Brands and corporations are making a beeline for our pockets, working to capitalize on what is problematically deemed the “wellness trend” – and the problem starts exactly from the phrase “wellness trend”. The fact that a mass collective in society has removed our blinders and are eliminating the idea that hustle, stress, never-ending performance, unattainable body and beauty standards and material wealth are the only measurements of a successful and fulfilling existence does not constitute a trend, so much as it does a period of enlightenment.

In fact, reducing the time we are actively dedicating to acts of wellness and self-love as a “trend” is anti-intelligent and diminishing to othose who are putting our personal well-being ahead of burnout and bad purchasing decisions. This reduction of the movement to something as flippant as a trend stems more from fear than it does ignorance.

Take the “personal care” industry as an example. The more we focus on what big corporations are putting in our “personal care” products, holding them accountable for selling us toxins and chemicals that are bad for us, and asking whether or not they have been tested on animals or use child labour in their supply chain means that companies need to start being better. And being better typically means taking a bottom line hit. And so the same companies that are responsible for selling us ineffective chemical-ridden items from one product line are launching others that are marketed to the wellness, planet-conscious crowd (did someone say Unilever’s Love Beauty Planet?).

Further to, the more we are collectively becoming aware of what is causing us to be ill of body, mind and spirit, and taking dedicated action to rectify this, the less corporations and big pharma can continue to sell us cures. A solid sense of self through the ongoing practice of mindfulness will eventually lead a rational individual to the understanding that a $12 mascara from a company that tests their products on animals in China will not fundamentally make us a more beautiful or powerful person. An expensive spa day once a year does not a wellness practice make.

It isn’t just corporations who are fearful of “wellness”. Most of us who have shared about an improved lifestyle after adapting a routine  meditation practice or a plant-based diet have endured our share of rolling eyes or the predictable “…but bacon!” statement from friends.

But the truth is a person who has put their wellness before a work hustle is less likely to contract modern day stress-induced afflictions that require big pharma to knock us out at the end of a stressful day, or cause our muscles to seize from the pressure of being in constant fight mode, our immune systems to shut down, and our sense of self to be so utterly destroyed that we are weakened and seduced by false promises of beauty, health and happiness, drawn to the florescent lights of Shoppers Drug Mart like moths to the flame.

Certainly, any rational individual understands that essential oils, meditation and palo santo cannot cure even a common cold. However, investing routinely in your personal self-care through practices that reduce stress on both the mind and the body enables us to face what modern day challenges come our way with a stronger sense of who we are as individuals, why we are here on this earth (really, it is to be happy) and what really matters in this life. Investing in our health ensures our immune systems are stronger so we fall ill less often and can enjoy life as it is meant to be enjoyed. Investing in our minds and our hearts through meditation, reflection, yoga and aromatherapy opens ourselves to understand that happiness will not be found in a new electronic or pair of shoes and therefore we do not need to run ourselves into the ground for capital gains and material wealth.

Let us be mindful that corporations will work to leverage consumer trends into their own profits. Let us protect our right to nourish our beings with love and self-care. Let us push against a system that insists we be weak, dull and quick to part with our money for superficial cures to problems we do not have. Let us be well.

Image by @digital_errors

Full Moon: December 22nd – 24th

Key Words: Pleasant surprises, new opportunities, excitement, self-care, restoration, evaluation

What started as an aggressive, tense and anxious moon cycle on December 7th is now waxing into a full moon of joy and excitement. You may have found yourself on edge over the past couple weeks as everyone around us has been assessing their own personal growth and evaluating their year-long journeys. As humans, we tend to measure our successes by the external manifestation of our work and efforts; money, career advances, relationships, fitness goals. However, 2018 for most was a year of inner growth. Big shifts happened on the inside, and over this exciting full moon in Cancer, we may start to feel or see signs of those changes as they manifest into our external world.

Embrace the Possibilities

While a tendency towards doubt, fear, anger and hostility may have gripped us in the past couple weeks/months, this full moon opens our spirits up to embrace the exciting possibilities that are present everywhere. If we open our eyes or even make a slight change in perspective, we will see that opportunities for what we have been calling in over the past year are up close and present. This full moon brings an exciting energy that lends us the strength, happiness and insight we need to perceive occurrences around us as positive pathways. In fact, sometimes all it takes is a small shift in our attitudes to allow us to attract an incredible possibility.

Take a moment to mindfully shift your perspective this full moon if you find yourself sliding into negative thinking. It could make all the difference in taking a seemingly negative situation into one that is beautifully beneficial to you.

