During this episode, I talk personally about myself and my journey this past year, working with the Chariot, and moving into 2024 with the Card of the Year--Strength. I also talk about the biggest astrology transits of the year and how to work with them.
blessed samhain!
Samhain (pronounced SOW-en, meaning Summer’s End in Gaelic), the third and final harvest festival, marks the beginning of the dark season for Wiccans and Pagans. Considered the most important day on the Wheel of the Year’s calendar, Samhain falls on October 31st to November 1st. It is the start of Winter in the Witches year. Many consider this New Year.
Agrarian communities clear their fields before Samhain, as lore warns that food harvested after Samhain somehow spoils and can only be left for night spirits, faeries, and the wandering dead. The community prepares for the long winter by drying the medicinal and magical herbs, canning, and preserving fruits and vegetables. Root vegetables are harvested and stored in the cellars for the long winter ahead. This is also traditionally the time when farmers butcher the animals for winter, drying and storing the meat to survive through the long winter. The meat salted and kept, and the bones thrown to the fire as an offering to the Gods and as a security for good fortune. (Bonfire= bone + fire)
In this way, the Horned God, an aged and matured stag, gives his life again so the people can survive the winter. The God is mourned over the three harvests—first as the Grain God, then as God of Harvest, then the Horned God. The Goddess grieves and as she does, she transforms into the old, wise, and wizen crone. The Goddess, worshipped through the year in her three aspects, never dies, just as the Earth never dies. Travels to the underworld, as in the stories of the Sumerian goddess Inanna, Demeter/Persephone, Mabon and more tell us about the way we conquer death and the proximity of our loved ones.
So many cultures celebrate the dead at this time with Halloween (a secular holiday that has borrowed Samhain’s revelry), Día de los Muertos, All Soul’s Day, Feast of the Dead…this is the most holy of days. Though each sabbat honors the cycles of life and death, Samhain formally honors the Dead. The veil between the living and the dead thins during this time—almost all can sense the connection to the ancestors, spirits, and faeries. When the animals are slaughtered at Samhain, farmers also decide which animals live—fed and housed during the long winter months. This is a big decision and commitment for farmers which often sacrifice food from their family for the keeping of their animals.
There is revelry and celebration at Samhain--magick, divination and spirit work performed at this time. But the Spirits and Fae are not always seen as allies, they are trickster, mischievous creatures right now. Unlike Beltane, people are not looking to spend all night outside. The night holds mystery and fear. So, offerings—food and drink—are left outside the doors for the Spirits and Fae. Feeding the dead remains an important part of the rituals around the world honoring the ancestors. These offerings ensured good fortune on the animals in the barn and the crops for the next year.
Because of the magical connection of this time, divination is extremely important part of this time—tarot, scrying, astrological year readings, runes, tea leaf readings, mediumship, and bone readings, where people’s names were written on bones or rocks and thrown into the fire. The next day, the bone or rock was “read” to tell the fortune of the person. Covens and families hold silent dinners where the dead are invited to share a meal. A place setting and plate of food is set in honor of the dead, and all stay silent, waiting for messages from the dead.
At Samhain, you are asked to connect with the Ancestors and your relationship with grief and death. Honor the ancestors and they can assist you on your path. Samhain is a magical time, so you are asked to take a divination method to connect to those who have passed over and the ancestors. Use whichever is your preferred way to connect to Spirit, and ask questions about the new year, about your spiritual journey and what is next for you.
I have created a Tarot Layout to connect with your ancestors and find out more about your new year.
This Samhain, I recorded a different kind of podcast, which is a history of Samhain and mostly, the modern Halloween…where does it come from and where are its roots in the old ways. You can listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Overcast, Radio Public, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Q&A with Angie on Episode 64 of Centered
In this latest episode of Centered, Angie answers some of the many questions she has received since her last Q&A episode in May on Astrology! Specifically, she is waxing a bit philosophic about life of life’s terms, being present, reacting vs. responding, sacred pause, being comfortable with being uncomfortable, authenticity and parenting and more. Here are the questions:
What is the best practice/stone to NOT shoot your mouth off at work? (seriously)
How do you know that you are doing the right thing with your life?
As a mother, how do you manage to show up as your authentic self in your business when your day is filled with chaos and managing tiny human’s schedules including your own? Do you have a specific crystal or ritual you do before you start working that helps ground you in the moment and clear your mind to focus on the task at hand?
