goddess in the garden
virgo szn edition
Hello Venusian darlings,
Welcome to the Virgo installment of Venus and the Pearl!
I have a few exciting announcements to make. After three years in Canada, I am finally registered as a TCM Practitioner with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners & Acupuncturists of British Columbia (CTCMA)! I plan to begin practicing acupuncture and TCM herbalism in Victoria, BC this October, location TBD. I’m in the process of finding a clinic that feels like a good fit for my work - a space to cultivate a healing practice for the foreseeable future. I am so ready to fully step back into my work, passion, and purpose again, and look forward to announcing where that will be very soon. Stay tuned!
For my virtual Venuses, I am launching THE RADIANT VESSEL, a 9-week online self-care circle that begins on the Libra New Moon on Saturday, October 14th! In this 9-session course, I share a powerful and practical mix of self-care rituals designed to help you step into your most radiant, healthy Self.
Weekly virtual sessions follow the moon cycles, focusing on self-care, nutrition, sleep, movement, emotional balance, and moon-centered ceremony. Each 75-minute session begins with meditation and ends with a community share, and we discuss one herbal ally per class. Participants receive one 60-minute private consultation with me to co-create a self-care plan, and a 30-minute follow-up upon completion of the course. To encourage community care and accountability, participants are paired with a partner for the entirety of the course. Think of it as the health class you never got but always wanted! Click here for more information.
I created THE RADIANT VESSEL course (and web page) in the spring of 2020 and have been sitting on the idea ever since. I have always wanted to lead a group course/experience where we discuss the elements of self-care and create a caring, supportive container for making the lifestyle changes we want. There are parts of my self-care routine that don’t come easy (ahem, movement), and I actually need the kind of community support we will be cultivating in this circle. In the spirit of participation, I will also be paired with a buddy!
This course is an extension of the Strategizing Self-Care workshop I’ve taught many times in community, including Caracól Marketplace (LA), Good Shepard Shelter (LA), People’s Yoga Teacher Training (LA), and the Sweet Water Women’s Retreat (Yosemite). I always wished I had more time with participants, so I’m excited to teach this workshop in a longer, virtual format.
To register for the course, email me at andrea.penagos@gmail.com, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Until then, I hope you enjoy this down-to-earth Virgo season edition of the newsletter.
Warmth and gratitude,
Andrea Penagos, R.TCMP(!), L.Ac.
venus, humbled
This is an interesting season for Venus. As the goddess of love, beauty, and pleasure, Venus finds humility in the sign of Virgo. Virgo is a grounded Queen, practical, down-to-earth, and meticulous, teaching us that good things take work. She tends to the temple and the garden, toiling diligently for the benefit of all. Virgo isn’t afraid of a little sweat equity - she rolls up her sleeves and gets her hands dirty. She’s a perfectionist and a task master, and that’s why we pay attention to details and get things done with ease in Virgo season. The summer inevitably ends, kids return to school, and we get back to tending to our physical, mental, and financial well-being. Traditionally, Virgo is known as the herbalist and healer of the zodiac because she lovingly cares for herself and the collective with unwavering devotion.
Venus feels uncomfortable in the sign of Virgo. Venus does not love hard work, dirt under her fingernails, nor sensible spending, but there’s no denying Virgo energy is good for her and it’s good for us, too. Too much luxuriating and we get too frivolous, too spendy, too lax, and even our blood sugar and cholesterol levels start creeping up. Every Venusian beauty needs to learn when to pump the brakes and reconsider their everyday habits.
Good thing we’re in Mercury Retrograde this Virgo season! It’s an excellent time to review, reconsider, and re-do all things regarding our health and well-being. I invite you to make a list of all your loose ends that need tying, especially the ones related to your health. If you need support figuring out how to address lingering and emergent health issues, reach out to a healing professional who can help you draft up a care plan. To book an herbal and wellness consultation with me, visit my scheduling platform here, or consider joining us for THE RADIANT VESSEL course. Health is true wealth, Venus.
Mercury Retrograde in Virgo asks us to ponder:
What’s on my to-do list, and how do I create space to get things done?
Does my physical, mental, spiritual, or financial health need tending?
Who can I reach out to for help with my well-being, if needed?
Where am I living in excess, and where do I need to pump the breaks?
Do I have a physical garden, and does it need attention?
What am I physically and psychically harvesting as the summer ends?
How am I relating to the land? Whose traditional territory do I live on?
right relationship to land
For the past 13 years, I’ve been a student of Tarahumara/Rarámuri artist Olivia Chumacero, creator of Everthing is Medicine, author, poet, teatrista (community theatre worker/actor/playwright), ceremonialist, teacher of California native flora, and vibrantly alive humyn. In her Breathe workshop at the El Sereno Community Garden this past July, she shared that it’s common for humans to live in places where they weren’t born because by nature, humans have always been nomadic. The important piece is cultivating right relationship over time with the land we live on and its people. “Right relationship” means different things to different people, but for me it means:
Giving thanks to the ancestors and people of the land in my daily prayers, on public platforms, and before beginning activities of importance like healing sessions or workshops.
