Love chocolate? Well chocolate loves YOU! We discover how in ceremonial doses, raw cacao is a powerful heart opener that paves the way to transformation through self-love…
Heart Beats Raw Cacao and Dance Ceremonies founder Guinevere Short
A while back, we had an intern working at The Numinous who celebrated turning 21 at a raw cacao ceremony. “Most of my friends would have been downing shots of tequila…but I was getting high on chocolate!” she joked. But it turns out raw, ceremonial grade cacao has been used for centuries to unlock euphoric states, release negative emotions, and connect to pure heart energy.
Chocolate + ecstatic healing and transformation. Seriously, is anybody NOT down for some of that?
Guinevere Short has been working with cacao in ceremony since she founded Heart Beats Raw Cacao and Dance Ceremonies in 2013. We got her to give us the lowdown on why chocolate is essentially a catalyst to radical self-love…
WHERE AND WHEN DID CACAO CEREMONIES ORIGINATE? It’s thought cacao was first used as a health elixir and ceremonial medicine as far back as 1900 BC by the ancestors of Central America, the Olmec people, before becoming a ritualistic medicine used by the Aztec and Mayan cultures. Signifying both life and fertility, it was ingested by Royalty in ceremonial God worship and in sacrificial ritual.
CACAO IS ASSOCIATED WITH UNIVERSAL LOVE – WHY IS THIS? IS THIS WHY WE GIFT CHOCOLATE TO OUR LOVERS? Due to certain active ingredients that help release ‘feel good’ emotions, cacao is considered a heart opener. Creating feelings of emotional intimacy and pleasure, it has long been considered a luxurious delicacy, especially with the addition of sugar and spices to suit modern palates. Without realizing, we still get to enjoy a small fraction of it’s potential when we eat cacao in a regular chocolate bar. And yes, this is why it has become associated with romantic gestures and pleasurable indulgence!
Guinevere with her shamanic drum photographed in Thailand, 2014
WHAT IS A CACAO CEREMONY, AND WHEN DO PEOPLE SEEK THIS MEDICINE OUT? A cacao ceremony is an opportunity to connect to yourself and open your heart. Because of cacao’s ability to increase your connection to your inner self and your heart chakra, it aids in any transformational shift you are working towards, whether you are looking to deepen your understanding of who you are, release old patterns and traumas, or move into a more self-confident space. Whatever your path, the intention is yours to set, and the cacao allows you to the insight and awareness to move towards that goal.
HOW DOES A CEREMONY GO – WHAT’S THE RUN OF PLAY? I have attended many different ceremonies, and they vary in their approach. I was introduced to cacao initially by my mentor, Daisy Kaye, who brings in a powerful five elements dance journey, and I have also worked with a shaman in Guatemala who honors the cacao with meditation and inner reflection. In the ceremonies that I hold space for, we begin by sitting in sacred circle, honoring the cacao spirit with shamanic prayer, and humbly asking for our intentions to be heard. We serve the cacao in liquid form, and drink together.
Depending on what’s being called for, I intuitively offer sound healing or meditation. We then enter into a sharing with each other, of what we want to let go of and what we are calling in, which creates an intention for our journey. This is a very safe and intimate space, and the people that attend always surprise themselves at how they are able to open up to strangers, especially when they start to realize they we are all a mirror for each other, all just human beings with the same fears and sufferings, the same hopes and dreams. We end with dance, during which the cacao activates within the body and the heart, allowing a truly transformative and ecstatic process to unfold.
HOW IS THE CACAO SOURCED AND PREPARED? WHAT IS A CEREMONIAL DOSE? I have used cacao from Bali, Equador and Mexico, but I discovered a ceremonial grade cacao sourced in Guatemala by a man now internationally known as the Cacao Shaman, who has been working with the medicine and connecting it to the Western world for many years. Keith and his Guatemalan compadre Tat Isaias (Tat meaning Shaman) work alongside the local indigenous community to provide the highest grade cacao possible, grown in the purest conditions and harvested and prepared with love. A ceremonial dose is around 1 – 2 oz of cacao, mixed with water into a drink. Traditionally cacao was served with chilli and honey, but I have sometimes combined it with other herbs or super foods to assist a particular journey.
WHAT IS THE IMMEDIATE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECT? One of the main active ingredients that we experience in our physiology during ceremony is Theobromine. Theo-broma literally translates as God-Food, and potentiates the release of dopamine, the ‘pleasure’ hormone. This, alongside phenethylamine, which is known to help relieve stress and depression and which is released in the body during emotional euphoria, create heightened sensation and empathy. Alongside these, the high amount of nutrients in the cacao support and nourish the body, whilst also inducing a detoxifying effect on the liver and kidneys.
AND THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT? Due to the euphoria inducing ingredients, the emotional impact can be profound. Everything feels heightened within the physical and emotional body, including your awareness to your deepest sense of self and to your heart. The experience of love and empathy, particularly for yourself, can literally feel as if your heart is opening like a flower. With this, the body can become flooded with the many emotions stored in the heart, some of which can be painful. It is not always an easy experience, and I have seen many tears shed as people peel away old layers of hurt. But as the cacao facilitates a deep sense of self-love, tears are always followed by smiles of deep gratitude. In other moments, the sheer ecstasy felt from the cacao can be described as nothing other than a divine experience.
Shiny, happy people: Sophie Teakle of The Numinous following a cacao ceremony with Guinevere in Guatemala
WHY IS THIS SUCH A PERSONAL PASSION OF YOURS? Because I believe in love! In the heart. In opening wide to our potential to follow that heart and be guided into the most alive and joyous expression of our selves possible. Acting on the momentum this creates, people can transform their lives to be living in their highest potential, creating positive experiences for themselves and everyone around them. This for me is a story of evolution; the more that people connect to self-love and awareness of themselves and their behaviors, the more that they can make loving and conscious choices for the greater good of all.
My personal story is that cacao has been part of a journey to heal myself from a chronic illness that left me bed ridden for most of a year. I had lost any sense of who I was or why I was here. Cacao came into my life at a time of transformation, and revealed insights to me that I had waited years for. It was a big part of restoring me to feeling fully alive in myself, totally connected, and fully empowered. Now I am truly blessed to be able to share that medicine with others.
HOW HAVE YOU SEEN PEOPLE’S LIVES CHANGE AS A RESULT OF WORKING WITH CACAO? I am continually amazed by the transformational aspect of working with cacao, and there have been many emails and phone calls to tell me that since the cacao ceremony, ‘everything has changed’. I think cacao gives you the space to enter into a place of deep reflection and self communion. It allows you access to the subconscious to reveal and heal the deepest aspects of yourself. Especially when used in a ceremonial and intentional way, cacao gives you an opportunity to move towards the fullest expression of who you truly are…and this can be catalytic in removing barriers in all areas of your life; relationships, career, personal growth, creativity, or wherever your focus is. Ultimately, cacao can help deepen your connection to your heart, and expand your capacity to love and be loved. In a world where we’re realizing that everything is love, that’s a pretty potent medicine. And everyone deserves a taste.
Find out more about Guinevere Short and what is a cacao ceremony at Heartbeatscacao.com, and connect with her on Facebook.
Woah, Fashion Week fun alert! Welcome to Fashion Designer Tarot, in which Vix (a.k.a. the New Age Hipster) imagines a card for six of our favourite catwalk characters…
:: MARC JACOBS – SIX OF CUPS ::
Marc Jacobs embodies the Six of Cups like nobody’s business, which is interesting really because I always see this as the giving and receiving card, small business in a small town card. Marc is very clearly NOT small business these days, and in fact, being born in NYC it’s possible he hasn’t spent much time in small towns at all. But still he embodies an industrious work ethic, and having checked out his latest offerings with my third eye, the romantic notion of small town America he often returns to can be seen in full effect. His signature cartoonish motifs, military stylings and perfume bottles adorned with daisies just scream: “get me out of the big city and back to the back of beyond!” I’m pretty sure in his next life, MJ is coming back as a farmer.
:: VIVIENNE WESTWOOD – THE TOWER ::
Vivienne Westwood was the original 1970’s punk, and there’s no card in the Tarot more punk than The Tower! The Tower comes up in readings when everything you’ve built, everything you believe, and everything you trust no longer serves you, and needs to change – now! Just as the punks wanted to break the chains and see the tower of fascism fall, mixing fashion and politics is as natural to Vivienne as pairing tea with cake. Appearing as herself in risque advertising shoots and using every opportunity in front of a camera to push her stance on climate change, Viv continues to shake up and shock the tower of the fashion world well into her seventies.
:: STELLA MCCARTNEY – ACE OF CUPS ::
Stella McCartney’s classically feminine vibe can only really relate to the suit of cups. The cups cards help us to dive deep into our emotions, discovering all the gems that lie beneath, and helping us to harness our water energy rather than wind up an emotional wreck. Stella has most definitely got a hold of her own cups, making the Ace of Cups the perfect card for her. Her collection for SS15 is overflowing with gorgeous deep ocean blues, shimmering sunlight on sea metallics and beautiful flowing dresses the colour of breaking waves. And Stella appears to be balancing out her water energy with air this season too. Birds bask on the backs of deep blue cardigans, perfect for keeping you warm by the lake on a chilly evening out beneath the stars.
:: KARL LAGERFELD – THE HIEROPHANT ::
Le Lagerfeld is basically the self-appointed Pope of the Church of Fashion. In Tarot we can relate these kinds of characters to The Hierophant card – supposedly the landline between you and your God, and Karl has the God of style on speed dial! The Hierophant is never ‘wrong’ about anything. He never admits to his mistakes, because he doesn’t make any! Pastor Karl has been involved in numerous controversies; calling Adele ‘fat’, saying he didn’t like Pippa Middleton’s face, oh, and don’t even get me started on his opinions about the use of animals on the catwalk. But he thinks all these things are totes fine, and unfortunately so do many of his black leather clad congregation.
:: DONATELLA VERSACE – THE CHARIOT ::
With the gold Medusa as her emblem, Donatella Versace is soooo the Chariot card. But the Chariot isn’t only about fancy Greek footwear and Swarovski bling. This card reminds us that in order to get moving in our lives we have to balance both light and dark. We need to give and receive – allow our sphinx to pull, but steer them where we want to go, right? Donatella takes 2000-year-old Grecian drapery and makes it relevant. She adds golden talismans to ward off evil spirits as you stroll around the mall, and reminds us that every new season in the fashion world is just another pause in the cycle. Nothing is new, and yet everything is new. And this is what keeps the wheels of Versace’s Chariot moving forward.
:: ALEXANDER WANG – THE MOON ::
Mystery, intuition, stillness, the quiet power within. These are all aspects of The Moon, the Tarot card that depicts Alexander Wang to a tea. A white leaf tea with no sugar, no milk and no sweetener. Wang’s stark, monochrome designs embody the power and beauty of a full Moon on a cloudless night. Of course, there are also brief flares of colour – perhaps blue for a passing comet, or a dash of metallic silver for a falling star. If you’re looking for the perfect wardrobe this season to help you dress like the Moon cycles, then Alexander has you covered.
Fear of public speaking? Imagine if the Angels of Atlantis had your back…Stewart Pearce, a.k.a. The Alchemy of Voice, explains to to harness Angel energy and express yourself from the heart.
“We’re currently living through a vast vortex of a spiritual revolution – this is known as the Human Potential Movement. Through this period we are reaching points of initiation where people are waking up to the fact that their soul is crucial to the fabric of their life. I tune people in to the Song of their Soul through my role as a voice coach. Coaching in this way is about working with a person’s inner being, because our voice is an intimate part of our psyche…”
Stewart Pearce is a Master of Voice, and created The Alchemy of Voice as a process of sound healing using the human voice. He also has a leading edge team of celestial helpers that appear as Orb Light Beings, and which we know as Angels. In fact, Stewart channels the Angels of Atlantis to help guide his clients, who have included Princess Diana and Anita Roddick among other luminaries, to an harmonic communion with the Divine.
The more, shall we say, advanced students among the Numi community will be familiar with the 12 Archangels, who in turn represent the 12 archetypes of consciousness. For the uninitiated, there follows a conversation with Stewart about his work, and an introduction to each Angel and their specific realm of Cosmic prowess…
Did you always have a connection to spirit? “I grew up with the ability to see angels, but around the age of 9 or ten I shut that side of my self down because I realized that not everybody could see the things I did. I became an actor, and then a voice coach for actors, which is when I began to switch back on. I remember a leading actor in the West End telling me: ‘My God, you’ve helped me so much! But how could you know that my mother’s death had such an effect on me?’ I told him, ‘Well, she’s standing right next to you.’ And so I came out of the closet as a psychic.”
And when did you begin to work with the Angels of Atlantis? It was in Glastonbury, during the time of the Harmonic Convergence in August 1987. This was a very unique astrological configuration, where it was suggested by the Mayans that 144,000 Rainbow Light Warriors would be awoken to prepare for the great shifts leading up to December 21st, 2012. During that weekend, I went to sit on the tor to meditate, which is when I heard these extraordinary sounds. I was sitting with my eyes closed and when I opened them, I saw huge orbs of light, and I heard inside me: ‘We are the Angels of Atlantis, and we are going to give you a Temple of Sound Healing, called The Alchemy of Voice.'”
