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Um…maybe it’s not your intuition (How to tell true guidance from mind chatter)

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Juniper Stokes is a certified coach, mythoanimist guide, alchemist & artist.

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Transfiguration: The Ancient Art of Spiritual Transformation

Throughout human history, mystics, healers, and spiritual seekers have practiced a profound method of healing that transcends ordinary understanding. From the sacred temples of ancient Egypt to the cutting-edge research of modern quantum physicists, there's been a persistent thread of a deeper reality — one where consciousness itself can transform matter. This is the essence of transfiguration, an ancient art that invites us to access and embody the divine light within.

What is Transfiguration?

At its core, transfiguration is a complete shift of form or consciousness. It’s more than meditation or visualization — this is true alchemy. A a radical state of being where you become one with divine light, dissolving the boundaries between self and universal energy.

This state not only transforms the practitioner but also ripples outward, affecting the environment and others in profound ways.

Throughout history, many traditions and individuals have glimpsed or practiced this phenomenon:

Egyptian Mystery Schools: These ancient teachings described transfiguration as a process of divine light transformation. Initiates underwent rigorous spiritual practices to align with cosmic energies, often in temple rites designed to dissolve the ego and reveal the eternal soul.
Christian Esotericism: The New Testament recounts moments of miraculous healing and transfiguration, such as the Mount of Transfiguration where Jesus radiated divine light. These acts demonstrated the power of spiritual alignment to transcend physical limitations.
Quantum Researchers: Modern scientists like Joe Dispenza are beginning to explore the ways consciousness can influence matter. His research into meditation and brain-heart coherence reveals how focused intention and elevated emotions can create measurable shifts in physical reality.
Shamanic Traditions: Across cultures, shamans have entered altered states of consciousness to access the divine. Through journeying, they connect with universal energies, facilitating healing and transformation for their communities.
Global Alchemists: Both Western and Eastern Alchemical traditions hold one thing to be true — alchemy isn’t just about what happens in the laboratory. It is the complete transformation of the alchemist themselves.

The Science and Spirit of Transformation

Modern quantum physics is beginning to validate what ancient wisdom traditions have always known: consciousness is not confined to our physical bodies. At the quantum level, everything — from the cells in our bodies to the stars in the sky — is interconnected fields of energy. This understanding opens the door to profound healing and transformation.

Key principles from science and spirit converge:

Energetic Interconnectedness: Quantum entanglement suggests that particles remain connected across vast distances, mirroring the idea of a unified consciousness.
Observer Effect: At the quantum level, the act of observation influences outcomes, echoing the power of focused intention in spiritual practices.
Frequency and Vibration: Ancient traditions often emphasize raising one’s vibration, a concept now mirrored in the idea that higher frequencies are associated with healing and coherence.

The Seven Keys of Profound Healing

Achieving a true transfigurative state requires:

Powerful, Clear Intention: Intent directs energy. Without it, transformation lacks direction.
Unconditional Love: Love is a high-frequency state that dissolves separation and aligns with universal energy.
Complete Energetic Alignment: The body, mind, and spirit must harmonize to access higher states of consciousness.
Divine Union: A deep connection with the sacred—however one defines it—is essential.
Focused Concentration: Sustained attention creates a fertile ground for transformation.
Expansive Imagination: Visualization bridges the seen and unseen worlds, allowing new realities to emerge.
Sustained Energetic Coherence: Maintaining alignment over time amplifies the effects of transfiguration.

Practical Approaches to Transfiguration

While mastering transfiguration takes time, anyone can begin to explore this transformative practice with the following techniques:

Meditation: Engage in meditative practices that dissolve the boundaries of the ego and connect you with universal consciousness. Start with guided meditations focused on light and energy.
Energy Sensing: Practice noticing subtle shifts in energy around you. Focus on the sensations in your body and the space between your thoughts.
Breathwork: Use breath to expand awareness. Techniques such as rhythmic or circular breathing can deepen your connection to the divine.
Mindfulness: Observe the world with heightened awareness, paying attention to the space between particles, sounds, and moments. This can reveal the interconnected nature of existence.

Why This Matters Now

We’re living in a time of massive global transformation. Environmental challenges, social upheaval, and personal crises are calling us to evolve. Personal and planetary healing requires us to expand our understanding of what’s possible. Transfiguration offers a way forward—a means of accessing deeper states of consciousness to become agents of healing not only for ourselves but for the collective.

This isn’t about magical thinking — It’s about remembering our fundamental connection to a living, responsive universe. By tapping into the art of transfiguration, we can align with the light within and radiate it outward, creating ripples of transformation in a world that desperately needs it.

Free Guide: Your Invitation to Explore

To support your journey, I’ve created a free "Wild Alchemy Ritual Guide." Inside, you’ll find:

Introductory meditations to access expanded states of consciousness
Elemental connection practices to harmonize with nature’s rhythms
Rituals and recipes to help you shift into a state of consciousness that supports quantum healing

This guidebook is 45 pages full of my most valuable content — folks have told me I should charge for it, but I think it’s too important not to share!

Every moment is an invitation to transformation. With a single breath, a moment of stillness, and the intention to see beyond the visible, you can begin your journey into the ancient art of transfiguration. The light within you is waiting to shine.

You might also like:

Um…maybe it’s not your intuition (How to tell true guidance from mind chatter)

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Juniper Stokes is a certified coach, mythoanimist guide, alchemist & artist.

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Cosmic evolution (a prophecy)

Nothing on this site has been written by AI.

My man and I have been together for 9 years. I feel so grateful that we really support each other in being who we are. We’re both independent in our ways yet love connecting and have more fun together than apart.

99.9% of the time Mike supports me in just being myself. But he does have one limiting rule: Astrology talk is limited to 5 minutes a day. 😂😂😂

Obviously not a real rule, but I get it. My girlfriends and I can go down some serious rabbit holes, and Mike just doesn’t need to pass everything through the same astro filter. ⭐🤷‍♀️

I know my friends and I are not alone though. Social channels are filled with memes for 2025, all pointing to the idea that this is the pivotal year we’ve been preparing for…

2025 really does look like it might be a lot astrologically — but are the times we live in really that unique? Haven’t people been dealing with these massive alignments and planetary shifts since time immemorial?

History is filled with revolutions and revelations that change the course of human evolution. Massive leaps in consciousness and communication, and massive losses of plagues and more, have shifted our ways of living and beliefs around spiritual practice many times over.

Each time, some of our ancestors survived. The world went on. 2012 didn’t end the world as we know it. The “apocalypse” never came…

…at least to the Western culture birthed in Sumeria and still spreading throughout the world today. I’m sure many native peoples, from many continents, would call a lot of history pretty damn apocalyptic.

I think this is important to remember: Time and again throughout history, entire peoples, cultures, and ways of life have been nearly or totally wiped out for a variety of reasons.

Are we, those of us living generally modern lifestyles today, pretty much anywhere in the world, really so special that we won’t experience what might feel like an apocalyptic shift in our lifestyles?

