Moonwise

"Each and every one of us is meant to be here. None of us is a mistake.” - Lyla June Johnston

In this episode of #moonwisepodcast, we speak with indigenous scholar and community organizer Lyla June Johnston about leadership, service and humanity’s reciprocal role with nature.

Lyla June is an Indigenous environmental scientist, doctoral student, educator, community organizer and musician of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages from Taos, NM. Her dynamic, multi-genre performance and speech style has invigorated and inspired audiences across the globe towards personal, collective and ecological healing. Her messages focus on the climate crisis, Indigenous rights, supporting youth, inter-cultural healing, historical trauma and traditional land stewardship practices.

“It’s really not that humans are supposed to disappear and the land will be healthy. The land actually needs our touch, it needs our presence,” says Lyla. We discuss how numerous traditional cultures have worked with the land as an integral part of the food web. She talks about human beings as a keystone species and how indigenous science can inform our path forward. We also dive into her insights about leadership in uncertain times and her recent experience running for office. She explains, “sovereignty is no just being able to feed yourself, but being able to lead yourself.”

We also talk about:

Indigenous Science

Food Sovereignty

Peak Oil

Biodiversity

In this episode of #moonwisepodcast, we speak with healer and coach Natalie Zacharias about boundaries, intuition and protecting our energetic bodies in turbulent times.

Natalie started her healing journey at a young age when she was introduced to different energy practitioners and spiritual healers. She was 12 years old when she was first introduced to energetic healing through Reiki practitioners and Curanderos from Mexico. Natalie graduated with her Bachelors in Psychology in 2008 and after spending 6 years working in the corporate world, she decided to pursue a Master’s in Psychology. She was specifically looking for the ways in which Psychology and Spirituality intersect and integrate. This led her to pursue her Master’s at the California Institute of Integral Studies where she completed her degree in Integral Counseling Psychology in 2017. Natalie is a certified Emotion Code practitioner who is passionate about healing, helping people reconnect with their true essence, learning and giving gratitude for the gift of life. 

“In choosing sovereignty, I can play a role in changing what’s happening around me,” says Natalie. We discuss how to stay grounded in chaotic spaces (like staying centered at the grocery stores these days!) We talk about daily cleansing practices and tools for raising your frequency. We talk about triggers and having compassion for ourselves as we explore our wounds and shadows. We touch on leaning into support from elements, nature spirits and ancestors.

We also talk about:

Releasing shame around being a spiritual person

How to release stuck energy

Entities and conflict

Connecting with the Earth wherever you are

How to make a cleansing herbal bath

Learn about listening to the bees with author and natural beekeeper Jacqueline Freeman. In this episode of #moonwisepodcast, we speak with author Jacqueline Freeman about listening to the wisdom of bees. We talk about reverence and how she came to learn about natural beekeeping from the hive itself.

Jacqueline Freeman is a biodynamic farmer and natural beekeeper who wrote the popular book Song of Increase: Listening to the Wisdom of Honeybees for Kinder Beekeeping and a Better World. She and her husband Joseph moved onto their biodynamic farm in southwest Washington in 2001 and she got her first hives soon after. Jacqueline attended conventional bee school and immediately knew there must be a different way to care for bees that is more respectful, more compassionate, more like the way feral bees live. A few years later she began teaching this bee-centric approach in her classes.

We discuss how the bees sense of unity has influenced Jacqueline’s own human relationships, including her marriage and approach to housework. We talk about bee songs, the magic of pollination, birth as a ritual and how bees approach the death process. 

We also talk about:

A bee’s understanding of unity

Bee mating rituals

Listening to intuition

Sacrifice and service

In this episode of #moonwisepodcast, we speak with Rebekah Erev about loving yourself as an act of liberation. We talk about presence, finding the sacred in the mundane and working with unseen realms.

Rebekah Erev is an ordained kohenet (Hebrew priestess), feminist, queer, artist, intuitive, healer, lover, creativity coach and teacher. She lives on the Salish Sea in Olympia, WA., the original village of the Steh-chass people. In her work, she collaborates with unseen and seen beings to make art and ritual with the intention to recover and liberate the earth. She offers intuitive readings and workshops to help people manifest their most true expressions, listening to the wisdom of their bodies. She also makes objects like her beautiful Moon Angels card deck.

We talk about self exploration, commitment, and love. We discuss the importance of getting to know yourself in a culture that teaches us to reach externally for happiness and validation. We explore the concept of self partnership and Rebekah’s experience of creating a marriage ritual for herself. We also touch on queer identity, belonging and Rebekah’s path as a Hebrew priestess 

We also talk about:

Imaginary friends

Reclaiming self care culture

Exploring our birth stories

Following through with our commitments

This moon cycle, it’s time to shift our consciousness and learn something new. We have the opportunity to re-visit our New Year’s intentions and clear our minds with self compassion.

