New Moon in Leo: The Heart of a Lion

This Sunday, August 8, we have a New Moon in the fixed fire sign of Leo the Lion. This quality of time is a portal to higher consciousness known as the Lion’s Gate. This portal occurs every year on August 8^th; it’s super-charged this year due to the fact that it falls exactly on a New Moon. Seeds planted in your life, your heart, your relationships, and your community are extra-potent, and will bear fruit over the next six months to a year, so pay attention.

The energy of Leo has a charge in this life: stand up, stand tall – be courageous. Sometimes, Leo has to roar loudly and fiercely; most of the time, the Lion is content to proudly traverse his Serengeti and take care of his personal pride-community, and the lioness hunts and kills only that which is needed.

Wherever Leo is in our chart we will see where this new powerful fire can come in and ignite our lives. Leo rules the physical heart as well as the back. Pay attention to this part of the body in these days. Breathwork can help the heart center and back body to open up and receive more love and light. Alongside stretching and strengthening practices, it can help keep you healthy.

With so much fear and polarization spreading across the globe it can be hard or downright scary to speak up and out for our personal truth, for what is good and right and true for us as individuals. This is sovereignty – focusing on what we personally need and being willing to stand tall for it, alongside others, with love and respect.

Personal courage is needed these days. With Saturn in rebellious Aquarius opposing this New Moon, we are going to be challenged to hold strong in the face of opposition. Fear may arise, but that’s OK. Leo has courage, remember? Every single one of us has lionheartedness in our astrological charts somewhere.

Remember, courage is fear that has said its prayers. Fear and faith stand side by side. You may be quivering in your body-mind, but your feet will carry you forward and your voice will speak up even if it’s shaking.

Strength - VIII - Major Arcana of the Tarot

Trusting Your Heart: Discernment and Disinformation

In the media and social circles lately, there is much discussion of disinformation. Many alternative health practitioners and doctors are being censored, cancelled for recommending treatments and methods of staying healthy during the current pandemic. Individuals opting for natural immunity methods are being pressured and criticized for their choices. Information regarding access to affordable treatments or medications that may be helpful is disallowed on mainstream platforms. Why?

People are feeling confused, or even numb. Who can I trust? When is a fact a fact? What is going to keep me stay healthy or recover if I get ill? Can I trust my doctor or HMO? Can I trust the government? Why are videos and articles being taken down off of YouTube, Twitter, Facebook on the regular?

These are great questions. But the ultimate question here is, Can I trust myself?

Can you trust your gut? How practiced are you in listening to your own body, your intuition, your dreamtime guidance? Are you aware of your hunches when things ring true? How about when they feel “off” or “Not for me, thanks,” or even “I need more information” or “I need to wait for now”? Have you learned how to listen to your inner voice and trust it, 100%? This is what many of us have been working toward for decades. And it’s a great time to start practicing now if you’re new to other ways of knowing, aka “direct knowing.”

Think of how many times science and facts change over one’s lifetime. Eggs are bad for you. Fats are bad for you. Oh, wait, eggs and fat are good now? Asbestos is a great solution for insulation. Lead paint is the best for houses. Oh, wait, that’s now a hard no? I see, I see… everything changes. Facts are fluid. Information can be presented in a zillion ways. Reality is simply the agreed-upon collective narrative that we are aware of in any given moment. No one ever has the entire picture.

And yet, there is one way to know… And that is, trust the heart. Trust the gut. Trust your intuition. Learn to listen. Have courage. What is good and true and right for you cannot be falsified. It cannot be taken away. Stay present – one must be present to win the prize of direct knowing.

Keep your consciousness connected to the Divine, in Present Time. Because you are not separate from All That Is, whenever you act upon that which is good and true for you, your action’s outcome is going to be good and true for the other when it arises from a conscious and aware space. How could it not be?

There is no need to worry that you will make a mistake. From the perspective of the Infinite, there is no such thing. Rest your consciousness in the Self, as the Self, and know it is all unfolding perfectly.