On Collapse.

Back on the Saturn-Jupiter conjunction of 2020 (more on this below), I sat with a small group of consciousness explorers and creative thinkers. In the midst of the pandemic, we spent a day in quiet darkness, meditating, chanting, and imagining what changes might be coming with the pandemic.

The question of collapse naturally arose. Not so much saying that we wanted collapse, or that it was inevitable — more that the concept felt closer to reality than it had in our lives up to that point.

In these youthful, intellectual discussions, fueled by rage and frustrations with the systems that run our lives as they are, collapse can take on a somewhat romantic color. We must release the old so the new can be born, right?

I don’t often get political here, but I do see this as driving a lot of the last US presidential election results. So many people are rightfully so fed up with the toxicities of our current systems that they are more inclined to throw everything out the window in favor of starting over.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I can point to a time in history when true collapse occurred — from revolution, environmental factors, or other forces — where the aftermath was utopia. It’s been almost the opposite, really. In the void of what came before, humans be humaning again. Grabbing power, othering others, and getting swindled into giving up their prosperity of mind, spirit, and material wellness.

Romanticism, Realism, and Hope

This type of questioning — collapse, societal change, collective evolution — seems to be in the zeitgeist. At least in my algorithmic world.

And I see two pretty different narratives going on.

One is that of radical change. The idea that this is a totally unique time in human history, for better or worse. We are either actively creating a utopia and the total destruction of life as we know it is a good thing overall, or we are all about to live through the biggest hellscape humans have ever seen.

The other is that this time isn’t as special as we think it is. Humanity has gone through huge initiations before. Things will keep changing, but we’ll be okay, because we always have been.

I tend towards the middle way.

A lot is the same for us as it was for our ancestors. And, even in the face of total cataclysm we might not be all that special in the longer term view of human evolution — are we repeating the same cycles and choices that led to the downfall of Atlantis or other ancient civilizations?

Yet when I look at known human history to this point and tune into the wisdom of the Earth and my own spiritual guardians, a few pieces stand out as feeling pretty unique for those of us alive at this time.

This vision takes me back to the microcosm and macrocosm: In our personal lives, we spiral through cycles, often repeating the same lessons but with previous learning that allows us to go deeper and grow stronger each time.

Ever reread a book from your past? We never really read the same book twice, do we? We are different people, and the material meets us in such different ways that even the same book becomes a new experience.

This is much like our collective cycles of learning and growth. We are facing the type of vast economic and technological changes that have occurred many times throughout history. And, we’re meeting these changes in new ways.

We must really be ready for depth and growth by the looks of the global changes we’re facing ;)

I’m not a futurist, economist, scientist, nor any other -ist that has already spoken on these changes extensively, so I’m not going to rehash AI and climate change and everything else.

Rather, I’m sitting with the spiritual impacts of these changes and cycles.

What does this time in history mean for, or require of, human consciousness? Is consciousness truly evolving and changing at a mass level?

I like to think that it is. Though I’ll admit — our collective evolution seems to be lagging behind the destructive timelines before us.

(I hope I don’t sound overly negative here because I don’t actually feel that negative. It is a spiritual skill to sit with both the pain and joys of our reality and hold a higher vision for the possibilities before us.)

For now, let’s explore just a few of the unique elements of these times in relation to our spiritual evolution.

Information overload is real — and it’s making people cray (for those born circa 1980) and delulu (for the Zs).

The obvious shadow side of this is the rampant conspiracy theories that so easily spread online; the algorithms that take perfectly sane folks down rabbit holes that reprogram their minds to serve the needs of the global elite.

(Do you like how I just took down conspiracies with another conspiracy??? 😈 But really. Every conspiracy is threaded with truth…and twisted for various agendas.)

But again, that’s the obvious bit. And, humans have been taking wild conspiracy-esque rides since long before the internet came online.

What I find especially interesting is that we have access to more esoteric knowledge than at any other time in history.

Ancient mystery teachings that were shrouded in secrecy for millenia are now available with an internet search. Or discussed in 15-second video clips. Even shared via memes.

Regardless of whether you see this as good or bad overall (I see a lot of gifts and shadows in this — another article coming up on that soon), you have to admit that it is different. We are being asked to engage with spiritual teachings in a way that is actually pretty unique to this time in human history.

As many dangers as this might unleash, I trust that this is happening now because human consciousness is ready for it. I hope. 😬

(But seriously — there’s a whole thing with gatekeeping, power, control, integrity, harm, economics, practitioner programs and certifications…I started writing more here and realized this topic needs its own article. Stay tuned.)

Our permeability needs a different sort of tending.

This one is a biggie, and one that I don’t see folks talking about quite as much.
Right now, there is more foreign energy on this planet than at any other time in history (that I know of).

This makes sense when you think about it:

Foreign energy is simply energy that is lost or out of place. It can include random forms of energy, and it can include conscious energies, such as humans who have left their bodies but not fully crossed into their next soul stage (yeah, that’s a ghost 👻).

A lot of foreign energy is generated by humans. And right now, there are more humans on this planet than ever before.

When you look at how much history has taken place on this planet, all the energies left behind from all the traumas over thousands of years, and all the humans and their unconscious emotional bursts of energy, and all the non-corporeal beings who are attracted to Earth for a variety of reasons — we are definitely dealing with a shit-ton of foreign energies.

And we can see this reflected in the actual physical clutter of our world. The microplastics that are in just about everything we eat. The pollutants in our airs, waters, and soil. Clutter does not happen in isolation.

Microcosm-macrocosm, y’all.

Why does this matter when it comes to spiritual practice?

When the Earth realms were generally clearer, our bodies had more bandwidth for processing strong energy without being overwhelmed. And we could generally stay more open and empathic to the many benevolent frequencies all around us because there wasn’t so much painful clutter to sift through all the time.

As a result, many of our ancestral healers processed the pain and trauma of others through their own bodies. Folks from all walks of life were more energetically open on a daily basis, listening to the whispers of nature spirits and communicating empathically as a natural way of being in the world.

Many people who are drawn to spiritual work and earth-based healing carry this resonance and memory within their energetic systems. Empaths by nature, we feel so much of the pain and joys of the world around us. If we work in the healing arts, we take in the pain of others to transmute it, as we’ve done throughout our lifetimes.

But times have changed, and most often, this way of being in the world leads to illness — mental fragmentation that can make it challenging to stay both connected to spirit and grounded in this reality, and physical illness that arises as our bodies process more energy than they were ever designed to.

I’ll share more about how to deal with this in another article. For now —just know that this is different.

There are different protocols and protections we must work with to stay healthy. We have the opportunity to learn different ways of being in our bodies or interacting with unseen forces in these times. But this takes effort, and it means we need to find new ways to engage with ancient spiritual practices.

