On Future Nostalgia & Moon Shadows

August eZine: Egyptian mysteries, wild initiations, plant alchemy, journal prompts, a wildberry recipe, upcoming classes, and a few more free gifts just because. 🦁

With the Lion’s Gate Portal just behind us, Mercury Retrograde almost over, a full moon upon us, and a few sun-drenched weeks in Leo’s gaze ahead of us, I’m sinking into those end-of-summer vibes with a feeling of future nostalgia. 

On Future Nostalgia & Moon Shadows

Isn’t “future nostalgia” the best phrase? I first heard it from one of my astro teachers, Merlin of Ancient Astrology. And it so perfectly captures the essence of the season.

With the Leo Sun upon the Earth, the warmth of the season and late summer harvests made life for our ancestors relatively relaxed at this time of year. Yes, there’s work to be done — but overall survival needs were met, allowing humans to turn towards play, creativity, and joy. 

Yet with the Summer Solstice long past, August days grow visibly shorter, hinting that summer’s ease will soon give way to darker seasons. 

So, as we soak up sunshine and joy while we can, a sense of nostalgia begins to form for we’re the present. We fill ourselves with imprints of warmth to carry us through the seasonal cycles to come. 

Within this radiant Leo season, today’s full moon is in the sign Aquarius, the great analytic humanitarian.

Do you know what we find under a full moon? Moon shadows — the shadows hidden in the night, only visible through this monthly lunar light. 

What shadows is the full moon illuminating for you? 

The Leo-Aquarius axis can help us look at places where our radiant light (Leo) is being diminished or hidden by collective programing and agreements (Aquarius). 

And, it can help us look at where we’ve become overly self-protective and absorbed (Leo), forgetting the greater ecosystems and communities that are part of our larger selves (Aquarius). 

I love this little blurb from Merlin:

While going full, the Moon will oppose the Sun in Leo. Leo is ruled by the Sun, who sits at the center of the seven planetary spheres, in contrast to Saturn’s* position at the edge. Leonine wisdom comes not from detachment and clinical objectivity, but from complete embodiment and presence in the here and now. Aquarius, in contrast, pursues truth through an objective, detached gaze, unencumbered by the inherently limited perspectives of the self.

For Leo, truth is unique to the individual’s experience; for Aquarius, truth must by definition be universal and common to all people. Aquarius views the self as a limit to be transcended, and Leo views the self as a doorway to authentic experience. Aquarius celebrates the universal, Leo celebrates the particular. Aquarius idealizes where we should be, Leo where we are. 

*Aquarius is ruled by Saturn in Hellenistic astrology.

You may like to take some time to reflect on these prompts this full moon:

• What are my guiding ideals in life, and where do they come from?

• Have any of my higher visions, beliefs, and ideals become oppressive rather than inspiring? 

• In what ways do I fully show up in life as my true self? 

• Where do I feel the need to suppress or hide what actually brings me joy? 

• How can I bring more awareness to the relationship between myself and the larger ecologies I’m a part of?

• Are there any areas that need updating to balance my personal wellness with the good of all beings? 

• What do I believe to be true about myself or “how life works”, that might actually not be the full picture?

All together, this is a day to break the bonds that keep you disconnected — from yourself, the greater ecologies and systems you’re a part of, and the higher potential for the relationship between the two.

About that Lion’s Gate…

You’ll likely be hearing a lot about the Lion’s Gate Portal right around now — 8/8 was the “official” date — and how we can use it for manifestation.

And, if you dare to scroll through any social media, you’ll also be hearing a lot about how it’s totally fake and made up with no ancient origins. 

*Sigh*

Haters gonna hate.

The truth is that the Lion’s Gate is absolutely a sacred, ancient, and potent portal for humanity. It just didn’t always occur on August 8th. (But I’m not mad at bringing a little numerology magic to modern celebrations.)

I’ve written on this extensively, but in short:

During the Lion’s Gate Portal, the Earth, Sirius, the constellation Orion, and our Sun (in the sign of Leo, the lion), all come into alignment.

This happens on different days throughout the world, and the exact dates shift year-to-year (read more about the fascinating July-Cancer connections and the heliacal rise of Sirius).

In ancient Egypt, Sirius's heliacal rising — the first time it becomes visible in the morning sky before sunrise — was associated with the annual flooding of the Nile River, which was a critical event for the region's agriculture and marked the arrival of the Egyptian New Year. 

So, while we might say this portal peaks on August 8th (read more about the significance of 8, the Lion’s Gate, and Osiris), the true origins of the Lion’s Gate Portal can be found in the ancient Egyptian New Year.

This makes the Lion’s Gate Portal a powerful time for working with the gods of Egypt — for manifestation or anything else you wish to move, transform, or create right now. 

I created this guide to Egyptian deity rituals a few years ago — before all freebies started being created by AI. I actually channeled this shit with the gods! And you can grab it for free :) 

Psst: If you’re into Egypt, you are going to LOVE this. I’m ridiculously excited about what I’m putting together ;) 

me in Egypt back in 2009

My Lion’s Gate Creation

As I write this, my copper alembic is filled with fragrant wormwood steaming in spring water I gathered by hand (and muscle!) from a wild spring in the Oregon Cascades. 

Between the wild spring water, freshly blooming wormwood, Lion’s Gate Portal, and full moon vibes, this feels totally magical.

If all goes well, it will be available in my Botanica this fall (along with apple, yarrow, white sagebrush, and more!).

In the meantime, the remaining few hydrosols from last summer are on sale as I make room for the fresh batches. These are still fragrant and lovely, made in late fall of 2024. Use them up within the next 6 months. 

