Take Time During the Power of this Eclipse in Leo and the New Moon to Consider your Relationship with your Wild Woman

To align ourselves with our instinctual nature means to establish territory, to find one's pack, to be in one's body with certainty and pride regardless of the body's gifts and limitations, to speak and act in one's behalf, to be aware, alert, to draw on the innate feminine powers of intuition and sensing to come into one's cycles, to find what one belongs to, to rise with dignity, to retain as much consciousness as possible.

- Clarissa Pinkola Estés

This eclipse in Leo is an energetic boon and the perfect time to claim dominion over your own energy, will, and freedom to self-express and determine the direction of your life.

During this Celestial Cycle, we have been exploring the archetype of The Sovereign. As we come full circle, returning to a new moon in Leo, it is an opportune time to ask yourself what would it take to truly establish dominion over yourself.

In Women Who Run with the Wolves, Clarissa Pinkola Estés brilliantly traces the relationship of women with their inner sovereignty through an enlightening presentation and discussion of myths from numerous cultures.

These myths present various aspects of the female psyche in the context of the inner and outer landscapes of a life journey through metaphor and symbolism. She identifies and calls the aspect within women that holds the key to our sovereignty the “Wild Women”.

There is perhaps no archetype that is judged more harshly or more culturally sanctioned than the truly self-possessed, self-authorized, authentically expressive women as articulated by Estés’ as the “Wild Women”.

While exploring the concept of sovereignty and the embodiment of willpower, energy, self-possession and expression associated within this Leo cycle, I have noticed many women (including myself) have or do feel deep-seated ambivalence about embodying the the qualities associated with the “Wild Women”

Self-authorization is not something that comes easy for many women. Most women I have sat in circle with, shared Astrological Interpretations with, and worked with in other ways share that they are out of balance with respect to their relationship with their Wild Women.

We can work on the level of mental awareness, emotional release, and expression through our bodies in ways to access our Wild Women; freeing ourselves mentally, emotionally, spiritually and with respect to our bodies.

Take some time in the power of this eclipse in Leo and the New Moon to consider your relationship with your Wild Woman.

What was/is the response of your family and peer group when your express free spiritedness and own unique way of seeing and approaching life?

What were the messages of your upbringing in response to you wanting to be seen, voicing your preferences, desires or opinions?

Was it okay to question the assumptions accepted by your family or peer group?

Do you feel or sense that there is a part of you that has been squelched or neglected?

When was the last time you let yourself dance, play and move with freedom of expression?

Feel into and free right about what it would take to reconnect or come into right relationship with your Wild Women within?

Some have subdued the qualities associated with personal sovereignty and self-authorized living in order to fit in and avoid pushback from others (women can be the harshest critics of a self-possessed women).

Women tend to gauge what they will risk in terms of self-expression from other women. We compare ourselves to others and take cues about how much it is safe to express.

Wholesome Self-Love is an Earthy Embodied Endeavor

Unconscious comparison either fuels insecurity or arrogance. It is the basis of a fickle sense of self that can easily inflate or deflate our confidence. It keeps us spinning in an effort to measure up to a standard presented by the marketplace or our peers, that ultimately does not reflect our personal preferences, authentic gifts, or natural attributes.

Most of us unconsciously look around and assess ourselves from moment to moment. Depending on who is next to us in our professional context, what show we are watching, who's popping into our social media feed or who we are mingling with at a social gathering.

I have personally experienced and observed in peers how our relationship with comparison can make or break us, which is why I am passionate about supporting as many people as possible to consciously turn comparison into a source of affirmation and inspiration.

On Thursday August 31st at noon I will be hosting a FREE Self-Mastery Session to share tools to support you in developing sense of confidence and identity that reflects your authentic beauty and unique gifts. You will deepen your understanding of how comparison is impacting the way you see yourself and relate to others.

This Waning Half Moon in Taurus is a perfect time to pull your attention back from an external orientation. Take some time to ground into yourself by creating space for wholesome wholehearted care of you. Taurus balances the extroverted, passionate expressive energy of Leo and brings us into grounded connection.

Taurus embodies the archetype of The Lover and is associated with Venus and Aphrodite. As an Earth sign, it leads us back to what is essential to our wellbeing. Taurus reflects the Truth; that the path to authentic expression and wholehearted wholesome pleasure, in the beauty of life, is the path of LOVE. While this may seem self-evident, it can be proven challenging to apply, especially with respect to self-love.

Tender care of our bodies, talking pleasure in the beauty around us and creating nourishing meals are simple and sure fire ways to cultivate self-love. These acts reflect genuine care, which is the foremost expression of love. In turn, they support genuine and sustained confidence.

Take a moment right now. Place one hand on your heart and one on your belly, Inhale and exhale long and deeply into your belly ten times. Ask yourself: what is something I could do in the next 48 hours that would be deeply nourishing and nurturing?

Would hitting the farmers market, gathering a bit of the earth’s bounty and cooking a meal that supports your wellbeing, nourish you?

Would taking a long soak in salty water by candlelight and fragrance sooth your aching heart?

Would a meander through the woods to slow down and counter a hectic week relieve your stress?

Would turning on some inspiring music and dancing around your house light your fire?

Make a date with yourself to give yourself what your body tells you you need.

If you would like to shift out of the cycle of comparison, that keeps you externally oriented, and into a path of internal affirmation that supports sustained confidence and authentic expression

If you cannot make the webinar, continue to link to register, and a recording will be provided to you via email.

Break the Cycle of Comparison to Free Yourself to Be Yourself

This Full Moon, the Sun in Leo illuminates the Moon in Aquarius. Leo embodies self-sovereignty: one who expresses in full authenticity and authority. Generosity, an optimistic outlook, magnetism, willpower, fortitude, enthusiasm, affection are attributes exalted in this Sun Cycle.

