Soul

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What's your Ascendent? (AND--what IS an Ascendent???)

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What's your Ascendent? (AND--what IS an Ascendent???)

It was Imbolic this past week, which is the traditional holiday that marks the midway point between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox.

Today, we celebrate this holiday by checking whether a groundhog sees a shadow, but in many traditional cultures, Imbolic marked a time to look at what was on the horizon for the year. Imbolic marks the very early stages of spring and the very late stages of winter, a time when the seeds we want to sprout this year must be planted.

As a holiday about looking toward the horizon, Imbolic is the perfect holiday to reflect on your ascendent--the sign in your chart that was on your horizon at birth.

Some of the most-often asked questions of me as an astrologer are: what is an ascendent? What does it mean when someone says “Scorpio rising”? WHY do you want to know what time and place I was born in order to do my chart?

All of these questions point to your ascendent or rising sign.

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The Winter Solstice: Yoga, Tarot, Astrology

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The Winter Solstice: Yoga, Tarot, Astrology

Thanksgiving has passed, and winter is in full swing in Eugene, Oregon. The rains have returned to the Pacific Northwest, and we’re experiencing less and less daylight with each passing day. You've probably noticed shorter and shorter evenings (and for those of you who work traditional hours--darker and darker commutes).

Of course, this means the winter solstice is upon us.

Many of us know what the winter solstice is technically (shortest day of the year for the northern hemisphere), but what is its connection to yoga, tarot, and astrology?

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Yoga for Grief: 7 Practical Techniques

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Yoga for Grief: 7 Practical Techniques

Fall is in full swing, and the trees are shedding their leaves in blustery Eugene, Oregon. This changing weather reminds me that November marks the middle of the season to both let go and give thanks.

Letting go in the fall can be difficult. We let go of the sunny, warm weather; the trees let go of their leaves; and sometimes we're called to let go of something or someone we weren't ready to lose. 

It seems like so many people tend to pass on in the fall. I lost my dear, wonderful grandma recently, and a number of my friends are also in the midst of grieving friends and family who have gone too soon.

The pain that is left when we lose a loved one can be confusing and sad, but grief can also offer us a roadmap toward healing. 

In times of grief, I turn to those things that bring me comfort, those things that bring people together, those things that inspire me to see beyond the pain.

For me, that thing is yoga. But yoga for grief can go beyond your regular studio class and enter into the more intimate spaces in your life. Here are my suggestions for grief-soothing, heart-healing yoga...

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The Dawning Aquarian Age: Why is the World So Crazy Right Now?

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The Dawning Aquarian Age: Why is the World So Crazy Right Now?

It seems like everywhere I walk in town I hear echoes of conversations (the world sure is crazy right now… can you believe the news? What did Trump do now?) 

Perhaps in every age people make comments like this, but there’s no denying that lately things have seemed…just a little crazier than usual.

When big things happen, astrology usually has something to say about it, and this is no exception. However, this cluster of time is different from any one specific event (Trump’s election, Brexit, the general atmosphere of social change/resistance to change). So, what is it that’s going on?

Well, for the last few decades, we’ve been experiencing the beginning of the Aquarian Age.

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The "Be Kind" Sign

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The "Be Kind" Sign

Labor day is over and the first hints of fall are already starting to show in beautiful Eugene, Oregon. The maples are beginning to drop leaves, and the temps are just a bit cooler at night--finally blowing the smoke from the forest fires outside the town.

I was walking home this morning from my usual Sunday class at Mudra Yoga in Eugene, when I saw a man tear down an art sign that someone in the city had hung that said "be kind." This man tore it up, threw it on the ground, looked right at me, grinned, and rode away on his bike. 

I suddenly became very aware of myself and of others--what each of us puts out in the world. I realized that though I think of myself as "normal," I was, in fact, wearing yoga clothes, holding a potted plant, and wearing a hiking lumbar pack instead of a purse--in short, I looked 'crunchy.'

I realized that just as I was gaping at the man who in anger pulled down the sign, perhaps he was grinning at me because he thought I would be upset.

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The Great American Eclipse, Part 1: What is happening, exactly?

