ALL CARE IS SELF CARE (Outline for Summer Solstice Ritual 2018)

Thursday 6.21 is the first day of Summer, the solstice, the longest day of light in the Northern Hemisphere. The alignment is exact at 3:07am PST. You can do the math.

Photo by Noelle Duquette

I have been writing posts and columns related to the solstice since EdibleSpirit started formally in 2015. I try to offer content that helps to translate cosmic phenomena into accessible experience. RITUAL is done for exactly this reason - to symbolically embody principles, forces and phenomena that are typically beyond our everyday point-of-view. That’s the point! To step down stuff that is beyond us so that it is clearly and formally recognized within us and around us. Every time we do ritual we assert that we are one with all, different only in the frequency of our expression. We do ritual to re-trace the steps that seem to make us different until we remember that we are the same, and that everything is connected.

One of the most important aspects of doing ritual is the creation of sacred space. The key distinguishing feature of sacred space is that when you are within it, EVERYTHING has meaning. Every time I do a reading or a healing or teach a class, I open sacred space. That way, when a bird flies by at a certain moment or a wisp of smoke from the censer twists in just such a way, I know it is fair game to interpret it as part of the moment and the message that is coming through. 

Sacred space becomes ritual space when you perform repetetive actions within that space- either those which have been done throughout the ages, or ones that feel right and meaningful to you here and now. The act of doing something every year when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky (aka the solstice) makes it a ritual automatically. 

Why does this matter?

Because it is YOUR BODY that does ritual. As a human, you are the intermediary between the invisible forces of the heavens and the tangible matters on the Earth. When we do ritual we USE OUR BODIES to formalize our roles as witnesses of that which is beyond coming alive within us, and that which is within us MAGICALLY EXPANDING AND ROLLING OUT FROM US UNIMPEDED IN MIRACULOUS WAYS... The BODY is the anchor as the performer of the ritual, the witness of the ritual, and the meat which receives and distributes the benefits of the ritual: the energies being invoked, the gratitude being offered, and the alignment that is established and hopefully sustained.

As we move into this moment of the solstice, when the sun enters the sign of Cancer - the house of the mama, the boobs, the sensitive, the nourishing, the emo, the tides, the waves, the moon, the milk, the Mother, we offer a single word that can carry you through the whole season: CARE.

Remember what I always say: pain and sadness are directing your attention towards what needs to be healed… but in cancer season we can say they are pulling your focus towards what needs your CARE.

The moment of the summer solstice is a clarion call to CARE for yourself and your body and for all beings and their bodies. All of us, and all of our bodies matter and are deserving of care.

Cancers are typically thought of as being super sensitive. They have to be, otherwise they wouldn’t care enough. They are the mamas of the zodiac and so their hearts have to break all the time so they can remember everyone is a child, everyone is a mother, everyone deserves to be cared for. When the babies are neglected the mama bear roars and busts heads, not because she’s violent, but to save the babies. The tides ebb and flow with the phases of the moon, our mama, who rocks us into comfort by rocking the earth in the arms of her gravity. 

But my favorite deet re: motherhood/Cancer is a question: WHAT DO YOU NEED IN ORDER TO OFFER YOURSELF ENDLESSLY TO ALL THE BABIES. I’ll make it easy, it has something to do with self care. We care for ourselves so we can care for others. What can you feed yourself so you can feed others? If you care for others but not yourself, you are useless to others because you will crap out. If you do too much self care without caring for others you are living a lifestyle, talking a talk, but not walking any kind of discernible walk. 

This is why I talk about the EdibleSpirit Spectrum: From Self Care to Self Love to Self Expression. You care for yourself till you are full of self love, healing and balance, until you have enough to give some of that love away in the form of caring for others. When you crap out, care for yourself again, but then get back in the saddle and keep on caring. 

During the Solstice, we have an opportunity to broadcast this relationship between self-care and care for each other by pausing to formally recognize this relationship. 

This is why we are going to make this year’s solstice ritual centered around baby effigies. 

You will need:

A candle, a bowl of water, a dish of salt, and some sage or incense.
A piece of cloth or scarf (for swaddling)
Paper and a writing implement
A doll or stuffed animal

1. Before starting the ritual, do the writing work. On a few separate pieces of paper (they can be small) write:
   
   “I care for my spirit
   I care for my mind
   I care for my heart
   I care for my body”
   
   “I promise to care for all of these aspects of my being, and ask that clear signs be provided immediately when the balance within them and between them is disturbed.”
   