I’m sharing one of my absolute most favorite, effective protective rituals at our angel workshop this Thursday. Join live or watch the replay! Paid members can attend for free (visit the Monthly Gift section), or anyone can just sign up for this workshop here.
If you feel sensitive to all the energies in our world right now, this is for you!

Technology is getting pretty interesting (A Prophecy)

I mean, we are in the Age of Aquarius, after all. When Saturn and Jupiter danced around in the earth sign of Capricorn, we saw massive changes in the physical nature of technology — think of the industrial revolution. Now, with these two bigguns doing the cha cha into air sign Aquarius (where they will dance for the next 240 years) we can expect some more ethereal upheavals.

We’re seeing this with AI — which will absolutely change everything about how we live in the coming years. And it will likely affect our understanding of consciousness itself.

But even if our power grids fail, the internet is gone, and life as we know it collapses, I don’t see our technological advancements disappearing in favor of completely old-school, off-grid communities. Too much knowledge has already been gained. Unless we experience another great flood event that wipes out most human culture, we aren’t going back to pre-tech times.

Rather, over the next 240 years, we will see an increasing merging of spirituality and technology. And this will influence everything.

I have a confession: Much of what I’m going to share in this section is channeled information. I know, channeling sounds pretty woo — but I mean, do you know me? Woo is my middle name. 🔮

Around the last Jupiter-Saturn conjunction on December 21, 2020, I was sitting down to write when I was overcome with prophecy. It felt as if my benevolent ancestors and descendants were gathering to help me channel important visions through automatic writing.

I only shared these visions with a small circle at the time. (Because do you remember how absolutely on edge and insane everyone got during the pandemic? You couldn’t say anything without being attacked. Actually, you could encourage people to attack each other. That was about it.)

Anyway, my vision.

I was shown paradise.

Or, what would seem like a utopian paradise to us, but felt pretty much like normal life to the descents living at that time.

And I saw it as being what felt like 200-300 years in the future. At the time, I had no idea about the astrological cycles that support this timeline (which feels very cool and confirming).

I also saw a much smaller population — about a 10th of what we have on the Earth now.

You can probably see where this is going…something wipes out most of our population.

Maybe it’s war. More pandemics. Climate catastrophe. Fertility crises. Alien invasion. Probably some combo of everything (except the alien invasion — they’re out there but too sneaky to outright invade 👽).

If you’re a brave soul who wants a more detailed version of what I channeled, let me know. There’s a lot on the timelines and the essence of the new world itself that I think are quite beautiful — but my guidance is that some of what I saw is not for me to share with the general populace at this time.

Here’s the thing with prophecy: It can change. It’s a potentiality, a glimpse at a possible future that some resonance already within us opens the way for us to see. (More on shifting these potentialities below.)

If you’ve read this far: Congratulations on being one of the brave souls who came here to experience and participate in such interesting times ;)

But let’s jump ahead over the challenging times to where this all might lead.

In this future utopia, a few things stuck out to me:

Again, we have a population of about a billion people (ouch, but great by the end…)
Humanity has a new relationship with life and death (which makes sense based on the first point)
Bloodlines are less important than we perceive them to be at this time in history (yes JD, even childless cat ladies are capable of caring about future generations)
Spirituality and technology are merged in ways it’s hard to fathom now (crystals! or whatever…I don’t actually know)
Humans generally have a more cosmic understanding of our place in the universe (get ready for hours of astrology talk, Mike)

I’m going to be honest. Some of the nuances in the first three bullet points will rub folks the wrong way. They won’t totally understand the vision, and they’ll be taken further from a grounded, helpful understanding of this time in history. So I’m not going to go into details. Just know that we will continue to experience major shifts in consciousness in these areas.

What I do want to circle back to, however, is the complete coherence of technology and spirituality. In this new era, they are in many ways one and the same.

This vision runs counter to a current narrative gaining strength: That life as we know it will dissolve in disaster and only those who know ancestral skills will survive. That returning to ancestral living will save us.

In my visions, I do see that ancestral skills are key to our survival over the coming decades. There is so much wisdom still waiting to be reclaimed.

🧚 Especially when it comes to reclaiming our ability to communicate with the natural world and spiritual allies who support us. This is the real ancestral medicine, folks. 🧚

Yet of equal importance is the understanding that we are not returning to a previous version of life. We are creating a new version. And this new version is possible because of technological innovations that are far beyond what most of us can even comprehend.

Many people are already there. They’ve had these inventions and innovations for decades. But they have not been allowed to make the impacts we need yet because of darker forces at play. Fortunately, this does not last forever. These technologies do come to light, along with many more that emerge as humanity taps into its creative potential to celebrate life.

The following is a bit of the unedited channeling:

“As spirit infuses into new tech, this tech reflects more dimensions of reality than you are currently aware of. This is the quantum field many speak of, yet even those speaking on it now are limited in their understanding. Magic might be a more appropriate term for your minds at this time. Yet in the future, this magic is reality. It is harmonious with life. Every technological advance supports life.”

Insert happy sigh here. How lovely to think of a world where the creative spark of life is valued above greed and power.

With this comes the final piece of the prophecy: There is a return to reverence of the Earth, for she is life. And reverence for the stars, for they are life.

We have a much better idea of our place in the cosmos.. We are not a solo intelligence on a solo planet — we are part of a cosmic ecosystem beyond our comprehension. We care for ourselves, our Earth, and our cosmos with holy reverence.

This probably sounds like some utopic vision that will never really come to pass. But it doesn’t feel utopic to those who are living at this time.

After all, we are still humans.

Humans of this era continue to experience frustrations, challenges, obstacles, loss, fear, doubt, and all the hardships we face today. Yet when I feel into this time, there is a greater capacity to be with challenge. There is more flow and grace and freedom and support in meeting challenge.

It’s human, and it’s different.

What does all this mean for us humans who are here now?

If things feel confusing or contradictory, it’s a good sign that you’re engaging with the exact questions you need to asking.

Awareness that things are legitimately different, that we’re not simply repeating the past though we can learn from it, invites us to more fully embrace our own spiritual evolution at this time.

Awakening consciousness in these times asks how we can…

Integrate seemly diverse and contradictory yet also resonant and helpful spiritual teachings into a coherent whole
Cultivate greater discernment in a world with so many distractions
Remain open and permeable to spirit without losing our sense of self and grounding in reality
Connect with spiritual beings and energies without overwhelming our sensitive systems
Tend our animal bodies and nervous systems in the face of so many pollutants and the artificial pace of modern life
Return to partnership with the natural world while knowing this way of life will look different than it did to our ancestors
Stay connected to hope, love, and unity in the face of ongoing division and distraction
Remember who we really are, and what we’re truly capable of as spirits on Earth

Tap into the unified field where all matter originates

Perhaps the most important skill we can cultivate is to face what is true while holding and co-creating our most inspired visions for the future.

A lot of folks angry or resistant when I share some of the darker awareness I have. They think I’m being overly pessimistic or putting too much attention on what I don’t want instead of what I do.

