The Lion’s Gate Invitation: Let Go and Rise

As I have been sharing, we are in the energy of The Lion's Gate Portal, culminating on 8/8. It is an invitation to align to your core frequency.

There is a story I love about two monks who vowed to avoid all contact with women.

Coming to a deep river, they found a frightened young woman who asked to be carried across. One monk immediately lifted her onto his shoulders, carried her over, and set her down.

Hours later, the other monk turned to him, furious. “We are forbidden to touch women. Why did you do that?” The first monk replied, “I left her at the riverbank hours ago. Why are you still carrying her?”

As we work with the high frequency of this portal, it is crucial to notice the old energy still tying you to the past. Holding onto anger or judgment weighs you down far longer than any physical act ever could.

This week, I invite you to spend just a few minutes each day with this simple practice.

Sacred Release

Take a slow, deep breath and imagine you are plugging directly into Divine Light, your highest self, or whatever name you give to the sacred.

As you exhale, imagine releasing every thought, belief, emotion, or energetic imprint that no longer supports the person you are becoming.

Then say aloud:

“Cancel. Cancel. Cancel. I now release all energy created from a lesser level of light. I choose to align with the highest expression of my soul."

For more than forty years, I have guided people through rituals, ceremonies, space clearings, blessings, and transformational experiences rooted in ancient wisdom and designed for modern life.

Whether I'm blessing a new home, helping a business clear stagnant energy before a major launch, creating a wedding ceremony that honors a couple's deepest values, or guiding a circle through sacred ritual, my purpose is always the same:

To help people release what no longer serves them so they can align with the unique frequency of their soul and live with greater clarity, purpose, and joy.

That is the heart of my work.

And it is exactly what we'll be doing together during the Lion's Gate Portal Initiation on Wednesday, August 6.

If you're ready to release the past, raise your vibration, and consciously step into the next chapter of your life, I'd be honored to guide you.

And if you'd like to experience the energy of Sekhmet in person, I invite you to join me on August 7 for Spirituality and the City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where together in a small group we'll explore the mysteries of ancient Egypt and stand in the presence of one of its most powerful sacred figures.

With love,

Barbara

Sekhmet’s Call: A Portal to Courage.

“Leo says celebrate life and, while you're at it, be somebody.”

— Elizabeth Rose Campbell

As we move toward the Lion's Gate Portal at the end of July and into its peak in early August, I find myself reflecting on courage.

Not the courage to do more. The courage to become more fully ourselves.

Last week, I found myself standing quietly in front of the magnificent statue of Sekhmet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

People walked by, pausing for only a moment before continuing on.

But I stayed.

As I looked into her ancient lioness face, I was transported back to my journey to Egypt years ago—a pilgrimage that profoundly changed my life.

While meditating in Sekhmet's sacred chamber, I experienced something I'll never forget.

I felt a powerful surge of energy enter through the crown of my head, and in that stillness I heard these words:

“I will work through you and guide your journey. All I ask in return is love.”

As we left the temple, my friend Terry Iacuzzo, a gifted psychic, turned to me and said she had seen brilliant electric-blue feathers streaming from Sekhmet into my crown chakra, filling me with light.

I knew I had received an invitation—to work with the qualities Sekhmet embodies courage, healing, fierce compassion, protection, and transformation.

Since then, I have returned to her wisdom again and again whenever I find myself standing at a crossroads.

Many of you who have traveled with me to Egypt have shared your own powerful experiences in her temple, each one unique and deeply personal.

Today it feels especially meaningful as we approach the Lion's Gate Portal—when the Sun moves through Leo and Sirius rises into alignment, a time many traditions recognize for heightened intuition and transformation.

The fiery energy of Leo naturally evokes Sekhmet, reminding us to lead with courage and an open heart.

Whether you experience the Lion's Gate as a cosmic alignment, an ancient tradition, or simply a beautiful invitation to pause and reflect, I believe it offers us something precious:

A doorway. A doorway to release what no longer serves us.

A doorway to step into our greatness—not by becoming someone else, but by becoming more completely ourselves.

If you've been feeling that something is shifting within you, perhaps this is your invitation to pause, listen deeply, and consciously step across that threshold.

I'd be honored to guide you during my Lion's Gate Portal Ceremony on Thursday, August 6, where we'll gather online for an evening of ritual, meditation, reflection, and renewal.

Because the Lion's Gate opens the doorway. Ritual is how we step through it.

With love,

Barbara

Who Holds Your Mirror?

Recently, I was leading a leadership ritual for an offsite hosted by Coach People, when I shared these beautiful words from the late Irish poet John O’Donohue:

“May you have good friends to mirror your blind spots. May leadership be for you a true adventure of growth”

The words stayed with me long after the workshop ended.

I realized that true leadership isn’t reserved for CEOs, teachers, or people with impressive titles Leadership begins with the willingness to know ourselves—to become aware of the places where we are still growing.

A few days later, I was given one of those mirrors.

A friend had been telling me she was feeling lonely and disconnected, so when I learned about a small gathering, I immediately thought of her and invited her to join us. I wanted her to feel included and welcomed.

