Are you Exercising your Willpower to Realize a Life of Joy, Vitality and Creative Manifestation?

New Moons are time for release and intention setting; times to refine how we are manifesting the attributes and energies associated with the signs involved. Eclipses are times of shift and change that play with perception of light and dark, calling us to new levels of perspective and choice. Solar eclipses magnify the energy of a New Moon in ways that when harnessed intentionally provide powerful catalysts for healing, growth and realization.

When we work intentionally with the energies at play we have an opportunity to utilize them as a part of an approach to life that is responsive rather than reactive. 

This New Moon in Leo, which exemplifies raw life force energy, playfulness, joy and creativity expressed through willpower is concurrent with a partial solar eclipse, conjunct with Mercury, aspects Neptune in Pisces and Pluto in Capricorn, and squares Jupiter in Scorpio. 

In translation, we are looking at an energetic opportunity to drop in deep to our ability to exercise our free will to bring into awareness and clear material from the subconscious that is inhibiting our ability to experience joy and exercise our creative energy. It is a potent opportunity to rise to the next level of spiritual insight and professional growth. 

For anyone who is observing the rhythms of the solar and lunar cycles in intentional ways, this New Moon provides a powerful moment to realize that which holds you back from celebrating who you are and realizing the potential in you to live a life of verve and vitality.

These energies will be exemplified for anyone who has planets in their natal (birth) chart that aspect the positions of the planets in the signs of Leo, Scorpio, Pisces or Capricorn. Those of you with strong conjunctions or aspects to the planetary positions in the New Moon may be experiencing external/internal shifts and changes that bring this questions to the fore. (Knowing the placement of the planets at the time of your birth is part of a natal chart interpretation that can provide deep insight to navigate life mindfully.)

To prepare for this New Moon, begin to observe your thoughts, feelings and actions in the next week with respect to your life force energy and willpower. Consider what you can unload in order to let your creative, playful energy flow.

Where are you holding onto ideas, fears or beliefs that block the flow of joy, playful expression and willpower? 

Consider creating a special personal or communal ritual to unburden yourself and redirect or recommit your will to follow the path that the joyful, curious vibrant child within would take. 

How are You Exercising your Creative License?

As we are exploring curiosity and making the connection to creativity in this Sun Cycle, it is important to consider the idea of “license” as it is what we exercise to follow our curiosities and create ours on our own terms.

Every archetype holds energies, attributes and characteristics that can express in positive/creative and negative/destructive ways.

The curiosity and creativity associated with Gemini are neither bad nor good.

It is our relationship to them and the way we exercise them that determines whether they support wellbeing or suffering in our lives.

The idea of a license holds this so well. As you read through the definitions of license the spectrum emerges:

1. Formal or official permission to do something

2. Writer or artists freedom to deviate from facts and conventions

3. Authority to behave as one wishes, especially in a way that results in excessive unacceptable behavior

4. A reason or an excuse to do something wrong or excessive

There is so much to be gained from giving ourselves a license as the creatrixs and creators of our own lives. At the same time, there is a risk that we might abuse our authority.

The key is to acknowledge that with authority comes responsibility, which is why I orient toward this definition offered in the Thesaurus:

“You have license to make changes; permission”

If you have not accepted creative license with respect to your own life, now is the time.

If you have and have been exercising your authority in ways that have lead to abuses of yourself and others. Now, is also the time.

Now is the time to give yourself permission to make change. To take your creative license with respect to your life and exercise it with courage, curiosity and mindfulness.

Take some time to go into the quiet reflection that New Moon energy offers. Light a candle and get curious about your relationship with the creative license in your life.

If you acknowledge that you have not really taken ownership of your creative license in any area of your life, explore what it would mean to do so. What conventions might you challenge? What might you give yourself permission to explore or alter in order to exercise freedom to create a life that more fully reflects your wellbeing and intentions?

If you acknowledge that perhaps you have taken it a bit too far in exercising your right to ignore the facts and break the rules and it has lead to suffering you are ready to address, ask yourself what it would mean to take responsibility and begin to reign yourself back within the realm of what is contributive to your wellbeing and intentions.

Chances are either way this exploration leads, there may be a conversation that needs to be had in order to make the changes that feel necessary. Join me on June 24th for a Free Self-Mastery Session on Conscious Communication: Nourish your Relationships, Expand Time and Free-Up Energy to Have more Fun This Summer!

Getting Curious about What is Under the Surface?

Astrology aspects (angular relationship between the planets in a chart) indicate either a confluence/flow of similar energy with varied characteristics and attributes OR where there will be tension/divergence of dissimilar energies that need to be reconciled.

All aspects call for our attention as they indicate places within our nature that hold great potential to be harnessed and applied in meaningful and effective ways. They also indicate accentuated or conflicting characteristics and desires that we would especially benefit from exploring mindfully.

When looking at the aspect that creates today's Half Moon, we’re looking at an aspect of tension and divergence. Gemini energy is outwardly oriented, verbally stimulated, endlessly curious and social. Pisces energy is inwardly oriented, energetically sensitive and philosophical curious.

Each energy seeks contrasting experiences; is attracted to different settings and is oriented toward unique ways of making sense of life. Depending on your natal chart you may find that one of these energies may be dominant in you or you may feel a tension between the two. You may also not relate personally, but care for someone who you see this in.

From an Evolving Mindfully perspective, it is not about choosing between or privileging one over the other. The empowerment is to take this astrological moment to reflect upon how these energies can work together to bring us into deeper integrity and authenticity.

An expression of true Self-Mastery that we can experience in this particular aspect comes from harnessing Piscean sensitivity and the urge to go within alongside Gemini’s curiosity and urge to communicate.

Bringing these energies together we can become skillful at mining our inner depths more objectively, connecting the dots and communicating emerging insights.

During this Half Moon, set aside some time to sit outside in the fresh air. See if you can get a view of the moon. Bring your phone so that you can use your voice memo app to freestyle verbally on the following prompts. Take some deep clearing breathes and simply sit with yourself. Give yourself permission to feel into anything that is alive in you and verbalize candidly and unfiltered what comes up as you explore this exercise.