If you want to ask me a question, you can send me a voice clip or email at angie@themoonandstone.com or you can send me a voice mail question: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/angie-yingst
Angie references these things in this podcast:
The Sacred Pause, An Excerpt from the Dharma of Poetry by John Brehm: https://wisdomexperience.org/wisdom-article/the-sacred-pause/
The Sacred Pause, Spiritual Practice by Tara Brach: https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/practices/view/21412?id=21412
Jack Kornfield on the Sacred Pause: https://jackkornfield.com/the-sacred-pause/
Tara Brach’s Meditation for the Sacred Pause: https://youtu.be/w-yF9EMkE88?si=IqtjUxKGs83vXfgH
October's Tarot Card, Earth Medicine + Sky Medicine
It's Eclipse season and the last of the two year cycle of Taurus-Scorpio Eclipses.
In this episode, Angie talks about the astrology of the month, pulls a Tarot card archetype for October (the Hermit), and the Earth Medicine allies—Plant Medicine of Mugwort and Damiana; Stone Medicine: Charoite, Moonstone + Hematite as well as work with the medicine of our Spirit Guide the Valkyrie and the Animal Guide of Phoenix
You can listen to this latest episode of Centered on Spotify (https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/VXWTngQezDb) or wherever you listen to podcasts (Amazon, I Heart Radio, Apple Music, Pocketcasts, etc) or right on my website. Or just check out my blog.
Remember these earth medicine guides can be tools for this month, and help you do your thang! A medicine bundle is for sale in my shop, as always.
You can find October's Medicine Bundle here: https://themoonandstone.com/.../oct-2023-earth-medicine...
Remember I do collective Full Moon + New Moon readings for my membership group as well as a Guided Shamanic Journey with the animal medicine of the month. We also meet each Friday for circle, and you get free bonus of Q&As with me. Check out more information here:
Blessed September
Holy cow, it is all retrogrades, all the time. In this episode, I talks about the sky medicine, I mean, astrology of the month, pulls a Tarot card archetype for September (10 of Cups), and the Earth Medicine allies—Plant Medicine of Evening Primrose; Stone Medicine: Rose Quartz, Clear Quartz and Pyrite as well as work with the medicine of Wolf.
Remember these earth medicine guides can be tools for this month, and help you do your thang! A medicine bundle is for sale in my shop, as always. You can find September's Medicine Bundle here: https://themoonandstone.com/medicine/sept-2023-earth-medicine-mojo-bag-4lgxz
Remember I do collective Full Moon + New Moon readings for my membership group as well as a Guided Shamanic Journey with the animal medicine of the month. We also meet each Friday for circle, and you get free bonus of Q&As with me. Check out more information here:
https://themoonandstone.com/monthly-memberships
Some pieces I mention in the podcast that you might find interesting:
Most U.S. wolves are listed as endangered—again. Here’s why: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/gray-wolves-relisted-endangered-species-act
I love the story of Cailleach told by Scottish storyteller Shona Cowie. I link it in the show notes. https://youtu.be/faX4qZ4Ipbk?si=4egBKt39TAjw2UJs
Fresh Air: What we get wrong about Armageddon in the Bible. https://www.npr.org/2023/04/03/1167732024/what-we-get-wrong-about-armageddon-in-the-bible
Genesis Chapter 9:http://web.mit.edu/jywang/www/cef/Bible/NIV/NIV_Bible/GEN+9.html
blessed midsummer
Blessed Midsummer, friends, it is Angelica Yingst with a bonus episode celebrating another turn of the Wheel with Summer Solstice celebrations. Some call it Midsummer, Summer Solstice or litha or Leetha, as others pronounce it. I could not get a clear pronunciation of it. I found an Irish speaker who said Litha, but Wiccans will sometimes say Leetha. Ultimately, the word for the holiday comes from the Anglo-Saxon name for the month of June — Ǣrra-Līða. That essentially translates to “the first liða” — and July is effectively named “the second liða.”
everything you ever wanted to know about astrology
Buckle up, Buttercup!
I spent a few months dotting her Is and crossing her Ts with this mega-questions from Natalie:
My question is: would you be willing to talk a little bit about astrology?
My questions kind of fall into 3 buckets:
1. Maybe you could give a high-level overview of how you think about and approach astrology, including sun sign versus moon sign versus rising sign.
2. And/or maybe a quick description of each sign. Along with how you characterize them. I suppose this could be a full podcast in its own right. Or maybe even 12 of them lol.
3. And/or how do you incorporate astrology into your readings and your life?
Sure, I could have broke all these questions up and not given you a 1.5 hour podcast, but then you'd have to wait, and I spent so much time connecting the dots, telling you the Ancient Greek myths associated with the constellations and zodiac, breaking down each sign, house, placement, etc....so, you don't have to! Take your time and listen. I worked hard to make it manageable and understandable for someone who knows nothing about astrology. It is a lot. I am a lot. I mean, it is part of my shizzle—to be a lot. But that is what happens when you ask a Capricorn Sun, Taurus Moon and Gemini Rising to do a little research. You will soon very much understand that. Enjoy this episode!