At the last minute, she let me know she had decided to do something else.

I was surprisingly disappointed.

I found myself thinking, after I went out of my way to include her…

When I shared the story with my dear friend Joani, she gently reflected something I couldn’t see on my own.

She said, “Barbara, this is a pattern.”

She was right.

Sometimes my generous heart moves into over-giving. I anticipate what someone else needs before they’ve asked. I step in, I offer, I try to make things better. Then, when my generosity isn’t received the way I imagined, disappointment follows.

The invitation wasn’t really the issue. The mirror was.

What Joani helped me see is that over-giving can quietly become attached to expectations. Not because we’re trying to manipulate anyone, but because we’ve created a story about how someone will respond.

When reality doesn’t match that story, we suffer.

That doesn’t mean we stop being generous. It means our generosity becomes freer.

We give because it is a true expression of who we are—not because we need a particular response in return.

That is leadership.

Leadership asks us to look inward before we look outward. It asks us to become curious instead of defensive. It asks us to grow.

After more than forty years of guiding rituals and helping people through life’s transitions, I still need good friends who lovingly hold up the mirror. In fact, I need them more than ever.

None of us can see ourselves completely. And perhaps that’s one of life’s greatest blessings.

A Mirror Ritual

Light a candle and take three slow breaths.

Place your hand over your heart and ask:

✦ Where am I over giving instead of simply giving?

✦ What expectation have I attached to my generosity?

✦ What blind spot is ready to be seen with love?

Sit quietly and simply listen.

Close by saying:

“I welcome the mirrors that help me grow. I release the need to earn love through over giving. I choose generosity with healthy boundaries, an open heart, and a willingness to keep growing.”

Take a moment to write down one insight before returning to your day.

With love,

Barbara

Come Home To Yourself.

Come home to yourself this new moon

The Cancer New Moon on July 14th reminds us that true transformation begins at home. Not just the place we live, but the place within ourselves.

Home is where we seek comfort, safety, belonging, and renewal. Yet over time, our homes can also hold the energy of stress, grief, conflict, major life transitions, or simply years of accumulated emotional residue.

Just as our hearts need tending, so do the spaces that hold our lives.

Last week, I had the privilege of performing a Space Clearing and Blessing in a beautiful townhouse in New York City. The owners were beginning a new chapter and wanted their home to reflect that intention.

Together we released stagnant energy, blessed each room, and created a space that felt lighter, more peaceful, and aligned with the life they are ready to build.

A Simple New Moon Ritual

Light a candle and take a few slow breaths. Ask yourself:

✦ What would help me feel truly at home, in my life, my relationships, and within myself?

✦ What new energy am I inviting in?

Write your answers on paper. Fold the page and place it somewhere meaningful as a reminder of the intentions you're planting with this New Moon.

Keep it until the Full Moon on July 29th, then burn it. When the ashes cool, place them on the earth.

If you feel that you're standing at the threshold of a new beginning but aren't sure how to move forward, I'd be honored to help, whether that means a single tarot reading or a full home blessing.

With love,

Barbara

Free To Be Me.

As we celebrate the Fourth of July this week, I’ve been thinking about freedom.

Not just the freedom we celebrate as a country, but the freedom we long for within ourselves.

I’ll be honest. One of my biggest lifelong challenges has been dealing with what I call my Judge—my Inner Saboteur.

It’s the voice that tells me I’m not doing enough, not accomplishing enough, or that somehow I’m not enough. It can be relentless.

Even after more than forty years of spiritual practice, leading rituals around the world, writing books, and helping thousands of people transform their lives, that voice still visits from time to time.

The difference today is that I no longer believe everything it says.

One of the modalities that has helped me most is Voice Dialogue, where I learned to recognize that the Judge is only one part of me—not all of me.

Instead of letting it run the show, I’ve learned to listen with curiosity, thank it for trying to protect me, and then choose a different voice to guide my life.

One of my favorite lyrics by Karen Drucker has become a mantra:

“I’m taming my inner critic. You have no power over me. Knowing my worth has finally set me free.”

Over the years I’ve discovered there isn’t just one path to inner freedom.

For me, it’s been a combination of ritual, Voice Dialogue, meditation, breathwork, gratitude, forgiveness, and surrounding myself with people who remind me of who I truly am when I forget.

When I catch my Judge taking over, I literally say, “Cancel. Clear.” It interrupts the old pattern, gives my nervous system a chance to reset, and creates space for a new possibility.

I’ve learned that freedom isn’t about having a perfect life.

It’s about no longer allowing old stories, old fears, or old beliefs to define who we are.

This is why I do the work I do.

Whether I’m guiding someone through a private reading, creating a ritual for a life transition, clearing the energy of a home or business, or simply holding sacred space, my intention is always the same: to help people release what no longer serves them so they can step into the next chapter of their lives with greater clarity, confidence, and joy.

As you celebrate this holiday weekend, I invite you to ask yourself:

What would be possible if you no longer let your Judge make your decisions?

