Ruby Warrington

I CAN SEE CLEARLY: NEPTUNE RETROGRADE FOR YOUR SIGN

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enforced skinny-dipping? No.

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

@yogaforbadpeople

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEAUTIFUL! NUMEROLOGY FOR EVERY AGE

Posted on by Felicia Bender

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


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

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

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

Numerologically speaking, what does our AGE reveal about us?

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

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

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

So check these out:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And it makes things a lot more fun.

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

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

Read more from Felicia Bender at Feliciabender.com 

@FeliciaBender1

 

NEED-TO-KNOW: YOUR SPIRIT POWER ANIMAL

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

www.marikamessager.com

SXSW SPIRIT GUIDE: 36-HOURS IN AUSTIN

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

Yee-haw, here comes the annual music and culture mash-up that is Austin’s SXSW festival. But there’s a whole other side to the town that’s more hippie than hipster (in a good way). Here’s our recipe for a weekend of self-discovery  and spiritual hi-jinx in the Portland of the South…

SATURDAY

9AM BLACK SWAN YOGA

The girls who run this donation based studio ($10-$15 suggested, $7 minimum) made a grainy, black and white freaking yogic music video as the intro to their website. All classes – Beginner, Power, Sweaty and Flow – take place in a 90-degree heated room, and if you can’t get to one of the four Austin locations there are even online classes to do. We suggest kicking off your Austin tour with the 9am Power class taught by Adam M at the Downtown studio. Set to a soundtrack of hip-hop, reggae, and, um, tango; “The idea is that we’re working ‘towards’ being the best version of ourselves and having some fun doing it,” he says.

Blackswanyoga.com

11AM JUICELAND

rbz-Juiceland-Cleanse-01

Now it’s obviously juice o’clock, and with seven locations dotted throughout Austin this is the place to get your greens on. We say go straight for the hard stuff and make your selection from the “Next Level” menu. How about a Cold Shower (cucumber, parsley, mint, watermelon, lime, salt) to cool you down after that hot yoga session? Or if you really need waking up, the Xtra Holla Pain Yo! (jalepeno, garlic, carrot, orange, cilantro, lime, salt) should do the trick. They also do smoothies and soups, and there’s a vegan, gluten free “Functionally Good Food” menu too.

Juiceland.com

12 NOON THE HERB BAR

You’re invited to switch off your mobile phone before you enter this magical mystery emporium, which, open since 1986, looks like Bilbo Baggins hobbit cave with its little red door almost buried behind the ivy bush that covers the front of the building. Inside, you’ll find everything from herbal tea blends and massage oils to locally produced natural beauty products and remedies, astro paraphernalia, crystals, prayer flags and wind chimes, all served up by super-friendly owner Twila Dawn Willis. Yep, it’s basically Numi retail heaven.

Theherbbar.com

1PM UNCOMMON OBJECTS

 

 

There’s plenty more magic to be found at this Austin stalwart, but rather than try to describe the kind of treasures a root around this sprawling space might uncover, we repeat for you their manifesto; “We relish the time worn and well loved. We are crazy about genuine patina. We cherish folk arts and parlor crafts from around the world. We reflect the melting pot that is the American experience. We adore ingenious repair. We honor beauty found in unexpected places. We are inspired by the joy found in serendipity.” And seriously, where else are you going to find a skate board that doubles up as a ouija?

Uncommonobjects.com

2PM MR NATURAL

There’s A LOT of amazing vegetarian food in Austin, but we’re sending you to this meat-free take on a traditional Tex Mex joint for a couple of reasons. 1) It comes highly recommended from Twila at the Herb Bar. 2) They do an ENTIRE GLUTEN FREE MENU. 3) There’s an yoga studio attached where they offer a ‘spiritual Hatha’ practise. And, maybe most importantly, 4) They produce a huge assortment of insane wheat / sugar / dairy / etc free cakes and pastries out of the on-site bakery.

MrNatural-austin.com

5PM SPARTAN

This ridiculously hip lifestyle boutique is essentially what the Numinous would be if we had a store (now there’s an idea…) Owner Currie Person has curated THE chicest collection of spiritually aware fashion, jewellery and homewares, while some new arrivals for spring include a crazy cool tie-dye leather bag from Creatures of Comfort, a selection of vintage Andean blanket rugs, this set of Bing Bang skull studs and the great felt hat by Janessa Leone pictured here.

Spartan-shop.com 

8PM CHEER-UP CHARLIE’S

With kombucha on tap and the MOST delicious vegan food truck parked out back, this indoor-outdoor bar / live music venue is a one-stop healthy hedonism shop. They also serve fresh pressed juice cocktails, while a parachute canopy covering the patio creates an other-worldly, that-bar-from-Star Wars kinda vibe. Oh, and check out the rad décor on the dance floor! Who needs ‘shrooms with all this trippy black light s*** going on?

Cheerupcharlies.com

12.30AM STARRY EYES

If you can drag yourself away from the fun times at Charlie’s (see above), Starry Eyes – described as “an occult tale of ambition, possession and the true cost of fame,” is being screened as part of the official SXSW schedule. Following the (mis)fortunes of a wannabe actress in Hollywood, after a series of strange auditions she lands the lead in a new film from a mysterious production company. “But with this opportunity comes bizarre ramifications that will transform her both mentally and physically…” Yikes!

SXSW.com

SUNDAY

10AM BARTON SPRINGS POOL

This man-made pool in Austin’s Zilker Park is filled from the water of the Main Barton Spring, the fourth largest natural spring in Texas. Open for year ‘round outdoor swimming, long before the pool was built the springs were considered sacred and were used for purification rituals by tribesmen of the local Tonkawa tribe. So where better to refresh your Sunday morning head?

Austintex.gov

11am JYOTISH ASTROLOGY WITH ANNE BEVERSDORF 

This renowned Austin astrologer goes back and forth between traditional Western and Vedic astrological systems during a reading, cross-checking information to give a totally in-depth, 360-reading. Coming to astrology as a healing modality, “My goal is to open doors for a deep flowering of your innermost Self in relation to the world. My peace is in hearing that YOU have found meaning in both joys and sorrows,” she says.

Stariel.com

1PM WHOLE FOODS RAW VEGAN FOOD BAR

Not only does Austin have one of the biggest Whole Foods in the world (or at least what feels like it, this is the home of their HQ after all), there’s also a WHOLE counter of the infamous salad bar dedicated to vegan (and mainly raw) cuisine. Well, hello broccoli cashew crunch, chickpea chix salad, pumpkin seed cheese, and raw German chocolate cake. Oh, or how about a raw flax seed tortilla was topped with kale and avocado, spicy cashew cheese, mock sour cream, cilantro and pico de gallo? Yes please.

Wholefoodsmarket.com

3PM GARDEN OF THE ANCIENTS

A 15-minute drive out of town, this “herb emporium and nursery” carries over 300 medicinal and culinary herbs, while the store itself is set among the creeping vines of a sprawling working herb and vegetable garden. They also grown a large selection of “ethnobotanical”, or medicinal, plants, including Daturas and Morning Glories, Wild Dagga, Baby Hawaiian Woodrose, Wormwood, Skullcap, Wild Lettuce, Wild Tobacco and the legendary San Pedro cactus. Properly witchy stuff.

Gardenoftheancients.com

5PM CUSTOM CRYSTAL DESIGN SESSION WITH FORREST LEE

Fort Worth native Forrest Lee has been creating his beautiful Healing Vortex Crystal Wraps since 2009, when he was gifted his first crystal – “with intense compassion from a dear brother in a hard time” – with life changing results. Now, “my goal is to spread healing and compassion by igniting that heart flame in each human. The crystals help remind us of our divinity,” he says, and a custom design session with Forrest is the best way to find the crystal that will work the hardest for YOU.

Facebook.com/healingvortex.crystalwraps

7PM BANGERS

Time to balance today’s air and water energy activities with some low down and earthy SAUSAGE. Bangers is Austin’s famous “sausage house & beer garden” – and, yes, their veggie options (beet and goat cheese or veggie BLT) get a huge thumbs up from us. The veggie ranchero brunch and sides (jalepeno cream corn with onion gratin anyone?) are also ridiculous, and all washed down with libations from the gluten free beer menu (yep, you read that right!)

Bangersaustin.com

9PM SOUND HEALING WITH TINA RODRIGUEZ

This incredible local healing artist, who works with crystal bowls as well as the sound of her own sweet voice, hosts regular group sessions and is available for one-to-one healing. As the rest of the SXSW revellers rock out to the closing sets of the festival, send your spirit soaring high on her beautiful cosmic vibes.

Facebook.com/tinalasirena

For full listings of what’s up at SXSW go to the festival website.

@SXSW

With thanks to Caleb Campaigne.

Posted on by Madeline Giles

Taylor EyeWalker is a scent alchemist who crafts moon and crystal-charged botanical perfumes from her magical lair in Topanga Canyon, California. With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, Madeline Giles shares her experience of receiving a custom-made Love Potion.

Driving up the desolate dirt road to Taylor EyeWalker’s mountain home on a warm California day, I have no idea what to expect. There’s no manual on how you’re supposed to feel prior to meeting a scent alchemist for a consultation for a personalized Love Potion – but weaving through the enchanted forests of Topanga Canyon, perhaps I am Cinderella (pre-Prince Charming) about to meet her fairy godmother for the first time.

Having come across her page on Facebook, I had contacted Taylor first and foremost because I wanted to create a loving experience for myself. The magical vibe of her site totally resonated with me, and, having just moved from Brooklyn to Venice Beach, I felt receiving a custom scent might help ground me. For the record yes, I am single – and while I’m comfortable with this right now, I’m definitely open to receiving all the help I can get. Especially when it involves Earth magic.