   “I promise to care for myself until I am strong enough, stable enough, and balanced enough to care for others.”
   
   and finally:
   
   “I promise to care for others in the following ways
   In my immediate circle:
   In my community:
   In my nation:
   In my world:”
   Seriously, fill in those blanks. Become accountable for what you’re going to do so that you can at the very least check off the boxes and make sure that you are doing what you can so that you don’t waste energy worrying and thinking about it all the time. Make the promise. THEN:
    
2. Either cut open the doll or stuffed animal and fill it with your papers and sew it back up again, or just bundle them up with the doll and swaddle the baby in the fabric you’ve chosen. Now you’re ready to begin formally.
    
3. Say aloud, “This is a ritual to honor the Summer Solstice and the Sun entering the sign of cancer. We gather today to give thanks for the light at its highest and brightest point in the sky and to rejoice in this light as it is at its strongest. We affirm the power of this light and this moment to carry our intention forward and outward to all beings everywhere in miraculous ways.”
    
4. Now, create sacred space. Light your sage or incense and say “Welcome Air, thank you Air. Light your candle and say, “Welcome Fire, thank you fire.” Dip a finger in the water and say, “Welcome Water, thank you water.” Take a pinch of salt and sprinkle it around yourself in the shape of a circle and say, “Welcome Earth, thank you Earth.” Raise your hands above you and say, “Welcome Sky, Thank you Sky.” Touch the ground beneath you and say, “Welcome Mother, thank you Mother.” And now bring your hands to your hearts center and affirm, “I give thanks to the one heart, the heart that is my heart, the heart that is your heart, the center that is the center of all centers. Thank you.” Feel the sacred space you have just created. Do whatever you need to do to make it even more meaningful to you, music, dance, lipstick, cookies, whatever it is. 
    
5. Now say aloud. “SPIRIT, MAGIC, FORCES OF LIGHT, accept this offering of my body in this space and time as being dedicated to the care of myself and the care of all beings.” 
    
6. Now, pick up your baby effigy and hold it close to you. Rock the baby and begin to hum. Can be a song or a tune you know, or just big humming cooing noises (that’s what Ima do). Let the sounds of the humming be the medium through which your baby-effigy receives your love. Focus on the baby-effigy. Remember that everyone is a baby, everyone is a mama, everyone cares about something, and that by focusing on this baby effigy in sacred space you are sending this magical energy to all babies everywhere, aka everyone including yourself. And just love the crap out of that baby for as long as you can, rocking them, adoring them, giving them all the comfort and care you can muster. When you are done, thank your baby-effigy and lay it before you.
    
7. Say Aloud, “May this simple act of affection and attention be the prevailing paradigm for the exquisite care of self and others. I am dedicated to care, of self and others. I affirm that there is no difference between self and others.” Then declare aloud, “AND SO IT IS.”
    
8. Pause to receive any impressions, from the light, from your guides, from your ancestors, as the veil is said to be thin around these cosmic moments. Thank them all.
    
9. Say aloud, “I offer thanks to the Mother, to the Sky, to the earth, water, fire and air. I declare this ritual complete. And so it is!”
    
10. Now do a little dance and have some honey mead or something appropriately Solstice-y. 

Don’t bother trying to be effective and accomplished in Cancer season. Go for safe, secure, and full of comfort. If you are uncomfortable because of babies being ripped away from their parents, give money, go to the border, call your reps. Don’t presume that the pain or sadness will go away if you ignore it. If you are uncomfortable because others are not being cared for, address that discomfort in yourself and take care of someone. Even if that someone is yourself… ESPECIALLY if that someone is your self. Luxuriate in your determination to nourish all beings everywhere, to hold the babies, to make them feel safe and loved and deeply contented. And remember we are all babies, we are all mothers. 

With love and CARE-FULL light,
EdibleSpirit

EQUINOX RITUAL OUTLINE 3.20.2018

Happy Spring/Getting Sprung

Welcome to the springing of Spring.
Equal parts day and night. Rebirth. Easter/Eostre/Ostara. Sun enters Aries,Astrological new year, egg balancing, etc... and all of this is google-able. 

But here is an EdibleSpirit outline for a Spring Equinox Ritual.

It is simple and powerful, and should bring you into alignment with the energies of the moment.
Equinox is exact on Tuesday, March 20th at 12:15pm EST/9:15am Pacific. Ideally you do this ritual within 48 hours of that exactitude, technically can be on either side of the exact moment, but maximum potency of balancing effects are RIGHT DURING THE EQUINOX... so...