Celebrating a Wild Initiation

The 2025 cohort of Rewilding the Spirit graduated on the 6th (congratulations to the absolutely amazing humans who were initiated into a wild and wonderful relationship with the Earth this summer!). 

I’ve taught this course in various forms before (the first round in 2020!). But I personally pushed myself this time — making these past 12 weeks not just an initiation for my students, but one for me, as well. And it paid off. During our final call, a few themes came up for our group. Students repeatedly shared that they felt:

• A stronger connection to spirit realms and actually communicating with the spirits all around us

• Safer and more grounded in their bodies, with much more self love (I cry!)

• True belonging in a well-held community where it feels safe to be your full self 

• And the surprising (for the students, at least…I was very intentional about this) connection with not just the earth but the cosmos — stars and planets and more — as part of our greater ecosystems

The feedback is still coming in, but I wanted to share some of the words from our group as they mean so much to me:

Because of my relationship with the Land, I feel at home in the world now, safe and loved. My relationship with the human world is transforming as I understand the common roots we all share. I understand what co-creation means. I am becoming more Sovereign in my life. 

It takes me a while to warm up to people. After assessing the live calls, I am happy I dived into them. You have created a warm, loving, accepting environment for growth. I am enjoying the people who are part of the group as I get to know them. 

Rewilding the Spirit is a masterpiece in my eyes.

When I look back at the curriculum, I see 12 weeks of lessons + prep materials, resources, and tons of bonuses, totaling 77 modules! Plus hours of video and audio recordings, amazing live community calls, online discussion groups, and enough pages of PDFs that I think my book is at least half written…Phew!

My next live, long-term training is beginning in January: The Wild Alchemy Apprenticeship/Practitioner Path. 

It’s going to be pure magic. If you’re interested in this 13-month initiation (and legit soul healer practitioner training like no other, get on the waitlist for some special gifts).

And finally, I’m a crazy lady.

During August, I’m taking a break from teaching and going full-on kitchen witchery alchemist crazy lady mode ;) 

Here’s a little peek at what I’ve been up to:

• Gathering wild berries (salal and early season blackberries) at the coast to preserve and enjoy to uplift my spirits with a taste of summer on a wintery day (recipe follows!)

• Collecting the apples as they fall from our tree to preserve for all sorts of autumn baking…but it’s out of control — I think I have about 60lbs collected so far! Still, grateful for a bumper year after last year’s freeze left us without any harvest at all

• Snacking on the wild strawberries that are slowly taking over our grass…

• Freezing fresh herbs in olive oil ice cubes and infusing them into vinegars

• Making a new batch of hydrosols in my copper alembic (as mentioned above)

• Making more plant pigments — yarrow, sulphur buckwheat, wild rose, rhododendron…what a joy!

• Making new smoke bundles with white sagebrush, mugwort, great western sagebrush, and lavender stalks from my garden (yes, they’ll be in the shop this fall!)

• Turning weeds into food (the latest: a nettle, sorrel, and lambsquarters spanikopita!)

• And more berries — the first wild blueberries and huckleberries as trailside snacks on hikes to mountain lakes

like this one, which we miraculously had to ourselves

Happenings & Updates 

Grab the free course “A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health” before the price goes up.

I’ve been offering this value-packed 65-minute course for free for the past five years. I’m getting the message that it’s time for a change, so this course will no longer be free after August 31. So get it now if you’re interested!

Upcoming Trainings

Save the dates:

• Cultivating a Feather-light Heart: A 42-Day Journey with the Ideals of Ma’at begins in September

• Psychopomp will run again this October

• The Wild Alchemy Apprenticeship/Practitioner Program will begin January 2026. 

Newly Available

The Path of the Myrrophore is now available on demand. It was a powerful workshop, as these student words reflect:

“Tears streamed down my face as I connected with the Magdalene energy. I could feel the deep grief for what was lost to ALL of us when the stories, wisdom, and unconditional love got buried by false histories. My heart cracked wide open! For days afterward I would feel overcome with the love and collective grief, whenever I remembered the connection. I think I will always have a deeper understanding of what was lost and what is possible.”

Sneak Peek at New Releases in the Botanica

Next week I’ll be sharing all sorts of new botanical creations…including perfume restocks (think fire and smoke) and the newest additions to the flower essence collection!

As promised, your recipe :)

Wildberry Crisp

gluten free, vegan, wild

Here’s your recipe! Though I don’t really use recipes…but I think this is what I did:

• Wash and place about 4-5 cups berries in a 9x9 baking dish.

• Add maple syrup to sweeten to taste (I just drizzled a little all over because my berries were already quite sweet)

• Sprinkle with a heaping tablespoon of arrowroot powder (tapioca or cornstarch should also work)

• Stir to mix, right in the baking dish

• Use your favorite crumble topping, or just mix up about a cup each almond flower and rolled oats, ¾ cup coconut sugar, 6 tablespoons coconut oil (or butter if you prefer), and a pinch each of salt and cinnamon

• Top the berries with the crumble and bake at 350 for about 45-60m, checking to make sure topping doesn’t brown to much

• When the berries are bubbling and the top is golden, take it out, let it cool, and enjoy

  !

For those who are not as loosey-goosey with their baking, this is a great recipe.

salal and early season blackberries and bare feet oh my!

Juniper Stokes is a scent priestess, botanical perfumer, soul alchemist, and rewilding guide through mythic landscapes of the nature, spirit, and the cosmos. For over 25 years, she has been guiding soulful humans back to the heart of who they are and why they’re here.

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