That, to me, is the deepest kind of freedom.

Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful Fourth of July and the freedom to be fully, beautifully yourself.

With love,

Barbara

Charlie is 89. He Said I Restored His Faith in People

Sunday, after performing a Summer Solstice ritual at the river, I was tired and sat down on a bench in front of Murray’s Cheese Shop in the Village.

As I looked down, I noticed a wallet on the ground.

I picked it up. Inside were nearly 25 cards: credit cards, a Social Security card, medical cards, tax documents. It felt like someone’s entire identity was sitting in my hands.

I walked into the shop to ask if anyone had lost it. No one had. I left my phone number, just in case.

At first I thought about dropping it off at the local Police Station, but something kept pulling at me. This person needed their life back. So, I went through the wallet carefully, found a name and an address, searched online, and found a phone number. I called and left a message.

Thirty minutes later, a man called back. It was his father’s wallet. He asked if he could come get it, and I told him I’d leave it with my doorman.

Then, around 10pm, my phone rang again.

It was Charlie. He is 89 years old. He lost his wife five years ago, and he spends a lot of time near that shop because his cousin owns the store next door. I think he finds comfort in the familiar.

He said he couldn’t believe someone had returned his wallet. That he had lost faith in people. He said “ You made my Father’s Day.”

We don’t have to run a company or write a big check to change someone’s world. Sometimes it’s as simple as picking up a wallet.

Noticing someone who needs help. Deciding to go a little out of our way for a stranger.

That is a ritual too! A sacred one.

Every small act of kindness sends a ripple we may never see. Charlie’s call reminded me of that. We all have the power to restore someone’s faith, in people, in life, in the goodness that still exists all around us.

This is the work I am devoted to: helping people reconnect with what matters, through ritual, intention, and the simple power of showing up.

My work is about clearing what's in the way: the old stories, the inherited beliefs, the energetic residue that keeps you looping in the same place. Once that clears, alignment happens naturally - with your purpose, your intuition, and the life you're actually here to live.

With love,

Barbara

The Knicks and the Hidden Power of Collective Celebration

Many years ago, when JFK Jr. died in a plane crash, CBS News asked me to speak about the spontaneous rituals forming outside his Tribeca apartment.

Strangers were laying flowers, lighting candles, gathering in silence. The reporters didn't quite understand why.

What they missed is something I have spent over 30 years studying: grief of this magnitude cannot be processed alone.

JFK Jr. was beloved, and that kind of love creates a feeling of intimacy even between strangers.

When people come together around shared loss, something powerful happens. Their emotions amplify and transform each other.

Last weekend, we witnessed the same phenomenon in reverse when the Knicks won the NBA championship after a 53-year drought.

This time it was pure celebration. Thousands of people poured into the streets of New York in what can only be described as a spontaneous collective ritual. Strangers embraced. Kids and adults became one. Race, gender, political affiliation fell away. For a moment, we were simply united.

This is not just joyful chaos. There is real science underneath it.

When we share intense emotion in a group, our heart rhythms synchronize and our nervous systems entrain to one another. The feeling is contagious in the most healing sense of the word.

This is the invisible architecture of community ritual, and it is what I have been facilitating for over 30 years.

The magic and connection we felt in the streets this week is real, and it is available to you anytime.

If this resonates, I would love to support your own journey with ritual. Whether you join me for an upcoming ceremony or book a private session, there is a place for you in this work.

Visit barbarabiziou.com/events to see what is coming up or reach out to explore working together one on one.

With love and fierce courage,

Barbara

What a Tony Award-Winning Play Reminded Me

Before I begin, a small announcement:

As we move into summer, I've decided to shift my newsletter to Wednesdays. One of my intentions this season is to create a little more breathing room and enjoy some long weekends, so I'll be taking extended weekends off whenever possible.

It feels fitting that this week's newsletter is about creating space because that is exactly what I'm trying to practice myself. Sometimes the most important thing we can do is pause, step back from the constant doing, and make room for what truly matters.

Now, onto this week's reflection...

There is something fascinating about what humans do before a great undertaking.

Before a ship sets sail, before a family moves into a new home, before a business opens its doors, before a theater company welcomes an audience, people throughout history have paused to bless the space.

Long before modern psychology spoke about intention, cultures around the world understood that the environments we inhabit influence how we think, feel, create, and connect. Sacred rituals were woven into daily life not because they guaranteed success, but because they helped people begin with presence, clarity, and purpose.

Around the world, homes are blessed. In India, ceremonies are performed before entering a new building. Indigenous traditions around the world honor the spirit of the land. Temples, gathering places, farms, businesses, and homes are all consecrated in ways that reflected the culture and values of the community.

At their heart, these rituals acknowledge a simple truth: space matters.

The energy of a room matters. The intention we bring into a place matters. The relationships formed within it matter.

Recently, I had the privilege of leading a blessing for the Broadway production Liberation before it opened. Last weekend, the play received the Tony Award for Best Play. ( Congratulations to the entire cast, crew and production team!)