For me, ignoring what’s true, including the darkness, isn’t helpful. Our bodies know when we’re lying to ourselves, and it’s not good for us. But maybe that’s just my Scorpio talking.

Because at the same time, these Pollyannas are not wrong: We need to keep visioning the most vibrant, life-giving future possibilities we can.

Our minds hold incredible power. When we align our energy with our focus and invite the divine to support us, we are able to tap into the unified field of energy from which all creation is birthed.

Being alive at this time is an invitation to create something beautiful.

Remember: In all of the changes and challenges, prophecies and possibilities, we are not alone. We are multidimensional beings in a multidimensional universe. The physical threats we see with our eyes are one small piece of a much greater reality.

You are here because the unique challenges and opportunities we face right now seemed so damn exciting to your soul. You wanted to come into this wild world to experience just this craziness!

You trusted that you would remember your true spiritual nature and make these wild times a bit more loving and healing for all of us.

So thank you. Thank you for being here and being you. You can do this.

Remember how I mentioned me and my girls chatting for hours about astrology? Well I forgot to mention that I listened to Mike’s entire 3-hour podcast on Ancient Rome while we were on a roadtrip. (This video sums up everything…watch until the end if you haven’t already.)

Double click to interact with video

Another civilization with an interesting trajectory…I guess we both process these crazy times in our own ways ;)

This amazing, in-depth article is totally free to read! You know why? Because of the subscribers like you who like, share, comment, and just generally let me know that this publication is appreciated. Thank you!

This is why I’m hoping you might like to meet me in person this year :)

This April I’m sharing what might be my only in-person workshop of the year! As I right this, there are only 4 spots left. It takes place in Sisters, Oregon and will be an immersive weekend filled with creating community. With each other, our spirit guides, and the land itself.

Feel the call? Learn more and register here:

In May, I’m joining several amazing teachers and authors for a 3-day immersive experience in Sedona, AZ. Everyone is welcome! Those who go year after year keep coming back for the community this event brings together. Here’s a link to learn more:

Join Me in Sedona

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This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius…

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The Astrology of 2025

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Juniper Stokes is a certified coach, mythoanimist guide, alchemist & artist.

juniper stokes 1/2/25 juniper stokes 1/2/25

The Astrology of 2025

Nothing on this site has been written by AI.

Around this time of year, it can seem as if every astrologer is talking about how major the changes to come will be.

It gets old, I know.

And…2025 really is a bit wild. So let’s look at just a few select highlights.

Take a deep breath — I’m not going to bombard you with a bunch of astro terms and a million dates to remember. I am going to highlight a few things that I think you’ll find helpful :)

North Node to Pisces 1/11

First, our collective North Node is shifting into Pisces on 1/11.

The North Node represents our collective evolutionary path, pointing toward what we are being called to embrace and integrate. In Pisces, this brings themes of spiritual growth, emotional healing, compassion, and surrender.

Of course, the shadow side of this can be the tendency to blur the boundaries between fantasy and reality. Spiritual illusions can distract from Truth, and addictive tendencies — especially those that pull us into altered states of consciousness — can gain power.

Overall, I’m feeling hopeful and ready for this shift. It feels like the perfect energy to hold the Wild Alchemy Apprenticeship.

I’m guessing that a lot more folks will find an interest and access in plant medicine too (if you’re headed down this path, please connect with me about psychedelic preparation and integration programs).

What to expect with the North Node in Pisces

Spiritual Awakening & Intuition

This is the time for your intuition to lead the way. If you feel called to expand your spiritual studies, live a more mystical life, and cultivate your intuitive practices — the cosmos support you! Dreams, omens, and synchronicities will be speaking to your soul, guiding you home to yourself.

More Compassion & Empathy

I don’t know about you, but I’m really ready for this. The cancel culture, info wars, and public shaming of recent years have left us divided and downtrodden, both with each other and within ourselves. It’s time to heal.

Let yourself be drawn to serve the causes that live in your heart. Be vulnerable. Trust your sensitivity. And soften the hard boundaries that cause more harm than healing.

Where can you let go and surrender? Trust the flow of life just a bit more?

As old structures dissolve, remember that they allow something beautiful and new to emerge.

Creativity & Imagination

Everyone is a creator. If we truly are a reflection of the divine, then it is in our nature to create from the heart. What beauty do you want to birth into the world?

Whether you are drawn to expressing yourself through art, poetry, music, film, or food; creative problem solving; or visioning a radically healed and whole future for our planet — let your imagination lead the way.

Escapism & Confusion

The world of spirit can be both enticing and confusing. Primary themes in the shadow of this era include: addiction and avoidance; blurring of healthy or needed boundaries; falling into collective fear, paranoia, and conspiracy theories; getting lost in illusion, including those that take you into martyrdom; and letting those dreams and visions take on unrealistic agendas that set you up for distraction or failure.

Support for Making the Most of this Transit

For years, I’ve specialized in working with clients who have become overwhelmed, hijacked, or disillusioned by the Wild West of modern spirituality. This feels like really important preparation for the times to come…

Which is why one of the primary intentions for the Wild Alchemy Apprenticeship is to support you in cultivating and clarifying a truly healthy and integrated spiritual practice. One that is perfect for you — not based on trying to merge a million well-intended spiritual teachers idea into one nonsensical whole.

Registration will open soon, so grab a spot on the waitlist here.

I also will continue to offer this support in my 1:1 sessions, though there are limited spots available. These sessions support your personal spiritual path through deep inner alchemy.

Psychedelics can play an essential role in our awakening this transit — but this world is also a place where the shadow side of Pisces gets really big. If you head down this path, please reach out. Through sacred preparation and ritual integration, you will revolutionize your psychedelic experience.

The Generational Planets Are Shifting

The other major astro influence this year is that our two outer planets are both changing signs. In astrology, “outer planets” are known as generational planets. Every generation has its own vibes, and these planets point us to what those vibes might be.

This year, we’re kicking off a period of dynamic transformation, innovation, and a fiery drive toward idealism and change. New cultural, intellectual, and spiritual eras are upon us — bringing themes of imagination, rebellion, and courage. Buckle up…

Neptune in Aries

On 3/30, Neptune enters Aries, where it will stay until 2039. This brings some Aries fire and initiative to Neptune’s dreamy and spiritual focus.

Spiritual breakthroughs, visionary and creative inspiration, and radical compassion are on the horizon.

But so is the growth of the spiritual ego — think of a messiah complex and spiritual bypassing to the extreme. (Thought Bali-ponytail-tantric-healer-man was cringe? Just wait…) Watch out for this in the teachers and leaders you encounter with in the coming years (and check yourself too!).

What to expect with Neptune in Aries

Here comes the growth of spiritual leadership — for better and worse.

This transit invites us to connect with our internal spiritual leadership, shedding old programing and awakening to what is true and right for us. It might inspire you to live more in alignment with your values and even take real world action to create a world that better matches your spiritual visions.

