Feel Like A Goddess Inside and Out With these 10 Simple Self Care Steps Beauty is essential for life. It brings us joy, a sense of contentment, and I’ve come to realize it is valuable for our sense of well being as well. We need to feel good in our bodies- inside and out! Here's my list of musts when I need a pick me up, a mood shift, or a reminder of my innate goddess Self: 1. Bring the beauty of spring alive all year round by giving your Self fresh flowers. Whether a single stem rose, a lovely bouquet you gathered in the woods, or a large arrangement of your favorites, it's worth it to have the sight and smell of Nature nearby. It's amazing how walking into a room with fresh flowers can bring a mood shift. 2. When things seem pretty dismal or days have been long and unrelenting, I need a good pat on the back for my efforts and a reminder of what my inherent values are. I can't count on others to give me all the messages I need, so I remind myself. Simple and sweet is all I need. "I am enough and I am loved. Thank you for being." Want the world to go 'round? Share your affirmation with someone special. 3. My bath rituals are a weekly, personal necessity and they are part of my list of recommendations to clients for clearing energy and promoting inner peace. The maha version includes an abyangha (Ayurvedic self massage) with Vaidya Mishra's Rasayana Oil and then a soak in the tub with sea salt (clears energy) and my favorite essential oils (usually lavender). Don't forget a mud mask if you have time! 4. Along with my weekly rituals, I include a minimum of one day per week of "light eating" as a gentle detox. This is part of a standard Ayurvedic protocol, but is excellent for feeling tip top from inside out. I eat kitchari several times a week to help keep my belly in check. The best part? It cooks while you do other things and then voila! It's ready to eat when you are! 5. Take a walk in the fresh air and move your body! Nothing says "goddess" like the energized feeling you get from moving your inner prana and getting your circulation going! 6. Just a touch of rouge and lip gloss will do! No need for a heavy make up routine. A quick brush of blush on the cheeks and a hint of gloss on the lips will brighten your look and your mood. It feels good to look good. 7. Walk barefoot outside and hug trees. Ground through your feet and soak up earth's natural ability to clear EMF's and stress by touching the earth with your bare feet. Hugging trees is also a great way to ground, defrag the system and get close to Nature. 8. When I've been sitting in front of the computer too long, my eyes begin to glaze and my body says stop. My favorite way to pause is with a good spritz of Vaidya Mishra's Blissful Awakening spray. Don't have any on hand? Plain rose water will do! It is a great facial toner and also helps calm Pitta dosha as well as the eyes. For the maha version: put your feet up, spritz two cotton pads with rose water and put them on your eyes. Rest for ten minutes while taking deep breaths. This is the ultimate pick me up. Your eyes will thank you. 9. Dance and sing. As the saying goes: "dance as though no one is watching and sing as though no one can hear you." It's good for you and uplifts the spirit. As a student of body-centered Expressive Art Therapy, I will vouch for this! 10. Adorn your Self! Put on earrings. Drape your Self in layers of necklaces. Wear jewels and malas. No place to go? No worries! Do it because you are a goddess and you deserve to look good and feel good from the inside out! Ready to take your inner growth to the next level and deepen your relationship with your inner feminine wisdom?
