Libra season 2017 invites us to embrace duality, and seek our highest aspirations in sacred partnership with the Cosmos herself. By Bess Matassa. Main image: DVF AW17
Sharpen your topiary shears and curry comb your unicorn manes, cosmic queens. Libra Season rides in regally to take back the castle, dressed in silky white satin and brandishing the sword of bejeweled justice. The zodiac’s aspirational aesthete infuses the everyday with a higher love, and shows us all how it could be when we commit to chasing the ephemeral trail of the most dazzlingly distant stars.
But as we stand on this yearly seasonal precipice between day and night, it’s time to learn how to appreciate the darkness and the light, and to grapple with the contradictions and complications of colliding with opposition. When we truly commit to communion, we risk collapsing the great divide between what’s ours and what we disavow, and sacrificing some of our crystal visions to allow others, and ourselves, to be exactly as we are.
So slip into both your lace and your leather, and saddle up your mythical creatures for the race towards the rainbow. In this precariously precious place between the confectionary clouds and the hard packed earth, we can catch the light just so.
When we commit to living this daydream together, we are brighter and more blindingly beautiful then we could ever imagine.
>>>
The keyword: Relating.
The song lyrics: Love lift us up where we belong/Where the eagles cry/On a mountain high/Far from the world below/Up where the clear winds blow – Joe Cocker, “Up Where We Belong”
Check out Bess’ Libra Season Playlist, complete with dynamic duos, romantic mashups, and vocal encounters.
The color palette: impressionistic hues and Malibu tones. Sophisticated pinks and soft grays, refined aquas and violets, whip cream whites, and camera-ready sunsets.
The style: modern monarchy meets Parisian salon. Windswept scarves, button-down blousons, bell sleeves, ruffled blazers, tights & ballet flats, casual culottes, and finely-detailed florals.
Fall 17, from left: Luisa Beccaria, Mulberry, Giambattista Valli, Zimmerman, Giambattista Valli
The scents and flavors: perfect pairings, curated bouquets, and epicurean presentations. Black and white cookies, macarons and madeleines, honey and lemon, carefully cultivated orchids, edible blooms, and small plates.
The healing: cultured evenings and high-minded musings. Wine and food pairing menus, gallery expeditions, figure drawing classes, jazz ensembles, and ballroom dancing.
>>>
Sensuous Invitation of the Month: Classic Combos for Your Venus Sign
Ruled by Venus, Libra takes the vibration of the love goddess into the realms of “higher,” cerebral love.
In our chart, she reveals our fairytale romance with the world, where we can uncover the sheer pleasure of aesthetic inspiration, and how we can harness relationship to evolve past our strict notions of personal taste.
Ignite the energy with a dynamic duo to feed your inner and outer partners.
Venus in Aries Libra season invites you to delight in the stripped down sensation of fresh relationship perspectives and courageous compromise. Classic Combo: Jeans & a Tee Shirt. Celebrate an on-the-go combo that feeds your minimalista aesthetic.
Venus in Taurus Libra season invites you to complement your sensory pleasure seeking with some more cerebral imaginings. Classic Combo: Bed & Breakfast. The ultimate partnership of feasting and dreaming.
Venus in Gemini Libra season invites you to revel in your desire for narrative and start crafting the next step in your own love story. Classic Combo: Movies & Popcorn. Innocent snack explosions meet larger-than-life tales.
Venus in Cancer Libra season invites you to mix your desire for emotional safety with some exploratory wanderings into wilder dreamscapes. Classic Combo: Surf & Turf. Ride the tide while knowing that you can always drift back to solid ground.
Venus in Leo Libra season invites you to blend your monogrammed hearts with the strength to go the distance for love, even when it challenges your egocentric craving for pure adoration. Classic Combo: Sugar & Spice. A beauty bar combo that lets both sides taste sweet.
Venus in Virgo Libra season invites you to action your ideals in the wide world with a trust in the self-sufficient sensation of lasting commitment. Classic Combo: Bread & Butter. Power up with a simple meal that’s both hard-earned harvest and creamy indulgence.
Venus in Libra Libra season invites you to explore the gap between fantasy and reality without losing one ounce of your romantic lust for future ideals. Classic Combo: War & Peace. Mix your notorious urge for compromise with some necessary embattlement.
Venus in Scorpio Libra season invites you to infuse your penchant for probing intimate darkness with some softer expectations for a brand new romantic daybreak. Classic Combo: Night & Day. Wander out after midnight but don’t miss out on the glory of sunrise.
Venus in Sagittarius Libra season invites you to pair your footless adventuring with the crystal clarity of a purposeful love mission. Classic Combo: Roadtrips & Playlists. Top-down riding meets careful curation.
Venus in Capricorn Libra season invites you to celebrate a flavor of amorous striving that’s infused with the pure and simple beauties of partnership in the present. Classic Combo: Manis & Pedis. The durational labors of nail art mix with the pampered treat of buffing your hard-working extremities.
Venus in Aquarius Libra season invites you to balance your urge for panned out, cerebral relating, with some close-at-hand celebrations of the person who stands before you. Classic Combo: Thunder & Lightening. Distant weather patterns meet close snuggling during the storm.
Venus in Pisces Libra season invites you to let your boundaryless urge to merge be informed with a clear sense of the line between yourself and a lover. Classic Combo: Pina Coladas & Getting Caught in the Rain. Blended beverages meet the clarity of rain water and the sun that shines on you both, together and apart, in the aftermath.
Bess is available for private readings and astro-themed events. Connect with her at Mojaverising.com
The Autumn Equinox is high time to fête your successes and show gratitude for everything that’s come to fruition. Rich Witch Lara-Rose Duong gives us 3 prosperity rituals to power up for the harvest and keep the money honey reigning down …
As a Rich Witch, celebration is one of your secret tools to keep prosperity flowing into your life. When you praise a chef, she knows to keep making that dish. When you celebrate your successes, the powers that may be keep sending more, too.
For the witches in the house, the Autumn Equinox (aka Mabon) is like our Thanksgiving! It’s time to reap what we’ve sown and show gratitude.
As light and dark show up equally, we can see where we’ve been in imbalance, shed what no longer serves, and celebrate life as it is.
Your harvest can be the bounty from your garden or any kind of success in your life. Regardless, take stock of what has come to fruition for you and honor it.
Throw your success a private party with these 3 prosperity rituals for the Fall Equinox …
>>>
1// Feast like a Goddess: Give into the bounty of the season by gathering your friends and family to feast at a harvest altar. Fill your table with your creativity and heart, and let it be a feast for the eyes and spirit. Whatever you choose to include, keep in mind that the most important element is your gratitude!
Hot apple cider with cinnamon. Apples are the bounty of the season and cinnamon adds warmth and prosperity to your feast.
Local fruits and vegetables. It’s important that your feasts reflects the land you are from. In general, gourds and squash are plentiful right now.
Set your the centre piece up as an altar to your ancestors, the land, and the goddess. Be inspired by Mother Nature and what is available to your in the woods. Let it be rich and full (think pinecones, gourds, a cornucopia, carnelian & rose quartz, gold decor).
>>>
2// Get Your Hands Dirty: Plant the seeds of your dreams that will come to life next year.
Pick your favourite bulb flowers/plants.
Go outside to the place where you will plant (a patch of earth or in a container). Select a spot that inspires your Rich Witch heart. Mark the area with friendly statues and elements.
Massage the soil with your handswhile seeing all that you hope to manifest. In the soil, bury a crystal of abundance like citrine or pyrite.
Take one bulb into your handsand infuse it with a dream to come. Do this with each bulb for each intention you are calling in. Once you feel like each bulb is charged up, plant them.
Gently water the soilwith water that you’ve charged on your main altar overnight.
Above the bulbs, mark the earth with a prosperity sigil. Use the symbol below as a guide.
>>>
3// Turn Your Body Into an Abundance Altar: You are a sacred container where prosperity lives. Here are some Rich Witch tips to charge up the vibrant, sacred altar that is you:
Charge your body up by marking it with the prosperity sigil in lotion/coconut oil.
Drink “Rich Witch Water” daily: Take the prosperity sigil and place it beneath a jar of water. Surround the jar with carnelian, pyrite, and citrine. Leave the water there to charge overnight on your altar. Start each day off by thanking the Goddess for blessing your life and taking in the water.