I will be livestreaming this ritual from 9AM-9:30 PST or so, so tune in at ediblespirit.com/live or on our instagram story @ediblespirit. It will be saved on Insta and the YouTube channel and I guess posted on Facebook. Until then, BLESSED BE BEAUTY BABY LOVE YU

RITUAL FOR VERNAL EQUINOX

• Needed:
• 1 candle
• 1 bowl for burning
• 2 pieces of paper and a writing implement
• A small bowl of salt
• A bigger bowl of water
• Sage, incense or perfume

1. Assemble all of your tools on a flat surface, with or without a protective cloth. State your intention: “This is a ritual to honor the vernal equinox, the first day of spring, the moment of equality between night and day, light and dark, sun and moon, God and Goddess.
2. Get grounded and centered. Imagine tree roots growing out of your feet into the Earth below you. From the center of the Earth, imagine Mother Earth reaching up her hands to grab those roots and pull them all the way down into her deepest places. Alternatively you can stomp your feet on the ground several times and feel the vibration under your feet and say aloud 3 times - “I am fully grounded and present NOW.”
3. Call upon the elements to oversee this ritual, starting with fire. Light your candle and say aloud, “I honor the principle of Cardinal Fire, and the initiatory spark that emerges from the darkness. I call upon the element of Fire to oversee this ritual. Let the purifying flame of fire consume and transform. Thank you to the element of Fire.” Gaze at the candle flame for a few moments and imagine yourself as a candle flame with its source in the center of your belly.
4. Welcome in the other elements. Use the candle flame to light your incense or sage and say aloud, “I call upon the element of Air to purify this space. Let the wisdom of Air clarify and refresh. Thank you to the element of Air.” Dip the fingers of your left hand in the bowl of water and say aloud, “I call upon the element of Water to encourage connection in this space. Let the fluidity of Water heal and soothe. Thank you to the element of Water.” Place the thumb of your right hand into the bowl of salt and say aloud, “I call upon the element of earth to consecrate this space. Let the weight of earth strengthen and fortify. Thank you to the element of Earth.”
5. Using your right pointer finger, extend your arm in front of you to its full length, like you’re pointing across the room. Rotate your body in a clockwise motion, tracing a circle around you and all of your tools. Say aloud, “I welcome all the benevolent forces of the Spring Equinox into this circle. Please ensure the perfect working of this ritual. Thank you.”
6. On one piece of paper write down something you’d like to release into the past. Something that occurred, a memory, a feeling, a pattern, a behavior. Something you are ready to release once and for all, for good, to the abyss. Write it down and now imagine three scenarios involving whatever you are releasing. They can be things that actually happened, or things that you remember, or even symbols or colors that are associated with whatever you are releasing. There is no exact science here, it could literally be three of the same things - like three pink circles representing all that you are releasing. What really matters is that you are specific. As you run through these scenarios or images imagine them playing out on a movie screen. Let the image on that screen descend through your forehead, through the center of your brain, down into your brain stem, and all the way into your heart. do this for each scenario or image. Now fold up your paper and, holding it in your right hand, submerge it in your bowl of water, saying aloud, “I release all that is not needed to the waters of Pisces and the forces of the abyss. And it is done.”
7. Now write down something you want to welcome into your life on the second piece of paper, something you want to manifest. Be specific and phrase it as though you already have it. So don’t say “I want to win a Peabody,” say “I am a recipient of a Peabody.” Now imagine three crystal clear situations in which you have what you want. Be certain that you do not imagine specific people in this visualization. Imagine each scenario playing out on a movie screen in front of you, then let the scene and its imagery enter through your forehead, passing through the center of your brain, descending down to your brain stem and finally anchoring itself deep in your heart. Say aloud, “I release this manifestation into the fire of truth. I allow it to manifest in perfect alignment with my higher self and the divine plan of creation. I ask for this with full faith, knowing that it is already mine, in my highest good, and the highest good of all involved, with harm to none. And it is so.” Now fold the piece of paper and light it in the candle flame. Place it in your ceremonial burning bowl and imagine yourself burning brighter as you watch the paper burn.”
8. Bring your hands to your heart center in prayer position. Bow down to your heart and thank the light within you. Think of the sun, moving in the sky, and know that good things are to come. Give thanks to the elements by saying, “I give thanks to the elements of Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Ether as they shape and manifest in my life. I honor the mystery of all that is unknown and obscured from my view. In the highest good of all involved with harm to none. And so it is.”
9. Using your right pointer finger, extend your arm in front of you to its full length. Trace a circle in a counterclockwise direction by turning your body around with your pointer finger still extended. Say aloud, “I release this working and all of its forces into the space of the universe. Let this working unfold perfectly, in the highest good of all involved with harm to none. And so it is.” Declare that the working is finished by saying aloud, “This circle is closed and this working is complete.”

