NEXT LEVEL N E X T
L E V E L
P S Y C H I C
M A G A Z I N E
October 2022
Connecting with Spirit
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
HARNESS YOUR MAGIC KNOW YOUR POWER & OWN ALL YOUR WITCHY GIFTS!
CELEBRATING A SACRED SAMHAIN 50+ FALL CHECKLIST ITEMS YOU CAN DO BEFORE HALLOWEEN
As the leaves change from green to gold, the gaze turns inward. The veils are thin, and we have an increased ability to see between the lines and have visions from other worlds. At Samhain, we have more access to loved ones who have crossed over. More access to learn from the spirits and hear their voices whispering through the veils.
This open connection goes both ways, and it’s an important time to have clear energetic boundaries and good skills at energy clearing. A few of the ways that I clear unwanted energies from my field are: Speaking out loud my boundaries. “I clear and release all energies that are not mine!” “No unwanted spirits may come with me or enter my house.” “I am sovereign.” Creating energetic bubbles of protection around myself, full of clear bright energy.
Burning herbs to clear my energetic field. White sage Palo Santo Rosemary Mugwort Lavender are great ones for clearing energy. In traditional Samhain ceremonies, rosemary and lavender are burned on Samhain to clear energy and open the space, and mugwort is burned in a ceremony to welcome mysterious dreamlike energy and spiritual connection. Greeting all energies as respected old friends, sometimes listening to their messages, and then sending them on their way. Welcoming in spirits, Gods and Goddesses of protection, and asking them humbly to come to my aid, watch over me, and protect me. Knowing that I can shift the energy around me and that I do have control over the energies that I engage with makes me feel so empowered and safe. This is practical magic. Easy, intuitive, and strong. I really got to practice these skills during the Samhain session of Priestess College at the Goddess Temple of Ashland (October 22-Nov 3). Being around 13 other powerful practicing priestesses was so activating for us all. We got to feel free to fully embody our prayers and our magic, tapping into our abilities and exploring our limits. It’s amazing being surrounded by people who just understand. Who speak prayers to the Goddess, who sing to Hecate at Samhain, who stir the cauldron. These witchy ways are such an integral part of our Her-story. My European ancestors must have been wise women mixing herbal potions on a mountainside, and when I do so myself, my body is filled with an ancient remembrance, a feeling of rightness. Sitting around water in a silver bowl in the dark womb hut, raising our hands to the moon, in a circle of stones.. these things my soul remembers. At the time when the distance between worlds melts away, mystery and magic fill the air; and we remember the ancient ways.
Photo credit Madhurai Sumhara / @_honey_in_the_heart
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At Samhain, the wheel is turning from the bright outgoing energy of an abundant summer of growth, into the harvesting and hibernating of autumn and winter. The leaves wither, die, and are released. On the ground, they rot and compost into next spring’s rich soil. At Samhain, the last fruits of the garden are collected and next year’s seeds are gathered. These seeds hold the remembrance of summer’s lessons and the potential for another whole year of growth. Like these seeds, we go through a yearly death and rebirth cycle when we live in connection to the rhythms of the Earth. During the Samhain season, we have the opportunity to look back at the year and the lessons we’ve been given. To take that nourishment in, and chew on the unprocessed bits throughout the winter. This is our gestation period. We enter into the dark void of the Womb of the Mother. Many of us experience our bodies rhythmically requesting and expecting to slow down during this time of the year. When we are able to do that, we reap so much from the process. Our roots finally have time to grow. We have the time to deeply process life’s lessons and integrate them. I have found it so nourishing to give myself a few months in the winter to slow down, rest, and integrate. But it can feel scary to do that too. Facing our shadows can feel so daunting, overwhelming, and repulsive. Like opening a can of worms you’re just not sure you really want to deal with right now. So we might delay it by distracting ourselves with a new trip, a new hobby, or a new lover. But many of us are learning, or have already deeply learned, that being with these tender fiery scared inner parts is so essential to our life’s evolution. And there is so much richness in the darkness. There are peak experiences of passion, depths of emotion, heart-ripping-openecstasy… wild magic we cannot touch until we open to the hugeness of who we are. Until we drop into the cosmic unknown. And it’s vulnerable as f*ck! Like being blindfolded in the ocean, just hoping for the best. Or if you are really ready to get the juice out of it, sinking even deeper into trusting Source, and surrendering your life into Her hands, with the prayer… “Let what’s meant to be, be.” “Let thy will be done.” NEXT LEVEL PSYCHIC
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Photo credit Madhurai Sumhara / @_honey_in_the_heart
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In this mindset, we have to trust that any hardships that come our way are meant for us and that they are presenting themselves now for our long-term benefit. If we are willing to face our shadows and dive into the messages that they are bringing, we can learn important things about ourselves that we would not have learned without that deep exploration. Often these explorations turn into huge revelations and transformations. They are connected to our dharma. In the depths of the sea, we uncover treasures. We learn something so important, that benefits us so greatly, that we feel a passion to share it with others.