Get your energetic Rich Witch dress on everyday: As you put your left shoe on, say: “I am safe to be seen now.” As you put your right shoe on, say: “I am safe to be heard now.” Stretch all the way up and reach for the ceiling with your arms wide. Ground your feet and say three times: “I call my power back to me” Tap the crown of your head while saying three times: “I have the right to be here.” Leave the house feeling divine!
Join the conversation with Lara-Rose Duong in the Rich Witch Circle on Facebook and share what you decided to do for this Mabon. And connect with her on Instagram to see these Rich Witch Mabon practices in action.
In an era of alternative facts, Girlboss.com editorial director and Moon Club member Jerico Mandybur is committed to making real news, and giving every voice an equal platform to be heard. Just like the righteous “witchy bitch” she is …
Banging on the system … Women and femmes have so much knowledge, centuries of wisdom, and life experiences that have yet to really be accepted widely, let alone embraced. So I’m all for banging on the system to make that happen in whatever way I can.
I’m a firm believer in amplifying the voices of ‘othered’ people in media, rather than speaking on behalf of anyone. I hope to contribute to making that the norm. Rather than the prevailing cultural norm that a straight white male TV presenter is the only arbiter of objective discussion and ‘rational debate,’ I hope to cultivate spaces for marginalized voices online and make those voices the norm.
>>>
Speak for yourself … My best advice for anyone looking to use their voice? To quote Nike (lol), ‘Just do it.’
Ignore your fear, allow yourself to be uncomfortable, always question your own assumptions, and don’t speak on behalf of anyone whose experience you haven’t lived.
Be yourself. And to quote the Gumbainggir activist and academic Gary Foley, remember that, ‘The battle begins at home.’
>>>
Key issues rocking our world … Consumerism has an amazing way of co-opting countercultural sentiments and protest movements into a system of domination, by using them to sell us more ‘stuff’ and/or distraction. This is the greatest challenge for new age and spiritual movements too, and I’m not sure it’s one that can be overcome while capitalism is still a thing. At least until something catastrophic happens …
Suffice it to say, the extent of humans’ environmental destruction is becoming more and more apparent. This is one area (of so many) where Indigenous people’s knowledge of— and relationship with—the land is something all of humanity needs to learn from and respect right now.
Spiritual activism is bigger than we think … Spirituality means you have an understanding of what you’re defending that’s ‘bigger’ than you, and your lifetime. It connects you with people, and with life, in a way that goes beyond what you can see and touch.
Also, you can’t call yourself a spiritual person if you turn a blind eye to other’s suffering. That’s not a thing! But I also really believe you have to heal yourself before—or, as—you heal other people.
>>>
Moon Club is a sisterhood of witchy bitches … Moon Club is my way of bringing more structure to my spirituality. It gives me that extra nudge to maintain a deep relationship with the Moon. I really enjoy feeling part of a sisterhood of witchy bitches, who have each other’s backs, even if they live on opposite sides of the planet.
It has inspired me to give less fucks about being my bizarre, woo woo self publically.
I used to be nervous about telling people I read tarot cards and studied astrology, at work, or online. It was my last frontier of authenticity. Now I don’t shut up about it. And that’s pretty powerful!
>>>
Jerico Mandybur is a Sydney-born, LA-based writer, and the editorial director of girlboss.com. She’s previously been an editor for sites like Mashable, MTV and Oyster Magazine. She’s a passionate tarot reader and astrology student who takes inspiration from her Egyptian heritage and queer feminist identity, and a trauma survivor who sees nature worship and spirituality as a key to healing, separate from the confines of western pathology.
**Want to start your own revolution? Sign up for Moon Club and join our tribe of cosmic change makers at Moonclub.co.
The 2017 Virgo New Moon asks us to tune into the details, discern what’s truly important, and commit to a brand new upgrade, says Sandra Sitron …
:: New Moon :: September 20 2017 :: 1:30am ET :: 27 degrees Virgo
The Virgo New Moon is the Goddess of the Harvest. Her power exists in her ability to discern. The farmers deliver the harvest in bushels and baskets at her feet. She appraises and sorts; good bean here, bad bean there. Through her effort, the bounty is made even more beautiful. Through her attention to detail, the fruits of labor are made even more perfect.
There’s a moving and adaptive energy to this New Moon. You may find yourself sorting. You may find your thoughts moving quickly, making appraisals. Making decisions. Making things better, but sometimes making yourself batty with the heightened need to find perfection.
Your salve is in the forest, at the beach, in the park. Get your feet and your body close to the Earth. Get yourself grounded in the undeniable perfection that exists in a blade of grass.
There are other ways you can get grounded too: drink enough water, eat nutritious meals, drink herbal tea, exercise outside. Listen. Observe. Chew your food slowly. Notice how many decisions you are making in a day. Try to have times of the day when you aren’t making decisions— less online shopping and more time spent listening to music or washing dishes.
Harness the power of this New Moon by taking the opportunity to refresh your habits and overhaul the operating system of your life.
Virgo energy can help you set new intentions around how you live your daily life. Sometimes focusing on Virgo topics means focusing on the most mundane things. How’s your digestion? How’s your overall health?
Avoid the urge to overthink and instead focus on the habits you want to change. Make a detailed plan. Decide which categories you want to improve— spiritual practices, sleep, nutrition, exercise, email management, money management, social-life, creative outlets, household efficiency, cleanliness, getting rid of clutter, workflows, volunteerism, activism …
This New Moon is involved in some terse aspects with no-nonsense planets. You may feel a depth of intensity that makes these life adjustments feel more intimidating or overwhelming than they need to be.
Stay grounded and notice when you are feeling triggered. Just observe yourself. Encourage yourself whenever you can. Reach out to your most giraffe-like friends for perspective. Once you’ve decided where you will put your energy, decide on which healthy habits you are ready to begin. Put systems in place to make it happen. Set your intentions and repeat them aloud over the next few weeks.
This Moon can help you make your improvements a reality …
>>>
Moon opposite Chiron A map of an unfamiliar territory. Here’s the roadmap to take a journey through the thorny terrain of our collective wounds. This is not an easy aspect. But it is a necessary one. This trip must be taken. So gear up. Make sure you are well outfitted. Bring your crinkly silver emergency blanket and your waterproof matches.
Be prepared to notice when you are being triggered and respond responsibly. Take care of yourself. If you see someone acting out, try to understand what they are getting triggered by. Yet at the same time, continue to protect yourself. This aspect can result in massive healing if approached with awareness. Dedicate yourself to observing your feelings and contemplating your unconscious wounds. Decide how you will navigate the terrain.
Moon inconjunct Uranus Crossed wires. This aspect combines emotional sensitivity, frustration, and rebellion. Yet these energies can be transmuted to receptivity, stretching yourself and innovation.
So, if you are feeling erratic “eject button” energy, tune in. Ask to receive a better feeling thought. Brainstorm solutions. Put things in perspective. Use the powers of gratitude and prayer to welcome in the “New Idea” that offers an innovative solution. Don’t let frustration squelch your search for a resolution.
Moon square Saturn The diamond is beautiful but sharp. A challenge: take responsibility for your emotions. What is emotional maturity? It may be that you are emotionally mature when you are willing to fully feel an emotion, give yourself empathy, and take responsibility for your reaction.
What does it mean to take responsibility for your reaction? Your reaction should give your emotion somewhere to go– an outlet. And when you react to your emotion, find a way to do so without laying blame for the emotion on someone else.
Gain awareness the emotion’s source and let it act as guidance system, teaching you how you can make your life more wonderful.
Make sure that you don’t isolate yourself during this Moon phase. Find your buddies who will empathize with you and help you feel grounded and secure.
>>>
The study questions below are to help you get deeper into what the 2017 Virgo New Moon means for you. Use them as journal prompts. For the most accurate reading, look to which house holds 27 degrees Virgo in you chart and use the question for that house.
Aries or New Moon in the 6th house What healthy habits are you ready to create?
Taurus or New Moon in the 5th house Are you meeting your need for fun and enjoyment? Do you honor this need?
Gemini or New Moon in the 4th house What emotion is easiest for you to express and why? What emotion is most difficult for you to express and why?
Cancer or New Moon in the 3rd house What mental pattern are you ready to change? What belief is at the root of this pattern? What new belief would you rather think?
Leo or New Moon in the 2nd house What systems will you create improve your financial worth and what adjustments will you make to your understanding of your self-worth?
Virgo or New Moon in the 1st house When are you proud of yourself? Name all the ways and journal about self-confidence.
