Why do so many religions fast?

Fasting is one of those practices that refuses to stay in a single box. It’s biological. It’s psychological. It’s political. It’s mystical. It’s communal. It’s deeply personal. It is both ancient and suddenly trendy with the biohack bros who have a podcast mic and hype protein shakes.

What happens when we choose hunger on purpose?

Across deserts and monasteries, temples and kitchens before dawn, human beings have stepped into emptiness — not because suffering is holy, but because hunger tells the truth.

In this episode, I wander through Lent and Easter, Ramadan and Eid, Yom Kippur and teshuvah, Hindu vrata, Jain purification, Buddhist simplicity, and even the Stoics who practiced voluntary discomfort. The theologies are different. The claims are not interchangeable. But the pattern hums beneath them all.

Fasting humbles the body. It clarifies desire. It strips away distraction. It reminds us we are not self-sustaining.

In ancient agricultural worlds where famine was never far away, fasting ritualized dependence. In our modern world of constant availability, it interrupts excess. Either way, hunger becomes a teacher.

This is not a diet episode. This is not detox culture.

This is about repentance and return, about submission and surrender, about resurrection and repair, and about learning what truly sustains us.

Because every fast eventually ends the same way:

With a table. In community. Steeped in gratitude.

Learn more about Angie at the Moon + Stone Healing.

Imbolc marks the sacred midpoint between Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox — a quiet threshold where life begins to stir beneath the frozen surface of the earth. Though the landscape may still look dormant, something is waking.

In this episode, we explore the ancient roots of Imbolc as a cross-quarter fire festival, its agrarian origins connected to ewe’s milk and early lambing, and the layered meaning of Imbolc as “in the belly of the Mother” — the womb-space where seeds of spring begin their slow, holy quickening.

We journey into the mythology of Brigid, goddess of fire, healing, poetry, and transformation, including her association with keening — the sacred wailing of grief — and how grief itself can be understood as part of the creative cycle.

This episode also includes:

• The symbolism of seeds stirring beneath the soil
• Imbolc as a season of preparation, cleansing, and gentle intention-setting
• Folk traditions and hearth-based ritual
• Journal prompts for working with the energy of Imbolc

Imbolc reminds us that growth does not announce itself loudly. It begins quietly. It begins in the dark. It begins with a stir.

Blessed Imbolc.

You can sign up for my guided shamanic journey and healing circles in person and online at http://themoonandstone.com/events

I have a class talking about all the points on the agrarian calendar and how to work with them for magickal workings, including moon cycles called Cycles. You can find more information about that class and all my classes at themoonandstone.com.

In this episode, Angelica explores the larger collective themes shaping February 2026, including Neptune and Saturn’s activation of Aries, eclipse season, and the Year of the Fire Horse, alongside the Tarot archetype of The Moon and the Earth Medicine of Moonflower, Selenite, and Wolf.

This month’s conversation weaves astrology, depth psychology, myth, plant lore, and animal medicine to support conscious participation in our own becoming.

Referenced & Inspired By:

Astrology & Collective Cycles

Chani Nicholas — chani.com

Ongoing analysis of Pluto in Aquarius, Neptune in Aries, Saturn–Neptune cycles, and historical planetary returns. https://www.chani.com/blogs/revolution-repetition-and-planetary-returns

Depth Psychology & Tarot

Carl Jung — Shadow Theory

John Elder — writings on Jung’s concept of the Shadow

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot symbolism

Wolf Myth & Feminine Archetype

Clarissa Pinkola Estés, PhD — Women Who Run With the Wolves

Plant Lore & Ethnobotany

Leonora Curtin — Healing Herbs of the Upper Rio Grande

General ethnobotanical and folkloric traditions surrounding Datura / Moonflower

Crystal & Mineral References

General mineralogy of the Gypsum family (Selenite, Satin Spar, Desert Rose, Alabaster)

Animal Medicine Traditions

Ted Andrews — Animal Speak

Lori Morrison—The Shaman’s Guide to Power Animals

Cross-cultural Indigenous traditions referencing Wolf as clan animal and spiritual ally

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Important Note:

All plant, crystal, and energetic information shared in this episode is for educational and spiritual reflection only. Nothing in this episode is intended as medical advice or instruction. Always use discernment and consult appropriate professionals when working with health or safety-related matters.