Unfortunately, when spiritual leadership arises within a competitive, capitalist, survival-of-the-fittest society…it can easily become a performative money grabbing scheme at best and can perpetuate messiah-guru driven spiritual abuse at worst.

Pretty please keep your wits about you when it comes to charismatic spiritual teachers or movements that promise salvation, revolution, or utopian visions with creepy undertones. Please.

Hopefully, radical compassion will help with this.

When Aries is in service, it’s an unstoppable spiritual warrior. Rather than simply feeling empathy, Aries helps Neptune put compassion in action.

This should offer a nice counter to the collective service of this Aquarian age. While Aquarius wants what’s best for the collective, it doesn’t care too much about individual feelings. This transit reminds us to really feel for the experiences of individuals while keeping a higher vision in place.

Enjoy the creative vibes and dreamy visions that will arise.

I love that North Node Pisces is kicking off this Neptune era. In modern astrology systems, Neptune is the ruler of Pisces, so we get a super-charged dose of all things watery, dreamy, emotional, visioning, and creative.

We might see the arts become more poignant or provocative, impacting the rest of culture more prominently. With this, utopian dreams may arise. If we can let these visions inspire us without pulling us into fantasy land, we’ll be doing our world a great service.

Uranus in Gemini

On 7/7, Uranus enters Gemini, where it will stay until 2033. Uranus is the great disruptor, and Gemini is all about higher learning and communication. So…expect some major revolutions in how we think and connect with each other.

If you’re thinking about AI right now, you’re on the right track. You don’t need astrology to tell you that we’re only beginning to see the impacts of this tech…but it’s pretty cool how it all lines up ;)

What to expect with Uranus in Gemini

Think intellectual, communication, technological revolution. Rather than go into all the areas of society this might influence — I’m just going to invite your imagination to go wild. You know what’s coming…AI, crypto, transportation, youth uprising, media overwhelm…it’s all already started.

While there’s a lot of good here, there are some definite things to watch out for. Information overload could go next level — especially misinformation and weaponized ideologies.

Remember what’s true and real. Do a digital detox often. Connect with the Earth.

Neptune in Aries + Uranus in Gemini: The Big Picture

All together, we can expect an era that continues to redefine what it is to be human. What is consciousness? What is animate and alive? What is real?

I imagine we’ll see radical new creations arise out of the merging of art, spirituality, and technology.

And we’ll probably see some backlash to the big changes upon us.

I hope we’ll see GenX in more leadership roles across the board. There is something about that generation that knows how to balance Piscean and Aries energy — I think this generation is perhaps the most primed to offer a bridge from the old era to the new, neither clinging to the past nor burning it all down. That’s just me though…what do you all think?

And there’s a lot more happening this year

Overall, the first half of the year looks a little rough…but the second half looks awesome. We’ll see. Lots of fiery Aries energy, nurturing Cancer blessed by Jupiter, eclipses, retrogrades…all the things! Keep tuning in for more as each new astro season is upon us :)

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Juniper Stokes is a certified coach, mythoanimist guide, alchemist & artist.

juniper stokes 12/21/24 juniper stokes 12/21/24

The 13 Holy Nights

Nothing on this site has been written by AI.

Let us prepare for the solstice.

On this darkest night of the year, we enter into a sacred portal.

A window between the old year and the new, this portal is known as the 13 Holy Nights.

The 13 Holy Nights* occur just after winter solstice, taking place from December 24 - January 6th. These dark days and long nights invite you to go inward and devote yourself to spiritual practice and inner reflection. This is a time to release what you do not wish to carry forward, while you plant the seeds of what you want to create in the new year. (In many ways, our tradition of making new year’s resolutions is a watered down version of this ancient, sacred practice.)

Though the essence of the 13 Holy Nights is quite simple, understanding the energetics of this time and incorporating a few specific intentions into these coming weeks will transform your overall experience. Let’s dive in ;)

Seasonal Reflections & Taoist Energetics

During the 13 Holy Nights, we are tending the ground and receiving the seeds of what will come to life in the new year. These seeds are divine inspirations and blessings from spirit, and the more consciously we can receive them, the more ability we’ll have to keep them well-tended in the coming year.

To help prepare the ground for these cosmic seeds, it helps to understand the elemental nature of a seed cycle:

When we step into the holy nights, we’re leaving the season of harvest. Autumn is the fruit-bearing season — we’ve seen what our efforts have produced. We’ve celebrated our successes and grieved our losses.

Autumn is associated with the metal element. In TCM, metal is associated with grief but also clarity. It’s a withdrawing time, and while we grieve all that must be released, we find greater clarity around what truly matters as we prepare for the winter ahead.

As we enter winter, we look to the fruits of our harvest for the seeds within, drawing forth the beginnings of new life as we consume or compost the old. We don’t yet know what the next harvest will bring, but we do know that it’s time to let go of that which would rot. It’s time to prepare our seeds for the earth.

Winter is associated with the water element. This is a time for conserving and nurturing our energy, a time to restore and rest between sunnier seasons. The inner stillness of water invites us to enter into meditation and introspection.

In the spring, some of our seeds will sprout. In the frozen dark of winter, we don’t yet know which seeds will root. And in the spring, we often still can’t tell what a seed will become. Yet we begin to see the sparks of life renewed.

There is strong, wood element energy in the spring. The strength these little sprouts need to push through the earth and into the light is similar to the upward energy of expansion we often feel as winter recedes.

With summer comes the blossoming season. We joyfully take pleasure in the beautiful blooms and aromas around us. We now know that which we are tending. We make choices around where our energy goes — which plants have the greatest potential? Which are to be pruned or weeded away?

Summer is associated with the fire element. Passion, joy, connection, and vitality encourage us to be present in each moment. We have the energy to do the work needed as we care for our plants and plans.

And with this, we come back to autumn, the harvest that once again brings us the seeds for winter.

But what of earth, you may ask? Where does this element fit in?

In some schools of thought, the earth element is associated with late summer, a season of grounding through transition. Yet earth can also be seen as the sacred pause between any two seasons, like the moment of equilibrium between an inhale and exhale.

Tending the Elements Within

While these elements have seasonal associations, they are all always present.

During the depths of winter, we can find greater wellness and prepare ourselves for the holy nights by tending the balance of the elements in our lives.

Water

At home in winter, the element of water invites us into stillness. This time of year is often jam-packed with travel, social gatherings, and last minute to-dos as the days of the year run out. This energy is the complete opposite to what winter energetics would encourage us to do.

While most of us can’t totally tune out the busyness — and honestly, I won’t want to! — we can bring balance to our water by making time for stillness. Daily meditation, quiet nights, sleeping in, and moving at a slower pace will help your water find peace.

Wood

It’s not the time for the action-oriented wood energy of spring, but we can prepare by creating space for the seeds that will become our future dreams. Nourish rather than push right now. Look ahead and make plans, but let go of taking action just yet.

