Aligned Journey Talks

Discussions on Modern Spirituality

We are living in interesting times.

I have heard it referred to as the Age of the Narcissistic Father and that feels right to me. There are systems, personalities, and events happening that stem from the unhealed patriarchal energy of self-serving behavior, power-over, and profit at all costs. It has been brewing beneath the surfaces for decades and centuries. What is happening now, in politics, business, and our communities, is exposing the dis-ease to the light of day.

We have not been here before and no one knows what will happen next. The way forward isn’t clear. So how do we find our center and make our plans and live our lives as things appear to be crumbling right now? That is what this series of talks aims to address.

How do we stay on our spiritual path during times of uncertainty? When we are stressed it is easy to operate from our unconscious patterns. Spirituality is choosing to be awake and aware of what drives us and how we believe and behave.

Stephen Covey in his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, coined the term sharpen the saw to convey that we need to seek continuous improvement to our professional and personal skills.

Let’s do it together!

2020 began a decade of change and upheaval. Aligned Journey was created to help us stay in a reflective and aware space during this period of rapid change.

Each discussion includes a guided meditation and healing. Talks will be offered for a donation so everyone who wants to can participate. Thank you for contributing whatever amount is right for you.

Navigating our way forward in these chaotic times means we need to sharpen our saw.

The Astrological Energy of the 2020s

This COURAGEOUS DECADE will require that we face in our own individual ways its creative discomfort. But it's through facing it that we'll be able to bring forth the best part of a newly emerging world.

~ Vanessa Couto, Archetypal Astrologer, MA

This is a decade that has two key overlapping phases: waxing and waning. When planets come together, akin to a New Moon, they kickstart a new phase, one that can be quickly seen in the zeitgeist. As the cycle waxes, moves forward, we see the seeds blossom and bear fruit. 2020 kickstarted three key planetary unions that will grow with time and have huge influences on our culture and time. These were Saturn and Pluto’s unions, Jupiter and Pluto, all in Capricorn, thus speaking to the structures that make our lives possible, and the Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius ushering in new ways of thinking globally, evoking the archetype of the citizen.

But there are also waning phases when planetary archetypes are making the return home journey and finishing off a cycle that started several years ago. Some of these are the relationships between Jupiter and Uranus, which often speak to technological and scientific breakthroughs. Saturn and Uranus, which evokes societal changes and the challenging dance between change and resistance. Lastly, Jupiter and Saturn in relationship to Neptune, bringing forth new stories and visions that inform societal behaviors and beliefs.

Beyond the beginnings and endings of cycles, we also contend with the slower-moving planets, like Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto moving into another sign. Because they spend so many years in one sign, these planets deeply affect the zeitgeist and bring deeply-rooted changes. So when they shift into a new sign, we can expect cultural shifts not yet imagined. By the mid-decade, all three will move signs. Pluto will move into Aquarius, Neptune into Aries, and Uranus into Gemini.

So this decade will start one way and wrap up in a complete, yet unimagined, way. Thus traversing this decade will require us much courage to face unknown aspects of ourselves and our world. This is not a decade for beginners.”

Thanks to Vanessa Couto for sharing her Astro wisdom. Vanessa is an Archetypal Astrologer who makes sense of our world through her deep knowledge of astrology, psychology, archetypes, and mythology. She will be joining the Aligned Journey talks periodically through out the year.

Upcoming Talks

January

The Citizen Within

A discussion of the events of the past few months from the perspective of the citizen. What is underneath our citizenship? What is our responsibility or obligation as citizens? How can we show up for our community whether or not we agree with our neighbor’s political views? Being a citizen is about belonging to a place.

February

Walking the Talk

A discussion on living our values. How do we stay on our spiritual path during times of uncertainty? When we are stressed it is easy to find ourselves operating from our unconscious patterns. Spirituality is choosing to be awake and aware of what drives us and how we believe and behave.

March

No Place Like Home

A discussion about how we define home and how we create it. Home has a traditional meaning and yet many don’t live a traditional life. How do you define home? What are the rituals that create home for you? Our home is where we feel safe to be ourselves, where we recharge our battery, and what holds our essence and truth.

April

Going the Distance

A discussion on endurance and resilience. Many have stories of difficult childhoods, serious illnesses, or unspeakable trauma. Finding our strength to keep going even during the darkest times is all about resilience and endurance. How do we keep going? What are the tools you have used? What has inspired you to go the distance?

May

Messages from the Universe

A discussion about intuition and communicating with guides, God, or our higher selves. How do we begin this conversation with our intuition? How has your life /outlook changed by developing your intuition? We explore the psychic senses as well. Living from our intuition can enrich our lives and take a great deal of trust to commit. Our healing meditation will focus on the third eye chakra.

June

Fate, Destiny, Serendipity

A discussion on how life unfolds for each of us. How do the events of our life form and play out? Why do we experience the things we do? Is there an order to it? A meaning? What causes some people to experience so much pain. We will explore these ideas and share our thoughts. This is sure to be a lively discussion. Our healing meditation will focus on safety and resilience.

July

Imaginal World

A discussion about the imaginal world. What is the place for the imaginal in your life? We will explore each of our ideas about the Other World. Discussing our experiences and understandings of how things work there. And how things move back and forth between the two. We will investigate the impact of the imaginal in our day-to-day lives. Our healing meditation will focus on the sixth and seventh chakras.

August

Soul Mates

A discussion on the realities vs the romanticism of soul mates. We will explore soul mates, twin flames, and soul pods. Separating fact from fiction, we’ll talk about strategies for navigating these relationships and why they can be so challenging. I will also share a common pattern I have seen from my clients and why I believe it is so prevalent right now. Our healing meditation will focus on boundaries and connections.

September

Happiness

A discussion on the elusive experience we call happiness. Happiness is the lifelong pursuit of our country’s citizens. Prized so much it appears in our Declaration of Independence. We will discuss what it is, how we have thought about it in the past, and how we prioritize it in our lives now.

October

Community

A discussion on the role of community in our lives and culture. We will touch on the complex aspects of living in community as well as the historical role it played in our country and on the planet. How can we experience a better world through community? Traditional structures and how those roles work in today’s society.

November

Never-ending Story

A discussion patterns and wounds in individuals and families. Those patterns that we unconsciously play out that cause us to encounter the same negative situations over and over again. Can we stop these patterns from repeating? What is the hidden meaning of our own never-ending stories?

December

Regeneration

A discussion on the cycles of death and rebirth in our lives. An exploration of change over a lifetime. What are the different chapters of your life? Did you embrace the changes or resist them? What made your transitions easier process? Learning to thrive after a part of you has died.

Talks held the third Thursday of each month at 5PM Pacific.

About the Facilitator

Laura Rowe is an Intuitive Strategist & Spiritual Seeker at The Vital Spirit. Living in Portland, Oregon, Laura founded The Vital Spirit in 2013. She has a background in business operations, a master’s degree in organizational management, and she has spent the last 35 years studying spiritual traditions and practices, and the last 12 years training in intuitive energy healing modalities.

Laura helps empaths and sensitives who have struggled their whole life with belonging. Explore How We Can Work Together