And at this time of the Lion’s Gate, the portal of Truth and Courage and Strength, feel the natural resonance and strength and love and joy that comes from sovereign confidence. Your positive energy is a force of nature that will carry you, your loved ones, and your global community forth.

Stand tall. With love.

Erin Reese, M.S. is a contemporary non-dual spiritual teacher, author and guide. A modern mystic with over thirty years of experience, Erin Reese offers incisive, practical intuitive readings to her clients worldwide. She is a counselor, guide and mentor to those seeking an alternative to traditional psychotherapy or business coaching. Erin also offers non-dual meetings and retreats on embodied liberation and freedom from suffering. Visit erinreese.com for more information.  

 

 

 

 

TRUTH SEEKER - my new book! - IS NOW ON KINDLE AND PAPERBACK.

A spiritual memoir, an off-the-beaten path India travel tale, and a bittersweet love story all rolled into one wild ride.

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COPY.

THANK YOU!

The author in Varanasi, India on the ghats of the Ganges

CLICK HERE TO GET TRUTH SEEKER

THE STORY OF A WOMAN'S EXISTENTIAL CRISIS,

THE END OF SEEKING,

AND THE WILLINGNESS TO LOSE EVERYTHING 

TO FIND TRUE, LASTING FREEDOM.

A combined off-the-beaten path India travel adventure, bittersweet romance, and deeply personal spiritual memoir, this book shares the profound, inexpressible grace of encountering one's spiritual teacher, or guru, and is an homage to the absolute faith and fearlessness required to be released from the shackles of suffering.

Truth Seeker: A Spiritual Adventure of Love, Loss, and Liberation is the long-awaited follow-up to the spiritual travel memoir, The Adventures of Bindi Girl: Diving Deep Into the Heart of India (2012).

Praise for Erin Reese's new book

TRUTH SEEKER:

A SPIRITUAL ADVENTURE OF

LOVE, LOSS, AND LIBERATION

 “With razor-sharp wit and breathtaking pace, Truth Seeker immerses readers in the India few travelers see—the authentic India in all its beauty and abomination. Equal parts love story, spiritual quest, and travelogue, Truth Seeker, ultimately, is an homage to India itself and the extraordinary teacher Erin Reese found—and lost—there. This book is exactly what many of us need right now—spiritual sustenance, a glimpse of the majestic potential of humans, and a good, hard laugh.” —Lynn Braz, author of Flying Free: Life Lessons Learned on the Flying Trapeze

 

Full Moon in Capricorn: Slow Your Roll

When Your Love Takes You to a Barn Dance

 

Today, we welcome the full moon in the cardinal earth sign of Capricorn, the Sea Goat. The Sun in watery Cancer trines the fortuitous planet of expansive Jupiter in Pisces, harmonizing well with the Moon right now. Earthy Capricorn connects us to Mother Nature and Cancer/Pisces brings in the cooling, yin, feminine side of life This is good: we need a little ease as the recent yang Gemini (air)/Sagittarius (fire) eclipses and Mercury Retrograde, along with unseasonal heat waves, put many of us on edge mentally and physically.

What is happening under the surface is that the messages from the culture (i.e. mainstream) tell us that it’s time to get back to “normal.” The state of California,for instance, is declared “open” and it’s magically time to socialize, see everyone again, move about, get busy, spend money, and do a lot of things that weren’t available to us over the past year of lockdown, whether because they were officially shut down or the fear factor was too high.

The problem is that our animal bodies and our soft underbellies, and our intuitive souls, may not be ready to get back into gear. The empathic wisdom in all of us is attuned to something much deeper than what is being fed to us on the social media feed or the news… If you’re one of the empathic people or sensitive spirits who feels this, you are not alone. Trust your body’s wisdom. Just because the society tells you to come out of your lockdown hermitage and run around again, it may not be time to do that for you.

When Kitty Encounters Her First Stag

As the veil covering that which is hidden has been fully ripped open since the past year, empaths and intuitives are acutely aware of what is behind the curtain. The collective shadow is knocking hard on the door – some of us can’t sleep at night as our guides are speaking to us, our ancestors are teaching us, our souls are doing heavy lifting and processing in the nighttime hours. If that is you, it is vital that you adjust your lifestyle to rest more often during the day. Take more naps, lie flat on your back, and definitely schedule less on the calendar.

