Shakti Shine: September

Whew—Hard to believe August is over

how ya doing? If you can, take 5 breaths with your eyes closed.

August was SO MUCH FUN! Thanks for showing up to support us and our/your friends at Open House, 1000 Faces, and Creature Comforts!

If Fall semester really kicked in and you’re feeling the energy intensify every day we get closer to football season, I have some good news! We have several events to get you grounded coming up in September. (See full Shakti Shine NewsLetter with upcoming events.)

Fall semester, and fall in Athens, can be a lot. We recently entered Virgo season and I have felt the opposite of grounded. In fact, I have felt very future minded. I worked so hard to get to fall and now we are here! What’s next?

Yoga emphasizes the present, AND, I think there is something very spiritually powerful about envisioning the future.

It’s a special moment when your present moment is met with the end of a moment you anticipated and worked towards.It’s like 5 breaths all in one.In those special moments there are pockets of possibility and my mind will instinctively look for what’s next?

Virgo season grounds us in the present so we can grow and envision bigger.
Permission to give attention to details and daydreams is a must.

When I think of Virgo season I think of Tantra. In Sanskrit, tantra means, “woven together” and in the Indian tradition means, “method, technique, or practice."

Tantra emphasizes that nothing exists that is not divine.

The magic is in the details, the routines, the earth, and always the breath —sounds like Virgo energy to me.

Through September, I invite you to practice tantric routines or meditations.
Are there any routines or practices that feel sacred or divine to you naturally?

Having your morning coffee, yoga practice, making art, reading a book, nature walks, driving to work, any daily activity has the opportunity to become a form of mediation woven with divinity.

Fig, goat cheese and prosciutto flatbread. So good!

For me lately, it’s been cooking.
Having the time and energy to cook a meal with intention, inspiration, and care is special for me.
I am grateful for the earth, plants, and animals.
I’m grateful for my body’s ability to digest and use nutrients, my privilege to be able to cook and prepare food, access to foods I love, and the enjoyment of tastes and smells.

A mundane ordinary task is transformed, the chasing of the next moment ceases, and an opportunity to stretch our capacity for truth and oneness with ourselves, each other, and the world around us opens up.

Tantra, and Virgo season, remind us to embrace our life—all of it—and be embraced by it.
Tantra, like yoga, is a practice of grounding your attention to the details and tasks of life to catch a glimpse of the divine within and around us.

What’s next will come,
but the magic is here.

Honor your tasks, days, and routines. Fully see the divinity in your projects and creations and let what’s next be the product of following your most sacred moments.

-Lucy

P.s Interested in learning more about tantra?

check out this podcast for more info, history, and a few short meditations.