Hope reminds us that we do have control over our experience. As we are waiting to hear if we got the job, or for the doctor to call, or to see if our relationship with our partner will last, or if our loved one will recover from their illness---we can choose hope as we navigate the vulnerable space of anticipation and uncertainty. In these moments, hope is our greatest teacher.

Religious Oppression is the abuse of power by the patriarchy, capitalists, organizations or individuals--done in the name of God---as a way to tyrannize, marginalize, persecute, torture or kill individuals who threaten systems of power, or who challenge authority, societal norms, or white comfort.

I believe it is the right of each individual to find their own spiritual path, and many find their peace within religion. I fully support that.

However, the dark side of religion is religious tyranny. For millenia, oppression, colonialization, and genocide have been carried out in the name of religion. I believe this is the greatest evil that exists on Earth.

These are the most powerful spiritual tools that I use on a daily basis. I find that when I start my day with prayer, when I ground and center with God and Mother Earth, when I call in my power animals for guidance, my day becomes a magical, sacred experience.

I ground, center and pray before each client session, and set the intention to be a vessel of love on their behalf, to help them with what they most need on their journey. When I do this, I am shown how to hold space for the special soul that sits before me.

I often pray and set intentions before writing a post, before going into a meeting, even before going to the gym if I know I'll need extra strength for a difficult workout.

How grateful I am for womb magick. Being raised Catholic in a patriarchal society, I was taught to believe that a woman's power lay in being innocent, nice, and sweet, being able to pleasure a man, but not be too sexual or otherwise be labeled a slut. I was raised to believe that I had to be neat, clean and sanitary with my menstrual blood, to take birth control pills, and to suffer through the cramps. Our historical, ancestral inheritance has taught us that strong women are b(w)itches, and need to be silenced, shamed, objectified, or burned.

Let's talk about the Observer Effect. Quantum physicists studied two particles' behavior, expecting them to follow a predetermined path, only to discover that the particles responded to the observer, and its path was determined accordingly.

"Swim with sharks" has been on my bucket list for years. I've wanted to confront this fear not just as a way of becoming stronger and more confident, but out of a desire to better understand these creatures that terrified me, but I knew nothing about. The idea always hovered in a nebulous cloud in my mind, seemingly out of reach, and a small part of me wasn't quite sure I would actually go through with it.

Are you feeling stuck, lost, or frustrated with where you're at in life? We all feel stuck sometimes. We will enter many transition periods in our lives where we meet new, significant people or when our lives begin to change for the better, but the time period right before that change can feel a lot like limbo. Here are 5 reasons why you might be stuck:

The Lion's Gate portal opens every year at the end of July, closing mid-August, with it's most potent date being August 8th, or 8/8.

Ancient Egyptian astrologers viewed the Lion's Gate Portal---the date when the Earth and the Sun in Leo line up with the star Sirius in Orion's belt---as an auspicious date where massive energy pours from the cosmos down onto the Earth, and aligns with the Pyramid of Giza.

To be pure of heart means that we strive to be loving and kind to ourselves, and that we extend this loving-kindness outwards. It means that we cultivate pure intentions---and a clear conscience---with everything we say and do, knowing that our words and actions result in the life that we create, and they have ripple effects on the people and the world that surrounds us.

Be true to your heart and live authentically.