Actively acknowledging that the lands I live on belong to the indigenous people of the region. Do you know whose lands you live on? Native Land Digital is an Indigenous-led nonprofit based in Canada that has created a searchable map of Native territories - just plug in your address.
Learning about the history of the place where I live and the people who still live there. If possible, find a way to introduce yourself to the people of the land, bring a gift, give thanks, and come with no expectations.
Walking softly on the earth and giving back to the land by leaving no trace, stewarding the land you live on, supporting native flora, mindfully removing invasive species, picking up trash, or volunteering with local organizations like the Victoria Native Friendship Centre or the Gorge Waterway Action Society.
Donating money to mutual aid projects, local tribes, or non-profit organizations that support indigenous communities. Also, consider paying a voluntary monthly or yearly land tax for being a guest/visitor/settler on stolen lands. If you live in Tovaangar, traditional Tongva land encompassing the greater Los Angeles basin, you can calculate and submit your kuuy nahwá’a (guest exchange) via the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Land Conservancy.
intertwined in relationship with Life/we Live manifestations by the millions/we Live ecological extensions of our mother planet/we Live in the diaspora of flow/we Live relatives to the Flora to the Fauna/We are All Our Relations © Olivia Chumacero
Read more of Olivia Chumacero’s writing here. If you’d like to experience Olivia’s work, Everything is Medicine’s next virtual course will take place October 17th and 24th, and November 7th and 14th, from 6-7:30pm PST through School for the Ecocene. Click here to join the waitlist for the course.
camossung, goddess of the gorge waterway
I’ve lived in the Tillicum neighborhood in Victoria for almost 4 years, only a short walk from the beautiful Gorge Waterway, located within the Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary (VHMBS). It is the unceded territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations whose people relied on the waterway for fishing, hunting, and traveling. The Gorge continues to be a place of spiritual refuge, and is a habitat for eagles, hawks, great blue herons, ducks, oysters, crabs, salmon, herring, and all matter of native flora and fauna.
The Gorge Waterway is also home to Camossung, a Spirit Being in the Songhees tradition who protects the people and local food sources. She is associated with the Gorge Rapids, a powerful and often treacherous reversing waterfall under what is currently known as the Tillicum Bridge.
There are many versions of the story of Camossung, but one recounts a little girl and her grandfather sitting on the edge of the waterway alongside the rapids. Halyas the Transformer finds Camossung crying along the shore because her grandfather wouldn’t feed her. Haylas offers her sturgeon, cranberries, and many more things to eat, which she refuses. She accepts duck, herring, oysters, and coho salmon which can all be found in the Gorge Waterway today. Displeased with her pickiness, Haylas turns Camossung and her grandfather into stone, and she is tasked with caring for the Songhees people and ensuring the continuity of their food sources for eternity.1
There are two large stones under the Gorge Rapids representing the young girl and her grandfather, which can be seen at low tide. The reversing waterfall creates a whirlpool that becomes dangerous to navigate depending on the tide, so in 1960 settlers decided to dynamite the stones to facilitate travel along the waterway. Despite attempted destruction, the Camossung and Grandfather stones continue to hold great spiritual significance to Songhees people.
Over the few years I’ve lived in Canada, it has given me great solace to take regular walks along the inlet and sit with the beauty of the waterway. Through pandemic times and the inevitable loneliness of immigrating to a new place, the Waterway has always been a trusted friend. I give thanks to Camossung, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, the water, the trees, Great Blue Heron, and all my relations with every step for the privilege of building a relationship with such a stunning and sacred place.
Funny story: I returned from a trip to LA and bought a black Dodgers cap at LAX on my way back to Victoria. The next day, I wore all black, put on my cap, and headed to the Gorge for a walk. I was feeling myself! Within 10 minutes of being at the Gorge, a strong gust wind blew my cap right off my head and into the water. It was gone. That’s when I knew Camossung and the Gorge had a sense of humor. I bought another cap this year, and now I give thanks to the Spirit of the land and make an offering on each walk to prevent my cap from being taken. Hot tip: do this on every hike, nature walk, and camping trip for a safer time outdoors.
shifting into fall
The transition into the fall season marks a shift from the extroverted, busy, bright summer to the more quiet, internal, contemplative energy that characterizes the fall/winter seasons. As we enter the fall, we take stock of the hard work we’ve put in during the bright seasons, and slow down to acknowledge and reap the benefits of our actions. As the light hours diminish, we find ourselves seeking the warmth and comfort of our homes and families once again to regroup, recalibrate, and replenish our body and spirit.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the 15 days surrounding each equinox and solstice (7 1/2 days before and after seasonal transitions), belong to the element of Earth - especially the transition into fall, also known as late summer. Earth is the pivot point between yin and yang. Visually, if you were to look at the Chinese Five Element cycle, you would see Wood, Fire, Metal, and Water progressing in a circle with Earth in the center, connecting them all. Without Earth, there would be neither elements nor seasons, and there would be no life.