Far out! So how can we connect to the Angels with our voice? “We’ve been educated to be very cerebral, but we can all learn to emit certain frequencies, particularly through our voices, that allow us to feel a preternatural, a supernatural presence. What I do is I use sound, be it through speaking, or through chanting, to help people to feel a sense of harmony with their Angelic guides. There’s no formula to working with the Angels. It’s an experience. Do we think fall in love? No. We just know we’ve fallen in love. We feel it. And while humans love for the sake of being loved, Angels love for the sake of love, and so what they do is help us awaken to what’s in our own hearts.”
Why do people choose to work with you? “Most people come to me because they’re sad, the shit is hitting the fan, or they feel that life is completely moribund and mundane. The questions they ask are: “Why is this happening to me? What is my purpose? Where is the joy in my life?” There begins a conversation about the crises and the conflicts that have taken place in their experience, that have taken this beautiful being, this person of crystalline light, away from the source. What I do is plug people back in, so that the Angels can begin to provide them with magic and miracles again. We create an opening, an aperture into the council of the divine. And life is never the same again.”
In what ways do people begin to express themselves differently? “This relates to speech because when words arise from the heart, they will enter the hearts of those who are listening. And also because as soon as you plug back into the core of what we and life are all about, it is like falling in love – you want to tell the whole world. Out of that love, our physiology in turn opens up, and we become immediately very expressive. For as soon as we move into this frequency, people step forward with congruence. The quality of conversation one is having matches the quality of frequency one is holding. As with everything else, our experience is not happening to us, it is responding to us. That’s the Law of Attraction.”
:: G A B R I E L :: Archangel Gabriel is the DIVINE MESSENGER of God, who brings us inspiration in order to assist us with transition and change. Gabriel inspires us to receive divine unction directly from the Source. For Gabriel’s messages align us with who we truly are, blessed in the soul’s arousal of our spiritual path. Therefore, receiving this Angel’s inspiration means we fully discover that love and compassion are the only way forward to freedom – an initiation that is announced in the breath of heaven. Click here for a meditation with Archangel Gabriel
:: H A N A E L:: Archangel Hanael invokes us to champion our willpower with the shield of humility, and to live sustainable love through strength, integrity, courage and purpose. As the SACRED WARRIOR, Hanael evokes our spiritual muscles to be in peak condition, fostering a sense of direction that emits peace through each breath, hope in each movement, and integrity in each step. For make no mistake, we are receiving cosmic encouragement from the Angelic kingdom at this time of great soul-striding, to harmonize our cardinal virtues, so that we may meet the ascending vibrations of the Galactic Heart, and to ultimately move into the fifth dimension. Click here for a meditation with Archangel Hanael
:: J O P H I E L :: Archangel Jophiel is the cosmic force brought forth to aid us with the nature of our spiritual liberation. Jophiel lovingly frees us to comprehend the greatest teaching of the HOLY LIBERATOR, and like the great Buddha, to detachment through stillness. For this profound quality always releases us from conflicting feelings and erroneous thoughts, thereby we stir forgiveness, liberation, meditation and ultimate joy within our lives. Click here for a meditation with Archangel Jophiel
:: M E T A T R O N :: Archangel Metatron brings us the iridescent force of the SUPERNAL TEACHER concerning the things that were, things that are, and things that have not yet come to pass. Thus Metatron speaks from the core of this Oracle with Divine intelligence, miraculous power, refined wisdom and great mercy, startling us to act upon that which concerns our soul, that which helps us to recognize our wholeness. Click here for a meditation with Archangel Metatron
:: R A P H A E L :: Archangel Raphael, like the calm of the woodland spring, exists as an exquisite HOLY HEALER bringing our beings to commune with Mother Earth. This enriches our journey through the knowledge of interconnectivity, empathy and oneness, bringing all aspects of our lives back into harmony as we embark on our soul’s odyssey. Click here for a meditation with Archangel Raphael
:: M I C H A E L :: Archangel Michael is the embodiment of the Art of Alchemy, and like the Egyptian God Thoth, the Scribe of the Gods, skilfully enchants cosmic forces through us into direct rays of action. For Michael is the COSMIC LEADER of the Angels of Atlantis, lasering our lives in order to cleanse all negativity. Michael is aligned with the planet Jupiter’s energy, which moves us to expand our horizons through transmutation, patience, and the I am Presence, bringing us to enchantment. In this, Michael uses the love of the heart as a unique dialling force to make sure integrity takes full lodging in our consciousness. Click here for a meditation with Archangel Michael
:: R A Z I E L :: Archangel Raziel is the keeper of the DIVINE MYSTERIES and so this guardian Angel of Illumination is the keeper of the supreme knowledge of the soul, just as the Great Pyramid and Sphinx hold the secrets of bygone civilizations. Therefore, drawing Raziel into your daily devotions will allow you to experience life drawn from a deeply profound connection with the sacredness of the Cosmos. Once you allow this magic into your life the veil of illusion parts, and you will see life truly as it is, full of a love that stretches for infinity. Click here for a meditation with Archangel Raziel
:: S A N D A L P H O N :: Archangel Sandalphon’s unique force is as the SACRED GUARDIAN of the Planet, and of our earthly presence. Sandalphon is destined to draw the creative energy of Planet Earth into the evolutionary ascension of the Galactic Force, and through all living beings with love, intention as seen in the icon of Avebury Henge. Click here for a meditation with Archangel Sandalphon
:: S H A M A E L :: Archangel Shamael is the ultimate DIVINE GUIDE who watched over Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemene, and is appointed to equally look out for you in moments of great challenge. The vast love of this great Angel creates a ray of hope that always overshadows the burden of the mortal flesh, and transforming us to create the beauty that is always waiting to emerge. Click here for a meditation with Archangel Shamael
:: U R I E L :: Archangel Uriel represents the union of Heaven and Earth, made manifest through the great OM, and the beauty of the human heart, for within the individual heart is a space for a potential marriage between the physical flesh and the Godly Spirit. For the sonar of the heart is where the super coherence between Heaven and Earth, between Human and Divine takes place, in order for us to be conduits for the abundance of the Cosmos. Click here for a meditation with Archangel Uriel
:: Z A D K I E L :: Archangel Zadkiel as the DIVINE COMFORTER bestows beneficent wisdom upon us, allowing clear vision to take place over the obstacles that perpetuate the self-limiting beliefs we may hold – the impediments that stop us from enjoying spiritual abundance. Zadkiel not only shows us what needs to be brought forth into the light to be healed, but also clarifies how to intuitively heal it, which brings gratitude and security. So this exquisite Archangel, who governs the Tenth Chakra, and who arises from Uranus, teaches us to trust in God’s utter benevolence and guidance – to yield and let God comfort us. Click here for a meditation with Archangel Zadkiel
:: Z A P H K I E L :: Archangel Zaphkiel inspires us to great acts of sacred loving and thus governs the Second Chakra, which contributes to the depth of our relationship behaviors, and encourages us to feats of personal compassion and divine romance. Zaphkiel arises from Venus, the Planet of Love, and always appears when we call, reminding us of the love that arises from deep within the Source, that can be easily forgotten. This Angel moves us to find true compassion and ecstasy through the romance of life – those ideals of love that replenish our force – allowing us to surrender to passion, and pulsate with bliss and devotion for the Divine. Click here for a meditation with Archangel Zaphkiel
Stewart Pearce will be hosting a workshop titled The Angels of Atlantis and the Enchantment of Love in Los Angeles on February 14 2015. For more information visit Thealchemyofvoice.com
Satya Jewelry is the ultimate high vibe jewelry line; it’s founder, Satya Scainetti, is the ultimate inspiration when it comes to working with your dharma…
Satya Scainetti at home in Manhattan
“The idea of stepping away from life to find all the answers…like Jesus and Buddha found enlightenment when they quit? There’s a lot to that…”
Satya Scainetti, a born-and-bred New Yorker, was gifted her spiritual name on graduating a 30-day yoga teacher training in 2000. Disillusioned with her career in social work, she found herself at a crossroads; gifted with a talent for reiki, “I was like, okay God, if this is what you want from me I’m good to go, but I’ve also got to make money…”
And so, perhaps the yoga training would lead to a bone fide practise as a healer. But on that same graduation night she also had a prophetic dream. In it, she learned that it was her dharma to create a line of spiritual jewelry also named Satya, meaning “all truth,” so she could then “donate money to children all around the world.” Within weeks, Satya Jewelry was born, and over the past decade has given over $1 million to countless children’s charities.
I first encountered Satya’s line at NYC’s Golden Bridge yoga studio (she was one of the original investors in the kunadlini institution), and was pretty much blown away by the downright numinosity of it all! Super chic pieces that wouldn’t look out of place in the pages of Vogue, but that also carried a deeply spiritual message.
“My whole intention is for people to find a piece that speaks to them – be it a symbol, or a healing stone they intuitively know they need. Which is mind-blowing, because we do know…I encourage my customers to trust that intuition, that knowingness. If you’re drawn to something, there’s a reason.”
The notion of dharma, life purpose that comes from a desire to be of service, is emerging all around as the resounding theme for 2015, and Satya’s story embodies this message.
“The awakening I had when this business took off was that that you can have everything – just make sure the intention is for the good of all. Then the Universe will open every door needed to make your dreams come true!” The key, then, is to think big. “We limit ourselves all the time. We say, ‘THIS is my goal, if I get THERE it will be enough,’ but we need to be open to what the Universe actually has in store for us.”
Satya, you are an inspiration among women! Read on for how this Material Girl totally rocks her Mystical World…
:: MA T E R I A L G I R L ::
MY LABEL I’m a clothes fiend. I love Club Monaco, BCBG, and I’m a big Zara fan. I have a tonne of DVF’s dresses. Max Mara. I love Donna Karan. Handbags? Marc Jacobs, hands down.
MY SHOES You put a pair of heels on, everything changes – I love what it does to my body, and it gives me confidence! My favorites are Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin. I actually met him in Paris. I was there with a friend who went to school with him, and bought my first pair in the store on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. They were orgasmically beautiful. That same night we end up bumping into him and going for tea! I was like, do we get the friends and family discount now?
MY JEWELRY I’m a mala fiend because I believe in the power of the mala. I was wearing my black onyx mala around the time my kids were born, twin boys. Black onyx is the stone of endurance, and I was so drawn to it! It’s all I wore for two years. Starting the business I wore all green – which is the heart chakra – because it was all coming from there. I also buy a lot of ornate Indian jewelry, but it’s all at home in my box.
MY PAMPERING I’m a Lumiere girl, I spend more money on that cream than I want to but I’m addicted! I must have a pedicure, even in the winter, every ten days, and I get a massage every week from David at Think Pink Nails in the West Village. I call him my Sumo wrestler. He does the energy work, the stones, and he’s so strong that one hour just puts it all back into place.
MY FOOD I’m a vegetarian…but I’m also Italian, so I love pasta! Yoga has helped me eat more mindfully, so I know when to stop – but at the same time I’ll totally binge on something like pizza when I want it. Italians are brought up that food is love, and I’m always telling my kids; ‘I put a little extra love and kisses in your dinner tonight, do you taste it?’
MY HOME My home is beautiful. Everything is very zen, I have an amazing garden with Buddhas and a sun-room with a beautiful canopy bed. I’m into cosy homes, I’ve got one of those couches that puts people to sleep. For me, home is where I can take a breath and feel relaxed, where I can really not be ‘on’ – because I’m on a lot.
MY AWAKENING Everybody sleeps in my bed right now, the dogs, the kids…it’s a king, thank god, but it’s very crowded because they’re getting big! And before we get out of bed we start the day with gratitude, and name two things we’re grateful for – it’s so important to start the day that way, because from that place everything just gets better.
MY SIGN I’m a Capricorn – strong, and one of the most devoted friends you’ll ever have. Truly, if you have me as a friend, you are blessed. I am very good at business, but I’m also ruled by the heart. I see astrology as a guide. I don’t have a therapist, but I do have an astrologer – when you’re aware of what’s happening in your chart, you can start being directed with where you put your energy. I have a great guy called David, who helped with the launch of this company. It was plotted down to the day.
MY MANTRA I have so many! But for right now? I feel like I’m at an exciting point of change, so it’s simple: ‘help me be open to what’s next.’
MY HEALER God! He’s it. I’m a believer.
MY READING I’m a big fan of Thich Nhat Hanh. His teachings are so user friendly for the real world, and simply show how to incorporate more happiness in your life. His book on relationships, Teachings on Love, lays out such a beautiful way to live your life, and if I could pick one book to start you on a new journey that would be it.
MY MISSION Right now it’s to build my brand to a place where I can really make a huge difference in the world. The $1m-plus we’ve given already is a drop in the ocean of what I want to do, so the next 13 years I’ll be amping up the work I do with my foundation, keeping the focus on helping children. The next generations will be the ones to make a difference in the world, and I’m going to help them do that.
