you.”

For those of you reading this going OH YES I’VE BEEN FEELING ALL MY FEARS…then know that you are also allowed to ask for help, and that no one is supposed to manage everything on their own. We all need a tool kit, and most of the time this means we need someone to teach what goes in there. Meanwhile, examining the underbelly of definitely does NOT have to spell dark times – going “behind the veil” is also about connecting to your intuitive or higher self. I feel this is a wonderful month to be doing some dream journaling and paying attention to lady Luna herself.

You can learn so much about your self just from charting the phases of the moon, so why not experiment this month and see what you discover. In line with these themes, I feel there may be some sense of relief as you connect with the earth and nature over the coming weeks, especially if you feel wired or anxious. This may mean taking a hike in the nearest spot of wilderness that you can find, but equally, you will notice that eating root veggies and a good old stomp down the sidewalk will do the trick.

As far as other people are concerned, this is not a month to be seduced by gossip or drama, and that includes sitting and imagining that people don’t like you or are talking about you. If you’re fearing judgment then retreat back to your self, and do some work on your side of the street – and when you do meet any fears, know that you can negotiate with them. If in doubt, understand that the part of your mind that says you “can’t” or you aren’t “good enough” is an illusion – your soul self would never speak to you in that language.

Download your full 2016 forecast here (using discount code NUMILOVE2016) and as usual come and chat with me on Instagram about how your month is going @louniverse.

:: Cancer / Cancer Rising :: Death

You have either just experienced a big change in your life or you are currently undergoing a transformation (or hey, maybe both!) – and I want to reassure you that you are exactly where you are supposed to be. I hope for many of that this month will actually bring a sense of RELIEF, since your energy over the last six months has seemed to be very stop and start – things appearing and disappearing, offers followed by rejections, the whole shebang. So, where are you at today? I want you to recognize that you have literally stepped into a new cycle. A cycle, because life is never about pass and fail, or about being broken or fixed, there is ALWAYS an evolution unfolding.

You are always moving and shifting, especially when you feel stuck. So within this time of change, I want to remind you that you must (as always) prioritize your self-care – and by this I mean practice a serious, mind-blowingly deep nurturing of your self. Please experiment with this, as in you literally cannot care for yourself enough – in fact, go WILD with it, and see how much better the world looks when you decide that you are deserving of the utmost kindness and care.

Allow this practice to also bring in some grounding, as you are in need of some earth energy right now. When you’ve felt like everything has been up in the air – whether this was because you were consumed by a new crush, shifting jobs, or in recent crisis – your feet are off the ground. It’s time to come back down to earth and settle. Eat earthy veggies, keep warm, hug trees, stomp your feet, body brush, self-massage, keep a piece of tourmaline crystal in your pocket, and literally visualize roots growing from your feet into the earth.

Alongside this, I want you to take on a considered view of the future, accepting the fact that you can’t know what is ahead. There is a beautiful element of surprise in your world, and if you open yourself up to the unknown as your comrade and superpower, you may see some light in the shadows. Know that no one is exempt from the tales life tells us, and you are not alone. You may enjoy being with a new community over the coming weeks, sharing stories and being uplifted by friends. Oh and LAUGH, for there is much to be grateful for.

Download your full 2016 forecast here (using discount code NUMILOVE2016) and as usual come and chat with me on Instagram about how your month is going @louniverse.

:: Leo / Leo Rising :: The Star

 This month there are abundant opportunities for you to take full possession of your skills and talents. This isn’t a time to be playing yourself down or feeling like you have nothing to offer – particularly relevant for those of you in a time of transition. If it feels like you are really STARTING OVER, you may find yourself asking, “can I even do this?” Remember that every moment of your journey has been leading to today, and every single experience has given you wisdom. Even if you feel no connection to your past right now, it is what brought you hers, and you are still alive and time is still your friend.

This means I want you to honor your experiences so far, and admire the things that you have learned along the way. So where does this inventory-taking make you feel talented and star-powered right NOW? If this is an uncomfortable question to ask yourself, then great! Discomfort is a call to action, and it may be a call for you to actively up your own confidence levels. Self-confidence has to be claimed, not earned – and guess what, you get to choose to believe in yourself and your projects.

Sitting around and waiting for someone or something to approve of you just won’t cut it. Make a list of the things you are grateful for about yourself; they may be physical or emotional, skills or achievements. Know that it is okay to pat yourself on the back! On this theme, I’d also like you to remember that you don’t have to dim your light in order to please anyone else. If you have people around you who react badly to your joy, then know that they may be going through a tough time, but you are still allowed to celebrate. On the flip side, remember to always collaborate versus compete. It’s so much more fun to share than compare.