Reach out with any questions or comments at [email protected]

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January shows up like that friend who loves you enough to say, “Okay… holidays are over. What are we actually doing here?” Capricorn has entered the chat, the Hermit is standing at the threshold with his lantern, and Raven is perched nearby whispering, “Pay attention.”

In this episode, we walk right into the grown-up end of the pool: astrology, tarot archetypes, earth medicine, and humor — because otherwise the existential dread gets bossy.

We explore Capricorn season as devotion, not punishment — the slow climb, the long game — while Cancer’s Full Moon asks whether your heart is fed, not just your to-do list. We track big transits like Venus shifting into Aquarius, the New Moon in Capricorn, Mercury and Mars electrifying Aquarius, and the cosmic mic-drop: Neptune stepping into Aries and putting boots on our dreams.

Then we turn the lantern toward the deeper mythology of the Hermit — not isolation, but initiation. Not running away, but stepping back far enough to hear yourself again. From there, earth medicine arrives as the council:

• Quaking Aspen teaching the truth of interconnectedness.
• Lapis Lazuli calling us into honesty, vision, and ethical awareness.
• Raven carrying voice, mystery, and threshold magic.

Together, they remind us how to carry our own light without abandoning ourselves — and how to return from solitude with something real to offer.

This month is refinement, integration, and holy practicality. Less confetti cannon, more “find the boots you can actually walk in.”

If you’ve been craving structure with soul, truth without cruelty, and spiritual work that survives contact with real life, this episode is your winter lantern.

In this episode, we explore 2026 through three symbolic lenses:

• Tarot’s Cards of the Year — Wheel of Fortune + Magician
• The Chinese zodiac archetype of the Fire Horse (as symbolic weather)
• Horse in the South — Fire energy in the shamanic framework I work with
• We talk about creativity, sovereignty, cycles, pacing, and how to carry power without burning ourselves out.

No predictions. No doom. Just myth, metaphor, and grounded reflection.

Topics include:

• What the Wheel of Fortune actually asks of us
• The Magician as co-creator (not control freak)
• Reframing Fire Horse from “bad omen” to fierce life-force
• Horse as carrier of prayers and power in the South
• Practical ways to ride the fire instead of getting dragged by it

In this episode, we explore the ancient roots of the Winter Solstice, Yule, and Christmas, tracing how humans across time have honored the longest night of the year and the return of the light.

We look at Yule traditions in Norse and Germanic cultures, including the symbolism of the Yule log, evergreens, fire, and winter mythologies like the Wild Hunt. We also explore how early Christianity layered the celebration of Christ’s birth onto existing Solstice festivals, weaving older solar traditions into new spiritual stories.

This episode reflects on darkness as a sacred teacher, winter as a threshold, and the universal human instinct to mark time with ritual, story, and hope. Whether you celebrate Yule, Christmas, the Solstice, or simply the turning of the season, this is an invitation to slow down and honor the quiet miracle of return.

In this month’s astrological reading & earth medicine episode of Centered, Angie walks us through the deep spiritual terrain of December 2025—a month of crossroads, dissolving illusions, sacred rest, and choosing what we truly believe. We explore how the astrology of the month lines up with our Earth Medicine allies: Bear, Blue Topaz, Narcissus, and the energies of owning where you are and hibernation. December asks us to soften our grip on certainty, to trust the unknown, and to let ourselves be held by the restorative rhythm of winter.

