3 Layers of Support, Major Download
Accessing our higher Self relies on developing the space within ourselves to not only recognize our Inner Authority when it bubbles up, but to listen to it and remember who we are, living in integrity with ourselves, and manifesting the life that is ours. One way we create space is by weaving together “layers of support.”
When I do self-care, I go deep. I love how Sarah Tacy calls it “layers of support.” Usually Saturday nights it's hot bath meditation and restorative yoga with Hannah Brown on Insight Timer. I credit her REST class with helping to bring down my resting heart rate when I was in the throes of Long COVID, so I am loyal. We had no REST Saturday night, and I needed a hot bath because I was too tired to make it happen Friday night.
I also realized I hadn't done an ayurvedic head massage in at least two weeks. So that’s what I was going to combine with my hot bath. When you have a bit more than an hour to resource yourself, this is a delicious combo. Here’s how I set this up, and how it moves me:
At some point during the day, before I get too tired, I freshen up the bathtub and bathroom for my bath later. Whatever you have to do to make your loo feel as lavish as possible, do it. I vacuum, clean the tub, replace the tea lights, straighten up -- it's quick though; this isn't a deep clean (unless you're doing a deep clean anyway that day). I run my bath extra hot. (I set a timer on my watch while the bathwater runs, and I don't turn the vibrating timer off until I have checked the temperature and water level.
At some point, I prepare the oil for my hair. If you've never had or done an ayurvedic oil massage or Champi, it's a treat with long-lasting health benefits. I started doing them in 2007 when I had mysterious autoimmune symptoms, and among other things, the head massages decreased my headaches. Ideally you would have someone do Champi for you (when I lived in Saigon, I went to a salon when my ex-husband and I were separated, and it was his time with the baby.)
Once I’m ready, I put the oil in a bowl of hot water and take it upstairs. Light the candles, make sure the bath is pretty much ready, and choose a meditation. Since I've restarted this ritual, I've more often than not been doing a guided pineal gland (third eye) visualization by Joanna on Insight Timer. It pairs perfectly with attention to the head. It's a 25-minute meditation using the Schumann resonances (same frequency as the earth) during which you focus on a problem while in a sacred space with a visual representation of your pineal gland, in "conversation" about the problem with it.
During my last pineal gland meditation, I focused on GlobalGallexi, this project I've been "allowing" to "expand.” I sought insight from my pineal gland, and the answer that came for next steps at the end of the meditation was “strategy.” I was made an immediate connection with Mars in Scorpio, how Mars will transit my chart over the next several months, the meaning of that, and what my timeline was. Voila. That’s why we nurture mindful and sacred practices—not only so we’re present and compassionate, but so we come to greater alignment with ourselves and the Universe.
Once I complete that, I put my oiled hair up (I leave mine overnight and wash my hair in the morning), and climb into the tub where I do two long, guided meditations, visualizations and/or activations. I select those depending on what I need based on my energy from the previous week, for a total of about an hour. Lit candles, no overhead lights, hot tea, epsom salt, essential oils, bubble bath, and sometimes baking soda if I feel I need a physical detox. In a previous life, I read in the bathtub. The bath is a slow way to resource yourself, the extra heat adds intensity, and the activity of meditation or reading adds mental stimulation for those of us who need it.
There’s a level of sensory deprivation when we eliminate the lights and the noise and cozy up in a small room. For me, after around 20 minutes, I have the space to recognize my inner authority when it bubbles up, or for clarity and insight and trust. That’s when the downloads come.
How I Layer in the Astrology for Manifesting
The word strategy at the end of my head massage was a lightbulb moment indeed.
Guess who is all about strategy in the heavens? Mars. And guess where Mars is? Scorpio. Mars is home, and there's nothing more well-known about Scorpio than that it knows how to manipulate (ahem), I mean strategize.
This is particularly relevant for me because in Scorpio, Mars will transit my Midheaven and my Venus (it did so on Friday, six days after this session), which are conjunct. This is the part of my chart where I identify with GlobalGalLexi—it's my true purpose (midheaven) imbued with Venus' beneficence. And Scorpio is my 11th house, which is how I bring my gifts to the community and The Collective. Then, while still in Scorpio, Mars will transit my Uranus and my moon. The moon is the emotional body, and Uranus is the planet of breakthroughs, awakenings, and liberation. My Scorpio in the 11th house is a large part of my expansive intuition.
When Mars moves into Sagittarius, he'll transit my sun, and my Mercury, Mars and Neptune, which are all already conjunct. My 11th and 12th houses are where most of the energy in my chart is directed due the number of luminaries and planets there.
Then once Mars leaves Sagittarius, it enters Capricorn, where not only is it exalted (a Universal VIP for that transit), but it will transit my ascendant (rising sign) and Palas Athena—whose signature is wisdom, integrity, and...you guessed it strategy. So for the next four or more months, Mars is making it happen in my chart. Or rather, I have the opportunity to take advantage of these transits to make things happen.
On top of all that, Mars is my profected planet this year (Jana Roemer covered this in her Capricorn new moon circle in January). A profected planet is the body known as your “time lord” for the year. Jana likened Mars to “Chief of Short-Term Operations,” meaning I pay particular attention to where Mars is this year--he's driving. Moreover, Mars attracts the most energy to any one point in the zodiac (where it is).
To me, this was the insight I truly needed and could see how to use this moment. And it's not just Mars...Virgo is my North Star, and that's where Venus is now. The sun and Mercury are in Libra, which is my 10th house, my house of career. Venus will go there next, and then make all the transits following Mars.
This is genius. After my restorative session, I made a giant list of all the things I needed to strategize re: GlobalGalLexi. Golden opportunity. This is how we work with the energy the Universe is handing us.
Note: the key to a hot bath helping you sleep is in the cooldown. Yes, it's relaxing, but that's not why it works for falling asleep. The hot bath raises your core temperature (if you're pregnant, do your research), and then when you get out and your temperature drops, you get sleepy. It's the temperature drop that helps us fall asleep.