After parking on an uphill driveway, Taylor, who is tall, blonde and beautiful (this is LA after all, where even the witches look like movie stars), greets me warmly with her adorable French bulldog, Monkey. She then leads me upstairs onto a dreamlike outdoor terrace, where a Navajo-themed straw mat lies adorned with meditation cushions, a Buddha statue, incense, earthen bowls, and a teakettle. As we sit in comfortable silence, Taylor begins preparing a pre-consultation tea ritual.

The consultation “room”
Making magic

“I like to serve tea first so we can authentically connect to the now,” she muses. I take a sip, and immediately feel pulled into a deeper part of myself. “Whoa,” I share. “What’s in this?” Taylor tells me we are drinking Living Tea, which comes from the high mountains and valleys of China and Taiwan from trees that are hundreds of years old. “The veins of a tealeaf resemble the veins of our bodies,” she says. “Connecting with the plant spirit allows us to more deeply connect with the energies of the earth.”

It only takes three cups of magic tea for me to feel completely at ease. When I arrived I was slightly anxious and unsure what would be expected of me, as I knew I was going to have to reveal deep aspects of myself. But thankfully, post-tea, my nervous monkey-mind is silenced. I feel entirely safe – and even eager – to share it ALL. Taylor asks if I’m ready to commence, so I take a deep breath and, pen and paper in hand, she begins.

Do you smoke? Have you ever smoked?

Is there a place in your life where you desire deeper love and connection?

Is there anything in your life you’d like to change?

What is your intention for this creation, this alchemy?

Are you ready for a relationship?

The list goes on, and I find myself sharing things I wasn’t consciously aware were even there. Like the fact that my deepest desire is to be in a soul-centered, romantic relationship, yet at this point in time I don’t feel ready for it. Question after question, I dive deeper into my heart. Before I know it, almost an hour has passed, and the consultation is over.

I ask Taylor to take me through what happens from here. “When you leave, I go into my realm and really create for you,” she explains. “Every alchemy is different, and generally I go up into the ninth plane of existence to be sure I’m not bringing any of my own projections in.”

Though Taylor has sustained an intuitive relationship with plants all her life (even as a child she crafted plant potions in a cauldron on her parents’ land in South Carolina), in recent years she further developed her abilities by studying plant medicine with indigenous tribes in South America.

“I still hold very true to the shamans of the Amazon,” she says. “I really appreciate what they can create – especially Pusangas, which are Amazonian Love Potions made specifically for individuals by connecting with plant spirits. The potion becomes a divination tool that you use in ceremony or ritual. It’s something that you keep sacred.”

A few days later, I receive my custom potion in a tiny glass bottle with a hand-written card that shares channeled messages Taylor received during the creation. I read the card first, and my eyes immediately well with tears. Several of the messages she shares are things I’ve intuitively been feeling for months. This is such a powerful, whimsical, feminine potion…it reminds me of Quan Yin, she writes.  I went very, very deep in a cosmic wave, and I did many Theta downloads on this creation, ones you have requested in your life.

The downloads included things like dancing to eating more beets (who knew?), to wearing pearls on my body (as an incarnated mermaid, I deeply connect with them). I haven’t even smelled my Love Potion yet, and I already feel so seen, loved and understood. “This is really a self love potion,” Taylor had said during our consultation. “If we don’t have love within our hearts, if we don’t have love for ourselves, if we don’t feel whole, if our cup is not full, we will not attract the love we deserve.”

The author
Madeline’s Love Potion

Something I feel I’ve literally heard said a million times, yet coming from Taylor, I receive the message differently. I feel, for the first time ever, like I could literally hold the love of my own heart in the palm of my hand, thanks to this magical little bottle. Keeping this in mind, I carefully open my Love Potion and gently inhale. All I can say is…oh my God! Lavender, cedar, oak moss, rose, white lotus, jasmine, tiger’s eye, and many more familiar and unfamiliar scents rush to embrace every cell of my body. I feel like I am literally smelling my essence in liquid form, and this makes me smile. A lot.

I immediately decide I need to go for a walk and so I head out and hop in my building’s elevator. A man is waiting there. I’ve never seen him before, and yes he’s pretty cute. I’m smiling. He’s smiling. Then the elevator door opens, and as I walk outside I hear his pace quicken behind me. “Hey!” he says. “Are you wearing perfume?” I nod awkwardly – but then I remember I’m not, exactly. He looks into my eyes, brows raised, and grins; “It smells so good.”

Taylor Eyewalker also teaches kundalini yoga, offers theta healing, leads retreats, reads tarot and conducts rituals. Discover more at Eyewalkerelements.com

Connect with Madeline Giles at Mermadeline.com
@Mer_Madeline

2014: THE HORSE VS. THE SEVEN UNIVERSAL YEAR

Posted on by Felicia Bender

Today’s Aquarius new moon marks the Chinese New Year of the Horse. What kind of energy will this usher in for 2014? And how will this vibe with the numerological Seven Universal Year? Astro Style’s Ophira Edut and Practical Numerologist Felicia Bender weigh in…

Image: Truong Buugiam’s Seven Horses

Saddle up! The lively Chinese Year of the Horse is upon us, and the message from the cosmos is to get ready for ACTION. Energetic and frenetic, the Horse year is a big departure from 2013′s internal, and sometimes insidious, Year of the Snake (think about Sagittarius versus Scorpio energy).

Last year was all about transformation and exploring the inner landscape. And now that we’ve shed all that skin and shape-shifted into wiser, worldlier versions of ourselves, it’s time to share this with the world, loud and proud.

This year brings us the Wood Horse, which is said to be the tamest of the five elemental Horses (the others are fire, earth water and metal). While there may be an overall vibe of stubborn determination in the air, it will be milder than in other Horse years (think back to 2002, year of the sociable water Horse, and what was going on for you then). The last Wood Horse year was 1954, while anybody born in Horse years 1966, 1978, 1990 and 2002, can look forward to a twelve months of good fortune and new beginnings. The Horse year is also said to be good for travel, the global economy and romance.

Here, a few tips for staying in the saddle in the months to come:

EMBRACE FREEDOM
Throughout 2013, ‘control’ was a dominant theme with the cunning Snake at the helm. Now, the unbridled Horse year invites us into wide-open spaces and new terrains. Explore as widely as you can, and extricate yourself from arrangements that feel too confining. Couples or business partners dealing with jealousy, trust issues and possessiveness will need to overhaul the relationship to survive this cycle. During a Horse year, we are especially sensitive to people crushing our spirits and trying to rein us in. Let creativity be your compass.

KEEP YOUR HOOVES MOVING
If you sat lotus or played armchair philosopher all the way through 2013′s serene Snake year, you may be all the more enlightened for it. But now it’s time to emerge from that sheltering cocoon and DO something. Apply all your newfound insights to a tangible project. Put your talents on display. Spread the word about what you’re up to instead of jealously guarding every idea. In a Horse year, you need to act quickly and decisively. However, you’ll have to walk a fine line not to act rashly. When in doubt, feel it out—a little crowdsourcing or opinion never hurts. Horses are collaborative animals, and teamwork makes the dream work.

KNOW WHEN TO SAY “NAY” AND WHEN TO MAKE HAY
It can be easy to feel scattered during a Horse year. Yes, we just told you to keep moving, but you don’t want to gallop too far off the trail either. With so many ideas and exciting offers, it’s tempting to race off at the sound of every starting gun. During a feisty and restless Horse year, we need to pay extra attention to the due diligence that we’d rather just skip over. The Year of the Horse may be great for getting us into action…but what are we acting on, exactly? Discipline yourself to plan, research and prepare. Work with an expert. Hire a coach or a mentor, especially if you’ve got flashy ideas but your skills are a little rusty. Behind every winning horse, after all, is a masterful trainer. Before the big event, you must practice, practice, practice, and learn to trot before you can gallop.

GROOM THYSELF
Vanity is a hallmark of the proud horse, so pay extra attention to your appearance and don’t be shy about spending a little extra in the salon. With Jupiter moving into theatrical Leo for a whole year on July 16, the second half of the Horse year should produce some interesting looks on the SS15 runways. The 1990 Horse year was the year we discovered Kate Moss, when she appeared for this amazing shoot in cult Style magazine The Face, and the year grunge culture spawned a whole new way of looking at fashion. If you’re decorating or entertaining, aim for cheerful and bright colors, minimal clutter and an arrangement conducive to spirited conversation. Oh, and make sure the sofas can be pushed aside for an impromptu dance party. Your gatherings could also give way to a few love matches or serendipitous business connections, and whenever you attend a party, always dress well and have your business cards at the ready.

DON’T GET FOOLED BY THE “SHOW PONIES”
While the Snake year was an introvert’s paradise, the Year of the Horse is tailor-made for extroverts. This means we can expect lively conversations but also a lot of big talkers and inflated promises (or “sparkle ponies,” as we like to call them). Enjoy these characters for their entertainment value, but know that they might not be able to deliver much more than a good show. On the flipside, check your own ego at the door. Pride can be a stumbling block during the Year of the Horse. People will insist that they’re right even when it’s obvious they’re actually digging themselves deeper into a pile of horses**t. Others will insist on doing things THEIR way, even when it’s the hard way. If you catch yourself caught up in such an act, pull in the reins and check yourself before you stampede over your own success.

Get the scoop on 2014 with The AstroTwins’ 2014 Planetary Planner, an extensive ebook with predictions for every zodiac sign. Enter the code ‘numinous’ for an exclusive 30% discount.
@AstroTwins

THE HORSE VS THE UNIVERSAL SEVEN YEAR 

Now look before you leap… Image: Ryan McGinley

As we often find in life, the Year of the Horse and the Seven Universal Year appear to offer us a clash of energies in 2014. And yes, these energies have the power to both compliment and complicate our lives this year.  How so?  If the Year of the Horse is a “gitty-up” year, full of action-oriented energies, then the Seven Universal Year allows us the space for introspection which will help us assimilate all that’s taking place on a soul level.

This will involve some “parallel play” – meaning your focus will shift from outside influences (the rip-roaring, get-out-there-and-DO-IT energy of the Horse) to what’s going on inside (the energy of the Seven Personal Year).  As long as you’re aware of this duality, you can really tap into the power of this dichotomy.