Explain to your family or friends that you are needing more time to rest. If they’re in tune to you, and attuned to themselves and their own processes, they will understand and support you in this. Speak up: you are practicing good modeling!

When You Finally Attempt to Garden

If you do travel, whether by air or land, make sure you build in ample time (like, weeks) before and especially after your journey to ground, to earth yourself. Let yourself be in an “ordinary” lifestyle and chop wood, carry water, hang your clothes on the line, plant flowers, take a walk in the woods. Driving in cars and getting on planes stimulates vata, the air element, which in Ayurveda can create pain or stiffness, anxiousness, and confusion in the body-mind. Slow down, do less, especially talk less. Bed earlier, cook your own food, sit quietly and feel into your spine and hips and legs.

Same thing goes for social events and visiting friends and family: before and after the event, make sure you have plenty of time built in for quietude. The theme is spaciousness. Our bodies and souls are begging for more space and a slower pace. It’s totally OK to let loose or attend highly stimulating events or crowded situations – we just need to ground, root, and center all along.

Last but not least: IF you have plans to go somewhere, to have a visitor, to do something, and you feel a sense of unease or even dread about said plan – stop immediately and reevaluate. Adjust, minimize, or cancel. No hemming and hawing. This is a time in our evolution that we cannot compromise that which is for our body-mind-soul’s highest good. If you’re still hearing the internal message that “it would be good for you” or “it’s not nice to cancel on someone” or “it’s good to keep your commitments always,” realize that it is completely outdated conditioning. What is good for you IS what is good for everyone else, for the whole. When you are tuned into your body, your spirit... When you slow down and listen... When you pay attention to your belly, your root, your heart... it is absolutely PERFECT to change or cancel plans. You can trust that is perfect for the collective and everyone involved.

Do not deny any insights you are having.

Do not gaslight your soul. Honor your soul’s truth, and be free.

Enjoy your precious Presence.

with love,

Erin 

When You Take a Long, Solo Hike to a Secluded Beach

 

 

THE KING (OR QUEEN) IS AWAKE!

from Rumi

 

There are people with their eyes open

whose hearts are shut. What do they see? Matter.

But someone whose love is alert,

even if the eyes go to sleep,

he or she will be waking up thousands of others.

If you are not one of those light-filled lovers,

restrain your desire-body's intensity.

Put limits on how much you eat

and how long you lie down.

But if you are awake here in the chest,

sleep long and soundly.

Your spirit will be out roaming and working,

even on the seventh level.

Muhammed says, I close my eyes and rest in sleep,

but my love never needs to rest.

The guard at the gate drowses.

The king stays awake. You have a king inside

who listens for what delights the soul.

That king's wakefulness

cannot be described in a poem.

- RUMI

Have you read Truth Seeker yet? If you prefer supporting your local brick and mortar bookstore, you can order the book straight from your local bookseller. Otherwise, it’s available on Amazon Prime in paperback and Kindle here. I continue to be touched by the reviews (keep 'em coming, please), like this one from an appreciative reader in Berkeley, CA:

 5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, inspiring, and a joy to read

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2021

This book took me on a journey through India, and through spiritual awakening, with a front-seat view from the author's perspective. The honesty of the author's writing made it a joy to read, and her tone always remains humble and relatable, even when she shares her experience of awakening. I gained a greater understanding of the core principles on non-duality and I was moved by the piercing description of her love for her guru. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a spiritual "seeker", and to anyone who shares a passion for travel in India.

 Erin Reese, M.S. is a contemporary non-dual spiritual teacher, author and guide. A modern mystic with over thirty years of experience, Erin Reese offers incisive, practical intuitive readings to her clients worldwide. She is a counselor, guide and mentor to those seeking an alternative to traditional psychotherapy or business coaching. Erin also offers non-dual meetings and retreats on embodied liberation and freedom from suffering. Visit erinreese.com for more information.  