Aquarius is associated with the archetype of the Visionary: one who is free-spirited, inventive, and spontaneous; embodying the impetus to seek the truth beyond our limited perspectives. It is this energy that questions conventional thinking, seeking deeper understanding of expanded ways of being, and drives us out of patterns of the past toward a personally transformed future.

Aquarian attributes are essential to realizing our sovereignty for authentic self-expression in a society where pressure to conform to conventions of all forms carry heavy cultural and social weight. Allowing ourselves to be who we are with nothing to prove or to hide, takes a bit of healthy defiance, which the Aquarian energy holds.

One of the deadliest killers to personal sovereignty and authentic self-expression is comparing ourselves to others. While comparing is a natural way that we process information and make sense of our experience, when we compare ourselves to others we can undermine our own sense of self and deny others their unique selfhood as well.

Becoming mindful of the ways we conform and how comparison functions in the way we relate to others and ourselves is mutually liberating.

Essential Self-Inquiry for Consciousness Around Comparison

1. Set aside an hour (investing time in yourself is the best investment you can make) this full moon.

2. Create a space to relax with a journal, pen and a cup or glass or tea to reflect upon these questions in a free writing exercise.

What is your relationship with social and cultural conventions?

How do you feel when someone walks in the room who expresses clear originality in the way they look, dress, express and/or present themselves?

What is your inner reaction to a person who shines and shimmers in their authenticity; whose presence commands attention?

Do you compare yourself to others in ways that can trigger feelings of inferiority or judgement?

3. In the next week carry these questions with you.

4. Pay attention to your inner world as you react to the outer world.

5. When a situation arises that relates to one of these inquiries simply and ask yourself how would it feel to shift that inner dynamic?

We will continue this inquiry as the moon wanes. If you are interested in going deeper, please consider an Astral Insight Session or work with me in a deep process of self-discovery, pattern breaking, and personal evolution.

Are You Experiencing the Spontaneity, Play and Joy You Desire?

Do you experience the level of joy, vibrancy and play that you desire in your life?

Lately I have noted many people expressing a longing for carefree, fun, and easeful engagement with the people in their lives; but they feel something limits them from experiencing the easygoing play they desire.

People have commonly expressed something I was also troubled by and decided to mindfully address several years ago. Many acknowledge, with sense of disappointment, that it is only with the help of alcohol that they can relax and be playful.

Once I decided to address the fact that I was using alcohol to override feelings that, in reality ,I needed to learn to navigate and process consciously, I learned to access play and carefree interaction authentically. I also learned that cultivating this kind of clarity supported my connection to my intuition.

As the moon in Scorpio waxes to half full reflecting the sun in Leo, it is an opportune time consider our relationship with playful self-expression and the deeper feelings that inhibit us.

Leo, in it's soulful expression, presences joy, play, vibrant expression, and charismatic engagement with life that is authentic and free. Scorpio, soulfully engaged, turns within to what is under the surface; which are often those feelings we tend to try and numb.

Self-inquiry based on these archetypes allows us to consider: if, when, and how we experience/express the qualities associated with each to support conscious engagement with ourselves.

Cultivating self-awareness regarding how inner and outer factors influence our thoughts, feelings and choices is key to cultivating authentic easeful engagement with life. This is an opportune time to look within and inquire whether your experience is reflective of your deeper feelings, needs and desires.

Take some time over the next few days to mindfully create space to be with yourself as a loving friend. Sit down with a journal and pen with the intention to answer these questions openly; to learn about yourself in a spirit of support as you would with someone dear to you.

Do I experience play and joy spontaneously?

If not, what inhibits me?

Do I mask my feelings in a way that keeps me from addressing my deeper needs and desires?

If so, why?

What would it feel like to engage playfully with myself and the people in my life?

What would it mean to me to use my will to create circumstances that bring me joy?

Keep your responses in mind as you move through life in the coming weeks to support self-awareness. As you move through different contexts, consider what conditions would allow you to feel clear and safe, to be more playful, spontaneous and joyful.

The point of the exercises I offer in these Celestial Cycles, and all the work I do with individuals, is to foster compassionate self-awareness; because I experience it as key to healing, shifting patterns and manifesting our aspirations.

If you are interested in going deeper, please consider an Astral Insight session or work with me in a deep process of self-discovery, pattern breaking, and personal evolution….

Align With The Calling of Your Wild-ish Nature

Tonight’s New Moon is in the constellation of Leo, as the Sun enters it’s annual journey through the constellation. Leo, symbolized by the Lion, is associated with the archetype of The Sovereign. It is the unbridled soul reigning with full authority over themselves, living in synchronicity with their environment and following their own intuitive knowing.

Archetypes are neither positive/constructive nor negative/destructive in and of themselves. Key attributes associated with Leo are energetic, bright, willful, spontaneous, instinctual, intuitive, charismatic, dramatic, expressive, affectionate, inspirational and playful. All of these characteristics can be used to generate positive outcomes that contribute to our wellbeing or those that undermine it.

While the characteristics associated with Leo are expressed more readily and abundantly in some, they are attributes that all of us can cultivate to our benefit.

This Sun Cycle, we will explore our relationship to our own sovereignty, intuitive guidance, and self-expression. We will consider how we relate to the key attributes of Leo. We will engage in inquiry and practices to engage in our natural environment more keenly through our senses. As we do this, we scan the bigger picture, recognizing opportunities and vulnerabilities in the landscape, from a position of power and strength.

Upon this New Moon we begin this journey with self-inquiry and orient with intention.

If you are able to  join our New Moon Circle, we would love to initiate this journey together.

If not, set aside an hour on this New Moon day/night to be out in nature, taking a journal and writing implement.

1. Find a place where you can sit on the ground and be in contact with the earth.

2. Take time to settle into the landscape.

3. Take long, deep breaths and one by one tune into your different senses. Take several minutes with each sense. Smell what you smell. Feel what you feel. Taste what you taste. See what you see. Hear what you hear. Allow yourself a direct experience of where you are right in that moment, as much as possible.