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A Celebration of the Goddess Inside and Out Navaratri is a poignant time in the Vedic Calendar. This ancient calendar is one that is dedicated to Nature and her cycles and rhythms, the planets, and most importantly the Moon. In the Vedic Calendar, time is connected to what Nature and the cosmos are doing, and these elements are intimately related. Navaratri occurs twice a year- in the "gap" seasons of spring and fall. These times are considered sandhi times; delicate times that feel like you are neither here, nor there. We might call it the netherworld. This time, though delicate, is considered sacred. In the spring, Navaratri marks the "waking up" of the devis or the goddesses; the aspects of Natural Law that enliven growth, abundance, prosperity, learning, well being, change and transformation. The goddesses Durga, Saraswati and Lakshmi symbolize these parts of life and Nature, while also being parts of our own innate being. The three of them together represent our wholeness, the trinity of life, alive in and around us. These three goddesses also connect to Shakti, the goddess who gives the spark of life to every being, to Nature, and to existence. Vasant Navaratri (or spring Navaratri) begins this year on March 21st and ends on the ninth day, March 29th. This year the celebrations fall in the gap between the new Moon total solar eclipse on the 20th and the full Moon lunar eclipse on April 4th. This heightens the fragility of this period and invites us to attend to our fragility, our vulnerability, at this time. It is an excellent time for self care practices, gentle cleanses and rituals for release, renewal and rejuvenation. Nava means nine in Sanskrit while Ratri means nights. This is a nine day celebration that is divided into three parts. The first three days are dedicated to the goddess Durga. Her warrior spirit cleanses, shifts, uproots, changes and transforms. Think of her as tilling the soil, prior to planting seeds. The next three days of celebration are dedicated to Lakshmi. Her abundance, nurturing, and wealth offer nourishment and support to us on all levels of life. Health is the ultimate wealth and Lakshmi brings this support as well. Finally, we have three days dedicated to goddess Saraswati. She gives us knowledge, understanding, wisdom, creativity and artistry. She is the rasayana (or healing balm) if you will to close this sacred nine day celebration. Together, these three goddesses bring wholeness, renewal, and the life giving offerings of Shakti. This creative life-force energy is truly what inspires life, living and abundance. It is at this time that we can connect to these three goddesses most easily- inside of us, and around us. Because of this, Navaratri is considered a very sacred and powerful time of year- one that influences our inner and outer experience of life for months to come. To connect with the goddesses more closely, make special offerings on your altar for them during the nine days. You can also dedicate your actions and intentions to them for greater communication. Connecting to fire and stoking the internal flame (or agni) can be valuable for the first three days of Durga. You may wish to write intentions that focus on empowerment and action steps for the coming months as well. During the three days of Lakshmi, bring sweets and flowers to your altar, cook nourishing foods for your Self, decorate and adorn your Self. For the final portion of Navaratri, dedicated to Saraswati, music, art and poetry can be a good way to focus your energy, efforts and intentions. Use this nine days for treating your Self like the goddess that you are and share your abundance with others. May we each remember our abundant true nature, our immense creative life giving energy! The nine day celebration of the Divine Mothers, Vasant Navaratri, begins Saturday March 21st. I'll be sharing a 10 Day Self Care Challenge during this sacred time. Look for special self care reminders and resources in my newsletter. Are you on my list?! My next *free* Jyotish Basics Class is March 21st. Don't miss out on this transformational and healing class to help you track the Moon and its influences upon you. Sign up for details. Need some extra guidance and clarity? Schedule a session with me. Plan your week in tune with nature. Never miss a planetary update. Sign up for my weekly newsletter. Was this post helpful? Please share it with a friend! Thank you. As mentioned in my waning Moon Wisdom, this emptying cycle is about honoring our steps:
