ReportWire

Tag: zayda rivera

  • A Bruja’s Guide to Making the Most of Eclipse Season

    [ad_1]

    Eclipse season is a time of year when major shifts take place internally and externally. Indigenous peoples from the Americas, the Caribbean, and Latin America paid respect to the land, the sun, and the moon during this rebirth and transformation. Traditions practiced for thousands of years are honored, creating a powerful connection between the physical and spiritual world.

    The interconnectedness of all things is a strong belief within many Indigenous groups as a way of life. Eclipse season is a time when that connection can be strengthened and confirmed to Spirit. The energy is powerful whether it’s a solar or lunar eclipse, partial or full. Modern times have disconnected many of us from the interconnectedness of all things that are foundational beliefs of Indigenous peoples. We can regain it by honoring the spiritual traditions passed down through generations by our ancestors.

    A total lunar eclipse on March 14 will follow the Full Moon in Virgo’s peak and will be visible throughout the United States and South America, as well as parts of Europe and Africa. On March 29, we welcome a partial solar eclipse, which coincides with the New Moon in Aries. This creates an excellent time for manifesting and gathering in community with others to raise the vibration here on Earth.

    What is a Lunar Eclipse?

    A lunar eclipse is a dance between the sun, moon, and Earth. The Earth takes the lead, moving between the sun and the moon and casting a shadow on the moon. Lunar eclipses, whether partial or full, only occur during a full moon, which creates heightened energy on its own. Spiritually, lunar eclipses are respected as a transformative time. It brings the shadowy sides of ourselves to the surface to be healed.

    What is a Solar Eclipse?

    A solar eclipse is another kind of astrological dance when the moon leads, passing between the sun and Earth. Partial solar eclipses happen when the moon blocks only a portion of the sun. Whether the moon is blocking the sun fully or partially, it casts a shadow on parts of the Earth. The energy can be felt across our planet. Like a lunar eclipse, solar eclipses hold spiritual significance as powerfully transformative times. As the moon momentarily blocks the sun, we can honor the shadow work that is so essential to spiritual growth and healing.

    What Indigenous Spiritual Rituals Are Done During a Lunar Eclipse?

    Indigenous people often practiced deep introspection during lunar eclipses. Many traditions include fasting, abstaining from sexual activity, staying indoors, prayer, and meditation. Their stillness was a way to show respect to Mother Earth and the Great Spirit for the significant cosmic changes and renewals taking place during the lunar eclipse.

    Palo Santo and Copal are great during this time. You can even mop your floors with a mixture of warm water, Florida Water, and Rue Water. Rue, or ruda, has been used for centuries to remove evil energy from spaces and people. It cannot be consumed but is quite powerful as a cleanser or in spiritual baños or limpias.

    After your space has been cleansed of negativity, stagnant energy, and blockages to joy and inner peace, it’s time to fill your home with gratitude and love. Consider gathering everyone who lives in the home together to meditate and pray. Hold hands in a circle and tune into the energy that is created. Deep breathing together and even long embraces can improve the flow of energy in your home, community, and the world at large. It begins within us and will naturally flow outward.

    What Indigenous Spiritual Rituals Are Done During a Solar Eclipse?

    Solar eclipses are honored and respected in similar ways to lunar eclipses. Some Indigenous groups believe staying indoors shows respect for the sun’s symbolic death and rebirth during the eclipse. Other traditions include being outdoors during the eclipse and dancing under the sun in celebration of its life-giving energy or partaking in naming ceremonies to honor new life. When the moon casts its shadow over the light, engulfing the planet in momentary darkness, silence, prayer, and meditation occur until the sun’s rays return.

    In Western civilization, we often wear protective glasses to marvel at solar eclipses. But Indigenous traditions believe the opposite. As a sign of respect for this display of life’s cycles between the light and the dark, Indigenous groups did not look up at it but instead turned inward to connect with it on a spiritual level and allow the energy of the eclipse to flow through them.

