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I start the episode by sharing my experience during the Scorpio New Moon. I am finally taking the plunge into all my fears (which also happen to be my dreams).

books mentioned on today’s episode

Do not seek to switch to a new situation until you have fully extracted every minute enjoyment out of your present one.

-Moses

🌿 Taurus Values Ritual: 🌿

“Rooting Into Worth”

Purpose: To ground your personal values in the material world through a slow, sensory, earth-based practice.

Best Performed:

• On a Friday (Venus Day, Taurus’ ruling planet)
• During Taurus season (April 20 – May 20) or when the Moon is in Taurus
• At sunset or during the waxing moon (for growth and embodiment)

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🌱 Preparation (30 mins)

1. Cleanse & Create a Sacred Space
☐ Sweep or tidy a small corner of your home or garden.
☐ Light a grounding incense (e.g., patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver) or diffuse essential oils like rose or cedarwood.
☐ Place a cozy blanket, earthy altar cloth, or soft rug beneath you.

2. Gather Ritual Items

• A small bowl of soil or a potted plant
• A green candle (for grounding and heart-centered clarity)
• A small mirror
• A crystal (e.g., malachite, moss agate, emerald, or rose quartz)
• Paper + pen
• A favorite nourishing food or tea (e.g., honey, dates, rose tea)

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🐂 Ritual Steps (45–60 mins)

Step 1: Grounding Meditation (10 mins)

Sit comfortably. Hold the crystal and place your feet flat on the ground or in the soil. Close your eyes.

Visualize roots extending from your body into the Earth. Imagine your body as a strong, steady tree. Inhale deeply and say:
“I root into truth. I root into worth.”
Repeat slowly for a few minutes.

Let yourself feel the weight of your body. Soften into stillness.

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Step 2: Values Reflection (15 mins)

Place the mirror in front of you. Light the green candle.

Gaze softly at your reflection. Ask:

• What do I value most in my life—beyond status, fear, or others’ opinions?
• What do I want to build my life around?
• What am I worthy of?

Write down 5 core values that feel undeniably true for you.

Examples: Beauty, peace, autonomy, simplicity, loyalty, abundance, creative expression, presence, integrity.

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Step 3: Embody Your Values (10 mins)

Place one hand on your heart and one on the Earth/soil/plant. One by one, say each value aloud. With each one:

☐ Close your eyes and visualize living that value.
☐ Imagine your life built around it—your home, your routines, your relationships.
☐ After each visualization, say:

“This value lives in me. I honor it with how I move, choose, and create.”

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Step 4: Anchor in the Physical (10–15 mins)

Take your list of values and bury it in the soil or under the potted plant. As you press it into the earth, say:

“As I plant these values, I root them into my life.
With each day, they grow into form.”

You may wish to water the soil as a symbol of nourishment.

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Step 5: Venusian Gratitude Feast (5–10 mins)

End by slowly enjoying your chosen food or tea. Savor every texture, scent, and taste. As you eat, reflect:

• How can I let pleasure be a guide in living these values?
• What simple luxuries affirm my worth?

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🌟 Optional Additions

• Tarot Pull: Ask, “What value am I being called to live more fully?”
• Taurus Affirmations: Repeat one or more:
  • “My values are sacred, and I live them with devotion.”
  • “I am worthy of a stable, beautiful, aligned life.”
  • “Pleasure is not a distraction—it is my compass.”
• Creative Integration: Make a small art piece (collage, clay token, or drawing) that represents your values and place it on your altar.

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🌒 After the Ritual

Return to the buried values weekly. Water the plant, sit beside it, and recall your intentions. Watch as it—and you—grow into deeper alignment.

VALUES FROM BELIEVE

JOURNAL PROMPTS

Here are journal prompts that can help you explore gratitude and personal values in a deep, reflective way:

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🌿 Gratitude Journal Prompts

1. What are three things, big or small, that I am grateful for today?
2. Who is someone I appreciate, and why? How can I show them gratitude?
3. What challenge have I faced that I now feel grateful for? What did it teach me?
4. What part of my body or health am I thankful for today?
5. What’s a simple joy (a moment, a scent, a sound, etc.) that I noticed recently?
6. What is something I take for granted that I want to appreciate more intentionally?
7. In what ways have other people supported me that I’m thankful for?
8. How has nature brought me a sense of peace or gratitude recently?
9. What privilege or opportunity in my life am I most grateful for?
10. What is something about myself—my personality, skills, or habits—that I genuinely appreciate?

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🌱 Values Journal Prompts

1. What are my top three core values, and how do they currently show up in my life?
2. When have I felt most aligned with my values? What was I doing?
3. What’s an example of a time I acted out of alignment with my values? How did that feel?
4. What does success mean to me, and how is it connected to my values?
5. Which value am I currently struggling to honor, and why?
6. How do my daily habits reflect what I truly care about? Where can I realign?
7. Who in my life embodies values I admire? What can I learn from them?
8. If I could only teach one value to the next generation, what would it be?
9. What value do I want to embody more fully in the next season of my life?
10. How can I make decisions more in harmony with my values starting today?

DREAMING IN THE LITERATURE

Carlos Castaneda, in his series of books documenting his apprenticeship with the Yaqui sorcerer Don Juan Matus, explores dreaming as a central practice of Toltec sorcery. One of the most intriguing aspects is the cultivation of the double, also called the dreaming body or energy body.

The double is essentially a second self—a fully formed energetic counterpart that can act independently of the physical body. Through disciplined dreaming (what Castaneda calls dreaming attention), a practitioner can develop this double, allowing them to navigate other realms, gain knowledge, and interact with entities outside ordinary perception. The double isn’t just a dream figure; it is a real extension of one’s being in the energetic universe.

Don Juan emphasizes that the mastery of dreaming involves stabilizing the double to the point where it can act with agency, eventually allowing the practitioner to “travel” while awake, transcend ordinary limitations, and potentially achieve freedom from the constraints of this world. The double becomes a bridge between the known and the unknown, collapsing the boundary between waking life and dream realities.

In Castaneda’s cosmology, the double is both a powerful ally and a symbol of the fluidity of self—a key to navigating the sorcerer’s path.

TO LEVEL UP YOUR DREAMING, CHECK OUT MY DREAM JOURNALS!

🌿 Want to keep dreaming and growing together? Join the Grounded Spirits newsletter for podcast updates, exclusive rituals, and new tools straight to your inbox.

Reflective Prompt

💭 What did this stir in your body and spirit?

Journal a few thoughts or share in the comments below.

🌿 About the Host

Laura Alyn is a writer, spiritual scholar, and wellness guide who weaves together dreaming and gardening as tools for self-discovery and transformation. Through her platform Grounded Spirits, she explores the intersection of plant wisdom, inner work, and collective healing—inviting others to root deeply while reaching for the stars.

✨ Learn more or work with her directly at theornelian.com/itslauraalyn#workwithme