Tarot + Earth Medicine Reading for April
Listen to this month’s tarot + earth medicine reading on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts, or right here on my website!
Blessed Vernal Equinox
Blessed Vernal Equinox, friends! This episode of Centered is a reading, history and insights around Vernal Equinox or what modern pagans and Wiccans call Ostara.
Disclaimer for this episode is that I nerd out on some religious and cultural history of this time of the year. I include talk about Christianity, Judaism and the bible. I tend to give you biblical verses for context not preachiness. One thing to know is that I have a degree in Religion. We tend to say that Theologians, of which I am not, focus on what God thinks about humans, and Religion scholars focus on what humans think about God, so I am coming from the latter of these. And in this quest to put things into context, I often will go to the source within that religion. I do my best. I was raised Catholic and am now a pagan. I’m an earth-worshipping, tree hugging, faithful and faith filled believer in the Goddess and God, and often will just say God to mean it all. I want you to know that, because I don’t want to mislead anyone. I tend to see our alikeness in religious beliefs rather than our otherness. I could literally talk Religion all day. And maybe I will some episode.
So, there is no one traditional religion or culture where you would find all eight pagan/Wiccan sabbats as a holiday system. Wicca, also known as Witchcraft or the Craft, seeks to reestablish the link to the earth and the cycle of seasons by following what Wiccans call the "Wheel of the Year." Celebrations, known as Sabbats, serve as the spokes of the Wheel, reminding practitioners of humanity's intimate connection to nature. The Lesser Sabbats, tied to the solstices and equinoxes, and the Greater Sabbats, purportedly tied to harvest and livestock cycles, occur approximately every six weeks. Through observance of the Sabbats and Esbats, rituals taking place every new and full moon, witches keep in touch with the progression of the year and nature's rhythms.That came about in the 1950s with the creation of Wicca by Gerald Gardner.
Ostara celebrates the vernal equinox. Ostara is one of the holy days that Gardner solidified for pagans. Ostara, named after the Eostre, the Germanic Goddess of the Spring (others say she is Celtic) is celebrated on the Vernal or Spring Equinox. Like many other spring celebrations in other cultures, Ostara symbolizes fertility, rebirth, and renewal. This time of year marked the beginning of the agricultural cycle, and farmers would start planting seeds…listen to continue.
Centered Episode 49: Tarot Q+A
In this episode, I am talking about Tarot + the spiritual work of the healer. I have questions that I keep finding that I forgot to answer earlier, or just held onto for a bit, so apologies if that was you. I like to create Q&As that are related. I also have some events and things coming up that you might be interested in, so I have that after my questions, if you hang out that long. Enjoy this episode of Centered.
The questions:
Can you talk about how to create your own tarot layouts? How did you start doing that? And how do you recommend doing it?
What is a significator and why don’t you talk about them?
Beka Caudill asked Is there a certain day you suggest doing your tarot pull for the year? Any specific questions to ask?
Julie Milletti asked Are there times when you don’t do anything spiritual — tarot, meditation, earth medicine practices, etc.?✨
shadow work
I am answering questions again. I like to answer questions, so keep them coming.This time I invited Kyra Paules to join me. We exchanged some Marco Polos about it, and then we jumped on Zoom.
Do we do shadow work or does the shadow work us? That is not the question we answer, but we say it at some point. So, Kyra and I thought we would answer some questions about shadow work, but really we only answer one question. Why are we qualified to talk about shadow anything? We like it. Also, Kyra is training to be a Jungian analyst, she is an official shadow retrieval facilitator and a therapist. I am a shamanic practitioner and we basically are shadowy creatures that like to explore the liminal spaces. And I am in recovery and we do shadow work, even though we don't call it that. We call it the fourth and fifth step.
Here are the questions we actually were asked:
Tan - My question is: how do you integrate shadow work? Shadow work gives us breakthroughs and revelations, most of the time I end up not knowing how to integrate it. How do I implement the changes? Sometimes I might even have a glimpse of what I need to do but actually doing it becomes hard. Maybe ego sabotages your missions with laziness or talks you out of it. How can we integrate our shadow in a way we don’t fell into it again?
Beka - yes, break it down on how one can do shadow work, ID your shadows etc.
If you want to find Kyra, go to http://awentarot.com and you can always find me at http://themoonandstone.com
Episode 43: Angie rambling and Q&As
Another rambly episode of the podcast for you, squirrel friends. (RuPaul, I adore you.) I promise more regular postings and musings as I wind down my other life and fire up a new way of being.