Also understand that while the Seven Universal Year indicates a more reserved and contemplative energy, it doesn’t mean that you’ll suddenly find yourself dropping everything and crawling into a cave.  Your world will move at its usual pace – and yet on the inside you’ll be able to process what’s going on at a deep and profound level. The Year of the Horse will provide you with ample opportunity to truly question who you are in a raw and authentic way.

Let’s say you land a new job offer (active, Horse energy). This year you actually get to decide if it’s speaking to your true self, the passionate you. Is it reflective of your authentic life purpose?  You might be more likely to decline the offer on these grounds this year, rather than jump on it because it’s offering you a hefty raise. Just one example of how these two seemingly conflicting energies will work in tandem with each other to make 2014 a red-letter year for your personal evolution, both in the material and spiritual worlds.

For the full lowdown on what the Seven Universal Year means for YOU click here.

But how can we all optimize our successes and find satisfaction in this Seven year?

Some DOs and DON’Ts for 2014:

DO understand that this is a year that you get a Free Pass to contemplate your own navel.

DO anything that relates to spiritual growth, including (but not limited to) taking a retreat, reading (and reading some more), taking classes that are job related or spiritually minded (or both), and saying yes any opportunity to expand your sense of your authentic self.

DO take the extra time and energy to take care of your health. This can mean scheduling an outstanding surgery, going to the dentist for the first time in hoever long, or starting a new exercise routine or nutritional program. It’s a great year to practice meditation.

DON’T hit the ground running and think that 2014 is the year to launch your new business or take on lots of extra hours at the office. If you do, you’ll feel as though you’re hitting your head against a brick wall. Wait until next year (2015) to pump up your business life. This year: gathering knowledge. Next year: implementation.

DON’T ignore anything emotional that comes up for you this year. If you face down your feelings in a fume of denial, you’ll have missed out on exponential personal growth.

DON’T dig your heels in and resist the call to expand yourself. If you do, you’ll win a Victim of the Year Award for 2014. And you’ll deserve it.

Felicia Bender is The Practical Numeroligist.
@FeliciaBender1

NEW YEAR, NU YOU: THE SPIRITUAL DETOX

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

Beyond green juice for fashion’s sake, transcendental fasting could take your detox to the next level, says Ruby Warrington. All images Karolina Daria Flora.

In the late summer of 2013, yogi, healer and spirit and lifestyle coach Raquel Griffin designed for herself the ultimate spiritual detox. Negotiating changes in various areas of her life, she found she’d hit a roadblock in her personal development, and so she embarked on a week-long juice fast.

But she didn’t stop there, also incorporating transformative daily mind practice and physical activity, a self-help blast, a daily ‘conversation’ with the Universe (putting all the big questions out there), and what she calls a ‘negativity diet’ (“avoid negative people like the plague, skip the trash talking at the water cooler and leave the rag mags at the checkout”).

“7 Days to Transformation (7DT) was a seven day mind, body, spirit boot camp that I created to generate massive shifts in my life…And boy did it ever!!! Kind of like a giant cosmic reset button the MASSIVE shifts I’ve experienced on 7DT are nothing less than ASTOUNDING,” she wrote on her site Granola Glamour at the end of the week. More than your average detoxer’s high, “I’m talking SEISMIC changes in the landscape here, people…and this coming from someone who’s meditated with the best of ’em and gone on MANY M-A-N-Y a mystic/yoga/health/wellness retreat….”

As Vanessa Grigoriadis noted in an in-depth report on juice fasting for New York magazine later last year, “you will, perhaps, meander down the road to transcendence. When you see people at the end of a long juice fast, they reach a special kind of accommodation with their bodies. It’s out of this world.” And beyond a desire to lose weight, experience increased energy or align yourself with the funky philosophy at Juice Press, 2014 is about fasting for a spiritual experience.

But taking your fast to the next level isn’t just a case of drinking greener juices for longer. “People are juice fasting every day of the week in America and not everyone is having a ‘spiritual’ experience,” says Griffin. “Heck, I’ve been fasting for seven years and it was only until I added intention, energy work, meditation and a serious negativity diet that I had these amazing results. Fasting opens you up but it’s what you do with that opening that really makes the difference.”

She has since been coaching clients through the same process she went through, with similarly enlightening results. “By cleansing my body and releasing anything negative, I was able to consciously choose what I put back in,” says Jillian Villafane, who embarked on 7DT at the beginning of January. “Fasting with conscious intent allowed me to change and transform without limitations, which resulted in a deeper connection to my true self.  As a result I have a clarity and awareness that I don’t remember having since I was a very small child.”

But transcendental fasting does still begin with the physical – specifically with decalcifying the pineal gland, or third eye. “Our ability to connect to higher frequencies is related to the openness of our pineal gland – and it’s when we clean it out that it starts to awaken,” says Griffin, who also points out that it was only last year that scientists reported finding DMT – the consciousness expanding psychoactive molecule in ayahuasca – in the pineal gland of rodents.

Drain your body of toxic mucus the theory goes (or “mucoid plaque” if you want the technical term) and you drain your third eye – which exists in the sinus cavity. From there on in; “you begin to tune in to the fact that miracles are happening all the time. That’s what blew me away – it’s like a constant conversation with the Universe! It’s answering all your questions – mundane things like ‘what shall I have for breakfast, should I sign into this business deal’ – ALL THE TIME. But most of the time we can’t hear the answers, because our pineal gland isn’t open enough.”

On a deeper level; “Having all this input from your angels, your guides, or even God, whatever you want to call it, you realize, ‘I’m not alone.’ And that the Universe is always trying to give us the information that will lead us to the life of our greatest good, which is essentially our purpose.”

Heady stuff – and an idea Elizabeth Gilbert explores in her latest novel, The Signature of All Things. One character, Ambrose Pike, describes his experience of living for several months “on sunlight and rain alone.” “I met he divine,” he says, “Or, I believe I did. I had the most magnificent thoughts. I could read the language hidden inside the trees. Also, there was a full fortnight when I could hear people’s thoughts. I was kept joyous by exalted feeling, by rapture.”

Which sounds not unlike the experience of Matt Monarch, founder of The Raw Food World and something of an expert on extreme fasting. Over Skype, he describes the physical sensation of his third eye opening following an extreme 7-day psyllium bentonite cleanse, after his first year of eating 100 percent raw; “As soon as all this stuff came out of me I started to feel this magnetic vibration right here (he gestures at his brow point) almost like 2 magnets opposing each other. The sensation is bliss…it just feels really, really good, it’s almost orgasmic.”

For the stinky details of what exactly a psyllium bentonite cleanse involves click here, but suffice to say; “it’s designed to take out all the mucoid plaque, and really scrape out your small intestine.” Monarch believes that the only way to “get over the hump” of fasting, and take it into the transcendental, is with intensive colon therapy; “it’s not the raw food or the juice that increases your spiritual experience, but the removal of all toxicity.”

Is it any wonder that yoga preacher Seane Corn joked to attendees of a “detox flow” session at Wanderlust Vermont last summer that; “you know you’re a true yogi when you can openly discuss your bowel movements,” or that there’s an exercise called “Unblock Your Bowels, Unblock Your Life” in Gabrielle Bernstein’s upcoming book Miracles Now? “I believe that the flow of our bowels has a direct correlation to the flow of our life,” she writes. “Skeptical? Ask yourself if when you’re feeling super stopped-up, your life is stopped up too.”

This could be because, as Clean Gut author Alejandro Junger puts it; “Your body has two brains: one in your head and one in your gut. While your first brain serves as your intellectual hardware, your second brain—the gut—is your spiritual and emotional GPS. Without it, you’re lost.”

Authors of the website Astro Dream Advisor, where you can find information on different ways to clean the gut, advise; “While doing (a psyllium bentonite) cleanse it is helpful to imagine that with each elimination you’re having you’re getting rid of any old outworn, un-needed thoughts, ideas, feelings…”

Which comes back to Raquel Griffin’s approach. “Our emotions are stored in our tissues, so when we detox we start to shift all those cell memories – which in turn can change the way you relate to the world and be a building block towards a ‘spiritual experience.’ Because once we remove the emotional lens through which we see the world, we’re able to see how it really works.”

For Monarch, this meant the beginning of a lifelong spiritual journey; “And trust me I’m not religious, but once you realise that god is in everything about our existence…then he has the ability to bring you through that door, and up and up and up.”

To experience 7-Days to Transformation with Raquel Griffin visit www.granolaglamour.com
@granolaglamour

NEW YEAR, NU YOU: DEVELOP YOUR PSYCHIC ABILITIES.

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

We all have access to the sixth sense – so will this be the year you work on developing your intuition? Doing so could be key to creating a life that’s aligned with your highest purpose in 2014. Ruby Warrington reports on a growing trend.

When I interviewed Alexa Chung for the UK Sunday Times at the end of the summer last year, she told me a few stories about what she felt were her natural psychic abilities. Like the notebook she’d found recently in which she’d written, aged 16; “I’m going to be a TV presenter, but I don’t want to be.” About how when she first walked into her apartment in NYC’s East Village, a voice in her head told her; “I live here,” and how she often has to ask people what’s up “because I can feel all their shit, and it’s like ‘you have to tell me what’s going on because it’s killing my mind!’”

There was also a recurring pre-cognitive dream (where you dream something and then it happens) about escaping the 2006 Tsunami in Thailand. She described how, as events were unfolding, she thought she was having the dream again – only to realise that it was actually happening. A double Scorpio with Pisces ascendant, Alexa’s chart shows something of a natural mystic – but actually, haven’t we all had similar experiences? Isn’t everybody “psychic” to some extent?

