Author Archive for: nicoleathena
Entries by nicoleathena
Aquarius New Moon: The Upside of Being Sick
Last week, I had the flu. One of the new dreaded strains going around. One minute I felt fine — just coughing a bit — and the next I was suffering from fever, chills, intense muscle aches, a migraine, a deep painful cough … and, as if that wasn’t enough, depression. All my negative thoughts […]
There’s No Place Like Home: Full Moon in Cancer (January 6th, 2023)
“The home we are looking for in this world is within us all along. The lost home that we are seeking is ourselves: it is the story we carry within our souls.” – Michael Meade When the Full Moon makes its home in the sign that symbolizes home, emotions come to the surface more readily; […]
New Moon in Capricorn Solstice: The Space Between, Failure and Success, and Releasing Tension in the Shoulders
At this New Moon and Winter Solstice, we celebrate change: a time when the sun takes a pause from its path in the sky, like the space between breaths; and a moment of stillness, for regrouping, before we advance forth again. In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun is low and the solstice marks the time […]
The Wisdom of Ayurveda: Root Causes & Re-balancing
This is a short video on how the wisdom of Ayurveda can help you determine the root cause of imbalances in you body/mind and life, as well as unwanted symptoms and provide you with the tools and insight to live in harmony with your natural constitution and state of being. Link to class is coming! […]
Eclipses, Second Chances, and Finding the Spiritual in the Mundane
In the Astrology system, there are 12 signs and houses, broken down into 6 pairs, or opposites. If you are already familiar with the anatomy of a Natal Chart and the concept of pairs or opposites (derived of two signs or two houses), you may want to skip to the next paragraph. If you look […]
Learning How to Let Go: What Happened When Pluto Met my Sun (and Personal Planets)
I cannot sugarcoat my experience; the following description is intense and true, which are both qualities of the planet we call Pluto. Pluto is the archetype that depicts the underworld, i.e., our demons and deepest fears. Pluto is: traveling to the depth of darkness and despair. Pluto also is: resurfacing renewed and transformed, worlds stronger […]
Stranger Danger (and the dip section at Whole Foods)
Mentally checking off items on my grocery list, I made my way to the area of Whole Foods with the vegan dips I like. A middle-aged man was looking at the dip that I planned to grab. I waited patiently behind him. I saw he was contemplating, as he touched the various dips (French Onion, […]
Rebel Thoughts, Expression, and a Fire Ceremony
When I sit for meditation, my mind resists for a time, bouncing from one topic to the next. On a good day, my mind eventually settles and stills. I begin to feel grounded in my body, connected to a world beyond my meandering thoughts and ‘small self,’ i.e., the self that is only concerned with […]
Wipe Out
The operating system of my Mac, the tech told me, did not have enough internal space. It was stuck. It could not go back to the old operating system but it also could not go forward. My only option was to delete the old operating system, with all the rows of folders, full of e-papers, […]
What the Heck, Autocorrect? But Thank You for the Spiritual Messages.
This is nothing new, but what the Sam Hill, Autocorrect?! Why do you insist on changing common words in my text threads, like “about,” and “for” to less used words like “snout,” and “fir?” I don’t think I have ever used the word snout in a text thread, or fir for that matter. That said, […]
Child of Saturn with Saturn Retrograde
I’m a Capricorn, so that makes me a child of Saturn (Saturn rules Capricorn, and co-rules Aquarius). One of my favorite Astrology books is called Ruling Planets by Christopher Renstrom. It has beautiful illustrations — it’s a big book. He devotes a chapter to each Ruling Planet, e.g.,”Child of The Sun,” “Child of the Moon,” […]
4th House Pisces
In my Natal Chart, Pisces is on the cusp of my 4th house, meaning this watery and creative sign flavors this aspect of life. The houses of your natal chart represent different sections of the sky and, on a personal level, your life. The 4th house symbolizes home and family. It also represents emotions and […]
It’s Not Child-Bearing Season
Do you ever wonder why it is considered appropriate to ask a stranger if they have kids? Or, worse yet, why they don’t have kids? Imagine asking someone you have just met if she or he has caught their spouse cheating recently? You wouldn’t do it because that’s considered personal. I am here to tell […]
Wrong Choice of Outfit
I resurrected this one from my email archive. I was working at a mind-numbing temp job and I was wearing a colorful plaid button-down top that flared at the bottom, not unlike a maternity top (it was the style), and it may have resembled pajamas. I usually dressed more appropriately and conservatively but that morning, […]
What is the Deal With … Tipping these days?
