Metaphysics
Ritual In A Modern Spiritual Lifestyle
Rituals, rites and ceremonies are the oldest forms of spiritual practice and essential aspects of all religions and belief systems. A ritual is a meaningful or symbolic action or series of actions that has a standardized format or sequence and can therefore be repeated in exactly the same way by individuals, groups or even communities.
The metaphysical energy generated when we focus our intent using symbols, tokens and metaphoric activities during a ritual that has special meaning for us personally can be highly transformative! Whether you practice ritual in a group or solo, it can supercharge your manifesting ability and aid in any mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual healing processes you may be going through.
When some people hear the word ‘ritual,’ they tend to imagine darkened, smoke-filled rooms with mysterious people in long robes, chanting strange refrains perhaps, all choreographed with everyone knowing their roles. I’m sure there are people who practice rituals in this way and elements like incense and chanting can indeed be party of a rite or ceremony. But a ritual can also be more simply crafted in a way to fit into a modern lifestyle and everyday spiritual practice.
In my own practice, I created a little ‘altar’ for myself. A small sacred space where I have placed a few candles, some incense, crystals, feathers and a few other symbolic tokens which hold special meaning for me. I also added a picture of my mother and a statue of an angel given to me when my grandpa passed away. In this way I created a sacred space that has deep meaning for me personally and brings me into a spiritual mindset.
You don’t need to have a lot of room for this in your home. So, you can even create a small sacred space for yourself on the corner of a dresser or table top. As my practice has evolved, I now find that any spare surface or quiet corner in the places where I have lived can become a nook for little spiritual treasures that I find during my adventures. Once you start creating a sacred space, the Universe will send you little gifts to help you along.
Astrology Forecast May 2 – 8, 2022
Venus will move into fiery Aries today, kicking off a week of inspiration, assertive action, and heart-centered progress.
The Moon cruises through Gemini from today until Wednesday, inspiring us to gather, share and assimilate information at record speed. Conversations will be enlightening and fun as we ponder the possibilities and sort through details to discern fact from fiction.
Be careful to not let the energy of the Taurus Moon trine Pluto in Capricorn distract your focus this afternoon. This trine tends to make us intensely emotional and prone to restlessness and extreme actions.
This evening’s Taurus Moon sextile with Venus in Pisces is a perfect constellation for enhancing our love life and bringing renewed harmony to a committed relationship or marriage. If there has been conflicts or arguments between your and your beloved over the weekend, this evening will be the perfect time to kiss and make up! You may find your partner to be in a much more forgiving mood than expected.
The pace will slow on Thursday as the Moon moves into Cancer for a two-day visit, turning our attention to home, family, and security. With Mercury turning retrograde in a few days, this is the ideal time to update and back up computers, phones and other electronic devices.
With the Moon traveling through Leo over the weekend, we’ll be focused on social events, self-nurturing, and generosity. We may not get many chores done this weekend, but we’ll be gifting ourselves with light-hearted interactions and satisfying activities. Enjoy the smooth sailing vibes while you still can, before Mercury goes retrograde early next week.
Astrology Forecast April 25 – May 1, 2022
The major event in the heavens this week occurs on Saturday when the Taurus New Moon and Solar Eclipse sets the stage for a shift in focus, energy and direction over the next six months. This is the first of two eclipses in as many weeks, the next one occurring on May 16th. As we examine our lives for the next two weeks, we’ll be better prepared to make changes once the second eclipse occurs in May.
With an ethereal Pisces Moon overhead today and tomorrow, we should avoid making any hard and fast decisions, as information is cloudy and doubts tend to hold us back. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just the Universe protecting us from moving in the wrong direction!
This evening the Pisces Moon conjunction Mars in Pisces may cause us to be irritable and egotistic. Relationship tension and conflict is also more likely.
Clarity returns on Wednesday as the Moon charges into Aries and doubts fade away. We’ll be inspired to take action and more action, especially when Mercury moves into Gemini and Pluto turns retrograde on Friday.
Gemini is one of two signs Mercury rules (Virgo being the other one) and so our thoughts and mental prowess will pick up full power under this influence. Our thoughts may pop up faster than we can speak them as new ideas and inspirations bubble to the surface for the next few weeks.
Pluto’s shift to retrograde motion may be almost indiscernible, as it’s more a generational influencer than a personal planet. However, as it retrogrades for the next five months, we may see improvements in global concerns, such as climate change.
Astrology Forecast April 18 – 24, 2022
The Sun will move into Taurus tomorrow, turning our attention to our physical, material reality for the next four weeks. Taurus is an earth sign and it channels the Sun’s energy into tangible change, alerting us to where we need to ‘up our game’ in regard to health, finance and security. This is potentially a time of attainment, where after much effort, we will reach important goals. For example, graduating from high school or college, or finally purchasing a home or other big-ticket item.
The week starts off with a Scorpio Moon today, where things might seem a bit ethereal, but take heart, as once it moves into Sagittarius tomorrow, things will become much clearer.