Libra or New Moon in the 12th house What do you need to see that you aren’t seeing?
Scorpio or New Moon in the 11th house What do you need from your larger community?
Sagittarius or New Moon in the 10th house What fresh intentions are ready to make when it comes to career?
Capricorn or New Moon in the 9th house What is your “why?” (aka, your philosophy, your mission statement?)
Aquarius or New Moon in the 8th house What are you ready to let go of?
Pisces or New Moon in the 7th house When it comes to relationships, what are you grateful for?
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here.
Want to harness your full feminine force through the stars? Activate some serious girl power with your asteroid goddess sign, says Rebecca Farrar.
With the Sun traveling through Virgo, the only female figure in the zodiac, it’s the perfect moment to harness the power of the zodiac’s feminine archetypes.
Just as modern women often face a limited expression of the feminine, traditional Western astrology often relegates us to either the mother (Moon) or lover (Venus).
Luckily, the four asteroid goddesses (Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, and Juno) open up a world beyond traditional roles of wife and mother, and lead us into a deeper exploration of our feminine complexity.
By diving into both the “positive” and challenging aspects of these placements in our charts, we can heal limiting dichotomies and make space for the re-emergence of a fuller expression of our feminine force …
Below, your guide to navigating and activating these placements in your chart. **New to your birthchart? Discover your asteroid signs by looking at your birth year and month HERE.
>>>
:: CERES :: Roman Goddess of Agriculture, Grain, Fertility, and Mother-Daughter Relationships Ceres energy recognizes the paradox roles we inhabit as both our own parent and child. It also teaches us where we easily provide nurturance, love, and care to ourselves and others.
Illuminated Expressions: Self-parenting, nurturing self and others, acceptance of cycles of birth and death, caregiving
Shadow Expressions: Intense attachment to mother, projection of our unmet needs onto others, eating disorders
Placement by Sign: Unveils our deepest needs and reinforces our self-care priorities.
Ceres in Fire Signs:Nurturing and nourishment through movement (Aries), exploration (Sagittarius), and self-expression (Leo). *Make time for having mini-adventures, or celebrating your need for independence and dominance through traveling or starting your own side business.
Ceres in Earth Signs: Feels cared for with sensuality (Taurus), stability (Virgo), and commitment (Capricorn). *Connect with nature by taking a guided nature walk, learning more about the native plants or animals where you live, or spending time outside barefoot.
Ceres in Air Signs:Communication (Gemini), cooperation (Libra), and individuality (Aquarius) are places to foster nurturance. *Educate yourself on social justice and equality through taking classes or participating in activist groups, or explore art and design.
Ceres in Water Signs: Offer yourself and others nurturance by appreciating your need for feeling loved (Cancer), deep emotional bonding (Scorpio), or connection to spirit (Pisces). *Make time for seeing a therapist or being in groups where vulnerability and emotional expression is honored. Or volunteer your time doing something connects you to compassion for others.
:: VESTA :: Roman Goddess of Hearth and Home The second largest asteroid reminds us of our devotion and how we can commit to a spiritual path and guard our inner sacred flame. It also indicates how our sexuality unfolds or develops with time.
Illuminated Expressions: Connecting to spirit through ritual, dedication to personal ceremonies or spiritual path, desire to bring magic into human experience, sacred sexuality
Shadow Expressions: Unrealized sexual potential, fear or denial of sexuality and passion, self-alienation
Placement by Sign: Reveals what we ritualize or desire to make sacred
Vesta in a Fire sign: Energy and drive becomes channeled through ambition (Aries), creativity (Leo), or idealism (Sagittarius). *With this placement, sexuality may become alienated through so much self-focus. Notice how you may use your sexual energy as self-fulfillment or to dominate others instead of sustaining supportive, ongoing relationships.
Vesta in Earth Signs:Comfort (Taurus), service to others (Virgo), and hard work (Capricorn) are the touchstones for focusing passion. *Explore practices such as Tantric sexuality that unite the sacred aspects of Vesta with the down-to-Earth qualities of connecting.
Vesta in Air Signs:Find ways to dedicate yourself to knowledge (Gemini), balance (Libra), and change (Aquarius). *In an air sign, Vesta craves ideas and shifting perspectives. Take classes on human sexuality or write out your own sexual biography as a way of noticing patterns in your own evolution and process.
Vesta in Water Signs:Devotion to ones’ feelings (Cancer), explorations of the taboo (Scorpio), or spiritual practice (Pisces) take on more importance. *The fiery nature of Vesta and the water sign placement soften the focus and call for sexual healing. Understand your energetic boundaries with sexuality and steer clear of spaces or situations where they may not be honored.
:: PALLAS ATHENE (ATHENA) :: Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Craft, Poetry, and War Named after Athena, who honors the prophecy and oracle in us all, Pallas holds the key to our hidden genius.
Illuminated Expressions: Wisdom as integration of intuition and intellect, pattern recognition, strategic thinking, artistic expression
Shadow Expressions: Over identification with intellect, rejection of the inner feminine, black and white thinking
Placement by Sign: Shows us where we have intuitive gifts or creative intelligence.
Pallas in Fire Signs:Harness your unique genius by initiating (Aries), creating (Leo), or larger-than-life visioning (Sagittarius). *Try martial arts such as kung fu or t’ai chi, or fencing, to harness the innate warrior intelligence. Pallas in Leo and Sag may want to channel the fiery nature into creativity with arts and crafts, or take up chess where pattern recognition and playfulness meet.
Pallas in Earth Signs:Creative intelligence could be well suited for art (Taurus), woodworking (Virgo), or architecture (Capricorn). *Pallas here wants foundational or practical skills. Use a hands-on approach for finding a creative outlet that allows for your own clarity of touch and intentionality.
Pallas in Air Signs: Explore your gifts in debate or speech class (Gemini), mediation (Libra), or activism (Aquarius). *Pallas in air utilizes her keen sense of wisdom, perception, and the power of words. Become an advocate for change and the breath of fresh air it brings to your mind.
Pallas in Water Signs: Notice patterns of emotion (Cancer), intensity (Scorpio), or dream interpretation (Pisces) *Pallas’ intuitive gifts become more obvious here and perception turns towards the feeling realm. Use your skills in music, film, psychotherapy, or photography.
:: JUNO :: Roman Goddess of Marriage and the Queen of the Gods Juno presides over marriage and business partnerships, and often indicates the type of person we marry or find it easy to commit to. She helps us differentiate between being attracted to someone versus what is a good long-term fit for us.
Illuminated Expressions: Balanced partnership that honors both individual purpose and connection through commitment, equality, and loyalty
Shadow Expressions: Attachment patterns, power struggles and jealousy in relationships, fears and manipulation, controlling expressions of the feminine that detach us from personal needs and selfhood
Placement by Sign: Understanding what motivates us to be in partnership, and how we can create both togetherness and individuality
Juno in Fire Signs:Relationships with excitement that also involve independence (Aries), admiration (Leo), and unified vision (Sagittarius) are all main motivators for partnerships. Keep an eye on passion that leads too far into drama or becomes destructive. *Look for potential partners at the gym or places where you can expand your horizons.
Juno in Earth Signs: Keeps an eye out for stability in relationship and looks for physical security (Taurus), day-to-day support (Virgo), and dependability (Capricorn). *Ideal long-term partners could include people you meet at work, or in more traditional ways such as friends of friends, or even a matchmaker.
Juno in Air Signs:Seeks mental stimulation (Gemini), equality (Libra), or freedom (Aquarius) in partnership. Honor the air element by honing communication skills in relationships and staying open to something more non-traditional. *Locations for cosmic connections could include school or community events.
Juno in Water Signs:Juno appreciates nurturing (Cancer), intimate bonding (Scorpio), and spiritual connection (Pisces).Juno here may also be prone to not see things clearly, so keep away from manipulation, power struggles, or fantasy. *Karmic partnerships may form at church, through family friends, or even at intense bastions of sexuality like strip clubs!
Rebecca, aka The Wild Witch of the West
Before becoming an astrologer more than seven years ago, “Wild Witch of the West” Rebecca Farrar was a huge skeptic. Now, she can’t imagine doing anything else! When not staring at her transits, she can be found wandering Ocean Beach, curled up with a good book, or “force” cuddling her kitty Freyja. For more cosmic musings, follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
In a world where we’re starved of genuine connection, Kumi Sawyers is a passionate advocate for the healing power of touch … Intro by Ruby Warrington.