Fire

This is the time to tend your inner flame. Find warmth in your heart as you practice gratitude for all you love — your loved ones and pets, your favorite foods and books, joyful memories…whatever fills your heart with warmth.

Earth

The sacred pause is your ally. Though more of an equinox energy, the earth element during winter invites us to find moments of balance with the extremes of the season. Does your body need movement or rest? A warm soup or cooling winter salad? Deep listening to your inner wisdom is key here.

Metal

The inner clarity of metal is available to us through letting go and deep introspection. If anything has been hanging on, now is the time to clear it away before the new year begins. Note the insights that arise within the stillness of your meditations, paying attention to new stories and interpretations of events that emerge around the year behind you.

Entering the Holy Nights

Energetically, the solstice is the peak of winter season, the stillness and yin energy of water. We receive our seeds in the dark.

Cosmically, the Earth inhales.

The pause begins.

This great inhalation draws the energy of the stars to us, so the seeds planted within are imbued with celestial gifts from spirit.

Of course, the most impactful star for all of us on Earth is the Sun. The solar return of divine light and life begins.

Between the winter solstice and the night of the 24th, we prepare.

We have these three days to tend the energetic womb where our seeds will be planted. Our practices during this time will help us receive the energetic imprints of the seeds planted in us by spirit.

During these days, lay the foundation for the holy nights. Clean yourself and your home. Let go of internal and external clutter so there is space for the messages of spirit to enter your vessel. Spend time in meditation, allowing your own energetic body to come into alignment with your true nature.

At sunset on December 24th the 13 Holy Nights commence, extending through sunset on January 6th.

During this time, we receive the imprints of our future experiences from spirit. By bringing conscious awareness and prayer to this sacred time, we can commune with the divine as we receive our own blessed seeds.

Deepen into spiritual and reflective practices, whatever this looks like for you. Light a candle, get out your journal, and draw oracle cards. Record your meditations, journeys, and dreams.

These 13 nights correlate with the 13 moons of the year. What do you wish for each coming cycle to bring you? What oracle card will bless each coming month and the year as a whole?

All of these practices help us consciously receive the imprinted seeds of spirit. With our spiritual awareness online, we have more agency and power to co-create the experiences we wish to call forth in the coming year.

I’ve worked with the energy of this season for decades and have distilled my process into a beautiful workbook that anyone can use to become more intentional with reviewing the year before and entering into the year anew.

This workbook is available for immediate download, and you can get your own copy here:

Reflect, Integrate, Envision: A Workbook for the Soul

The 13 Holy Nights and 12 Days of Christmas

I’m sure at this point, many of you are reflecting on the obvious correlations between Christian holidays and these holy nights.

The number 13 has long been associated with the feminine, relating to the thirteen lunar cycles of the year. And, this very yin time of year can be thought of holding a receptive, feminine energy.

With the oppression of the feminine came the demonization of the number 13 and undermining feminine energetics. By turning 13 to 12 and nights to days, Christianity shifted this sacred window away from the feminine and towards the masculine.

We all know that Christmas Eve correlates with the 24th, which begins the 13 nights, and Christmas day is the 25th of December, which kicks off the 12 days.

This works well within Christianity, as the 25th is Christ’s birthday — a date probably merged with Sol Invictus, a pagan sun god celebration. Then, the 12 days could correspond with the 12 calendar months, rather than 13 moon cycles.

Though the suppression of the feminine leaves a toxic legacy that we are still healing, there is actually beauty in the synergy of the 13 Holy Nights and 12 Days of Christmas.

Christ Consciousness is that of divine love. Through his incarnation on Earth, Christ brought forth the solar energy of radiant, unconditional love — a gift literally of the stars imprinted upon the Earth as a seed to benefit all of humanity.

Rather than rejecting the historical influences that have brought us to these festivities and long winter nights, we can invite the blessings of our ancestors into our hearts and homes this winter solstice by tuning into the rituals of the 13 nights and opening to Christ Consciousness within our hearts.

A Resource to Consciously Connect with the 13 Moons

For those of you who wish to really tune into the energetics of lunar cycles this year, these moon pages are literally life-changing.

I’ve used these lunar guides to help me overcome extreme burnout, heal my own monthly cycles, and deepen my connection with the rhythms of the natural world.

Each year, I release a new and updated version of the Moon Pages. For 2025, you’ll not only receive a lunar attunement guidebook, monthly planning pages, and cycle tracking pages — you’ll also get a ritual guide with the astrological energetics of each new and full moon.

*The concept of the 13 Holy Nights came to me via one of my favorite Toaist energy healers, Sherry Bauer, and it came to her through medical qi gong instructor Damarus Jarboux. Beyond that, the origins are a mystery.

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don’t sacrifice magic at the altar of the mind: an exploration of shamanic soul retrieval

Nothing on this site has been written by AI.

Soul Retrieval is the shamanic art of becoming whole. It is a spiritual practice that restores all of the parts that make you you.

It’s beautiful…and it can be a little confusing.

Isn’t the soul eternal? Aren’t we all truly divine and whole in our essence, no matter what happens to us in life? Why would part of our own spiritual essence not be present with us?

These are very good questions, and how we answer them depends a bit on which perspectives we approach this work from…

Because shamanism is a spiritual practice. We’re dealing with spiritual healing.

And our modern minds are psychologically oriented. We put everything through the lens of mental filters.

Depending on which worldview you’re biased towards, just what exactly is happening during a soul retrieval session might shift significantly.

Which brings me to one of my personal questions: Can the two approaches co-exist when it comes to the tradition and practice of soul retrieval?

Want to learn the art of soul retrieval for yourself?

Join me for a rare, in-person 5-day training this September. Learn more.

Modern Mind, Timeless Spirit

The idea that illness and hardship could be the result of soul loss dates back thousands of years and is found throughout the world.

Now, something happens in our modern minds when we hear this…

Mostly likely, you’re thinking — it’s not the soul that was lost…

Perhaps part of the personality or an archetypal influence was lost.
This is what we call dissociation.
It sounds like soul loss is actually PTSD.
This seems what IFS refers to as an Exile.
It’s not soul loss — it’s an unhealthy attachment style.
Maybe this is a metaphor for feeling depleted and out of touch with your personal power or life force energy.

With the exception of the final statement, notice that all of these interpretations are psychological ones.

I believe that there is great value in working with our modern-day minds. Humanity and consciousness are simply different than they were thousands of years ago. We have different needs when it comes to feeling whole, embodied, and empowered in our lives today.

And…we are still the same animals we have always been. Our DNA remembers the power of ancestral healing techniques. Our spirits respond to ancient practices that our minds do not understand.

As we explore the world of shamanic healing in general and soul retrieval in particular…

We must not sacrifice magic at the altar of mind.

Spirit & Soul

The foundational idea behind soul retrieval can be found in a wee linguistic nuance:

The Spirit is eternal. It is the part of you that is always whole, complete, and divine. It is always one with all of spirit and can never be lost.