Within our bodies, the Earth Element represents the digestive organs and processes, and teaches us about the importance of nurturing ourselves and our dreams for the maintenance of physical and creative life. Individuals with balanced Earth in their constitutions have strong digestion, good stamina, and clear thinking, and are hard-working, practical, responsible, energetic, organized, active, and caring of themselves and others. They have creative, fertile imaginations, and work steadily to make their dreams reality.
If you’re experiencing poor digestion, loose stools, nausea, poor appetite, bloating, fatigue, blood sugar imbalances, or physical and mental stagnation, consider meditating on your Earth element. Other indications of a weak Earth include feeling “stuck”, living in disorder, hoarding, experiencing creative blockages, and having difficulties doing the work to transform ideas into reality.
Earth inspires us to do the daily labor of maintenance to keep our bodies healthy and the garden of our aspirations thriving. At every seasonal interchange, we get 15 magical days to take stock of our internal garden and do additional watering, weeding, pruning, and seeding to ensure successes in the upcoming season.
What fruit are you harvesting from your hard work this year? What aspects of your physical and creative life need watering, weeding, and/or pruning? What new seeds are you sowing for the following seasons?
To help attune you to this upcoming seasonal shift into the fall, I offer you 5 tips to nourish your Earth element and cultivate balance and ease:
1. Choose grounding foods that harmonize the center. Foods that nourish Earth and support the digestive system are golden or yellow in color, mildly sweet and round in shape like corn, millet, carrots, cabbage, garbanzo beans, squash, potatoes, beans, yams, soy beans, tofu, sweet potatoes, sweet rice, rice, amaranth, peas, chestnuts, filberts, apricots and cantaloupe. Prepare foods simply with a minimum of seasonings and a mild taste, and eat moderately-sized portions.
2. Eat your meals mindfully. Take the time to sit with your food and be grateful for the nourishment it provides your physical, mental and spiritual bodies. Acknowledge all the work that’s gone into growing, transporting and preparing your food so that it’s set in front of you, ready to eat. Chew each mouthful thoroughly, putting the fork down between each bite to savor the flavors mingling in your mouth. Know that this meal and this moment support your life completely.
3. Consider a mild cleanse. Seasonal transitions offer an opportunity for release and renewal, and a short 3-day cleanse on or around the equinox can support us in getting centered for the new season ahead. A single-grain or kitchari (mung beans and rice) cleanse is most appropriate for the fall/winter, whereas vegetable and fruit fasts are best for warmer spring/summer seasonal shifts.
4. Massage your instep. The arch of the foot, specifically the lower border of the metatarsal bone (very specifically, proximal and inferior to the head of the first metatarsophalangeal joint in a depression at the junction of the dark and light skin), is the location of Spleen 3, the Earth point on the Earth meridian, and a source point of the digestive system. Massage this point during the seasonal transition from summer to fall, or at any point during the year to support digestive health, ease abdominal discomforts, and maintain balanced energy levels.
5. Try acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Acupuncture and herbal allies offer effective, nourishing support in all states of transition, including seasonal shifts. In relation to nourishing the Earth element, Chinese medicine excels at treating digestive disorders like weak digestion, abdominal pain, poor appetite, bloating, nausea, etc., and boosts the body when chronic fatigue and systemic weaknesses have set in. In addition, acupuncture and herbs have been clinically proven to increase immunity to prevent catching colds and flus, which are prevalent in the transition between the summer and fall.
Wishing you an easeful, centered transition into the fall season.
venus of color - sheila govindarajan, ayurvedic practitioner
Sheila and I have been friends and colleagues for +10 year, and I’ve never met a more Venusian Taurus than her (Taurus is ruled by Venus, as is Libra). From her avant garde clothing choices to her sophisticated taste in food, music, ceramics, jewelry, perfume, and art, Sheila IS Venus. When you hang out with her, prepare to eat the best food in town, listen to great music, and smell really, really good.
A rare bird, Sheila is an extraordinary healer, and a well-seasoned product maker, cook, musician, and artist. She’s a jack-of-all-trades and a master of all.
