Symbols Archives - the Numinous

NUMINOUS WEEKLY HOROSCOPES: MARCH 26—APRIL 1 2018

Posted on March 26, 2018 by Sandy Sitron

What’s this week’s cosmic symbol for your sign? Check out our weekly ‘scopes from Sandy Sitron …

Aries // Aries Rising
A herd of horses. There’s a wild side of you that is ready to come out. Surprise yourself in a multitude of ways. Let your energy ride high. Take time for breaks, playfulness and fun. As you embrace wildness and adventure, begin to see yourself in a new way. Your identity is transforming.

Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandy here or follow her on Instagram.

Taurus // Taurus Rising
A waterslide. A trip into the depths could be fun and fascinating. Don’t be afraid to encounter some emotions along the way. Through mediation and time alone, put yourself on a trajectory that ends in a deep dive. Carve out space for yourself to just BE and notice what surprising insight comes through.

Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandy here or follow her on Instagram.

Gemini // Gemini Rising
Standing on a mountain, looking at the valley far below. Let perspective seep in until your entire outlook is surprisingly different. Keep nudging yourself to see the big picture. Ask your friends for an objective viewpoint. Look outside of yourself for more information. As a result, you’ll fall deeper in love with your journey.

Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandy here or follow her on Instagram.

Cancer // Cancer Rising
Holding a bullfrog. This is a potent time for career development. Creativity and receptivity are heightened as you appraise your career path. Seek out new information so that you can change your ways.The frog symbolizes cleansing and renewal. Do you need to reinvigorate or renew the way way you think about your work in the world?

Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandy here or follow her on Instagram.

Leo // Leo Rising
Looking at the cards you’ve been dealt. You’re ready to break free of what fate has handed you, and determine your own destiny. The path that you take now is completely reliant on three things—your creativity, your spontaneity and your ability to receive. Know your mission and then start your own journey.

Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandy here or follow her on Instagram.

Virgo // Virgo Rising
Pulling the weeds. Tending to the crops is a metaphor for staying busy and taking care of business. Pulling the weeds is about getting rid of anything that might stand in the way of vibrantly living the life of your dreams. Don’t be afraid to rid yourself of old patterns, even if they are deeply rooted. Put your attention on clearing and new growth will follow.

Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandy here or follow her on Instagram.

Libra // Libra Rising
A pair of scissors. Snip snip snip. Are you using these scissors to create or destroy? Be careful of what you cut away. Go more slowly than you think you should, especially when it comes to relationships. Choose your words tenderly.

Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandy here or follow her on Instagram.

Scorpio // Scorpio Rising
Drinking clear water from a spring. Replenish mind body and spirit. Begin with your body. The energy will flow through less erratically if you take care of your vessel. Let yourself receive more intuitive information by spending time in silence. Then you will certain of your next steps. The keyword is “listen.”

Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandy here or follow her on Instagram.

Sagittarius // Sagittarius Rising
Walking over cragged mountain tops. One of the most joyful things for you is adventure. Can you break your day into mini-adventures? Can you imagine a new horizon around every corner? It may feel true right now that without fun there is nothing. Be careful of denying yourself exciting experiences. If you enliven your daily life, everything gets easier.

Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandy here or follow her on Instagram.

Capricorn // Capricorn Rising
A baby goat drinking milk. Bring yourself into a hug. Take care of your inner child and nurture yourself. It may seem like this is the least important thing to do right now, but it is actually critical. Be exceedingly tender with yourself and you will be much more capable of expansion.

Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandy here or follow her on Instagram.

Aquarius // Aquarius Rising
Put your ear to the the trunk of a tree and listen. You can find hidden messages and truths in the world around you. Heighten your senses so that you can learn more. Be flexible and curious. Let yourself receive new ideas. These may amount to a surprising new way of thinking.

Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandy here or follow her on Instagram.