MY TRANSFORMATION My transformation is through my practise of meditation and yoga, and using it to really tap into God. Whatever you want to call it, I mean that knowingness that’s inside all of us.
You’d like to get to know the little spirit you’re bringing into the world before you meet them, right? Cate Emond shares some simple ways to communicate with your unborn child. Images: Aurélie Raidron via Behance.net
There have always been the obvious ways of connecting with our unborn children; see women talking, singing, or reading stories out loud to our baby bumps. And whatever stage of pregnancy you Numi mamas are in, there are so many things you can do to feel bonded and connected to the little soul you’ve created a home for.
When I found out I was pregnant I was excited, but despite this I also felt very disconnected from my body, and from the little life steadily growing inside me. I realized I was going to have to go deeper into myself and my spiritual practise if I wanted to start creating a bond. Below are a few of my favorite ways to create that connection, and communicate with your unborn child:
:: Prenatal Meditation :: Prenatal meditation is really no different from regular meditation, the only difference being that a) you, or your partner, are pregnant and b) you are specifically using this time to connect with a little spirit. It can be just as simple as taking 15-20 minutes of your day to sit quietly on your own in a relaxed setting with no distractions, to tune into the energy inside. But I prefer guided meditations because they help me to visualize the baby – especially this one, which that also incorporates some kundalini yoga, as well as this prenatal belly dance and meditation, whiCh has helped me feel more connected with my body.
:: Creative Journaling :: I’ve kept a journal since I was a child, and more recently I’ve realized it’s not just a place to record the events of your day or how you feel. You could use yours to write letters to your little girl or boy, write songs or poetry, or create collages and vision boards about your future life together – the possibilities are endless.
:: Intentional Dreaming :: Dreams are a great way to send and receive messages from spirit. Before going to sleep, either think of the message you want to send or receive from your baby or write it down and place the piece of paper under your pillow. Keep paper and a pen by your bedside and record whatever dreams or messages came back to you as soon as you wake up. If the messages or images seem unclear, meditate on them for a few days, focusing on the feelings they arouse in you. You can also try this handy dream interpretation method I learned years ago:
Write down the events of the dream in short simple sentences.
Next, go back and underline one word in each sentence that jumps out at you immediately.
On a new sheet of paper, using the underlined words retell the dream as a brand new story in the way that best makes sense to you (but don’t think too hard about it).
People are so unique, and though many symbols have common universal meanings, they can still represent different things to different people. The point of this exercise is to get an interpretation that’s specific to you.
Early in my pregnancy I had a few minor complications and I was worried about losing the baby, so one night I asked for a message before going to sleep. The dream I had was about killer bees taking over my city, and I saw images of myself hovering over a little baby boy, protecting him. The next image I had was of a mailbox securely posted to a tree. I like to think that was a clever way of my baby letting me know he was safely waiting to be delivered, and that I was capable of providing a safe and protective environment. Much of my anxiety faded away after that dream.
:: Connecting with a Birth Intuitive :: Because I was feeling so disconnected from myself, and my pregnancy, I decided to book a session with a woman who specifically helps expectant mamas and couples communicate directly with what she calls their ‘spirit babies.’ This might be a great place to start with if you need a little bit of an outside boost to help get you in the spirit of connecting with your little spirit.
While preparing for my session with Colette, I had fun dreaming up questions such as “are you okay in there” (is my anxiety that obvious?), “how can I love you best?” and “what aspirations do you have for this life?” No question is off limits, though she was quick to point out that it wasn’t about prediction, simply connecting. It was an interesting experience, and I would recommend it for the reasons mentioned above, as well as just for the fun of it.
:: Angel Cards :: You can use any type of oracle card, but personally I love the Messages From Your Angels Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue. The messages are comforting, clear and simple to understand. I tend to do single card draws because I like the focus of a single message, but there’s no right or wrong way to do it. If I have one I ask a specific question, but if not I just ask for a general message and then I shuffle and wait for the right card to pop out.
:: Self Care :: Okay, maybe not technically a way to bond with your baby, but it is one of the most important things to remember during pregnancy. We spend so much time worrying about how we’re going to care for this brand new life, that it can be easy to forget to care for ourselves, and if you’re neglecting your own needs you’re most likely going to feel miserable. Not the most conducive environment for feeling bonded to the little human inside of you.
One of my favorite takeaways from my session with Colette was the idea of “grand-mothering” ourselves. She asked me to: “remember how grandma loved you…how grandma paid attention to you and gave you advice and support [when you were young]. This is the kind of self-love that is recommended for pregnant women.”
So bake yourself some chocolate chip cookies, snuggle up with a blanket and a cup of tea, and journal, or meditate, or do whatever feels right to you in the moment. There’s no right or wrong ways to communicate with your baby, but he or she is most definitely listening.
How do you communicate with your unborn child? Pregnant or not! Share your stories with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
You can read more from Cate Edmond on her blog, and connect with her on Twitter.
You are more ready and prepared than you think you are. I feel as though you’ve recently turned a corner, whether it was a new commitment to your self-care, a home move, a new job, or even an internal shift. Something big has happened for you and so those wobbles you’re having? All normal. But yes, you really do have everything you need. In fact “I have everything I need” is a great mantra for you over the coming weeks, to repeat any time you feel a little “OMG! WTF!” about life and your situation. You may need to surrender over and over and over again. Got it?
So the situation you are now in is one of budding excitement, and you have a window that’s ripe for manifesting. With Mercury retrograde for the first 11 days of the month, it’s a fine time to just sit on taking any more massive action and just feel what you want to bring into your days. Look upon the next few months as a time to realign with your new dreams, as I feel like the things you really want for yourself right now are a little different to this time last year – which is a wonderful thing, especially where your own self worth is concerned.
In fact, it’s time you put your own disires at the forefront of your experience, seriously, stop getting so overrun with what everyone else might think. You are where it’s at. Your key themes this month are expansion and awe. What feels wonderful right now? This is an exercise in becoming more present, which is actually easier during times of change, because you are rather forced to be in the here and now as everything finds its place around you. But yes, take time to notice when the corners of your mouth turn up, take time to notice when your soul system feels a little flutter.
Allow yourself to be pulled in the direction of what feels exciting, and ask the Universe to provide signs for you. You will know when you see the little synchronicities; the only block is when you start questioning your faith in your intuition. Practice makes perfect, they say, so keep listening and test it out. Finally, this is a perfect month to dive into something you’ve been keeping on the sidelines. You know what it is – now, prepare to launch.
Have you downloaded your full 2015 Tarotscope? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Pisces / Pisces Rising – Ace of Pentacles
I feel that as you approach your next birthday you’ve got very itchy feet, and it’s exciting! There is a spring in your step that can overpower even the biggest rush of anxiety. What are you setting about to do? There is something brewing, whether you’re aware of it or not, because this is a month that supports new beginnings, big ideas and everything that is to do with nurturing your material experience of the world.
This is pure Earth energy at it’s best, so the question is; what aspects of your life need fresh fuel right now? This is bound to relate to a career venture for many of you, as you move away from jobs and clients that aren’t filling you with much enthusiasm in order to make space for the new and more fulfilling. You know that you need to create the space, right? If you are in a place of transition, try this really simple energetic exercise. Write your resignation letter for your current job, put it in an envelope and then keep it somewhere safe. This is a commitment to moving forwards and energetically creates the space that is physically not quite there yet.
You may find that with Mercury Retrograde (until Feb 11th) you want to explore old projects or maybe even say YES to something that a was a no a while back. The Universe is really supporting second chances and so it’s time to pick up the phone, paintbrush or notepad and get creative with old ideas – rework and renew them. Meanwhile you are in a good manifesting spot, so although this month is very much about what you can physically see, it’s still prime time for meditating on what your soul really needs, step out of the head and keep all your ideas and action aligned with the heart.
I feel that you will get some great advice from your highest self if you actually stop to listen, and don’t try and talk yourself out of things. And don’t let your ego provoke you, okay? Finally, in the moments where you can see the prize but the path to it seems fuzzy, just pull yourself back into the now and breathe. The reason that we all bang on about the present moment so much, is that it’s the only place you can receive guidance and take action. So say hello to right NOW.
Have you downloaded your full 2015 Tarotscope? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Aries / Aries Rising – Seven of Swords
I have no doubt you’re too busy to even read this, but take a moment and stop to realign yourself with your plan and your purpose. I feel like you could be a little worried about time pressure and pressure from others right now, so I want to ease you back into your body. I feel like any moment (or month) now, you are going to be dealing with a LOT of communication, new contacts, and new contracts, back and forth on the phone and a little waiting and hoping.
It’s easy to start to worry about who might come through for you, or what might work and what might not, and all those feelings are totally normal. However, it’s much more beneficial for you to simply trust yourself rather than worry about whom on the outside to trust. You’ve got enough experience to now know that your intuition is pretty spot on, if you aren’t lead by your ego mind too much. So just know that everything is aligned with the intuitive action you take, there are no wrong decisions here. In fact, worrying about whom to trust may just be a way of procrastinating to take you away from your light. So, back to your brightest self and just be you.
With this in mind, it might be a good few weeks to make sure you are well and truly connected with those who support your highest good. Often when we feel suspicious of life, it could be because we’re hanging out on the wrong energy level. It’s not often that you worry what your closest soul sisters are thinking, is it? You know they have your back.
Another thing you might be aware of this month is having too many ideas. I know, it’s hardly a bad thing is it, but it can be overwhelming! The best thing to do is keep the present moment as your running buddy. No need for your mind to dash off into the distance, because you aren’t there yet. You can’t possibly predict what you might think about a situation in three months time, so just keep feeling into things step by step. You are responsible for the web you weave, and I feel that everything is all set for personal clarity, inner strength and abundant support – just trust that it is.
Have you downloaded your full 2015 Tarotscope? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Taurus / Taurus Rising – Strength
You may be feeling wilted and weak as the month kicks off, and I encourage you to nurture this feeling by only doing what you need to feel more balance within yourself. It may be that external changes have got you feeling quite out of harmony – change will do that to you, you see. You may be feeling afraid, confused and even angry. Change will do that to you too! It’s not the time to place any pressure on yourself to feel anything other than what you are feeling – this is the ultimate act of “feeling feelings.” Just sit and be, whatever and however that be may be.
I urge you to just care for yourself and let yourself be nurtured. For some of you the power needs to be reinstated from within. That personal power that I always speak of, it’s energy that you always have access to, but frequently forget exists. I feel that your internal negative chatter could be quite strong right now, a few too many “what ifs” and doom and gloom. As always I remind you that that fearful voice is also totally normal, but just not to be ruled by. Listen and know that it doesn’t speak the truth, but is simply voicing a fear that is present and that is okay.
This is the art of taming the ego mind, saying: “I hear you, I know you are there, but I have my heart set on a bigger and more loving thought right now.” As Mercury stays in retrograde until mid month, it really is the perfect time to stay focused on you, rather than get involved with others’ drama or gossip. You really don’t have time for it. Instead of dancing that dance, think of how you can have fun with your self-care. What would get you to smile right now? Who do you need to be around? What transformation do you feel like having right now?
I want you to work with the idea of transformation over the next few weeks, what version of you do you want to see emerge from out of your cocoon? If you’ve been making personal changes then you certainly didn’t make them for nothing, did you? I feel that you are paving the way for great personal successes and joy ahead. So keep moving forwards from the positive intention that fueled you in the first place. You are set to bloom.
Have you downloaded your full 2015 Tarotscope? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Gemini / Gemini Rising – Ten of Pentacles
You are aware that there has been a lot of change in recent months and over the next few weeks you are going to start to get hints about what the bigger picture is all about. Finally, right? I feel the cycles are actually moving now, rather than feeling stuck in the mud like they have been on and off for months. Now, this movement of course has to be fuelled by some work from you too. Remember you are not being directed in your own life story; you are the director of this movie. So, what’s next?
I feel as though you’re shedding skin and leaving an old version of yourself behind, where you are guided to take more responsibility for yourself and your life, instead of falling back on the excuse of having to please other people. Of course, there will always be people who need you, and that isn’t a bad thing, but if it’s at the expense of your own wellbeing, then it doesn’t usually swing in your favor does it? For those of you in full people-pleasing mode then this is a wake up call to just…stop. You won’t see the wonderful things unfolding in your own life if you don’t give them the attention they deserve.
Anyway, moving forwards this really is a positive push for career and abundance. You are definitely required to up your game too. Have you ever though that you might be playing too small? Playing down or being self-deprecating about your talents for fear of rejection, or lesser success? You might find that when you up your prices, shout about your skills and really put yourself out there confidently (even if it’s a “fake it until you make it” vibe) that the returns come in. It’s worth a shot, even as a self-confidence exercise, that you well and truly deserve. Value your time and your talent and others will reflect that.
Finally, the next few weeks are also a wonderful time for reconnecting with your family, whether that’s relatives, soul sisters, or your oldest friends. I feel that you will really gain energy from a group setting, so try not to hide yourself away too much. Call on people for help and hugs, they are itching in the wings to come and swoop you up in support. Revel in it for a change.