The new retail payment systems guilt you into giving a tip every time you purchase a dang coffee, water, protein bar, etc. from an already over-priced cafe or food shop – you are prompted, at checkout, to add an 18% or 20% tip, for example. Gone are the days of giving change or a couple […]
Dear Mommy & Daddy
This is an old email, I resurrected, to my friend Aimee. I was working at a mind-numbing temp job in a finance office and my only source of inspiration and connection was emailing with Aimee. I walked by a man’s cubicle and saw a picture of a rainbow taped on his cubicle wall. The Crayola […]
How’s Your Day
For the love of god, will men on Bumble PLEASE stop asking: “How is/was your day/Tuesday/Wednesday. etc.?” How about this? My day just got a little worse because you are so painfully boring (or just lazy?) that you can’t think of anything to say besides, How was your day? Just take a glance at the […]
A Battle of “How are You?”
Let me start by saying that I am mostly a dutiful “How are you-er,” especially when it’s an opening to more meaningful conversation, or if I’m in a situation, like work, that simply requires it. I am generally polite and kind and I do the thing: “I’m good, I’m good. How are you?” It’s a […]
Childhood Mischief
When I was around 12 years old my best friend, Allison, and I had a prank calling side gig, a passion project if you will. We set up shop in my brother’s bedroom — he was the only one with two phone jacks in his room. With two phones, we could both listen in (these […]
To like or to Love…
Random thought of the day: Do you ever get confused by the “love” feature on Facebook? For example, you “love” a few comments on a post you wrote but then as you are “loving away” you pause, unsure if you should love or like the next comment, which may be more in the “liking” realm […]
Guest Post by April Meyers: How to Respond When You’ve Been Diagnosed With a Chronic Condition
If you’ve recently been diagnosed with a chronic health condition, you may be feeling overwhelmed. News that you have a long-term illness or disease can be shocking and disorienting for anyone, and it’s essential to process your thoughts and emotions while giving yourself grace along the way. Once you begin to cope with your diagnosis, […]
Mercury & Venus in Deep Scorpio
As you know, from my last blog post Mercury was rewinding through Sagittarius, which rules faith, optimism, and the ability to see the bigger picture and opportunities. As of Saturday, December 1st, Mercury Rx has shifted into the deep Scorpio waters, and will toggle back into Sagittarius on Thursday, December 13th. Mercury Rx is a […]
Mercury Retrograde: Here We Go Again (General Insight Plus What to Know in November/December 2018)
Mercury is the planet of communication and learning: it, essentially, represents the thinking mind (among a few other areas, such as your vehicle or mode of transportation, local travel, neighborhood, siblings and relatives). In your Natal Chart, Mercury resides in a sign and a “house” and this gives you insight into how you learn, take […]
Mars Retrograde
Mars is taking a long and uncharacteristic summer nap. The MARS RETROGRADE period officially began on June 26th, however you may have felt it’s impending reversal as early as May, when the “shadow” period began. In December I began a new job and moved to a new apartment, so I have been regimented with my […]
February 2018 New Moon & Solar Eclipse in Aquarius
The Moon is conjunct the Sun on February 15th, at 4:05 PM EST – this is called the New Moon. This is also a Partial Solar Eclipse. This New Moon is in the sign of Aquarius — quirky, lively, friendly, cutting edge, different/unique and, sometimes, rebellious. Aquarius people do not want to be told […]
Venus in Pisces February 2018
Venus symbolizes love, beauty, and money/earned income. It reflects how you relate to others and your environment, and also how you see yourself through another’s eyes. When Venus moves into Pisces (the unseen realms of life; the divine) we see the world in full color. There is so much more to this vast, mysterious […]
Sun (in Aquarius) Square Jupiter (in Scorpio)
Jupiter in Scorpio is squaring the Sun in Aquarius today until February 11th. What does this mean? I will break this down into its parts and then give you an overall idea of how this energy may play out in your life. Jupiter represents a bigger than life energy; it’s jubilant, carefree, brimming with ideas […]
Ayurveda Practices for Staying in Balance
Ayurveda translates to the Wisdom of Life. I like this definition because it reflects the truth that wellness and health cannot be separated from the larger whole. Our bodies and beings are intrinsically connected to our environment, to the larger whole: what is outside of us is also within us. Ayurveda philosophy is rooted in […]