Pisces // Pisces Rising
Holding onto a pillar of stone. This week is about finding new ways to feel grounded. You may discover that you’ve got access to a new way of thinking about finances and abundance. Dance with innovative ideas that come through around receptivity and self-worth. If you are open to changing the way you think, you could relax more, work less, but feel even more stable.

Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandy here or follow her on Instagram.

HOW TO WORK WITH YOUR SPIRIT ANIMAL: A TOTAL GUIDE

Posted on July 19, 2016November 4, 2018 by Wolf Sister

Tap into the wisdom of the animal kingdom by learning how to work with your spirit animal, says Wolf Sister. Artwork: Erin Petson

A spirit animal is a reflection of you, and is there to remind you of your inherent wisdom. They represent archetypal energies, typical traits that are personified by a specific creature. Acting as our allies, teachers, guides and protectors, if a spirit animal is showing up in your life, it has a message for you and wants to work with you.

Think, what are this animal’s strengths and how does it act? This is the message for you.

To work with your spirit animal is to step into the power you need most in any moment. This can help you feel more grounded, give you the confidence for a job interview, make you feel more alluring for a hot date or give you the strength to ask for help when you need it. Above all, it can help you to feel more confident, proactive and supported.

:: WHO IS YOUR SPIRIT ANIMAL? ::

Spirit animals have an energy you will resonate with and feel drawn to, sometimes inexplicably. This doesn’t have to be specific to an animal either, it could also be a deity, super hero or even a celebrity! Yes, you could count Beyonce or Mary Magdalene as your “spirit animal.” There will be something familiar about your animal, and they’re there to teach and guide you in a direction that supports you.

Maybe you already have a strong affinity with a particular spirit animal, but if you don’t feel like have the connection yet here are some tips to help you to activate your connection.

A Vision Quest
In the morning, take some time to meditate and invoke your spirit animal to show itself. Create a presence of awareness throughout the day and look out for signs that could represent your animal. Your spirit animal is likely appear to you in a series of synchronicities, where you may literally see it everywhere—on street art, the internet, magazines, books, posters, gifts you receive from friends, dreams or even a chance encounter with the animal itself.

When your animal wants to be seen, it’ll make sure you notice it so keep your eyes wide open. Journal your encounters as these encounters are all insights into what is being revealed to you. You may come into contact with more than one animal, but the animal you see most often is the most prominent message. Think of the additional animals as the supporting acts.

Meditate
You can connect with your spirit animal through meditation, while a guided shamanic journey will lead you to your animal and hold space for you to communicate more deeply with them. There are guided meditations available online (search: “spirit animal guided meditation”) and workshops that hold space for you to meet your spirit animal. Check event listings for sessions in your area.

Dreamtime
Before you go to sleep, ask your spirit animal to reveal themselves to you in your dream. Your intention could be, ” Spirit animal, who serves my highest and best good, please come to me in my dreams tonight. I am open to your wisdom. Thank you for your protection and guidance. You will be remembered in the morning.”

Repeat this invocation as you fall asleep. Make sure that you have a pen and paper by your bed for when you wake up in the morning, and write down what you remember as soon as you wake up and the memory of the dream is still fresh.

Oracle Cards
One of the quickest ways to connect with your spirit animal is to use an animal oracle deck (we love the Wild Unknown Animal Spirit deck). Connect with the deck and draw a card (or a few cards) to represent what serves you. You can take guidance from the reference book that accompanies the deck but I would also recommend journalling how this card makes you feel, use your intuition to find the meaning. Meditate on the card and see what messages come through to you from the unseen realm.

If you draw an animal that makes you feel uncomfortable, brings up a phobia or a feeling of dislike, this animal can represent your shadow side. This could symbolize something in the animal’s character that you’re avoiding in your life. Take this as an opportunity to tune in to what may need healing in your life. Remember, if this animal is showing up for you, it is there to be seen, and it’s because you are ready. Even if you don’t think you are…

:: HOW TO WORK WITH YOUR SPIRIT ANIMAL ::

Act Like Your Animal
Use the animal’s instinct as a guide for what action you need to take. How does your animal think and act?