Have you downloaded your full 2015 Tarotscope? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Cancer / Cancer Rising – Queen of Wands
This month you are set to reclaim your own experience and your year ahead. I feel a little sass coming in from you and it’s well and truly needed and appreciated. It’s time for you to stand up and be counted, tell your truth and tune back in to what you well and truly want, need and deserve. I feel very proud of you in advance by the way. Somewhere along the last few weeks you’ve become a little detached from your soul self, why is that? Perhaps lost in the gossip and chaos of the crowd? It’s almost like you’ve been trying other people’s lives on for style and are suddenly realizing the coat just doesn’t fit. Which is quite a relief, isn’t it? But wait, what is it that you actually want?
I know that you know, so try not to panic too much. In fact the answers are much closer to the surface than you think, you just probably didn’t expect them to be so simple. It might be the small act of reconnecting to the people that really inspire you to be YOU, rather than hiding in your shell or surrounding yourself with those who don’t feel you. I want you to shake this ALL off, and wipe the slate clean and rebuild from a place that works better for you.
You’re looking for an adventure you see. Some of you will feel a huge urge to travel the world right now, anywhere but here right? Your broomstick is twitching and it feels like you just can’t get away fast enough. Do the groundwork here though okay; remember that adventures are better fueled when you leave with a positive intention, rather than running away from your problems. Face things head on and then see whether you still want to physically be elsewhere.
Finally, you may notice that some of your flashier fears are shouting up at you right now, and some of the deepest and darkest ones from your past may also pay a visit. You can employ the same badassery to them as your external experience, and make it your intention to just not go there. You’re too awesome; it’s time to tame that beast. Seek help, talk it out. Surrender.
Have you downloaded your full 2015 Tarotscope? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Leo / Leo Rising – The Tower
I’ve talked to you a lot over the past year about releasing your inner critic and avoiding the chaos that you sometimes crave, so I’m not going to mention it again. I trust that you know well enough now that the comparing, the judging and the drama don’t help fulfill your highest hopes and desires. Right?
So yes, with that in mind, moving on into February I feel that you are poised to receive some new and exciting flashes of inspiration, which without giving in to all the above you actually create space for. It’s exciting and new and may come with an army of anxiety waves, but that fluttering in your stomach, it also feels like excitement…if you choose to perceive it that way. You’re ready to creatively restructure. For some of you this could be a literal tear down of ideas and ideals, with maybe a shove from the Universe at your side. If this happens, do make sure to be looking after yourself as you gallop into the abyss of change, keep your healers to speed-dial and practice a lot of grounding.
Those of you who prefer the more subtle approach can think of this as an early spring clean. It’s time to reshuffle and reorganize, perfect for these first 11 days of the month when Mercury is still in retrograde and really supporting a restructure of old ideas. I’d also like you to practice getting to what I’m going to call the pinpoint of clarity. We receive clarity when we experience a perfect merging of our intuition and intellect. When the mind is sharp and the soul is heard. You can sit and practice with single questions and a quiet moment. Close your eyes and pose yourself a question, take a deep breath in and as you breathe out pay attention to the first thoughts that come in (you might even feel a tingle in your ear when you are aligned with your highest self).
Simultaneously you may notice the fears fly in too, but don’t worry about that, just focus on the simpler and more loving guidance. You may find that your points of clarity are just the words YES or IT’S OKAY. The more you grasp that these are as valuable as the constant chatter of your fears then you can confidently use this simple exercise for quick guidance any time you choose. I said it was an exciting time and I meant it!
Have you downloaded your full 2015 Tarotscope? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Virgo / Virgo Rising – Knight of Swords
Woah, slow down my friend, you are not running out of time and it’s okay to breathe you know. You do know that right? February kicks off with you feeling overrun with ideas, plans, and action, action, ACTION! It’s all good, your head is in fifth gear, and everything that has been building over the last few months is poised to spring to life. However, you can turn down the gas a little, just to ease out of panic mode, even if you are sooooo excited. Get used to the concept that timing is always perfectly aligned, so time is not your enemy or working against you. It is always on your side if you believe it is.
I’d also like you to bring some compassion to the table this month, as you may find your tongue a little sharper than usual. It could be that everyone seems SO annoying (oh hey Mercury retrograde) but getting yourself tied up in knots over it won’t help you one inch. Instead, just allow things to be as they are, especially the situations that are sending you into freak out mode. This is certainly a time to sit on an email for 24 hours (or maybe three days), not to text back immediately. You will feel so much better for it I promise.
For those of you who’ve been feeling that life has not quite been on your side recently then I feel that nearer the end of the month you will feel a sense of calm confidence setting back in. You may also become aware of a few more reasons “why” things have been a little chaotic. I advise you to watch out for synchronicities becoming abundant, in order to remind you that you are exactly where you should be.
Make sure that you are well and truly aligned with your highest truths and morals. There may be a little push and pull as you sort out what you really want right now, as opposed to what your ego is trying to trick you into. The golden rule is to be kind to yourself and others, always, and especially when you don’t feel like it. Although your most sarcastic self might not like it, positive thinking will really help things move in your favor right now. And finally, if needed, try to give off an air of confidence even if you don’t feel it.
Have you downloaded your full 2015 Tarotscope? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Libra / Libra Rising – King of Pentacles
The first half of the month is poised for you to receive: guidance, intuition, gifts, abundance. How open is your mentality right now to accept them? It’s very common, and so easy, to live with a lack mentality, especially where money is concerned. It’s so easy to keep saying “I can’t” and “I don’t have enough.” But these phrases become negative habits that lock us so easily into really believing that we won’t ever have “enough.” Now of course, releasing these beliefs doesn’t suddenly mean a cash prize, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to become more open to the possibility that things could be on their way.
If this sounds a lot like you, then practice taking the power back as far as your finance and success are concerned. Try the mantra “I have everything I need” to open up to seeing more opportunities around you. On the guidance front, it’s time to forget about doing everything yourself. If you’re really adamant about not taking tips from friends and family then consider a business mentor or a life coach. You could really benefit from a third person perspective to help you get your ideas and creativity in order. You will also find that when you share your passions with another person, they grow and become more exciting to work with.
For those of you seeking new jobs or a return on a career project then it’s a great month for it, as it feels as though someone is going to recognize and appreciate your skills as they need see you as part of their bigger picture. If you’re feeling quite the abundant one right now, then slow down on the spending for the first half of the month – you could end up with a houseful of items you kind of just didn’t really want. Save up for that “dream” purchase in a few months time instead.
Finally, on the romance front, an older person could hit the scene and take your eye; they may just have an old soul, but this is a wonderful grounding attraction that could bring you the stability you’re hoping for. You have realized now that friendships and relationships are all about learning as well as passion, so take time to listen and soak up new personalities that interest you. You will feel enlightened and energized.
Have you downloaded your full 2015 Tarotscope? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Scorpio / Scorpio Rising – Six of Swords
The first couple of weeks of February, in line with the tail end of Mercury retrograde, are set up to help you shake off a final few self doubts and old negative patterns. It’s safe to say that you are very aware of the huge Phoenix like transformation that has been occurring over the past couple of years, and so this really is just clean up time. You will know exactly what is still hanging around and the work isn’t necessarily hard, it’s more about whether you are willing to allow the past to really be the past. Are you?
Sometime it doesn’t get better than using a surrender mantra, all day, every day – just let everything go, over and over again, and be sure to make a note when you get a positive confirmation from the Universe that you are doing the right thing. The signs are there, just be ready to see them. You have a lot more peace than chaos around you, so focus on the calm rather than stirring the drama cauldron.
As the weeks pass it’s time for you to start planting some seeds and nurturing a few of your more abundant ideas. This can also be aligned with a new approach to older and most successful projects; what new branch could be grown from something you already know? It’s your perception and approach to your creativity and life in general that will shift you into a happier and more abundant space. You are safe to turn your back on things that just don’t feel right anymore, especially those things you really think you “should” just stick at. Make space to feel excited!
This is also very prominent for relationships and friendships – is someone that isn’t right for you taking up space in your heart? Remember that when you surrender and let go, you don’t actually lose anything, although it may feel like it. You actually gain freedom and empowerment. Trust that it is safe to move forwards. Finally, don’t feel guilty about your new plans and opportunities, even if friends around you are having a difficult time. You can’t stay stuck to try and please someone else; misery may love company but you don’t want to be miserable! Run wild, sail free, and know that you are fully equipped for all the excitement ahead of you.
Have you downloaded your full 2015 Tarotscope? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Sagittarius / Sagittarius Rising – Ten of Wands
It’s time to laugh at your own inner drama queen this month Sagittarius! That head stuck in the sand feeling may have been with you for a couple of weeks, but you somehow forgot that you are able and allowed to dig yourself out and look up. Stop pushing against yourself and start supporting your own cause. Yes, nice thought isn’t it? So, at the start of this month I feel that you are poised to just let sh*t go, because you need your precious time and brain cells to be getting creative over the next month or two.
I also want you to be wide awake to noticing the crazy weird moments and lucky breaks that may be popping up around you – sorry will be. Now, although I know I started this a little on the harsh side, I do want you to know that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed, and that’s you’re not going insane or having a life crisis. You are having feelings and being a human and it’s not always a free and easy ride. So, of course the best method is to look after yourself, wildly and passionately. The next step is to be patient and gentle with yourself and your journey. Yes it can be frustrating when you are so eager to see your dreams come to fruition, but you need to let everything breathe.
After the mid-month point I feel you will notice that the stress releases and all of your super Sag fire energy comes rushing back to you, mojo included. When you feel that bright eyed, wide-awake clarity, make sure to use it for the best. What would you like to create right now? What, or whom, do you feel passionate about?
Be aware of your own fire element so that you can use it wisely, as when displaced it’s easy to feel anger and frustration in place of what could be excitement and enthusiasm. Take up a new exercise, go on a road trip, paint, dance, and socialize. If you feel no passion for anything in life, then it’s easier for fear to orun rampant in the mind. Your life has to be created from a spark of desire or some wild urge to explore or learn or experience. Don’t panic about what those passions might be; the seed of adventure is sown from the pure simplicity of saying YES to your day.
Have you downloaded your full 2015 Tarotscope? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Capricorn / Capricorn Rising – Four of Cups
Stubbornness is often referred to as a negative personality trait. I disagree, as I see it as one of the most powerful tools to channel into positive self-care. Somewhere in your sphere you are feeling reluctant to surrender, to hope, or to rest, and this isn’t unusual for you. The thing that is different however is that the tides have turned recently and your outlook has shifted, so you are much more prepared than you think.
I feel you have some emotional concerns at the moment, too many feelings and an abundance of worries. These feelings are really okay, as they are washing you somewhere and if you choose to not pass judgement on yourself then you will discover that it’s also okay to just feel “meh” sometimes, it doesn’t mean you are weak or useless. However, this is an important time to note every silver lining. However many worries you have right now, there are at least three fold more bright opportunities surrounding you. Remember back to a time when things turned out quite fine despite your reservations, one of those times when the whole “divine alignment of time” was proven to you. Trust that now is the same, and that movement, although seemingly sluggish, is happening.
So back to that stubbornness; take any urges not to care for yourself right now and flip it to a wild and passionate superpower to do absolutely everything you can to honor the idea of feeling good. Even if you try it as a bizarre experiment, just do it. Imagine what life would be like without the layer of pressure you place on yourself and try and act that out.
Finally this is THE month to return to your meditation practice, or start if you don’t have one already. Meditation is the value of your time and you cannot do it wrong. You may be drawn to a certain mode or pulled in the direction of a new teacher. Other than that, just sit, stop and listen, it’s that simple. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable and challenging, but all and any stillness is beneficial for you. It is within these moments that you automatically connect back to your mind, body and spirit super powers – meaning you will be able to do more work and have more ideas, when it’s time to take action.
Have you downloaded your full 2015 Tarotscope? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Oh wowow – how cool is Valentino’s cosmic pre-fall collection? It’s enough to make us think the Italian designer is secretly astro-obsessed. And guess what, it’s all in his chart…
What up, Valentino? First there was this super sexy astrology jewelry collection – and now this. The star-gazing 2015 pre-fall collection from the legendary Italian fashion house is totally inspired by all things galactic – so is the designer hiding a secret fascination with all things astro?
Garavani Valentino was born in Voghera, Italy, on May 11 1932. This places his sun in luxury-loving Taurus, and with both his Moon, Rising sign and Venus, planet of beauty and attraction, in deeply intuitive Cancer, it makes total sense that he possesses a natural empathy for the esoteric mysteries of life. How rad! You can check out his full chart here.
Can’t wait to see these cosmic creations rocking the red carpet this summer…
“If Ayahuasca is the head medicine, Peyote is to heal the heart.” One woman shares her Peyote journey, and tells how the mystical cactus helped her find her family. Images: Daniel R. Moore (homepage) and Abbey Watkins (post), both via Behance.net
“I first heard about Peyote about four years ago when a friend told me about his experience in Arizona at the Church of Peyote, where he went to one ceremony after another for three months straight. I was captivated, and let him talk for three hours. His story was magical and he told it with so much love I could feel it. Also having known him for a while, I could see how his experiences had changed him as a person.