One at a time read these prompts and then allow yourself to speak into the phone:

Where in my life am I feeling that there is too much of one energy or a divergence of energy that is causing stagnation?

How is this manifesting emotionally, physically, energetically and in my thinking?

Am I talking too much about and may not be dropping into the deeper layer to be curious about the cause OR am I ruminating internally and trying to avoid talking about it?

Is there something that I am not seeing or giving myself that would offer me support to bring balance; what have I tried, what am I curious to try; what do I sense might support me to engage this mindfully?

What is it Time to Reveal? Making the Most of this Movement Toward Truth...

There is a peaking surge in our collective to think differently about exposing what we have long-suffered to conceal.

Bringing secrets out of the closet and to speak our truth is a tide that has been rising steadily for some time. Like many movements, it began on the periphery.

I can remember the emergence of the first bare all talk shows when I was a child and full of curiosity. I was young and unaware of what a shift this was for individuals to publicly air information about their lives that inspired gasps of surprise, expressions of shock, and attracted eyeballs by the droves.

What I realize now was that so many who were glued to the television were there not so much for the surprise about what was being revealed, but the fact that it was being disclosed publicly.

Most might not have admitted that the “shocking truths” they were witnessing being outed were not so far from the “truths" locked in the closets of their own homes or buried among old relics in their family lineages. Rather than looking within, most of us either sympathized tearfully with the suffering souls or gawked at these “outliers” and enjoyed the show.

As the move to reveal has gone mainstream in ways that have become true movements, many are taking another look. There is great potential within this shift toward exposure to bring massive transformation. However, as a collective, we will not be equipped to hold space for the potential that we are witnessing unless we begin with ourselves.

It is time to get curious about what our role is in shifting the storylines we see by attuning to what is ours to share to break silences around issues that affect us and our communities.

This full moon magnifies the energies behind this wave of exposure. Gemini is the thinker and storyteller; think Lauren Hill, Anne Frank, Kendrick Lamar and Bob Dylan. Sagittarius is the seeker and truth teller; think Tina Turner, Richard Pryor, Jane Fonda and Mark Twain. Geminis ponder and communicate and Sagittarians are known for exposing what needs to be explored.

As these energies reflect off of one other, it is a prime time to explore what your relationship is to this movement.

Take some time this week and feel into the following questions in a spirit of curiosity:

Is there anything in you that you may be hiding that it is time to reveal for your own healing and transformation?

What does revealing, airing or exposing on your own terms mean to you?

What would it mean to expose it in a way that contributes to collective healing and transformation?

What would your mode or style be to share: a piece of visual art; a poem; a quiet conversation with a loved one; a song; a dance?

If you are curious about exploring this further, please join me on Friday to move through it in our JourneyDance of Curiosity and Communication or jump into our Self-Mastery Session on the 5th.

Step Out of the Staid Flow and Say YES! Book it, Sign up, Extend the Invitation...Open the Door...

Our lives can flow with the force of a great river in which individual tributaries merge into the larger body and things that once had a spark of originality and vivacity get watered down. We can find ourselves going with a flow that is not truly serving us or inspiring us in order to keep pace.

It is so easy to be carried along and fail to miss the turnoffs that might lead to the adventure or opportunity that will take us into new territory, where we might encounter a modality that heals an old wound; meet a delightful new friend or love interest; learn something that opens our mind to a new way of seeing; or try an activity that ends up bringing us years of pleasure.

Sometimes it is just the flow and pace of life that keeps us from venturing into those places and spaces that spark our curiosity. Sometimes it is that analyzing mind that finds all the reasons why not to do something and holds on to judgments and critiques that may not even ours!

Now is a prime time to ask yourself what is holding you back. The sun in Gemini, representing the inquisitive mind, is illuminating the moon in Virgo. Gemini is always interested in exploring the next idea or meeting the next interesting opportunity. Virgo is the archetype of the analyzer and carries the energy of the healer.

An analyzing mind wanting to direct us toward what will most contribute to our wellbeing can easily get overwhelmed by the flow of data (some of it really outdated) to take into account. Thus, we just might think ourselves out of following our curiosity.

Now is the time to ask yourself:
Is there a group or community you have been wanting to check out?

Is there a healing modality that you have been wanting to try?

Is there a yoga workshop or class you have wanted to jump into?

Is there a person who you know who radiates with qualities you admire that you have wanted to strike up a conversation with, but have talked yourself out of reaching out?

If you answer, yes!, to any or all of these, take this opportunity to get online and schedule it, book it, sign-up, extend the invitation… open that door.

If you are ready to expand your relationship with curiosity to bring inspiration and opportunity into your life join our Free Self-Mastery Session on June 5th: What Doors are Judgment and Inhibition Holding Closed in your Life?

This is exactly the kind of energy that can bring a deeper awareness and refinement to what might be the next inspiration, practice for teaching to take us into the next phase or stage our healing and mindful evolution.

Making Peace with your Body and Relaxing into its Wonders!

This month, we’ve been considering the relationship we have with comparing ourselves to others; what jealousy teaches us about what we see in others that we either fail to recognize or we have not cultivated in ourselves. As well as, how we may have internalized the voices of others in ways that may cause us to hold ourselves captive.

Comparison is also important to address for the sake of our own bodies and our relationship to them.

Our bodies are us; we are them.

And, yet, we can live our lives completely disassociated with our bodies, making choices that reep havoc to our health and undermine our ability to experience the sensual pleasure our bodies make available to us.

We are so clearly our bodies and yet it is strange to me that we talk about them in an objectified way. Stranger yet, that we can create such a distance from our physicality by rejecting parts of ourselves; pushing ourselves to the point of exhaustion and injury and distancing ourselves from what our bodies are trying to tell us.

Comparing our bodies with other bodies and cultural standards of beauty is a big step that many of us take, quite unconsciously, away from direct experience of our bodies. It is a step toward the objectification of our bodies that undermines our wellbeing and distorts our relationship with sensual pleasure.

I cannot tell you how many BEAUTIFUL bodies I have sat in circles who are cut off from the sensual pleasures of food and true physical intimacy because of the ways they have internalized ideals of beauty they do not feel they conform to.