Earth Medicine for December:
🐻 Bear — Honoring cycles, integration, sacred stillness
💎 Blue Topaz — Gentle clarity, inner truth, soulful direction
🌼 Narcissus — Self-recognition, honest reflection
🌙 Owning Where You Are — Radical presence
❄️ Hibernation + Sacred Rest — The cave as healing

Links + Resources:
Centered with Angie Yingst on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/3Ep9zNv9mBFjVSJhPP90qb?si=f991a65640dd48c8
Website: themoonandstone.com
Instagram: @angieyingst

Support the show:
Leave a review, share with a friend, or join my private FB group to stay connected to the monthly cycles.

This episode, I’m returning to the writings that shaped theearliest years of my healing after my daughter Lucia’s stillbirth in 2008.

These three essays — one on the holy clearing power of the scream, one on the deep and complicated dance of gratitude during suffering, and one on the Buddhist tonglen practice — map my journey through grief, spiritual awakening, sobriety, and self-compassion.

These pieces were written from the raw center of my heart:

• when I was newly grieving,
• newly sober,
• newly trying to exist inside a body again,
• newly understanding what compassion actually means.

In this episode, I read:

7:03 Essay 1. “Scream, Baby” — written two years after my sonZachary’s birth and his time in the NICU, exploring pain, primal release, and the scream as an act of healing.

15:40 Essay 2. “Gratitude” — an essay confronting spiritualbypassing, toxic positivity, what gratitude looks like when you’re grieving, not in spite of grief, and holding space.

26:37 Essay 3. “Tonglen: A Meditation for When You’re in the Weeds”— a compassionate, trauma-informed exploration of the Buddhist practice that helped me breathe inside my pain instead of trying to outrun it.

I also share a gentle guided tonglen practice, a groundingmeditation, and resources for tonglen on my website/blog, which you can access here.

If you’re grieving, healing, overwhelmed, or simply human —this episode is for you.

Welcome to November, my loves. We’re deep in Scorpio season — the time of year when the veil thins, the shadows stir, and transformation stops being an abstract concept and becomes something we actually feel in our bones. This month’s astrology isn’t here to make us comfortable; it’s here to make us real.

In this episode, we walk together through the cosmic landscape of November 2025, guided by the intensity of Scorpio and the wild optimism of Sagittarius. From the Taurus Full Moon that grounds us in our bodies to the Scorpio New Moon that strips us down to our truth, this month’s energy teaches us how to compost fear into courage, endings into beginnings.

We’ll unpack the big transits and explore what they mean for our collective healing. It’s a month of revelations, boundary work, and bold leaps of faith. Then, we turn to our Earth Medicine for November — Peony, Citrine, and Octopus — each offering its own kind of magic for this rebirth season. Together, they hold the energy of this month’s theme: Grab it while you can.

If Scorpio asks what must die, Sagittarius asks what you’ll do with the life that’s left. This episode is your permission slip to let go, trust your timing, and take the opportunities the Universe places in front of you — even if they scare you a little. Especially if they scare you a little.

🎧 Listen to this episode of Centered on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you find your cosmic medicine.

💛 Follow along on Instagram @themoonandstone for Earth Medicine updates and daily astrology insights.

We’re going back to the roots of spooky season, my pretties. This re-post dives into the ancient fire festival of Samhain and how it shapeshifted into our modern celebration of Halloween. From Celtic bonfires to trick-or-treating, saints to spirits, and mummers to masks, we’ll explore how humans across the world honor their dead when the veil grows thin.

This one’s a listener favorite—and yes, when I first recorded it, I thought it had only been one year since I started doing Wheel of the Year episodes… but apparently, I lost a whole-ass year. Time magic is real.

Light a candle, pour a little cider for your ancestors, and let’s walk together between worlds.

#Samhain #HalloweenHistory #WheeloftheYear #PaganTraditions #HonoringtheDead #SpookySeasonSome sources:

⁠Samhain. History Channel.⁠

⁠How the Early Catholic Church Christianized Halloween by Patrick Kiger⁠

The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween. ⁠JeanMarkale⁠.Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween. ⁠LisaMorton⁠.⁠The History of Halloween⁠⁠What's the Deal with Halloween? Everything Everywhere. ⁠

⁠The Origins of Trick or Treating History Channel.⁠⁠The History of Mummers.