Meanwhile, I feel this month may bring many reasons for you to feel abundant, so remember that success is not a destination, more so a FEELING. It doesn’t have to be extreme, and you’ll realize you are constantly experiencing tiny joys if you stop to tune into them. Opportunities for you to up your game and shine brighter are also in store, and if you are getting in your own way creatively, remember not everything is about you – but more about how you can be of service. 

Download your full 2016 forecast here (using discount code NUMILOVE2016) and as usual come and chat with me on Instagram about how your month is going @louniverse.

:: Virgo / Virgo Rising :: The Six of Swords

Considering the speed at which your year kicked off, it may be that you’re already craving some down time. This does not mean that you have to book a holiday and head for the hills, it’s more about the idea of inviting in a little stillness back into your days. The idea of “self-retreat” feels wonderful for you, and you may be able to experience this from simply upping your alone time.

It seems as though the last couple of weeks have ushered in a lot of opinions and external ideas, with everyone chiming in with their input. While you appreciate support, it’s also easy for you to get annoyed and overwhelmed by too many people and their thoughts. So if you are feeling a little like you want to tell everyone to just GO AWAY, or are wondering if you can just turn down the volume on the world, then this is just a hint to reclaim some of your own time – and of course to value it.

This can be in whatever form that works for you. If you have been feeling a call to start a meditation practice, then this energy is of course in support of that – but it may also be that you need to sit and just feel your discomforts a little more, and make friends with your brain chatter. Stillness is available to everyone, especially somebody like you who’s often convinced that you CAN’T tone down your thoughts. You can, but it might not be in the way that you think you “should” – remember that meditation does not mean having an empty mind, more so one that feels less like a galloping stallion. Try to pick one thing and focus on it, and make it something that’s beautiful or interesting to you. You could steady your gaze on a candle flame just as much as you could watch a YouTube video of a puppy yawning (HEY, WHY NOT!)

The main thing is that you’re required to just take a little pressure off yourself this month, and just allow yourself to do one thing at a time. If feels like there’s one task or one dream that requires your eyes and your heart right now. So gift yourself some one-on-one time with whatever this is, and also with yourself. Just because you aren’t crossing things off lists doesn’t mean that your time is being wasted. 

Download your full 2016 forecast here (using discount code NUMILOVE2016) and as usual come and chat with me on Instagram about how your month is going @louniverse.

:: Libra / Libra Rising :: The Hierophant

I feel a shift from being the student to the teacher for you over the coming weeks. Some of you have actually been in that educational space, taking up new skills and ventures, and others of you have just really noticed that sense of your life being its own educator. It’s now time to think how you might use what you’ve learned as a tool for navigating the unknown ahead of you. With this sense of building wisdom and knowledge, you may also find yourself bursting at the seams wanting to tell everyone EVERYTHING you’ve learned. This is a beautiful feeling, as it can remind you of how wonderful wisdom gained really is – but what’s important is learning how to direct your findings in a positive and useful way.

No one ever benefits from being preached at, in fact, it’s an energy that often repels people. However, to teach is a more subtle and delicate process, which can be begun by simply practicing and living within your discoveries. For instance, if you’ve recently had your mind blown by a new self-help idea, then you don’t need to push it on everyone you know. Rather, just absorb what you have learned, and then BE the knowledge that has transformed your life, and you will instantly shift your own energy to benefit your own experience and others’.

You can also consider how you might like to use your experiences to be of service to the world, your community and those immediately around you. Again, always start with you, by nurturing your own mind, body and spirit and then considering how and what from your experience you can share for the highest good. Some of you may be called to write; or you may want to a video, or hop on periscope, and so on. You may simply feel called to ask “can I help you” to a close friend in crisis. You will know where your compassion is going to be of best use in the coming weeks, and enjoy rising up into this spot of light.

On the flip side of the coin, do not go all OUT THERE if you are feeling depleted. Trying to help, share and care is difficult if you are feeling less than filled up yourself. If you know YOU can be of help, it also means that there’s someone out there waiting to help you right back. Be out and proud about seeking guidance when you need it – it is all around you.

Download your full 2016 forecast here (using discount code NUMILOVE2016) and as usual come and chat with me on Instagram about how your month is going @louniverse.

:: Scorpio / Scorpio Rising :: The World

Your energy feels as though it has met its highest match, since this card is raw phoenix rising – meaning you are at liberty now to embody all the aspects of this transformative time. You know you are experiencing a big shift, right? Of course, we all feel it in different ways, but I want you to focus on the pure energy of endings and beginnings. This is to suggest that it is possible to very gently nurture all that is closing right now and bid what needs to leave your life a happy farewell – for a new horizon awaits, and you need to claim that space.

