The Natural Wisdom Podcast

In the final week of the first eclipse season of 2023, we are in the midst of a strong dose of feminine, or yin, energy. This episode is devoted to reclaiming the balance of yin and yang in a culture that over-values doing, thinking and productivity and dismisses the value of stillness, quiet, and rest.

As Mercury finishes its retrograde journey in slow, sensual Taurus and we approach Friday's New Moon in that earthy sign, give yourself permission to do nothing, nap, and daydream.

Astrologer Emily Trinkaus joined me again today to talk about topics from the current eclipse season, to relationship astrology (and her upcoming course!) and finding our power within. As always, we had a lively discussion about how to work with the astro-energies in our lives.

The first eclipse of 2023 was at the very last degree of Aries, sign of the courage to be yourself; the next eclipse, on May 5th is a completion of the eclipse pattern begun in January of 2022. The eclipses come at a pivot point in this great time of transition initiated in 2020.

The body is an expression of the Soul, and how you treat your body is a direct reflection of how you treat the Earth. But our dominator culture teaches us to control our bodies, rather than learn to deeply listen. The Libra Full Moon on April 5th/6th invites us into co-creation in all of our relationships, in particular our bodies. This Full Moon also opens the portal into eclipse season of 2023. With Pluto squaring the eclipse axis throughout most of the year, one of the major karmic lessons is about how we use our power: will we give in to authoritarianism, or learn cooperation?

In this time of transition and entering the age of Aquarius, one of the watchwords is authenticity. But what is it, how do we do it, and is it worth it? Guru-maker James Deneka Lavers joins the podcast to ask and answer these questions. We talk about discerning truth from fiction within yourself, the 'age of facade', the risks of being authentic, and why it might not really be a choice any more.

James Deneka Lavers has been a leader in coaching the gurus of the personal, professional and spiritual development industry to even greater success for over 20 years. He has worked with a wide variety of luminaries as well as companies large and small, and has a reputation for honesty, authenticity, and even some butt-kicking.

What is co-creation, and how is it different than manifesting? When we try to impose our will on life, we are crossing over into control - the shadow expression of true, authentic power. As Saturn moves into the sign of Pisces on March 7th, this is the perfect time to explore how to co-create with, rather than seek control over our lives.

We are in a fascinating time of transition between the ages - Pisces and Aquarius, among others. Learning to become your own authority, and fully embody your Soul, your unique 'frequency' will be the key to thriving in the midst of change. This episode covers why increased sensitivity is what we want, along with being more deeply rooted in our physical existence; Kristine shared a few of her favorite embodiment practices, too.

My friend and colleague, Belinda Noakes, and I switched it up in this episode: she interviewed me about my Saturn reclamation story. The planet Saturn in astrology represents manifestation, achievement, authority, and karma. When we are out of alignment with ourselves, or living according to external rules, Saturn lets us know. I imagine many others will recognize themselves in the disappointment, burnout and discomfort of living life according to 'should', 'could', and external measures of success. 

Belinda and I also talked about our parallel journeys of the past dozen years - leaving corporate positions; traveling in India; pursuing enlightenment; and, finally, meeting for the first time at a very different kind of spiritual retreat right here in Montana. 

In the final moments of the episode, I shared the magical results of my Saturn journey so far. 

This was another amazing conversation with Emily Trinkaus, full of cosmic wisdom for this season of new beginnings and the big shifts coming in the new year. We talked about the power of Saturn at this Solstice and Capricorn New Moon; and the huge shift of energies with Saturn's move from Aquarius to Pisces in March of 2023. Other topics included Saturn as Santa Claus (really!), and the question of whether Saturn means hard work, or making work hard, or something different altogether.

Emily will be co-hosting an online astrology summit at the beginning February, and Kristine will be participating as well. Make sure to join one or both of our mailing lists to find out more details as they are available:

This was a lovely conversation with teacher, healer, and author Dr. Gulara Vincent on realizing we are more than enough when we uncover our true selves. Gulara uses a wide array of cutting edge healing modalities to help people resolve old traumas to improve every aspect of their lives, including money, relationships, health and more. We talked about money as a doorway into healing; the impacts of inter-generational trauma, and how caring for our wounded child parts can help us not only wake up, but also grow up. 