4. Sit in quiet observation of the landscape, experiencing yourself as a part of it.

5. Take out your journal and free write on the following prompts:

What does sovereignty mean to me?

Do I feel I exercise sovereignty in my own internal affairs?

Do I hold authority over my own choices?

How do I exercise my will?

6. When you feel complete. Tune into the environment again through each sense.

7. Turn to the questions again, and add anything that arises to what you wrote.

8. Tune into your body and feel what you feel in relationship to your sense of authority over yourself.

8. Consider what you have written and set an intention that reflects your willingness to invest in this process of exploration over this Sun Cycle.

9. Feel into your body and ask what you desire to feel in relationship to your sense of authority over yourself at the end of this Sun Cycle.

10. Offer a blessing to yourself and the earth for this time in reflection to shift your attention to your own evolution.

To stay engaged in this Evolving Mindfully Process tune into our posts through FB, Instagram and our Celestial Cycles blog.

Are You On Your Own True Path?

"You must train your intuition. You must trust the small voice inside which tells you exactly what to say, what to decide." - Ingrid Bergman

Have you found yourself kicking yourself because you privileged an internalized message or followed someone else’s advice rather than doing what you knew was right for you?

We are all born with keen intuition with respect to what is truly right and good for us. As we grow, most of us are pulled away from living according to our inner guidance. Myriad forces including family norms, relationship dynamics, the marketplace, religion, dominant culture, social expectations, and the 24/7 nature of our lives bear down upon us.

We orient our lives outwardly to respond to others, in a world full of stimulus that can overwhelm our senses and drown out our already shushed inner voice. Much of the time we do not even realize this is happening as it all seems so “normal.” Until we realize we are feeling physically unwell, energetically off balance, and emotionally drained by the way we are living.

However, there is a part of us that calls to us; a subtle voice that asserts and questions why we are doing what we are doing. We may follow the call toward change or we may turn away from our own knowing; which can lead to depression, anxiety, regret and fear. The consequences of not heeding the call of our inner voice can be subtle or quite intense.  

Years ago I began to notice a pattern in stories I was telling. In each instance, I was recounting ways I had privileged someones else's opinion over my own sense of what was right for me, and suffered. The process of beginning to understand the voices and assumptions that I had privileged over my own inner voice of intuition has been a challenging, rewarding, and transformative.

A survey of wisdom teachings from different traditions reveals several keys to attuning to our intuition. First, to be aligned and guided by our intuition, we need to cultivate a depth of presence and quality of perception that support this natural process. Second, we must listen within by spending time with ourselves in mindful ways. Third, engaging in self-inquiry to uncover why we do not attune to our inner guidance raises our awareness of how we undermine this natural process, so we can shift that inner dynamic.

When I began practicing these approaches to life, I began to see how I had learned to mistrust my own inner guidance. As I learned how I had internalized limiting beliefs, associated with experiences of emotional challenge and what I was taught were “normal” and “worthwhile” ways of living/being, I began to see how I could shift toward a place of true freedom to chart a course to realize my soul's aspirations.

If we do not become conscious of what distorts our perception of our circumstances and our relationship with our intuitive guidance, we continue being led by external forces that may not support the expression of our authentic gifts, our soul’s fulfillment, and evolution in this life.

In this Celestial Cycles process, as the Sun traverses the constellation of Leo, we will engage in inquiry to explore our relationship with intuition, self-expression, and personal will. To stay engaged in this process, follow the posts this cycle on Evolving Mindfully Facebook page or Instagram.

Align with the Wonder Woman in You!

The Sun’s rays illuminate this waning Half Moon in the fire sign of Aries. Fire embodies initiatory, vibrant, spontaneous, feisty, enthusiastic, impassioned and transformative energy. Fire is a change agent that we employ to burn away limiting patterns in order to free energy to direct toward actions that support our well-being.

Aries embodies the archetype of the Warrior(ess), so stunningly portrayed by (the pregnant!) Gal Gadot in Wonder Women. It is also embodied by her nemesis named Aries in the film. As many myths reveal, this story illustrates the inherent duality in archetype. The interplay between these characters reflects the internal/external tension between the creative and destructive potential within each of us.

Exemplifying the positive/creative aspects of the Warrior archetype, Wonder Women is motivated by an aspiration to serve peace and the spirit of sister/brotherhood. She is fearless because her cause is born of love.

The Aries character holds the other end of the spectrum, representing the shadow side of the Warrior(ess) archetype. The aggression, duplicity, greed and lust for power that he exemplifies perpetuates pain and suffering.

In the final scene we witness the two sides of this archetype (dark/destructive vs. light/creative) battle it out until the dawn breaks and light emerges victorious. Wonder Woman embodies courage, determination, strength, intelligence and leadership to face down the destructive force. This film illustrates a process that is at play in each of us throughout our lives.

Aligning with our inner Warrior(ess), whether male or female, we can find our ability to individuate from our mother (as Wonder Woman must do) to more directly confront the darkness within ourselves. This is key because we so often project onto our mothers’ in ways that prevents us from confronting what is within us.

We bring our energy, intelligence, commitment, discipline to the fore to gain victory over the destructive forces (voices, messages, thoughts, patterns) that live in us. As we do, we answer our soul’s calling and align with our desire to lives of meaning and purpose.

This brings us into a state of deeper responsibility for where we are going in life. It also frees us to appreciate more fully who our mother is as a woman in her own life journey.

Developing our relationship to Mother Earth can support and empower us as we further individuate. In her, we can find a sense of constant strength, support, resourcefulness and inspiration.

Consider these questions as a practice of self-inquiry to come into relationship with the Mother Earth to support this process.