He continued to tell me whenever his “Roadman” (what the Church of Peyote call their Shaman) was doing a ceremony, and I always thought about doing it but the time was never right. Until my ex-boyfriend, also a mutual friend, texted me out of the blue three days after his first ceremony saying; “hey, I think I found OUR medicine.”
He and I share a very intimate knowledge of each other’s problems, and having taken Peyote he said he thought it could help me in the same way it helped him. And so six months later, when I found out that he was organizing a meeting in Europe in two weeks time, it felt like a no-brainer. I had $200 in my pocket, but I was like, ‘fuck it, I have to make it work.’
He’s a pretty social guy and word had got around, so there were about 40 people in attendance. It was taking place in quite a remote place, and I travelled 24 hours to get there and missed the first round of medicine, so I was asking everybody how it was. They told me; “if it’s for you, life will just make sense.”
But I already knew it was for me.
Each tribe has their own way of running their ceremony, but I’ve done four ceremonies with the same guys now and it starts with burning tobacco, which opens up a channel to the spiritual world. The Roadman runs the ceremony, and then there’s a Fire Chief, whose job it is to make sure the fire, the “Grandfather,” stays bright and beautiful all night.
The person arranging the ceremony is in the “sponsored seat,” and they set the intention for the night. The Doorman’s job is to make sure people are sitting in the right spot and to keep things clean when people “get well” (throw up). The Drummer drums for everybody individually, and we all sing. And if the men run the ceremony, one female is also chosen to bring food – corn, meat and fruit – and water in the morning.
After the tobacco the Sponsor sets the intention for the night, then the medicine starts rolling, which comes in completely different forms depending on the Roadman. My first time, it came in four forms – a paste, a fresh form, a tea and a cold juice, and we were invited to take a portion of each. It’s a very acquired taste and all you can smell for two days afterwards is Peyote…I can’t describe it, because there’s nothing else like it and you know it right away; the mescaline.
As for how it makes me feel? The first time it made me really, really tired. So tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open. So the challenge was to sit and pay attention for nine hours straight.
It also really amplifies feelings. If Ayahuasca is the head medicine, then Peyote is the heart medicine. With Aya you take it and you go somewhere else, but with Peyote you’re completely grounded. I could talk to you like I am now, no problem, it’s just everything is amplified. In your head you’re able to connect the dots, like when you’re smoking weed, but in your heart it’s like taking MDMA – when you feel connected to everything, and you’re able to understand what everybody else is feeling.
Some people get trippy visuals but I never have. That first time I did feel raindrops on my shoulder which obviously weren’t there, and which turned into a feeling of joy that spread over my whole body. For me it feels like love is in that tepee, I don’t know how else to explain it. And afterwards, I always feel supercharged.
After my first time, I did two more ceremonies in the space of two weeks. I only took a small amount the first time and didn’t get well, but the second time I decided I wanted to dedicate my experience to different people in my life and wrote down ten names – so I took a spoonful of medicine for each of them…and got super well!
I saw it like there was obviously something that needed healing in each of those relationships, because when I took a spoonful for each of the same ten people the next time, I was flying high – a high that lasted six months. You go to places in your head where you get so emotional, and I often cry all the way through which is an amazing release in itself.
Now I feel like I’d do it once a month to keep me on track, like you might see a therapist. It can become a way of life, but for some people once a year is enough. Personally, I’d like to learn more, to understand the culture more and all the details about how to run a ceremony. They’d never let a woman put the tepee up, but I’m fascinated by the way they tie the knots in a certain way to honour the elements and stuff…and to learn about it, I just need to spend more time with them.
Also, the Roadman I follow is hilarious – he’s covered in tats, like a Mexican gangster, and he’s a funny motherfucker! For me he bridges the gap between my world and the ancient spiritual world, which makes it all so much more relatable to me. I told my friend I think I’m in love with him; he was like, ‘get in line!’
More recently, visiting Phoenix Arizona for a ceremony to celebrate the 13th wedding anniversary of my Roadman and his wife was one of the most beautiful things I’ve every experienced. I felt so blessed to go to the place where they’ve been doing these ceremonies for thousands of years. It was like visiting the holy land. But I’ve also done one with a different tribe in the Bronx in New York City, which was run by my Roadman’s ‘brother.’
People in the Peyote families know each other as relatives, and they believe that if you bring a partner into the circle and sit next to each other, that means you’re partners for life. It comes down to the fact that if you know this medicine works for you, then you feel a connection to other people in the same circles. It’s like there’s something in your makeup that’s the same, or you understand that maybe you experience the same kind of problems in life.
For me, the most beautiful part of my whole experience has been learning what real family connection feels like. Seeing how much the families respect each other, it’s ridiculous – and it’s why I keep going back.
Growing up, I never understood what family values were – my parents were there, but not emotionally. We’re very distant as a family. My friends are the people I would take a bullet for – but through the ceremonies, I’m learning how to forge a connection with my blood relatives too. The most important lesson has been to understand their value in my life, and to respect that. I appreciate them more for who they are now – and understand why maybe I should text my mom just to tell her I love her from time to time.
Elsewhere, it’s brought me so much clarity. Meeting new people, I can tell what kind of relationship we’re going to have, and if I used to have a tendency to give too much, now I’m aware of when that’s happening so I can stop. It’s like I’ve been granted an outside perspective. I’ve also learned to listen more and absorb stuff without feeling like I need to react right away. To just sit, and pay attention. I feel like I approach everything in a more peaceful, patient and positive way. And my close friends have all been able to see it.”
Feed your mind, and the rest will follow…The 16 books in this Numinous reading list are guaranteed to rock your worldview, heal your life, and feed your soul.
:: Ruby Warrington :: “As soon as I heard about Russell Brand’s Revolution, I knew I had to read it. I’m a bit obsessed with how Russell has reinvented himself, and gone from ridiculous if charismatic addict and Hollywood wannabe, to bone fide Now Age guru – it reeks of a genuine spiritual awakening. His experience of this, told through the filter of his pop culture background, his intelligence, and with his entertaining way with words, is positioning him as one of the voices with the potential to really cause a shift in consciousness at a very mainstream level. The book is every bit as brilliant as I’d hoped, as entertaining as it is profound and agitating.”
:: Erin Telford :: “Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing by Caroline Myss was the first game changer for me. I read it in high school. I grew up in a total hippie household and we would get crystal therapy when we were sick and my parents had a guru, so this lifestyle was very comfortable to me but it wasn’t something that I had consciously chosen. It was just what I knew from my family. When I read Anatomy of the Spirit it was my first personal connection to the idea that we could heal our own bodies and that the Western medical system wasn’t the only model…was in fact a very poor and deficient model for healing. The concept of “dis-ease” blew my mind wide open because it just made so much sense. It opened me up to the vastness of what we could do as individuals to self heal.”
:: Alexandra Roxo :: “The book Be Here Now changed my life greatly at age 19. I saw that this world was merely a TV screen, a matrix of lights, all a constructed illusion, and how everything works together. I learned about food, karma, God…and something clicked. The knowledge Ram Dass spoke touched my soul and awakened existing wisdom within my heart. It was the first major awakening I had, and I remember thinking: “YES. Finally.” In 2014 I decided to listen to all of his talks on my iPhone and was re-inspired,10 years later.”
:: Erica Jago :: “What We Ache For: Creativity and the Unfolding of Your Soul by Oriah Mountain Dreamer, my dear friend who is a therapist and shaman. He shared the poem, “The Invitation,” with me and I wept. It was the first time I acknowledged and felt my own depth, and from that point forward my own personal healing began.”
:: Madeline Giles :: “The Master’s Touch: On Being a Sacred Teacher for the New Age by Yogi Bhajan. Yogi Bhajan was not a man. He was an avatar in a human suit – I guess we all are in some sense, but Yogi Bhajan was wide awake to it and the technology he transmitted to us is guaranteed (with consistent practice) to make you happy, healthy, and holy. Need I say more?”
:: Dani Katz :: “Right Use of Will: Healing and Evolving the Emotional Body. Hands down. No question. Right Use of Will came into my life several years ago, when I was heavily into ayahuasca, and tons of shamanic endeavors. It’s a channelled book – supposedly straight from the mouth of God – that lays out right and aligned third chakra relating. I take all channelled material with a grain of salt, but this book vibes high and true, and resonates on way too many levels for me to NOT take it to heart. It’s all about power – personal power, relational power, cultural power – what constitutes a distortion, and what serves the individual and the collective together. Since reading it, I move through life with a very clear certainty about how to exercise my own personal power with others and the world at large, while also being clear as to when others are out of line in how they are wielding their power with me/the world. It has since smoothed out my every human relationship, because I am clear as to what is right relating, as regards to will, and what isn’t. Armed with this knowledge, I know immediately when others are overcompensating for an underdeveloped third chakra, and can thus engage them in ways that support their empowerment.”
:: Sarah Hay :: “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein, Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet by Mark Lynas, and When A Billion Chinese Jump: How China Will Save Mankind — Or Destroy It by Jonathan Watts – these three books changed my life in 2014, and I believe that until people have read the information contained in them they will be functioning from a place of confusion, unknowing ignorance and powerlessness. Every single world event we are seeing today, from recent events of extremism in Paris, Nigeria and Syria, to extreme weather flashes in Gaza and the Philippines and water shortages in Yemen, plus extreme energy extraction in Canada, the US and the UK are all connected. We have the power to change everything, and climate is the one issue that’s teaching me this every single day.
:: Betsy Cohen :: The book I feel every women should read is Make Every Man Want You by Marie Forleo. Marie is a huge hearted genius. Not many people know that this book exists, and when I read it I thought: “This is everything that I’ve been channelling through readings (in my work as a professional psychic medium) for the past four years about relationships all in one place!” I always tell people I hate the title but LOVE the book.”
:: Jennifer Kass :: “A Course In Miracles. I always tell my clients it’s the template for reality. After knowing the basic spiritual truth that only love is real and fear is an illusion, we can drop everything we hear, think, learn into that template and know what’s real and what’s false, what will best serve us and what will not. Discovering the truth of reality freed me from fear and activated my own ancient love and knowledge within and allowed me to step into my divine life mission and become who I really am.”
:: Victoria Keen :: “It would have to be…The Holographic Universe: The Revolutionary Theory of Reality. I discovered it a couple years ago in my studies about Sound and the nature of reality, and it is a thorough and fascinating investigation into the gaping blind spots in modern science. It brings to light, in a very succinct and easily comprehensible way, a scientific paradigm for truly understanding our connectivity and the power our thoughts have on shaping ‘physical reality’. This books lays the ground work for all energetic medicine, and I am so grateful it exists!”
:: Raquel Griffin :: “HANDS DOWN, Marianne Williamson’s The Law of Divine Compensation: On Work, Money, and Miracles. I discovered it a little over a year ago and it totally changed my life…..it’s the definition of a GAME-CHANGER. This book completely redefined how I thought about money, work – and miracles for that matter. Marianne clearly illuminates the spiritual aspect of money (i.e. that money and spirit are linked), which is absolutely key to understanding and ultimately breaking the lack cycle. I honestly believe if every human lived by the concepts she elucidates in this book, our world would be a VERY different place.”
:: Sophie Teakle :: “Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. I have listened to this more than once as a recording, and find new meanings every time. I’m also in the process of rereading The Kybalion which has such astounding depth and profundity I know it will be at my side for a life time, its meanings changing as I too grow and evolve.”
:: Laurie Di Biagio :: “The Alchemist. 18 months ago, this book opened my eyes to my own purpose – the fact that I too was on my own personal pilgrimage to the pyramids. That life is lived through the heart, not the head. And that what the heart tells you…you must follow. It came to be at the exact time it was meant to, as weeks later I embarked on a life of entrepreneurship.”
They call today Blue Monday – the most depressing day of the year (which, if you’re feeling that way, is really just another reason to enquire after your Dharma, darlings). In the meantime, what better excuse to indulge in some serious soul food. Here, members of the Numinati share the dishes that make us tick…
:: Ruby Warrington :: “It’s all about the oatmeal. I went into denial for a phase back there, when the whole green-smoothie-for-breakfast thing kicked in, but now I’m back on the oats I would say I’m starting the day at least 20% happier. I make mine with half water, half almond milk, a handful of raisins (while it’s heating, to plump them up), a sprinkling of cinnamon, maybe some walnuts, and serve with half a banana sliced on top. It’s essentially baby food, creamy and mushy, and reminiscent somewhere at soul level of my first nourishment I guess. I go to bed at night thinking about it, and after my morning oatmeal, I feel full.”
:: Madeline Giles :: “Baked sweet potato, mashed with melted coconut oil and a bit of pink Himalayan salt. It tastes like salty sweet velvet candy! I love it because it’s super nourishing, easy, energizing, and – something I need the most – grounding. I love sweet things, and while in my mind my favorite food is probably milkshake smoothies from Cafe Gratitude, I’m annoyingly sensitive to even the ‘healthy’ kinds of sugar – so sweet potato has become my go-to.”