"Use this waning cycle to bring presence to your path, your struggles and challenges. Honor yourself for your steps, your wisdom gained, and the many obstacles you have overcome. Work diligently to both honor your struggles and also reflect on the openings and progress also alive currently in your life. Look for possibilities, doors that are opening and steps you can take towards them. When you feel the burdens and the struggles overwhelming you, dance, walk, move. Work with themes of balance, steadiness, patience, one step at a time. Honor your feet and their wisdom." The coming new Moon marks the beginning of Navaratri, the nine days of Mother Divine. This is a particularly auspicious junction point in the cycles and rhythms of nature. Navaratri happens in both fall (Maha Navaratri) and spring (Vasant Navaratri). This is a very precious and sensitive time period where the veils between realms are very thin. Fall Maha Navarati marks the beginning of change- the passage into a more inward, silent and transformational time period; it marks the nearing of an ending cycle. The nine days of festivity honors our change, obstacles and struggles, as well as overcoming these obstacles with nourishment, support and wisdom from the divine Mothers Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. I will be sharing much more about this powerful sandhi (junction) point of the seasons in the coming weeks and how to best utilize this time period. Expect a special Self Care "challenge" in order to encourage more inward awareness at this time. My 3 Levels of Awareness Immersion is part of this. Sign up early for the best rate. Horoscopes for the Waning Moon Cycle {September 9th to 24th} *Horoscopes are based on your Vedic rising sign. You can also check your Moon and Sun signs for further insight. Do the same with your Navamsa signs for further clarity. Do not use these horoscopes with your “Western Sign” as there is likely no correlation. These horoscopes are meant to be used as a broad overview of the current transits and obviously do not address the specifics of an individual’s unique chart. Aries: Self care and healing continue to be a big theme for you. Figuring out how to balance inner needs and outer demands, while carefully attending to your health and well being are essential. Your power resides in your depths- which may feel more palpable right now. In order to harness and maximize your potential, pay attention to your inner resources and strengths. The past will be reminding you of what doesn't work, so pay extra attention to what does- so you can reinforce the new, rather than the old. Relationships and networking will require extra diligent communication in the coming weeks, so prepare now. Work with boundaries, needs and expressing them consciously. Use the 3 level check in for cultivating presence. Taurus: You've been learning how to increase stability and support in your life with the help of Saturn. This has required courage and working with your discomfort and dis-ease as well. Let the wisdom of Saturn ripen you as he finishes his 2.5 year transit through your 6th house in the next few months. The passion you are carrying with you in heart and home matters, with mother and emotions, leads you towards increased passion, play, romance and creativity; especially as Sun moves into your 5th house on the 16th. If confusion sets in, this may undermine your comfort level. Try to find the need that is underneath the worry, doubt, anxiousness. Remember to work consciously with your discomfort and mental/emotional bodies and not bypass them. Use the 3 level check in for cultivating presence. Gemini: For you, comfort, nourishment and support are the strongest draws. What does that mean for you and where can you find it? Career feels joyfully fleeting which can bring both discouragement and excitement. How can this become a resource and an inspiration, rather than a source of fear? Attending to debts and healing are top priorities right now. Relationships continue to require health boundaries- which will go a long way in helping your needs for comfort and support. Emotional body work is both a priority and a necessity. Are you cutting and pasting over your felt senses? Or paying extra attention to them? Let your feelings be a source of creativity for you and shine a flash light on heart matters in the weeks to come- especially once Sun moves to your 4th house on 9.16. Cultivate your steps for returning home. Cancer: Self expansion continues to be your main theme. How's that working for you? Self expression is powerfully connected to your sense of comfort and nourishment. Cultivate your steps for returning home. Are you voicing your needs effectively? Creativity is fully charged, but unless you can turn this into doable, bite sized pieces, your overwhelm will get you no where. Be sure to make daily attainable goals your priority and take action steps that will amount to success over time. What you do today will (with consistent action) will turn into long term success. Heart, home, boundaries and relationships require more of the same. Let play, passion and romance be part of your plan of action. Leo: The shine and brightness moves you into a sense of increased comfort, nourishment and support as Sun moves into your 2nd house on the 16th. See if you can carry the new self awareness and self development of the past Sun cycle into a greater understanding of your needs and wants. Can you express them effectively? With tact and compassion? Can others receive your message? You are courageously working with