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Alyssa Nobriga
Now that it's the new year, what are some of the themes energetically that are coming forward?
Jill Winterstein
So this is a big, big year. Think about it as the foundation for the next nine years. We're basically dealing with fire and air, which is a lot of action. So things are going to get spicy.
Alyssa Nobriga
One of the things I love is that you bring the psychology and the astrology, talk to us about how those worlds go together.
Jill Winterstein
When we start to tie in the neuroscience aspect, that's when we get into some really interesting things. If we don't visualize a new life for ourselves and we just try and write it on paper and have like a to do list, when it starts to manifest, our brain is like, wait, this isn't my normal comfort zone. And anytime our brain is like, this is new, it runs back. We sabotage ourselves. Our brain doesn't like the unfamiliar. New moons are new beginnings. And so that's when we set intentions. And the veil between the conscious and the subconscious is at its lowest during that time. So we actually have greater insight into our intuition, what we really want. One of the biggest blocks in manifestation is people.
Podcast Host/Announcer
Welcome back to the Healing and Human Potential podcast.
Alyssa Nobriga
Today we're exploring astrology and psychology, how.
Podcast Host/Announcer
It can support you in reconnecting with.
Alyssa Nobriga
Your purpose, and how integrating your nervous system can supercharge your manifestations.
Podcast Host/Announcer
We'll dive into an astrological forecast where.
Alyssa Nobriga
You'Ll learn about key predictions and themes for this new year. And you're going to learn how your chart influences the patterns in your relationships so that you attract and shift the patterns that are no longer serving you. Joining us is Jill Winterstein, founder of Spirit Daughter. She's also an author, and she's sharing.
Podcast Host/Announcer
With us how we can align with.
Alyssa Nobriga
The astrological seasons and lunar cycles to.
Podcast Host/Announcer
Expand our understanding of ourselves and why.
Alyssa Nobriga
The right timing is key to our transformation.
Podcast Host/Announcer
This conversation is gonna leave you ready.
Alyssa Nobriga
To step into more clarity and purpose this year. Let's dive in. I'm so happy that you're here, and I know that one of the things that you do are these astrological forecasts. And now that it's the new year, I would love to hear from you anything that we can take from your knowledge about how to set ourselves up for this year and what are some of the themes energetically that are coming forward.
Jill Winterstein
So this is a big, big year. I've been talking a lot about it. It's a one year in numerology. And so besides the astrology of the year, which is also big, this is the start of a nine year cycle. And so what I've been really asking people to do, especially as we concluded 2025, which was a nine year is, is we just ended a nine year cycle. And so reflect on that nine years, like understand, where have you been? What is the journey? What did you start, what did you finish? Where were your blocks? And really, you know, understand it and use that as information. And then as you're looking towards this year, think about it as the foundation for the next nine years. And so it's a very big moment in time. Because of that, we're basically dealing with fire and air, which is a lot of action. And so Aquarius and Gemini are air signs. And then we have fire signs in Aries and Leo. And so when you think about fire, it needs a stable base and then the air drags it up. Right. And so when we mix air and fire, things get spicy.
Alyssa Nobriga
Okay.
Jill Winterstein
And so things are going to get spicy, you know, but personally though, I've really been encouraging people, let's harness this, let's funnel this into motivation, into something you want to create a new beginning, you want to charge towards action. Fire speaks action, air speaks action. You know, talk to other people, collaborate. Air reminds us that we're all connected. And so when you look at the signs, you can break them down into the elements and you get a really great understanding of them. And then we also have a lot of leadership coming through in the Aquarius and the Leo, Aries. This is all leadership. And so really leading yourself forward. How do you want to lead your collective forward? Your piece of the collective, your community forward? How do you want to show up and be seen? What do you stand for? You know, we have Pluto in Aquarius. That's power to the people. That's, you know, what is your truth and how are you going to stand in your truth and speak it with conviction? And so there's, you can, you can tell that that's why I say it's spicy. There's, there's a lot of energy, a lot activation. And then we couple that with the one energy from the numerology and it's just like new beginnings, fresh starts, action. This is the time to do.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah, and I also hear a lot of change with also AI. I mean, it just makes sense that people are going to need to know how to navigate change and have the tools so that they find peace as their outer worlds are also shifting.