When Transiting Venus Conjuncts Your Natal Chiron, Hidden Gifts, and Dharma
A few days ago, I had an exact conjunction between Venus in the sky and my natal Chiron. I didn’t realize it until I checked my Transit Chart halfway through that day, thinking to myself what the heck is going on with me today? It started with a wayward paycheck. I sent a third email to […]
Retrograde Planets and Durga’s Roar
We currently have four (soon to be five) retrograde planets in the sky, through the end of May. To take a step back, Retrograde refers to the appearance of a planet, from Earth, to be moving backward in its orbit. It is said by Astrologers that the illusion of the backward motion turns the energy […]
Truth-Day Tuesday
I am not trying to be all scrooge-y … well, a little I am … but I was thinking that along with Facebook’s ubiquitous “Throwback Thursday,” or TBT, we should begin a Truth-day Tuesday revolution: a day of sharing what’s really happening in your life, i.e., “I just had a hideous argument with my significant […]
On the Inside
Lately, I’ve been pondering speech patterns we develop over time (analyzer that I am) and what they reflect about our inner workings, specifically my mother’s relationship with the word “inside” (I’m sure she’d be thrilled). For example, in response to a question about where something is located, like “Where is the cat?” my mother might […]
Play Date
Too drained to climb the stairs to my apartment, I walk toward the old-fashion wooden elevator. I pause to glance at my cell phone and the elevator floats upward with a ding. I sigh. A few minutes later, the elevator lands back in the lobby, and a little girl with light hair and bright eyes […]
Namaste, Saint James
I was recently mesmerized by the charming voice of prison inmate, Saint James Harris Wood in a series of letters he wrote, over a 10-year period, to The Sun Manuscript Editor, Colleen Donfield. The letters were published in the February 2015 issue of The Sun, entitled Your Wretched Correspondent. Wood, Donfield relays, is serving a […]
The Art of Growing Up
An excerpt from an essay in The Sun Magazine (I love this magazine with all my heart): “Looking back, I don’t know how I got through the anxiety and shame of early recovery. Sometimes the pain was so great it felt physical, and I sat twisting and moaning as if cloven feet were stamping through […]
Some Days are Just Like That
Yesterday afternoon I walked in Rockefeller State Park. Blue sky. Soft breeze. Birds singing. Sun shining. It felt like the first official day of Spring … but my thoughts were not cooperating: they were spinning self-defeating little webs. No matter what I did (yoga practice, walking in nature) I could not find the off switch for […]
Weight of the World
Tonight, I picked one of my Osho Zen Tarot cards for inspiration. I chose Innocence. Here is what Osho has to say: “The old man in this card radiates a childlike delight in the world. There is a sense of grace surrounding him, as if he is at home with himself and with what life […]
Aloneness Vs. Loneliness
Today, a quote: “The primary distinction of the artist is that he must actively cultivate that state which most men, necessarily, must avoid: the state of being alone. – James Baldwin
Restore
Restorative Yoga is one of my favorite classes to teach and this amazes me. I am a Vata girl to the max. The Eastern Medicine system of Ayurveda posits that we are born with usually one or two doshas (body types), dominant. My dominant dosha is Vata, or the air element. Vata people need to […]
Messages From Your Angels
A few months ago, my close friend’s grandmother, Gigi, died. This friend is like family–we’ve known one another since 2nd grade; my mom and her mom, M., are also longtime buddies, like sisters. My mom was helping M. clean out her mother’s home when they came across a box of Angel cards: “Messages from your […]
Howl at the Moon
Today I taught yoga classes for kids at a school carnival. These little people were so eager to listen and sing, and bring their hands together at their hearts. They also love barking in Downward Facing Dog, howling at the moon in Upward Facing Dog and hopping like bunny rabbits. They are pure joy. Pure […]
Just Moments
Rain. The soothing tapping sound. The cleansing feel of it on my face, like lots of teardrops (no umbrella). Some days I love the gloominess of the rain. Morning cuddles with my kitty cat. A few scratches thrown in the mix, of course (I am accustomed to having scratched up arms). Peeling a big red […]
Real Musicians Have Day Jobs