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The Great American Eclipse, Part 1: What is happening, exactly?

For all of you wondering what this eclipse is all about and how it relates to you (and for my own urges to go into detail), I’ve decided to write a two part blog to address The Great American Solar Eclipse 2017.

Part 1: What is happening, exactly?

You probably already know that a solar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon, and earth line up such that the moon blocks sunlight from the earth. You may also know that this total solar eclipse is called the Great American Eclipse and it will begin in Oregon and end in South Carolina on Monday, August 21, 2017.

In astrology, solar eclipses are times when we are being urged toward something—either to let go of something (when the eclipses occur at the lunar south node) or to move toward something (when the eclipses occur at the lunar north node). 

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A Reflection on the Capricorn Full Moon

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A Reflection on the Capricorn Full Moon

Sunday, July 9 marked a full moon in Capricorn, significant to me because it’s my sun sign.

I’ve seen a lot of astrologers lately who are writing about full moons. Full moons are a time to examine a completed cycle, to find wholeness in ourselves, and to look for balance in our emotions. But what does it all mean?

The emotive energy of the moon joining with the practical energy of an earth sign can be confusing. Often, when I’m doing readings, people ask for practical answers and examples to balance the abstract language of astrology.

Every life is unique, and our circumstances are distinct (just like our astrology charts). So, here is what this full moon meant to me: a lot of surprises, namely, I broke my back.**

I am okay, or I would not be writing this. I took a fall, and have a compression fracture in my lumbar spine. Luckily, there was no nerve damage, and I should be able to recover fully (although the jury is still out on whether my upcoming holiday plans will remain in tact).

This is, however, an excellent learning opportunity for me, not only in my daily practice as a yogi, but also in my self-understanding as a human being.

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On Knowing, Not Knowing, and Stepping into the Flow

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On Knowing, Not Knowing, and Stepping into the Flow

I’m about to go to my childhood home in Indiana/Kentucky for a visit this coming week. My wonderful grandma is turning 94, and I’m going to see my parents too.

Indiana this time of year (and Eugene, Oregon, these past few days) is sweltering. I love the heat, but I also love escaping into the cool AC of the house.

It can be strange to go back to my childhood bedroom, because there are so many reminders of a time in my life when I had only lived there, only known that home. It reminds me that there was a time that I didn’t know anything that would happen to me, or anything that I would do out in the world as an adult.

Going home reminds me of a time when I both knew things with certainty (school started at 7:42 and I had to go) and lacked any certainty (I mean, where was I going to go to college, and what would I do as an adult?).

Going home also reminds me that I still live in a version of this paradox. Knowing I need to work or buy groceries or teach a class, but wondering what my next steps will be or how I’ll choose to move forward personally and professionally.

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5 Reasons Why I Love Restorative Yoga (And You Will Too!)

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5 Reasons Why I Love Restorative Yoga (And You Will Too!)

“True yoga is not about the shape of your body, but the shape of your life. Yoga is not to be performed; yoga is to be lived. Yoga doesn’t care about what you have been; yoga cares about the person you are becoming. Yoga is designed for a vast and profound purpose, and for it to be truly called yoga, its essence must be embodied.” — Aadil Palkhivala

Each week, I teach three public classes at Mudra Yoga in Eugene. One is a fast-paced vinyasa, one is a medium-paced hatha-style (steady flow), and on is a restorative yoga class. I’ve noticed that yogis have a general trend toward faster-paced more active yoga. This is hardly surprising. In our fast-paced world, it can sometimes take real physical challenge to move us from our head space to our heart space.

However, there is something incredibly uplifting, revitalizing, and (I would argue) essential to practicing restorative yoga as a regular part of your practice.

So here are 5 reasons why I love restorative yoga...

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Review of the Joyful Heart Psychic and Wellness Fair in Eugene, Oregon

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Review of the Joyful Heart Psychic and Wellness Fair in Eugene, Oregon

I started today like I do most Sundays, teaching my regular yoga class at Mudra Yoga by Eugene's 5th Street Market, and then working with an astrology client.

But, today was a special day, because it was the inaugural Joyful Heart Psychic and Wellness Fair. I confess...