A few months back, I had a “High Times Massage” with Kumi Sawyers, an NYC body-worker and yogini who’s work I’d be following for a while. Kumi uses a CBD massage oil in her sessions, and it’s fair to say I was feeling literally zero pain (or even all the edges of my being) when I floated off her table. But it wasn’t just the cannabinoids.
Kumi is a natural born healer; there is magic in her hands. And she believe the missing piece in many a wellness journey, is that we all need to be touched. When we sat down for her to tell me more about this, here’s what she had to say:
>>>
“A client will come to me and say, ‘I have this pain that doesn’t go away. I’m doing yoga and I’m seeing this physical therapist. I have my acupuncturist, I have my healer. I eat this and I eat that, and I’m doing all these things, but I’m still in so much pain.’ And it’s because there is blocked energy in their body.
All healing modalities talk about it, just with different names. Kundalini, Shakti, whatever you want to call it, it’s this energy that gets trapped. And it doesn’t matter what you eat. It doesn’t matter whether or not you talk about it with your therapist. You have to move the energy around. You have to recognize it, you have to feel it, and you have to associate with it as part of your body. It has to become alive, it has to join you. As soon as we connect to this, is when things begin to transform. To become beautiful, and vibrant, and alive, and abundant.
And the touch of another human hand is often the catalyst for this.
Touch is extremely powerful. There are even studies that show how what’s called ‘touch deprivation’ stops babies from growing and developing properly. I know that when I feel anxious, in order for me to calm down I need someone to hold me. Just hold me for a second. And yet we live in a world where people are afraid of touch. Where loving touch it is reserved for romantic partners; and in other situations, it can create a closeness we do not feel comfortable with.
People are choosing to rely on this false sense of connection instead. We think that because we’re friends on Instagram, it means that I care for you. But it doesn’t mean anything. It is a beautiful thing to feel connected to all these people, but the reality is we’re not. At the end of the day, we can go home and still feel very alone.
It should actually be: ‘I care for you because I show up for you. And when I see you I put my hand on you, and I listen to you, and I support you, no matter what.’ This is the currency, this is the energy exchange, that’s really healing and important in our development as human beings. Physical affection isn’t only sexual. Touch is another way of feeling. Of going beyond the superficial, and dropping down into the deep layers. Yet so many people are afraid to feel, and much of my work is to guide people comfortably into the depths.
Often people show up to my table very armored, guarded. The reason they can’t feel what’s going on in their bodies is because they don’t want to. To then come to me and to lie naked on my table and let me touch them, that is real vulnerability, real trust. And not everyone is ready for it, right away.
So I have to work with the nervous system. I have to prepare the body. I have to let them trust me, which means using really firm, but soft and consistent contact. To allow my touch to say to them, ‘I am here.’ And then slowly the body softens. And then people will let me in, and I can do the deeper work.
If I try to force my way, the body will just lock up. And then they’ll feel sore and agitated, and it’s a bad experience for everyone. The way you work with the body is the way you work with people. It’s the way that you work with your personal relationships. You can’t ever force somebody to be in a place where they’re not ready. There is a way of just being with people where they are, and guiding them through whatever experience they’re having.
When I go into somebody’s body and they’re like, ‘it’s too much, it’s too much,’ I tell them that I understand. And I ask them to breathe with me. I tell them that the only way to move this out of their body is to move through it, and that as soon as we get through this, there will be an opening. To trust me.
And that’s life. I can’t think of one thing I’ve done in my life that’s been meaningful that didn’t mean going through some really intense initiations. Beginning with the birth canal. That’s the work, and you can take this work and you can apply it to anything. You can apply it to body work, and to relationships, to careers, to politics.
People will try to bypass it. Like, ‘actually let’s skip around that. I’m going to just turn right.’ And you can keep turning right, and you’re going to arrive at a place where you look at your life, and you are not fulfilled. Where you’re suffering physically because you’re holding all that energy inside your body. Where your body can no longer move. Where you’re retaining water, your joints are not fluid, your skin is most likely doing some weird shit. Where your relationships are empty. And it’s sad. I see so many people make these decisions, and all because they weren’t ready to do the deep, uncomfortable work.
Ultimately, everybody wants to feel love, to feel happiness. They just don’t want to feel the discomfort. But anybody who thinks they can live without turbulence, that’s just not how it goes. You actually want the bumps, because it shows you’re feeling more. To really feel deeply about something is a gift. You want the turbulence, because the scarier it gets, the closer you know you’re moving towards something really beautiful.”
While the past month’s cataclysmic cosmic shifts may have you wanting to plunge heart first into massive change, slow your roll says Jennifer Racioppi. The Gemini Waning Quarter Moon wants you to listen in for the lessons, check in with your direction, and honor the threshold before you step through the portal …
:: Waning Quarter Moon :: September 13 2017 :: 2:24am EST :: 20 degrees Gemini
Listen in closely … Ideas, energy, motivation, and creativity are brewing …
Having just completed Mercury Retrograde, we’ve seen shadows, witnessed truth, and digested reality from a multitude of differing perspectives. And while many of us are feeling the urge to jump into action and to start implementing all the lessons we’ve learned, it’s not quite time yet.
We are inching our way towards next week’s Fall Equinox, when the Sun will shift into Libra and the Earth will reach a point of equanimity, marking a balance between light and dark. But first, we have to ride out the last degrees of the Sun traveling through mutable Virgo, the Gemini Waning Quarter Moon, and a New Moon on the 19th, which ask us to assimilate the impact of the most recent cosmic events so we can launch our lives forward.
This turning point in the year marks a crucial point to check in and affirm our intended direction. And with the Gemini Waning Quarter Moon opposing Saturn, the message is to slow your roll and listen before plunging forward.
Come the next New moon and Equinox, you’ll have some clear, mature, and wise inner guidance to inform your next steps.
>>>
:: The Sun :: With the Sun at 20 degrees of Virgo squaring Saturn—the planet of lessons, maturity, and growth—the Gemini Waning Quarter Moon has the word “ouch” written all over it.
But, the truth is, Saturn’s position to the Sun offers us the potent medicine of seeing, reconciling, and integrating wisdom. Warning: this is not the time to push forward with an agenda driven by ego. Instead, digest, integrate, and listen to your truth so you can adjust your stance and evolve.
:: The Moon :: With the Moon in quick witted Gemini, the seduction of speed abounds. However, since this Waning Quarter Moon faces an opposition from serious Saturn, throw on the brakes. Rather than hastily moving forward, tune into Gemini’s secret superpower of *listening* instead.
:: The Square :: With the Sun in Virgo squaring the Moon in mutable Gemini, making a mutable T-square with Saturn, this Waning Quarter Moon brings up quite a bit to be reconciled.
The upside? Like a grain of sand transforming into an iridescent pearl inside of a mollusk, the pressure of Saturn forces you into your growth. **Pro tip: The more you lean into this, the easier it is.
:: The Message :: Pause. This Waning Quarter Moon asks that you take time for introspection. Slow down. Look within. Think about what you need to release before plunging forward into your goals.
With a new season around the corner, it’s essential to review where you’ve been. Now’s the time to go slow, and listen, so you don’t miss any of the wisdom coming your way. In another week you’ll be ready to move forward. Until then, do your best to see and hear as much as you can.
For more Moon wisdom or to book a coaching session with Jennifer visit Jenniferracioppi.com. And to learn more about how to work with each Moon phase, check out Moon Club, our community of lunar loving cosmic change makers!
Lost both your mystical practice and your fitness routine in a sea of BBQs and long-weekends away? In the inaugural installment of his Fitness Witch column, Russ Marshalek shares 4 on-the-go magic workouts for fall, that will fast track you back towards body alchemy.
Image: “Sigil for Strong Bones” by Jon Iñaki
:: A Life on the Road: Taco Bell & Alchemy :: After having steeped myself in my practice to cope with a remarkably terrible 2016, full of betrayals and trauma, magic had become literally just one more thing to cross off on a daily list of to-dos. Not coincidentally, I’d also had a falling off in my personal fitness practice.
As I embarked on a two-week tour this summer with my band, a place both wonderful and strange, I realized I’d come to an impasse in my personal practice as a self-trained fitness witch.
As we set out, I had fully resigned myself to embracing a traditional “dude on the road with his band” approach to physical and spiritual wellness: Taco Bell, drinking heavily, occasional substance consumption, Applebees, gas station fountain drinks, sleeping in every morning until the last possible second.