The Soul is that part of your spiritual nature that grows and evolves. The Soul experiences separation from the oneness of truth in order to play in the variety of life.

Although I often use these words interchangeably, which I’m sure instigates much confusion in my readers and students (sorry), this distinction helps us understand the seeming contradiction inherent in soul retrieval…and spiritual healing in general.

You are always whole. You always, always, always have access to your true nature, which is one with all and completely divine. And the more you remember and consciously embody this nature, the more you bring this truth into our current reality. And this changes our current reality in miraculous ways.

(Psst — this can be done through the art of transfiguration, which we’ll learn at the Soul Retrieval training in September.)

Even though you are whole, the universe is expansive and dynamic. In order to participate in this dynamism, part of your spirit experiences separation — not just in physical form, but in what we refer to as spiritual dimensions as well. This part of you is your Soul.

Each time you incarnate, your Soul carries a blueprint for your life — your gifts, lessons, joys, loves, dreams, and role in the web of life. This is the spiritual part of you, a compliment to the energetic, mental, emotional, and physical parts of you.

Since the Soul chooses to experience separation, it can experience illness.

(Confusingly, I call this spirit sickness, even though in this framework “Spirit” is eternal.)

Alas, the limitations of language…these definitions of Soul and Spirit make sense to me. And I’ve spent a lifetime not using these exact distinctions, so…💁 I tend to use the term divine to refer to the oneness realms, spirit to refer to the spiritual dimensions of reality, and soul to refer to our individual experiences. Let me know your thoughts on all this in the comments!

So, within this model, while your divine Spirit can never be anything but whole, your Soul can have a wide range of experiences.

Note: You may have picked up that I also make a distinction between the Soul and the energy body. Your energy body — or subtle body/aura/meridian/chakra/all the things that aren’t physical body — exists in the energetic realms of reality that underlie our physical reality. Our Souls enliven both our energetic and physical bodies, so we can look at spirit sickness, energetic sickness, and physical sickness as both distinct and interconnected.

Being Ensouled

When you are fully ensouled, you more naturally live in a state of coherence: Your thoughts and actions are in harmony, and you feel more at home in your body. You have inspiring visions for your life and the world, and you feel capable of doing what you are here to do. Your entire self is aligned, and self-sabotaging patterns fade away.

Yes, you encounter challenges, pain, loss, failure, grief, and all the parts of being human…but somehow you don’t take them so personally. You feel them fully as a natural part of life, and then you are more able to transmute difficulty into loving energy that carries you forward.

You’re heart stays equally open in the face of pain and joy.

This is our natural state, and it is your birthright to be full of your own soul.

Unfortunately, just as our physical bodies can become injured and sick, our mental processes and beliefs can get wacky, our emotions can feel painful, and our energy bodies can have blockages and leaks…our spiritual souls can suffer, too.

Before moving on, I want to make one thing very, very clear: This is normal.

Do you have digestion issues and still live a full life? Get depressed sometimes but maintain healthy friendships? Show up to work even with a sprained ankle?

Well, you can live a perfectly satisfying life with a bit of soul loss, too.

But there are techniques and strategies that can help you fix your digestion, feel a little happier, and heal that ankle…just as there are ways to restore soul loss. And we feel better when we take care of ourselves.

Symptoms & Causes of Soul Loss

When we feel fragmented, as if part of ourselves is missing, we end up constantly leaking energy as we search for lost parts of ourselves. This happens unconsciously — but our daydreams and fantasies often point to the places where our searches originate.

There’s a sense that we’re just not living as fully as we could be. We’re missing the intimacy with self and spirit and other that is meant to enliven us. We long to come home to ourselves but don’t know how.

This is the low grade, chronic condition of soul loss. Of knowing that there is more vibrancy and meaning that you are meant to experience. Of searching for something outside of yourself to fill in what’s missing.

We all do this.

Traditionally, soul loss was seen to occur in response to trauma: Part of the soul essence separates from the whole as a self-protective measure. This can happen in response to all kinds of ongoing or acute traumas — abuse, war, accidents, loss of loved ones, miscarriage, illness, divorce, surgery, addiction…

In my experience, modern society doesn’t support us being fully ensouled.

Children are reprimanded for being their authentic selves and taught to conform. Teenagers are initiated into adulthood with shame. We’re sold stories about what a good life consists of, and we sacrifice our truths in order to achieve this false vision. Loneliness, disconnection from the Earth, witnessing the traumas of others via media…the list goes on.

All of this leads to soul loss, too.

The effects of soul loss might be subtle and chronic — much like Sandra describes in the quote above. Or, they can have more noticeable consequences: addiction, fatigue, chronic illness, dissociative tendencies, lost memories, strings of bad luck, self-sabotaging patterns, ongoing depression, and even, in extreme cases, coma.

Our language describes what soul loss feels like: something is missing, not feeling like yourself, sleepwalking through life, feeling dead inside, nobody’s home…

When the soul is restored, these effects may melt away on their own. More often, however, the other healing work we’re engaged in becomes more effective. Our bodies seem to have more energy to heal with, we feel more motivated to stick with the changes we want to implement, and the psychological inquiry we engage in yields faster and more impactful results.

Where does the soul go?

The feeling that something is missing, or the idea that “you’ll be happy when…” are common human experiences. We keep searching for something outside ourselves to make us satisfied.

While timeless spiritual wisdom tells us that everything we need is already within, shamanic perspectives actually acknowledge that yes, something is missing. You’re just not going to find it in the places you’re currently looking in.

But is the soul really missing?

From shamanic perspectives, the part of the soul that leaves is somewhere in the otherworlds, non-ordinary reality, or the dreamtime depending on the language you use. It is the role of the shaman to traverse these realms, find that soul part, and bring it home.

Yet, in Tibetan shamanism and even many Western Mystery traditions, we are microcosms of the macrocosm. The entire universe is within us, including the realms of non-ordinary reality. So, while we may feel disconnected from a soul part, it is still within us, hiding beyond our awareness.

This has some similarities to modern psychotherapeutic theory — the idea that parts of ourselves dissociate and get buried in our subconscious. These parts aren’t gone, but they aren’t accessible either.

Which brings me back to our modern minds…

As consciousness has evolved, it’s become more important to integrate intellectual and psychological awareness into our healing work.

And, we are still born from our ancestors. Both our DNA and our souls respond to the mythic and magic medicine rooted in thousands of years of shamanic practice.

There’s a danger in putting all shamanic and spiritual healing through the lens of modern psychotherapy.

The miraculous healings I’ve witnessed when a shaman or shamanic practitioner retrieves a soul on behalf of a client are just that — miraculous. The healing is a gift, and it didn’t require years of therapy or internal struggle to receive that blessing. A spiritual healing creates the conditions for psychological wellness to be cultivated.