Centered Q&A Episodes 37 & 38
Ugh, I forgot to post my November Earth Medicine + Tarot reading. For the month of November, we are working with the Eight of Swords, Salmon medicine, Thyme and the Crystals: Labradorite, Larimar + Sunstone. We deal with Mars Retrograde and a Lunar Eclipse…holy crap!
Episode 38 answers some questions from our listeners Tarot, Stage Cards, Moon phase work + Retrogrades. Here they are:
Suzanne asked, “Is there a card/s that is always a little difficult to interpret when it comes up in a reading? Conversely is there one or multiple that are easier? 🔮😻”
Tan Hm asked, “Stage cards confuse me! And it would be amazing if you could talk about how to integrate after shadow work.”
Danielle asked, “Phases- from the moon phases and the spiritual meanings, to the spiritual phases (waves) most of us experience in life…. Planet retrogrades and the different impacts depending on the sign if occurs in.”
Suzanne asked, “I know this info is probably somewhere but can you talk a little bit about what "retrograde" means. You can always send a question to angie@themoonandstone.com for me to cover in an upcoming episode or record one on my anchor page at https://anchor.fm/angie-yingst/message
Episode 29 + Episode 30 of Centered
I actually went on a vacation for the first time in years. Since BEFORE the pandemic, in fact. My family and I did two weeks in New England—first in the Berkshires and second in Vermont in a beautiful treehouse. We napped and had ice cream and found swimming holes and hiked in the woods. It was a wonderful time, but it also meant I neglected this blog, my newsletter, my podcast, etc. Oh, and I had all my female bits removed, so I did deal with some, you know, healing time!
Here are my last two episodes of the podcast. First, the monthly earth medicine for August and whew boy, is it a doozy!?!? and then of course, another Q+A episode with my first recorded message, which was so awesome to receive. I hope you enjoy them!
Tarot+ Earth Medicine Allies for July 2022
There is so much I could say about this reading. I had something written that was very straight forward…there is a transit here, and a retrograde there, and a major arcana and I something or other, but then I scrapped it all and just started rambling about religious studies and connection and love and boundaries and unconditional love…it might be a shitshow or something profound for someone, but whatever it is, may it do no harm.
Enjoy!
midsummer lore + collective tarot reading
Honored as the longest day of the year, Midsummer, or Summer Solstice, marks a time when the sun is at its height of power. Summer Solstice, called Litha in pagan and Wiccan circles, honors this longest day of the year. The word “solstice” is from the Latin word solstitium, which literally translates to “sun stands still.” Most of the festivals from around the world, despite religion and culture, honor the Sun’s strength and gifts, particularly agrarian cultures where this time when the crops were sown, tended for a good harvest. Nearly every agricultural society has marked the high point of summer in some way, shape or form. Listen for more…
June's Tarot + Earth Medicine Allies
Tarot + Earth Medicine Allies for June are Three of Wands, Raccoon, Yarrow, Hematite, Zincite and Lapis Lazuli.
It’s Angelica Yingst with you June 2022 Tarot + Earth Medicine reading. Maybe I am early this month with our reading because I am ready to get out of the shitshow that was May—shitshow might be too strong, but the eclipses of May brought to light some darkness, revealing true motives, bringing up old wounds. I have some good news about June…it is not May!
We move into June in Gemini, which is not only my rising sign, but the sign that embraces curiosity, extroversion, and change. And I for one am here for it. Gemini craves communication, stimulation, and adventure, while we are still in Mercury Retrograde, you might find some of this difficult, but you might also find yourself wanting to express yourself through writing to better communicate a highly important message. Gemini is social, while the new moon is not. You can scratch both itches by sending a lovely text, email, DM, to someone you like and don’t want to tell off—start from grace and kindness….
Listen to the episode for more…
all about me, again.
Today’s episode is a little bit different. I am answering some person questions asked by my listeners and followers. Most of them are about my life as a healer and teacher. Listen, I love answering questions about my research and work and where I get to go down rabbit holes, but the personal ones can be different and difficult. Not difficult, but just putting yourself out there can feel vulnerable.
So, here I am answering some questions, and I would love to have a regular monthly episode answering questions from you. If you want to ask me some research questions or questions about healing just know that 1. Or a love doing research, 2 or b. am dedicated to teaching and furthering people’s spiritual journey 3. Or c. I strive to be mindful that not everyone knows all these words and phrases and concepts that me and my other spiritual woo woo people take for granted. If you have an question, you can send it to me at angie@themoonandstone or goto my anchor.fm Centered portal and you can record a question for a future episode. Thanks and I hope you enjoy this episode of Centered.