This morning’s Aries Sun square Pluto in Capricorn can cause some tension and upheaval, leading us to be impulsive, argumentative and arrogant. This aspect creates a high risk energy for road rage and accidents, so if you commute to work drive carefully, keep calm, and be highly aware.
This afternoon the Scorpio Moon trine Jupiter in Pisces offers the potential for both social success and material gains, so put in some extra effort after lunch to get that deal or score that sale.
Thursday and Friday are the days to mark your calendar for productivity, as the Capricorn Moon can aid in any projects or work obligations you’ve been meaning to get to.
We’ll relax over the weekend under an Aquarius Moon, seeking out friends, family and new acquaintances to connect with and share fun times with.
Enlightenment Is Not An Exclusive Privilege
One of my Yoga students once asked me if I consider myself spiritually enlightened. I told him that I struggled with that idea, because it implied someone is ‘done’ with their spiritual mission.
It would mean I had accomplished the ultimate spiritual goal and therefore would have no need to continue my spiritual growth and work. It also seems arrogant to say that somehow, some people are ‘more enlightened’ or spiritually more evolved and superior to others.
I once heard a celebrity state in an interview that she knew she was “born to greatness.” I cannot comprehend such blatant entitlement and self-importance…to imagine that anyone was born more for ‘more greatness’ than another! We are all born for greatness in our own way, and none of us are greater than any other.
Therefore, I believe we are all enlightened. Some of us just don’t know it yet.
Spiritual growth or expansion is an eternal process. It is a journey, not a destination. There is no ‘arrival’ and no end. We will always continue to grow more, love more, heal more and learn more.
With that said, I have always felt Earth is a planet for new souls. But even old souls can still learn. There is no special ‘status’ in being a new or old soul. It is simply a matter of how much one has experienced as an individual energy entity.
I have heard over the years clients and students complain they have such a hard time being around people who are “not as enlightened as they are.” I find this arrogant, not spiritual. I believe that all paths lead to God. Just because someone isn’t on the same path doesn’t mean they aren’t headed towards God. Just the thought that we believe we are more enlightened or superior or working harder, shows we have a lot more learning to do.
Astrology Forecast April 11 – 17, 2022
Two important astrological events mark this week. Mars is moving into the spiritually-based sign of Pisces and the Moon will wax full in Libra.
With Mars traveling through Pisces for the next six weeks, we’ll be prone to following our intuition over the facts, as well as making decisions that are at times unsupported by logic or reason. That’s okay though, as bowing to the spiritual urges and acting on them is sure to take us where we want to go during this cycle.
We’ll be under the influence of the waxing Full Moon this entire week. This aspect is famous for surprising us in the area of relationships. Do not be surprised if you get an unexpected text or call from someone from your past, or meeting someone new who seems so familiar you are sure you know them from a past life!
If there are any areas of our life that are currently out of balance, this Full Moon is sure to point them out so we can correct course and reclaim our equilibrium.
Today, the Moon will cruise through Leo and offer a fairly easy going day. No matter how well today goes for you, we can look forward to a heightened sense of happiness and harmony with our partner, loved ones and family this evening under the Leo Moon’s trine with the Sun in Aries.
When the Moon moves into Virgo tomorrow we’ll spend the next three days thinking, researching and expressing our ideas and thoughts with abandon. We’ll need to take care though, as not all people agree with or appreciate our opinions, so assess your audience before waxing eloquent.
The Moon moves into calming Libra on Friday and waxes full on Saturday, making for a calm and peaceful weekend.
My Symptoms Of Spiritual Awakening
I often get questions about spiritual awakening. Is it real, and how do you know if you are experiencing it? There are many different lists of ascension symptoms available online, but it is no easy task to know which is more accurate or reliable.
In my opinion Karen Bishop’s list is the best. She wrote that “we all experience our spiritual development in our own unique way. For some of us the changes occur slowly; for others a series of events can trigger sudden growth. We do not all share the same symptoms or changes”. I therefore can’t account for all of the symptoms, but I am going to share some of the experiences I’ve personally had as a psychic. I am not listing these things in any particular order, as I can’t remember what I noticed happening first.
Feeling Disoriented
I had no sense of direction. I found my way around the city, not by knowing which the north end is and which is the south, but because I have gotten lost so many times! Every time I left my house I got lost. I live right off the main street that divides the city. Everything is either North or South. If you are one block north, then the addresses will all be in a certain range, and vice versa. Simple enough. But, by the time I would realize I was going the wrong way, I would turn off, turn around and proceed in the opposite direction. Only to find out that I have continued on in still the wrong direction. I think my record was four times in a row!
Unusual Aches And Pains
I experienced physical discomforts that for us women are often simply chalked up as ‘menstrual’. The pains were usually in the lower back and neck area. For me, it felt as though someone is pushing on my head so hard they are compressing my neck.