Yes, says Louise Androlia, the gifted intuitive responsible for our monthly Tarotscopes. “The 6th sense is for us all – in fact we’re all very tuned in as kids. Having had an imaginary friend or pet as a child is a classic example of somebody just being very energetically sensitive. I think whether this carries on into adulthood just depends on the rate we forget.” Lisa Rosman, a Brooklyn based intuitive, agrees; “it’s our natural birth right to be able to tune in on deep levels to each other as well as what yogis call the ‘divine intelligence’ of the universe. But the less we have to communicate on that level, the less we do.”

She believes our reliance on modern devices – from computers to clocks – is partly to blame. “Rather than merely using cell phones or the Internet as shortcuts, we’ve been using them as a substitute to true communion with ourselves and each other. And yet in our dreams and disorders our deeper wisdom is still, always, clamoring to be heard.”

So will 2014 be the year you work on developing your psychic abilities? Betsy Cohen, a.k.a. Psychic Betsy, hopes so. This month she launches a six-week course titled Trust Yourself: Intuitive Development through Awareness, designed to “help you become your own psychic. The whole class is centered around the fact that your body is an instrument through which your soul speaks.” The goal, rather than learning how to read for other people; “is about learning to trust your own higher voice, because if you want to create anything – abundance, good health, relationships – it’s about bringing that awareness and taking action from the inside out.”

We’ve all said it a million times; I should have listened to my gut. When I attended a psychic development workshop last year, the tutor pointed out that; “often the only time we know our intuition was right is when we don’t listen to it and everything goes wrong.” And, as Lisa puts it; “Really, what I do is direct my clients to who they truly are – where they’ve been and where they’re going; what their natural strengths and challenges are – so they can step on a path that really works for them.”

With even the Mail Online reporting on the rebranding of psychics to “intuitive therapists,” the idea of tapping into our own inner knowing is very much in the zeitgeist. “The conversations about psychic ability now are all about healing ourselves and helping others,” says Louise. “The idea that it’s about predicting the future is very outmoded, and not at all productive because the future is totally fluid anyway.” The point of attending a class says Betsy, “is about getting confirmation in a group setting that what you think you’re hearing, seeing or feeling is valid. It’s about building your confidence, so that outside of class you’re more likely to trust yourself.” I had a taster of this when I attended the weekly Willamsburg Spirit Séance Betsy hosts each Thursday – where she explained to the group how messages from spirit might appear to us, and encouraged us to share anything that came through.

Louise studied Psychic Development and then Tarot at the College for Psychic Studies in London. Founded in 1884 to facilitate formal investigation into the psychic and mediumistic phenomena that were such a topic of debate in the Victoria era, far from a real life Hogwarts, she describes the collage and her fellow students as; “as ‘normal’ as it gets. People expect me to say that it was full of women in cloaks, but as a lingerie designer I was definitely the most ‘crazy’ person there.” Instead, she was surrounded by “teachers, social workers, GPs, accountants. A group of amazing people aged 25 to 75.”

That the idea we can all tune in to a higher power and affect each other’s energy with our minds alone should seem in any way weird, is baffling to Louise. “The fact we live on a gigantic living, breathing circular mass, in a totally infinite and pretty much unknown space surrounded by other planets and moons is actually the most ridiculous thing I can think of! The idea of being skeptical of ANYTHING is so odd to me, since the fact we even exist is so bonkers. So why not learn about the energy that’s around us and allow it to help us?”

Numinously put, but still, many people shy away from delving into their psychic or intuitive abilities – “mainly because they’re afraid to look inside themselves,” says Betsy. Alexa Chung even joked that; “if you spend enough time with me, it is creepy” – but that’s because, as Betsy points out; “We’re all afraid of dark places. I was scared of my abilities in the beginning, but going to classes myself was like getting headlights, so I could actually see the road I knew was in front of me. And driving in the dark is not a good idea!”

The idea of encountering ‘evil’ spirits or visions of horrific future events can also deter people from tuning in; “but it’s all about intention. Are there darker forces? Absolutely. But you’ll only attract them to you if you’re fearful of them. I always think about Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer, and how he can transform a dog’s energy with his energy, which is always calm and assertive. It’s about a shift in thinking towards; ‘I have the power’. Which, in the spirit world, we always do.”

And owning this power can be key to affecting positive change – both in your own life, and the wider world. “We can feel very helpless in the face of events that are seemingly out of our control, from the people we’re dating to the fact we can’t exactly write to President Obama and tell him to take all our troops out of Afghanistan,” says Betsy. “But by taking responsibility for our own lives, based on what we know is for our highest good, we’re automatically empowered and actually in a position to change the world in one of the only ways we can.”

http://vimeo.com/81863053

Psychic Betsy’s six-week class, Trust Yourself: Intuitive Development through Awareness, begins January 11 in New York City. For more information click here.
@PsychicBetsy

HOW PSYCHIC ARE YOU?
Louise Androlia shares five ways your soul may already be speaking to you.

  • Smell – Have you ever suddenly had the scent of, for example, your grandmother’s perfume waft into a space? This is called “clairolfaction,” and is a way of connecting to people who have passed.
  • Knowing that someone is about to call before they do – This is you being tuned into the energy of friends and family, so you have just picked up their intention.
  • Collecting a mood or feeling from a person or a space – This is an example again of being tuned into a person’s energy, which is all a psychic ability is.  When you feel sad because your friend is, that’s a perfect example of ‘tapping in.’
  • The ‘gut’ feeling – This is your intuition, or your inner voice, at work. When you really know that you ‘know’ something, it’s the energy of the Universe that is outside of you and inside of you.
  • Songs – Often when you get a song in your head from nowhere, it’s a useful gift – making a point of listening to the lyrics often gives you a useful message that you needed.

www.louiseandrolia.com
@Louniverse

HOLIDAY CHEER: ON SPIRITS AND SPIRITUALITY

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

Among more spiritual circles, alcohol is considered the lowest of the low-vibe highs. Facing two weeks of steady holiday drinking, Ruby Warrington considers what her attachment to booze really says about her.

Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid with the structural formula CH3CH2OH, often abbreviated as C2H5OH or C2H6O. It is also used as a psychoactive drug and is one of the oldest recreational drugs still used by humans. Ethanol can cause alcohol intoxication when consumed. In common usage, it is often referred to simply as alcohol or spirits.

I’ll be drinking alcohol tonight, and pretty much every night now until the new year. Happy holidays! But in two weeks time, I can pretty much guarantee I’ll look like crap, be feeling anxious, depressed and like putting myself into some kind of self-imposed rehab – in fact, I’m already looking forward to how I’m going to feel after my first ever Dry January. Yes, that’s some serious future-tripping right there, and so not reflective of my usual glass-half-full outlook on life. What about the thrills? The bonding? The laughs? The drunken fun times that await!

Sure, there’ll be all that. And all that used to be one of my favourite ways to pass the time. Being British (a nation of “high functioning alcoholics” according to this former NY Times London correspondent) and a journalist (one of the high-risk professions for alcoholism, I’ve been told), in my circles the fact I spent most Sunday nights in my twenties and early thirties mapping out my week according to my drinking patterns was nothing to shake an AA manual at.

And I learned to drink late – I was teetotal all through college. My boyfriend back then was a big-time weed smoker and by default so was I, but actually in the end it was alcohol that gave me the Dutch courage I needed to get out of that soul-destroying relationship. He was so anti-booze, considering it, along with cocaine, the lowest of low-vibe highs, that when I took up drinking I might as well have been having an affair right under his nose. Which in the end, with the help of some very strong cocktails, I did.

Talk about messy. But right off the bat, alcohol represented freedom to me. And I guess this was the real kicker, but I also found it helped me access a happier part of myself. No surprises there – isn’t this why most people drink, if we’re honest? Even if this means something different for everybody. In my case, I can be kind of intense and alcohol helped me loosen up and see the funny side of life. Felt like it got me out of my head and into in what was going on around me (you can imagine what a miserable pot-head I was).

This to me felt like magic. Here was a potion that sprinkled the world with actual freakin’ fairy dust. And if creativity is akin to spirituality (as the divine Elizabeth Gilbert suggested when I interviewed her recently), didn’t the fact that drinking helped shunt me into the right side of my brain also, in some way, mean it was helping me get closer to…God, the Universal oneness, or whatever? How did we think spirits got their name, anyway? The fact that alcohol had a dark side (the morning after) felt right, like karma.

But like a relationship that sours overnight, something shifted when I hit 35. Maybe it was the onset of my North Node return (a whole other story, but for the astro geeks out there I’m on the Taurus / Scorpio, material / mystical axis – go figure), but I began to fall out of love with my liquid crutch. The hangovers were lasting longer than the highs, and I noticed, as if coming ‘round from a stupor, that certain relationships relied on a steady flow of cocktails to really mean anything to me.

It was also interesting, and unsurprising, that a lot of the people I was meeting who described themselves as having “woken up” to a more spiritual connection with life (you know who you are, readers!) had kicked alcohol to the curb along with negative thought patterns and the majority of foodstuffs besides kale. This got me questioning the real connection between spirits and spirituality. Not least, what it said about my spirit that I still felt (feel!) the “need” to dink in certain situations.

If spirit is the oneness as expressed in each of us, then yes, there’s no doubt that spirits – in the form of a Ketel One martini with a twist, in my case – can feel like an Access All Areas pass to an audience with our higher self. Ego inhibitions slain, I know I’m not alone when I admit I only dance like nobody’s watching after martini number three. And actually dancing when nobody’s watching? Pretty much one of my favourite ways to party with my inner soul tribe.

But note the use of the words “feel like” in the previous paragraph. What my own experience of heightened spiritual awareness has shown me, is that a back stage pass is in no way a satisfactory substitute for paying upfront for the best seats in the house. In other words, sneaking in the back door with access to the free hospitality bar, you’ll probably miss half the show – and have a hard time remembering what parts did touch your soul in the morning.