Expect the Positive and the Unexpected 

This is a wonderful full moon for pleasant surprises in your career, your financial situation and also for romance. Expect that what you want is coming your way and embrace joyful surprises. You deserve the happiness and it is not until we accept that we deserve good that good will come our way. Cancer’s energies will heighten your intuition, which is good as you may be called to act quickly if an opportunity comes your way. Further to this, your third eye may be working in overdrive. Expect insightful flashes of guidance and direction from your spirit guides and inner being. Listen with love and trust your gut.

Surrender to Self-Care, Restoration and Joy 

Turn off your head. Sink into joyful occasions with friends and family. Let the world go on without you for a bit. Turn off your phone. Practice presence in the moment. This is a beautiful full moon for gifting yourself with self-love, self-care and opportunities for happiness. If you are able to let go of the hustle mindset over this time, you will find you are more than ready for the excitement you have manifested and called in for 2019.

Moon Cycle: November 7th – December 5th 

Full Moon: November 22nd

Keywords: Forgiveness, Transformation, Healing, Empathy, Spiritual Closeness, Manifestation, Compassion

The past moon cycle may have left you feeling slightly exposed and raw in the heart. Emotions were coursing through our spirits this past month, with Venus Retrograde still rampant and the full moon in Taurus unleashing our ego. It is entirely possible that we may have had our backs up, and tensions flared in our closest relationships, including our relationship with self. If you felt slightly out of alignment these past few weeks and had trouble finding your centre, rest assured that the new moon in Scorpio brings with it a compassionate energy that will bring relief and healing to the wounds we allowed to come to the surface this past moon.

Forgive Others, Forgive Yourself

One of the major ways we can embrace healing is through the act of forgiveness. What tensions were stirred within our closest relationships this past moon? Most importantly, what occurred during the past month that may have challenged our relationship with self? This new moon in Scorpio brings with it a compassionate energy that we can leverage to soothe and nourish our raw wounds, allowing us to extend forgiveness to those who may have done us wrong, while also allowing forgiveness to heal our own relationship with self.

This new moon, it will be important to embrace our love of self, as well as conduct strong acts of self-care and self-love. If we can nourish our most valuable resources (our inner being and our bodies) we are rightly prepared for the positive and strong transformations that this new moon can bring.

Manifesting and Transformation

The new moon in Scorpio will be an opportune time to manifest the goals and dreams we have long had in heart. This moon cycle brings with it a strong energy of transformation, that we can leverage to our benefit, with love and grace. Make sure to strongly dictate your intentions this new moon, while evaluating in your life what it is you would like to transform. Ask yourself if you are ready to become a newer version of yourself, and if you are open to what this new role will mean for you. Further to, the manifestation energy of this new moon is strong, however, we may need to revert back to the theme of forgiveness before we are able to embrace our next level of abundance. Stay true to yourself and see where you need to extend forgiveness in your life, or where you need to ask for it. Be humble, and more forward once forgiveness is granted.

Compassion and Grace

Above all, this new moon is optimal for compassion and charity. You may find your empathy to be strong. Remember that there is nothing wrong with filling your own cup before tending to the needs of others. Put your goals, dreams and health first, then move on to care for those around you from a place of complete abundance.

Moon Cycle: From September 9th – October 7th

Full Moon: September 24th 

Keywords: Harvest, Practicality, Health, Self-Care, Simplification, Integrity, Opportunity, Success, Flexibility

This Sunday, we are welcoming the new moon in Virgo. While this new cycle puts a final stamp on the summer, many of us may find ourselves looking toward the next phase in our journeys with a certain wisdom and newfound understanding of ourselves. This summer, it seemed as though the universe did everything in its cosmic powers to give us the tools we needed to go deep within ourselves, and to help us come out of the heat and confusion with a bit more clarity about who we are and what we want. It’s only natural that we are now passed on to the practical and meticulous hands of Virgo to help us sift through what was uncovered and go into the next phase with a bit more insight as to who we want to be.

Virgo invites us to find our deepest and purest emotions to help us set truthful intentions for this next phase. Essentially, we will uncover our own secrets, if they have not been revealed to us already this summer. Virgo helps us determine who we are and what we want to call in to our experience, as well as shows us everything we no longer need. This practical new moon, we are called to unapologetically cut out everything that is keeping us from being our best selves. This can mean old habits and negative thought-patterns or even people who are dragging you down.