    The upcoming March 29 partial solar eclipse would be a great time to celebrate as the sun shines and then revert into stillness as the moon casts its shadow. Think of yourself as a plant that has survived winter. You may have to prune the parts of yourself that have died or are dying. This could be old ways of thinking, patterns, or even people and places you may have outgrown. Dig deep to find the parts of you that are no longer needed and remove them so the other parts can grow strong and healthy. You could write a list celebrating your journey, who you are becoming, and what you need to let go of or remove to fully be reborn during the solar eclipse, which follows the March 20 spring equinox.

    Herbs to Work with During Eclipse Season

    Herbs act as allies during eclipse season. Whether you’re using them as an ingredient in a spiritual baño or limpia, or sipping it in a tea, plants are intelligent beings. They can maximize the robust energy exchange that occurs between us and astrological transits. Here are some herbs to consider incorporating in your spiritual rituals:

    Mugwort: to deepen meditation and enhance dreams.

    Ginkgo Biloba: to strengthen spiritual communication with the divine.

    Skullcap: to ease a running mind and deepen meditation.

    Chamomile: to calm the nervous system and heal mother wounds.

    Sage: for cleansing your space and yourself from blockages, stagnant, and negative energy.

    Crystals to Work With During Eclipse Season

    Solar eclipses are a great time to charge your crystals. After praying and setting intentions for your crystals, you can place them on a window sill or someplace outside. Holding them in your hands during eclipse meditations and prayers is also super powerful. Here are some go-to’s for the eclipse season:

    Black Tourmaline: for protection and to shield negativity within or from another.

    Flower Agate: for a deeper connection to Spirit and to embrace new beginnings.

    Sunstone: to amplify the sun’s energy within your soul and build confidence.

    Red Jasper: to ground and connect deeply with Mother Earth.

    Selenite: for protection, clarity, and honoring your higher self.

    Essential Oils For Eclipse Season

    Our sense of smell can deepen meditation and assist in soul-journeying through aroma therapy. You can amplify your eclipse ritual by rubbing a little oil on your wrists, behind your ears, third eye, or heart chakra. You can also use incense or a diffuser if you prefer not to have it on your physical body. Here are five essential oils that act as a powerful support for eclipse season spiritual rituals:

    Frankincense: to deepen spiritual connection and support along your life’s journey.

    Vetiver: for grounding and connecting to Mother Earth.

    Peppermint: to calm the nervous system.

    Patchouli: to enhance psychic abilities and honor your intuition.

    Ylang Ylang: to combat anxiety, stress, and sadness and enhance feelings of joy.

    Tarot Cards to Work With During Eclipse Season

    If you are into tarot cards, you can display a card that coincides nicely with the energy of eclipse season. The card you choose to display acts as a symbol of your intentions for your eclipse spiritual ritual. Here are some examples:

    The Hermit: to symbolize the need for an intentional pause and go deeply inward for spiritual guidance.

    Death card: a representation of a symbolic death taking place within yourself, giving way to a new way of being and living.

    The Moon: to reveal hidden emotions and illusions and dive deep into the subconscious mind.

    The Hanged Man: to truly let go and surrender.

    Prayer For Eclipse Season

    Great Spirit, I pray for profound transformation and clarity during this eclipse season. I honor Mother Earth by quieting my mind and tuning into her frequency as the moon and sun dance in the sky. I am aware of the significance of this season and honor ancestral medicine as a way to find balance in my life and continue the traditions passed down through my lineage. I am one with the Earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars. By honoring the elements, I honor myself, you, Great One, and the constant shifts and changes that this life brings. As above, so below. Thank you, thank you, thank you. So, be it.

    Zayda Rivera is a PS contributor. She has been a professional writer for more than 20 years. Z is a certified Reiki Master-Teacher, yoga and Zumba instructor, mindfulness and meditation guide, tarot reader, and spiritual mentor.