Now note the use of the word “probably.” Some of the most spirit-affirming moments of bliss I have experienced have been under the influence of spirits. Singing my heart out (don’t you love that expression?) with my girlfriends on a rooftop bar in Ibiza at 2am, because the only other people up there just got engaged; any tear-jerk sunset viewed from the edges of that same mystical island; experiencing sheer, all-consuming love on the dance floor of any given wedding; knowing that the person I’m expressing my love to feels exactly the same as me.

Which goes back to my point about alcohol being a social drug for me. Sober moments of bliss are often the ones I experience on the inside – like the intense feeling of calm after a dead night’s sleep; being guided by a healer over Skype to meet my shamanic power animal; or experiencing a heart-wrenching psychic connection to my father during a deep Kundalini meditation. The fact that I’m experiencing both on a regular basis (veering towards the internal, for what feel like deeper reaching ramifications and for my vanity) feels to me like balance.

Among my more spiritual friends, the fact I’m still quite attached to the external kind – and the substance that helps me reach them – I sometimes feel like Paris Hilton lining up for a hug with Amma. But hey, I’m only human, still a material girl just beginning to explore the true depths of our mystical world. And the fact I’m preparing to drink my way through the holiday season? A couple of years ago I would have been planning the outfits. These days, like I said, I’m already planning the detox.

@The_Numinous

The author, under the influence.

PROWL MAGAZINE: TALKING DIY CULTURE AND DMT WITH LISA LUXX

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

Lisa Luxx is the self-declared “preditor-in-chief” of new London counter culture ‘zine, Prowl. In this interview she talks to Ruby Warrington about; why you need your ego to succeed, why anonymity will be the greatest luxury for generation Z, how to prep your face for an ayahuasca trip and how switching off from technology felt like an “everlasting climax.” Among other, equally fascinating subjects…

Lisa Luxx by Olivia Sykes

SO HOW DOES A GIRL MANIFEST A WHOLE MAGAZINE THESE DAYS?
Visualization. I very much believe that I can get what I want by thinking about it enough…and I couldn’t take my mind’s eye of this project for a long time, like a song on repeat. I believe it manifested itself through that energy.

DECLARING YOURSELF “PREDITOR-IN-CHIEF” SURE TAKES SOME BALLS, TOO…
Luckily I have pretty big ego and, as an Aries, heaps of pride, and I really believed that what we were doing with PROWL was going to have some worth among the underground creative scene. I also talked about it a lot in the beginning, and as soon as I announce that I’m going to do something I absolutely will!

Jacob Escott

THE MAGAZINE OPENS WITH A MISSION STATEMENT: “LOVE EVERYONE, PLEASE NO-ONE.” WHERE DID YOU GET THIS AND WHY IS IT SUCH AN IMPORTANT AN IDEA?
Jacob Escott (the illustrator behind this and Art Director of PROWL) and I came up with this together, which seems to be the ethos of a whole generation of creatives making up this independent renaissance. The current DIY scene is very cooperative and collaborative, where love is the driving force behind success – perhaps because so many people understand the power of positive vibes nowadays. However, there is also a sense of revolt – we are writing, drawing and performing whatever we like because we have nothing to lose and no one to answer to.

Chenoa Gao

IS THIS WHY “COUNTER CULTURE ISN’T DEAD”?
As long as there are still people going against The Man, there will be a counter culture – and there has never been more to counter! Right now, humans still don’t know how to live alongside the mechanisms we’re putting into place in our everyday life. There’s also is a vast awareness of our environmental issues, the backend of a grim recession plus an increasingly more right-wing government to contend with.

SO WHAT WILL COUNTER CULTURE LOOK LIKE FOR GENERATION Z?
Anonymity. I mean, do you ever get that feeling you’re not being watched? People have started to react against our overexposure by hiding away. In fashion I expect to see a lot more facemasks, headpieces and full body outfits with less skin on show. Imagine space age Victorians. “Unseen” is already the trendiest thing to be now, think about all these hidden bars or the online Darknet, for example. As a result, the counterculture of Generation Z will be almost undetectable.

Marco Zaffino

ONE OF MY FAVORITE STORIES IN THE MAG IS ON “BEAUTY TIPS FOR ACID HEADS” – HOW SHOULD ONE PREP ONE’S TOILETTE FOR AN AYAHUASCA CEREMONY?
Well, you’re gonna be puking a lot on ayahuasca so the most important thing to do is tie your hair back in a loose bun. Give your face a good cleanse before you start and apply a tiny amount of non-oily moisturizer – like Neal’s Yard Yarrow & Comfrey Moisturizer. It will see you through the long trip but won’t get clammy. The white robes at an ayahuasca ceremony are also prone to washing out your complexion, so don’t wear any black around your eyes that might look spooky when smudged. When you come out of this you’ll want to look as good as you feel, so have a hit of blusher with you to bring yourself back to the land of the living zen.

AND WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST REVELATION YOU GAINED FROM RESEARCHING “THE ANTI-NET KID” (WHERE YOU WENT TWO MONTHS ON THE ROAD WITH NO PHONE OR EMAIL)?
When I reached Yosemite National Park, I found this open meadow and I let the wind lay me down in the long grass while the sun graciously bore itself upon me. As the gentle breeze passed through me I felt myself shift into a nook of harmony with my surroundings. My edges blew away and I existed as one with the universe – I could feel our energy coming together in the throes of one great everlasting climax. It was a real moment of enlightenment for me and the moment I wrote the poem that would become my first published piece.

Marco Zaffino

WOW. COULD WE ALL ACHIEVE THIS IF WE JUST SWITCHED OFF OUR iPHONES FOR A MINUTE?
This was the result of being without modern technology for two months and submerging myself in natural beauty. As a twenty-three year old I’ve never been in the moment. I grew up with mobile phones and the web always connecting me to times and places that didn’t exist in my immediate surroundings, so I’ve spent a lifetime being tremendously longsighted – thinking it made me stronger to exist further afield, when really I wasn’t existing anywhere wholly.

Jacob Escott

HOW HAS IT AFFECTED YOU IN THE LONG RUN?
Following that time in Yosemite, it became clear that if I continued to use technology the way I had become accustomed I would not be a fully fuctioning human being – unable to concentrate, meditate, explore or really touch things and mean it. I have since translated this lesson into conversations, work and sex – suddenly I was better at everything and enjoying it all at a much deeper level.

WHAT DOES THE NUMINOUS LOOK, SOUND AND FEEL LIKE TO YOU?
As an abstract and rather psychedelic reply to that, here are some notes I once wrote while lost in the beatific vibrations of a DMT trip…“The red and purple Amorphous Androgynous rain falls down on me but instead of wetting me it tickles. This is the summertime of consciousness. The cosmic vibrations of the universe and constantly in orgasm. It’s glorious; let yourself go to the spectacle of lights and colors. I’m in meadows of joy and light, listening to trumpets of energy and serenity. There’s a real language of cosmic love but words don’t exist here. I’ve been to the edges of existence and it’s glorious. I’ve been to the riverbanks of gentle being. I’ve watched the sun come up on the hazy valleys of our essential being. I’ve witnessed the willows weep as the seasons of peace pass on our insignificant magnificence.”

“Sweet Thoughts” by Jacob Escott

AND NOW I’VE READ PROWL, WHO SHOULD I GIVE MY COPY TO?
Pass your copy on to a real underground artist who could become one of the Predators or someone else who wants to join the party. PROWLHOUSE is about building a network of creatives and celebrating our worth, while marking the next big movements. Or give the copy to someone who might want to invest some cash into our next issue! Remember to write your name inside so as the copy gets passed on you will always exist with it and the next reader can look you up and make friends.

Issue one of Prowl magazine is available now. The editors encourage sharing. For information about events go to www.prowlhouse.info

 @ProwlHouse

TO THE FUTURE: A MYSTICAL JOURNEY WITH JULES KIM

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

New York jewelry designer Jules Kim views the world through a unique lens, where pixie queens and pop divas wear her creations like they’re living, breathing creatures. She talks self-expression, sweating it out and the beauty of imperfection with Ruby Warrington. Photos: Annie Powers. Styling: Raquel Griffin. Hair: Sayo Takegami. Makeup: Deanna Melluso. 

Cut-out t-shirt, Raquel Allegra; Rings, Bijules.

The latest collection is a re-birthing of your signature pieces – when was the last time you felt re-born? Why?
It was just a few days ago in Paris. I walked from the showroom I was based in in Palais Royal to Rue de Rivoli, where I saw my pieces on display in the Louvre’s retail boutique…none of my contemporaries were there to share this moment with me – none of my family, none of my friends – it was just for me…It was an overwhelming and humble feeling to allow a success such as this radiate through me…

How did that feel, physically?
I had been running from appointment to rendezvous, so exasperated, and my heart stilled and stopped racing when I stood in front of the glass jewelry case with the Bijules pieces shining beneath it. Like little emblems of hope, I was so proud.

You must feel very connected to your creations…
Bijules has been a passion project and always will be, and I believe that to have had developed something so heart-driven means it will grow into exactly what I intend it to be.

It strikes me that you see things with different eyes to other people. How do you maintain your unique worldview?
It has something to do with being an open and honest human being with a great compassion for others, almost to a fault…

How so?
I often find myself leading others to finding something they love, be it a person, a place, or even a job. But sometimes I can give too much and not ask for anything in return, and karma is not a single player game!  As an artist, I search for and absorb beauty 24 hours a day, any place I am…and I believe humility will always enrich my view of the world and allow for my original ideas to take shape.

Blouse, YSL.

Where did you ‘learn’ this – were you the same as a kid?
I’d like to hope so. My mom showed my sister and I how real beauty is natural and cannot be preconceived. I am half Korean and not one of my childhood friends could understand that, so most of my childhood I was searching for different looking things. Knowing they were different made them akin to me.

What is perfect about imperfection to you?
Classic…I say that alllll the time! I find perfection completely unattainable, just as success is always subjective. But it is the pursuit of perfection that gives me satisfaction. Even if the end goal is constantly evolving to suit the actuality of the pursuit.