To help others heal through this work. And so we get to see the positive impact of our inner work ripple out to heal others. For me, that feels so joyful and relieving. To know that during the times I suffered, I walked into the fire of transformation. I came out purified and stronger, clearer than ever, and with so much more to share. And seeing the merits of that inner work bless other people’s lives is an extra bonus that keeps rippling outward, rewarding me again and again. It makes me so proud and glad that I pushed through the resistance and fear, and journeyed deep into my emotional realm.
This work is so much bigger than just me. It pays off on so many levels. It begins at the core: with myself in the moment. From there I can begin to hold space for the healing of other timelines, like my inner child, my past and future relationships, my clients, community, and friends, and all the future generations of my lineage. Because the veils between worlds are so thin around Samhain, we seem to have more access to other timelines and versions of ourselves and our loved ones. Samhain opens a gateway into this deep inner work and gives us a potent opportunity for this kind of trans-generational and multidimensional healing.
When we welcome in our deep shamanic journeys and digest our lessons, we transmute them into nourishment and awakened inspiration.
Vultures are one of my favorite animal spirits to aid in transmutation. Vultures are often misunderstood. The first time I was graced by a vulture connecting with me, I was sitting on top of a large stone in a river gorge, after rock climbing up it with my friends. Flushed with adrenaline and self-pride, I was taking some moments to meditate alone and take in the gorgeous view. A vulture flew by me so closely, right at eye level, and the moment that it was aligned with me, our eyes connected and time froze. I gazed into its golden eye and was transfixed. I knew it was a big moment, and that the Vulture spirit was coming to tell me that it was an animal spirit guide for me. I remember afterwards, when my thinking mind caught up with the powerful moment, wondering if it was a sign that I was going to die or something. I reached out to a friend who knew a lot about animal spirit guides and she soothed my fears, teaching me about the meaning of the vulture. I learned that the Latin name for turkey vultures is Catharsis Aura, or “Golden Purifier,” because they clean up the Earth, transmuting sickly and diseased energies into their vital nutrition. They are also special because they stand outside the cycle of death that most animals are part of eating another or being eaten themselves. Vultures, however, do not kill. And not much try to eat them. Instead they simply eat what has already died, thus keeping other animals from eating it that would get sick from eating a decomposing animal. They are cleaning up the physical realm of Earth as well as the spiritual and energetic realms.
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JUDY THOMAS
BLACK OBSIDIAN Crystal Expert
JUDY THOMAS
Photo credit Kathleen Martinez-Golik| @crystalrisingco Kat is a Crystal Healer, alchemist, and intuitive designer. She is currently serving the Crystalline Grid by being a vessel of light. She put together a crystal grid for our black obsidian crystal of the month feature. See Kat on the cover of this edition.
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DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
NEXT LEVEL PSYCHIC
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JOURNEYING THROUGH THE MIRROR @TALAPATHEIA
Tala is a medicine woman with a rebellious wild heart. Her mission is to help women reclaim their sovereignty by leading them back into their bodies, so they can access their innate wisdom and power. She is a student, learning from the stories of others, and a journalist, listening and asking the right questions to arise clarity within her clients during their healing journey.
"Your eyes are the windows to the soul." This is a phrase I grew up hearing all the time. Yet as a woman growing up in a masculine world, a world that is filled with toxic ideals of femininity, beauty and ambition, has caused me to shy away from connecting to myself by gazing into mirrors. This is a habit that I know many sisters around the world, in all shapes, sizes, and ages, develop to protect themselves from feeling further pain.
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When I started my healing journey I remember one of the very first steps I took was to start looking into the mirror. It was an effort to get comfortable with my body so I can take photos and document the memories I'm constantly creating. By developing my spiritual practices, I learned about the multi-dimensional world we live in. I learned about accessing different levels of consciousness through breathwork, meditation, movement, and yes, mirrors. I considered those tools and skills as pathways to my underworld, to the unseen, and to the spirit realm.
This is the world through which I uncovered my depths. I was shown my true form, who I am away from judgement, pressure, and social conditioning... I was taught about my gifts, abilities and pains. I connected to my ancestors, my innerchild, my higher self, my wise woman, my wild woman, and my enchantress. The mirror is a powerful portal of healing that connects many skills when working with it. It goes beyond space and time. Revealing the secrets of the universe to you, IF you know how to listen and observe.