Harvest for 2019

The new moon in Virgo is when we harvest opportunities and work to translate them in to future successes and triumphs. In fact, opportunities will be abundant during this time. The various angles of this new moon in relation to Jupiter and Pluto mean that we are open to good luck as well as opportunities for happiness and success. Good fortune is on its way, and it is up to us to sift through the noise and time-wasters that won’t serve you. Because opportunities will be coming at you in more abundance, it will be important to tap into the practical nature of Virgo to determine what is a real opportunity and what isn’t a good use of your valuable energy and resources.

Neptune’s a Bitch 

That said, beware of any feelings of insecurity or discouragement. This new moon is opposite Neptune which means we may face challenges dealing with feelings of competition or assertive people. These feelings may put our ego on overdrive and have us puffing out our chests to show who we are and what we can do. Don’t give in to the games of others. If you are focusing on them, you cannot focus on your own path. Remember, the universe is effecting everyone the same way. Expect other people to be hustling to achieve their own goals. Let them move in their own lives. Cheer on the success of your competitors. There is enough success and abundance for everyone and their success can’t effect yours.  .

And Finally, Self-Care 

Nourish your body, your sacred temple this moon cycle. Life will be picking up pace after a dozy summer, but that’s no reason to let your self-care rituals slide. Make time for yoga, for sleep, for washing your face and making a cup of herbal tea. Make time to meditate, to sit and do nothing and to rest. Your body is your earthly vehicle to create the experiences you want. The new moon in Virgo reminds us to honour our health and peace of mind.

Image by

John Gibbons

For those who are very in tune with the planets and find themselves to be affected by natural and universal shifts, you may find yourself stepping into this Summer Solstice with an unexpected lump of emotion in your throat. Not only are we at a halfway point of the year, a time when we are meant to take stock of the past six months of our work, accomplishments, losses and spiritual growth, we are also at a critical period when we should be looking forward to the six months ahead, visualizing our next steps, setting our intentions, all while letting go of that which no longer serves us.

It’s a lot of pressure.

To top it off, this Summer Solstice happens on the exact same day when the sun moves into Cancer, which can characteristically be an emotional time. In addition to being the most emotional of all astrological signs, Cancer is also ruled by the moon, the ruler of all our feelings. So we have a trifecta of emotional turbulence running currents through our small human bodies.

So while we encourage acknowledging and honouring our tendency towards ups and downs, passionate outbursts, powerful tides of love and sincere vulnerability to heartbreak and disappointment, we do not view Cancer season as a time of weakness. To the contrary, the season of Cancer gives us the opportunity to demonstrate our hardshell strengths in the face of adversity, while embracing the opportunity to balance our masculine sun energy through the Summer Solstice with our feminine ties to the moon.

So How Do I Do That? 

Ritual. Ritual is everything when we are working with our universal connections. Rituals do not need to be anything extensive, that you’re not familiar with, they can be subdued, mindful moments of acknowledgment and self-love.

Here’s a couple ways to implement ritual this Summer Solstice:

Honour Your Work

Take 5 to 10 minutes and write down what you have accomplished over the past six months. Read your list as many times as you need to over the next few days to let acknowledgement of your accomplishments resonate within your soul. Further to that, write down what you want to let go, what hasn’t worked out and give yourself acknowledgement for trying. And then, tell yourself that everything that didn’t work out, or that no longer serves you is something you will not be taking into the next 6 months of the year with you. Let. It. Go. 

Smudge Your Space

Start the next six months off with a clean energy slate. Smudge your workspace, closets, and home with sage or palo santo. Clear old energy and make room for new positive frequencies.

Use Citrine

Said to embrace the energy of the sun, Citrine is one of the most powerful stones to use for stimulating passion, strength and the power of manifestation. Citrine is connected your Sacral and Solar Plexus chakras where our feelings of personal power, will and determination are found, as well as our capacity for abundance and joy.

Keep Citrine close to you over the next few days. Hold it in your hand while you meditate or visualize the next six months to come.

Self-Care with Meditation

This is a beautiful ritual that ideally we would make time for everyday. Take an hour to your self  and do something that is only and completely for you. Whether it’s yoga, a bike ride, a run, a salt scrub, drink a warm calming wellness tea afterwards. Then settle into a meditative state for about 10 minutes or more if you can. Clear your mind in preparation for what is right around the corner, while practicing tools to help deal with any Cancer-induced emotional tides.

We’ll try to keep this as short as possible, but we just love the Law of Attraction. Once we get started on it, it’s hard to stop. So let’s consider this a simple introduction, with more to come.

The Law of Attraction is not new. In fact, its as old as time itself. But the concept was introduced to our modern mainstream conversation via vehicles such as the movie The Secret (praised by people like Oprah, you may recall) and the recordings and writings of Esther and Jerry Hicks who put out the book The Law of Attraction: The Basic Teachings of Abraham; Abraham being the name of the group of spiritual entities that started channelling themselves through Esther Hicks as she was in meditative states in November of 1985.