Do I acknowledge and give thanks (make offerings of song, dances, poetry, art) for the amazing abundance and beauty of my Earthly home?

Do I spend time with The Mother Earth: let her hold me as I gaze at the stars; sit in a park and watch the light play on her body; stroll through her landscape and wonder at the shapes, forms and variety of life she supports….?

Do I feed myself mindfully drawing upon her bounty of color, texture and flavor for sensual pleasure and wellbeing?

Do I consider/ think seriously about how my actions affect her?

Blessings to those of you who are engaging in your personal evolutionary process this sun cycle. If you are just tuning in and would like to circle back visit previous posts on this Celestial Cycles section of my blog.

Release into Action with the Full Moon in Capricorn

This Full Moon, the Sun in Cancer illuminates the Moon in Capricorn. Capricorn is an earthy doer whose energy flows toward the work at hand. This is the archetype of purpose, calling us to direct our energy into what is of value.

At its best, Capricorn is a responsible, empowered individual who knows what is within their power to do, and brings the elements together to complete the task at hand. This archetype reminds us that it is not enough to know, we must apply knowledge to bring forth change. In the light of this full moon, we turn our reflections regarding the relationship with your mother/primary caregiver into release, in order to free energy for grounded action.

Build on the process we began as the Moon entered Cancer and ask yourself the following questions to refine your understanding of what emotional or thought patterns you repeat internally that reflect how your mother/primary caregiver:

Navigated feelings and approached meeting your needs?

Responded to hopes, fears and dreams?

Regarded external and internal resources?

Further inquire:

What patterns serve me and what do not?

Am I ready and willing to shift?

What is within my power to change the patterns that do not serve me?

How can I lead myself to make these changes?

What support might I need to make these changes?

Personalize this Ritual of Release:

1. Set aside personal time in the next few days (under the light of the full moon if possible).

2. Have with you: any notes you have taken in this process; a pen and loose piece of paper; candle, matches/lighter and a bowl that can withstand a little heat; incorporating anything of symbolic meaning to you on this journey.

3. Light the candle and focus on the flame as you breathe deeply. As you inhale, call yourself to full presence, with each exhale feel yourself arrive in full presence.

4. Distill your reflections to extract what is at the heart of the matter, write down the patterns that you wish to release, being specific about the ways of thinking or seeing yourself/others/world that you wish to shift.

5. Speak out loud each pattern, thought or idea (you are taking a vow to yourself), stating, “I release…..”

6. Light a corner of the page and drop it in the bowl where you can watch it burn.

After your release, allow yourself to visualize what you will do differently in light of this release. What is one grounded action that you will take in this next phase as the moon wanes, to carry this release through in your life?

This release is a part of the ongoing process we began at the beginning of this Sun Cycle, and will continue to actively unfold as we engage at a higher level of awareness and have opportunities to respond to ourselves and life. To circle back on previous parts of this process, please visit past Celestial Cycles blog posts. Stay tuned to Evolving Mindfully posts as the moon wanes to continue our journey with The Mother archetype.

Reflecting in this Moon Cycle: Becoming a Brighter Version of You

Tonight is the New Moon in the constellation of Cancer. This water sign is associated with the Moon, which reflects our emotions, and our relationship with our home/environment; and holds the archetype of the Mother. Harnessing the symbolic and energetic support of this astral cycle, we are able to raise our level of self-awareness and wellbeing with respect to this integral aspects of Self.

So much of our self-understanding, the way we treat ourselves and the way we react to others, is wrapped up in our experience to our mother, which creates our understanding of “The Mother”. The implications of that relationship, and the way we internalize it, is so central to our self-concept, that it often goes underestimated and unexamined.

Superficially, we may be aware of the issues we have with our mother or the way she modeled relating to ourselves and creating a home. Yet, are we wise to how much we have internalized this primary relationship and how it lives in us today? Are we truly aware of how much our mother informs an archetypal concept that influences how we tend to our emotional and psychical needs and the people in our lives?

The Mother reflects the original understanding we have for what it means to attune to and care for our emotional and psychical needs. If left unexamined, most of us will remain in a state of unconscious reaction and act out of subtle (and not so subtle) patterns that are less than what we desire to offer ourselves and others.  

On this New Moon, I invite you to set an intention to raise your awareness of how you relate to the attributes and characteristics reflected in this watery sign associated with the Moon and the Mother archetype.  

As the moon begins to wax, set aside time to shine its soft light inside, to illuminate how your relationship with the Mother is reflected in the way you relate to yourself and others.

Set aside a few minutes each day to explore the question(s) that hold the most charge; which may take the form of subtle reluctance or avoidance. Return to the same question at different times throughout the days as you will find you relate to them differently, depending on what is happening in the moment.

Do I create space to feel/express my feelings?

How do I respond to myself/others when they express strong feelings/emotions?

Can I offer support and reflect an understanding of emotion without having to “do” something or try and fix it?

Where am I holding resentment or judgement about how my mother responded to my emotional needs?

What did I long for from my mother or primary caregiver that I did not get; have I processed the grief I feel for having been denied this expression of love; do I give it to myself?

What kind of home have I created?

What would it look like and feel like to be a “good mother” to myself and to those who look to me for care and nurturance? 

The first stage in any process of healing and growth is to dive into the dark of the unknown/unexamined (subconscious) areas of ourselves from which so much of our emotions, thoughts, words, actions reside.

This is why we begin this inquiry in the dark of the moon and will proceed through to articulate our insights in the light of the Full Moon and integrate it as the moon wanes.

To complete this cycle of inquiry and growth stay tuned.

Being as an Act of Peaceful Revolution →

Being as an act of Peaceful Revolution

One of the great ironies of modern society is that for all the wondrous “advancements” the West has packaged and sold the rest of the world, our quality of life continues to decline. On the whole, we are increasingly overworked, stressed, exhausted, ill, anxious and depressed.