Finding the courage to close one chapter and move forward is never an easy task, but I ask you to trust in surrender, know that rejection is actually redirection, and there are many opportunities to say YES just ahead. So, on to new beginnings, as this is what feels fresh for you right now. I can sense a slight shift in your priorities, which has possibly occurred after a dark night of the soul scenario (you know alllll about those). In those darkest hours we get clarity because so much has been stripped away. Sometimes the guidance we receive is glaringly obvious, sometimes more subtle – and this will tie in with the whole “letting go” thing as sometimes it is really hard to actually accept your own desires.

For instance, if you’ve been doing something that always felt like your calling for so long you just don’t love it anymore, then know that it’s cool to move on. You aren’t tied to your own creations, and everything deserves its own set of wings. Put your attention on the new and the wild, it’s time to move from toe dipping to full on deep diving.

It seems that the world is awaiting something you have in your hands, whether it’s a new project, a piece of guidance, showcasing the new you, or ANYTHING that you feel is ready to launch. It’s only natural that you may experience some resistance in the form of anxiety about the future. No one is free from this and I want to remind you to lean towards whatever sources of faith you have. For me, it’s a baseline trust in my journey, and that I am always exactly where I am supposed to be regardless of what is happening around me. You’ve got this.

Download your full 2016 forecast here (using discount code NUMILOVE2016) and as usual come and chat with me on Instagram about how your month is going @louniverse.

:: Sagittarius / Sagittarius Rising :: The Queen of Wands

 It feels to me like February is actually the first month of the year for you, as I see you stepping into your highest state of empowerment and energy. The Queen of Wands always feels like pure Sagittarius to me, and here she is to remind you of your deepest soul truths. I see that you have an opportunity to really accept yourself for who you are and where you are at right now. Yes, we always want to change things about ourselves, but it’s time to quit it with any ideas about having to “fix” yourself, or avoid anything that you don’t like.

You do not have to get better or be better, but instead you just have to allow yourself to transform whilst you do the work that you want to do. There is never a finish line as far as self-development goes, and the coming weeks are merely a chance to allow yourself to be YOU. So, what parts of your own power do you really need to call in? What parts of yourself have you rejected? Where are you not standing in your true self? The parts of yourself that you feel challenged by, ashamed or unsure of are only an opportunity for growth. To accept the moment you are in also means being able to offer some forgiveness to the past, knowing that forgiveness is an act of self-care.

In regards to the external world and your actions this month, I feel as though there’s a lot that’s going to suddenly require your attention, with people coming at you from all angles with opportunities, ideas, new job offers and people desiring a piece of your time. Remember that to embody your fiery superpowers with regards other people, it’s always best to state what you want and need via a clear and compassionate filter, as well as allowing yourself time to breathe.

If in any doubt with how to deal with something – count to ten, RESPOND rather than react, and call a friend on the outskirts to brainstorm with. Finally – always go back within and check in with what your soul has to say before you throw yourself into anything that doesn’t feel good or 100 per cent right. You see, this “feeling good” is IT, the key to embodying your most naturally empowered and energetic state. Feeling good = feeling the true you.

Download your full 2016 forecast here (using discount code NUMILOVE2016) and as usual come and chat with me on Instagram about how your month is going @louniverse.

:: Capricorn / Capricorn Rising :: The Ace of Pentacles

 In response to last month’s theme of throwing it all out to the Universe, this month sees you called back to a decisive, abundant and productive energy. You are really READY to start something, and the days ahead are in support of this. A doorway seems to be opening, and is awaiting you because of the decisions you have been making over the past few months. I feel this is much more of a carefully constructed opportunity, opposed to someone handing you something on a plate.

With this in mind, I’m hinting at you being the fire starter, and the one to make the bold leap of faith. Don’t hang around waiting for someone to give you something when you could be out there and grabbing it for yourself. So, what are you interested in getting into gear? While your energy is often very much of the material world, I can also sense some big romantic moves may be on the horizon. Don’t be afraid to be present with the people who show up for you. Connections you make this month feel like they have a little magic to them, and that romantic partners, collaborators and mentors are all within your reach.

As always just trust in what feels good rather than go against your intuition out of fear. In regards the day to day, I can see there might also be an opportunity to restart something that never quite grew wings. Whether it’s an idea that you had to abandon due to other priorities, or something that just didn’t quite fit in the moment, second chances are favored – only if it still feels good of course!