Somebody told me that in New York, no-body will take you seriously until you’ve tried and failed at something. Because real strength of character comes from picking yourself up and trying again. What have been the most useful mistakes you’ve made?
There have been a combination of repeat offences when I’ve tried to work overnight miracles for celebrities. I guess I’ve learned that unwavering honesty and real originality are what lay the groundwork for true success.

What other major life lessons have you experienced?
I was raised by a single mother who struggled to find her own happiness and I saw very clearly that life is more complicated than one might ever assume. I feel gifted and blessed to have the capacity to love and expand my own experiences into a tangible product. In that way, Bijules is actually a platform for expression and altruism.

Necklace, Bijules.

Do you have a daily spiritual practice or touchstone?
There’s no definitive deity to whom I pray, but I look deep into myself to provide as much stability and reflection as I am capable of. It is my environment and those who I choose to populate that environment who provide the most support. I also hit the gym, Russian spas and saunas for a good sweat three times a week. I’m an extreme kinda girl! (Read Jules’s report on her Icelandic sweat lodge experience here).

And what about any sacred rituals you bring to the design process?
I am a storyteller, and I use both metals and marketing to weave these faceted tales of life, love, failure, success, and happiness. But my creative process relies heavily on exchanges with my staff, production team, and clients.

But do you meditate or do anything else to bring about your best creative ideas or state of being?
I have to sketch and physically record my creative sessions. The paper trail then serves as a relic to refer to as the ideas evolve. I draw when I’m in the air, on planes. Being disconnected is true bliss.

You’ve used your own body in your designs, is this so your clients are literally wearing a piece of you?
It is. Some might perceive this as an ego driven thing but in fact, it is the exact opposite for me. My body is just a human body. We all have one. So the idea is to celebrate that by making jewelry for each and every one!

Illustration: Sian Jordan.

You design for hipsters, celebrities and…elves?
Haha, cute! Yes, when I made my gold ear tip, I decided to sell it with a little bag of gold dust. I imagined a hot ass elf chick walking into a club before exiting to the bathroom to apply her party. She opens her black box of pixie magic and inside is a golden elf ear with a bag of 3 pennyweights (jeweller’s unit of measurement) of gold fairy dust. She dips her Bijules ear tip into the gold mess and as she slips it over her own. The dust falls around her shoulders and into her hair. Now she is ready to get a drink…

So which alternate realm are you incarnated from?
I’m not sure, but I do feel like an old soul whose ideas seem to be way ahead of the curve – and I thoroughly enjoy being first.

Il futuro is….?
Il futuro is Italian for ‘the future’….and mine is paved in gemstones, semi-opaque black diamonds flipped upside down and lots of crazy pieces, made for a few good people.

www.bijulesnyc.com
@bijules

WELLBEING 101: A LOOK AT NUMEROLOGY FOR HEALTH

Posted on by Felicia Bender

We all have our Achilles heel, that recurring something that seems to undermine our overall wellbeing. After a magic potion to fix it? Practical numerologist Felicia Bender has some insight into the underlying health issues that have got your number.

Beyond the ever-present headlines about the obesity epidemic in America and belly-blasting foods you shouldn’t eat, do you ever wish you could cut to the chase and focus on your own core health issues from a slightly different angle?

Looking into Numerology for health begins with the core emotional issues you may find yourself grappling with, which can in turn manifest in ongoing or recurring physical concerns.

There are many numbers that make up your Numerological chart, and yet if you only learn one, your Life Path number is the one to know. This number indicates your life’s purpose, while also providing you with some great information about the constructive and destructive qualities that you might work with along the way.

Here’s how to work our yours:

Write down your birth date.

We’ll use September 4, 1988 as an example.

So that’s 9/4/1988

Now simply add all the numbers together like a long addition problem:

9 + 4 + 1 + 9 + 8 + 8 = 39

The key to numerology is that you always digit down to a one-digit number.  So here we must keep adding until we get to a one-digit number.

3 + 9 =  12

1 + 2 = 3

This person has a Life Path number 3

*A note:  If you get a 10, 20, 30, you still digit down.  So 10 is 1 + 0 = 1 and so on.  You also must make sure and use the whole year, not just the last two digits of the year.  It’s not like writing a check!  You must use the entire 4-digit year for your results to be correct.

NOW.  Let’s look at a very brief description of how you might think about your health according to your Life Path number.

ONE LIFE PATH

  • Who you are:  You’re all about being #1. You’re independent and a born leader. Your Mantra: “I march to the beat of my own drum.”
  • The core emotional issue:  Struggling with self-confidence. Stress. You can become cynical and overbearing. You can be a workaholic.
  • Where you feel it:  Shoulders, knees, insomnia, addictions, blood pressure, heart, liver.
  • What you can do about it:  Be aware of addictive tendencies that allow you to build a wall around your ego self – like a fortress for one. The 1 Life Path is a thinker, so it’s hard to turn your brain off. Therefore alcohol or other addictive sedatives can feel especially soothing to you. You’d benefit from added cardio exercise, while relaxation is also key – anything to get you out of your head and help you release some of that pent-up energy of yours. So get into a regular routine with yoga/meditation and regular massage as well as something that makes your heart race and your body sweat.

TWO LIFE PATH

  • Who you are:  You’re all about balance and harmony. You’re emotionally sensitive. You live to give and receive love. Your Mantra: “I want you to want me!”
  • The core emotional issue:  Feeling everything deeply. You take things to heart. On the flip side, you can become overly aggressive and self-centered in your communication.
  • Where you feel it:  Depression (sadness), hypertension, joint pains, headaches, stomach issues, heart problems, overwhelming insecurity.
  • What you can do about it:  You benefit from Group Therapy (get it out!) or engaging in friendships where you can deeply express your feelings. You thrive with group activities (hiking, classes, and so on) because you’re all about service to group dynamics, so a choreographed dance workout where you become part of one big sweaty group expression, will greatly appeal to your energy. Also be aware that you can get caught up in emotional eating, and practise being really present about what your body actually needs to nourish you in the present moment.

THREE LIFE PATH

  • Who you are:  You’re all about emotional self-expression, communication, and creativity. Your Mantra can be borrowed from The Who:  “See me,  feel me, touch me, heal me.” 
  • The core emotional issue:  Under or over-expressing your overflowing emotions. You need to be heard!  You can become emotionally damaged.
  • Where you feel it:  Weight control, throat issues, intestinal tract issues.
  • What you can do about it:  You need consistent exercise to aid metabolism and stress reduction. Be aware of your intestinal tract, as this is the place you most often process your emotions you can suffer from gastrointestinal distress. You might consider using a probiotic for good intestinal health. Cultivate healthy outlets for your emotions.  Keep a journal! Learn to express yourself in healthy ways. Cultivate healthy emotional detachment. Anything that keys into verbal or written expression is perfect for you.

FOUR LIFE PATH

  • Who you are:  You’re all about stability and security. Your Mantra:  “Slow and steady wins the race.”
  • The core emotional issue:  Rigidity. You can become stubborn and rigid, both physically and emotionally.
  • Where you feel it:  Joint pain, lower back problems, weight issues, intestinal distress, migraines, depression.
  • What you can do about it:  You need consistent cardiovascular exercise for metabolism, stress reduction, and joint mobility. You benefit from a lighter diet because you often have more of a solid, Kapha-like constitution. You thrive in nature, so any time spent with your “feet in the dirt” is relaxing for you. You’re in heaven when you can cultivate your own little organic garden, eat your bounty, and bird-watch while you’re weeding. You would also benefit from counselling surrounding childhood issues because as a Four Life Path, you’ll be challenged with working through childhood issues as a major part of your life’s journey.

FIVE LIFE PATH

  • Who you are:  You’re all about freedom, fearlessness, and adventure. Your Mantra: “Don’t fence me in!”
  • The core emotional issue:  You can become overly emotional and scattered. Or on the flip side, you can become the fearful “anti-adventurer.” You need your space.
  • Where you feel it:  Adrenal burnout, joint pain (especially knees and TMJ), addictions, emotional issues.
  • What you can do about it: Focus on regular exercise, meals and hydration (drink plenty of water – you can get dehydrated easily). Be aware of a propensity toward addictions, and find ways to express your emotions in a healthy way without being a Drama Queen or King! You’re meant to find a way to master the constructive use of freedom in your life, so you walk the delicate balance between fun and fearless or wild and out of control. If you’re running in high gear all of the time, you have a tendency toward adrenal burn-out. Over or under eating is also a temptation.

SIX LIFE PATH

  • Who you are: You’re all about responsibility and nurturing. You’re a visionary; you see the bigger picture. Your Mantra:  “The world is perfect in its imperfection.”
  • The core emotional issue:  Self-righteousness and perfectionism. You can become a control-freak.
  • Where you feel it: Can experience weight issues – you often feel you carry the “weight of the world” and so that can become your physical reality; or alternately, you can over-focus on creating the “perfect” body. Also breast and/or reproductive health issues, accidents, migraines.
  • What you can do about it: You’re super-responsible, unless you’re working with the opposite end of your life’s purpose which  can lead to over-nurturing and meddling – so practice healthy emotional detachment in any way you can. Tapping, EFT, Byron Katie’s “The Work” are all good resources for separating yourself from your sometimes unrealistic expectation of yourself and of others. Because you’re The Nurturing One, you can have a tendency to take on the “weight of the world.” Limit sweets and dairy, as those are your comfort foods in times of stress.

SEVEN LIFE PATH

  • Who you are:  You’re all about seeking the truth about the meaning of life. Your Mantra: “If we’re spiritual beings going through a human experience – prove it!”
  • The core emotional issue: Fear of being vulnerable. You’re here to develop trust and openness, so this will be a consistent issue for you. You need space and time alone.
  • Where you feel it:  Depression, addictions, insomnia, headaches.
  • What you can do about it:  You’re highly analytical and also highly intuitive, so meditation is imperative for you. Time in nature or interacting with water soothes your overly-active mind. Your Life Path is about learning how to acknowledge and connect with both aspects of yourself – the left brain data analysis part of you and the right brain intuitive side to you, so you need to take time alone to process and contemplate. Although all of us do best with “clean” un-processed food, you’re particularly sensitive to food and thrive when you consume a simpler diet.