The highly competitive nature of our culture gives rise to pressure and anxiety that causes many of us to forgo sleep, reach for food to keep our energy up or to self-soothe or turn to other substances to maintain our energy, or otherwise self-medicate.

And the marketplace provides answers that offer quick fixes that further distance us from feeling and listening to what our bodies will tell us if we will only listen.

When we distance ourselves from the needs of our bodies and override its signals, we not only do harm, but we also rob ourselves of a level and layer of pleasure and enjoyment that being in a balanced relationship with our bodies brings.

The Taurus is known for having a long fuse, but for being a formidable contender when pushed beyond its limits of tolerance. When I think about the end of this fuse, a voice comes to me now from my youth, Susan Powter* screaming her message of “Stop the Insanity!” to millions.

While her fiery* energy is not the Taurus style, her call to turn away from the idea of programmed solutions and begin to think and feel for ourselves is.

Her basic questions are very Taurus in nature. She calls us back to the basics at heart of having a good relationship with ourselves that allows us to take true pleasure in this life. What are we eating? How are we breathing? How are we moving?

This New Moon in earthy Taurus, the archetype of grounded physical presence and love of sensual pleasure, is the ideal time to reflect on our relationship with our bodies. It is prime time to inquire how we can learn from listening to our bodies rather than judging them and trying to change them.

Try this New Moon in Taurus Practice:

Find a place to be in nature or sit by a window and look out into the landscape. Take deep cleansing breaths. Then, take a few more, slower and deeper extending the exhale. Set the intention to listen to your body. You may need to apologize for not listening to it for a while as you do. Then, ask your body the following questions, taking time to feel inside before you begin to write. Take a few deep breaths in between each question.

How does it feel about what you are eating? Are your food choices serving you?

Am I using the power of my breath to support the wellness of my body?

How does your body feel about the movement you have in your life?

Would it tell you to move more or less, would it ask for a different kind of movement?

Would it tell you to pick up the pace or slow down a bit?

How might you apply the willpower and persistence that Taurus is so famous for to honor your body, give your body what you truly need and take deep pleasure in you sensual nature?

When you are complete, take a moment to craft an intention for this moon based on what you learned from listening to your body. Consider how it can support you to take more true pleasure in being a body!

*Little astrology note, after Susan’s voice popped into my head, I looked her up and watched a few of her videos. Beginning to see deduce her astrology based on her presentation, I looked up her chart. Sure enough, Sun and Saturn in Sag, Uranus in Leo opposite Venus in Aquarius… I could go on. The accuracy of astrology never ceases to amaze me!  

Whose Voice Have You Internalized?

Working with Archetype to evolve mindfully calls us to take an Aquarian approach, which is to flip things, zoom out, look from all different perspectives, ask the bigger questions, within a liberatory quest.

This Sun Cycle we have been asking what our feelings of envy can teach us. And, as we look at how jealousy lives in us we must also consider how it affects us.

One of the most visceral and impacting experiences of my adolescence was being isolated and pulled aside at a party by a group of senior girls who surrounded me, got in my face and asked,

“WHO IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE and why are you here when NOBODY WANTS YOU HERE?!?!”

In that moment, I literally internalized their united voice. For decades, anytime I would try to step out in a way that might draw the attention of other women or show up somewhere that my presence might shift the dynamic for women, I literally heard a voice inside my head assert, “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?”

It took conscious engagement and effort to unwind the impact of that moment and the fear it put in me.

In the process, I recognized how deeply ingrained it is in our cultural paradigm and social history for women (thereby girls) up to see one another as competition and try and bring other girls/women down.

Because these dynamics between girls and women are not directly addressed in the places I was seeking healing and personal growth, I had to take a indirect route. It took years of applying wisdom perspectives and practices to my life to track the source of this “who do you think you are?” voice.

A deep LONGING for sisterhood and creative collaboration with other women lived alongside this voice and moved me into situations that led me to confront it over and over.

Overtime, I was able to begin to undo the pattern by orienting toward compassionate self-awareness and applying tools to shift my perspective in moments that triggered the inner dynamics that this early encounter established. Overtime, I learned to depersonalize and establish a mindset that allowed me to free myself.

It took the Aquarian approach and Taurus willingness to stick with the work to see the results come to fruition to unwind the remnants of that old paradigm and buildout a personal paradigm defined by women to women engagement that is founded on collaboration, inspiration as well as a celebration of each other’s soul beauty, gifts and light.

Ultimately, this is the Aquarian energy that we are working with on this Waning Half moon.

Find space to reflect out in nature. Observe the beauty and abundance of the seasons. Take some deep breaths and free write to reflect upon the following questions.

Is there a “voice” equivalent to my “Who do you think you are?” that asserts in your mind?

Where does it come from?

How does it limit you?

Is it time to free yourself from the influence of this “voice”?

If you feel it is time to address anything that arose in this reflection with support, I invite you to consider our Transformative Empowerment Journey that begins on the New Moon, May 14th.

Are You Living According to the States of Being you Desire?

This full moon is a ripe opportunity to illuminate our relationship with desire. Scorpio’s key phrase is “I desire…” This archetype holds the intensity of our longings, emotional drives for sensation, privacy, power and transformation. Taurus’s key phrase “I have” is associated with our desire for material security, pleasure, comfort and control.

The power of understanding desire is reflected in the $44,000,000,000 plus dollars a year spent on market research globally. Much of this is focused on understanding what we desire (even deep in our subconscious) because desire is what motivates us to take action and to spend our resources.

My first lessons in this came as I ventured out into the world. Motivated by a deep desire for freedom and exploration, I graduated early from high school in order to peel out of my driveway the month I turned 18. I turned my wheel towards the symbol of adventure and independence that is the American West.

Looking for jobs in Denver, research opportunities would pop up now and then, offering a good return for a few days of work facilitating surveys.  It was eye opening to see that figuring out how to sell people what a company has to offer has little to do with the product itself. It has much more to do with tapping into what people desire deep down and somehow linking that to the brand.
 

Not only did this turn me into a more aware consumer, the power of desire stuck with me and sunk in overtime as I become more invested in my own healing journey.