So many of us strive and strain only to find ourselves unfulfilled by our work place dynamics; out of balance in our relationships with ourselves and family; bewildered by our culture; estranged from the environment and even our own bodies.

As Newton noted in his laws on classical mechanics, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. During the decades that Western material and cultural exports have been streaming abroad, Eastern Philosophies and Practices have been quietly flowing into the West.

While they may seem "foreign" or "strange" to a Western perspective, many curious minds find actionable means to break out of draining and detrimental patterns in these wisdom traditions.

A basic tenet of both the Yogic and Buddhist philosophies is as simple as: being with the breath. This cornerstone of these traditions takes shape in myriad methods of pranayama (breath work), meditation/concentration and asana practices. When the quality of awareness experienced in these methods is sustained while we are engaged in the activities of life, it is often referred to as mindfulness.

The emphasis on being contrasts with the Western orientation toward doing. Being places emphasis on focused presence and observation, which is a radical act in a culture that is preoccupied with fixing, numbing, coming, going, striving, celebrating and moving on to the next best thing.

Being falls outside of the mainstream paradigm because it directs our attention away from the common marketplace that orients us toward comparison and longing toward inner space where we get in touch with what we truly feel and need, with respect to our holistic wellbeing.

Being is rebellious in that it calls us to shift from an external orientation (in which we refer to others for our sense of self) toward an inner understanding of ourselves. 

In being with ourselves we learn: who we are; what we deeply need and desire; why we are here; and what gifts are ours to develop and share. 

Several key benefits of practicing being are:

 Self-regulating our nervous system to experience less stress

Awareness of our minds

Finding more balance in the different areas of life

Empowered understanding of our and others needs and desires

Higher quality and more intimacy in relationships

Greater inner peace

Practices of presence is a term I like to use for a variety of exercises (including myriad form of meditation, mindfulness, journaling, breath work…)  that center and ground us in intention and bring our attention to a point of clarity.

Those of us who commit to simple consistent practices of presence experience a place of inner connection. Developing the ability to be fully present to ourselves through simple age old practices enables us to engage with our bodies, minds, emotions and souls holistically.

With practice we experience how whole bodied being brings a depth of presence to ourselves and our world that connects us to our own soul’s perspective. Then, from this place of inner awareness we can meet others on a more soulful level.

The deeper empowerment in being is that it ultimately leads us to profound soulful engagement with ourselves and others, which supports processing the lessons in our life experience, expression of our authentic gifts and a quality of fulfillment we all desire.

Half Moon in Pisces

Letting go under the Waning Half Moon in Pisces.

We consider the blending of the Moon in Pisces with the Sun in Gemini. Pisces represents the mystical consciousness. One who empties their mind to be filled by what is beyond the capacity of our limited minds to think through; who attunes to intuition; who pays attention to the messages of the unconscious that imbue the dream state.

For the intention we set out on the Full Moon, we combine this energy with the aspects of Gemini, as archetype of communication and creative expression, which we are contemplating this moon cycle.

When the energetic, curious, creative and idea connecting mind can drop into a state of meditative clarity and mindful concentration; then, insight, creative inspiration and wisdom can emerge.

The waning Half Moon is the point in the lunar cycle when we complete our release.

Having engaged in self-inquiry and reflection, to identify those thoughts, patterns, fears, inhibitions that limit our capacity to communicate clearly from the truth of our hearts and the wisdom of the soul perspective; we use the next days leading to the dark of the moon to reaffirm our release and literally feel the weight of this layer of limitation loosen and fall away.

Circle back to the questions posed on the Full Moon for deeper inquiry and to reaffirm what it is you are releasing.

Then, take a few moments each night as the moon continues to wane to find the moon in the sky and observe the waning quality.

 If your circumstances do not allow you to actually see the moon, use one of the most powerful tools of transformation and manifestation you have, your imagination, to see it in your mind's eye and attune to it in your body.

Inhale deeply, allowing the breath to collect the feeling tones connected to the thoughts, feelings and patterns you are releasing and with the exhale feel your body soften and relax into the letting go.

Moonlit Reflection for Integration of Sensuality and Sexuality

Tis’ the season of flirtation and fertility. The world is exploding in color, sound and movement designed to attract and enliven. Among us humans this energy is bouncing around in a culture with a deeply conflicted relationship with sensuality and sexuality. 

As the Moon waxes to full in the constellation of Scorpio opposite the Sun in Taurus, it is an opportune time to look at how all of this lives in you, but why?!?!?

Taurus exemplifies the part of us that longs to relish in earthly pleasures; celebrate the wonder of nature; create objects of beauty; prepare succulent meals for their beloved; delight in the senses and take time to luxuriate in the fulfillment of desire.

Scorpio represents our sexual nature, reflecting the intensity of sexual desire, energy and encounter as a gateway to profound intimacy and transformation. This archetype is also associated with the power of the unconscious mind as well as literal and figurative death.

In large part contemporary attitudes and expressions of sensuality and sexuality have developed in a paradigm of repression and control established and enforced through the religious tenets of many different belief systems. These cultural messages keep so many of us from experiencing our sensuality and sexuality with easeful sincerity. 

This paradigm denies many of us an easeful communicating and the comfort to inquire freely and openly with family and peers about these aspects that are so completely integral to who we are as beings. 

Moreover, in attempts to tamp down desire, sensuality is also sanctioned and we find ourselves living in a culture that is stifled and immature in its engagement with sensual pleasure and sexual fulfillment.

Buckling under this overlay of sexual taboo and stifiling of sensuality, as a collective, we witness the results of repression backfiring. Creating a taboo of something so natural and powerful fuels prohibited desire, rendering sex a powerful commodity that is blown up and featured in the marketplace in ways that are distorting and one-dimensional. 