To be clear, awards are earned through extraordinary talent, vision, discipline, courage, and countless hours of hard work. A blessing does not create great art.

What a blessing can do is create a moment of alignment. It invites people to pause, connect to a shared purpose, and step into a space with intention.

Whether I am blessing a theater, clearing the energy of a home, working with a business team, or helping someone prepare for a new chapter in life, I often see the same thing happen.

People feel more grounded. More connected. More present to what they are creating.

In a world that encourages us to move faster and faster, perhaps one of the most powerful things we can do is pause before we begin.

To honor the space

To honor the people

To honor the possibility

That is the gift of ritual

Warmly,

Barbara

Dream Bigger. It's a Blue Moon.

This is a rare one.

A Blue Moon is the second full moon in the same calendar month. It does not happen often. Once in a blue moon, as they say.

And Sagittarius brings exactly the energy this moment calls for.

Expansion. Adventure. Deep faith in your own journey.

This is a moon that asks you to lift your gaze, open your horizons, and trust that growth can feel joyful rather than hard.

This is your invitation to dream without limits.

The Ritual

✦ Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed.

✦ Light a candle.

✦ Take a few slow, easy breaths to settle in. Let your body relax.

Now close your eyes and imagine this: I am your spiritual travel agent. Where do you want to go?

Let yourself wander. You might find yourself tracing hieroglyphs in ancient temples. Standing inside great cathedrals, feeling centuries of prayer in the stone. Swimming in waters so clear they feel like glass. Hiking mountain paths where the view stretches forever.

Perhaps you sit at the table of a great chef in a small village. You pick up an instrument and play alongside musicians somewhere you have never been but somehow feel at home.

You study with the greatest spiritual teachers. You paint, you invent, you discover. You see the world through fresh eyes. Eyes not limited by habit or fear or what has been done before.

The world is open. There are no limits. Feel what it truly feels like to know this.

Take three deep breaths. With each one, let these experiences settle into your body. Into your cells. Into your sense of what is possible for you.

The world is only as large as what you can imagine. And your imagination has no ceiling.

Before you return to your day, write down one action step. One thing you will do this week that moves you toward the life you just imagined. It does not have to be big. It just must be real.

With love and fierce courage,

Barbara

The Gift of Looking Again

One day, a professor entered his classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test. They all waited anxiously at their desks for the exam to begin.

The professor handed out the exams with the text facing down, as usual. Once he handed them all out, he asked the students to turn over the papers.

To everyone’s surprise, there were no questions–just a black dot in the center of the paper. The professor, seeing the expression on everyone’s faces, told them the following:

“I want you to write about what you see there.”

The students, confused, got started on the inexplicable task.

At the end of the class, the professor took all the exams and started reading each one of them out loud in front of all the students. All of them, with no exception, defined the black dot, trying to explain its position in the center of the sheet.

After all had been read, the classroom silent, the professor started to explain:

“I’m not going to grade you on this; I just wanted to give you something to think about. No one wrote about the white part of the paper. Everyone focused on the black dot – and the same thing happens in our lives.

However, we insist on focusing only on the black dot – the health issues that bother us, the lack of money, the complicated relationship with a family member, the disappointment with a friend.

The dark spots are very small when compared to everything we have in our lives, but they are the ones that pollute our minds. Take your eyes away from the black dots in your lives. Enjoy each one of your blessings, each moment that life gives you. Be happy and live a life filled with love!”

- Author unknown

With love and fierce courage,

Barbara

Why Ceremony Changes Everything

Across cultures and centuries, we've always blessed each other with long life.

The Italians say Cent'anni. The Hebrew tradition says may you live 120 years. The Chinese offer chang ming bai sui - long life to a hundred.

And I doubt any of those elders worried about starting their morning with a red-light therapy mask.

Last week I had the honor of opening the Wellness Pavilion at the Milken Conference. And I shared something I've spent 30 years learning from cultures around the world.

The people who actually live those long, healthy lives? They don't just have good food, technology and a good environment.

They honor life's transitions as sacred. And they have real community holding them through every stage.

Ritual harnesses collective power.

But ritual only works when you're present. And the modern wellness crisis is this...we're everywhere except where we are.

Community creates wellness. Technology enhances it. Spiritual connection stabilizes it.

If this resonates, I'd love to help you create more presence, connection, and ritual in your own life.

Whether you're navigating a transition, leading a team, or simply ready to show up more fully, a Personal /Group Alignment Session is a beautiful place to begin.

With love and fierce courage,

Barbara

Stop. Breathe. Step away from the Screen

You check your phone, scroll, skim, click… and somewhere in the process, you stop breathing.

It's subtle, but real. Many of us hold our breath while moving through emails and social feeds, keeping the body in a low-grade state of tension and urgency. This "digital apnea" can leave you feeling drained, scattered, and oddly disconnected.

Try this…

Before opening your inbox or apps, take 3 slow, conscious breaths.

While scrolling, notice your body, especially your jaw, shoulders, and breath.