Realizing how the powerful associations in the messages of advertisers had obscured my relationship to what it is that I desired, helped me to see how what I was consuming in the media reinforced a material focus. 

As I came to appreciate how key self-awareness is to personal empowerment, I came to better understand how desire lies is at the heart of transformation. I was able to begin to reorient from a desire "to have" framework to a desire "to be" based in deeper values and states of being.

Being aware (at least as aware as advertisers are;) that what we truly desire to have are not things, but states like well-being, connection, love, self-worth, appreciation, security, pleasure wonder and ______, is a key to empowerment.   
 

What most of us truly desire are feeling states, experiences, quality connection with ourselves and others. Over time I began to see just how much reaching for what the marketplace offered was an action taken based on a desire for something that having or consuming that thing would not satisfy.

It’s genius really, how advertising campaigns take us to the edge of envy or jealousy without going all the way. They masterfully veer us toward their product with our yearning fully aroused. The connection is implied in a way that the brain takes the leap, If I buy this, have this, I don’t need to be jealous because I can buy this and have “it” (the connection, happiness).

Unpacking this can help us to flip our relationship with our own understanding of what is behind our choices. Orienting toward states of being is game changing and helps make choices that are more likely to meaningfully and sustainably realize these states of being, which is the approach to empowerment and transformation I find the most powerful.  

When we come into a deeper understanding of what it is that we desire we can expand the realm of possibility with respect to what choices we can make; what can we bring into our lives; what might we need to weed out of our life to help us feel and experience more of the states of being that we long to realize and sustain.

Take some time on the high energy of this full moon to gain perspective on what states of being you most desire to experience.
 

You may choose to create space to be alone, find a spot outside, get quiet within yourself and free write anything this brings up for you.
 

Or/And,  you might be in the flow of a busy weekend doing what you normally do and just taking moments here and there to observe your state of mind, energy and emotions.
 

What are the qualities of experience the places and spaces you are in give rise to within you?

Do you find yourself reaching for something to enhance or numb anything you are experiencing?

Does this activity reflect and support your most desired states of being?

Do you ever think: if I had their _______, then I would_____?

While I agree with Theodore Roosevelt that “comparison is the thief of joy.” I have also learned that fighting, suppressing or denying it, is futile and counterproductive.

We all compare ourselves. It’s inevitable. It is the way we are wired to make sense of and order our world.
 

The trick is to learn to use our comparing minds to discern rather than judge; to draw out critical information that can serve us and others.

Envy is a distinct form of comparing that holds destructive power to sully relationships and opportunities, but if we approach it mindfully we can unlock its empowerment potential.

When we realize our comparison holds a tinge of covetousness, we can bring compassionate self-awareness to: 
 

• Free ourselves from the corroding effect of jealousy
• Figure out what it is truly telling us about what we are longing to express, presence and manifest
• Begin to shift our thoughts, feelings and actions to align with the values or aspirations our jealousy reveals

This waxing half moon in Leo holds the archetype of the bright, shiny, playful, dramatic, vibrant, fiery and willful spirit. While the Sun in Taurus exemplifies the practical, hardworking, earnest, determined, slow and steady willpower.

Together they hold two ends of the spectrum and remind us that envy often reveals contrast, which easily leads to judgemental comparison or bewildering jealousy.

When we stand on one side looking over in covetous admiration we can bridge the gap between discernment and judgment by coming into mindful personal reflection.

To support this process, I invite you into one of our Evolving Mindfully journaling exercises.

Take some time this weekend to sit with your journal and a few magazines or scroll through SM. Flip through and note any images, articles or posts that rouse envy.  

Stick them in your journal or note the main aspects of the post. 

Free write upon what this brings up in you, inquiring:

• What do the images or words you chose reveal about what you value and desire?
• Are their qualities held in the images that you think you do not possess?
• Are these qualities or experiences you can consciously cultivate?

Keep the process going during the week in real life situations.

Note through your day when you run into people or scenarios that bring a twinge of jealousy and work with them in the same way. 

The key is to gain insight into as well as take ownership of what it is that you value and desire to experience.

Does this I statement fit?

Does this I statement fit?

I am empowered, energetic, take initiative, use my power wisely and express authentically.

If not, why?

When working with archetypes for growth, which is what we’re doing in the Celestial Cycles series, it is key to remember that characteristics of an archetype are in and of themselves neutral.

Whether we express them positively/creatively or negative/destructively is up to us.

With the new Moon in Aries, our focus is on how we are using our energy, initiative, power and personal expression with respect to the fundamental Aries inquiry of: Who am I (becoming)?

When we feel resistance to expressing authentically, lack energy, fear taking initiative or feel disempowered, it is time to reflect and take clear action.

Likewise, when we see ourselves always on the move and driving ourselves, feel overstimulated (or over using stimulants like caffeine and sugar), start things and not finish, use our power in ways that are manipulative, it is time to take pause and consider what would bring balance.

Aries is emblematic of empowerment.

When we are truly empowered:

We tend to our physical, emotional and mental energy with care.

We take clear action in the direction of our aims and follow through to reach our goals.  

We are confident in our abilities and take responsibility for our needs, feelings and desires.

We use our personal power mindfully, balancing our right to express authentically and pursue our aims with others right to theirs.

Take some time on this new moon day to get clear on one of these aspects, that of the Aries Archetype, that you would like incorporate to who you are (becoming) and plant a seed within you to cultivate it in the coming months. Continue throughout the week to notice situations where it most applies.

Then, jump on our Empowerment Webinar on April 22nd. We will explore empowerment as a mindset, gain clarity on our relationship to empowerment, and consider why it is important to cultivate empowerment in our lives.

What part of you is it time to claim and create space to express?

Our identities are closely tied with our egos, especially until we do our inner discovery and begin to presence from our Self (unique authenticity that arises through inner listening, self-awareness, acceptance and actualization) rather than our self (the identity that forms in large part in reaction to external influences and efforts to conform and fit in).


And, egos are very sensitive. It’s one of the things that causes so much suffering and hold us back so often from stepping into our authentic identity. 