    [ad_2]

    Zayda Rivera

    Source link

  • The Never-Ending Trolling of Jennifer Lopez Is Deeply Rooted in Misogyny

    The Never-Ending Trolling of Jennifer Lopez Is Deeply Rooted in Misogyny

    [ad_1]

    Jennifer Lopez‘s illustrious career in music and film has once again taken a backseat to her love life. Despite her blockbuster hits, platinum-selling albums, sold-out tours, and a Las Vegas residency, the Latina megastar continues to be chastised about her romantic relationships. Front and center today is her marriage to Ben Affleck, with various opinions and rumors swirling on social media. But all the chatter points to one thing: blatant misogyny from internet trolls and the media that places the blame on Lopez for her failed relationships. From the divorce rumors to the cancellation of her tour, Lopez is being kicked while she’s down, and the public seems thirsty for it.

    Today’s headlines paint a one-sided picture of Affleck navigating a tumultuous marriage to an overly ambitious, workaholic diva who can’t seem to get love right. These biased narratives seem to be one reason why Lopez released her film “This Is Me…Now” and its accompanying album by the same name, as well as the documentary that shows the behind-the-scenes of it all, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told.” Still, she can’t seem to break through the noise, the trolling, and the harassment bestowed upon her.

    On June 5, Lopez addressed the situation to fans via her On The JLo newsletter, where she wrote: “It may seem like there’s a lot of negativity out in the world right now . . . but don’t let the voices of a few drown out that there is soooo much love out there. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I love you all so much.”

    Let’s be clear: Lopez is being put through the wringer about her love life for two reasons. First off, she’s a woman — a powerful woman at that — and the second reason is because she’s Latina. The machismo culture is toxic and exists widely throughout Latin America and here in the United States. One 2022 study found higher rates of sexism among Latinos in the US and concluded that the reinforcement of the machismo narrative in the media is a misleading reproduction of harmful stereotypes against Latines. In other words, when the Latine community jumps to bashing J Lo, it leaves the door wide open for anyone else to join the bandwagon, forgetting that behind the hate is a woman, a mother, and someone who has never denied how much she loves love.

    When gossip about her relationships prevails, it obscures Lopez’s triumphant success story. Lopez was able to obtain the American dream ten-fold. Still, instead of being continuously celebrated for this, all the attention is focused on things going awry in her love life. The public discourse always seems to harp on what she did wrong. Maybe she didn’t pay enough attention to her man, or her career demands strained their relationship. Or maybe her global fame was overshadowing poor, poor Ben. Let’s be real: if Lopez were a man, Latine or not, would this still be the case?

    It’s not just Lopez. Take legendary actress and EGOT Rita Moreno, a Puerto Rican actress who was married to Leonard Gordon for 45 years until his death in 2010. But before that, Moreno was scrutinized for her love affairs with Hollywood royalty like Marlon Brando and music superstars like Elvis Presley.

    So, what are we telling little girls, Latine and otherwise, about being ambitious and successful? It’s similar to America Ferrera’s speech in “Barbie.” A woman can be successful but not too successful. She can shine like the brightest star as long as she isn’t blinding him or leaving him in the shadows. She can be strong but not appear stronger than her man in public. She can love herself, but not too much, because it will appear like diva-ish, self-centered behavior.

    The greatest love story Lopez never told is how much she has had to love herself through very public relationships and the breakups everyone seems to be waiting for. After all, how could a woman choose her career over love, right?

    Zayda Rivera is a POPSUGAR contributor. She has been a professional writer for more than 20 years. Z is a certified Reiki Master Teacher, yoga and Zumba instructor, mindfulness and meditation guide, tarot reader, and spiritual mentor.

    [ad_2]

    Zayda Rivera

    Source link

  • Jennifer Lopez Is the Ultimate Latina Rom-Com Queen

    Jennifer Lopez Is the Ultimate Latina Rom-Com Queen

    [ad_1]

    Jennifer Lopez’s life and career have taken the world on an unforgettable roller-coaster ride. We’ve witnessed the ups, downs, and unexpected twists in between. She may not always be a favorite among critics, but Lopez has continued to produce films through her company Nuyorican Productions, elevating herself to celeb royalty. As she juggles the many crowns she wears, one that deserves the spotlight is her role in essentially being our first Latina rom-com queen.