EIGHT LIFE PATH

  • Who you are: You’re all about financial abundance, power, and authority. Your Mantra: “Money equals freedom.”
  • The core emotional issue:  Aggression. You can become controlling and opinionated. You tend to be a workaholic.
  • Where you feel it:  Blood pressure, heart issues, stress-related illness.
  • What you can do about it: Laugh more! Dancing, comedy movies, a funny book. Anything that gets you out of your head and into the moment with some lightness and humor is great for you since you often are so hard-driving you don’t take the down-time. If you’re open to therapy, this could be a good way to achieve a more balanced view of yourself. If you struggle with the very real pressures of your Eight Life Path, you can default into drugs, sex or alcohol to escape the work and commitment it takes to forge your way to power and achievement. You would better benefit from some kinds of competitive group or individual sports activities that can help you move that energy up and out!

NINE LIFE PATH

  • Who you are: You’re all about giving to humanity. You experience a lot of loss in your life. Your Mantra:  “It’s better to give than to receive.” 
  • The core emotional issue: You can become overly responsible and enabling to those around you. You experience a lot of deep family issues.
  • Where you feel it: Shoulders and neck, heart issues, autoimmune issues.
  • What you can do about it: You need yoga for strength and flexibility. You will benefit from consistent massage and/or energy work for stress reduction. You literally feel as though the world rests on your shoulders, so the shoulders and neck need TLC. You would benefit by learning to ask for help and support when you need it. You rarely (if ever!) seek assistance. A consistent cardio routine is greatly beneficial to strengthen the heart. You will also get a great health benefit by supporting your most well-loved causes or organizations – either as a volunteer or financial benefactor.

Felicia Bender, Ph.D. is not a medical doctor. The information presented is provided for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, examination, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your qualified healthcare provider with any question you may have regarding a medical condition. Reliance on any such information is solely at your own risk.

www.feliciabender.com
@FeliciaBender1

INTUITION 101: HOW TO BE YOUR OWN PSYCHIC

Posted on by Ruby Warrington

Last week at the Golden Bridge yoga center in NYC, Gahl Sasson, a.k.a. the Cosmic Navigator, hosted an evening called Becoming Your Own Psychic. If “intuition is like a muscle, you have to strengthen it,” Ruby Warrington reports on a practical session that was sort of like a workout for the third eye.

The evening kicked off with a round of names and signs. Why? “We can’t do this without water. Intuition is ruled by the water signs, Pisces in particular.” In fact, wherever Pisces shows up in your chart, “is where you will benefit most in life from what your intuition is telling you.” For me (an Aries but with six planets in water signs throughout my chart), I have Venus (romance, taste, personal style) in Pisces in the 3rd house (communication, friendships, community). No wonder I just did a psychic closet clear out, and my friends often tell me they’ve just been thinking about me when I call.

There’s even a theory that Pisces was actually the first sign of the zodiac, and that all the others are just a figment of Pisces’ potent imagination. And in fact, any activity that gets you closer to your inner Pisces is a good way to get your intuition (“the ‘tuition’ that comes from ‘in’ side us”) flowing – “so go for a swim, take a salt bath (“a little temple of Pisces”), take a yoga class or read some poetry.” Particularly before bed. Pisces also rules our dreams, so tune in just before you set sail for the land of nod and expect much more clarity when you try to interpret whatever messages your sleeping psyche has for you.

And never forget, the opposite sign to Pisces is Virgo. By being fastidious with our daily habits and our analysis of the world around us, and working to maintain good health through diet and exercise, will we create the right internal environment for our intuition to flourish.

There follows a series of practical exercises, drawing on cultures from the Kabbalah to the Aborigines to the C.I.A. (yes, really) to flex your psychic muscle.

THE DREAM QUEST
“Pose a question to your higher self while you’re asleep, and you brain is not impeded by logic.”

  • Refrain from drinking alcohol for three days prior to your quest
  • Refrain from eating food four-five hours before you go to bed
  • Right before you go to sleep, pose a very specific question to your higher self. Use the words; how, when, where, what…(as opposed to why)
  • Drink half a glass of water, and go to sleep
  • On rising, drink the rest of the water and immediately write down what you can remember from your dreams
  • If you find it difficult to remember what you saw, set your alarm for four a.m. to interrupt your dream mid flow, and write then
  • Repeat for up to seven nights, until your answer is revealed by the symbols in your dreams. Think, how do the images feel to you, and what do these feelings relate to?
  • For extra insight, find a poem that relates to the most potent symbolic messages by plugging them into Google

THE ANGEL IN A CUP
“Use this to allow your higher self to locate something that’s gone missing.”

  • Take one angel, and one glass
  • Holding the glass out in front of you, ask the angel to hop in, and then place it upside down on a table to trap the angel inside
  • Search for whatever it is that’s missing – your keys, your passport, your child
  • As the boundary of the glass creates “focus” for your psychic energy (represented by the angel) you will likely hit your target in record time
  • Release the angel and let it fly away

DISTINGUISH INTUITION FROM FEAR
“How do you know if it’s your gut or your fear telling you to act? The sensations can be similar so train your body to tell the difference.”

  • Download some music you know you will really hate. For some people this might be gabber house, for others, anything by Justin Bieber
  • Force yourself to listen to it, loud
  • Take note; where do you feel the sensation of disgust in your body? What does it feel like?
  • Repeat with a piece of music you really love
  • Take note; where do you feel the sensation of pleasure and happiness in your body? What does it feel like?
  • Remember the difference between your physical experiences of aversion and attraction. This is your body’s way of communicating what you need to know

(N.B. this experiment can also be conducted using food)

THE SORTES VIRGILIANAE
“Named for the ancient Roman poet Virgil, when mystics would use passages from his Aeneid to predict the future.”

  • Chose a book you feel emotionally connected to, or that resonates with you in relation to your situation
  • Pose a very specific question to your higher self
  • Open the book at random, and select one sentence from the page
  • Using this passage,  work with your intuition to find the answer to your question

AUTOMATIC WRITING

  • Take a blank piece of paper and a pencil
  • When you are very tired and by the light of a candle, spend five-10 minutes writing down the first things that come into your head
  • Without reading what you have written, go to sleep
  • Repeat for 30 days
  • Only at the the end of the 30 days, read everything
  • Circle the things you have no recollection of writing down, and string them together to create a message or poem from your higher self

DEVELOP YOUR INTUITION, C.I.A. STYLE
“In 1995, President Clinton revealed records of a C.I.A. investigation into the validity of psychic activity by the intelligence community, instigated as a counterfoil to similar activity by the K.G.B.”

  • Close your eyes and relax deeply
  • Focus on a background
  • Focus on a colour
  • Focus on a symbol
  • Focus on a smell
  • Focus on a sound
  • Think, are there water, plants, people, food or animals in the picture you are creating?
  • Think, are there round shapes, patterns, hard edges, is the image soft, linear or cloudy?
  • Open your eyes and draw the picture your higher self has created. This is where you will find your mark.

Like any muscle, with your intuition it’s a case of use-it-or-lose-it, so practise these techniques regularly. Start an “intuition diary” to make a note of symbols, noises and smells that light a psychic spark in you, so you can track the daily workings of your higher self.  After all, who doesn’t want know how to be your own psychic?

You should also be aware that as you open up your own energy field and begin to blur the boundaries of time and space, you’ll become more susceptible to negative vibes sneaking their way in along with the insights you now have access to. So here are some practical tips for creating a cosmic force field to protect yourself as you delve into the unseen.

www.cosmicnavigator.com
@gahl1

36-HOURS IN LALA LAND: YOUR SPIRIT GUIDE TO L.A.

Posted on by Raquel Griffin

Sun, sand, palm-trees and organic produce as far as the eye can see… yep, it’s L.A. baby…and we’re hitting it fast & hard. Welcome to 36 hours in L.A. Numinous style. By Raquel Griffin.

Okay before we even get started with our Los Angeles travel guide: TIP #1. As lovely as L.A. is her traffic is legendary so to beat the gridlock blues we suggest you make like the locals and plan your pleasure-seeking based on what side of town you’re on: which means EAST SIDE (Silverlake, Los Feliz, Echo Park, Hollywood) vs. WEST SIDE (Culver City, Venice, Santa Monica, Topanga, Malibu, Pacific Palisades). Though not a hard and fast rule it definitely beats having to endure a 2-hour round of car karaoke while you’re stuck on the 101. Trust us on this one.