:: Dani Katz :: “I tend to walk a rather intense path, which is reflected in my diet – super clean and sparse and vegan – lots of greens and cultured veggies…simple whole foods that multitask for my body and soul. That being said, my soul food is…brown rice. Brown rice, for me, is like an Amma hug, a little bit of warm, yummy, maternal respite from the challenges of the Earth game, and all the rules I set up for myself in playing it ‘right.’
Here’s how rice became my surrogate mother: Over a decade ago, I combined syrian rue (an MAO inhibitor) with a heroic dose of mushrooms, turned out all the lights in my Los Feliz guest house, and buckled up for the ride. During the trip, I was shown a tiny treasure chest. It took me a minute (or an hour or a lifetime – hard to say on psychedelic time) to think to open the treasure chest, and when I did, I couldn’t have been more shocked to see what was inside:
A grain of brown rice.
I know it’s tied in to a past life (or two, or twelve) as a Tibetan monk. There’s something about the size, and the shape, and the feeling I get as it passes through my lips, and down my throat, and into my belly – I think: Wow, I’ve done this for thousands of years.
Brown rice is familiar. It’s family. It’s home.
Brown rice means me giving myself a break. It’s sattvic. It’s grounding. It reminds me that life doesn’t have to be so hard, and so intense, and I can be cozy and still be on my path, and in alignment. I know that in the grand scheme, brown rice isn’t all that unhealthy, but as a super strict ascetic who rarely allows myself grains or carbs, or anything that isn’t totally packed with nutrients, it is – for me – a little vacation from my otherwise ridiculously disciplined daily routine.”
:: Betsy Cohen :: “Fresh coconut water from a coconut. I sort of can’t explain it, but it feels like the perfect fuel for what ever I’m needing at the time. It feels like a meal for my mind, body and soul.”
:: Sarah Durham Wilson :: “My current obsessive soul food is a rich kale salad at night. I have a lot of theories about the powers of green food, mostly that if we want to align with the powers of the Earth, i.e. the powers of self healing, self-regeneration, death, rebirth, cycles and seasons, and infinite wisdom – which is also to say Magic, the forces that govern the universe, then eat as close to the Earth as possible. And if you want to feel alive, eat that which is alive itself. And I’m a vegetarian, so I mean, fruits and vegetables that grow from Mother Earth. Also, green is the color of the heart chakra, which is unconditional love, which is also Source. I feel more ‘sourced’ when I eat rich green foods. I feel more expansive, nourished, and alive. Simply put, food from the ground grounds me.”
:: Jennifer Kass :: “My soul food is dark leafy greens because they are the highest vibration foods, grown in the sun, made of pure LOVE energy! Greens are the anchor of every meal and I love how I can do them raw when I need that, and cooked when I need something more grounding, and that they’re easy to mix with everything else that I love. They literally feed my soul because they keep my energy high and my connection to spirit wide open with their clean, pure energy.”
:: Victoria Keen :: “Bone broth all the way! For winter it feels like the best way to infuse my body with warmth and nourishment at soul level. The alchemical act of making my own broth from bones, roots (like burdock and astragalus), seaweeds (like kombu and kelp) and mushrooms (like chaga and maitake) is love itself. This touches me at soul level, and the strengthening, immune building action of the broth itself nourishes the physical body. Essentially, it’s a gentle and powerful homemade medicine. (And p.s. veggie broths can easily be made with the same love and awareness especially fortifying with sea minerals).”
:: Raquel Griffin :: “Nothing says soul food to me like homemade soup…bone-broth to be exact. Maybe since I cook it myself and get to infuse it with love, herbs and healing magic, it just feels like self-lovin’ in a bowl. And when I’m sick or it’s ridiculously cold out nothing hits the spot quite like it.”
:: Sophie Teakle :: “Coconut – it gets itself into almost everything I eat, starting in the morning with my porridge…I use heavy coconut milk and simmer it with oats, chia and cinnamon for some serious winter nourishment! I use lighter milk in my tea and coffee, oil in everything I cook, coconut butter in my raw chocolate, and coconut flakes as garnish/in my granola. Coconut is one of the world’s miracle foods.”
:: Laurie Di Biagio :: “I am grew up on the Jersey Shore in an Italian American family, and we call Sunday ‘Red Sauce Gravy day’ around these parts. A pot of gravy with meatballs, sausage, and pork chop on the bottom is the classic, but my favorite is to make it with squid and sauteed calamari or blue crabs. Growing up on the water and surrounded by fisherman, the combo of classic Italian comfort and the treasures of the sea bring me home wherever I roam.”
Is Astrology helping tell the story of human responses to climate change? With Saturn in Sagittarius and a scary new deadline to cut fossil fuel emissions, it’s time to pick each pilgrimage wisely, says Ruby Warrington. Images: Mariano Peccinetti
So this was going to be a post about how to use astrocartography to plan your vacations and retreats in 2015. Astrocartography is the practise of placing your birth chart over a map of the world, to see where the different planets hold the most influence for you – which is obviously completely fascinating, and I urge you to download your map here STAT!
But then I started reading Naomi Klein’s climate change manifesto This Changes Everything – and it’s become a story about how air miles feel like my most guilty pleasure.
Scanning my mind for my very favorite, most life defining memories, so many of them were made following the burning of a shit-tonne of fossil fuels – like the time I travelled to Greece as a moody adolescent, and got to experience another culture first hand for the first time. Or to Ibiza as a happy-go-lucky rave babe in my twenties, and to Miami to marry my husband, just the two of us, nervous and giggling like teenagers in the garden at the Delano hotel.
These are the memoires that exist in 3D Technicolor for me, aromas, emotions and all, and I had been fully intending to create many, many more in 2015. I’ve already booked a trip down to the Bahamas to swim with dolphins in February, which, considering I have a life-long phobia of snorkelling (I am a human, last time I checked I am not equipped for breathing underwater) I’m anticipating will be a game-changer for me.
Then there’s Lauren and Joe’s wedding in London in March (my biggest matchmaking success story), and the big ol’ Santa-Fe-to-Big-Sur road-trip I’ve been loosely fantasizing about.
But since This Changes Everything, I’m beginning to relate to the part of my mind that continues to think it’s totally okay to jump on a plane somewhere every other month like that creepy, morally corrupt dude Mr. Burns from The Simpsons. There is shame, and there is a degree of disgust.
In her book, Klein says it’s our collective “climate change denial” (i.e. continuing to jump on planes places every other month) that means we’re currently facing a situation where, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA): “If we do not get our emissions under control by 2017 our fossil fuel economy will ‘lock in’ extremely dangerous warming.”
By “lock in,” they mean seal the deal on irreversible changes to our global climate, which could trigger completely devastating environmental disasters on an as yet unimaginable scale – the trailer for which disaster movie has already begun playing on a loop.
Klein’s manifesto makes for scary but what feels like essential reading. Relating to the 28% of fossil fuel consumption attributed to the transportation industry, it’s also got me thinking about Saturn, planet of harsh life lessons, restriction and karma, recently having stationed in globe-trotting, happy-go-lucky Sagittarius. Where it will remain until – you guessed it – December 19 2017, a.k.a. pretty much D-day on potential environmental Armageddon. Which suggests that the next three years are about a stern approach to re-thinking our attitudes to why, when and how we travel.
Wow, it sucks being stuck in this materialistic human suit sometimes. At the center of my being, my soul intelligence can be finally waking up to the fact that it’s time for some RADICAL FREAKING CHANGES, but still my physical body will argue; “not quite yet though, yeah? Swimming with those dolphins is seriously gonna rock your world…”
The hard-core environmentalists will argue that there is no room, or time, for compromise. But the Titanic won’t turn on a dime. Which is an interesting metaphor in itself, considering it’s also been predicted that a rise in sea levels resulting from the disintegration of the West antarctic ice sheet (due to global warming) could wipe out coastal metropolis’ like New York, LA and London by 2100.
And I know, I KNOW. But how about, for now (really though, NOW), we commit to only travel for true pilgrimage. It’s an idea that’s also in keeping with Saturn in Sag, the notion that our journeys must have real purpose, and if it meant we all took just one trip a year instead of five, wouldn’t that be going some way towards meeting the IEA’s 2017 targets? As for all those business trips, the jaunts across continents for meetings that really need to take place face-to-face…um, isn’t that why we invented Skype?
As always, writing and thinking about environmental issues makes me feel like a total hypocrite and also extremely naive (you too, I know, which is why it feels so much nicer to just keep looking the other way), because of course I’ll be going to that wedding. Obviously a trip to Berlin to meet my new nephew this summer counts as a pilgrimage too, right? And actually, isn’t this all just too little, too late?
But as a mere human, a microscopic particle in the organism of our collective Earthly consciousness, I have no real choice but to believe that even the one, or two, or three trips I choose not to take this year will make a difference. A theory that only really works if I’m not the only one making those choices.
So then how to choose the journeys that are really worth waiting for? A while ago I had my astrocartography chart read by a British astrologer called Zoe Hind. It’s all way too complicated for me to explain in detail here, but below is a map of my chart to give you an idea.
The different colored lines represent the planets, and the labels at the top and bottom – “MC, IC, AS, DS” – show their highest and lowest points, as well as where they are ascending and descending. The idea being that a planet ascending over a certain country means it’s influence will be strengthened there. The reverse if it’s descending. So where there are lots of lines, shows where in the world there is the most cosmic potential for you.
Thinking in terms of my personal and spiritual growth (i.e. “pilgrimage”), this looks a lot like Hawaii, South America, Africa, Scandinavia, and Russia / Tibet. None of which have factored in my travels to date. But with cosmic healer Chiron strong over the Pacific, Hawaii could be the ideal location for a solo retreat, says Zoe – opposed to a group trip, as Uranus, planet of group activity, is also at it lowest there.
South America, the Amazon in particular, is where my Sun, Venus, Mercury and Chiron, all in my fourth house of family roots, are “going to sleep.” The interpretation? “If you were going to have an; ‘I want to get away from myself, change my mind and challenge my core beliefs in a group scenario’ sort of trip, then obviously South America is looking very strong. Because the planets in your 11th house of groups (Uranus, North Node) are also lit up.” Which sounds about right for the ayahuasca experience in Peru I’ve got scheduled for somewhere around age 50.
As for putting my money where my mouth is for now though, and simply staying put? When I moved to New York from London in 2012, I had a visceral sense of destiny itself kicking me out of my comfort zone and into a new life across the Atlantic.
And wouldn’t you know, my Sun, the essence of my being, and Moon, representing my instincts and subconscious mind, meet high up in the sky, directly above this dirty, dramatic, endangered city. It’s my three-year anniversary next month, and the internal pilgrimage I’ve been on here has created some of my most momentous life milestones of all. So this year I commit to making lots more of those, RIGHT HERE.
Discover more about Zoe Hind’s astrology at AstroZo.com
We are bombarded with messages urging us to “be the light” – but what if true healing means embracing the darkest aspects of ourselves, asks Emily Tepper. Images: Andrew Robinson via Behance.net
Be the dark. Walk boldly through the unknown reaches of the soul.
This year, I am embracing my inner “dark worker,” because I’ve come to realize that actually our dark side is the most creative place to be. It is in the fertile void, in the dark, underground, where the seed germinates.
There are aspects of our creativity, our courage, and our power which, like a seed, can only incubate in total darkness. This is why my darkness has become my favorite place to be.
I have spent so much of my life trying to improve my dark moods, to lighten the dark humor that might provoke or offend the polite, and soften the sharp opinions that are often hard to hear and accept – even when getting right with them can be the most crucial step to getting out of denial. It’s meant denying the darkness in me that also translates as a low tolerance for bullshit, a quick temper, sudden rage, and profound grief.
It’s ironic though, that since I decided to accept my darkness, my moods have improved considerably. Like it was the constant pressure to “be the light,” the constant cultural shaming of the dark, that was half the issue. The dark is immensely powerful, and yet we are afraid of it.
But think about where the dark exists in our language: pure creativity “rises up,” from “the underground.” The answers to our most profound existential crises often lie buried in our “sub” conscious.
But the dark is where shame is lifted and new truths are actualized – as seen and witnessed only by those who are also willing to stray far enough from the safety of the will lit path to witness.
Every fairy tale Princess walks a dark night in the forest on her way to healing and reclaiming her majesty. To grow, she is made to face the utter fear of the wild and unknown. In the dark, and usually alone, it is through this journey that we find ourselves.
We’ve all heard stories of the Dark Night of The Soul, and how powerful it is to pass through it to the other side. We go on to heal others in our ascension to the light, but we become who we are in the dark.
So now consider this: maybe “black magic” isn’t evil at all, but actually where the alchemy happens. Perhaps there is a tremendous, almost disgusting, amount of power available to those who are willing to go there. Maybe that’s what makes the practitioners of the “dark arts” so frightening to the rest of us.
And before you villainize the villain, consider that in some countries it is dark for most of the day, most of the year even. What if your natural state of being is more Norway than Florida? My moods are like the weather of Siberia – cold and dark, with occasional bursts of incredible, irrepressible light. And I’ve decided I’m good with this version of myself. She doesn’t need improvement.