If you notice tension, overwhelm, or fatigue creeping in, that's your signal to step away.

When you step away, move your body. Even a few minutes of stretching or light movement can release built-up tension.

Small shift. Powerful impact. Your breath is your anchor. When you return to it, you return to yourself.

With love and fierce courage,

Barbara

P.S. I have a few in-person spots open this week in Los Angeles. If you've been thinking about working together, reach out soon. Info@barbarabiziou.com

The Missing Step Between Endings and New Beginnings.

You Don't Have to Cross This Threshold Alone!

A few days ago, I sat with a couple I have known and loved for a long time. I officiated their wedding years ago. And now they were standing at another threshold. A move. A retirement. A whole new chapter beginning at once.

They could have just... moved on. Unpacked boxes. Made dinner reservations. Gotten on with it.

But they didn't. They asked for a ritual.

And in our time together, something shifted. Not just for them. For me too. Our ancestors understood something we have mostly forgotten.

Transitions are sacred. They deserve to be witnessed.

Not rushed through. Not quietly endured. Not handled efficiently and moved on from.

We live in a culture that celebrates arrivals. The new job. The new home. The new chapter. But we rarely stop to honor what we are leaving behind. The life that held us. The work that shaped us. The version of ourselves that got us here.

And when we skip that honoring, something goes with us unfinished. A low hum of loss we can't quite name. A feeling that something important happened but we never quite marked it.

Sound familiar?

Every major transition carries two things at once. A completion and a beginning. And both deserve to be seen.

That is what ritual does. It slows time down just enough for your whole self to catch up with the moment you are actually in.

That night, we gathered. I created a simple ritual to honor both what they were leaving behind and what they were stepping into.

We named what was being carried forward. We released what no longer needed to be carried. We blessed what was coming next.

Something in that room became complete in a way it hadn’t been before they arrived.

Afterward, the woman who had just retired shared something that stayed with me, “The ritual allowed me to get in touch with and let go of oppressive feelings regarding the duties I left behind and has given me a new beginning in life.”

This is what ritual does. It doesn't change what happened. It changes how you carry it.

Every one of us has thresholds like this. Maybe yours looks like retirement or a move. Maybe it's a relationship ending, a career pivoting, a child leaving home, or a loss you haven't fully grieved. Maybe it's something quieter. A birthday that felt bigger than usual. A season of life closing without ceremony.

You deserve a moment of witnessing too.

This is one of the most sacred things I do. I create rituals for life's big moments. Retirements. Moves. Marriages. Divorces. Losses. Birthdays. Career changes. Any threshold that deserves more than a polite goodbye or a quiet sigh.

I also work with people one on one through Personal Alignment Sessions, Energy Resets, and Intuitive Readings. For those moments when you know something is shifting but you can't quite name it yet. When you need someone to help you find your footing before you take the next step.

If you are standing at a threshold right now, I would love to support you.

Ready to begin? Simply reply to this email and tell me what you are moving through. We will find a time.

I'll be in Los Angeles May 6–8 with a limited number of in-person sessions available. If you've been waiting for the right moment, this is it.

With love and fierce courage,

Barbara

If someone you know is in the middle of a big life change, a retirement, a move, a new beginning of any kind, please share this with them. Sometimes the greatest gift we can give someone is the reminder that their moment deserves to be honored.

Honoring Earth Day: Our Planet, Our Power

Earth Day Ritual: Reconnect, Reground, Renew

One of the best ways I know to release stress is connecting to The Earth. There’s something powerful about remembering that we are not separate from the Earth—we are part of her living, breathing rhythm. On this Earth Day, (April 22)  instead of just thinking about nature, I invite you to experience your connection to her in a simple, intentional way.

Create Your Moment: Step outside into a garden, a park, or even onto a balcony. If possible, do it barefooted. If you can’t go outside, open a window and breath in the air, hold a plant or a stone. Let this be your anchor.

Ground Your Energy: Close your eyes. Take a slow, deep breath in and a long exhale out. Imagine roots extending from the base of your spine and the soles of your feet, reaching deep into the Earth. Feel her steady, supportive energy rising up to meet you.

Release + Receive: On your next few exhales, release anything that feels heavy-stress, uncertainty, overwhelm. Let the Earth hold it. She knows how to transform. On your inhales, draw up nourishment-stability, clarity, calm. Let it fill your body.

A Simple Offering: Place your hand on your heart and then gently touch the Earth (or your plant, or your stone). Silently or out loud, offer gratitude: Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for sustaining life. I honor our connection.

Now commit to taking one action step however simple, that you’ll take to care for the Earth in return. Keep it realistic. Keep it true. Some things you can do: recycle, plant a tree, join a community clean up.

When you are grounded, clear, and connected, you naturally begin to care for yourself, others and the world around you in a deeper way.

This is the essence of ritual: small, intentional moments that shift how we feel, how we show up, and how we relate to the world.

To help you on your journey to health and wellbeing, I have recorded some simple meditations. Check them out here!