On the self-care front, you may benefit from some grounding and a reconnection to your earthy natural state. However, don’t force yourself to do something just because you think you “should” – don’t drag yourself to the gym, when you know actually you enjoy walking more, or force yourself into the latest diet craze when your body is actually saying NO THANK YOU! Make space to stop and listen to your mind, body, and spirit. Oh and feel free to play. Taking positive action doesn’t mean you have restrict yourself. Big plans work really well when you allow them breathing space, and give yourself the freedom to make a little mess.

Download your full 2016 forecast here (using discount code NUMILOVE2016) and as usual come and chat with me on Instagram about how your month is going @louniverse.

COMFORTABLY NUMB: WHY ARE WE ALL AFRAID TO FEEL?

Dry January opened my eyes to how I’ve been comfortably numb, so this year I’m committing to feeling it and healing it, says Kate Atkinson.

Kate Atkinson comfortably numb dry january on The Numinous

‘Hello, is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me.” Ringing an opiate bell in your psyche? If you’re a borderline millennial like me, you’re shamefully more likely to recall the Scissor Sisters version before the much more pleasant, sedate and, well, numbing, Pink Floyd original of the track “Comfortably Numb.”

But this song bears a special significance in my world right now. Having completed my first ever dry January I, like I suspect many Instagramming, Malbec-drinking, Bumble-ing, Happn-ing global citizens, have realized to what extent I’ve been moving through my life in a similarly cozy but numbed-out state.

The Oxford Dictionary defines “numb” as depriving us of the power of sensation. So to do so in any capacity means more or less living and feeling at a fraction of our capabilities. Or in Numi speak: “vibing at a lower frequency.” By CHOICE. How depressing is that?

And it’s not just the booze. NYC might be a cultural smorgasbord, but it also offers ready access to all the compulsions that can take you down a rabbit hole of distraction and, eventually, longing.

Rather than dealing with our shit, we drink. Opposed to being alone, we over engage on social media (no wonder “Digital Addiction” has become an actual “thing”). Others get high on the rush of success and pepped on promotion. There’s addiction to substances, of course – legal medications, essential oils, cocaine. Addiction to online dating.  Addiction to people. Addiction to pizza. Addiction to tattoos. Addiction to solitude. Addiction to sex.

The list is endless, and the more you get to thinking about it, the more it feels like anything can become an obsession when you’d rather numb-out than feel…and deal. Then there’s the replacement of one addiction with another. Partying for yoga. Work for a relationship…and so it goes.

Without booze to cloud this revelation, I’ve only become more aware of back-to-back evenings of time wasting on Facebook; the getting obliterated after a bad day at work; the 18 nights a month I eat pizza. And many more obsessions I don’t care to list in a public forum.

And I’ve decided this is no way to live. Along with this newfound awareness, I’ve realized how sick I am of the “terrifying Tuesdays,” the hours spent staring at my phone, of saying I’ll do things I never do, and spending my precious hours on mind numbing, opposed to mind-expanding activities.

So what’s the alternative? Bottom line is it’s tough to to feel the full spectrum of your emotions. It is hard to stay at home and sit with your loneliness, when grappling with an overwhelming desire to put it all behind you, just for one night.

Personally, that social itch and need to be surrounded by others is a compulsive distraction, and when I obey it and ignore my calmer (and undoubtedly more vulnerable) intuition, generally the more disasters head my way. The thing with numbing is it becomes a cycle. Drink too much. Make bad dating decisions. Attack your liver again with Advil. Waste $40 on breakfast. And so it goes.

With this in mind, I’m accepting you have to “feel it to heal it” – which means, for now at least, I am committing to a time of being UN-NUMB. And what this will entail exactly I don’t know, since I’ve been living comfortably numb for well over a decade.

Nonetheless, I want to commit to it this year. I have no idea what I’m doing – and already I’m finding myself interested in activities I would have laughed at this time last year. So welcome to my blank canvas of withdrawal…which right now seems to be manifesting into this column.

Signing off until next time, with one of my favorite quotes from Anais Ninn:

“You live like this, sheltered, in a delicate world, and you believe you are living. Then you read a book…or you take a trip…and you discover that you are not living, that you are hibernating.

The symptoms of hibernating are easily detectable: first, restlessness. The second symptom (when hibernating becomes dangerous and might degenerate into death): absence of pleasure. That is all. It appears like an innocuous illness. Monotony, boredom, death.

Millions live like this (or die like this) without knowing it. They work in offices. They drive a car. They picnic with their families. They raise children. And then some shock treatment takes place, a person, a book, a song, and it awakens them and saves them from death. Some never awaken.”