At the last minute, I threw a kettlebell and a shitty yoga mat in the trunk as an attempt to appease my own ever-dwindling sense of self-care. This worked out fairly well for me for a few days, and I blocked out the existence of my body while subsisting solely on bottles of Chardonnay and vegan-friendly trash food (and some pretty trashy non-vegan, food too).
Then, one morning I woke up sobbing and in that hilarious and terrifying way people discuss Ayahuasca trips, I had a 6-hour chat with myself in the back seat of the car and came to a few fundamental truths:
That I simply wasn’t drinking enough water. That performing every night both deserved and required a spiritual and physical groundedness and presence that I had been outright ignoring. And that I was a fucking lucky duck; I had the opportunity to travel for work and get paid for creating art, every night, with two of my best friends.
In short, I owed it to everyone involved, myself included, to actually show up for it.
From that day forward, I was never without a bottle of water, I started performing simple offerings to local spirits in each town we visited, and I developed a simple on-the-road exercise routine coupled with daily rituals.
Within two days of kicking my own ass into realizing that my body was unwell because my spirit was unwell, and vice versa, I was happier, more energized, and the shows that ended the tour were the best we’d ever done.
It took me being hundreds of miles away from home for me to be reminded that the true meaning of “self-care” isn’t “tuck inside a brownie and a blanket” but rather “make sure you’re as well as you can be in body and spirit.” And the true meaning of “giving a good performance” is basically the same.
Whether you’re literally on-the-go, or just feeling far from home, here are 4 magic workouts for fall to up your mystical body mojo …
>>>
1/ Get Out Regardless of where you are and what the situation is, there’s comfort and solace to be found in exploring local nature. It’s where we came from, and it’s where we are going.
Fitness: Get up as early as makes sense, lace up your sneakers, find a park or path, and go for a 20 minute jog or brisk walk. Recognize and acknowledge the foliage, the rocks, the ways in which nature finds a way.
Magic: On your journey into nature, find a patch of green that’s particularly appealing to you, and make an offering to local spirits. Alternate between drinking water from your water bottle, ideally filled with water from a local source, and pouring it on the ground as you recite the following:
Spirits of this place in which I dwell/Please accept this offering/May it multiply to the 10 directions and take the form that is most pleasing to you/Take your fill and maintain peace between me and thee/So shall it be *Drafted by Vanessa Irena and inspired by the writings of Jason Miller
Feel at peace in your surroundings.
Music: a place both wonderful and strange, “W*tch”
>>>
2// Peace In Discomfort The assimilation/accommodation process is an incredibly valuable and powerful one when in any type of new environment, and particularly so when you’re away from your literal home or just out of your comfort zone. Learn how to be at peace with the discomfort of the unfamiliar.
Fitness: This is a modified version of a routine I developed myself for use on the road, and requires nothing more than a yoga mat and a kettle bell.
Experiment with using just a little more weight than you’re comfortable with (safely of course). If you don’t have a kettle bell, find a heavy thing–other free weights/hand weights, phone books, flanks of meat, a cat. If you don’t have a yoga mat, just make sure the surface you’re on is soft enough to not destroy your knees and tailbone. Grass is a wonderful substitute.
20 kettle bell squats/20 kettle bell swings/20 Russian twists/Plank for 30 seconds/Repeat 3x. **If this is too easy and you want to really shake yourself up, feel free to add more reps or sets. I do 5 sets of 30, with a 90 second plank in each.
Magic: A simple mind-clearing ritual to help achieve calmness and clarity. It’s best to perform this at an open window or outside. Light a yellow candle, face towards the open window, close your eyes, and recite:
I call upon the power of Air/To clear the mind of confusion/To focus my thinking/And blow away the clutter/That keeps me from making good choices/Blow in the winds of clarity/And help me to think rationally and clearly/So Mote It Be *Adapted from Witches of the Craft
Imagine any internal strife quieting. Take three slow, deep breaths. Open your eyes. Leave the yellow candle burning as long as possible.
3// Mother Night We owe a debt of gratitude to the Moon and as such, it’s only fitting that we get outside and both observe and pay tribute to her.
Fitness:Under the cover of night, find a space that’s safe, that’s just yours, and take your clothes off. The freeing feeling of being naked, at night, and sweating, is an unbelievable, freeing high like no other. Do any routine that feels good and challenging to you. If you’re stumped, repeat the routine from #1, noticing how different your body feels.
Magic: Ideally, you’d be performing this simple blessing honoring the Moon after having just completed the workout above, and would still be nude. Sit crosslegged, with your palms resting on your knees facing up, in view of the Moon. Take a moment to ponder it in whatever form it’s presenting on this night. Unlike most rituals, don’t close your eyes–continue staring at the Moon, and allow its magic to dance in your mind. Repeat the following:
Mother Moon/I am restored by you/I am divinely protected by you/Help me feel your strength/Help me feel your power
4// Sleep Well, Beast When in unfamiliar or uncomfortable territory, our inner life can turn to a raging beast that causes us to sacrifice our own sense of well-being. For many, myself included, the first thing that that gets thrown out the window is a good night’s sleep. When I don’t sleep well, I have maybe about a day’s reserve of top-level adult functionality before I begin to get angry, withdrawn, and paranoid. In those situations, sleep is quite literally the only cure.
Fitness: There’s literally nothing like bedtime yoga to help with sleep. This Popsugar routine helped me find a good night’s sleep on the road.
Magic: Sit crosslegged in a quiet, dark, cool spot. Close your eyes. Feel your breathing as you breathe deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth. Become aware of your breath and your body.
Inhale through the nose for a count of six/Hold for 3 seconds/Exhale through the nose for a count of six/Hold again for 3 seconds/Repeat this series four more times.
Imagine your body as a slowly glowing, calming blue light, originating at your heart and slowly spreading to the rest of your body. Feel gratitude for yourself, your body, and your accomplishments of the day.
Laying out your crystals and setting intentions for the emo Pisces Full Moon? Supercharge your ceremonies and activate the magic of nature by adding essential oils for every Moon phase, says Amanda Maybroda.
Using Essential Oils during the Moon cycle is like a triple shot of espresso (wake up call!!) to all your healthy cells. All without the jitters or any negative side effects …
Just like we place some of our crystals under the moonlight to clean and re-charge, the Moon’s energy gives oils a little extra mojo.
If we sync our oils with the cycle, we can use them to amplify and open our receptors to all the good ju ju that’s available to download and receive. Combine the oils below or use alone … have fun with it!
**Note: Only ingest oils that are therapeutic grade and cleared for internal use. I recommend doTERRA.
>>>
:: NEW MOON :: The New Moon is a Re-birth, new beginning, fresh start. It’s a great opportunity to manifest what we desire and allows us to cut the cords that no longer serve us. These oils help plant new seeds, literally and figuratively …
Hawaiian Sandalwood supports your sexual energy and, in turn, your creativity. As the Moon moves towards waxing, it’s time to get those juices flowing and open your mind to new opportunities and resources. Activate It: To help increase creative and sexual flow, apply to all lower chakras. You can also apply it to wrists, back of knees, cervical spine, feet, ankles and third eye- its grounding and manifesting ability may surprise you.
Patchouli is both an aphrodisiac, and a digester of toxic materials. Perfect for officially cutting the cord to any blocks or stagnation as you start fresh for the New Moon! Activate It: Take a drop in a veggie cap to release what no longer serves you. Or mix a drop of this oil into your Sandalwood as you apply to your lower chakras.
Holy Grailis a signature blend of mine that allows your soul to travel the cosmos and gather information and resources, and allows your body to create the grids needed to anchor into this dimension. Perfect for receiving all the new info available for download during the New Moon. Activate It: Try hand diffusing and then cupping your closed eyes for a few breaths. And make sure to have your journal handy for all the new ideas you’ll be receiving!
>>>
:: WAXING MOON :: This is a phase of regeneration when our bodies are able to absorb most efficiently and easefully. It’s a time to fortify, strengthen, and replenish our bodies, souls, energetic fields, and resources.
Juniper Berry supports the nervous system, regeneration, and replenishment by bolstering feelings of love, peace, and wellbeing. As your body transforms into a balanced and harmonious vessel, your energy field literally begins to strengthen. Activate It: Do hand diffusions throughout the day, taking 6 good deep breaths. And throw this baby in the diffuser at night (that’s when we repair ourselves the most). Juniper Berry can also be applied to the front and back of the heart to help activate its replenishing properties.