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Full Moon in Leo: Your Inner Child Needs You

Konkan Coast, South India

Today we greet the full moon in the fixed fire sign of Leo the Lion. Leo rules the fifth house of the horoscope, the home of love affairs and play, drama and romance, gambling and risks, self-expression and creativity, children, and the Inner Child.

In my recent New Year’s and January 20^th Meditation and Messages online meetings, the theme of the Inner Child featured prominently in the transmissions. It is clearly important in 2021 to stay connected to this part of self, no matter what age or condition they are appearing to us.

This lunation is unstable and potentially volatile with Venus conjunct Pluto in Capricorn, and the Sun conjunct Jupiter in Aquarius opposing the Full Moon. There is a clear conflict in the messages we are being given as a society and the messages that Nature is giving to us. The media and popular leadership are telling us to prepare for normalcy again, to start making plans to travel, to run around, to spend money, to get together with folks as quickly as possible. In short, the input we are receiving is “get busy, get back to normal.”

The pressure in our culture is to go back to where you were a year ago, to get busy, stimulated (and spend your stimulus check), make plans (lots of them).

Well…

Intuitively our bodies and inner children are confused as to what that means. The truth is, there is no return to normal, at least if you've shifted into the new paradigm. Many of us are stabilizing in a completely different reality and it is going to create a ton of stress to pretend to revert to pre-2020 activities and modes of living.

Kushinagar, India

Whether you are feeling hopeful, skeptical, or daunted by the idea of “getting back to normal” this year, there is one aspect of the lived human experience that comes along with you every day, integrated or not, and that is the Inner Child – the young part of self.

Check within and see how she is showing herself to you these days. A cheery five-year-old, a sad seven-year-old, a wailing infant, a cranky toddler, a wistful preteen, a rebellious or brokenhearted adolescent?

The Sun - XIX

The flavor of the age you are working with will not necessarily reflect your memory of yourself at said age. What is important is how the Inner Child is presenting itself to you now. You may have more than one age showing up. I often tend to my five-year-old sensitive and magical Little Erin, but my hormonal, misbehaving sixteen-year-old has been known to make an appearance.  A depressed infant pops up on occasion, as does a confused sixth grader.

An easy way to reconnect to your Inner Child is to commit to spending a half or full day only doing that which they need from you. Usually this is away from the computer, phone, adult duties. You might need to read quietly with your Little One envisioned beside you on the sofa. You might let your little one choose the book or magazine to read, or the movie to watch together. (I recently watched Taika Waititi’s The Hunt for the Wilderpeople which I highly recommend as an Inner Child playdate flick; I’m sure you will have fun picking your own!).

Like Leo and the Sun card of the Tarot, the Inner Child needs time to play, to shine, to be seen and acknowledged. And the most important person to revel in your goods is… YOU. Sure, hamming it up with others in your household or community or job is fab, especially for our extroverted aspects and the part of us that likes to put on a show – Leo’s fave. But even when we are uninterested or unable to socialize or perform, or it is not received, remember that we will benefit most by going within. We are the parent. We can celebrate and revel in our little one’s creations or fascinations – and play along.

Performing with the Inner Child, 2007

Inner children often like to draw, paint, collage, sketch or scribble – badly or goodly as it appears. You might try drawing with your non-dominant hand to let them express themself unedited. Perfection, goals, intentions, and getting it right are blocks and bugaboos, so let yourself go. What is most important is to stay present with the body and feelings, pleasant or unpleasant.

A nation of non-recovered Inner Children is a world filled with Walking Wounded. The Child is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease, whether consciously (through tending to their needs) or unconsciously (acting out). Without paying attention and listening, we have an immature, reactive, cranky, needy, upset, confused self leading the show, and we’re left wondering how it could be so.

With the tumultuous energies in the world right now, it is time to hold on to your Inner Child. Remember it is healthy to allow this part of self to be the Center of the Universe – the leonine Sun. Everything rises and sets on the energy of the Inner Child.

