scorpio season feels.

note: this post is directly pulled from my 11/3/21 email newsletter without edits. this time, as a bonus, this blog post will include my awareness practice section, which is typically reserved exclusively for newsletter subscribers (subscribing is currently free!). if you would like to receive my weekly note in your inbox along with additional sections and features not included here, you can join my email community.

last time, we began a series introducing my new offering: 1:1 astrocartography sessions!

learn more about how these sessions work and book an astrocartography reading here.

this time, my note is relatively short, and my prime invitation is for you to dig into the scorpio season themed awareness practice prompts later in this email.

what is scorpio season?

depth. passion. power. intimacy. mystery. intensity. courage. magnetism. rebirth. release.

who is scorpio season?

raw. real. soulful. perceptive. psychic. independent. original. sharp. outspoken. clever. candid. honest.

why is scorpio season?

this alchemical time asks us to surrender to the undercurrents of life and to stare our deepest selves straight in the face. ruling the sign of scorpio is the planet pluto, which is often experienced as confronting and sometimes even burdensome— but only ever to call us more firmly into our power and rebirth us into the witnessing of a more honest self.

but like, what the fuck, seher?

i know. it's kind of the most. for me right now, scorpio and pluto are definitely like, “bitch, hi.”— more precisely as a cacophony of varied chaos and grief that i guess are asking me to surrender and release and get clear or whatever. so rude.

but this is how we grow and find more meaning in our joy, right?

so that's why i got all the awareness prompts for you— to meditate on, deep dive into, let marinate in the back of your mind, reflect on, converse about, or throw in the trash (only to later pull out a crumpled piece of email at the exact right moment, and finally be like, “aha!”).

here's to fortitude and agile flow in riding deep and sometimes turbulent waters. and here's to the unique peace and wisdom found when we allow our pain and our shadows tender loving space.

awareness practice.

1. your truth.

which parts of your true self do you have trouble owning and accepting?

where are you not speaking or embodying your truth? how has this been hurting you? what would it look like to stand boldly in whatever it is you have to say and whoever it is that you are— and own it? how would that feel?

imagine your most authentic self. who are you? what is it you stand for? how do you look, feel, think, and move? what do you want? what do you do? what will you not do?

what helps you feel most embodied in your authentic self?

2. facing it.

which parts of yourself or your life do you avoid excavating and taking an honest look at? why?

how have you been lying to yourself or others? are you ready to tell the truth? what might that look like?

which areas of your life could benefit from some radical honesty— whether to yourself or others? what do you need to get more raw and real about in your life?

what’s something you keep trying to ignore but won’t go away? what if you stared it right in the face this time? told it: “let’s go!”? what would that look like? and how might confronting this thing free you?

is there a part of your shadow or darkness that particularly scares or intimidates you? what if you offered this part of you some deep, tender love?

what in your life needs to die in order to create space for the new?

3. desire + risk.

what, specifically, is it that you most deeply desire? what, if anything, is keeping you from this?

what is the one thing that you most earnestly dream about for your life? how would it feel to promise yourself that you’re going to make this happen and believe your own hype?

if you could release the one thing holding you back in your life, what would it be? what’s the first step you can take to make this happen?

what would happen if that one goal you keep procrastinating you finally made a priority?

what’s a meaningful risk you’ve been hesitant to take? how would your life be different if you took this bet on yourself? how would even the simple act of giving yourself this chance impact your relationship with yourself?

4. power.

what is your relationship to power? do you judge it? hide from it? resent it? test it? spar with it?

how do you diminish and undercut your own power? what’s one thing you can start doing today to take your power back?

who would you be if you were fully in your power? how would a balanced and grounded embodiment of power express through you?

5. intimacy.

what can you do to deepen presence and intimacy with yourself? your relationships? with life itself?

6. muse.

if you could pick a scorpio muse to help you embody your unique passion, power, and magnetism— who would it be?

insomnia.

i began having pretty intense insomnia starting when i moved to nyc 9 years ago. it goes it waves. sometimes i go through bouts of going to sleep at 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 in the morning. such has been the case for me for most of the quarantine.

in passing on social media, i’ve read about others experiencing major insomnia and essentially a nocturnal schedule. i want to say that i came across a pull quote or headline where a specialist was talking about how the insomnia is due to our subconscious stress or something of the like. makes sense to me. i’m sure life routine and structure being blown up also has something to do with it.

someone dm’ed me the other day saying they didn’t know why but felt like they had to tell me their insomnia story. intuition on point! there also appeared to be a bit of self-judgment in this admission. so i want to offer this post for two reasons: 1) to tell you there is no shame in your biological responses to a unique global crisis that no one currently alive has ever experienced, and 2) to share possible solves for insomnia and more restful sleep.

i share these remedies with you in full admission that i have not found the will or discipline within me to exercise them most of the time. when i try them, they sometimes work, they sometimes don’t— some work better than others for me. i haven’t tried them all. in such a case, different strokes for different folks— one size does not fit all.

this is info that i have amassed from various reading, listening to talks/podcasts, plus my own experience and intuition. hope to learn more in time. arianna huffington is a sleep hygiene evangelist as is her thrive global platform— she’s served as a source for some important bits below. in the interest of space and time, i am not going to offer a ton of detail or really explain why and how all these things work— you can research that on your own if you want.

here we go, in no particular order. the first two are the most annoying but also very powerful. please do comment with your own insomnia + sleep tips and wisdom <3

• make yourself get into bed— without your electronics— even if you aren’t tired

• try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day

• no electronics 30-120 min before bed (ideally at least 60 min)

• do a wind-down activity— something relaxing and analog 30-120 min before bed; can even do certain things while already in bed (meditation, reading, qigong, journaling, doodling/drawing)

  • if you opt for reading before bed, ideally choose something that’s an easy read and less cerebral

• take a hot bath 15-60 min before bed (you can also add a little tiny bit of a relaxing essential oil like lavender)

• drink hot tea 15-60 min before bed, especially a relaxing/calming tea like chamomile or kava

• take some cbd oil 15-30 min before bed

• take a melatonin supplement at the recommended time before bed

• diffuse a relaxing essential oil like lavender 30-120 min before bed and during sleep

• listen to binaural beats or isochronic tones with low theta or any delta frequencies 15-30 minutes before bed (can combine this with a wind-down activity if it feels right for you)

• play white noise sounds once you get into bed (perhaps even 15 minutes before you intend to sleep; while doing your wind-down activities or listening to the white noise as a wind-down activity itself)

• change into sleeping clothes that are only for sleep and nothing else

• create a bedtime routine or ritual

• keep your phone out of your bedroom and use an analog alarm clock

• don’t spend the day in bed, work/live in another room during the day

• workout (day or night, depending on whether working out energizes you or tires you out)

• when you do wake up, especially when you wake up earlier, try to stand outside for 10-20 minutes to get sun— this can help reset your circadian rhythms

big love. wishing for us all to find our peace and sweet, nourishing sleep. <3