how to relate and be in relation with others. What are your greatest needs for safety and support? How can you get your needs met in a mindful, healthy way? This awareness will have surprising effects on your abundance and increase in harmony- so attend to the details. FYI, it's all connected to your heart wisdom and emotional body. Use the 3 level check in for cultivating presence. Virgo: Confusion seems to bring with it a sense of worry, anxiety and uncertainty. Chalk it up to Rahu in your head (1st house!) As Sun moves to your head as well after the 16th, expect some extra attention to be needed with your sense of self, self confidence and your ability to shine. Be courageous with your creativity and artistry and use this as part of your nourishment and self care practice. Work on communicating your needs effectively as well as self expression and vocalizing healthy boundaries. Your relationships depend on it. Right now, working on issues of comfort, nourishment and support are vital to your sense of self and self development, as well as how you relate and who you relate to. Use the 3 level check in for cultivating presence and working with boundaries. Libra: Refer to my Saturn article for reminders about his wisdom. What is best practice when Saturn is sitting in your head? As he finishes out his 2.5 year transit in your first house, you may be feeling the extra pressure taking hold. Career, creativity, courage and relationships are likely part of the equation. It's important to expand slowly right now, to attend to your self care and find ways to get extra support in your life. You may be wanting to retreat more right now, so allow ample alone time, travel time, and go on retreats- in order for self preservation. This need will increase as Sun moves to your 12th house on the 16th, so surrender to this trend for the coming month. Expect the silence to increase your creativity. Go with it. Scorpio: The teacher in you is filled and overflowing with wisdom. Ample creativity and a desire to connect, share and inspire are driving you right now. It's a time of dharma! With Mars in your 1st house, action steps and activation are more attainable, so plot your next moves thoughtfully. Courage is still required for your communications and connections, but don't be afraid to be bold and daring. Using computers and the internet can be your best friend in order to get the job done. Balance your need for silence with your push to achieve right now. See how the silence and separation you require can be an asset to you and your offerings. Work with self trust issues and cultivate your steps for returning home. Sagittarius: Taking alone time, traveling and going on retreat are helpful and time well spent, though this may take some effort and courage to accomplish. Away time and being off your normal routine will give some new insights and offer a new perspective. But cultivate your steps for returning home in order to maximize the experience. The past and old friends may offer some comfort for you. Give some gratitude for who is walking with you and let go of those who need to be removed from your list of old support. The wisdom you are gathering at this time is ripening. As Sun moves to your 10th house of career on the 16th, let your wisdom be an offering. Share it and offer it in a bigger way. Connect, create, communicate for greater gains. Capricorn: Expect gains from friendships and with home and land, heart and emotions, but navigate these territories with consciousness. Relationships are expansive in general for you right now and you are likely feeling the extra support as a result. Still, some fragility remains until Sun moves into your 9th house on the 16th. A new level of courage will be required of you at that point. Courage to share, shine, connect and create in new ways- and perhaps missing pieces of your dharmic path will materialize in order to help you. Saturn provides stability for career, but remember that slow and steady is how you will win the race. What are your steps for returning home? Aquarius: Career is feeling the momentum and charge. Are you? Connections and relationships have been extra energized lately and reminding you how to be courageous and creative in the process. It's through your steadiness, however, that you find the nourishment and support you need to step forward. Find moments of pause to reflect and re-center and remember you can't be in the giving role all the time. How does it feel when you receive? Where do you feel this in your body? Can you sense the nourishment or do you cast it off as insignificant? Nourish and be nourished. As Sun moves to your 8th house on the 16th, get ready for an extra long pause. Use the 3 level check in for cultivating presence. Pisces: Snipping and cutting, restructuring and deconstructing. These are powerful themes for you right now as Ketu sits in your head (1st house). What are you consciously letting go of and releasing? What are you keeping and holding onto? What are your steps for returning home? Play, fun, romance, students and children can provide much growth and wisdom for you so pay attention to them. At the same time, insights are gained from the past, from the elderly and from the slow ripening of time so be a witness. As Sun moves to your 7th house of relationships on the 16th, work consciously with relationship themes. What needs to be healed and honored? What needs to be unveiled and awakened? How can more fun and passion be incorporated into your connections? Let go of the old and invite in the new. Need some extra guidance and clarity? Schedule a session with me. Plan your week in tune with nature. Never miss a planetary update. Sign up for my weekly newsletter. Was this post helpful? Please share it with a friend! Thank you. 4.7