    Sure, some of her earlier films, like 2002’s “Maid in Manhattan,” were criticized for perpetuating Latina stereotypes (and 2003’s “Gigli,” which she costarred in with Ben Affleck, was chewed up and spit out by film critics for just not being funny). But despite the naysayers, Lopez has never given up her spot as a rom-com star. The 2005 romantic comedy “Monster-in-Law,” which she stars in alongside Jane Fonda, followed those less desirable films and became one of her highest-grossing films to date.

    Lopez is to the 2000s what Meg Ryan is to the 1980s and ’90s. Her comedic timing is always on point, and mixing it with her vulnerability has created a recipe for success in the rom-com genre. From 2001’s “The Wedding Planner,” which grossed $94 million worldwide, to 2004’s “Shall We Dance?” which brought in $170 million at the box office, and recent films like 2022’s “Marry Me,” which racked up $50 million, Lopez has continued to solidify herself as a rom-com queen. Other Latina actors have dipped their toe in the genre and done well: think Salma Hayek in 1997’s “Fools Rush In” alongside Matthew Perry, and Eva Mendes in 2005’s “Hitch” alongside Will Smith. However, the Puerto Rican actor continues to stretch the bounds of the rom-com characters she portrays. In one role, she’s struggling with a difficult mother-in-law, and in the next, she’s toting guns and combat boots, as she did in 2022’s “Shotgun Wedding.”

    The 54-year-old multitalented star doesn’t wait for the opportunities to come either — she creates them for herself. She recently dropped $20 million to produce 2024’s “This Is Me… Now: A Love Story,” an Amazon original showcase that coincided with her first studio album in a decade. Through breathtaking choreography, star-studded cameos, awe-inspiring costumes, and scene changes, Lopez takes viewers on a journey through her love life, a hot topic in the public eye for years. And, of course, she throws in some comedy with her therapist, who is played by longtime friend and fellow Bronx native Fat Joe. Despite the harsh criticism and low ratings, the musical film was important for Lopez to detail her love life in her own way, not the media’s.

    Overall, Lopez has brought in approximately $1 billion in gross revenue for her rom-com films. She is staking her claim in an arena that lacks Latine representation by a long shot. In 2019, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released a report that showed the low percentages of Latine contribution on camera and behind the scenes. In partnership with Eva Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, the report found that only seven percent of films from 2019 featured a lead or colead Hispanic/Latino actor.

    In other words, Lopez — for more than 20 years — has carved out representation where Latinas are nearly nonexistent. While the critics may lay on her heavily and unapologetically, we cannot deny that when it comes to rom-coms, she’s doing it bigger and better than any other Latina actor. She is laughing all the way to the bank and slowly and steadily bumping up those insultingly low percentages. There’s no doubt that Lopez has rewritten history and solidified a path in film that other Latina actors are sure to follow.

    Zayda Rivera is a POPSUGAR contributor. She has been a professional writer for more than 20 years. Z is a Reiki Master Teacher, a yoga and Zumba instructor, a mindfulness and meditation guide, a tarot reader, and a spiritual mentor.

    [ad_2]

    Zayda Rivera

    Source link

  • Shakira Is Proof That Success Is the Best Revenge Following a Breakup

    Shakira Is Proof That Success Is the Best Revenge Following a Breakup

    [ad_1]

    Colombian singer Shakira is often referred to as the queen of Latin music. She’s credited as the pioneer who extended the global reach of Latin music singers. Since her breakup with ex Gerald Piqué in June 2022, Shakira has become an ever-stronger artist, releasing several hits, including “Monotonía” and her history-making diss track “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.” Shakira has also received a number of accolades and is nominated for several Latin Grammy Awards this year.