Here are a few examples: Stand strong and committed like the bear. Be sensual and independent like the cat. Do some Vinyasa yoga to connect with your flexibility like the snake. Howl at the moon to embody the wolf. Share your wisdom as a teacher like the owl. Seize an opportunity like the magpie.

Check out youtube or some David Attenborough documentaries to study the characteristics of your animal. Have fun with how you embody your animal, no-one else needs to know, and watch to see how people respond to you after you’ve been channeling the ways of your animal.

Dress Like Your Animal
Wear the colors and patterns of your animal to connect with their spirit. This can be a subtle act, for example wearing leopard print underwear to honor your inner wild cat. Let your hair loose to unleash the lion in you. Think of black as the color of mystery and transformation. If your animal is colorful then it’s a sure sign that you need to been seen.

Eat Like Your Animal
Food nourishes us and gives us energy. Animals use food to do this in the purest way, no fad-diets! They forage or hunt for what their body needs and eat specifically to adapt to their environment. Use the dietary habits of your animal as a guide for what will nourish you at the moment. If your animal is a herbivore, try a plant-based diet and see how your body feels. Birds have a very fast metabolism to enable them to stay light so that they can fly, eating little and often. Maybe the message is simply that you take time to slow down to eat.

Meditate With Your Animal
Using a guided meditation, journey to connect with your spirit animal. Ground yourself and when you’ve connected with your animal, visualize the animal’s energy merging with yours. Feel yourself integrating its strength and wisdom. Set the intention to embody the animal’s empowerment for the day ahead. Working with animals is very grounding, so know that your energy will be protected by the animal as it serves you.

Animals are wise and gentle guides. They haven’t forgotten their connection with earth and with us, and they need our help to protect and heal our planet. As always, the healing journey begins with us. This is an invitation to call on your natural superpowers and work with animal instinct to create the change in your life that you’ve been waiting for.

MANFESTATION STATION: HOW TO DESIGN AN ALTAR

Posted on July 20, 2015March 11, 2019 by Emily Tepper

A cosmic radio tower for broadcasting your wishes to the Universe, manifestation expert Emily Tepper shares how to design an altar that’s perfect for YOU…

"Fluorescent Virgins" by Pilar Gordillo via Behance.net on The Numinous — From “Fluorescent Virgins” by Pilar Gordillo via Behance.net

GO WITH WHAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU
We live in a time with unprecedented access to information and advice – including this article! And while it’s amazing to be able to approach altar design by tapping into different covens and styles and belief systems, the point is to put YOU and your desires at the center of the altar. After all, it is there to act as a radio tower for the divine as experienced through YOU.

WORK WITH SYMBOLS
When choosing artefacts for your altar, think less less about the object itself and more about what it symbolizes for you. Yes, crystals, candles and other sacred objects all look beautiful and bring their own super-powers, but to truly personalise your altar include a few items that are completely unique to you and your situation. For example, if you want more dates and your ideal date is a day on the beach, you could place some sunscreen on your altar. Or if you want to call in more financial abundance, write yourself a check from your dream client.

Numinous founder Ruby Warrington's altar from summer 2014 featured on The Numinous — Numinous founder Ruby Warrington’s altar from summer 2014

FEEL INTO IT
Having trouble finding a symbol for what you want? When you’re manifesting something, the trick is to focus on creating the physical feelings of having that thing in your life before it actually materializes – that way, the Universe will pick up on the signal (feeling) you’re putting out, and send the corresponding object / event your way. So choosing your symbols, what image / object comes to mind first when you’re getting into the emotional essence of your hot beach date? Or having unlimited funds in the bank? But remember, the symbol can be anything – there are no rules!

PAY ATTENTION TO PLACEMENT
As a rule, you can work with the energy flow of your altar by placing objects and symbols relating to the things you want to call in to the right – and things that symbolise the all the things you want to clear / move away from to the left.