Beltane Reading, History + Layout
As the Wheel turns and the grass turns greener, flowers blossom, their pollen heaving, enticing, the pollinators, come and spread seed. Greater Sabbats on the pagan Wheel of the Year are the cross-quarter holidays—what they call the Earth Festivals (as compared to the Solar Festivals that mark the equinoxes and the solstices.) Beltane marks the beginning of the transition from Spring to Summer. It occurs on May 1st. Blossoming flowers, the trees and grass really take off, the bees beginning to buzz…it is a time of lightness and fun, fertility and growth.
Beltane uniquely focuses on sexuality and sensuality with a bevy of yonic and phallic symbols. The Horned God, birthed at Yule, begins to hit his lusty stage, ready to mate with the maiden Earth goddess. Both are honored at this time—Cernunnos (as well as Green Man, Pan, the Oak King) and the Maiden Goddess. Beltane honors our own unions. The Roman festival of Floralia seems to have influenced the way Beltane was celebrated. Beltaine, the Celtic Christian festival meaning “Bright Fire”, honored the release of the cattle into the fields. Standing directly across Samhain on the great Wheel of the Year, Beltane calls in light and lightness in the same way Samhain honors the dark of life. There is a focus during Beltane on life in all its sensuous and corporeal glory.
The celebrations of Beltane are joyous, raucous events with massive bonfires, dancing, singing and more. Beltane fires are said to have healing properties that were used to grant healing prayers and protection. The smoke from the bonfires were used for purification and for vitality. The ashes then were placed in the fields for fertility. Celebrations at Beltane, sometimes called May Day, involved the Maypole—a tall wood pole, a phallic symbol, placed in the center of the festivities. A flower wreath placed on top of the pole served as a yonic symbol of the feminine. Brightly colored ribbon hang from the top of the pole to the ground. Maidens and boys were placed around the pole, grabbing every other cloth or ribbon (men facing one way while the women faces another, so they could look at each other.) They danced, weaving in and out of each other, symbolizing the sexual union of masculine and feminine.
When we look at the world through the agrarian calendar, or the Wheel of the Year, we often find some antiquated ways—particularly around the masculine and feminine. Around Beltane, the idea of the masculine and feminine coming together really meant bringing fertility to the fields for a good harvest. A good harvest meant the difference between life and death. It also meant expanding the family and bringing children into the world. Childbirth brings both the feminine and masculine together forming new life, and in this way, Beltane honors the way sexuality brings together the light-dark, masculine-feminine for new life. We can certainly expand our idea of sexuality now, but the symbolism of Beltane remains in the phallic and the yonic.
During Beltane festivals, couples stayed out in the fields all night, engaging in sexual union, particularly in the fields, to encourage fertility in the crops and soil or in the woods, where they would bring back greenery and flowers to decorate for the celebrations. Babies conceived during these couplings at Beltane were called merry-begots and thought to be blessed by the gods. These couplings were not the only celebrations of unions—marriages and hand fastings often were celebrated during this time.
Magick is thought to be easy to access around Beltane. All manner of people engaged in divination and magickal behavior from the grandmother to the cook who threw his soup bones in the fire to read in the morning. In fact, the two Greater Sabbats of the year, Samhain and Beltane, lying across from each other on the Wheel of the Year, honor the thinness of the veil between the worlds by encouraging us to dive into our Tarot and oracle decks, our runes, and scry into bowls of water, another yonic symbol.
I have been reading Tarot for many moon cycles. As a pagan and an earth medicine practitioner, I have created tarot spreads for each of the points on the Wheel of the Year to help us easily tap into the energetic and magickal work important around these different points on the Wheel of the Year and in our life. Beltane’s sexy energy encourages us to connect with the light, lusty, fertile energy of Beltane and May.
I wanted to share my Tarot Layout from my book the Complete Tarot Layouts. Because the energy of sex and creativity is so intimately tied together, you can use this layout for either. If you are more interested in a creative project, you can also think of that birthing out of the same energy of Beltane. Remember you can do this reading at any time you want to check in with a relationship or project of any kind, not just Beltane. Remember you can use this and any tarot layout with runes, oracles decks or any Tarot deck.
Episode 12: Tarot's Card of the Year for 2020 with Kyra Paules
I love me a good conversation with Kyra. It was so fun to talk about the Card of the Year (Emperor) for 2020 and the Card for 2021 (Hierophant). So we talk Tarot and the energy of the past two years and how we see archetype and tarot work play out on a larger scale with this work.