I was reminded by a very moving moment at a Sanctuaries (if you live in DC and are not aware of the Sanctuaries check them out!) gathering just how much it really does take focused effort and personal support to help us move through our own reluctance to making time and space for activities that light us up and allow us to identify in ways that for many cultural based reasons we may feel reluctant to claim. 


A beautiful young woman was sharing a piece of writing that she did in an exploration of the theme of "rough drafts and moving beyond perfectionism". 


In her piece, she reflected upon how working through an exercise that a life coach offered, which encouraged her to stand in the mirror look herself in the eye and say “I am an artist.”, was so profoundly challenging.


She shared how terrified she was even thinking about confronting herself with this level of honesty and ownership over an aspect of herself that is clearly a part of who she is, but that she feels shy about owning, motivating and empowering. 


She shared how she has taken steps to reclaim her artistry and express her creativity since that session.

And, how she still has not been able to stand in front of the mirror, look into her beautiful creative eyes and say: I am an artist.


As she spoke, envision her painting, presenting her creations and getting feedback that felt affirming to her was heartening.


Still, am cheering for her enter the next phase of stepping into this identity where she would feel a sense of value in her own work that would surpass the need for external validation. I envision her as I write this standing in front of her mirror and claiming her identity as an artist with full confidence.


This story exemplifies Capricorn and Aries as they are holding the sun and the moon tonight in balance. The archetype of Aries, theWarrioress/Warrior who stands up in strength to support us in claiming who we are and presence the courage to bring it into full expression. The energy of Capricorn makes good use of the material of life to achieve what we are capable of when we know and express who we are. 
 

In the light of this half-moon set aside time to consider: 

What are you reluctant to claim about who you are?
What you hold back from creating time and space to pursue?
Why?
Is it time to create that space?
What would be one courageous action you could take to use your time, energy and resources to take that step?

It is not too late to join our free Self-Mastery session on the what, why, where and how of Transformation tonight at 8pm. 

What Can you Learn About Yourself from Your Friends?

The clichés “birds of a feather flock together” and “you are who you hang around” thrown at me by adults drove me nuts as a teen. In my 30’s, so many old sayings begin to come to mind as certain lessons of life were to settle in my bones - often through some very painful experiences. 

“Those who don’t listen have to feel.” Is one that comes to mind now. This one I first heard my sister (who is 13 years older than I) say as she comforted her crying little one, after being warned over and over that the stove was HOT. OUCH! HOT!

I continue to hear myself saying, “AAAHHH! Now I get it!” about some truism I have heard all my life, but had not related to in my own experience. In one of these moments I had a cartoonish vision, imagining that once I finally “got” all the maxims that I dismissed as just some old saying it would be a game over I would die or ascend or dissolve… poof!

Today I am sitting with the themes of the sun in Aries, representing an inquiry into the question “who am I”, fully illuminating the moon in Libra, which represents our relationships and the way we relate to ourselves through others. 

As I do, I am contemplating the truth within the maxims out there about the influence of our peers and what our choice of friends reflects about who we are, how we see ourselves and who we are becoming.

For most of us friendship, is a deep and layered topic. I have been watching my daughters transition from that time when one could play with whoever was around to the time when what we have in common in terms of interests, temperament, views on life and aspirations become factors. 

Of course, social and cultural dynamics come into play, many of them assert strongly even though we may not be particularly conscious of them. They may even feel beyond your control. 

As I do, I am gaining a much deeper appreciation for just how much who we cultivate friendship with reflects aspects of ourselves we may not be fully conscious of or appreciate.

Take some time in the light of this full moon and this week to contemplate the following questions. Carve out time in different moments, settings, time of day to just reflect. Set an intention to explore and answer, unfiltered, with the aim of simply gaining insight it who you are with respect to the people you choose to be in a relationship with. 

Remember our Evolving Mindfully journaling ground rule: No criticism. Just curiosity. 

What friendships are you investing in at this point in your life?

What do you do when you are together?

Do the things you do or talk about reflect what you are most interested in at this point in your life?

Do your friends challenge you to be your best self?

Do you truly speak from the truth of your heart with your most intimate friends?

Are there things you are hiding, why? 

Do your friends encourage you to explore new things?

Do you judge your friends? If so, what is your relationship to the thing you judge your friend about?

Is there something that you are longing for in friendship that you are not experiencing?

Friendships factor greatly in whether, how and when we change in our journey to becoming the version of ourSelves that most fully reflects our gifts, purpose and soulful dreams. If this exercise reveals areas you would like to consider transformation, join me on April 8th for our Free Self-Mastery Session.

Journaling as a Transformative Tool

Bringing intention and skillfulness to a journaling practice can turn what could be a barfing up all of the negativity, self-loathing and hopelessness that we feel, which my journals were for many years, into a true exercise of awareness, acceptance, awakening and accountability; that when applied through the sense of self-love and right intention can be a powerful tool for for incremental gentle shift in our lives.

This month as we take pause to reflect upon, "Who am I? and Who am I becoming?", it is essential to inquire into where and who we come from.

We have all heard versions of cliches about becoming our parents and looking closely at the parents of potential partners because we are looking at who they will likely become.

The truth is, the tendency to unconsciously model the emotional, mental and behavioral patterns of our parents and primary influences from childhood is strong. It is also common that we develop resistances to things, deny or repress certain needs/aspects as an unconscious rejection of ways that our parents spoke, engaged with others, treated themselves, processed life or behaved.

Thus, considering your parents' beliefs, attitudes, assumptions about life and ways of engaging with others is a key to the kind of mindful individuation that enables us to express our own authenticity and create a life that truly aligns with our intentions.

I believe that many of us tether ourselves unconsciously to family patterns that we may have outgrown, ways of thinking that don’t serve, opinions that do not necessarily align with our values and emotional patterns that do not support our well-being out of fear of loss and disconnection from those we most love.

Mindful and intentional journaling can support us in taking stock without passing judgment. As we activate the Inner Witness (see previous blog), we are better able to gather important observations to support us in seeing what thoughts, beliefs, habits and emotional patterns it is time to transform to empower ourselves as we create lives that align with our intentions and aspirations.