In this split, the breadth and depth of our sensual and sexual natures are not given the regard or consideration they deserve. Our social, and for many, our personal engagements with our sensual and sexual nature are deprived of their inherent meaning, emotional implications and energetic importance.

These dynamics touch all of us. 

It is incumbent upon each of us to grapple with our own relationship with our sensual and sexual nature in the face of the conflicted context of our contemporary culture. In order to become integrated and empowered to have healthy and fulfilling relationships with our sensuality and sexuality, we must navigate these extremes to find our own balance.

The timing and confluence in this Full Moon is particularly potent symbolically and energetically to dive deep to bring release and balance in these areas. It is a opportune time to release anything we have internalized that prohibits us from experiencing our sensuality and sexuality mindfully. Let us take this opportunity to invite open, meaningful and authentic engagement with ourselves in these areas to support our embodied integration and wellbeing. 

While I write this in light of the timing with this moon, this practice can be undertaken ANYTIME to tend to these vital aspects of you!

Get in touch with the earth, sit on her, feel the quality of the air you are breathing, smell the fragrances, hear the sounds around you in layers.

Picture yourself at an age when you we're just forming your sense of yourself as a sensual and sexual being. Honor your wholesome innocence, your emerging desire and curiosity to explore these arousing feelings.

Be present to yourself with tenderness and sincere interest to discover, peering within to inquire:

What characterizes your relationship with your sensuality? 

Are their messages from your past (family, religion, peers, other influences) or experiences that proscribe sensual pleasure? 

What is your relationship to your sexual energy? 

How do you respond internally or externally when you see someone taking deep pleasure in something?

How much pleasure do you allow yourself?

What thoughts, emotional patterns, insecurities, shame, repression do you harbor around your sexual nature? 

Do you feel open and in balance with how you engage with your sexual energy? If you sense an imbalance, explore how your experience it.

Do you have clear boundaries and exercise integrity in the way that you relate through your sexuality in relationship to others?

Do you feel open to communicate and express to intimate partners or friends about your sexual needs or desires?

Allow yourself to dive into which ever question(s) holds the most charge for you. 

Be willing to observe and release what does not serve wholesome engagement, integration and personal integrity with respect to your ability to take pleasure in your sensuality and experience your sexual nature. 

Allow words, feelings and/or symbols that reflect what you intend/desire to feel and express o emerge.

Articulate your intention to release those aspects that you recognize as inhibiting the true balance in your relationship with your sensual and sexual nature. 

Relish in the inner connection, linger in the pleasure of the night and your own company. Emerge open to engaging the world from a new level of self-connection, balance and clarity. 

If this perspective and process resonates with you, consider and an Astrological Interpretation to support deeper inquiry; of one of my personalized Programs for Evolving Mindfully. Join us for a Moon Circles and share in sacred space for sisterhood to reflect, inquire, release, embrace and manifestation based on the cycles of nature, the symbolism and energy of the cosmos and the world around us. Visit evolvingmindfully.com to learn more.

NEVER in my wildest dreams...

NEVER in my wildest dreams would have imagined I would become a professional astrologist! 

Here is why I have:

We come into this world with a unique nature. We are open, curious, hungry for life, and human connection. We meet our “nurture” (the circumstances of our life) and thus begins a formative process. The development of our identity unfolds at the intersection of our innate nature and the contextual nurture that reflects the conditions of our family, community, religion, culture and political paradigm. 

In the messages of our caregivers, the tenants of our culture, the dogma of our religion, the opinions of our peers and our position in the political context, we can lose the unique essence of our nature. As we internalize the context of our lives, our authentic voice, our soul’s perspective, our creative urges and heart’s desires can be obscured or distorted. 

We feel this and it pains us, whether consciously or unconsciously, we long for something else and seek outside of ourselves to find what is missing. Looking to uncover our authenticity and essence, we look for an accurate reflection of our genuine nature and our inner knowing in people, places, philosophy and things. The reflections we find are most often incomplete, inaccurate or filtered through others’ projections.

While I do not understand how it works, just like I do not understand fully how genetic science works, I stand in awe of the accuracy and insight of the astrological perspective in reflecting the “nature” of our psyche, the dynamics of our thinking and emotions, the purpose of our soul’s journey and our lessons in this life. 

In my experience with myown chart and in interpreting others, I have come to see astrology as the DNA of our psyche. Each natal (birth) chart is like a blueprint of the soul’s landscape in this lifetime. Just as we are individual and unique, a natal chart will not repeat for 24,000 years. 

Within the intricate dynamic system of astrology as articulated by philosophers, observers and explorers of the human psyche and cosmic landscape over thousands of years, I find it to be angle for peering through the layers of “nurture” into the “nature” of myself and others. 

A skillful astrological interpretation:

• fosters compassionate awareness of our deepest nature
• imparts insight into the ways we lose ourselves in the context of our lives
• supports clarity regarding internal patterns that trip us up
• yields directives for manifesting our gifts
• offers perspective on our life lessons and purpose

Astrology is powerful because it provides a dynamic and holistic lens on our lives; a view into our unconscious.  With this angle of perspective we are empowered to heal our wounds, lean into our strengths, manifest the intimacy we crave and give ourselves permission to be who we came here to be.

Astrology is a game changer for those who truly long to take the reins and navigate their course skillfully toward the direction of their purpose in this lifetime. Through this lens we bring what rules us on the unconscious level to the level of conscious awareness where we can utilize this potent material to fuel our personal development and spiritual evolution. 

This is why I have become an astrologist. It would be my honor and joy to offer you this perspective and support you in seeing into yourself through the eyes of the soul. 

Listening Deeply

Last month I shared that this year's inspiration, practices and offerings will chart a path to support the process of clearing, listening, aligning with and devoting ourselves to our Soul’s urgings.