Jill Winterstein
Correct, Correct. And that's the Uranus in Gemini Transit. So Uranus is progress technology. It rules Aquarius. So it's, you know, Aquarius is out of the box thinking Age of Aquarius. You know, it's just like the ideals collective. This is all about evolving us, evolving our consciousness. Uranus and Aquarius are both about evolving our consciousness, evolving the collective consciousness that we all pull from energetically. And so with Uranus and Gemini, Gemini's communication. And so when I saw that transit, I was like, oh, that is just all about A.I. here we are, here to stay and we got to see a glimpse of it. I know I felt like it blew up in 2025, but that was actually just a glimpse. And so now we're going to start to see the real story of AI, the debates, the regulations against it for it. How, how are we going to govern this? What are people going to use it for? Where are the limits? Where, where do we need to watch it, contain it? Where can we just like let it go and see what happens? That's all gonna be up for discussion over this year.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah, I know people really struggle with purpose as well. And I'm wondering, can they use astrology to support them in having clarity around their purpose?
Jill Winterstein
Yes, absolutely. And that's what Aries is all about. The sign of Aries is all about your purpose and your life's path and understanding your soul's purpose. And so that's gonna come up a lot with Neptune and Saturn going into Aries this year. Aries is gonna be very activated. And Neptune in Aries is like, okay, let' let's dream, right? Neptune has dreams, so let's dream and then let's take action on those dreams. Let's take action where we need to, to manifest them, to fulfill them and really understanding why you're here this lifetime, that's what Aries is all about. And that's why Aries kind of gets the bad rap of being like the selfish sign. I don't believe that. I just think that Aries understand who they are and what they need and they're not afraid to ask for it. And so we can all align with that energy, you know, throughout the year with Aries very active. And then obviously in Aries season or anytime the moon is in Aries, we can work with that energy of Aries. But it's a really great time for finding your purpose and understanding your purpose and putting your purpose first, understanding the mountain that you're here to climb and then gathering that motivation and that courage. That's Aries, to climb that mountain and keep going, sustaining it.
Alyssa Nobriga
And how do people use their astrological chart to know when to rest or reinvent or how do. How do they use that personally for themselves?
Jill Winterstein
Well, you can look at it. I mean, everybody's chart's going to be different. And so you can look at, like, different cycles in your life. And really, when I'm looking at, like, areas or pro, you know, programming or year, I look at the houses. And so you have your chart and you have your planets and your chart, and then you have your houses, which are the little pies.
Alyssa Nobriga
Right.
Jill Winterstein
A chart looks like a pie. And so you have 12 pieces of the pie, and those are your 12 houses. And they're governed by different zodiac signs. So there's 12 signs. They all govern a certain house. And so you can look at it and you can say, okay, where is my Aries house? What is happening there? And so if Aries happens to govern your seventh house, that's the house of partnerships. And so you might need to really work on how you're going to put yourself first in partnerships and asking for support and finding partners who will support your life's path. Right. Because you have Aries in the seventh house with partnerships. And then we look at, okay, well, when is a planet, a current planet, touching that? So we have Saturn entering Aries. So Saturn is going to, in this example chart, transit this person's seventh house. And that's gonna be about commitments. And so I would say to this person, okay, it might be time to commit to a partner this year. So it comes down to really understanding the houses, the area, you know, the sign that rules it, and then the planet or planets transiting it.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah, And I love that. So that you can see what is to come for the new year and then be able to more intentionally maybe plan your business, your relationships, your home life, family.
Jill Winterstein
Exactly.
Alyssa Nobriga
So for somebody that's like, okay, I'm new to this, but I've opened up my chart and I can see it for this year. Can you walk us through how they can just ground. Like, I'm still new in terms of knowing that Aries, like, what these things are. Can you give us, like, a brief description for people like me?
Jill Winterstein
Well, when you first look at your chart, you'll see your planets. And so the chart is a picture of the sky when you were born in the exact moment. And so at any given time, the planets are in certain places and the baby's born, and they take the energy of the moment in on their first breath. And so that's where the natal chart comes from. And so you'll first wanna look at okay, where is my natal sun? Where is my natal moon? Where is my rising sign? That's where your chart starts. It's gonna govern your first house. And so you'll wanna find your big three. And then I always like to look at, okay, where's somebody's Saturn? Because that's gonna be what you commit to in life, how you deal with responsibility. If you're interested in your love life, you look at Venus. Venus is gonna show you how you love, how you show love, what you find beautiful. So what sign is that in? What house is that in? So it's almost like you can kind of create like a Mad Libs in a way where it's like, okay, my Venus is in Leo in my 10th house. That means, you know, I have a lot of love, right? That's Venus in my 10th house. In my career, and it's governed by Leo, which is gonna be about leadership. So I'm gonna really love being in a career that involves leadership. That's gonna fill my heart. So you almost can, like, really break it down. And I've thought about, like, doing workbooks like that. Yeah, I think because it is almost like Mad Libs, it'd be helpful.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah.
