Cosmic Chat with Rebecca Campbell

As a rule, I've never been the most comfortable with anything too New Age, and I've always been skeptical about the idea of "lightworkers"; however, that all changed when I came across Rebecca Campbell. Her vibrant energy is infectious and uplifting, and I adore her practical advice for high-vibe spirituality. One of my favorite pick-me-ups is her free Instant Guidance online oracle, which is perfect for a little heavenly inspiration if you're feeling blue. 

I'm honored to be hosting her here for Cosmic Chat on the eve of her first book launch! Sit down, stay for a spell, and join us as we talk about Light is the New Black, spiritual closets, and more.

Sun/moon/rising: 

Virgo sun, Aries moon, Scorpio rising

Before we start and for those that might be new to your work, can you tell us a little bit about your experience with astrology and the sacred arts? 

I recently had my starts done with Tali from The AstroTwins which was a really cool experience! I’d always known I was a Virgo with an Aries moon but that was about as far as I had gone with astrology. It was so cool because it confirmed the things I had discovered about myself through doing Akashic Record Soul Readings and Numerology… I freaking LOVE that the same soul defining characteristics were mirrored in the stars. Everything really is connected, there are so many ways in… I love that so much!

As a lightworker, I’m sure it’s no surprise that you have Venus, the brightest star in the sky, right on top of your ascendant! What does being a lightworker mean to you?

A Lightworker is anyone who devotes their life to being a bright light in the world. They understand that their actions (no matter how big or small) have the potential to raise the vibration of the planet. A Lightworker soul is awake, conscious that their presence matters and that they are part of something that is bigger than them.

Lightworkers are not just tie-dye wearing hippies and healers with dreads. Far from it. They are teachers and chefs, writers and singers, producers and cleaners, mothers and mediums. They’re at the country club and the nightclub, in the cafe and crèche, the boardroom and the art room.

A Lightworker is someone who makes a conscious decision to endeavour to answer the call of Source (light) over the call of the ego (fear).

Lightworkers turn their light on by following what lights them up and then effortlessly sharing that light with the world around them. They are in tune with the callings of their soul and act on its whispers regardless of fear. 

While some Lightworkers alive right now incarnated with a conscious mission to be of service (and have been doing so for lifetimes), there are countless souls awakening to the call to be of service. Anyone who chooses to devote their lives to being a bright light in the world IS a Lightworker. There are no snobby spiritual tests to pass or assignments to hand in. The only requirement is a desire to connect with your own authentic light and a longing to serve their world. I call it working your light.

Through my Work Your Light Mentoring I have discovered that most Lightworkers fit into two categories: Newly Awakened Lightworkers and Retro Lightworkers. Here’s a vid I created about that.

With water signs Scorpio and Cancer strong in your chart (Author’s note: they’re her rising and midheaven, respectively), you naturally feel your way through life. What advice do you have for fellow intuitives, empaths, and mystics?

That your sensitivity is actually your superpower. You are not alone in what you are feeling. You will find your people by sharing your soul’s voice. When you share your soul’s voice you harmonise the planet with your presence. The Dalai Lama said that "the world will be saved by the western woman". I believe it is through healing ourselves and standing up for what we believe in that will change the planet. And that starts by healing and honoring ourselves, because without doing that we are no use to anyone.

You have revolutionary Uranus in close quarters with Lilith, the zodiac’s sacred feminine rabble-rouser. What one part of today’s spirituality would you like shake up, and why? 

The fear of speaking out and hanging out in spiritual closets for fear of people seeing them as weird. I’d also like to shake up the belief that we can use spirituality to avoid pain. Life is one big learning experience, we are here to grow as souls. Just because you are going through a tough time doesn’t mean you are not spiritual. It’s not unspiritual to get angry/hurt/actually feel what is happening through our experience, in fact, often I believe it can be the most spiritual things we can do.