P.S. I will be in LA the week of May 5th-8th and I'm holding space for a few private sessions while I'm there — including Personal Alignment Sessions, Readings, Space Clearings , and one intimate Spring Visioning gathering. Spring is a powerful recalibration point, and if you feel called to work together in person, simply reply to this email and we'll find a time. Limited In person sessions available

Contact info@barbarabiziou.com to reserve.

With love,

Barbara

The New Moon in Aries Is Asking Something of You

On April 17th, the New Moon in Aries arrives with a single invitation: let go of who you thought you had to be.

As a lifelong student and teacher of ritual, I have always been drawn to the practices that happen on the new and full moons. I am not an astrologer, but over the years I have found it deeply useful to work with these energies.

Each moon has its own unique gifts, and this one is no exception.

We are living through a moment of profound collective unraveling. Anyone with eyes can see the dissolution of old structures. And the resistance to that change is generating more chaos, confusion, and fear than most of us have ever known.

But here is what I want you to remember: every thought, every feeling, every intentional action you take is contributing to a new energetic architecture of light. The world needs that right now. You are not powerless. Intention and consciousness create reality

Thursday, April 16th: Release Your Victim Stories

Before we arrive at the new moon, there is important work to do on Thursday, April 16th.

On Thursday, Mercury conjuncts Neptune, a rare and potent alignment that heightens intuition and opens the inner eye. It is a beautiful day for visioning, for dreaming forward, for asking yourself: what do I want my life to look like?

But first, there is something to release.

We all carry victim stories. The ones that whisper, "I'm not enough," "it's too late," "this is just how things are for me."

Those stories may have been true once. They may have even protected you. But you do not want to drag the heaviness of the past into the possibilities of the future. Thursday is the day to put them down.

A simple releasing ritual for Thursday:

Take a piece of paper and write down any story you have been telling yourself that keeps you small. Don't hold back. Let it all out on the page.

Then safely burn it, tear it up, or bury it in the earth. As you release it, say aloud or silently: "I am no longer this story. I am free to begin again."

Come to my New Moon Live Zoom Session on Friday April 17th with clear hands and an open heart.

P.S. I will be in LA the week of May 5th and I'm holding space for a few private sessions while I'm there — including Personal Alignment Sessions, Readings, Space Clearings , and one intimate Spring Visioning gathering. Spring is a powerful recalibration point, and if you feel called to work together in person, simply reply to this email and we'll find a time.

With love,

Barbara

What If You Stopped Trying to Be Perfect Today?

The Permission to Be Human

I have spent a good portion of my life trying to get things right.. The right words, the right tone, the right impression. And while that impulse has served me in many ways, it has also cost me something, the ease that comes from simply being myself, imperfect and real.

So, when I first heard this story, it landed in me like a quiet relief.

The Dalai Lama was sitting onstage, waiting to be introduced. What he did not know was that his microphone was already live. He had a bad cold that day, and in those waiting moments, he blew his nose. Loudly. Several times.

The audience froze. This was a holy man. A revered spiritual leader. No one knew whether to laugh, look away, or pretend they had not heard anything. The tension in the room was almost unbearable.

And then the Dalai Lama realized what had happened.

He burst out laughing.

Not a polite chuckle. A full, genuine, delighted laugh at himself and the whole absurd situation. And in that moment, the entire room exhaled. People laughed with him, not at him, but with him, because he had given them permission. Permission to see that even a holy man has a runny nose.

Permission to stop holding their breath. Permission to be human.

I have thought about that story many times over the years.

There is a kind of spiritual bypassing that can happen when we take ourselves too seriously, when we believe that wisdom and dignity require a certain gravity, a careful presentation, an image to uphold. But the Dalai Lama, in one unguarded, very human moment, taught something that no prepared speech could have: that laughter at ourselves is not a failure of reverence. It is reverence, for the messy, beautiful, imperfect reality of being alive.

When we can laugh at ourselves, we make space for everyone around us to stop performing too. That is its own kind of grace.

I am still working on this. I still catch myself smoothing things over, trying to appear more put-together than I feel. But I keep coming back to that image of a great teacher laughing freely at himself, and I remember that the most sacred thing I can offer anyone is my honesty, including the honest truth that I do not always have it together.

None of us do. And that is perfectly fine.

If this touched something in you, please share it with someone who needs permission to lighten up today, including yourself.

Wishing you a beautiful week

With love,

Barbara

What One Ancient Word Can Teach Us All Right Now

As millions of people around the world prepare for Passover and Easter, these sacred holidays carry new meaning this year. Whatever path you walk, whatever tradition you hold dear, this is a season that calls us all to pause.

To step back from the demands of the outer world and turn inward, toward the healing and guidance we each need as we move into this new time of spiritual growth and awakening.

For me, Passover has always represented freedom. The story at its heart is one of oppression transformed into liberation, and this year that theme reverberates far beyond any single tradition.

We live in a time when so many are still oppressed, by gender, by race, by hunger and disease, by trafficking, by bigotry, by systems that deny the basic dignity every human being deserves.

