The Natural Wisdom Podcast

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,...

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 o...

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...

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 r...

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 importa...

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. Learn more about Kristine...

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 tra...

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 Satur...

My guest in this episode is Charlotte Kanyi, who helps women choose their birth experience, and all people heal trauma around their own birth. ' Birth and the first hours immediately after are a potent time for imprinting.' As newborn infants, we are imprinted by our first experience in this world. Whether those imprints help us to live with joy and ease, or 'break the evolutionary expectations' o...

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'. Emily's recent...

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...

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 o...

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...

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. Learn more about me here: https://kristinebackes.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...

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 jus...

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 So...

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. Join...

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 e...

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 uncondit...

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 n...

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.  Belinda is a therapist and healer who helps people get unstuck:...

The Full Moon in Libra (April 16 at 2:55 pm Eastern) brings the power of compassion front and center. Venus rules much of the sky from her honored placement in Pisces, with Mars nearby. In this episode, Kristine talks about the potential for sacred union and integration of duality; the power of compassion; and some ways to honor Earth Day. Download a chart of the Libra Full Moon . The blog post on...

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. For a personal look at how these energies show up in your...

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 foundation...

This was a lovely conversation with bio-energy healer and HumanSpirit Radio creator Sarah McCroskey. We went deep into the subjects of polarity versus duality; finding the body as a safe place to be; the current opportunity for healing trauma; and the body as intelligent and conscious.  Sarah's website and healing work can be found here: http://www.biointegration.com/ Listen to past HumanSpirit Ra...