1. Set aside some time on Sunday to look back in order to step forward intentionally.

2. Make yourself a cup of tea or something nourishing to sip.

3. Take a few moments to stretch.

4. Sit with a clean journal page and write at the top: No criticism. Just curiosity. Set an intention to set aside any resistance to observing aspects of your parents and childhood, be it your tendency to judge or reluctance to for fear of judging.

5. Set a timer and take 5 minutes to breathe deep into the belly and down into the hips and legs.

6. Sip your beverage as you ponder the following questions pausing to free write, allowing yourself to express the stream of copiousness, just words, narrative or drawing.

How did my father care for his psychical health and overall wellness? My mother?

How did my father address emotion? My mother?

Was my father emotionally attuned to other people in the family? My mother?

How did my father deal with stress? My mother?

Where do I see anything that emerges from this inquiry in me?

What aspects of these attitudes, behaviors and orientations are reflected in my choices?

These questions are just the beginning of where this kind of inquiry can lead and the insights that it can offer.

Remember the idea is to see where we may be unconsciously manifesting what was modeled to us or resisting it and how that may distort our attitudes, orientation and choices so we can identify what we may desire to transform to empower ourselves to create lives that align with our intentions and aspirations.

On Sunday, April 8th, I invite you to join me in our Self-Mastery Session: Transformation: Explore the What, How, Where, When and Why of Change. We will consider approaches to transformation that are doable and learn to begin to make small shifts that add up to sustainable change. Join Us Here.

Building an Inner Bridge is Key to Personal Empowerment

Pisces represents the archetypal bridge between the worlds; between the internal world in the external world; the world of matter and the world of energy; the world of literal intelligence and the world of intuitive knowing. This is the bridge that leads to creative solutions and authentic expression.

There can be no better time of the year than this Pisces New Moon to really drop into what it means for you to cultivate an inner bridge between these essential aspects of your nature to chart your course from a place of embodied wisdom in this life.

This is another example of how the AND orientation applies. Our world tends to put an OR in between knowledge vs. intuition; logical/rational vs feelings/emotions. 

From the perspective of Evolving Mindfully, we reject nothing and make wise use of everything.

We put an AND where we see ORs and build our inner bridge so that our decisions draw upon all forms of knowing to orient toward our highest good the best possible outcome for all in any given moment.

We understand that our mind’s clear perception of the knowledge/intelligence we gather combined with space holding for what we do not know that creates openness to original intuitive insight to arise, brings us into flow.

 In our flow, we know what is right for us in any moment: what to eat; what to leave on the table; when to act and when to pause; when to stay and when to go; when to stand our ground and when to headway; when to activate and when to rest; when to give and when to receive...

We acknowledge that there are so many intervening factors that compel us against our better judgment and discourage us from holding this space open. There are so many voices that it can be challenging to listen deeply and create space for our bodies to synthesize the logical/rational perspective with our feeling/intuitive perceptions.

As I prepare for this Pisces New Moon Circle and Our Self-Mastery Session Why do we Check-Out when we should be Checking-In?, I am full of gratitude to support those of you desirous to bridge these aspects of yourselves.

If you have not registered to join us tomorrow, it is not too late!

Shifting from Checking-Out to Checking-In

In our 24/7 paradigm, most of us are overstimulated without even trying to be. The amount of noise, obstacles, emails, calls, traffic, conversations, requests and tasks we tend to each day can leave our nervous systems with little reserve.

We may not even fully realize how the way marketers fear, scarcity and urgency tactics coming at us from all directions impacts our psyches. Nor how the 24 hour news cycle covering the humanitarian and environmental crisis that we face impacts our state of mind.

Having kept our wits about us and put our best foot forward throughout the day, we come home in the evening, head into the weekend or leave for that hard-earned vacation at our wit’s end.

Without thinking about it we tend to check-out when what would benefit us most is to check-in.

Most of us unconsciously lean into coping strategies that are closely tied to our nature (natural attributes and characteristics) and our nurture (our internalization or resistance to the things that are modeled to us).

The main question is whether we are mindful of the choices we are making and clear on what they give rise to with respect to our physical, emotional, mental wellbeing and the quality of our relationships.

With the Sun in Pisces illuminating the Half Moon in Sagittarius, it is the perfect time to consider how we can bring balance to our lives in terms of taking time to be still, quiet, feel and explore internally (Pisces) AND extend, connect, expand, seek and enjoy external pleasure (Sagittarius).

Between now and the Full Moon in Pisces, I invite you to join me in a fact finding mission. And, then, join me in a Free Self-Mastery Session to reflect upon your data to learn about what it would mean to put in place a reasonable doable game plan to support you to check-in more and check-out less.

The aim is to identify the ways we check-out and learn about what we actually are needing and how we can lean into the things that help us to check-in. This will allow us to actually meet the needs that our unconscious patterns fail to address. With mindfulness and awareness, we can more effectively tend to our bodies, minds and nervous systems to give us what we need to maintain equilibrium.

From here we can make conscious choices that contribute to our relaxing, rejuvenating and unwinding in ways that prepare us to take more pleasure in our free time and connect more meaningfully with the people our love.  

If you are in, I invite you to make a commitment to track how you spend your free time over the next week. Imagine that you are a documentarian just looking to document a week in the life of this fascinating creature that is you.

No judgment, just curiosity.

Get a small journal or, even better, take time this weekend to make one with some cardboard and some copy paper and collage it with images and words that reflect how you desire to feel in your free time.

Write on a blank page an intention for this exploration, list a few things you would like to learn.

Write a statement of commitment to see it through, to enter data into it at least once a day from Monday the 10th through Sunday the 17th.

Each day take a few moments to chronicle your activities considering the following questions:

When, where and what you eat and how it makes you feel.

How much time and in what ways you are on your screens and how it makes you feel.

How much alcohol or other substances you consume, how do you feel as you take it in, before you go to bed and in the morning?

Where, how, what and how much you watch TV? Are you alone or with someone?

When, where and how much you engage in movement and how you feel before, during and after?

What media outlets you consume and how it makes you feel?

Do you have news programming on as you do other things and how does it impact you?

When do you engage with friends or family, what is the quality of the engagement and how you feel?