I picked up an old issue of The Sun Magazine, realizing I had never read it, and am engrossed in the advice columns from Cary Tennis’ book, Citizens of the Dream: Advice on Writing, Painting, Playing, Acting, and Being. A jazz pianist wrote to Cary for advice on his career/life path, explaining that he’s heading […]
Shot Through the Heart
A dream: I had been shot twice in the area around my heart. I didn’t realize at first that I’d been shot, didn’t feel anything, but then I looked down at my chest and saw that I had two bloody wounds. I felt a tingling sensation, a quiet pain. It wasn’t the pain that concerned […]
Night Guy vs. Day Guy
Seinfeld does a funny skit about “day guy” and “night guy.” Night guy, he says, sabotages day guy. Night guy is not at all concerned with day guy’s wake up time: day guy has to get up in 5 hours; oh well. I think this skit is hilarious because I have a day guy/night guy […]
The Art of Falling Gracefully
Tonight while I was teaching my yoga class I was present, fully present. There is a rhythmic flow that you can step inside of when you leave the thinking mind and teach from that higher, connected place; a dance between teacher and students ensues and it can feel magical. The sequence, the words, the technical […]
“We clean our wounds there.”
“The paradoxes of life are all there in the sea. The ocean is often referred to as feminine, but the weaves arrive in a masculine surge. As soon as they reach the full extent of their masculine expression, they shape themselves into a tube, a womb. . . . There are tempests and dark depths. […]
Breakthrough
Day 15 of my 30-day writing challenge. Halfway there. I was talking to a friend today about her new health plan; for the first 30 days it’s very structured and after that she will be more lenient but will stick to the overall nutritional plan because she feels great. I’m thinking of this writing challenge […]
One Foot in Front of the Other
Ah, today. What can I say about today? I started the first day of my new job and like all first days it was a little (or a lot) chaotic, confusing, unsettling. I felt the familiar pressure on my chest, that ‘uh-oh, what have I gotten myself into?’ feeling. I know that feeling well enough […]
The Clothing Addict
My cat has a clothing addiction. He loves to eat soft material, especially cashmere – what can I say, he has good taste. I have learned my lesson and keep all closets securely shut these days. A chair now serves as a barricade to my closet door after he broke in and had his way […]
Magical Goodness in Tiny Bottles AKA Essential Oils
A post, today, about my newfound love for essential oils. I began using them about a year ago and I think it’s safe to say that I am addicted. Just a warning: this is not a cheap hobby. I envision myself living in a tent or a van down by the river with nothing but […]
“A boy. A bear. The moon.”
An excerpt from Dani Shapiro’s Still Writing: “When it comes to storytelling (and it’s all storytelling) I often tell my students that we need to be dumb like animals. Storytelling itself is primal. It’s the way we’ve always come to understand the world around us–whether recited around a campfire, or read aloud in an east village bar. […]
Red Paper Birds
Today, on his birthday, a tribute to my father. I’ve been reading books about the other side. I teeter between believing that my father is around me, watching me and helping me navigate this tricky earth plane to thinking he is simply, gone. After he died, I saw cardinals on a walking trail near my […]
Grumpy Pants
Today, I took a yoga class today at the studio I teach at. It was a full class and as we were about to begin one last student made her way in. She paused, yoga mat, handbag, and water bottle in hand. There was a good-sized space between two mats in front of me, and […]
Time to Face the Morning
Showing up for day 3 of my writing challenge (write every day, even if it’s for 10 minutes). Today may be a 10 minute kind of day. White is floating around in the sky. This morning I drove to an interview for a summer yoga teacher position, teaching kids. The interview was in the same […]
One Word in Front of the Other
Here I am showing up to my practice. This is not easy for me; my writing practice has been ruled by inspiration and inspiration alone, which comes and goes like the wind or ever-changing moon, and so it has been a spotty practice. A wildly erratic practice, in fact. Making this commitment to write each […]
Faithful to the Practice
Last weekend, I had plans to have tea with a student from my yoga class. We had been saying for months that we would get together and had finally set a date. I planned to get a certain amount of work accomplished in the first half of the day, and when the time to meet […]