As we engage in clearing the way, we are better prepared to listen deeply. Ancient dissectionists spoke of the auditory nerve being divided into three pathways. They deduced that the ear was designed to hear on different levels with respect to:

Mundane conversation 

Apprehension of learning and art

Listening to the Soul itself for guidance and knowledge

While modern anatomy and physiology provide a mechanistic explanation of hearing, considering the point of view of early scientist and philosophers, provides a more nuanced perspective to orienting ourselves toward deep listening. Given this we may ask:

How often do I attune to listen deeply within?

When we do listen within we may confront myriad messages that are contradictory. Considering this we may ask:

    How well do I distinguish the source and relevance of the inner voices that inform my feelings, thoughts and actions?

To draw this distinction, it is helpful to reflect upon the aspects of the psyche that are referred to as the Ego and the Soul. 

The Ego is preoccupied with the material aspects of life: safety, psychical comfort, security, status and pleasure. Interested in the freedom to satisfy needs and material desires, it preferences individuation and independence. The voice of the Ego reflects the part of us that thinks in terms of avoiding struggle, discomfort, judgement, risk of failure and loss. It often express in ways that are defensive, reactionary and shortsighted.

The Soul is oriented toward wisdom perspective: ethical considerations, genuine intimacy and holistic wellbeing. The Soul charts a path toward personal/spiritual development, urging us toward vulnerability, challenge and/or discomfort, in order to learn and grow. The voice of the Soul speaks to us through inner guidence that transcends the cultural (material and dogmatic) and temporal context of our lives. The soulful voice takes the longview, leading us to our growing edge to realize our potential in this life. 

We all need a healthy Ego. The key is to not let the Ego perspective run our inner dialogue. Learning to distinguish mindfully between the Ego and the Soul with respect to our feelings and thoughts is essential. Drawing this distinction helps us to make choices that align with our holistic wellbeing and personal growth.

In the coming weeks, I invite you to practice the art of deep listening. Try one or both of the following practices. The first being a simple exercise in listening within; the second an exercise in distinguishing between the Ego and the Soul perspective.

Carve out an hour or two to take a walk alone in nature. As you walk breathe deeply and listen with full attention to the sounds of the outer landscape. Find a place to sit with your back to a tree or lie on the ground and open the ears of your heart, listening to the inner landscape. Alternate between listening outside and inside. 

When you feel intensity arise, take time aside and find a quite space to drop into your body through deep breathing and tuning into your senses. Either writing in a journal or recording in a device, give voice to the Ego and the Soul with respect to a situation that is challenging you or a question you are working through. Speak or write from the point of view of both the Ego and the Soul, giving equal time to both voices. 

Inner listening is a skill that involves and engages all of you. Orienting ourselves toward this third level of listening allows us to discern which voices to simply listen to with an ear toward compassionate self-awareness. Within the inner spaciousness that arises when we mindfully observe our inner landscape, we can discern where to put our attention, attend to our wounds, address essential needs, take action, be still, let go, challenge ourselves...

As we become adept at listening to ourselves and orienting toward the Soul, we can extend this skill to how we listen to others. Engaging in these practices personally is of service to our partners, families, peers and communities: for the collective is a reflection of each of us as individuals.

As always I would love hear how this material lands and lives in you. Please share your thoughts or ask questions so I may better serve.

The process of mindful evolution is ongoing and cyclical. Clearing the way is a central practice to navigating within to connect to our soul’s urgings. I invite you to circle back to "Clearing the Way" when you feel blocked in your ability to go within. 

Clearing the Way

We all feel inklings of possibility that stimulate and entice. They come in many forms.  They may be experienced as joyful inspiration in seeing someone else do something or live in a way that touches upon a latent desire or dream. Sometimes, they come cloaked in envy or a sense of discontent when we see someone engaged in life or pursuing something that beacons, but that we are denying or repressing.  Other times, urges are sparked by fear or anger about the way we see things going in the world and carry a sense that we have a contribution to make that remains unrealized. 

For many years I felt urges in each of these forms that I failed to heed. It took a crisis (as it does for many) for me to realize that this was truly my soul speaking and that these urges came from a place that was ignored at my (and by extension our) peril. Many of us need a strong wake up call to the fact that the ONLY way to really live the life we sense is possible is to listen and learn to decode our emotions and perceptions; to engage with ourselves fully and do the work to clear the way for our authentic gifts to express.

The process is one of excavation. Clearing layer by layer of beliefs and patterns of thought that over years of acculturation and experience accumulate, obscuring our vision and ability to listen deeply. When we harbor limiting beliefs about ourselves and internalize external voices we undermine our own sovereignty. In the process, we often deny our desires as well as the attributes within us and resources accessible to us that will enable us to manifest them. We mask our deeper desires with more superficial ones that when realized leave us unfulfilled.   

Conversely, when we identify with our aspirations, we are motivated beyond the tendency toward inertia that we settle into in our routines and the busyness of meeting our obligations and fulfilling our basic needs. Embracing them entices us into something new; causes us to change old habits; inspires us to learn and grow. New Year is the perennial time when we collectively engage in the exercise of staking claim to what we intend to do differently in the year ahead. 

As with so many others, I have experienced the annual failure of “the New Year’s resolution" approach. Through my failures I finally learned to practice and advocate for a a way of living throughout the year that allows us to engage ourselves more fully; to identify with our dreams in a way that ushers in the changes we know we need. Clearing the way is a rich ongoing process that combines the unearthing of memory, releasing pent up emotion and rewriting our stories in a way that empowers and enriches our relationship with ourselves and our life experience. 

From a place of devotion to our own lives that is sincere and sustained, discipline springs. This is a discipline that is not forced, but focused upon realizing a relationship with ourselves that allows for seasonal growth as we live holistically engaged with our aspirations, gifts, purpose, resources (internal and external), past, present and future. 