Gulara has several workshops coming up, all online:

It was such a pleasure to talk with my dear friend Belinda Noakes, a therapist and coach who works with super-sensitive people - like me! Our journeys have been shockingly parallel, from quitting our corporate careers in 2010, to visiting the same ashram in India (at the same time), and finally meeting in 2014 at Sera Beak's SoulFire retreat. We talked about the true gift of being sensitive; the realization that spiritual seeking is an inside job; and why big breakthroughs might not be as valuable as 'tinybrave' steps. 

Everything is energy, according to ancient wisdom and modern physics. But what does that mean, and why might it matter? Kristine talks about sensing your own unique energy signature and why it is especially important for empaths and other sensitive people. She also relates it to finding your purpose, or dharma. And, of course, Kristine talks about Saturn, its energy signature, and why it's important to get beyond the stories.

Samhain is the traditional cross-quarter holyday celebrating the end of the harvest. This year, 2022, this time of growing darkness and thinning veils coincides with Mars turning retrograde and an intense Eclipse season. In this episode, Kristine talks about re-evaluating the stories and thoughts that keep us in fear, and offers a few practices for celebrating the season.

As we dive into the heart of the final eclipses of 2022, Kristine and guest Emily Trinkaus share their combined wisdom on working with the cosmic forces of this time. The eclipses happen against a backdrop of other planetary alignments that signal the need to slow down, integrate the changes we have already begun, and prepare for the turning points ahead. This is a time for deep healing of old trauma, and renewal of authentic power.

Saturn, despite its reputation as the 'greater malefic' (i.e. bad guy), holds the keys to embodied human life. Saturn is known as the Lord of Karma, as well as the pointer to our dharma, our life purpose. Contraction, limits, boundaries, crystallization and manifestation are Saturn's assignments. Our personal Saturn archetype shows us where we have limited ourselves and our lives. Reclaiming Saturn allows us to reclaim the gifts of our embodied human lives.

Kristine has a whole lotta Saturn in her chart, and is embarking on a Saturn journey to have the life she wants. And she is inviting you to join her! 

In another epic conversation with astrologer and teacher Emily Trinkaus, we discussed the wisdom of astrology, what we are really doing as astrologers, and how we wield it consciously as we enter the Aquarian age. With Mars in Gemini until March of 2023, including its rare retrograde period, this is an important time to be aware of the power of our words, and 'our word as our wand'.

In this episode of The Natural Wisdom Podcast, Kristine and Kendra had a wide-ranging conversation about remembering ourselves as nature embodied in human form. We talked about both why and how to heal the perceived split between human and nature; what 're-wilding' means and how to get started in your life, not matter where you live; and the process of awakening to ourselves as part of nature.

We recorded the session just as the Sun moved into the sign of Virgo, and the energy of the season was very much a part of the conversation. 

You are not IN a body, you ARE a body. Your body is the expression of your Soul. To reclaim this paradigm is to reclaim our health, and the health of the planet. In this episode, Kristine offers practical suggestions for occupying our bodies, including paying attention to where our attention is directed. One of the lessons of the 7-month journey of Mars in Gemini, which began today, is the power of our attention - and the need to align our attention with our deepest desires.

In this episode, the 23rd this year, Kristine continues in her examination of healing the karma of believing ourselves separate from Nature. We are at the convergence of several 'gates': the ancient cross-quarter holy day of Lammas/Lughnasadh/First Harvest (August 7); Lion's Gate (August 8); the Sun at the Eclipse mid-point (August 10) and the Aquarius Full Moon (August 11). How might we put this time of turnarounds and breakthroughs to use to 'break out' of our story of separation? Kristine tells a very personal story of one of her own recent breakthroughs.

Nature is a mirror, showing us how we relate to life, death, and wildness. In this episode, I told some bear stories, talked about reclaiming wildness, and gave a preview of the Mars/Uranus/North Node conjunction in Taurus on July 30.

In a continuation of the previous episode, here I take a deeper look at the ways in which astrologers are the new spiritual teachers, and why we need to be extra careful in using astrology to empower, not victimize people. When we start to understand the pure, neutral energies of the planets, we can more consciously co-create with them - individually and collectively.