Erin Reese performing, 2007

Erin Reese, M.S. is a contemporary non-dual spiritual teacher, author and guide. A modern mystic with over thirty years of experience, Erin Reese offers incisive, practical intuitive readings to her clients worldwide. She is a counselor, guide and mentor to those seeking an alternative to traditional psychotherapy or business coaching. Erin also offers non-dual meetings and retreats on embodied liberation and freedom from suffering. Visit erinreese.com for more information.

  

A few resources and books:

• adultchildren.org
  
• Recovery of Your Inner Child, Linda Capacchione (1991) 
• Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential, Caroline Myss (2001)
• Homecoming: Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child, John Bradshaw (1990)

New Moon in Sagittarius: Whatever Spirit Wants

Image: Daniel B. Holeman

Tomorrow, we welcome a New Moon in the mutable fire sign of Sagittarius, the Centaur-Archer. Imbued with the glow of our beautiful and lucky Jupiter-Venus conjunction, hopefully we are feeling a little more chillaxed about the upcoming holiday. Whether you are planning a gala family gathering or escaping into a hermitage to hide out from the whole thing, make the priority what feels good to YOU.

Focusing on self-satisfaction is not selfishness in a derogatory fashion. As we are all coming to learn in the esoteric realms: when we truly practice Self-care, it guarantees the best outcome for all concerned. Old paradigm constructs force us to be self-sacrificing to the point of self-harm. Are we doing for others because of an image? Running on the tapes of, what will my family (mother, partner, kids, friend) think of me if I opt out and do X instead of what has been traditionally expected of me?

Check to be sure you’re not practicing one of the four M’s of misery over the holiday; if you are, catch yourself, and get back to more self-care!

The 4 M’s of Misery:

1.       MOTHERING

2.       MARTYRING

3.       MANAGING

4.       MANIPULATING

Sagittarius energy is spirit taking flight – not in a spacy, ungrounded or nebulous fashion, but in a way that is still connected to others, to the world. Sag is embodied consciousness, soaring high after working through the mucky-muck and paying our dues of transformation. All the pain and frustration you’ve endured (aka CHANGE) is about to pay off. Try to get your optimistic groove on! You may need to stoke the fires of faith. Not that things are going to turn out exactly as you’ve wished for, not that it will be a storybook ending – but let it into your heart that it can be pretty damned GREAT!

For survivors of severe hardship or developmental trauma, whether emotional, mental, financial, or physical, it can be ultra-difficult to trust that:

-          Things can turn out great

-          We can be supported by Life

-          People can give us assistance

-          Life can be less of a struggle

Survivors’ nervous systems received hard-wiring to expect disaster or disappointment. So, we never fully relax, never let down our guard. Or worse, we sabotage the goodness that wants to flow into our lives. We unconsciously built in trap doors, or expectations that can never be met, to reify our world view. This corroborates a survival brain pattern that we are under siege and can never, ever let our guard down.

If this is you, take solace in the fact that healing is possible. Start small: see how you have always been taken care of – even when it’s been beyond painful. You got through it, right? You’re here reading this! Trust that it’s possible to receive that which is good.

At this time of the New Moon in Sagittarius, the Truth burns bright. I invite you to feel the support and love that wants to flow into your heart. Indulge in people, places and situations that light you up. Try to focus on your JOY.

Right now, whatever Spirit wants, Spirit gets.

As for the rest of it? Who cares!

 Wishing you a peaceful and satisfying holiday.

Remember: put your self-care first. 

Ask for help when you need it.

Practice saying no; it gets easier!

Make sure to get outside, get plenty of walks, stretch.

Spend time with animals.

Listen to good music.

Get lots of hugs and healthy physical touch.

Run, don't walk, away from energy drains.

Hydrate, sleep more, dream more.

Trust your Intuition.

Stay close to those you Love and treat you well!

I am incredibly grateful for each of You who have trusted me over the years as your intuitive consultant and spiritual counselor. Thank You!

I celebrate and recognize your indefatigable spirit, your guiding inner wisdom and your courageous heart.

In gratitude always,

Erin

Erin Reese is an author, spiritual guide, astrologer, and modern psychic reader based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She works with clients all over the world. For readings and spiritual counseling by Skype, phone or email, contact her directly. She can be reached at erin@erinreese.com.