In this episode of #moonwisepodcast, Susan shares insights about Aquarius and the first warming of the spring at Imbolc. She encourages us to check in with ourselves and befriend ourselves as we receive a potent flow of star energy into our fields. We can ask ourselves, “what feels right in the moment?”

Susan reminds us to think about how to open our mind and step into great leaps of innovation. It’s a great time to learn something new or perfect something you’re already learning. She says, “what does it feel like when your mind feels free? ” She invites us to be aware of our breath and keep our feet on the ground.

Susan offers writing prompts, stones and ritual recommendations for working with the energy of the month. Tune in to hear about how we can break free from limited thinking and remember that anything is possible.

In this episode of #moonwisepodcast, we speak with Dr. Kate Sydney and Mandy Asklock, LMT about self care for healthy breasts. They share important information about the anatomy of breasts, the lymphatic system and simple ways to care for this vital part of our bodies. Dr. Kate Sydney explains, “we don’t address things until they become a disease…We’re either not thinking about our breasts at all or we have breast cancer, and nothing in between. It’s important to address these blank spots in our education.”

We talk about overcoming shame and cultural messaging around the breasts. We discuss how to pick bras for health and comfort and some recommendations for women-led bra companies. We cover how to do a self breast massage and what oils are easy to use for that. We also touch on some nutrition tips for healthy breasts and how to pick out safe deodorants.

We also talk about:

How the breasts are connected to the heart

The benefits of Poke Root Oil

Why Vitamin C is important for healthy breasts

Deodorants that work without harmful chemicals

A lunar forecast for December 21, 2019 - January 24, 2020 by Susan Lipshutz featuring tips and practices for Winter Solstice and the New Year.

“Be mindful of your inner world.” - Susan Lipshutz

This moon cycle, it’s time to bridge into a new decade with Winter Solstice and a New Moon Solar Eclipse on December 25th. We have the opportunity to reset our bones and seed our dreams for 2020.

In this episode of #moonwisepodcast, Susan shares insights about Capricorn as we enter winter eclipse season and the new year. She encourages us to take time for self care, to breathe and feel the seasonal shifts. She says it’s a time for magic, color and working with fire and light. We can ask ourselves, “what do we give to the night?” Susan reminds us to examine our past year and our past decade. She says, “is there an element of our persona that we’ve outgrown that is eclipsing our light, that is eclipsing our growth?” She invites us to release toxic aspects of our lives that we’ve outgrown. She says, “to be personally accountable and self-accepting will be the payoff.”

Susan offers writing prompts and recommendations for stones and flower essences to work with the energy of the month. She also shares a beautiful guided meditation (around minute 42:50) to take us into our inner vision. Tune in to hear about how we can step into the new decade with renewed clarity and strength.

In this episode of #moonwisepodcast, Dorothée Sophie Royal shares resources for bringing intention and earth-honoring ritual into the holiday season.

The show is divided into three short chapters. She shares a holiday planning guide, thoughts on reclaiming the Christmas tree as spiritual practice and the ancient and little-heard story of Mother Christmas. She says, “I hope that this discussion is useful for examining inherited traditions and habits as well as helping us all remember that we have the choice to create more meaningful seasonal rituals for ourselves.

This moon cycle, it’s time to dream and get inspired. We have the opportunity to clear old resentments and embody our truth.

In this episode of #moonwisepodcast, Susan shares insights about Sagittarius as we enter the last month of the decade. She encourages us to elevate our wisdom and think expansively. She says it’s time to own the truth about our history and take responsibility for it. At the same time, she reminds us that we don’t need to box ourselves in with our mind. Susan reminds us to pay attention to our dreams, patterns and write down what we’re experiencing. She invites us to challenge our old definitions and to see our lives as an adventure story. What is the next chapter that you want to write?

Susan offers writing prompts and recommendations for stones, flower essences and a ritual to work with the energy of the month. Tune in to hear about how we can cleanse our thought field and see the bigger picture of our life.

In this episode of #moonwisepodcast, we speak with producer and author Joy Donnell about the power of storytelling. Joy shares her unique perspective on creativity, intention-setting and finding the authentic voice within. As Joy says,"it’s an important time for people who work with words.”

We talk about how the spoken word can be an experience of relationship and true reciprocity. We talk about how the spoken word can be an experience of relationship and true reciprocity. We discuss privilege, betrayal and whose story is getting funded in the media today. She explains, "The stories that we know are the stories that got funded…Who ended up on buildings and who ended up buried? Who got pushed to the margins and who got magnified?" As Joy says, “its an important time for people who work with words.” 

We also talk about:

Positive self talk

Affirmations & intention-setting

The need for new stories about the feminine

Representation in media

Her new book, “Beyond Brand”