Good news! Lucky Jupiter and Venus are hovering over your Mars and lighting up your career house for most of 2015. What part of your work do you most want to expand and love up this year?

I’d love for my new book Light Is The New Black to find its ways to as many people’s hands as called for. I’ve got plans to create some juicy online courses and get starting on my new book! But first, book tour! 

Do the stars play a part in your spiritual practice? If so, how?

Well, I believe that many of us Lightworker souls have actually incarnated on different planets aside from this one so they come up a bit in my sessions and when I’m leading mediation. I also work with the Akashic Records which I visualize travelling through the Milky Way to get to in my mind's eye. I’m beginning to get more involved in the moon at the moment to really step into the power of my feminine. There is so much to learn, sometimes I feel like I could spend a whole life just learning one single topic. Maybe that’s why they call it earth school ;)

Light is the New Black is available next Tuesday, July 7. You can learn more about the ideas behind the book and preorder your copy here. Early birds get lots of extra goodies, so make sure you snap yours up before then!

Cosmic Chat with Sarah Anne Lawless

Sarah Anne Lawless

I've been a fan of Sarah Anne Lawless's blog for a couple years now. If you're already familiar with her work, you know she handcrafts beautiful flying ointments and other herbal preparations for ritual and writes some of the best posts on magical practice available. (If you're not, let's fix that!) I've always admired her refusal to shy away from difficult but oft-ignored parts of spiritual work, instead approaching them with equal parts gravity and wit. Oh, and she shares citations for all her research at the end of each blog post. How's that for raising the standard of excellence in the metaphysical community? Mystics, step up your game.

It's a huge honor to host her here for Cosmic Chat. She's given me a generous look into her astrology chart, and with fascinating results. Enjoy!

SUN/MOON/RISING:

Leo sun, Taurus moon, Libra rising

IN HER OWN WORDS:

A professional artist, writer, and folk herbalist, Sarah currently lives on the West coast of Canada with her husband, their son, and a fat old black cat. She was born and raised in the wilds and small towns of the Pacific Northwest from Cormorant Island to a stone’s throw from Alaska. Brought up on the folklore and fairy tales of her Irish and Scoto-Scandinavian ancestors, but also immersed in the myths, legends, and traditions of First Nations people, her work is heavily influenced by the lore, flora and fauna of both the Old and New Worlds. An animist and naturalist, her temple is the great old growth forests, her gods are the genius loci and the ancestors, and her familiar spirits are the animals, insects, plants and trees.

Before we start and for those that might be new to your work, can you tell us a little bit about your experience with astrology and the sacred arts?

I first found my way to magic through the arts of astrology, palmistry, and herbalism. Actually, they all kind of flowed together like a wonderful threesome of magical goodness. When I was a teen I didn't have access to books on witchcraft, Wicca, or paganism. I spent hours in the library reading books on the zodiac signs and the planetary associations of the fingers and mounds of the hand in palmistry. I took clippings from gardening magazines that featured any plant folklore relating to planetary and elemental associations. I lit candles on the full moon and asked for blessings for my friends and family. When I was in my early 20s I absorbed Linda Goodman's Sun Signs and used her Love Signs book to help myself and my single friends who were dating. It seems silly now, but I still love those books and her advice was always eerily spot on.

The Farmer's Almanac was also my gateway drug to using astrology in magic. I had old copies that had articles and diagrams on astrology and the body. It taught gardening with the moon phases, the importance of solstices and equinoxes, the dates and times of the rising and setting of the moon, sun, stars, and planets for the year, and so very much more. I still refer to The Farmer's Almanac as a folk magician's handbook and I still buy a new edition every year. This may be why, even after more than a decade of the study and practice of magic, I'm still a simple folk magician and folk herbalist in the end.

What is your favorite part of your birth chart (if you had to choose)?