Indian Ayurvedic practitioners are hard to find in the West, and Sheila is one of them. An LA native, her family is South Indian from Tamil Nadu, and she’s traveled far and wide to places like Kerala, India and Santa Fe, New Mexico to hone her craft. Through her private practice Rasa Veda Healing, she offers a full menu of Ayurvedic services including 5-7 day Pancha Karma cleanses, Abhyanga and Marma point massage, Shirodhara, and Ayurvedic postpartum cooking. She describes her suite of services as “MAHA (big) self-care,” and her treaments are meant to be meditative journeys into Theta space. Imagine 5 liters of medicated oil pouring onto your third eye in an uninterrupted stream (Shirodara) while being rhythmically massaged. That’s enough to put anyone in a trance.
On my recent trip to LA, Sheila and I did a trade. I offered her acupuncture treatments in exchange for a complete set of her Ayurvedic handmade products: a custom Seasonal Abhyanga Body Oil, a Pot o’ Gold Salve, and a Nasya Oil. Trust and believe, I have never smelled better nor felt more luxurious than when I massage myself with Sheila’s creations (and my partner Andrew agrees!). They are out of this world delicious - Venus-worthy and then some. 10/10 Recommend.
pearls for your venusian soul
I have experienced, paid for, vetted, and loved all of these recommendations and want to share my findings with you. None of these reviews are sponsored.
The Land in Our Bones by Layla K. Feghali: Herbalist and author Layla Feghali has written the most stunning book dedicated to her ancestors, plantcestors, and the SWANA diaspora entitled, The Land in Our Bones: Plantcestral Herbalism and Healing Cultures from Syria to the Sinai - Earth-based pathways to ancestral stewardship and belonging in diaspora. Layla and I have been friends for +10 years, and in this time, her dedication to the South West Asian North African (SWANA, also known as “Middle East”) diasporic community has NEVER wavered. I know this work of art and love is going to be nothing short of exquisite. Click here to pre-order directly from Penguin Random House.
Rae Rae’s Beadwork, Tule River, California: During a recent trip to an Elders Gathering at the Tule River Reservation near Porterville, California, I was gifted the most gorgeous pair of teal beaded earrings by Yokut artist and jewelry maker Roberta Castanon. Check out Rae Rae’s Beadwork for stunning beaded adornments and custom creations.
Iyé Creative, Victoria, BC: Iyé Creative is a food justice and grassroots collective nurturing reciprocal relations and mutual aid systems. Created by Cuban Afrofuturist entrepreneur Ariel and BC-born community builder Jess, Iyé holds space for healing, enjoyment, and abundance as means of breaking through the path of human suffering. Recently, their program coordinator Anna Marie Stone reached out to me about offering a salve-making workshop as part of their Palenke Seniors Program for elders in the community. I am excited to announce the details of this free workshop once they are finalized! This workshop is open to everyone in the community.
Green Muse Herbs, Victoria, BC: This local apothecary is a shining, emerald gem in the center of our herbal community in so-called “Victoria”. They not only have +400 herbs in their shop, they also support local farmers, artists, makers, and herbalists and are a community hub for seasonal events, markets, workshops, and mutual aid projects. Co-owners Anna Jacquet and her mother Sandra Christensen have been loyal, committed members of the community with unwavering ethics when it comes to plants (ie. you will never find white sage or any other endangered, or culturally sensitive plants here!). They are constantly asking themselves how to be in right relationship with the land they live on, and I am so inspired by it. I highly recommend a trip to their shop for dried herbs, tinctures, glycerites, hydrosols, essential oils, flower essences, medicine-making supplies, and my absolute favorite beeswax candles by Fredrich’s Honey (LOVE their Storm Pack of beeswax candles!). Also, Green Muse is supporting our salve workshop with Iyé Creative, and we are so grateful!
work with me
Have you been called to work with me? Online herbal consults are bookable via my JaneApp scheduling platform, along with distance Reiki sessions with oracle card readings for patients in the US & Canada. I will be out of town basking in the last rays of the summer sun for the month of September, so if you’d like to schedule a virtual consult in October, sessions are now bookable.
Stay tuned for more information on where I’ll be practicing in Victoria, BC for in-person consults. I expect to be offering acupuncture, TCM and Western herbal medicine, cupping, guasha, moxibustion, tui na massage, and Reiki energy healing. To get on my waitlist, DM me on IG @andreapenagos.wellness or email me at andrea.penagos@gmail.com.
If you’d like to join us for THE RADIANT VESSEL 9-week self-care circle, which includes a 60-minute wellness consultation and a 30-minute follow-up session, click here for more information or sign up by emailing me at andrea.penagos@gmail.com.
You made it to the end! I deeply appreciate your readership, and I’ll see you again in Libra Season for the next installment of Venus and the Pearl!
Gorge Waterway Initiative. “The First Peoples of the Waterway.” Info Sheet. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. n.d. Print. www.gorgewaterway.ca