What time do you engage in hobbies, outings or things that allow you to express creativity or just for your own pleasure and how you feel?

Accept this Invitation of your Dreams and Receive the Guidance they Offer

In those moments when you feel the most in touch with who you truly are, what do you dream of healing, learning, discovering, creating, realizing, bringing into form and sharing with the world?

This full moon abounds with watery Piscean energy, which in its highest expression is the dreamer that is devoted to transcending those things that keep us from realizing our own soul’s expression.

Look upon that bright full moon reflecting dreaming idealized light as an invitation to explore the broader relevance of your dreams and consider the ideals that urge you from within in order to gain insight into what you are here to presence and cultivate.

On the other side of the sky, the moon in earthy, orderly, Virgo, representing the archetype of the analyzer with a keen attention to detail, emphasis on order and refinement, reflects this light. Virgo’s analytical, ordered orientation can serve our dreams or give rise to perfectionism, which may deter us away from venturing into the unknown that moving toward our dreams requires.

The nature of oppositions in astrology directs us to see the potential of reconciling aspects of ourselves that may seem in conflict as a means to realizing the creative potential in the mindful blending of seemingly opposite attributes and characteristics.

The oppositions in this full moon is like an invitation to illuminate your ideals AND get real about how you can direct the power of your mind to support your dreams rather than analyze yourself into a pattern of procrastination.

Accept this invitation by setting aside some space and time to free write on the following questions.

Prepare yourself mindfully. Take at least 5 minutes to breathe and move. Inhale as you arch your spine, exhale as you curl your spine, roll out your head and neck, move your body in a nonlinear way. Close your eyes for a few minutes and set an intention to allow yourself you write freely without self-censoring.

What stops you, restricts you, holds you back from reeling your soulful dreams out of the clouds and giving them an honored place in the landscape of your life?

Can you identify an outer critic that you have internalized and authorized to keep you from truly listening to what your dreams are trying to tell you?

Does fear of judgment inhibit you from mindfully engaging your dreams and considering how to direct energy and resources toward realizing them?

What do your dreams tell you about what you value and what you are longing for? Try thinking symbolically (as the psyche speaks in symbols) to consider the themes in your dreams and what they are pointing you toward.

What are your dreams telling you about the ideals that you hold most dear and what moving towards them would mean for you?

I truly believe that our dreams point us toward our soul's purpose in this life and that the judgments that steer us away from them are our greatest teachers, which is why I am offering a free Self-Mastery Session on transcending judgment this Sunday, Join Us Here.

Practicing Belonging to Ourselves as an Antidote to Loneliness

I have always found great pleasure and comfort in the sense of belonging to a community of beings through intimately, thoughtful conversation. One of the most magical ways that come through is in the feeling of intimate connection through an insight or sentiment expressed in a piece of literature, speech or interview when someone articulates something that I have come to understand as true in my own journey.

Often these moments move me to tears as I am so touched by an ability to encounter another soul, whom I will likely never know in the literal sense of the word, but who I feel a profound connection to in the great human conversation.

As I was listening to Brene Brown’s recent interview with Krista Tippet, I was moved by how many of the understandings that are emerging from Brown’s research into belonging, ring true with my own experience and align with the orientation and practices of Evolving Mindfully.

I appreciate how she wove into the conversation a contextual definition of spirituality in a way that I often feel the need to do when sharing because spirituality is such a core concept that is often rendered ambiguous in its overuse.

In describing what emerged from her research into belonging Brown offers,

And by “spirituality” I mean the...deeply held belief that we’re inextricably connected to each other by something greater than us. And that thing that is greater than us is rooted in love and compassion — that there’s something bigger than us and that we are connected to each other in a way that cannot be severed.

I share it because it is very much a tenant of spirituality I have come to understand through embodied experience. It is also a foundational step in cultivating the kind of self-belonging that transcends the feeling of loneliness that so many of us can experience.

She equates an individual commitment to belonging as,

...the spiritual practice of believing in ourselves and belonging to ourselves so fully that we find what’s sacred in not only being a part of something, like our DNA calls us to be, but also, we find sacred the need, on occasion, to stand alone in our values, in our beliefs, when we’re called to do that, as well.

Her research reveals that loneliness arises out of trying to fit the molds that culture or society presents as normal or preferable when in fact they may not encompass who we are at our core. Her research indicates that the people who experience the highest sense of belonging are those that cultivate personal authenticity rather than prioritizing conformity to the group.

In belonging to ourselves, first and foremost, we connect with others from a place of authenticity that allows us to feel what it is to be truly known for who we are in our quirky, unique, imperfect, work-in-progressness.

How Taking Responsibility Enhances Freedom in Love

Freedom and responsibility may seem incompatible like there should be an or in between them rather than an and. One might resist taking on responsibility for fear that it will inhibit their freedom. Yet, as with most deep truths, there is an inherent paradox in the relationship between the level of responsibility we take for our own needs, energy and resourcefulness and how much freedom we can exercise in any area of life.

Freedom and responsibility are keywords when considering the archetype of Aquarius. Throughout this week, as we celebrate erotic love, this New moon offers an opportunity to consider whether we are taking responsibility to take pleasure in our romantic relationships and create space for the kind of freedom in connection and expression that are the greatest benefits of being in a relationship.

One of the great killers of erotic love is neglect; and in the hustle of modern life, especially modern family life, the responsibility to tend to our intimate connections can all too easily get pushed to the side, especially if there may be intervening issues in the relationship dynamic that feels burdensome to take on.

I invite you, on this New Moon, to reflect on your current attitude toward your responsibility to the pleasure principle in your relationship. Consider the following questions and invite a commitment to emerge to create the context for joy, pleasure and to express more freely in your relationship.

Do you take responsibility for the quality of the dynamic between you and your partner or do you leave it to them?

Do you shy away from taking responsibility for how erotic love expresses in your relationship, if so, why?

What would support you in nurturing your sense of freedom to express your love in ways that you may feel inhibited about?

Is there an issue within you or your relationship that you need to address in order to reconnect fully and freely with your partner or yourself?