Our emotions are like a weather system. They are shifting constantly, and the seasons of the soul they represent are the very essence of change and manifestation.
If the spiritual “industry” is full of Light Workers – this year I am declaring myself a Dark Worker. And I urge you again to Be The Dark.
How will you honor your dark side in 2015? Connect with us and share your story on Twitter or Facebook.
How to navigate internal and external shifts in your Universe? Laurie DiBiagio shares her ten commandments for change.
At 29, I would like to graciously grant myself the title “Change Connoisseur.” I also don’t think claiming myself an aficionado of change at such a young age is in any way audacious. I have been blessed with three dominant, mutable signs: Sagittarius Sun, Pisces Ascendant, and a Gemini Moon. I was designed by the stars to mutate.
With this astrological recipe, life is ever-changing for me: exciting, exhausting, emotional, and inspiring. I love it, but I often feel like there is never a moment to fully catch my breath. Somehow I never fall short. With all my experience in the fields of eternal transmutation, I believe I’ve earned myself an Olympic gold medal in reading the signs of transition and metamorphosis.
At the end of each year in my 20’s, I always ended up in a drastically different place from where I started. Ending one relationship to enter a new. Living in NYC to relocate to Hawaii (and back again). Quitting one job and starting the next. Thinking I was going to end up with him to finding the only person I needed to fall in love with was myself. Navigating my way through my parents’ chaotic and melodramatic divorce. Giving up the corporate world to becoming an entrepreneur. Living alone in a cottage studio 20 steps from the ocean on the North Shore, to sleeping on my mom’s couch. Going from adventurer and lover, to homemaker to vagabond, daughter, sister, student, teacher, and back again: multiple times. And this barely scratches the surface.
Within all this, one well-learned and highly prevalent lesson is that change doesn’t always appear victorious, or come in a neatly wrapped box with a shiny little bow. It is often very well disguised. It most likely won’t appear as anything spectacular and grandiose, BUT it will be perfectly placed, and it will be the exact tool that you need to continue on this great journey: good, bad, and ugly.
Ahh, the delightful path of the unknown. While at times it may appear devastating, it is always miraculous: never a punishment, always a gift. Everything manifests in our lives exactly at the point it is meant to. When we have learned all our lessons, of course, to allow that particular event to be released. Without change, how would we let go? To defy the force of change is to defy the Universe. Yet people do this every day, and some for their entire lives.
In defying the Universe, life becomes stagnant and difficult because you are no longer conscious or open to the abundance you are meant to receive. With that being said, and with no further adieu, here is my guide to conjuring and summoning forth the signs for dynamic change to occur in your life in a really intentional and “prepared” way. You must remember though, there really is no treading lightly into change. Change is meant to facilitate growth and enlightenment. Without trips, slips, falls, and some bruises we wouldn’t reach the next level. Change comes with light and dark energy, both with great purpose. You must accept this notion.
:: MY TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR CHANGE ::
1. Ban words like “restriction”, “limitation”, and “realistic” from your vocabulary. Do not allow the projections of fear and jealousy within yourself and others to poison your mind.
2. Don’t let the facts fool you. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. Believe. Pray. Give gratitude. Find the blessings in your current situation. Be open and you shall receive.
3. Never hesitate to ask for help. Call upon Green Tara or your most present Ascended Masters and Goddess to show you the way, to reveal in time your next move. Our teachers, angels, and spirits are always here to guide us with their divine intuition and wisdom.
4. Always stay in your heart. No matter what, you can always come back to this space. I often find myself holding my pointer and middle finger down on my heart chakra or placing a rose quartz there in my savasana to remind myself to tap in. All change exists in the heart, not in the head. Stay here. Be still. Listen.
5. Embrace alone time. You time. Spirit time. Listen to music. Get out in nature. Meditate. Read your cards. Hold your crystals. Clear and shield your energy. This will keep you vibrating on a frequency that allows these magnificent little thought bubbles to enter your stream of consciousness. Make life a ritual.
6. Write. Write. Write. Write what is in your heart, your soul. Write your goals, hopes, dreams, and wishes. Write anything you desire. Nothing is too ambitious, for it would not exist within you if you weren’t meant to have it. Keep your words with you, or burn the pages and release the ashes to the universe.
7. Follow the Moon. Set intentions on the new moon, and release when it’s full. Bring your writing, oils, crystals, incense, deities, or anything else that serves you. Make it an art form.
8. When in doubt, pray it out. Just pray. TRUST. One small action every day toward your desires paired with good old fashioned genuine belief will leave you with a tried and true recipe for success.
9. Believe in miracles, they happen everyday. The Universe always provides. Do not forget this. Make it your Mantra.
10. Know that you are exactly where you need to be at this very moment. Now, let it go. Watch magic happen. You will know it when it hits you. Be aware. In the advice you speak to others, in the advice given to you, in moments that feel full of impending doom but are really full of grace, you will feel it hit you. Take the ride. Do not resist. There will be no denying it because you will feel it in every fiber of your being.
Laurie DiBiagio is a designer, maker, artist, entrepreneur and adventurer. You can follow her adventures through the wild unknown at Sirenaandthesea.com and follow her @sirena_and_the_sea
How are you feeling about 2015? I notice that around this time my Facebook feeds starts filling up with people saying how awful their year has been and that next year BETTER be good. I never really resonated with the idea of threatening the year ahead? It doesn’t seem like the most proactive or positive way to introduce yourself to something. Imagine if when we met a new person we shook their hand and shouted at them: YOU BETTER BE A GOOD FRIEND OR ELSE!
Everything is of value, so how about we offer some compassion to ourselves instead? Maybe a bit of a pat on the back to say YOU DID IT, 2014 was tough but you kept walking. The learning from most challenging times does not usually present itself to us in an instant, we have to trust it will appear at some point. For now, just urge to be kind to yourself, rest, and when you are ready, be curious about what positive developments might just be ahead.
Now, onto your scopes! This month’s Tarotscopes are a sneak peek from your 2015 Tarotscopes that are now available for instant download in my shop. Each scope is over 4500 words and reads like a coaching session that you get to keep on hand throughout 2015! I’ve also created an Astro Goddess illustration for each sign, to act as your spirit guide for the year ahead.
As a treasured reader of my writing for The Numinous I’d like to offer you 10% off your 2015 Tarotscope using the code NUMILOVE2015.
Happy New Year. I love you and I am so grateful for each and every one of you.
Capricorn / Capricorn Rising
I feel this is a very important year to grow up and get real! Over 2014 you saw perhaps some of your most intense and challenging moments and the same themes kept coming up over and over again. You questioned your abilities, your confidence and your identity. You fought against yourself many times, because it felt like the only thing you knew how to do. However, near the end of the year, maybe even in the last few weeks, something has shifted, an awakening of sorts. You are in place to receive the truth from your highest self and guess what, it doesn’t want you to keep working against yourself!
So over the course of the year I feel you will be constantly releasing this pressure and practicing it hard, knowing that you can change the course of your whole experience. You also get to discover that Monday mornings don’t have to be a dread when you love what you do. You are invited to pursue and explore what an enjoyable and lucrative career would be for you. You are allowed to give yourself permission to move away from what sucks your energy dry and what just doesn’t seem to cut it for you anymore.
You will also (as usual) be called upon by others for advice and guidance this year. Know that since people act as mirrors for each other, as you dish out the sage advice, you must take it for yourself too. Some people will stand in front of you with anxieties that match yours word for word. This is to remind you that you are never alone.
Every time you take some pressure off yourself you will receive a wink from the Universe, as every time you are willing to do this you will open a new space to receive something that feels good to you. Experiment with valuing all of your feelings and know that it is safe to honour them. I’m excited to say that I feel your confidence and self worth is set to get a great boost if you choose to participate with a fresh perspective towards your journey. Your best self is waiting patiently for you to show up fully, honestly and with vulnerability. You are loved.
This is an extract from your 2015 Tarotscope. Read more here. Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Aquarius / Aquarius Rising
I feel so energized, excited and so proud of you for just ‘shaking it all off’ recently. I feel like the year ahead is like fresh soil, waiting for you to plant, so don’t be afraid of shifting up anything and everything. Your motto for 2015? Surrender forever! Your ruling element this year is the fire energy and so it’s a huge year for embracing your own independence, freeing your spirit and exploring your passions. This is completely available to you if you also complement it by being kind to yourself!
I’d like you to start this year with a commitment to your own wellbeing. I want you to know that you can still be loving and supportive of others while caring for yourself. You don’t have to exchange your health to boost someone else’s! I also want you to not feel guilty about your life being well and good when others around you struggle. You are so loved and everyone is dying for you to really pursue what makes you happy.
You’ve learned a lot of lessons over the past year and now it’s time to embody them and really allow yourself to receive the good stuff. It’s time to release self-sabotaging habits and forgive the past. The surrender practice is pivotal to this year, because the more that you believe your life has a perfect and natural flow to it, the more you will be surprised by it’s unusual and exciting offerings.
Imagine what it would feel like if the dark forest were truly behind you? Imagine if that rollercoaster really had come to a stop? What if if you really have evolved into a fresh space? Embrace life and the world around you as if it still has something to offer. You are at the start of a new cycle in your life, trust that the unknown holds more gifts for you; don’t you want to see what they are? Magic is real don’t you know. Be the calm within the storm.
This is an extract from your 2015 Tarotscope. Read more here. Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Pisces / Pisces Rising
I feel that in comparison to last year there is a distinct shift in your journey now, as it becomes much more active and appealing to you. You did a lot of ‘going through the motions’ last year, processing experiences, recovering from heartbreak and just doing a lot of life admin. Now that we move into a fresh space you are invited to believe in your life again. You are also going to have to take a chance on trusting it too.
This is a super divine year for your sense of confidence and ability to get your best self and/or message out to the world. You are naturally a creative thinker and doer and it feels to me like this year has been designed for you to be able to really learn to sit comfortably within your passions.
You also have a wonderful opportunity this year to really embrace and admire the human experience, rather than blame it for its pitfalls. You are able to shift away any thoughts you have about your story not being valuable and are free to dive back into exploring what the world has to offer you. You will find that your old worn out negative self-beliefs start to become tiring to you as you prepare to commit to positive change for your mind, body and spirit.
What is going to be really eye opening for you this year is accepting a new mentor or teacher into your life. This guidance is something that you feel really ready for, although that currently might be a subconscious knowing as your conscious self fights against it! In regards to your anxieties, there is still a part of you that perceives yourself as broken and therefore unfixable. Some of the most negative stories you tell yourself are so familiar that you either totally believe in them or think that this is ‘just how it is’. It’s time to now accept that as a human you are a master of change and can shift your thoughts when and as you choose.
This is an extract from your 2015 Tarotscope. Read more here. Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Aries / Aries Rising
My wonderful warriors; 2015 is a year for embracing the self and not being afraid to explore your own truths. You have an important mission and it’s to release your own self-sabotaging stories. You can be hard on yourself and it’s time to instead start to see what those around you see. You are embraced and adored by your journey itself, and life is waiting for you to dive in. There will be many opportunities this year to test your trust in your intuition and to believe that you are a success story.
You are really needed this year, not only by yourself but also by others. You are often seen as a mentor to many, did you know that? Your fire energy is appreciated, people see you as far more capable than you sometimes see yourself, and I want you to see this energy within yourself too and be able to bathe in it. You aren’t lacking in empowerment at all, but you aren’t always quite as attached to it as you could be. Sometimes you shed your skin and forget to put a new one on and it leaves you feeling a little lifeless or uninspired. Failure is only an illusion. Your highest power lies in every moment you feel a spark of interest, a buzz of hope and a flicker of the great and wild unknown.
As I speak on behalf of your highest self, I feel uplifted about the open space you have to explore. You are definitely going to feel that sense of having to get out of your own this way, as demands for your talents and time arise, you will really have to claim your true confidence!
Coming out of 2014, I feel you are more apt at managing your feelings and this will give you a bonus super power of being able to connect to your intuition at the drop of a hat. You only need to trust that, when faced with internal drama or chaos, there is always a simpler solution if you are open to receiving it.
This is an extract from your 2015 Tarotscope. Read more here. Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Taurus / Taurus Rising
Fear of failure is the same as fear of success – they are both an unknown space. This year I’d like you to get comfortable with the idea that maybe things will turn out in a perfect way that works for you, but you must be willing to throw yourself off into the unknown to receive the benefits. It won’t come as a surprise to you that I’m going to bring up my favorite practice of SURRENDER as a gift for you to work with throughout the year, as it is truly going to be your super power and a chance to take on a whole new more relaxed way of thinking.
I feel that the coming months are going to bring through the changes you have been building up to over the past year, and as the year moves ahead it will be essential to keep checking in on how within your flow you are. Do you even know what the natural flow of life feels like? It’s when you notice synchronicities all around you, and you don’t feel like you are fighting against yourself!
This is a year for absolutely and completely tearing down the foundations of how you approach your own will and successes. Lets call it a classic case of breakdown to breakthrough. Don’t panic though, I’m not anticipating that you’re about to hit the floor and dissolve! But I do want your attitude to be shaken up and changed so that you can think about your material world with a whole new attitude this year.