Now, Chillllllll.

With love,

MD

Approaching the Leo Full Moon - Wed. 1/31 at 5:26am PST

WELCOME TO YOUR LION HEART

Mantra for Mata Ji Durga: OM DUM DURGAYEI NAMAHA

#FVD Feeling Very Durga as we approach the SUPER FULL BLUE BLOOD MOON ECLIPSE IN LEO!

YEESH!

OK so full disclosure I thought I wanted to start a Kali practice to rend ties that bind and ferociously catalyze total surrender to complete and Infinite Love. 

But it didn’t feel right. I asked her to dance with me and it was cool but like way more intensely sacrificial than I wanted. I am practicing offering over suffering these days. And so I sat and then was reminded of Durga: Goddess of Material Energy.

I like the vibe here because she is still coming from love. In the name of love. But she is the one who Works or Werks or Werqs in the name of love.

Everyone I have worked with the last couple weeks has been feeling big surges of mojo and magic and many of them are connecting the dots that it is getting more intense as we approach the eclipse. That makes sense because whatever seeds we sowed in August 2017 during the Great American Solar Eclipse (ALSO IN LEO) are kind of coming home to roost and grow and express themselves INSIDE OF US INDIVIDUALLY right now. These rumblings are not just for us, even though they are deeply personal. They are so dang intense because they are reflecting WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS FROM US as individuals.

So there’s this weird personal subjective awareness that might feel frivolous and idealistic. But it ain’t. It’s you, and it’s real. And the process of going thru the coming eclipses will not only deepen the urge to express yourself. It will amplify your opportunities to shine that truth out of your heart and transform the structures around you and around all of us that are confining, inauthentic, or not in alignment with that truth.

So what do you gotta do during this full moon? Connect to that truth. And ask it to grow. Whatever feels good. Whatever makes you feel like a Leo baby lion cub playing in the sun with timon and pumba, like do THAT and make promises to yourself and the God/Goddess/Tao/Great Spirit/Big Mama/Holy Holy Holy that you are going to have the COURAGE, the strength of heart, to lead with what feels great to you. And go to bat in situations that fuck that up for you or that fuck up the good feelings of anyone you encounter or care about. WE DESERVE TO FEEL GREAT.

Enjoy the deep inner realignment of self relative to what you fucking love about your self and your life and this moment. The power that comes with clicking into that place… it can unleash a lot of dreck because dreck is not in alignment with that power or that love or that flow. So it can be powerful and empowering but also wicked painful and terrifying, because it’s the very contents of your heart that are on the line.

A Kali practice would remove all obstructions to that love. LIKE ALL OF THEM.

But I don’t wanna go hard like that rn.

So I’m calling in Durga. 

The eminently capable. The infinitely powerful. 

She will still remove the obstacles to love. But instead of doing it with the all consuming annihilatory powers of Kali, she’s gonna WORK IT OUT. 

Maybe using one of her 8 arms or 8 tools.

8 FUCKING ARMS. EACH USING A DIFFERENT TOOL: 

She’s got 1) that sword henny for discrimination. 2) That club for fierce loyalty. 3) An open palm offering peace and forgiveness. 4) A Lotus for unattached awareness and acceptance. 5) A bow and arrow to focus and aim and evolve the mind. 6) A conch to proclaim joy. 7) A trident to show dominion over the base forces of existence and 8) A Chakra, spinning infinitely on her finger to show her power and the effortlessness of her creation. 

Durga is the endless mother of all. She uses these weapons and tools to sustain light and destroy ignorance. She doesn’t kill the darkness around you. She grows the light within you. And that’s what I think this eclipse is all about.

Super: Very intense

Full: Peaking cyclical energies. Power is high

Blue: odd, exceptional surprising energy. Doubly powerful.

Blood: Gonna be red, weird, powerful, passionate

Moon: Reflecting your insides, power on the inside, pattern shifting on the insides

Eclipse: Opportunity to create a new pattern.

The unfolding of this moment will let the inner patterns emerge into the outer world. So honor the INNER!

PS Durga is often associated with RED/BLOOD color.