This year I will be focusing upon a series of offerings that will support the process of clearing, listening, aligning with and devoting ourselves to our soul’s unheeded urgings. To get you started I offer a free guided meditation to begin the process of clearing the way.

 

Harnessing the Information Hidden in Emotional Intensity.

As the year comes to a close things are heightened as we add managing everything that the season entails to our already brimming lives. On top of the multitude of events on the calendar and mounting to dos of the season, expectations build and undercurrents stir. Inevitably, we find ourselves with our hands full in the midst the holiday hustle facing down a swell of emotions surfacing from within or watching the tides rise in someone we love.

This is, after all, a time of the year when we engage with our families on a level and in a context that is loaded with expectations and interactions that evoke ghosts of the past. Even when feel we are on top of our game, managing our own expectations, have done work to heal, have forgive and/or asked for forgiveness, we find ourselves caught off guard by moments of intensity.

With so much good cheer on offer, it can be tempting to swallow our feelings with a sip of bubbly, spiced cider, creamy eggnog or a sweet treat. Even if you are not tempted as such, it is challenging to take the time or muster the capacity to give emotions the mindful attention that would truly be a precious gift to ourselves and our loved ones. 

Yet, harnessing these opportunities when they surface allows us to navigate the season skillfully to mine moments of emotional intensity for the gold hidden within them. Emotions carry with them a wealth of information. When they arise it is a potent opportunity to tend to deep seeded needs, address wounds, draw boundaries, release and evolve. As we expand and grow we encounter new layers of awareness around old wounds and family dynamics that are relevant to where we are in terms of our personal development.

The onus is on us not to blast past these fecund moments that provide opportunity for insight into what really matters and where we need to place our attention to tend to ourselves and others with care and love. By taking the time in this busy season to engage mindfully, we grow in our capacity to shine our full light of love, which is so needed in our world todayTis' the season when taking 20 minutes a day produces the most powerful payoffs. By engaging mindfully we can truly offer compassion for ourselves and the feelings of others in ways that supports the quality of connection we desire to experience.  

As my gift to you, I offer this 20 minute guided meditation to support you to ground, clear and listen within to inquire into what emotions are communicating to respond thoughtfully and address underlying needs. Use it to begin or end your busy days centered and aware. Use it to empowering effect when emotions arise to bring yourself to a place of open curiosity. 

I offer this because I have experienced so profoundly that tending to our emotions mindfully is the key to shifting patterns that steal our joy, disconnect us from our authentic voice, limit our ability to connect to others in meaningful ways and hold us back from living as we aspire to live. 

Blessings to you in this season of darkness emerging into light!

Delight: Eight Principles for Living with Ease and Joy

Pleasance Silicki is a local DELIGHT, an inspiring Yogini, powerhouse entrepreneur and trailblazer in the field of family Yoga.. I am amazed and inspired by the beauty, depth of practices and experiences that Pleasance continues to offer to the community through her classes, workshops, retreats and now with Delight.

" I wrote Delight as a gift - as an offering to any woman who needs a little inspiration and love on the journey to truly living a life of whole- hearted- open- compassionate living. Delight is a short and easily digestible reminder for us all that we can take simple practices and transform our day to day into a sacred ordinary life."  - Pleasance

"This is a brilliant book that provides concrete lessons on how to transition into living the kind of life that sings to the soul. The author shares personal anecdotes along with instructions. This feels like sitting down with an enlightened friend to get some life advice. I've bookmarked the Mind-Body exercises and will come back to this book over and over. Well worth the time and money!”  - Says one reviewer of the 54/54 who gave her book 5 stars on Amazon. 

Her journey as a Yogini and mother meld beautifully in her focus on supporting mothers in expanding their experience of ease and mindfulness in their roles as mothers and beyond. Pleasance is consistent, practical and deeply supportive in her advice. 

Find Delight on Amazon connect with Pleasance through her webiste.

Empowering People to Live Creative and Soulful Lives

The foundational principles of this growing DC community are:

(1) Creativity: Be real. Express yourself.

(2) Spirituality: Focus on what matters most.

(3) Justice: Create a world that works for all of us.

WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE ABOUT THAT!

There are many ways to connect into the Sanctuaries community and enjoy the benefit of exploring topics central to all of our personal and communal evolution and connect with a diverse group of individuals in meaningful ways. 

As a member of the Moving Words team, one of the Sanctuaries teams that collaborate creatively to explore issues and topics of personal, spiritual and social meaning though, I draw upon the community as a source of hope and inspiration in a world full of reasons to be concerned, bewildered and disappointed in humanity. The relationships I am developing in this context are rich, layered and deep. Other teams open for members to join include a musical performance team, visual arts team, screen printing team and spiritual practices team.

Our daughters Ella (12) and Mercy (11) LOVE to go to the Sanctuaries Soulful Events that feature music, spoken word, dance and a variety of artist performances. One of the most powerful evenings we shared last year was an Art for Justice event that hosted The Collective, a Sanctuaries Initiative that brings together artists for a period of collaboration to enhance their artistic expression in service of a social justice issue. 

The 2015/16 Collective group created art to to raise awareness around the issue of development in Barry Farms in Anacostia, which is a community under heavy pressures of gentrification. The city and developers are closing ranks to move residents out of this public housing that has been neglected for decades, is some of the last left in the city and one of the oldest pieces of land occupied by African-Americans. 

Through the visual art and performance pieces created to tell the story of this historic neighborhood and this critical issue of social justice, we learned that Barry Farms was established in the 1860's when freed slaves who labored in construction of in the nations capital and other forms of labor in the district purchased the land from the federal government to build a community of their own. The original homes there were built by bonfire after work day was complete on the other side of the river. We were able to hear from residents and members of organizations that are working to raise awareness and advocate for justice regrading the issue of affordable housing in DC. 

We cannot wait to see what the 2016-17 Collective creates, what issue they will explore creatively and how they share their creation with the community!