Rosemary helps memory and our ability to trust the process. The Waxing Moon is a gestation period, during which we can’t always see the trajectory of our movement or the end result of our intentions. Rosemary supports the motivation and courage we need during this phase by boosting clarity, endorphins, and brain functioning. It’s an oil for breakthroughs! Activate It: Apply Rosemary to the base of neck, occipitals, and top of head to bring clarity. Apply it to the bottom of your feet to give the seeds you planted some extra love. And put some in your salad dressing or sprinkle on some red roasted potatoes- ingesting neutralizes stress and helps move stagnant energy.
Lavender supplies patience as we fortify during the Waxing Moon phase. Sometimes our outer worlds don’t catch up as quickly as we want, and this oil helps infuse the trust of Divine Timing into any type of preparation work. Activate It: Combine in with your favorite carrier oil (i.e. coconut or olive oil) and lather yourself generously, paying special attention to your ankles and hips. Diffuse Lavender by itself, or with Juniper Berry and Rosemary, to bring you into the present moment and back to the patience that is needed during this phase.
>>>
:: FULL MOON :: This part of the cycle is a yummy energetic time for experiencing amplified feelings and experiences. Our bodies go through a lot on this planet, and this phase asks us to open the heart chakras, get grounded, listen to our bodies, and amp up the self-love!
*Create a sacred space with these oils and have a release. Cry, kick, scream if you need too … and trust that they will literally help you transform it all.
Cedarwood’s luscious grounding and sedatitive abilities help us root deeper and feel beautiful. It’s also very cleansing and has a diuretic effect that helps with body release during the Full Moon. Activate It: Apply the Cedarwood to your feet, ankles, tailbone, and sternum. Step outside if you can and walk barefoot on our beautiful earth mama!
Yang Ylang softens that heart chakra, amplifies your sensuality, and deepens your connection to self. Activate It: Put a few drops in a salt bath and tell your body all the reasons you’re grateful for it and why you love it SO much!
Peppermint’s antiseptic and uplifting properties facilitate any physical or energetic cleaning out to create an environment for emotional and spiritual growth. Activate It: Try hand diffusing peppermint- inhale and apply to your energetic field. This is done by rubbing oils between palms and then dancing around and painting your field with it. (The dancing part isn’t mandatory but highly suggested for Full Moon party vibes!)
>>>
:: WANING MOON :: The waning gibbous moon brings about instinctual growth, subconscious enlightenment and an opportunity to clarify our values. This is a time of deep internal rest, meditation, self analysis, and reconnection to our cozy internal home as we prepare for the New Moon. This final stage of the process allows us to release, pivot, banish, and break unhealthy habits, relationships, behaviors, patterns, and thought forms as we prepare for rebirth.
Frankincense helps to re-pattern, re-generate and re-parent ourselves. I can confidently say this was one of the main oils I used in healing my own PTSD. Working intentionally with this oil can truly heal and release those negative habits, patterns, and thought forms. Activate It: To allow for your values to clearly present themselves, mix with a carrier oil of your choice and give your scalp some extra TLC with a massage. For instinctual growth and immunity stimulation, place a drop under your tongue.
Geranium allows the body to recuperate from all that deep work that has been done releasing and re-patterning during the entire Moon cycle. This oil is also an antidepressant and can help any heavy feelings associated with this deep phase of the Moon. Give yourself permission to really take some time to rest. Activate It: Take a salt bath with some Geranium and any flower petals you may have. Bathing is a perfect New Moon prep activity during the Waning Moon cycle because it allows every cell and system to relax so that we will be able to launch forward to receive during the next phase.
Holy Ghost (another of my signature blends) has the mother, father, purifier, and exciter of oils all in one, and balances your Divine Masculine and Feminine energies. As we prepare for the New Moon, this oil helps release any stress, worry, doubt or fear that may be associated with transition or rebirth. Activate It: Take a few drops under your tongue before meditation. Or use as a spray or through a diffusor to cleanse and shift the environmental energy towards openness, balance, and support.
>>>
Amanda Maybroda is an LA-based Intuitive Alchemist, Spiritual Wellness Coach, speaker, author, and founder of I AM Elementals. Known as the “go-to witch doctor” in her community, she uses high-vibe nature energies and elements to create custom blends, mantras, yoga practices, and meditations that support each client’s health, desired intentions, and frequencies.
**I AM Elementals is brand new to the IG game! Follow her HERE, and make sure to snag one of the final spots for her next private coaching sessions (starting October 1, 2017, and January 1, 2018) by emailing [email protected]
The 2017 Pisces Full Moon wants you to tap into the creative power of your dreams, and wake up to the magic that already surrounds you, says Sandra Sitron.
Full Moon :: September 6 2017 :: 3:04am ET :: 13 degrees Pisces
You are picking flowers. Juicy petals flutter to the ground. More and more petals. They come in all colors like a fan of paint chips arranged by category, number, and increasingly contrived moniker. The flower petals are so delicious they could offer you nutrition for days. You chew and chew and still can’t get enough of their gummy colors.
It’s a dream and you wake up. The flowers are no longer edible and the colors fade away. What is a dream? A trip to another dimension or a subconscious construction?
With the dreamboat 2017 Pisces Full Moon opposite the meticulous Sun in Virgo, we’re asked to explore the intersection between effervescent vision and corporeal reality.
This Moon’s message is that if you remain aware of the power of the Now, you can transcend your mundane problems and make contact with an otherworldly dimension. Once you get there, it’s easy to remember your soul’s true state of love and connection.
You just have to let yourself live in the dream. Look for the magic in every moment …
Wash the dishes and feel every drip of water that runs through your fingers. Ride the subway and become acutely aware of the sounds the train makes as it pulls into the station. Transcend to an ultra-reality of higher sensory perception. Once you do, another version of this earthly reality will present itself.
The normal will morph into the magical. What you thought was an everyday occurrence, like picking a flower in a field, will easily become an enchanted encounter. This energy has the power to make your river of reality evaporate into a misty spiritual awakening.
It’s hard to stay grounded with a Moon like this one. But that is what you must do. Because this Moon opens a portal between reality and fantasy. Pump up your awareness of your everyday experiences so they become technicolor moments. These meditative moments will allow you to channel endless streams of creativity. Get yourself so neatly positioned in the moment that you bust right out of it and into infinity.
You are magic and every mundane breath you take can lead you to a fantastical awakening …
>>>
Full Moon Conjunct Neptune Children in costumes. Playing make-believe. Activate your imagination. This aspect brings a big opportunity for magic, synchronicity, and intuitive connection. Slow way down to benefit from this transit. Allow yourself to be sleeping and dreamy. This is a great moment to strengthen your connection with your higher self.
With this aspect, it may be challenging to come up with concrete and logical ideas. But creativity is enhanced. Take advantage of this opportunity for more right-brained thinking, and don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re feeling foggy or confused.
Full Moon Inconjunct Venus The runt of the litter. The runt needs just as much love and nurturance as any other puppy, but luck is working against it. This Full Moon brings some frustrated energy when it comes to love and relationships. Keep focused on the lesson and the learning that can come from any challenge. Remember that maintaining a loving relationship with yourself is of utmost importance.
Full Moon Sextile Pluto A clearly defined ritual. Transformation is certain. The path to growth is clearly supported. The secret is to look at your shadow. Honor your full experience and don’t try to sugarcoat anything. Let yourself feel all of your feelings, while at the same time taking full responsibility for them.
The 2017 Pisces Full Moon is in a harmonious aspect with transformational Pluto, and this can help you release and let go in just the right way. Create a ritual that allows you to mark your passage into a new phase.
>>>
The study questions below are to help you get deeper into what the 2017 Pisces Full Moon means for you. Use them as journal prompts. For the most accurate reading, look to which house holds 13 degrees Pisces in you chart and use the question for that house.
***New to your birth chart? Calculate yours for free HERE …
Aries or Full Moon in the 12th house What does your higher self have to say about an important issue in your life? Start a conversation; ask: “What do you want me to know?”
Taurus or Full Moon in the 11th house Are your beliefs and values reflected in your community? Why or why not?
Gemini or Full Moon in the 10th house What are your career goals? In what area are you ready to step up and take more responsibility?
Cancer or Full Moon in the 9th house When will you explore something new this week? This could be a spiritual, mental, or physical exploration.