Jill Winterstein
Like, my son is in Pisces or my son is in Cancer. And sixth house. And what does that mean? So you're gonna break down the chart. That's why natal chart readings are amazing. And then the second piece is layering on the current astrology. And so you'll look at. Okay, you'll pick a theme. So I love to look at where Jupiter's transiting somebody's chart. It's one of my favorite things because Jupiter is all about abundance. It's about expansion, it's about growth. And so people will come to me and they'll be like, well, where's my potential this year? Where's my growth? Where's my place for expansion? It's like, okay, well, where's Jupiter touching your chart? And so Jupiter's currently in Cancer. It'll move into Leo mid year. I would look at where is Cancer and Leo in your chart? What house is that governing? Are there any planets in that house? And it's fine if there's no planets in the house. I get that question a lot. It doesn't mean you don't have that area of your life. It just means that there's no planets in there. Like, we all have. You know, you don't have any planets in your partnership house.
Alyssa Nobriga
Seventh house.
Jill Winterstein
You still have partnerships, but we would, you know, I would look at like, okay, is cancer ruling your second house? That is where Jupiter would be transiting right now. And then when it moves into Leo, it would transit your third house. And so it's going to expand and light up those areas of your life. Second house is possession, self worth, finance. Right. So I would say this might be a really great financial year for you, you know, or you have opportunity to expand in your abundance in some way and that might even just be rooted in self worth. Maybe you're expanding on your worthiness and understanding because we all know worth is the foundation of abundance. And then when it moves into Leo, it would move into this, you know, example chart into the third house. That's about communication. Like, well, you're gonna be expanding in your communication. Maybe you'll start a podcast, maybe you'll write a book, maybe you'll start speaking more, that kind of thing.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah. And I think that would be helpful to map out the year knowing all of this.
Jill Winterstein
Right, Right. Yeah. And so for this year, I would tell people, focus in on Aries. Where's Aries in your chart? What house is it governing? Because that's going to get activated. Leo, Aquarius, Gemini and Cancer for that first half of the year for Jupiter. And I would really focus there and say, okay, where is Leo in my chart? What house is it governing? Where is Aquarius? Because those are the areas of your life they're going to really light up this year.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah. And what about relationships? So are there different astrological types that tell us who we attract and why and how we can use that to heal? Yeah.
Jill Winterstein
Can you talk to us about that?
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Jill Winterstein
And it's not just about your sun sign. I think that's like a myth of people who are like, I am an Aries, who should I call in? It's not just about, it's about your sun sign. Your sun sign's your core of your personality. And so obviously it plays a role in any relationship. But it's also about your moon sign and about your Venus sign. And so you want to look at all of those signs. Your moon is what you need, what you need to feel fulfilled, your emotions, how you can feel emotional fulfillment in a relationship, how you can feel supported. And then Venus is love. And it's how you love, how you show love, your love, language, things like that. And so you want to look at all of those pieces when you're looking at compatibility. And some you know, you may find that your son opposes your partner's sun. So that means if your son is in Pisces, their sun might be in Virgo. And so that's an opposition. So if you looked at on a chart, they would be 180 degrees or so away from each other. And oppositions, that's where you find the growth, right? There's some growth edge. Great way to put it. Well, because I don't believe I. I don't believe there's any bad compatibility. Like I think that there's just opportunities for growth, there's mirrors that show up for us. There are really harmonious relationships that you know Are great, but maybe they don't fulfill us because they're not challenging us to grow. And we get. We get stuck in a comfortable, stagnant situation, and, you know, 10 years later, we're like, this isn't working. Yeah. Yeah, totally. So sometimes the opposition is good. But, you know, you would look at the sun, but you might look at the moon and say, oh, look, our moon. Moon signs are right next to each other. Or, you know, our moon signs are in a shrine. A trine is. You think about trying sort of harmonious, and they would be elemental. So all fire signs form trines with each other. All water signs form trines with each other. So if you have a moon in Pisces and a person with a moon in Cancer, I would be like, oh, that's great, because your emotions are aligned, you know, even if their sons were opposing. So you want to look at the different pieces and know there's no bad compatibility. But, you know, in the. In sort of the elemental world, it is like fire. Fire works with fire. Water works with water. Air works with air.
