Are you Neo-Ancient? 7 Ways to Tell

Forget all this talk about Millennials, Generation Xers, and Baby Boomers.  These  crazy times call for the ones I've been affectionately calling Neo-Ancients.  As confusion, worry and fear run rampant, the Neo-Ancients can be found gathering our inner resources as we prepare for assertive, clear and directed action.  Here are seven clues you just might be part of our tribe:

1) Solstices and Equinoxes are your holidays

Maybe you go all out with fasting, cleansing, meditating and aligning with your intentions at the change of of each season. Or maybe your body takes care of it for you by giving you seasonal cold or fatigue at these cross points.  Either way, the Summer and Winter solstices and the Autumn and Spring equinoxes hold special meaning for you.   Interestingly enough, many popular holidays tend to fall around these powerful shifts in the balance of Yin & Yang.  At this time of year, festive lights and candles for remind us of the return of the Sun after six months of increasingly long nights.   If the solstices and equinoxes facilitate physical, emotional or spiritual shifts in your life, you might be Neo-ancient.

2) You are more than your Sun Sign

When most people think of astrology, they think of the sign that aligns with the month in which they were born.  They may even refer to the daily horoscope for entertainment, or you might feel a particular kinship with those who share your sign (big up to all the scorpios in the house!  heeeeyyyyyy!)  Neo-ancients know that the natal birth chart is more than just really fun insight- it's a map of human psychology. Each planet position gives archetypal insight an aspect of our psyche, as well as what we most need to feel like our authentic selves.  So if your answer to "What's you sign?" sounds like mine:  "I'm a Scorpio sun with a Libra Moon and Venus, Mars in Scorpio,  and Gemini rising...", you might be Neo-ancient.

3) Your schedule is cosmic 

You don't just set your intentions and goals on a monthly basis, but you pay attention to the fluctuations between Yin and Yang as you plan your year.  You know active force, Yang,  is at its height in summer, as well as during full moons. You know that stillness and reflection, the Yin, are amplified in the winter and during new moons.  And the happenings of Mercury Schmercury have on more than one occasion affected your plans.   If your schedule is cosmic, you might be Neo-ancient. 

4) You take care of your subtle body

Neo-ancients understand that health is not just physical- it's emotional, mental and spiritual as well. While conventional medicine is about 500 years old, it's really a baby when compared to many of the ancient healing systems that considered the physical, etheric, astral and spiritual planes.  Acupuncture, for example,  is a 2000+ year old medicine that's now gaining popularity in the West for its success treating muscular pain and fertility. In my practice, we honor the Shamanic lineage out of which acupuncture emerges.  This means we're not only attending to the physical body, but also attending to heartache, lack of inspiration, confusion, anxiety, depression and any of the myriad ways we might be out of alignment with the unfolding of our path, our Tao.   We use earth medicine such as flower essences, essential oils, gemstones and herbs to facilitate inner and outer shifts.  If you believe that health is about more than being "free from disease",  you might be Neo-ancient.

5) You're etherically sensitive 

Photo Credit: NASA

Speaking of the subtle body, the etheric body is the first layer of the subtle body.  It can be likened to an electromagnetic sheath that envelops our physical form.  It's the aspect of the subtle body that gets charged when you 'feel' someone staring at you, your back hurts cuz it's cold outside, or your knee acts up every time it rains.  Our electromagnetic bodies are in close synergy with the electromagnetic poles of the earth, and etherically sensitive folks are often affected by full and new moons and
changes of seasons.  Because our emotions live mostly in our etheric body, etherically sensitive folks tend to be very empathic- and can often sense when someone is feeling angry or sad even if their words indicate otherwise.  Being in crowds of can upset the nervous system of etherically sensitive folks, who might need to spend some time decompressing alone after lots of interaction with others.  If any of this sounds like you, you might be Neo-ancient.

6) Synchronicity has meaning
Neo-ancients know that there is no such thing as a coincidence.  Every moment has the potential to answer a question that was posed with intention (or inadvertently) to the Universe.   We are constantly  reminded that we are not physical beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a physical experience.  A random song that's stuck in our head that carries a potent message.  Being in the right place at exactly the right time.  The friend you were thinking of that happens to call at that moment.  The person on the train that catches your eye.  The billboard you never noticed before that carries a special message today, just for you.   Neo-ancients find a way to live in the meaning and magic of it all.  It's like that quote from the book Conversations with God, when God tells the author to look for her in:

"...the words to the next song you hear.  The information in the next article you read.  The story line of the next movie your watch. The chance utterance of the next person you meet.  Or the whisper of the next river, the next ocean, the next breeze that crosses your ear….”

If you have ever experienced the magic of synchronicity, you might be Neo-ancient.

7) You believe in it all

You consider yourself "spiritual" instead of "religious".  You grew up on the Bible and can drop a Proverbs quote at a moment's notice, and know all 12 signs of the zodiac.   Or you can recite the original, modified, or personalized declarations of Ma'at. You have gained wisdom from the I Ching, Yogic philosophy, the Secret, the Buddha, Earthseed scripture, Nature and/or your Highest Self in meditation.  You light candles for your ancestors and pour libation.  An Ifa reading once transformed- or saved- your life. Quantum physics has your mind blown. On top of that, you're a magic manifestress.  You believe in it all, because all is one.  If your heart can hold yes/and instead of either/or in your spiritual practice, you are definitely Neo-ancient.

Join our "Vibe Tribe" this Winter Solstice!