My grand trine of my Sun, Moon, and Jupiter is pretty awesome. My father did always say I must have a golden horseshoe up my butt because of the ridiculously unfair amount of good luck I have. Like anyone, I've had some bad experiences in my life, but I always seem to come away from them unscathed --if wary and wiser. It's also likely the reason for what I call my "annoyingly cheerful" disposition. On the flip side this can make it seem to others like I've been lucky with my success and had it fall in my lap, when in fact there is a lot of time, hard work, sweat, blood, and tears behind the things I have accomplished.

Is there a part of your chart that you find particularly challenging? If so, how do you work that to your benefit?

I've never had my chart done up by a proper astrologer before, so most of my astrological knowledge is based in folklore and the odd book. One challenge I've never been able to overcome is how people think of and treat specific sun signs. I'm a Leo and not many people or books have much to say about us that is good. I often found myself unwilling to share what my sun sign was because I was afraid of it changing people's opinions and attitudes towards me. If it weren't for the late and lovely astrologer Linda Goodman, I probably would have believed the bad press. She had a soft spot for Leos as well as the oft maligned Scorpio (one of my favourite signs) and gave me confidence to wholly embrace both the awesome and difficult aspects of my personality.

Did you know that asteroid Hekate is exactly conjunct your midheaven? Seriously, she’s within a fraction of a degree!

How amazing! I didn't know as I'd never looked up the placement of additional asteroids or stars in my chart before. I have had a very long love affair with the moon, the underworld, and witchcraft. I'm sure some would take Hekate appearing in my midheaven as an explanation for my fascination with poisonous and entheogenic herbs and their ancient ritual purposes. Studying them keeps leading me back to Hekate and her mythic garden of magical, medicinal, and poisonous plants which mirrors my own. And, you know, there's the whole obvious I'm a witch thing... Methinks it's probably not coincidence.

You’re the first person I’ve ever read for that had a kite aspect pattern. (Author’s note: a kite is formed when a planet opposes one point of a grand trine, and she has two!) How do you feel that alignment working in your life?

I heard from some astrologers that a kite can cause issues with money and I've definitely found this to be true for myself. For a long time I didn't have a good relationship with money as I saw it as the root of all evil. I spent many years intentionally being poor because I thought it would make me happy, but I learned having too little money and too much money can make people stressed and unhappy --what we need to find is balance somewhere in the middle that is right for our individual needs. A friend once told me to see money instead as an exchange of energy, of giving and receiving. I was always better at giving gifts than receiving them. They told me if I had no problem supporting people with my dollars who were doing things I thought were amazing, why wouldn't I let people do it for me? That conversation allowed me to see my relationship with money differently and the change in thought process freed me to run my own business, advertise myself, and be successful without feeling guilt or shame about it.

I don't know a lot about kites, but haven't read anything positive --it's all disasters and blocked off grand trines. If anyone knows the good that can come from having kites in your chart, I'd love to hear your experiences or opinions in the comments.

Author's note: I've always thought of kites as being a Grand Trine with more direction! Whereas a grand trine person can end up resting on their laurels, the opposition at the enter of the kite spurs them on the achieve more than they would have otherwise, even if it's through difficult circumstances. It sounds like once you were able to come to terms with the opposition part, the energy started flowing more easily for you.

Right now, lucky Jupiter in Leo is heading for your Sun, and will meet up with your Venus and Mercury in Virgo later this year. What part of your life would you like to see expand as a result of all that?

My little family is in for some very big changes once the Sun is in Leo and I'm hoping the luck will lead to smooth transitions, happiness, and the closeness of family with the help of the aspects mentioned above.

Saturn is hovering on your Mars all year and will be especially close during his foray back into chthonic Scorpio over the summer. How do you hope that energy will show up in your life and business? (I think this is great recipe for powerful saturnine magic!)