Also after writing all this, only then did I realize she is RIDING A FRICKIN LION! LEO! ECLIPSE! AAAAAHHHHHHHHH

love mikey

EdibleSpirit Fall Equinox Ritual and Follow Up

Thanks for tuning into the EdibleSpirit Fall Equinox Ritual and Live Stream!

If you haven't watched the video of the ritual you can find it at facebook.com/ediblespirit.

Below you will find the templates for follow up - which explains what to do with the colors and body parts you saw. When you get to the part about step 1, 2, 3, if you have no idea what to do, just keep filling in the blanks and come back to them. Once you swap out the body parts and colors for their associated metaphysical meanings, it should all be clearer.  BUT DO COME BACK TO the 3 steps, because the whole point of this ritual (beyond honoring the equinox) is to give you some steps that will take you beyond yourself, without sacrificing the care of your own vessel. In fact we are trying to connect the care of your vessel to THE CARE OF OUR SHARED VESSEL aka THE EARTH OUR SHARED BODY. The first three steps which you come up with are to figure out what you need, and then come up with a way to give that to yourself. The next three steps are about how to carry that over into the world. The miracle is that the WORLD needs exactly what you need. So we encourage you to come up with 3 steps to give that same healing you have collaborated on with your artist higher self to the world.

You don't have to do this perfectly. Wear it like a loose (but FABULOUS) garment. The ritual is already DONE. So you don't actually have to do anything else. But the journey you went on is designed to give you guidance as to the actions that will heal your body and how to carry those actions over into the world. 

FIRST THINGS FIRST:

-what part of your body drew you to it specifically. What caught your attention?

What color was associated with it?

Remember that this is what your higher self wanted to give to this body part.

FILL IN THE BLANK - 

I commit myself to caring for my _________(This body part)___________

I will use an approach which integrates ________(this color)_______

Plug in the body part and the color associated with it, and then experiment with swapping out the meanings of the colors and body parts. This may be a literal representation of what your body needs, or it may be metaphorical. Think about what the body part does, and why it needed this color and its associated meanings. 

THEN WRITE:

I promise to take these 3 steps to care for myself in this area of my experience.

1.
2.
3.

Remembering that these are practical actions you can take to care for your physical body (or the associated area of your experience) using the medicine of the color which you saw on that body part.

NOW, remembering - Which GENERAL AREA of your body drew you to it specifically? The lower body (from toes to hips), the middle body (from hips to heart), the upper body (from heart to crown and beyond).

Here are the associations with those areas 

lower body = hands on practical changes changes occur Physical plane
middle body - facilitating changes by problem solving, holding spaces, or creating forums
upper body - BEING the change you want to see - following intuition/synchronicity/guidance (usually requires requires a combination of facilitation, space holding and practical action, but all in service of being or intuition)

Now FILL IN THE BLANK:

I commit my BODY to service in the area of ______________
(LOWER BODY=practical changes, MIDDLE=solving problems or facilitating solutions/ holding spaces, creating forums, UPPER=being the change i want to see in the world/following intuition and guidance)

Using an approach which integrates _______(the color of the jewel from your higher self)______

THEN WRITE:

I promise to take the following three steps to cultivate balance - to fight injustice - to right what I perceive to be wrong In the world and the global body. These steps should integrate the manner in which you are inclined to cause change as represented by the area of the body, infused with the qualities associated with the COLOR of the jewel given to you by your higher self. 
1.
2.
3.

NOW GO BACK and play around, swapping out the colors for the words associated with those colors. Swap out the area of the body for the field of change (practical action/facilitation/embodiment in being). Play with these until they make sense to you. 

And remember you don't have to do EVERYTHING, or even THE THING, but you do have to do SOMETHING, unless you actually LIKE the general state of the world we're in. I LOVE the world, but I don't like it. I think we can do better, and I hope this helps with that in some way.

All love,
EdibleSpirit

Here is the list of colors and and their associated metaphysical meanings meanings.

Metaphysical Meanings of Colors (compiled from my teacher Gail Thackray, and various online resources)

Black – Messages that you’ve been curious about are going to make sense; tension; injury/illness; dysfunction.

Blue – Communication, counseling, listening, clairaudience.

Brown – Nature, animals, grounding, practical, down to earth.

Gold – Spiritual/Financial abundance; regal, positive energies are all around you, happiness, surprises regarding your path, a color of the high celestial planes.

Gray – Businesslike, organized, busy, cloudy, sludgy, stuck or stagnant energy. Neutral, but mildly shrouded or confused.

Green – Healing, compassion, prosperity with ideas, working with people, empathy.