The 8th day of Navaratri, dedicated to goddess Saraswati. Moon is on the wax (Shukla Paksha) and the week begins with Moon in the 8th tithi at the end of Gemini and Punarvasu nakshatra. At 16:41 CDT Moon enters the auspicious ninth tithi (navami) while sandhi in Gemini, but moves to Moon's own sign of Cancer at 16:47 CDT (still in Punarvasu). In Cancer, Moon receives drishti from Saturn which offers a restrictive energy as well as one pointed focus. Punarvasu, however, gives expansion, clarity and a sense of wholeness from the deity Aditi "mother of all goodness". Look for both in the second half of your day- a fixed mode of expansion with a clear trajectory. Moon moves to Pushya nakshatra at 23:31 CDT. 4.8 Pushya nakshatra is ruled by Saturn and Brihaspati (another name for Jupiter) and offers nourishment, support, usually by providing us with knowledge and awareness. Today is the final day of Navaratri which culminates with the celebration of Lord Raam's birthday, Raam Navami. This is a potent and powerful day of activation. As the previous eight days of Navaratri provided a complete inner overhaul. First with the tilling of our internal soil through clearing and purging (Durga), then came nourishment and support for our seeds (desires) through Lakshmi's abundance, and then finally wisdom and clarity and a wealth of creativity has been offered through Saraswati so that our desires may blossom into a rich harvest in the days and months to come. Raam then provides the power and dynamism to take these silent gifts of the Divine Mother into action so that they may truly actualize. Historically, this is the day Lord Raam was born in Ayodhya and so we give honor and praise to his life and name as well. He was the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. Jai Ram!! 4.9 Moon moves to Ashlesha nakshatra in the wee hours of the morning. This is sarpa's nakshatra, ruled by Mercury. Sarpas are snakes, connected to Rahu (as opposed to the other type of snake, Nagas, which are connected to Ketu). Sarpas are sly and cunning, but offer insights and bring wisdom through their occult studies. Be mindful off illusion, deception and overconfidence today- which are attributes of both Sarpa and Rahu's nature. Currently Mercury is transiting Pisces (conjunct Sun) and transiting Uttarabhadrapada nakshatra which is ruled by Ahirbudhnya, a naga. The mental/emotional body is getting a chance for clarity today with a higher purpose. Get clear on what you need to do and trust your intuitive powers. 4.10 Moon moves to Leo and Magha nakshatra at 05:15 CDT. Magha is ruled by Ketu and Pitr, which relates to the ancestors, particularly the father's lineage. Karamas with power and authority arrive with this nakshatra. Moon receives drishti from Venus here, currently in Satabisha nakshatra. Do good work and uphold dharma, but avoid being overly critical to your Self and others. Works steadily today, but don't push too hard. Where are you overly connected to power and authority? 4.11 At 07:42 CDT Moon moves to Purvaphalguni nakshatra which is ruled by Bhaga and the planet Venus. It's Friday, day of Venus, so expect some fruiting and flowering- assisted by Bhaga of course, who rules relationships, harmony and sexuality. Jupiter's drishti to Venus helps the heart feel more expansive and relationships to feel a bit more harmonious. Though, Rahu's drishti to Venus as well can give too much of a good thing, or misjudgement. Listen closely. Does it feel good to your heart? Emotions? Do you feel supported and nourished? Are your needs being met? Look for warning signs and back up if necessary. Don't rush in too quickly. Sun becomes sandhi late in the evening. 