But I’ve also seen how impactful it can be for someone to retrieve their own soul essence through guided journeys, unburdening exiles (in IFS language), and inner excavation. This work can create a psychological healing that welcomes the exiled spirit home.

I have a lot more to say on IFS, parts work, and soul retrieval…but that’s for another article. And for the upcoming Soul Retrieval workshop I’ll be sharing in September ;)

Beyond the Individual Soul

There’s another benefit to celebrating the magical side of soul retrieval — we can heal beyond our individual lives.

From animist perspectives, communities have souls. Homes have souls. Lands have souls.

The shamanic practice of soul retrieval can be used to heal the collective spaces and places we live within with far reaching impacts for all of us.

(Yup — we’re definitely doing some soul retrieval for the land at the September workshop!)

Learning this practice empowers you to be a true Earth ally, to support humanity’s evolution, and foundational levels.

Coming into Cosmic Balance

When we are fully ensouled, we are kind. I like the 8Cs that IFS theory uses to describe our true self: compassion, curiosity, clarity, creativity, calm, confidence, courage, and connectedness.

If everyone were connected to their full souls and spiritual nature, if everyone could embody these qualities more consistently, imagine how the world would change.

The art and practice of Soul Retrieval is an essential skill for these times. I truly believe that the more people learn this, the more collective healing we’ll see.

If you are at all drawn to explore this powerful spiritual healing methodology, please consider joining me this September in Sisters, OR for a five-day training.

If you are a healer, therapist, coach, body worker, or spiritual practitioner of any kind, I highly encourage you to join us.
Or, if you simply want to learn new ways to heal the Earth and our animal kin in the midst of such challenging ecological changes, then join us.
Or, if you just love to learn about spirit stuff and consciousness, then definitely join us!

Learn Soul Retrieval

Psst: If you’re reading this and wish to receive a soul retrieval, you can sign up for a shamanic healing session with me here:

Shamanic Healing Sessions

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Juniper Stokes is a certified coach, mythoanimist guide, alchemist & artist.

juniper stokes 8/13/24 juniper stokes 8/13/24

Imagination as throne for the gods

Nothing on this site has been written by AI.

Imagination is the language of the soul.

I think Einstein originally said that. Smart guy ;)

It’s true. Our souls speak to us through our imaginations. The dreams we let dance through our consciousness are arrows to our soul’s deeper callings.

The spirit world also communicates through the imagination. Have you ever fantasized about a better world? Created stories about the fairies who must live in that mossy grove you hiked past? These thoughts aren’t just mind inventions…they are divinely inspired insights into additional potentialities and dimensions of our reality.

The imagination is a favorite language of the Muses, too. I like to think of the Muses as angels of creativity, whispering inspiration into the vessels capable of bringing it to life.

And the imagination is an invitation to the gods.

This happens through the intentional act of visualization.

When you use your imagination to visualize a deity, with as much focus and detail as possible, you create what one of my teachers (Jason Miller) calls an “astral throne”.

I love this idea. By bringing together intention, focus, and imagination, you have created a resting place for a spirit to meet with you.

In many traditions, including the Ancient Egyptian magical practices I engage in, statues are seen as physical resting places for the gods. In the opening of the mouth ritual, a representation of a deity is anointed, creating space for the god to join our prayers and rituals here on Earth.

The astral throne serves the same purpose.

Now, the astral throne may very well be an image of the deity you wish to connect with, but quite often some sort of seal or symbol is used — Tibetan or Hindu mandalas, or Metatron’s cube, for example.

The next time you sit down to connect with a spirit guide, imagine a symbol for them with your mind’s eye.

As you place your focus on this symbol, tune into your body. Can you feel this divine being arrive? Has the potency of your experience changed in some way?

Psst: If you are among the 1-4% of the population who cannot visualize, you can still do this! Look at a physical version of the symbol you’d like to work with, and then use your intention and focus to know that the image is appearing as an astral invitation.

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juniper stokes 6/29/24 juniper stokes 6/29/24

Why We Gather

Nothing on this site has been written by AI.

It wasn’t until my thirties that I finally admitted to myself an important truth:

I despise attending festivals. 🙃

And group fitness classes. And camping within 50ft of other people. And even meditation seminars where we’re packed in a room like sardines. Burning Man. 😵‍💫

All the things that are supposed to be fun and good for me…end up feeling overwhelming and exhausting.

As an introvert and empath, crowds can be rough. So when Covid brought us all online, I celebrated the ability to teach from anywhere and reach students from around the world.

I still love the gifts of technology, and have a few online workshops coming up soon, but…

The most recent in-person shamanic workshop I taught here in Bend, OR blew my mind.

While it did take me a good amount of time to energetically recover from facilitating three immersive, in-person days of magic — the experience was 1000% worth it.

The women who gathered together were amazing. Ages ranged from 30s to 70s. Experience ranged from complete beginners to already professionals. And everyone had been through some shit in the past few years.

We needed each other. In the flesh. Our collective energy unfolding and holding, connecting and reflecting. The safety and clarity of our strong, sacred container allowed true magic to awaken within every participant there.

It was incredibly touching to witness these powerful women activate and embrace their divine gifts. The healings and divinations they facilitated for each other were wild to watch. It was as if I was viewing a room of seasoned healers and psychics do their work (and they probably all were in many lifetimes).

During our third day together, I facilitated an anointing ceremony. As I channeled the great goddess Isis, divine energy flowed from my heart, through my hands, and into the oil, where aromatic plant allies activated and attuned the power of this energy further before each participant received her blessing.

My dear friend and assistant for the workshop, Heather Porter, then guided everyone through a Celtic-style ceremony for receiving a reflection of their heart’s medicine.

Throughout our time together, we danced and sang. Meditated and channeled. Unraveled old narratives and their disempowering hangovers. And began to embody the divinity we are each here to hold.

As a facilitator, I loved witnessing all of this in person. I loved feeling the healing energy our group created. And I loved witnessing myself in this role, my decades of training coalescing into the exact workshop I wish I could have attended earlier in my journey.

What struck me most, though, was how every woman told me that this was exactly what she’d been looking for.

I’m now more motivated than ever to continue offering in-person experiences in addition to my online offerings. And the next one will be in September…

Soul Retrieval: The Shamanic Art of Becoming Whole

Soul Retrieval is my most requested class, and I’m delighted to be able to offer it at the most beautifully magical location in Sisters, OR this September.

Together, we will meet for five days of ritual, healing, learning, and connecting with each other and spirit.

Soul Retrieval is the art of integration. Of restoring those parts that have become fragmented. Of becoming who you truly are, eternally whole and loved.

And, Soul Retrieval is a gift we can share with our world. We can restore wholeness to our communities. We can release the energetic trappings of inherited trauma. And we can tend the Earth with our spiritual gifts.

Applications for Soul Retrieval are now open, and I hope you’ll consider joining me IN PERSON ;) Please reach out with any questions.

May we all find the communities that light up our souls, even if small doses for introverts like me ;)

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