This episode was recorded just as the Moon opposed the planet Uranus alongside the Lunar Nodes, a perfect co-creation on breaking out of the restrictions of our stories!

This week's Cancer Solstice and the upcoming Cancer New Moon offer us a powerful time for new creations, and for being our greatest selves. Much of this episode was devoted to conscious embodiment, and the ways in which astrology can help us express our own unique energetic frequencies as embodied humans. According to the traditions of yoga and Ayurveda, 'seating your Self', i.e. embodying your Soul/Higher Self is the way to health and well-being, as well as to freeing ourselves from the bonds of karma. 

Continuing the conversation about karma, I offer a short introduction to karma in the natal chart in this short episode. Although all parts of the chart are indicators of karma, how we create it and how we can unlock it, there are a couple of specific places to start. In addition to mentioning Pluto, Saturn and the Lunar Nodes, I also introduced the four elements and their energy signatures.

Our relationship with our food mirrors our relationship with our bodies, and the body of the Earth. Our cultural food karma is based on a reductionist view of the world, and we see the havoc this creates with our health and the health of the planet. 

In this episode, I draw on Ayurveda, yoga, and nature to talk about how we can shift our karma and reclaim reverence for our food. Not just what we eat, but when, where, how and even why are important. 

The two books I mentioned are "The Yoga of Eating", by Charles Eisenstein; and "The Three Season Diet", by Dr. John Douillard. Both are excellent for helping us shift our understanding of food, diets, and health.

This is the video version (available on Spotify) of today's podcast episode: In this epic conversation just hours after the Scorpio Lunar Eclipse,  Kristine and Emily discussed the purpose of eclipses and the work of clearing old karmic patterns. Power was the main topic, and especially how we reclaim our power through fully occupying our bodies. Kristine shared her epic realization about unconditional receiving, a  life-changing concept but one consistent with the ways of nature and the  cosmos.

In this epic conversation just hours after the Scorpio Lunar Eclipse, Kristine and Emily discussed the purpose of eclipses and the work of clearing old karmic patterns. Power was the main topic, and especially how we reclaim our power through fully occupying our bodies. Kristine shared her epic realization about unconditional receiving, a life-changing concept but one consistent with the ways of nature and the cosmos.

Karmic imprint specialist and therapist Belinda Noakes joined me today for a conversation about karmic imprints that keep us stuck in a broken relationship with money, and therefore our bodies and the Earth. Money as a form of love; the 'Atlantis vow'; and the damage of believing the scarcity story were a few of the edges we visited. 

We are in the midst of the most significant astrology of 2022, with Jupiter conjunct Neptune in Pisces and Saturn squaring the Lunar Nodes. Building a little on last week's episode, Kristine goes into the opportunities of this time to release old conditioning and karmic imprints around our relationship with the Earth, our bodies, and more.

Karma is a concept from the tradition of yoga that is much misused in Western culture. In this episode, I spent some time defining karma as well as talking about how it is created, and how we can release it. My primary source, in case this is a topic near and dear to your heart as well, is an introduction to and translation of the Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran. The Gita is one of the foundational texts of yoga, and Easwaran's beautiful rendition includes an insightful and comprehensive explanation of some of the basic concepts underpinning yoga philosophy, karma among them.

I use our relationship with Nature and our bodies as examples of how we might see karma in our world today.

More about me on my website: https://kristinebackes.com

Like all of life, plants are the living embodiment of the cosmos. In this episode, spiritual herbalist Angela Segraves and I talk about the transition from winter to spring, and several ways to choose plants to help us work with cosmic weather shifts. 

Emily Trinkaus and I talked about how to deepen into our souls, flow with the vastness of Pisces, and choose our destiny as embodied humans in another epic Cosmic Conversation. We also discussed simple ways to connect with body and Earth in the midst of a Piscean deluge of feeling. 