That is why we keep telling the story. Because storytelling is one of our oldest and most powerful rituals, and this story carries hope. Hope that freedom is possible. Hope that liberation, for all people, is worth working toward.

At the end of the Passover Seder, there is a beloved song and prayer called Dayenu. The word means simply, "it would have been enough." Each verse recalls a gift given along the journey from slavery to freedom, and after each one the community sings together: Dayenu. It would have been enough. What a radical idea.

Not waiting until everything is perfect. Not waiting until the whole journey is complete. Pausing at each step to say: this, right here, is already a blessing.

This is the teaching I want to sit with this season, because so much of our energy is consumed by waiting. When I have more money, I will be happy. When I lose the weight, I will start living. When things calm down, when the world is safer, when, when, when. We defer our joy to a future that never quite arrives.

The great teacher Ram Dass spent his life pointing us back to this moment. "Be here now," he taught, and Dayenu echoes that same wisdom across thousands of years of tradition. Gratitude is a practice we choose, right now, with exactly what we have. It is how we find our way back to ourselves, and to each other, even in the hardest of times.

So, I invite you, as we move through this sacred week, to ask yourself: What is your Dayenu?

If we care for the earth as we care for our family, Dayenu.

If we create art and music, Dayenu.

If we volunteer our time, Dayenu.

If we listen with compassion and caring, Dayenu.

If we take the time to play and experience joy, Dayenu.

If we help our neighbors, Dayenu.

If we have compassion for ourselves as we do for our loved ones, Dayenu.

If we open our hearts to each other, Dayenu.

If we respect the rights of all people, Dayenu.

If we live each moment as a sacred gift, Dayenu.

If we say "thank you" for all that we have, Dayenu.

This is enough. You are enough

If this teaching speaks to your heart, please pass it along to someone who needs to hear it right now. We all know someone who could use a reminder that they are enough.

Wishing you a beautiful week

With love,

Barbara

Be the Lighthouse

The world feels very unstable right now. Every day we hear about war, financial markets going up and down, violence, loss of jobs and at the same time we see people showing up for each other, creativity blooming and new opportunities.

Yet, when I see someone struggling my instinct is to immediately fix it, help them see differently, give advice, make it better . I want relief for them , and if I am honest, relief for me, because it is hard to see suffering in those you care about it.

But time and again, I am given the message that I am not here to be the life boat, I am here to be the lighthouse.

When I think of a lighthouse, I imagine it standing at the edge of the ocean during a storm. Ships may pass through the waters- some steady, some lost, some afraid.

The lighthouse does not jump into the water to save them. It does not try and control the waves.

It’s simple, stands where it is, and shines. If it moved to jump into the water to save the ships,  the light would disappear and no one would benefit.

So many times, I think love is removing pain. Fixing the situating and carrying them through the darkness. But the truth is real love says, I see the light in you even when you cannot see it in yourself. It trusts that each person has their own path, their own timing and their own inner wisdom

So, rushing in to fix everything can sometimes send a message that the other person is incapable or too fragile to take care of their own life . When we stay present and grounded without judging their situation, ,we remind them of their strength , their resilience and their divinity.

So today if someone in your life is struggling, try this gentle shift.

Instead of asking how do I fix this? Ask, how can I hold loving presence here?

Be the light house, not the lifeboat.

If this message speaks to you, I invite you to take  a few quiet moments every day to strengthen your connection with your own inner light. The more we learn to rest there, the more naturally we become a source of calm and clarity for ourselves and for others.

And if you feel called to deepen that connection, I would be honored to support you through the work we do together.

With love,

Barbara

P.S. I'll be in Los Angeles the week of March 23, and I'm holding space for a few private sessions while I'm there — including Personal Alignment Sessions, Readings, Space Clearings, and one intimate Spring Visioning gathering. Spring is a powerful recalibration point, and if you feel called to work together in person, simply reply to this email and we'll find a time.

If someone comes to mind — a friend, a founder, or a collaborator standing at a new edge — feel free to make an introduction. Each season asks something new of us. Spring asks us to rise.

The Egg That Stands on its Own

Every year around March 20th, a quiet legend resurfaces: that on the spring equinox, you can balance a raw egg upright on a flat surface. As if the universe itself holds it steady, just for a moment.

The science? It's actually a myth. You can balance an egg on any day of the year with enough patience.

The earth's gravitational pull doesn't shift on the equinox. Yet National Geographic Kids will still tell you to try it. With a tiny pinch of salt as a base, then gently blow the salt away for a "magical" reveal.

Here's what I love about that.

The trick works not because of cosmic forces, but because of attention. You slow down. You steady your hands. You hold your breath just long enough to let something fragile find its footing. Isn't that exactly what renewal asks of us?

I first came to understand the deeper power of the equinox through my dear friend and colleague, Donna Henes. Urban Shaman, ceremonialist, and one of the most gifted ritualists I have ever known.

Donna, who passed in 2024, was legendary for gathering crowds in public spaces, most memorably at the World Trade Center, to balance eggs together on the vernal equinox. She had a way of taking the ancient and making it feel utterly alive and present, turning a sidewalk into sacred ground and strangers into a community.