Through Esther Hicks, Abraham revealed The Law of Attraction and its principles, which the married couple went on to share with the world in a variety of different ways. We won’t go further into the Hicks’ and their story because while we do believe it’s a fascinating one, we also believe it is only appropriate for those who are ready to hear it (a simple Google search will render thousands of articles on the Hicks’ and Abraham).

Essentially, the Law of Attraction means that we as human beings have the tools to create and manifest the life experience our higher selves truly desire, through the power of our thoughts, frequencies and vibrations.The Law of Attraction’s basic practicing principle is “Like Attracts Like”. In short, we get what we put out into the universe via our vibrations and/or we get what we think about.

For example, have you ever had a morning where you woke up and you stubbed your toe? You may have got angry about that and then you spilled your coffee on your shirt, making you late, which got you in trouble with your boss. Each incident and your reaction to it built negative momentum until it was eventually a day in which you should have just stayed in bed.

The Law of Attraction is extremely powerful. If executed correctly, you can start to see its effects pretty quickly and a simple awareness of the fact that it exists is the first step towards being able to use it to help you create a more joyful life experience.

Below are 5 very simple ways to get started on your journey with the Law of Attraction.

Set Aside the Ego 

Many people may challenge the Law of Attraction and say “if all we have to do is think about what we want, then why isn’t everyone a millionaire?” This is because the Law of Attraction is not “The Law of Things I Want”. It is important to strip away the ego when it comes to working with the Law of Attraction and determine what it is you actually want in life.  Rather than say “I want a million dollars”, ask yourself “why do I want a million dollars?” Is it because you want more freedom? More security? You’d like to travel more? Those are all non-ego related desires that stem from your higher self.  If you want a million dollars because you want a big house and swimming pool, which are visible displays of your life success and wealth, then you are looking to serve your ego. It is the desires and needs that come from our inner being that Law of Attraction can help us achieve.

It’s In Your Vibrations

If you think negatively, negativity will come back to you. If you feel unworthy and as though you cannot get ahead, the universe will continue to give you experiences that validate this feeling. If you feel unloveable, you will not be able to find love. If you feel financially lacking, you cannot attract the opportunities that will bring you abundance and security, and so on. You may know someone in your life who is always going through some type of negative drama, saying “why does this stuff always happen to me?” There are people who have built up such negative momentum in their lives that they have a very difficult time changing the direction. If we are feeling positive, then we are more likely to attract positive opportunities and instances into our life experience. The universe will work to match our inner vibrations. What we put out there is what we attract,  Leading us to our next point…..

Embrace Feelings of Abundance and Gratitude

Many people aren’t leading the flashy lives of Instagram Influencers or the Kardashians. Our obsession with these types of lifestyles that are in our faces every day can leave us with the collective understanding that we are not enough or that we do not have enough.  We don’t have enough money, enough clothes, we don’t have enough time, we don’t get enough sleep, we aren’t pretty enough, skinny enough, successful enough, etc.  If we work to change that inner story in our minds through practices of gratitude for what we do have, the universe will reward us with more to be grateful for. It is important to practice feeling abundance and gratitude on a daily basis. This will work to change our inner vibration. A great way to practice this is to conscientiously note 5 things you are grateful for everyday, Feel that gratitude in your body. Meditate on it, embrace it and watch it grow in your life.

Practice Self Love and Self Care

Making time for yourself is one of the best ways to show the universe you are grateful for your life, your body and your experiences. Further to this, when we are feeling good, we are in a better space both mentally and physically to speak to the universe with our positive vibes. If we are feeling worn out, anxious, stressed, we will continue to attract experiences that feed those feelings as opposed to those that make us feel good, happy and healthy. Make time for your personal self-care. Show the universe you love yourself and are grateful for the body you were given by being kind to it. Meditate, take long baths, go to yoga, wear sunscreen everyday. These small things will do wonders for your internal vibration and self-love.

Be Clear with the Universe

This is where tools like vision boarding, bullet journalling and goal writing are so important. You must be willing to confront yourself and ask what you feel is lacking from your life experience that would enhance your joy. Once we have a clear understanding of what we actually want to achieve and attract in our lives, we will be in a better position to convey these messages to the universe through our vibrations and minds. The universe wants us to have what we desire. But we need to know what that is before we can work with the Law of Attraction.

Stay tuned as we continue to divulge more about the Law of Attraction.