Numinous Tarotscopes writer Louise Androlia's altar featured on The Numinous how to design an altar — Numinous Tarotscopes writer Louise Androlia’s altar

HAVE FUN!
Seriously – even the witchiest witch experiences work better when they vibrate with joy. And while often ritual work is about accepting things as they are and then shifting them to a better place, improvement and ascension happen in a gradient from bad, to not as bad, to pretty good, to awesome! Make creating your altar about enjoying this ride.

TAKE A MINERAL BATH AFTER YOU INTERACT WITH YOUR ALTAR
Altar and ritual work can be a bit of an out there experience, and minerals calm the spirit and bring us delicate souls “back into the body.” My personal favorite is a mineral rich blend of dead sea salt and kelp powder (also good for growing my mermaid tail back). But seriously, it’s important to honor the process of re-grounding after communing with the spirit world and that’s important. It’s what being a material girl in a mystical world is all about, after all.

What’s on your altar, and why? Share your altar pics with us on Instagram and Facebook, tag #NuminousAltars, and we’ll include them on our altar Pinterest board to inspire the Numinous community!

M.I.A. MATANGI: “BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU THINK”

Posted on November 14, 2013November 5, 2018 by Ruby Warrington

“We all tweet incessantly the way parrots in the jungle do; we never consider how far the smallest idea can travel and how it can affect the people it reaches.” M.I.A. (a.k.a. Matangi)

Music with a message has always been M.I.A.’s MO. As global consciousness expands, her latest release, Matangi, is like a missive from another realm on the the power of our thoughts. If there has been a theme to 2013, our first year on post-Mayan planet Earth, then isn’t that exactly it? We are what we think.

With this understanding comes an awesome responsibility – because, oh s***, now the ball is in our court. For M.I.A. Matangi is here to remind us all that we better beware of our thoughts, and that we better back that up by speaking (not to mention tweeting) our truth.

Everybody’s favorite rap-tivist explains the story behind it all.

WHO IS MATANGI?
Matangi is a 5000-year-old concept of a Goddess who fought to keep thought and information pure. She sits on a gem-studded throne with a sitar. In Hinduism, the Goddesses have different life roles, and when Matangi is in a tranquil, meditative state, she plays the sitar. Her instrument symbolises each part of the human experience…the consciousness, the breath, the heart, the body…and she plays to keep the universe and the people in harmony.

WHAT’S THE MESSAGE IN HER MUSIC?
She’s here to remind us that information needs to be spoken from the heart. If it’s not it’s false, and she defends that and fights for that. She fights the pollution of frequencies – which is all to do with words and how they come out, the articulation of inner thought to outward expression – which can happen through music, or any of the 64 ways to express your inner thoughts.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HER?
She’s the ninth of the ten Goddesses that Shiva’s wife splits into when he’s at work – because when she’s not being Shiva’s wife, she’s got s*** to do! His wife is called Parvati – and Wikipedia says she’s also the Goddess of power, because if Shiva is the god of destruction, you can’t destroy without power. In Hinduism it’s all about couples – and while the men are alright they’re not the main thing, which is really cool.

WHY DOES MATANGI’S STORY RESONATE WITH YOU?
I found about about her because my birth name is Mathangi, and how funny that her mantra is “aim” – which is M.I.A. backwards. But right now you can apply her myth to what’s happening in the world. Matangi also carries a parrot – she’s got her sitar and she has a sword in one hand and a parrot in the other, which represents the nature of humans.

WHAT PART OF HUMAN NATURE?
It’s an intelligent bird because it can repeat words, but it doesn’t have the consciousness to understand what it’s saying – and how funny, today we have a thing called “Twitter” – where we tweet, and then we re-tweet! And we’re judged on how many re-tweets we get. Not by the one intelligent thing we said that no-body re-tweeted, but because we said something stupid like; “I’m having a cheeseburger” and 1000 people re-tweeted it. Hinduism works in symbols, and the parrot means nothing in itself. It’s there to remind us to be conscious of what we say.

Matangi by M.I.A. is out now.
@MIAuniverse