Leo or Full Moon in the 8th house What are you willing to let go of? What kind of ritual can you create to allow this to happen?
Virgo or Full Moon in the 7th house What needs to be communicated in an important relationship?
Libra or Full Moon in the 6th house What new habits for health and wellness are you ready to create? What will help your being to thrive?
Scorpio or Full Moon in the 5th house How can you surprise yourself with your own creativity? How can you open this portal with laughter?
Sagittarius or Full Moon in the 4th house What message does your Inner Child need to hear to feel more safe and nurtured in the world?
Capricorn or Full Moon in the 3rd house What outdated belief are you ready to reframe? What internal stories are ready to be re-written?
Aquarius or Full Moon in the 2nd house What are your resources? Make a list.
Pisces or Full Moon in the 1st house In what area of your life are you ready to take action and put your full self forward?
Want more wisdom? Book a reading with Sandra here.
As we stand on the edge of a new seasonal cycle, the Ace of Swords wants us to get ready for the lightening bolt and act on creative inspiration, says Lindsay Mack.
Happy turn around the sun, sweet Virgo! You are celebrating your birth month with one of the most exciting and beloved cards in the Tarot, the Queen of Wands. Ruled by the dual elements of fire and water, Queen of Wands is all things. She is the witch of the deck, the alchemist, the sexual goddess and the spirit of creative genius. She is a direct channel to Divine, she trusts her intuition, and allows her creativity to flow from her like rainwater. She is quiet about it, too. Indeed, Queen of Wands doesn’t need to talk about these aspects of herself — she just is, beaming her magic out into the world with every step she takes. You are being asked to embody Queen of Wands energy this month, sweet Virgo, allowing yourself to walk through the world radiating these qualities. Rather than wholly relying on your beautifully honed intellect and ability to analyze, you’re being invited to allow your inner knowing to guide the way even more deeply this month.
This shift in energy will organically lead you to some totally new experiences in September and beyond. It is making way for new collaborations, new ideas, inspirations, moments of brilliance and a greater felt experience of total empowerment and personal magic. This card’s reach is transformative. Your only job is to be willing, loves. Willing to allow this alchemical energy into your life, willing to let it sit at the table of your heart. It will be helping to literally redefine your sense of self, and your beliefs about what you are capable of. Leave room for mystery this month. Embrace wabi-sabi in all things. Push against your comfort zone, trust yourself in crucial moments, let the fire and water within you, the passion and the deep knowing, dance as one. The result be will amazing.
Rejoice, dear Libra! Do a little dance and get excited — you are moving through the amazing Ten of Cups this month, an energy that you have earned with your hard work, one that is enormously deserved.
Ten of Cups is romanticized for a reason — it’s pretty spectacular. It represents the joyful end of an emotional cycle, typically one that has been rife with inner turmoil. The journey in the Cups from the Ace to the Ten is an intense one, filled with many lessons. In the Cups, we learn to move through great loss, we learn to trust our intuition (even through the din of fear and huge emotions), and we open ourselves to love, to the perfection of the beauty all around us. Ten of Cups is the payoff to this struggle, and it can come into our lives in many ways.
Ten of Cups can be an experience of getting everything we want, our dreams coming true, and living happily ever after, but that’s not always the case. What Ten of Cups gifts to us, above all things, is the opportunity to genuinely love, accept, and appreciate the present moment, giving thanks for all that we do have. You have the opportunity to taste the fruits of trust and peace in your life, Libra — even if you aren’t where you’d like to be, even if you don’t have your beloved by your side yet, even if you are still learning, still figuring stuff out. Wherever you are is perfect, and you get to practice leaning into that, regardless of where you are in your life, which will only make you more available to greater joy and more blessings. This is the true gift of Ten of Cups, and — dare I say it — the key to a happy life. It’s an invaluable lesson. Be here for it.
Knight of Wands reversed has a very important message for you this month, Scorpio: have more fun. This archetype is letting you know that life has become too starchy, too devoid of play and spirited joy. September will be your opportunity to change that in a lasting way. Much is spoken of your intensity and sexual energy — you are also spectacularly hard workers. When that fixed sign work ethic drifts too far left of center, it can turn life into one big responsibility, with no moments left for relaxation, or restoration, not to mention fun. Be willing to look deeply at your beliefs about play. Is it just for kids? A waste of time? Does it make you anxious, believing that your time could be spend on more productive things? If so, it’s time to recenter from the foundation up. You not only need moments of unstructured creative time, but you also need to shake things up with some fun. Whether that means working on a side project, playing on a basketball team, taking a weekly class, or taking up ballet, it doesn’t matter. Empower yourself to shift your relationship to the value of fun, whatever that means to you.
Knight of Wands is a being that moves through the world with the desire to bring great joy to those that he comes into contact with — he wants to have an impact, wants to be seen and remembered. You are giving this gift to yourself this month, Scorpio. Show up for yourself on a new level, and be willing to get really uncomfortable with how much fun you allow yourself to have. The benefits of this shift are invaluable. It will infuse new life into your work, will open your intuition, and will reconnect you with your loved ones. This month, commit to the hardest work of all: play.
SAGITTARIUS :: SAGITTARIUS RISING Two of Swords, Rx
September is all about self care for you, Sagittarius — both making it a priority in your life, no matter how busy you are, and upgrading it to a new level going forward. Two of Swords is a very powerful and important energy, one that offers us a crucial barometer around our brain chemistry, mental well being, and energetic boundaries. When we receive it in a reading, we need to clear, take space, process things mentally, and return to our center. This card employs a fierceness of spirit around self care that, unfortunately, can be misunderstood all too easily as someone who is too cold, too distant and stand-offish. Two of Swords, however, invites us to pay it no mind — she encourages us to take the space and time we need without explanation.
Put simply, loves, you need to take some space and it’s not happening. There is a need for greater gentleness around the nervous system that’s not being honored. So, what do you do with this information? Inquire around where and why that might be, and make changes accordingly. It’s not because you did anything wrong, or you aren’t paying attention — quite the contrary. It’s most likely because many of you are in deep process, evolving along with everyone else on the planet, and what used to work for you in terms of self care now needs to be expanded and reevaluated. It’s that simple. Whether it’s bodywork, more time in nature, upping your hydration, tweaking your diet, or just more restorative time in general, Two of Swords is calling, and it is crucial to heed her invitation. Make zero apologies. Do not explain yourself when you need space. Trust your intuition around social media, your phone, or the company of certain people in your life. Take the space, and see how much more supported you feel.
I have three words for your September, Capricorn: Go for it! Whatever you are envisioning, planning, creating or dreaming of, go for it. Divine timing is on your side to make almost anything happen this month. Gather your courage, center yourself, and seize the chance to birth your next great project, task or idea into the world. Committing to these energies may stretch you to your limits in many ways — but what excites you more than that, Capricorn? What thrills you more than a juicy challenge, and a chance to work hard on something that stimulates you? Page of Swords coming together with Virgo season is going to unfold like a dream come true, offering the perfect support system for you to birth these ideas into the world. Take advantage of it.
Page of Swords is a powerful archetype, ruled by air and earth. He is someone who has done the work mentally and energetically to ready himself for something new. His hopes are high, his vision is clear, he feels good, and he is chomping at the bit to have his “shot.” He has knowledge he wants to share, thoughts he wants to communicate, people he deeply wants to serve. The air/earth combination aids him greatly in being able to accomplish this, grounding his visions with enough practicality to make them feasible. In other words, Capricorn, go for it. You are ready. You have moved through the big contractive energies of the last several months, learning your lessons, trusting in timing, learning the art of leaving room for mystery — now you get to move forward, armed with the wisdom gained from the last cycle. If you are feeling scared, ask for support around your next big steps. If you’re willing to be bold and brave, you will have everything you need to make it happen.
September promises to be a very delicious month for you, Aquarius, ripe with potential opportunities and exciting choices. Two of Wands is an energetic fresh start, and represents a time when the possibilities of our life expand enormously. We begin to have options where we didn’t before, and our interests may be aroused in many different directions. Your sacred opportunity this month will be to make some very important choices around your next steps. This might feel tough in moments, because any path that Two of Wands offers brings something amazing. It’s really a win no matter what, which is is an awesome situation to be in.