I feel her absence especially in these threshold moments, the ones she taught us all to notice, to honor, and to celebrate. This season, I carry her with me.

It was Donna who first opened my eyes to the egg not just as a symbol, but as a living spiritual tool.

In Pagan tradition, the egg is the cosmic egg of creation and rebirth. The white represents the Maiden Goddess, fresh, new, full of possibility. The yolk represents the Sun God, warm and life-giving.

At the Spring Equinox, their sacred marriage is celebrated. Light and dark in perfect balance. The world holding its breath before it bursts into bloom.

Spring doesn't arrive with a grand announcement. It shows up in the smell of rain on pavement, in the first brave crocus, in the moment you realize you've left your coat at home and didn't miss it. It's subtle. It rewards the people who are paying attention.

The equinox is a threshold, equal parts dark and light, perfectly poised between what was and what's coming. And it is the perfect moment to ask yourself: what wants to be born in me this season?

This is also the moment the sun moves into Aries, the first sign of the zodiac. For thousands of years, this was the new year, not January 1st. Many cultures around the world still celebrate it as such. There is something grounding about that.

Our modern calendar may have moved on, but the earth, the stars, and something deep in our bones still recognize this as a true beginning.

A Ritual for Renewal: Egg Divination

This is one of my favorite practices to do at the equinox, and one I learned in the spirit of Donna's teaching, simple, grounded, and genuinely magical.

You'll need a hard-boiled egg (unpeeled and undecorated) and a permanent marker.

Begin by sitting quietly and calling to mind four things you might choose to do this spring, possibilities that carry real potential to enrich your life. They don't have to be grand. They just have to feel alive to you. Maybe it's write a book. Maybe it's paddle board, go on a retreat, or simply date, yourself, life, or someone new.

Draw four vertical lines along the egg, dividing it into roughly four segments. In each segment, write one of your four words or phrases.

When you're finished, hold the egg gently in both hands. Feel its weight. Imagine it glowing with soft spiritual light. Quietly ask the energy of the egg to be your guide, to help you see what your soul already knows.

Then sit on the floor or the earth, and roll the egg.

When it comes to rest, look at what word faces up. That is your answer. Not a command but an invitation. A gentle nudge from something wiser than your busy mind. Commit to taking one small action toward that goal before the season turns again.

When you're done, you can eat the egg, receiving its energy into your body, or offer it back to Mother Earth as a gesture of gratitude.

This equinox, I invite you into that energy. Steady your hands. Slow your breath. Let something new find its balance.

Donna knew that ritual doesn't require perfection or pageantry. It requires only your presence and your willingness to pay attention. That is the real magic. It always has been.

Happy Spring. 🌱

P.S. I'll be in Los Angeles the week of March 23, and I'm holding space for a few private sessions while I'm there — including Personal Alignment Sessions, Readings, Space Clearings, and one intimate Spring Visioning gathering.

Spring is a powerful recalibration point, and if you feel called to work together in person, simply reply to this email and we'll find a time.

With love,

Barbara

Serotonin, Sunshine and the Secret to Not Waiting for Spring

Last week was dull and gloomy…….down coat, hat and scarf weather. People shuffled around NYC a bit worn down by the news and weather,

Today the world shifted……..60 degrees and sunny……..daylight savings time and in a blink the streets were filled with happy, friendly people….opening doors for each other talking to strangers, smiling……..lines went around the block for ice cream and frozen yogurt.

The restaurants and parks were full of happy people. A feeling of hope was in the air.

So, the real question is how can we stay open, heart centered and hopeful in these challenging times regardless of the weather?

Yes, gently warm days with sunshine do make a difference to our immune system and has a direct biological effect on the brain: like the release of serotonin (the feel-good chemical), the production of more vitamin D to elevate your nervous system and dopamine which affects your pleasure center and gets you more motivated.

But if we let ourselves go up and down because of outside circumstances that means we have become reactive not proactive.

First, get in the habit of making conscious choices when you wake up. Say to yourself, “today is going to be filled with adventure” or “today I choose peace in my heart mind and spirit”…You pick!

Then, surround yourself with happy colors, scents and sounds

• Orange for joy

• Red for energy and passion

• Pink and green to sooth your spirit

• Citrus fruits to uplift your spirit

• Music that makes you want to dance

• Be in natural light or get a bright light therapy machine

• Check with your doctor to make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D

• Being with friends increases dopamine and oxytocin and endorphins which stimulate your mood.

And of course you can always move to a different climate!

With love,

Barbara

P.S. I'll be in Los Angeles the week of March 23, and I'm holding space for a few private sessions while I'm there — including Personal Alignment Sessions, Readings, Space Clearings, and one intimate Spring Visioning gathering. Spring is a powerful recalibration point, and if you feel called to work together in person, simply reply to this email and we'll find a time.

If someone comes to mind — a friend, a founder, or a collaborator standing at a new edge — feel free to make an introduction. Each season asks something new of us. Spring asks us to rise.