How much energy and resourcefulness are you directing toward any issues that you know are inhibiting your freedom to take pleasure in the erotic aspects of your relationship?

Deepening into Sexual Healing

As the waning half moon rises, we get closer to this day that evokes Eros. This phase of the moon is a time for turning inward, reflecting and releasing. In the previous reflection titled “Reclaim the Sanctity of Sexuality and Exercise your Erotic Sovereignty” our reflection was focused on uncovering how the dominant paradigm impacts the way we relate to our sexual nature.

With this, I invite us to take this exploration down and out, using the current conversation sparked by the #metoo movement to identify the key tenets of the dominant sex/power paradigm that are most entrenched in us. This is important because, if we desire the paradigm to shift, we must realize it within ourselves.

This Half Moon in Scorpio, the archetype of sex, power, death and transformation, is illuminated by the Sun in Aquarius, the archetypal liberating norm defier. Thus, it is an auspicious time to turn our relationship with sex and power on its head and ask specifically what old ideas must die to transform what disempowers us into fuel for sexual fulfillment that honors ourselves and our partners.

The #metoo movement and subsequent debates are drawing more perspectives and voices into a conversation that is millenniums overdue. Like many women, I have a #metoo story living in my bones and I certainly relate to some of the more subtler, but equally disturbing aspects of sexual dynamics that are coming to light in this conversation.

In the face of countless accounts of individuals feeling intimidated to report harassment in the workplace and the appalling statistics that reveal how much shaming, blaming and silencing of young women occurs on college campuses, the conversation is often centered around distributing blame, shame and simultaneously normalizing as much of the situation as possible and framing them as out of the norm.

When what really needs to happen is to get to the cause, to work at the root, in order to create a cultural understanding that centers around personal sexual sovereignty for all individuals, equally. In a sexual paradigm based in patriarchy and sexual repression as an expression of religious doctrine, it can be challenging to climb out from under the dominant dogma to start a different dialogue. However, that is exactly what is needed to begin to work at the level of cause rather than effect.

In this moment of #metoo we can support a change of paradigm. We can take this moment to exorcise the dominant paradigm from our psyche and retrofit our personal paradigm to embody what we want to see reflected in the world. We can do the inner work to hone a lived understanding of what sex means to us. Thus, we can share with clarity and confidence, embodying a new paradigm.

Each point of view in this debate offers powerful fuel for reflection, release and transformation. Looking at what perspectives and stories trigger an emotional response or strong opinion can help you identify what perverse and objectifying norms you have internalized.

Take some time to reflect upon what aspects of this debate live in you, your relationship to your partner and in how you contribute to the context in which is unfolding.

What is your relationship with the coverage of the #metoo movement?

Are you drawn to it, feel neutral about it or repelled from it, why?

Is it triggering strong feelings?

Are you judging women who are sharing their stories?

If so, take a moment to reflect on the underlying assumptions that inform this judgement?

Have you put up with sexually aggressive behavior that impacts your ability to feel fully empowered to own your sexual desire?

Have you stuffed down pain, displeasure and discomfort in order for your partner to orgasm?

If so, have you shared this with your partner?

Are you in open to sensitive dialogue with your partner about what you feel and need with respect to sex?

Reflecting upon what comes up for you, craft a statement that articulates a healthy sexual paradigm that honors the sovereignty of each person over their bodies.

Describe what role and responsibility you have in living in a way and communicating in a way about sex that would support this paradigm.

Reclaim the Sanctity of Sexuality and Exercise your Erotic Sovereignty

We are entering into a month that celebrates Eros. Whether you are currently committed or not, chances are you will be pondering the state of erotic love in your life as St. Valentine’s Day approaches.

This Full Super (super close to the Earth) Blue (2 full moons in 1 month) Wolf (January moon named so by natives for the howling winds that accompany her fullness) Moon is a fiery one. The overall energy in the cosmos is one of intense, dramatic, playful erotic exploration, expression and liberation.

The Aquarian (the sun illuminates the moon from Aquarius) in me says, don’t we realize that making human sexual/sensual nature sacrilegious and taboo has led to perversion? That repression has led to distortion and it is time to reclaim the wholesome, natural sanctity of human sexuality and sensual pleasure.

In our current paradigm, sexual prowess, desire, and desirability have taken on a perverted twist that is evident in its relationship to power, secrets, objectification, exploitation, shaming and silencing.

We see this dominant narrative reflected in movies, TV, music, and the headlines. We see it in sexual abuse, assault, misogyny and discrimination against people for whom they chose to love and partner with.

Tonight the Moon is in Leo, the archetype of the Sovereign, exemplifying utter authentic empowered autonomy and the right to take pleasure and joy in all things.

This archetype embodies intense, passionate, loyal love that relishes the reflection of oneself looking back through the eyes of the beloved.

The combination of these energies is the veritable antidote to the poison that flushes through the veins of our culture with respect to human sexuality.

I believe a great healing will come when each of us does the work to reclaim the inherent sanctity of human sexuality.

This Super Blue Wolf Moon is prime time to liberate yourself from the beliefs, cultural tenets or religious dogma that distort your relationship with what is your birthright. Take back your sexual sovereignty and reframe your sexual nature as a natural, wholesome aspect of your being alive.

Set aside some time on this moon to reflect on how the dominant paradigm of distortion lives in you. Set an intention to reclaim full sovereign over your own expression as a sexual being; whatever that looks like feels like, moves like for you as natural and wholesome.

What were the messages I received about sex from my parents, peers, religion and mainstream culture growing up that forms the paradigm I live within/among?

How do these ideas, beliefs, tenets inform the way I see myself and others with respect to sexual sovereignty and expression?

Do I feel this paradigm is an accurate reflection of what human sexual nature is and how it should be expressed?

How do I contribute to this paradigm?

What belief is it time to release in order to experience my sexual desire and expression with a sense of pure joy and innocence?

I believe the fullest expression of sexual freedom is soulful union, which is characterized by a giving and receiving of love that cherishes and holds the wellbeing and fulfillment of the beloved paramount.

I am passionate about supporting the realization of love, which is why I am offering a free Self-Mastery Session to consider the difference between an ego-based relationship and soul-centered relationship.