Don’t be afraid to rise up and try again. Pick yourself up this year from whatever you feel has got your knees a knocking. Make your will bigger than your won’t. You will certainly not be short of ideas, the only thing you need is a clear channel to bring them through. Work on getting familiar and comfortable with your anxieties and fears; then you can give your deserved energy where it belongs – to your passions. It’s time to get up, stand up, open up and ultimately accept yourself as the golden soul you are.
This is an extract from your 2015 Tarotscope. Read more here. Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Gemini / Gemini Rising
I feel that this year you are embodying and mastering all the lessons that the past year brought to you. You felt the push and pull so strongly in 2014 and now you get to truly take back your power and put it into play. You can be a perfect combination of organized and scattered, lost and found. This year you are being urged to realize that there aren’t all these different versions of you, but that you are just one person who is constantly evolving. You no longer need to try to fit yourself into a mold; you are the mold.
Your being is as stretchy and expansive as the Universe itself. Your only job is to learn how to be fully embodied within your self without being controlling and restrictive. As you will be working on upping your inner and outer confidence all through the year, self-care is the absolute key to your personal and financial successes. You may have to work hard to release some old negative stories that you have written for yourself, but you totally have the strong super powers within you to do so!
Get excited about the shifts you are making for yourself and the potential of feeling truly good. Don’t be afraid to drop that to do list and let life flow in a natural way; know that you have got this. It’s also an amazing year to allow yourself to receive help, as well as new friendships and relationships, and it’s certainly your turn to embrace love and guidance as an alternative to being the constant facilitator. You will be mastering a new way of communication so that you can feel more connected to those around you.
You are never short on thoughts and ideas – they are there, very frequently whizzing in all directions, but managing them into a place of authentic expression can sometimes be challenging for you. You often have a fear of being misunderstood so sometimes try and put across what you think needs to be heard, rather than what you actually want and need to say. You can really trust your self, now, just believe that you can.
This is an extract from your 2015 Tarotscope. Read more here. Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Cancer / Cancer Rising
You will no doubt be aware that you are standing in a significantly different place to this time last year. Even those of you who feel that nothing has shifted are likely to have had an arc of experiences in 2014 that at the very least has awarded you with a beneficial shift in perspective. I feel really excited and vibrant tuning in to your year ahead, and have the urgency to sit tall in my seat. Your confidence has heightened and you no longer have any desire or need to play small. The energy that surrounds you is in grand support of you really ‘going for it’ within your adventure.
This year is all about firing yourself back up and showing up for your life. The fire energy is so powerful for you, although it’s not your natural state being a sign powered by water. So although your go-to is usually to work with your feelings and intuition, as you move through the year you’ll realize that your sense of personal power explodes when you stand firmly and walk tall. Your ability to start really asking for what you want, without guilt, will put you in a very special and enchanting place.
What is essential for you over the coming months is to really be open to releasing self-judgment, guilt and shame. To loosen up all those expectations that you have piled on yourself and to seriously stop obsessing about what others might think of you. Get obsessed with Y O U. I call it a positive selfishness. You’ll discover that the more you pursue what you have the urge to bring forth into your life, the more confident and capable you’ll feel.
Finally, you have to allow the magic to happen in perfect alignment. You have to accept that perhaps divine timing is better than your timing. It’s a tough one to crack but boy does it help you when you just stop, surrender and get on with the minute in hand.
This is an extract from your 2015 Tarotscope. Read more here. Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Leo / Leo Rising
I see you starting this year with some serious plans and ideas in place, and in fact much more of a practical approach to last year. Over the past 12 months there was a lot of coasting along, not laziness, but less of a structure. There were times when you felt like you were just saying yes, yes, yes to everything, which sometimes went in your favour and sometimes, not so much.
What you have learned in recent months is to really connect to your own inner workings and desires in your day-to-day life – and you are building up your confidence to complement this. It’s time to restructure your views on manifesting so you aren’t just going through the motions while wishing some things would change. Instead you are in full on magical action mode!
This will also be a year of stripping back the layers and strengthening your support systems underneath. You are so easily sociable but often see yourself as a loner within the world or having to always put on a brave face. It’s even easy sometimes to feel aggressive towards the outside world and accusatory of those around you. Keep going within. Then ask for help from the people you get super excited and inspired by.
There is also a real need for self-love and nurture throughout your whole year, as it will be what brings that sense of personal harmony to you. You want to be the mother to yourself and continuously ask yourself ‘what do I need right now?’ – which is actually a very valuable and effective morning meditation to get right to the core of what your soul needs. There is always information available to you from your highest self; you must only make space to listen.
This is an extract from your 2015 Tarotscope. Read more here. Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Virgo / Virgo Rising
To begin 2015 in the most productive and positive manner I want you to cast a respectful eye across the year gone by. Can you believe how things have changed? Did you know things were going to shift so much? Aren’t you kind of impressed with how you navigated those highs and lows and are still standing? Yes. The past does not need to be re-written or re-organized and time is never wasted.
Trust, faith and education are your revolving doors for 2015 – kicking off with a need to really claim your confidence and KNOW that you really do have things within your power. Recognition that fighting against yourself is no longer an enjoyable act, and that accepting yourself as an ever-evolving person really does make sense!
Your voice is yours to claim and get to know. You are going to be called countlessly to have to speak your truth and learn what your truth is. Many of you will have to cut the ties from past anxieties to not feel afraid of standing powerfully in your own mind, body and spirit. Surrender is your most valuable tool here, and learning to take pressure off yourself will also be a repeating cycle.
Learn to recognize the instant that you start piling on restrictions to your ambitions and potential. Every time you become aware of this is a chance to step back and realize that you don’t want to be hard on yourself. I’m excited for you to realize how far you’ve come. Getting yourself into confident phoenix mode will be forever helpful – so recognize that you are supposed to be continuously rising from your own ashes. There is no such thing as being broken or weak, you have this in hand. Choose to get connected and feel empowered.
This is an extract from your 2015 Tarotscope. Read more here. Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Libra / Libra Rising
Last year felt like a struggle for many of you, as all your anxieties surrounding friendships and romantic partnerships seemed to be charging at you with sharp teeth. What is happening as you emerge into 2015 is a clearing of this tension and a push to realize that maybe the hard slog is now over.
You have reached a major tipping point of change. You are shedding your skin as the year begins and allowed to take a breather and really acknowledge how far you’ve come. You’re are possibly or probably going to experience a lot of the new this year and although that can feel quite terrifying it is also an indication of a lot of fresh starts in your internal and external world. The sense of catapulting yourself into the unknown and knowing that you will be okay is a strong message for you.
I want you to practice a lot of self-gratitude, as I feel you’ve been down on yourself recently and it’s time to recognize that maybe you are as wonderful as those around you believe. We constantly get urged to believe in ourselves, and it’s only because it kind of, well, works! You don’t have to show off about how awesome you are, but you can congratulate yourself for showing up and trying. You have certainly been doing that.
Now it’s time to stop the fight and start allowing things to open back up. Times are changing for you from a personal perspective, and it’s important that you show up ready and willing to acknowledge and connect to your own divine sprit. You are way out of the woods and that magical space you always hoped to see is right in front of you. You’ll see it when you believe it. You can trust that it is safe for you to step into the natural flow of your journey again.
This is an extract from your 2015 Tarotscope. Read more here. Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Scorpio / Scorpio
2015 feels SO positive and exciting for you Scorpio and I feel so light when tuning into your year! This year marks the beginning of a wild adventurous new time for you, and you will come to see the efforts of the last few years bloom. The past two and a half years have held a lot of hardcore lesson learning for you, with Saturn sitting in your sign and acting as the intense taskmaster! This is not to say you haven’t been up to it, many of you have felt strongly called to get completely connected with what your purpose in this world is today and beyond. Now that Saturn has moved on you are poised to be able to loosen the stress grip just a little!
I feel that overall you are going to be feeling much more balanced this year and aware of the elements within you and how they twist and turn. You have the ability to create harmony between the material and spiritual as you recognize they were made to be a team. Think of your intuition as a light that you can pull down and spread onto the world around you. You have gained a lot of wisdom recently and there will be moments where you notice yourself processing knowledge and feeling the empowerment that you can receive from truly owning and respecting your experience.
I feel I could write all day about the great potential the year has in store for you, the energy feels so abundant and exciting, but I really feel you already know that…In fact some of you are shaking a little, because you really feel that you do have the power of co-creation with your life. As a Scorpio you are designed to constantly reinvent yourself and embrace change. Recognize that the Phoenix (rising from the ashes) is your natural state and you may never need fear ‘what might happen’ again.
This is an extract from your 2015 Tarotscope. Read more here. Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Sagittarius / Sagittarius Rising
This year is wide open for you to fully embrace and explore its offerings. There will be many opportunities for you to up your game and get into full on Phoenix mode and I encourage you to try it. Change is still very present for you, and tied strongly into magic making! The more open you are to perceiving the world around you with new eyes – the more of the weird and the wonderful you will see.
You are the only one who can hold yourself back this year. Some self-doubt has been rattling at your door here and there in the past year. Unlike some others, you really do know that you are capable and talented, and love setting your sights high. Why then, do the confidence anxieties still walk in? Or those worries about what others might think? Well, I have to say it – these feelings are NORMAL.
You may find that trust issues come up around work situations, but be aware that no one is ‘out to get you’, instead you can combat those fears by really reminding yourself how tuned in you are. It’s time to trust that it’s impossible to make bad decisions if you listen to what feels right. The more you get apt in saying NO to things that aren’t working for you the quicker your confidence will elevate – and in order to experience the big wows of 2015 you are required to practice upping your trust quota regards your inner voice.
Finally, the glow of joy is hovering over this whole year and you are encouraged to really discover what your sources of happiness are. This is something it’s easy to lose touch with as we get older, but remember that smiles are not exclusive to a destination named Happiness – they are accessible in every moment you choose. Put yourself into receiving mode to make up for any energy lost over the past year, and allow others the chance of getting to know you on a deeper level.
This is an extract from your 2015 Tarotscope. Read more here. Questions? Come and chat with me about how your month is going @louniverse
Facing down 2015, it’s time to move out from the transformational vibe of the past 12 months and put the new you into action. Ash Baker shares a simple yoga sequence for Capricorn that’s designed to create a solid foundation for all that lies ahead. Images: Karolina Daria Flora
Here comes the New Year! Glitter, gold and cheers!
This is always an exciting time because things feel raw, open, attainable, and fresh. The Queen/King of the mountain, the Cappy goat, looks down at all the terrain to be explored in the coming year with complete determination and resilience. Never fear though, this seabeast comes with the guarantee of seeking out solid ground so you can rest assured that harnessing this energy will be planted in reality. This sign doesn’t do whimsical, fleeting or cloud consciousness.
Use the cosmic energy now to get a head start on your biggest dreams, desires, goals and, of course, for facing your challenges. Take any downtime over the remaining holiday period to write a practical yet powerful action plan, and prepare your mind for gorgeous possibilities to open your heart in 2015! Capricorn rules the bones, the skeleton, the architecture that holds up our worldly suit. The below poses are designed to help cultivate a connection to your structure, as feeling strong is the key to conquering the year ahead!
:: Tree Pose // Vriksasana ::
Bend your right knee and draw it up towards your chest. Hold it in place for a moment. Take your foot and place it on either your inner ankle, calf or inner thigh. NEVER on the knee itself! Press your foot into your leg and your leg back into your foot to create stability. Externally rotate your right hip out and your right sit bone under. Keep a bend in the left knee. Bring your hands together at your heart or raise them up like branches above your head. Repeat on the other side. Hold for three-five rounds of breath.
:: Chair Pose // Utkatasana ::
From a standing position bend the knees and come down like you are going to sit in an imaginary chair. Keep the knees pressing together. The more you stick your butt out the easier it will be. Let the weight be in your heels. Bring your arms slightly behind you with only a slight bend at the elbow. Extend the shoulders down and back opening up the chest. Feel your collarbone expanding and your core heating up. Three rounds of breath. Repeat three times, with your goals in sight.
:: Downward Facing Dog ::
Come to hands and knees. Tuck your toes and root down through all ten fingers especially the thumbs. Bend your knees deeply bringing your belly to your knees. Feel the length and extension being created in your spine. Press your hips/sitting bones up towards the sky and ground your feet into the floor, at least energetically if the heels don’t reach. Your head will extend out between your arms and allow your shoulders to drop and widen down your back. Come back down and take Child’s Pose. Three rounds of breath.
:: 2015 New Year’s Meditation :: Letting go to let it in ::
Come into your deep, rhythmic breath while either sitting cross-legged or laying on your back. Imagine as you inhale and exhale a layer of yourself that is worn out and tired, peels away like the skin of an onion. Removing any previous frustrations, heartbreaks and disappointments from the past year. Allow yourself to shed the old skin to become new again, ready for what’s next on your path. Stay here for five-10 minutes visualizing this symbolic dry brushing of things you no longer need on this new journey ahead.
:: Monthly Mantra :: I am my own source of strength for not only myself but others around me. That way we are all lifted up.