    There’s no denying that 2023 became the year of Shakira. Through this collection of stories, we are honoring Shakira’s current success, where she started, and the impact she continues to have on the Latine community.

    If there’s one thing folks can take away from Shakira’s very public breakup with retired FC Barcelona soccer star Gerard Piqué, it’s that resilience never looked so sexy. The world-renowned singer was already a superstar before beginning her 12-year relationship with Piqué. But post-heartache, she’s catapulted to a whole new level of fame. Despite ending her relationship to the father of her two children and facing tax fraud issues in Spain, this shooting star is shining so brightly today it’s blinding and super inspiring all at once.

    While you may have experienced a breakup and the heartache that follows, it was likely not experienced under the watchful eye of the global public. Still, we can learn so much from Shakira’s headline-grabbing split and her return to self that followed.

    “Draining romances strip you of your most precious resource — your energy,” Dinorah Nieves, PhD, a behavioral scientist, counselor, and life coach, tells POPSUGAR. “You may have bursts of inspiration and joy here and there, but you don’t have the dependable connection to yourself or the other person [that’s] necessary to sustain your wellness.”

    Even Shakira, a record-breaking singer with more hits than we can count, lost herself in love. In fact, she recently opened up about how moving to Barcelona for Piqué really stunted her creatively. But when she rediscovered and remembered who the hell she was, there was no stopping her from healing, growing, and leaving Piqué behind in the dust of her once-broken heart.

    In love, we may give too much without realizing it, simply because the endorphins of amor feel so good that we embrace the euphoria it provides. But upon removing those rose-colored glasses and seeing reality for what it is, a shift takes place, and you can either remain in the low-vibrational love or come out from under its grip.

    “When we are in relationships, we take part in energy exchange with our partner,” Erica Priscilla Sandoval, a spiritual healer and social worker, tells POPSUGAR. “At times, we may feel stagnant if it seems like they are taking too much. In reality, it is us who are giving too much. We are in control of our own energies, and no one can take what we do not give.”

    Societal norms paired with cultural roles and expectations impact many romantic relationships. Women, especially, often realize how much we’re conforming to meet those expectations until we don’t even recognize our own reflection anymore. It can happen to anyone who isn’t conscious enough. After all, Shakira is a chart-topping internationally known singer, and she too had to find herself again after heartbreak.

    “Despite the great strides we’ve seen in women’s rights, we still live in a fundamentally sexist culture that often measures a woman’s worth against domestic stereotypes,” Dr. Nieves says. “We’re praised for martyrdom and punished for setting boundaries. In cultures that center on family, the pressure to sacrifice self for the greater good of the community can be even stronger.”

    Surely, it was a devastating blow to Shakira’s ego when she found out Piqué was cheating on her with a woman more than half her age. But it could have been exactly what she needed to remove herself from a relationship that wasn’t serving her in the way she deserved. The universe has an interesting way of getting us to pay attention if we are turning a blind eye to signs of trouble. And the reality is that since Shakira’s breakup, she’s dropped hit after hit, broken records, and received numerous accolades, including Billboard’s woman of the year award at the magazine’s first-ever Mujeres Latinas en la Música event.

    “The universe will always give you what you need, as long as you are open to receiving it,” Sandoval says. “Even the dark moments will have a light at the end of the tunnel, because we are that light — we just need to let go of what does not serve us.”

    And Shakira did just that, as we witnessed her journey of healing. She utilized her music to heal her wounds and send a message to the masses that not only is heartbreak temporary, but women from all walks of life can bounce back and come back stronger than ever before.

    “No one knows the important details of a relationship better than the people intimately involved in it,” Dr. Nieves says of Shakira and Piqué’s public breakup. “What we can speak to, however, are the memories, fears, hopes, and questions that public romances and breakups trigger in us. They offer us great opportunities to look at our own love lives, take inventory, and create change . . . if we dare to be so brave.”

    [ad_2]

    Zayda Rivera

    Source link