SATURDAY – EAST SIDE

10AM: Tarot Reading at HOUSE OF INTUITION (Echo Park)

Billing themselves as “space of love and light specializing in spiritual guidance,” set yourself up with a stop at The House of Intuition. Located in a sweet cottage nestled above a busy street in Echo Park what the House lacks in size it makes up in services…from Astrology, Aura and Chakra Balancing, Reiki, Animal Communication, Sound Therapy and Meditation all your spiritual needs promise to be met within its walls. Need to know why Fido won’t cozy up with you and your new beau? Crown chakra feeling a bit off-center? Grab a session with any of the reputable readers & practitioners here and get it all taken care of. Easy.

www.houseofintuitionla.com

11AM: VINTAGE SHOPPING @ TAVIN (Echo Park)

1970’s Bohemian Vest by TavinShop on Etsy.com
1970’s Travel Bag by TavinShop on Etsy.com

For every gal who has ever dreamed of raiding Stevie Nicks’ wardrobe, this one’s for you. Steeped in 70’s Cali goodness, TAVIN stocks an impeccably curated selection of boho-gypsy gear perfect for your witchy-woman-festival-girl-tour-de-force look…tambourine not included.

www.lifebytavin.com

12PM: Lifestyle porn @ DREAM COLLECTIVE (Silverlake)

A slice of lifestyle heaven…
Kathryn Bentley’s designs

There’s teepee inside. It’s a clothing store ANNNDD there’s a T-E-E-P-E-E inside…only in L.A. and gosh darn it we LOVE that. Filled with a gorgeously curated selection of hand crafted items from local artisans like the shop’s owner, jewelry designer Kathryn Bentley, the Dream Collective aesthetic is all about embracing primordial forms and influences from indigenous cultures. Whether choosing an evil eye cuff from Kathryn Bentley’s collection, a card from Thunderwing Press or a pair of Cali-cool handmade leather sandals from Beatrice Valenzuela, at Dream Collective curating a magical, mystical lifestyle lair is all in a day’s work.

www.dreamcollective.com

1PM: Natural product junkies @ ECO APOTHECARY (Silverlake)

Handmade essential oils
Re-fills available here

A cute little sliver of a shop in Silverlake, The Eco-Apothecary is a stroke of brilliance. Filled with handmade Sulfate Free, Paraben free, Vegan and Organic home, bath and body products, the store’s large selection runs the gamut from detergent to hairspray and everything in between. Products are sold in bulk and you can bring a bottle and filler’ up or you can purchase one of the hundreds of colorful glass and BPA free plastic containers sold at the shop. And if that weren’t enough you can even take a whirl at creating your own signature fragrance with the extensive selection of handmade essential oils on hand…Ooh la la.

www.ecoapothecary.com

2PM: Thai Massage Yoga @ THE RAVEN SPA (Silverlake)

If you’re in need of some LA style pampering The Raven Spa & Healing Center is the place to go for the Thai yoga massage of your life. Guaranteed to melt stress and leave you feeling like a blissed-out bowl of jello, this signature treatment gives new meaning to the term “afternoon delight.”

www.theravenspa.com

4PM: Retail therapy @ SHAREEN VINTAGE (Downtown LA)

Housed in a gigantic nondescript warehouse, Shareen Vintage is one of the most glorious vintage experiences ever. Actually the words vintage orgasm come to mind. Lined wall-to-wall with dresses, skirts and blouses from the 1950’s through the 1980’s, a knowledgeable member of Shareen’s sales staff will be assigned to you to will commence whisking you thorough their extensive collection while piling clothing up as you go along based on their sharp style assessment. Once you have your goods you’ll be given a “spot” to disrobe in what looks like a giant vintage living room. Since this place is strictly ladies only, the act of playing dress-up quickly turns into a party, with fellow customers randomly coo-ing and ahhing over each others wares. A couple of things to know before you go: 1) There are no “dressing rooms” so if you’re a little shy about stripping down to your skivvies we highly suggest you bring a slip 2) There are no price-tags. Each item is priced at the moment of sale by Shareen but fear not, prices mostly range from $20-$80.

www.facebook.com/shareenvintage

7.30PM: Dinner @ Shojin (Downtown L.A.)

Just a little light tempura…
Organic, vegan Japanese heaven

This amazing in-the-cut organic/vegan/macrobiotic Japanese hotspot tucked away on the third floor of an indoor mall in Little Tokyo is the perfect place to re-stock your tank while showing your tastebuds just how much you really care.

www.theshojin.com

SUNDAY: WEST SiiiiiDE

9:30AM: Morning worship @ AGAPE SPIRITUAL CENTER (Culver City)

If you you’ve ever watched the film “The Secret” then you’re familiar with Dr. Michael Bernard-Beckwith, founder of Agape Spiritual Center. Described as a “trans-denominational” church all are welcome at Agape, even atheists. Agape is all about “creating a community and a practice that is the embodiment of evolving consciousness” or what they like to call “new thought-meets ancient wisdom”. With pre-service meditation time, guest speakers like Marianne Williamson and “sermons” that often focus on our role as infinite beings co-creating reality, to say that Agape is not your momma’s church is an UNDERSTATEMENT. Add in a house band that serves up some serious guitar riffs and a choir that covers the Rolling Stones and you have the quintessential “church” for the new age. Hallelujah.

www.agapelive.com

11AM: Brunch @ CAFE GRATITUDE (Venice)

Eating the dream…
…at the only place to be seen.

Imagine a sleek, gourmet vegan and raw restaurant, now plop it down in the middle of a hip locale like Venice or Larchmont and what do you get? CAFE GRATITUDE. Created in Berkeley and recently expanded to Southern California, CAFE GRATITUDE is all about delivering dazzling dishes with a side of positive affirmations – plates are printed with statements like “I am Humble” and “I am Open Hearted.” With a menu that’s beyond healthy and a waitstaff that’s beyond attractive, it’s no wonder this has become THE PLACE for the kale and green smoothie set. And did I mention they have coconut bacon? A couple of tips on the menu: 1) Make sure to order a cup of “I am Immortal”…STAT. Made with Reishi, Shilajit, Ormus, coconut milk, raw honey & cinnamon..it’s a Cafe Gratitude love affair in a cup 2) Be prepared to want everything placed in front of you including their beautifully decorated “hamsa” water jugs and “What are you grateful for?” dishes. 3) Save room for dessert. Now, this might seem obvious but it’s easy to get side-tracked here. Trust us on this one. You’re welcome.

www.cafegratitude.com

1PM: Some reading time @ THUNDER BOLT BOOKS (Santa Monica)

Make friends with store manager Bobby
Everything from the Voodoo to the Vatican

Thunder Bolt Books is by far one of the best spiritual bookstores we have EVER set foot in. Though a small-ish space, Thunder Bolt  is packed ceiling to floor with every spiritualist book you could imagine…from obscure titles you could swear were “only available on Amazon” to newly released must-haves. What’s also refreshing is that works from all traditions are welcome here, so expect a great range on everything from Catholicism to Voodoo. And if that weren’t enough they’ve also got a fabulous $5 used book bin AND the biggest single cut crystal in the WESTERN HEMISPHERE. Yep. It’s pretty awesome. And if you’re nice, the super sweet and knowledgeable store manager Bobby might just pour you a cup of tea and you two can just kick back and shoot the breeze.

www.thunderboltspiritualbooks.com

** Not open Sunday, but worth checking out if you’re in Santa Monica: THE HOMEOPATHIC PHARMACY 

Staffed with amazingly knowledgeable homeopaths, this place is an alternative health junkies dream. Got something that ails you? From herbs to salves, to standard & hard to find homeopathic products they’ve got a remedy for EVERRRYYYTHING.  **RECOMMENDED PURCHASE: Net Remedies #9. Like Rescue Remedy on steroids, it’s a super potent homeopathic cure-all for everything from cold & flu, to overexertion, neuralgia and anxiety. It’s like the perfect first-aid kit in a bottle that’s also small enough to fit your purse….and who doesn’t need that, right?

www.smhomeopathic.com/

3PM: More vintage shopping @ HIDDEN TREASURES (Topanga Canyon)

Kate Moss has shopped here!!
And so has Lenny Kravitz!!

Tucked away in the hills of Topanga Canyon, like something out of a dream HIDDDEN TREASURES is a vintage lover’s Shangri-La. In a time when the term “vintage” has become almost synonymous with unbelievably high prices, Hidden Treasures is an anomaly…an amazingly well-stocked (Kate Moss & Lenny Kravitz are fans), fairly priced vintage-store where you can still find pristine 20’s dresses and gorgeous buttery 60’s leather jackets attrue vintage prices (items range from $20 -$150). But don’t expect the “curated” 5-items-on-a-rack experience here. The selection and the space are expansive so be prepared to dig. It’s also worth checking out the $10 bin out in front – a quick look might yield a serious score. And don’t forget to ask Mary Bee, the store manager, about the “back room” because what you see in there might just render you speechless.

www.facebook.com/hiddentreasurestopanga

4:30PM: Meditation @ LAKE SHRINE RETREAT SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP (Pacific Palisades)

Sunset overlooking the Pacific Palisades?…Umm, yes please. Add beautifully landscaped grounds and the serene sound of birds chirping and you’ve got a meditation station triple-header.

www.lakeshrine.org

6PM: Kundalini yoga @ GOLDEN BRIDGE (Santa Monica)

Gurmukh: she rollerblades too

A sweet intimate spot and the newest outpost of the L.A. Kundalini mecca that is Golden Bridge (yes Demi Moore’s studio of choice), this is the perfect place to get your good vibes on. Plus it’s Gurmukh, people…It’s G-U-R-M-U-K-H.

www.goldenbridgeyoga.com

8:30PM: Dinner @ MATTHEW KENNEY’S – M.A.K.E. RESTAURANT (Santa Monica)

Home of the pitch-perfect fine dining / raw food  experience, super-star chef Matthew Kenny’s M.A.K.E. Restaurant is as good as it gets. Can’t get enough M.A.K.E. in your life? Well there’s an app for that. Matthew Kenny’s got an “Everyday Raw Detox app” featuring 100 recipes for healthier living. Now how smart is that?

www.matthewkenneycuisine.com

10pm: Cocktails poolside @ the BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL (Beverly Hills)

Seal in the high vibes of your visit with a nightcap at the Beverly Polo Lounge, not only the epitome of old school Hollywood glamour but meeting point of some seriously positive ley lines. According to L.A. psychic Aiden Chase; “There’s an energy field in the land here that supports wishes and dreams. The city’s natural ‘good vibe’ energy, from the Hollywood Hills to the ocean has supported people’s dreams from actor to entrepreneur for over 100 years…” And, interestingly, Chase pinpoints the Beverly Hills Hotel as “a huge power center” of this energy. In fact, “if I’m having a bad day, I will go there, meditate in the gardens and feel much better. I always have my meetings at this hotel, and they always turn out successful.” So kick back with a mojito and get your manifestation station on. A whole City of Angels will be listening.

Raquel Griffin is founder of Granola Glamour.
@granolaglamour

@NUMINOUS_BOOKS