After a long period of containment, we are finally entering a period of free-flowing expansion. Kristine explains some of the vast opportunities and pitfalls of Jupiter, the planet of expansion, in its home sign of the great mystery - Pisces. Pisces and Virgo together make up the axis of purification, preparation and health. As with all polarity, our work is to find conscious integration of these opposites to support our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

The United States is on an Underworld journey as Pluto returns to the place in the Zodiac where it was at our birth as a nation. Plus, Venus is carrying Plutonian themes of power as this bright morning star descends toward its own Underworld period. Venus passed through the second 'gate' the weekend of February 26th at her conjunction with the waning crescent Moon. Kristine talks about these overlapping cycles, ways of working with them, and how understanding cosmic cycles supports us to reclaim our natural wisdom. 

In this episode, take a tour of the planets and how they can show up in our felt experience. Feeling blue? Perhaps the Moon is in Pisces. Anxious? Mercury and/or Uranus might be activated. When we pay attention to astrology and attune to the planets, our sensations and emotions become part of our understanding of how the planets are operating in our lives from moment to moment.

The ancient story of Queen Inanna's journey to the Underworld mirrors almost exactly the travel of Venus in her 19 month synodic cycle. The Queen of Heaven corresponds to Venus as the morning star, where she emerged only days ago. The Queen of Heaven and Earth reflects Venus after her Underworld death and subsequent resurrection as an evening star, which occurs at the end of 2022. In this episode, I give an overview of Venus' cycle and read the story of Inanna with commentary on the relationship between sky and story. 

For this episode of the podcast, my friend and gifted healer Belinda Noakes joined me for a conversation about cultural oppression, the fear matrix, and how to loosen our grip on the stories that keep us contained. We did a little live healing work with me as the guinea pig after a wide ranging conversation about our surprisingly parallel journeys; the alchemical work of transmuting energy; and why our time in corporations was so profoundly hard on our health.

Today's conjunction between Venus and the Sun in Capricorn marks the halfway point in Venus' retrograde period, and an initiation of a new 19 month cycle. This week rolls out a number of astrological turning points in addition to today's conjunction, including Mercury's retrograde beginning January 14th; Uranus stationing direct on the 17th; the Cancer Full Moon on the 17th; and, perhaps the biggest shift, the Lunar Nodes shifting into the signs Taurus and Scorpio on the 18th. Our exploration of these events began a far-reaching conversation about a variety of topics, including money, relationships, trauma, manifesting, and remembering to stay connected into our bodies during times of anxiety. 

Happy New Year 2022! With a New Moon at the very start of the New Year, we have lots of energetic support for setting intentions. Venus retrograde may bring some realignment and reevaluation, particularly around money and our relationship with the material realm. In this episode, I talk about Capricorn themes and some of the healing opportunities for 2022.

I'm offering a 22% discount on readings booked before January 15th, using the code NEWYEAR22 when you purchase. 

Celebrate the December Solstice, and the turning point of the year with a short astro-update; a meditation to help you call in the new; and a prayer for loving-kindness. The astrology of the moment serves as a backdrop for this time of rebirth and renewal. Venus, Goddess of love, money, pleasure, and what we value has just begun its retrograde journey, beginning in partnership with Pluto, God of the Underworld. The restrictive energy of Saturn is in tension with freedom-loving Uranus again this week. 

Venus, planet of love, beauty, and relating is high in the sky as the Evening Star Lover for just a couple of weeks longer, before becoming invisible again for a reunion with the Sun. Venus will rise again in mid-January, but as the Morning Star Warrior.

This short bonus episode offers a few simple ways of honoring this lovely planet. Think pleasure!!

In this short episode, I mark my imminent emergence from Pluto's Underworld, and our collective immersion in the darkness during the US Pluto return.

In the previous episode on Scorpio season, I mixed up my days and referred to the Scorpio New Moon incorrectly as happening on Wednesday, rather than Thursday, November 4th. In this short episode, I clear that up and talk about how to work with the often shocking and unexpected energies of the planet Uranus, the 'star' of this week's New Moon show. I couldn't resist mentioning Venus again, too!

Listen to my story of receiving wisdom on the banks of a mountain stream, a particularly timely reminder on finding balance this Libra season.

In this short bonus episode, learn how to get grounded anytime, anywhere. 

Yoga philosophy calls injury and illness our 'teachers'. In this bonus episode, I share my experience with a recent injury and the healing power of presence.