4.12 Moon moves to the latter half of Phalguni, Uttaraphalguni nakshatra at 09:43 CDT which is in the final portion of Leo. Ruled by Sun and Aryaman, there is still a connection to relationships, however, he's more connected to lasting relationships than Bhaga is. Aryaman wants love, commitment and family life to be harmonious. With Sun sandhi in Pisces, in Revati nakshatra (ruled by Mercury), the "Self" needs may be weak today. Do what's best for group harmony today. Shine through communication, verbal affirmations and keep group dynamics in mind. Speak sweetly. Moon moves to Virgo at 16:09 CDT joining retrograde Mars there as well. Retrograde Mars moves back into Hasta nakshatra at 18:25 CDT. 4.13 Debilitated Mercury moves into Revati nakshatra at 10:33 CDT, ruled by Pushan who gives nourishment and safe journeys. Shortly thereafter, Moon moves to Hasta nakshatra joining Mars there at 11:13 CDT. The Moon and Mars conjunction brings heat to the emotions and there is a heightened tension with the mental body simultaneously as they are in a Mercury ruled sign (Virgo) receiving direct drishti from a sandhi Sun and debilitated Mercury. If tempers flair, it's probably due to pushing for too much, forcing an agenda that needs to be re-evaluated and having expectations that are too high. Today is calling for downsizing in a big way. As we near the Lunar Eclipse on the 15th (and Hanuman Jayanti), we need to have emotional/mental balance at the front of our needs list. Where can you do less and lower your expectations of your Self and others? Sun moves to Aries (its home of exaltation) for the next month at 20:42 CDT. This is a powerful placement and causes us to use our brute strength and the physical body to accomplish goals and agendas. But does the body comply? Do the mental and emotional bodies say yes as well? With the lunar eclipse and Full Moon arriving next week, we near the delicate two week period between eclipses (Annual solar eclipse on the 29th). This is a time to really be cognizant of working smarter, not harder. Though plenty of temptations will arise. More on all of this in next week's Planetary Transit + Horoscope Report. Sign up for my Newsletter and don't miss my updates! 3.31
First day of Vasant Navaratri, and first day dedicated to Ma Durga. Moon is waxing and transits from Pisces into Aries, joining Ketu there as it enters Ashwini nakshatra. Heal, rejuvenate, purge. 4.01 Day two of Navaratri and second day of celebrations dedicated to Durga. Moon moves past Ketu and into to Bharani nakshatra. Ruled by Venus and Yama, lord of death and restraint, this is a particularly delicate and challenging lunar constellation. The experience for the Moon is one of pressure and exhaustion. Though you may be pulled in multiple directions today, the needs of the Moon are to soften, to turn in, and to flow with life more harmoniously. Turn rigidity into smoothness if possible. 4.02 Moon moves to Krittika on the 3rd day of Navaratri and the 3rd and final day dedicated to Durga. Moon becomes exalted as it moves into Taurus at 19:42 CDT. The day brings cutting, letting go and finalizing details connected to necessary purification. There are some tensions today for expansion. We want bigger, faster, more right now, which is creating heat and agitation. Slow down and put it into first gear. Only do what's necessary and find time for creativity and soothing the emotions. 4.03 First day of Lakshmi and Moon moves to Rohini at 14:24 CDT. Expect quick changes, fast maneuvers and creative impulses later in the day. Brahma and Moon rule this nakshatra and offer creativity and the spark of creation, beauty and passion. Passions are high and intense, cravings intensify and desire is strong. Put this creative momentum into action. Find a way to channel it properly, in order to maximize it. Mercury moves to Pisces on the 3rd at 20:48 CDT, which is its sign of debilitation. He joins Sun here and gets direct drishti from retrograde Mars. This transit, though relatively short in duration (a little over two weeks) may bring a feeling of being pulled in too many directions. Read more about this transit. 4.04 Second day of Lakshmi in the Navaratri festivities. Moon moves to Mrigashirsha nakshatra at 15:56 CDT and creativity gets more of a laser focus (or moves to overwhelm depending on your ability to take effective action). The mind heats up. Does it evaporate as Mercury joins the Sun in Pisces? Or do you get super clear on what best practice is for your mental focus? Regardless, look for softness- intuition can be accessed in unique ways right now. Mental sensitivity can be a gift at this time. Slow down to get the messages. 4.05 Moon moves to Gemini at 4:56 CDT on the third day of Lakshmi's celebrations. Moon joins Jupiter here and receives drishti from Rahu, then moves into Ardra nakshatra at 18:04 CDT, Rudras nakshatra. Look for movement, change and sudden shifts later in the day. Harsh emotions may be felt or experienced. Watch for sudden explosions, stormy weather, and possible sadness or grief emerging from your depths. Dance in the rain. 4.06 This is the first day dedicated to goddess Saraswati in the Navaratri celebration. Moon moves to Punarvasu nakshatra late evening at 20:39 CDT. The storms of Ardra rule the majority of the day, but as Aditi takes over in the late evening, understanding and more harmony sets in. Moon has crossed Jupiter by this point. The exchange between Mercury and Jupiter (Mercury rules Gemini and Jupiter rules Pisces where Mercury is transiting) gives a mental perspective that helps expand, teach and provide support which can be used to your advantage. Look for the light. |
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