Oh, there will definitely be some saturnine magic going down! The plants in my garden who fall under Saturn's wise gaze and influence have grown exponentially over the past month and will be ready to harvest come July. It has been a few years since I was able to grown them as I was living in an apartment with no room or balcony, so I am very excited to be able to make magical and medicinal goodies with fresh herbs again. They are so much more potent, especially when I have grown them myself and made sure they have happy offerings of bonemeal, incense smoke, tobacco smoke, and blessed water. Growing and working with solanaceae and artemesias makes me stupidly happy. By the end of the summer they will be transformed into herbal ointments, smudges, smoking blends, and an elixir or two --blessed and prayed over.

Does astrology play a part in your spiritual practice? If so, how?

Though I am mainly known for my art and writings, I have also worked for many years as a folk magician and folk herbalist. My use of astrology within these practices is kept pretty basic; paying attention to the phases of the moon, the rising and setting of the sun, what zodiac signs the sun and moon are in, what planets are currently visible in the sky shining over me, what planets and elements are associated with the herbs I am using, and so on. I've also found a basic understanding of astrology is incredibly helpful as a tarot and palm reader. When I do readings or spellwork for people I like to ask them their sun and moon signs as well as their ascendant so I can completely customize the reading and working to them. It makes it more personal, but also gives much better results.

I love to collect rain or spring waters during the full moons in the spring and use them for blessing and healing. I will do prosperity work during the waxing moon and before or during midday when the sun is at its peak. I like to harvest healing herbs and flowers in the morning and banishing and cleansing herbs in the evening. I also prefer to harvest herbs when their planet or the moon and sun is in a favourable position as I believe it makes them more powerful --like harvesting moonwort under a full moon or St John's wort at midday on the summer solstice. The same goes for the rites performed using the waters and herbs I've harvested from nature. To me, astrology is about paying attention to the natural world around you, its ebb and flow, and matching my arts and actions to its cycles so they become syncronized and magic becomes as effortless as breathing.

Sarah has been on a much needed vacation for the last few weeks, but her online shop opens again on Sunday, June 7. Mark your calendars! I know I'll be there.

There are twelve faces of style. Which one are you?

"AT FIRST GLANCE, FASHION AND SPIRITUALITY MAY SEEM RELATIVELY UNRELATED.

IN FACT, SOME PEOPLE MAY CALL THEM OPPOSITES.

WE RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE."

Today, design muse Jacquelyn Tierney and I are launching Twelve Faces of Style: A Star-Studded Guide to Fashion + Design. Come along with us as we explore fashion, art, design, and architecture through the eyes of the stars and reveal how to incorporate your astrology into your look, online and off. We believe in honoring your spirit, dressing for your soul, and (of course) Saint Laurent.

It starts with a free call on Wednesday, June 17 at 8 PM Eastern and downloadable style guide, and that's just the beginning.

SIGN UP AND DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE STYLE GUIDE HERE.

If you have any stellar-sartorial Q's you'd like to hear answered on the call, you can submit them after you confirm your attendance. The call will be recorded for our far-flung soul sisters.

In the meantime, make sure to follow us Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, and don't forget to tag your conversations with #twelvefaces or #12faces!

Until then, shine on!

3 things other bloggers don't want you to know (and other thoughts on being a real person)

Confession: it’s been almost 2 months since I’ve written a “real” post. Yes, I’ve spent a good chunk of that time soaking up the last days of my apprenticeship with Hilary and working on a few exciting new projects, but there’s also a nagging feeling that’s been keeping me away.

In truth, I’ve spent a lot of that time mulling over the blogging industry, the metaphysical community, and where I fit into them. I’m tired of the perfectly polished photos and cliche advice that dominate so much of the conversation, and I’m craving vulnerability. So, I’ll start.

These are the secrets other bloggers don’t want you to know. Listen closely.

Those styled pictures look nothing like their real life.