Two of Wands is about letting our hearts be guided by the wisdom of our experience, a choice that is largely guided by an earned instinct. You are changing, Aquarius. You have been through a deep journey in the last year, and some of that is beginning to shift. The skies have been very changeable for you this year, bringing you into some powerful lessons and, in some cases, extraordinary change. The path ahead is clearer, brighter, more rich with possibility. Any rut that you’ve been in, energetically or otherwise, is most definitely coming to an end. Life is going to start getting a lot more exciting, the future opening up in some amazing ways. You may feel like you’re at a crossroads of sorts this month, Aquarius, but it won’t be a painful one. The toughest part of Two of Wands is figuring out where to point our compass because every option feels wonderful.
If you can gently temper the excitement you may feel with a little reflection, it will help enormously. You will make the choice that’s best for you, Aquarius. Trust your heart, and give yourself time to drop into what your soul is really longing for.
You are moving through Five of Cups this month, Pisces, and I won’t lie to you: you’re going to be swimming in some deep waters. But when has that been a problem for you? You are the most experienced deep divers in the Zodiac, regularly swimming into parts of the heart and caves of the soul that many never visit in their lifetime. You are being invited to embrace this part of yourself — it is one of your most awe-inspiring superpowers.
Five of Cups is a kind of emotional contraction, a lesson we move through in order to more deeply trust in the temporal nature of our emotions. Being in Five of Cups can often feel like we cannot see the way forward, that we will be stuck in a situation forever. This card can arise around a totally innocuous inner experience, or it can be as blunt as grief over the loss of a loved one, heartbreak, or a flood of old emotions returning. In the traditional Smith-Rider-Waite card, we see a man grieving over three spilled cups, his back turned to the two full cups behind him. The medicine of this card is inviting you to turn to the “full cups” in your life — what awaits you, and lives on the other side of your emotional experience. There, a treasure awaits, one that will contain what you need in order to move forward.
These treasures are earned through the power of your soul work, Pisces, and enrich every part of you. They strengthen your gifts, expand your intuition, and bless you with greater wisdom and deeper knowing. September is one of those months, one that will invite you to dive deep, and certainly one that will yield its weight in expansion, inner richness and golden wisdom. Trust it, and take the leap.
September is your month, Aries. The path ahead is bright, clear, and practically golden in its potential. Take advantage of it fully, leaning into every bit of the magic and alchemy that await you in the upcoming cycle. You are moving through the Akashic Records card in September, and put simply, it’s a really, really big deal. This card showing up in a reading is extraordinarily rare, and the medicine it brings is highly advanced and deeply effective.
The Akashic Records themselves are a kind of Universal file folder of divine information. When we tune into the Akashic Records, it is said that we can gain wisdom and answers around anything in the Universe that has ever been, or ever will be. You are in this kind of powerful energy this month, Aries, and it is guiding you toward your next big expansion, both as a collective sign, and as individuals. Know that you have the power to shift your karma this month, to change the direction of your patterns — the potential is endless, and promises to be incredibly magical.
The month ahead will be full of spectacular blessings and opportunities to expand exponentially, but you have to work. You have to show up, doing your part. Whatever you bring forward, Divine will double it. This is the month to say “fuck you” to fear, to doubt, to past pain, to old traumas that have been holding you back. Show up, shine your light, share what has been in your heart, and take the next step in your soul’s evolution. It’s going to take everything you’ve got, but you’re up for it. Rather than thinking of it as an intense or draining time, think about yourself as a kind of athlete, training for the Olympics. You are ready for this — you can do it.
You are moving through the advanced medicine of Five of Crystals, or Pentacles this month, sweet Taurus. It is here to let you know that what you want — what you’ve wished for and longed to manifest — is coming. It is on its way, being hand delivered to you, and you are being asked to be trusting and patient with its arrival time. It’s tough, but you can do it.
Five of Pentacles is an advanced energy because it typically asks us to move through a challenge of some kind. It will also ask us to stay very centered through the unfolding of it, rooted in our truth. It doesn’t matter where this card shows up in your life, it’s job is to test your trust, and to help you relax into this moment, unknown as it may be. Empower yourself to stay as cool as you can. Five of Pentacles never lasts long, and it’s usually totally up to us as to whether it’s a slightly uncomfortable experience, or a dreadful experience. Your choice, loves — choose wisely.
Fives in the Tarot are always contractive. They literally squeeze us in order to expand us, readying us for a birth of some kind. When we resist a contraction, we are just uncomfortable for a longer period of time. When we give into them, surrendering and honoring the lesson, we make room for new. Five of Pentacles is often unfairly thought of as a card of money trouble, which is such a limited view of it. If it does affect your abundance this month, Taurus, it is only an energetic sign that you are expanding, preparing to receive more. Get curious around what you might perceive as setbacks and delays. They really are bringing a gift. Once trust in the timing is infused, everything you’ve been waiting for will flood right in.
You are cycling through the Death card this month, Gemini. September promises to be a deep time of powerful renewal, incredible lessons, and — of course — releasing what no longer serves your life. Whether this sacred death is a external one (marriage/relationship, job, apartment, a big move), or an internal one, space is being made for something new to grow. Trust it with all your might, sweet ones. There is nothing to fear from this card, I promise you. As much as you might not want to say goodbye, the thing you are releasing can serve you better in another form. Death never comes unless it’s truly time for that aspect of your life to go.
Ruled by Scorpio, the Death card never bodes an actual, physical death. The Death card is about an energetic death, about spiralic change and the turn of the wheel of life. It is in a snake shedding its skin, in the changing of the seasons — the last golden leaf falling from a barren tree, preparing at last to rest for the winter. It is the transmutation of one thing into another, and the honoring of that process. We eat food, then we become food. The weeds in our garden can become sacred compost, fertilizing the new, encouraging it to grow. This card brings transformation to all who are touched by it, letting us know that an old part of us must die away in order for us to move forward, growing as we need to be. Because this card represents an ego death, it can be intense for us to move through it. Honor any discomfort that may come up for you around it, perhaps even grieve it in your way, but no matter what this is coming up around, it is making space for something amazing to come in. Trust and release.
September is a kind of review for you, Cancer, one in which you will be called upon to be very present around your emotional boundaries. What you say yes and no to this month will be of the utmost importance to consider. Your reserves will be precious, so it will be crucial to make sure you are moving forward with something only when you truly feel good about it. Saying yes when it’s really a no can have some consequences this month: think getting sick, feeling drained, etc. You all have so much light to share, but your nervous systems need a lot of down time to regenerate after being out in the world. That’s okay — just honor it. Four of Cups is a sign that that honoring is not happening as it needs to. Now you have to check in around why that might be.
Four of Cups reversed is a powerful energy, and one that can be challenging to anyone with a heavy fear of missing out, whether it be on experiences, opportunities, or relationships. It comes at a moment when we are emotionally full, and in order to digest our feelings and experiences, we need to take a gentle break around mindless intaking. We have to integrate. Honor your need to take this time, Cancer. If you continue to drink while you’re still hungover, you’ll always be sick. Honor your instinct and your truth, allowing your words to be a reflection of that. Trust that you can miss nothing that is meant for you, giving yourself the gift of pausing long and hard before you commit to anything this month. September is a reset, and a chance to heighten your integrity and personal commitment to your self care. Embracing it will bring in more abundance than you could ever imagine.
You are moving through the medicine of Nine of Swords this month, Leo — diving deeply into a powerful invitation to face your fears and find a sense of personal equilibrium in a time of uncertainty. Indeed, nothing in the tangible realm will necessarily be in flux, or creating an external source of fear — in other words, the fear brought up in Nine of Swords may be coming solely from your own mind, but that doesn’t make it any less legitimate. The experience can be uncomfortable, no matter what. The work you will be welcomed into this month will be to pull up a chair to your fear, invite your doubts and “what ifs” to tea. To listen to yourself, and inquire around what might be happening in your mind that you don’t necessarily want to hang out with all the time. Honoring this invitation will be a deep liberation to your spirit, empowering you to not only face what scares you, but to befriend it. Once we face a fear, it becomes an ally, one that can provide enormous strength and self compassion. Trust what it’s bringing, and allow it to really transform you this month.
Often, Nine of Swords arises in a reading when we are about to do something exciting, awesome, or expansive. The brain can get frightened of losing control over us, and can pump out all kinds of fears, doubts, terrors, “what ifs,” and nightmares, all to keep us in familiar territory. It will be crucially important to ask yourself if you are in one of those times in your life, Leo. If so, Nine of Swords is, dare I say it, a very positive card bringing a very important message for you. Face your fears, and find excitement and empowerment on the other side of the journey.