Indigo – Clear insight, visions, prophecy, intuition is very strong, high guides are around you, spirituality, understanding, clairvoyance

Orange – Passion, new friendships, acquaintances, or business ventures, understanding yourself, your relationship to yourself, facing fears, courage.

Pink – Important friendships or relationships, people drawn to you for comfort and love, unconditional love, healing energy, soul purpose energy, spiritual guidance.

Red – Power, strength, survival, new beginnings, grounding, empowerment, strong emotions.

Silver – Trustworthy, past-life information, feeling off balance due to spiritual development, and changes, continue moving forward, have patience

Turquoise – Travel, sharing your talents and gifts, teaching

Violet/Purple – True wisdom, meditation, astral travel, enlightenment, claircognizance.

White – Purity, innocence, clarity, newness, integration, balance.

Yellow – Wisdom, power, drive, accelerated learning, teaching, mentoring, sharing wisdom, mental processing, clairsentience

RITUAL FOR LEO NEW MOON

A little note about Sunday’s New Moon in Leo, which is exact at 2:45 AM pt.

This Moon comes a day after Sun enters Leo, the sign associated with the SUN, the HEART, and the element of FIRE, so it’s a big burst of fiery heart connection - aka COURAGE - both outside and inside. This New Moon is also a pre-game for the big Solar Eclipse on August 21st, which is ALSO a New Moon and ALSO in Leo.

Translation? Might be a great idea to get used to this energy in your personal sphere now, because my hunch is that when the energetic tidal wave of the August Eclipse crashes, we will be dealing with the same energies flooding us as a collective, and it is the essence of our individual heart fire that will be our life-raft. This new moon will be for you, and yours… the eclipse takes us into the territory of we and us. What matters to you in your most sacred space this month may prove to be your best option when confronting the shudderingly transformative frequencies of August’s eclipse.

How to align with the energies? A few questions:

What do you love so much about yourself that you would cozy up to it like a crackling fire in the cold (or the glow of your favorite streaming service on an air-conditioned summer nite)? What is your favorite thing about you? What does your inner circle turn to you for? What is your favorite thing about yourself to share with others? Write down the answers to these questions.

The idea is to take a playful, fun, and brazenly open approach to noticing and loving these aspects of yourself NOW, because when you see them and love them, they will start to express themselves through you. This will allow you to move forward with powerful, hearty, bravery and pride in the sweetest and most loving aspects of yourself.

If you want to seal the deal, tonight (Saturday) before bed, or at exactly 2:45 AM Sunday (PT), or first thing Sunday morning when you wake up, do the following: 

1. LIGHT A CANDLE, white, yellow, red, or orange would be dope. Say, “THIS IS THE CANDLE OF MY HEART’S FLAME”

2. Fill in the blanks:
I love ___________ about myself.
My favorite thing about myself is ____________
My inner circle turns to me for____________
My favorite thing about myself to share with others is_____________

3. While gazing at the candle, feel yourself reaching towards the flickering of your heart flame. Feel the warmth of your heart candle emanating towards you. Meet in the middle. Enjoy the connection to your innermost self in the form of the candle.

4. Take the candle in both hands. Bring it about level with your heart (watch your eyebrows, lashes, clothes and anything else that might be flammable). Say aloud, “I RECOGNIZE AND HONOR MY INNERMOST GIFTS, AND ACCEPT AND RECEIVE THEM WILLINGLY. I ALLOW THE BEST PARTS OF MYSELF TO EMANATE FREELY IN THE NAME OF TRUTH, AND LOVE, AND THE GREATER GOOD.

5. Imagine the flame of your heart burning out from you (and the candle) in a big circular explosion. Imagine it going as far as you can. You can let out a sound, like an OM, a HUM, or even a SCREAM or a SONG.

6. Join your hands at your heart center. Bow deeply and give thanks to this moment, to yourself, to all your spiritual supports, and to the entire fucking human race.

Look, it’s weird. Because Leo is supposed to be about fearlessly enjoying life. But if society is falling apart at the seams isn’t it a little weird to be like YAY! Maybe. But if you have a connection to you sweetest, innermost truth, your standard, your Self, your heart, and you make a promise to allow that truth to emanate freely, you are at least contributing whatever balance you’ve established through making that connection to the place in your Self where there is nothing to fear.
Why bother? Cuz we all in the same water, on the same boat, in the same storm. Everyone deserves the chance to experience peace, if not eventually, then right now.

With love and Leonine light,

MD