Elegance is like pornography: “I know it when I see it.” I have a deep and abiding obsession with good design, but creating it doesn’t come easily. Still, when Jacquelyn Tierney started her #MAGICMAKERMAY Instagram challenge I thought I’d try my hand at replicating some of the gorgeous shots I’d seen on my feed. Within a few days, it was abundantly clear that was easier said than done. One photo might take a half and hour, setting up the white foamboard amid my messy living room and styling the items I’d collected from throughout the house.

I love my home, but it’s far from perfectly curated. One day, when I saw a sparkling beam of sunlight streaming in through the kitchen window, I felt disappointed. How could I capture and share that light when there was a stack of dirty dishes in the sink? By the time I washed them, the sun would have moved on.

What did I do? I took the picture anyways. Here’s the caption:

“In reality, our kitchens don't look like an Anthropologie catalog. There are dishes to be done and messes to be cleaned. There are also a million lovely things those pictures miss, like the piece of Spanish moss from my beloved Charleston that sits on the windowsill, the bottle of Dom a dear friend gave us as a wedding gift, or the antique vase I got on a trip to visit my grandmother who's long since passed away…It's not always pretty, but it is beautiful.”

They have a day job (or a rich partner).

Let me preface this by saying that there is absolutely nothing wrong with having someone else support you, financially or otherwise, in your creative endeavors; however, there’s something disconcerting about receiving income from other sources and presenting yourself a self-made business guru. If scientists and other professionals are expected to declare their conflicts of interest, shouldn’t we be held to the same standard of excellence?

There’s a pervasive myth that if you “quit your day job”, the powers that be will come to your aid and allow you to manifest the money you need to survive. While I’ve seen magic happen (and it does happen), it’s not that simple. I’ve seen just as many people make stupid decisions based on this advice, and I worry that this lack of transparency is what’s caused the myth to become so rampant. It’s alluring, certainly more so than the idea that you’ll have to work your ass off and save your pennies for years before you make the leap.

When you’re transparent about what part your online business plays in your life, you build trust within the community and allow people to appreciate your accomplishments for what they are. Theresa Reed does an amazing job at this. So does Esmé Wang. There are plenty of people out there who walk their talk, but on the whole, we could be doing much better.

They have no idea what they're doing.

Here’s the thing: none of us do. The fact that anyone can do this is at once the industry’s greatest strength and most complicated weakness. Blogging and e-commerce are incredibly fast-paced industries that are evolving and changing faster than other bloggers and business owners can write list posts on how to keep up, and as a result, it takes an incredible amount of discernment to sort through the bullshit. Luckily, it’s also easier than ever for experts to share their gifts of knowledge with the world (and get paid for it).

So, what’s a mystic to do? Take everything with a grain of salt. Build your online relationships slowly and carefully. Finally (and perhaps most importantly), listen to your intuition. You already know the answers.

Phew. It feels good to get that off my chest. Even with all that said, I still love this shit. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have written two books, connected with a vibrant community, and met some of the most incredible teachers and soul sisters here (and in person). To say it’s been worth it is a wild understatement, which is why I’m going even deeper with The Midheaven in the last half of 2015.

Here’s what I’m going to be up to:

I wanted to wait to tell you, but I don’t think I can stand it anymore! I’m working with my soul twin, Jacquelyn Tierney, to give The Midheaven a complete visual makeover. She’s the Chanel of web design, and I can’t wait.

I’m pairing up with another magic maker to bring you something amazing in star-studded style (hint!). It’s been in the works for a few months now, and it just keeps getting better and better.

I have a super secret new astrology offering in beta right now that I can’t wait to reveal later this year. I’ts going to be magical (hint hint!). Mark your calendars for November.

Finally, the lineup for the rest of this year’s Cosmic Chat interviews is going to blow your mind. I’m totally humbled by everyone’s generosity and you’re going to fall in love with their stories.

This summer is going to be HOT!

Until then, I’ll leave you with this prayer from Briana Saussy:

“May you have a heart that knows the right way to go with wisdom and discernment.”