Alyssa Nobriga
You kind of break it down as the sun sign. Yeah. Okay.
Jill Winterstein
Earth works with Earth. You know, you can look at that, and then you can look at if they oppose or if they square. So squares are. When they're 90 degrees apart, so they're like three signs away. So a square would be Capricorn and Aries square, Aries and Cancer square, and then Cancer and Libra square. So those would all square and squares cause the most friction and the most breakthroughs, and that's where we can learn about ourselves the most. And I find with squares, those are those relationships that are, like, super intense, and we learn so much about ourselves, and then it's like, okay, I'm done.
Alyssa Nobriga
Got the lesson.
Jill Winterstein
But we're very grateful because we just, you know, grew and evolved. And, you know, we had the mirror, those events. So you find, like, the mirrors that trigger you the most. It's most likely a square.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah. And I'm even thinking of, like, families, you know, the dynamics and just. Dynamics.
Jill Winterstein
Yeah, yeah.
Alyssa Nobriga
Using all of this to be able to have more compassion and awareness about what this person that might be bringing into our lives to help us heal or see and evolve from.
Jill Winterstein
Yeah, but exactly.
Alyssa Nobriga
I'm with you. I'm like, you can use everything for your growth and healing.
Jill Winterstein
You can use everything for your growth and healing. And in the simplest form, you can always break it down to element. You can think about, like, okay, how does earth go with water creates mud. That could be Detoxifying. I like that. I like that. How does fire move with air? Well, air is going to stoke the fire if there's not proper earth to ground it. That could be a very spicy, dynamic relationship. I like that. Yeah. You can think of it that way.
Alyssa Nobriga
In terms of new moon and full moon. I know that you talk about rituals and different practices people can create to really amplify those times. Can you walk us through things that we can do on new moons, full moons to support us?
Jill Winterstein
Yeah. So at the most basic level, new moons are new beginnings. And so that's when we set intentions. And the veil between the conscious and the subconscious is at its lowest during that time. So we actually have greater insight into our intuition, what we really want. We can actually be honest about what we want. Because I find that that is one of the biggest blocks in manifestation is people just can't be honest about what they want or they feel shame. And, you know, then you have to dig into that. And it's like, well, why do you feel shame for wanting? So we really want to honor what we want and be honest about it and claim it and say, yes, I want that. I want that to be mine. I'm going to call that in. I'm going to set intentions around it. I'm going to create a visualization. I'm going to let my brain be there. I'm going to see it. Because if we don't really visualize a new life for ourselves and we just try and write it on paper and have like a to do list when it starts to manifest, our brain is like, wait, this isn't my normal comfort zone. And anytime our brain is like, this is. This is new, it runs back. We sabotage ourselves. Our brain doesn't like the unfamiliar. Trained to not like the unfamiliar. And obviously through so much evolution, it's trained to, you know, have us survive. Like, our brain is like, let me just. Let's focus on survival. It's not like, how can you live your best life? It's not what it's trained for. It's not how it evolves. So we have to train it. We have to, to take control of our brain. So I think of, like, setting intentions and really diving deep into the visualization where we're seeing it. We're using all of our senses. You know, we're smelling things, we're feeling the clothes, how we move in the vision, who we're talking to. Like, get really, really detailed with the sensory. How are you feeling? How's your energy? And that really is like programming our energy and our brain to help make it happen, to help manifest it. And when it does manifest, just accept it. Like we gotta accept the new programming.
Alyssa Nobriga
And work with worthiness so that we feel.
Jill Winterstein
And work with worthiness. Yeah. And then, you know, and that's where I like to work with the rest of the lunar cycle. So we like set intentions on the new moon and then first quarter, that's a square, that's when the moon squares the sun, so we get some friction. That's when some initial self doubt comes up. That's when we get those like, who do I think I am? Can I really do this? Am I gonna be able to pull this off? That inner narrative takes over, which like, you know, it's all about who we tell ourselves we are.
Alyssa Nobriga
Right.
Jill Winterstein
We always have this like running identity story. And that identity story needs to match our manifestation. And so I find on the first quarter, you know, and that's when that comes up. That's when we're like, oh, wow, I've got some negative self talk, I've got some inner critic coming up, like I'm really doubting myself. These old mantras. We might start noticing all the horrible things we say to ourselves all day long, which is outstanding. It's like crazy what we say to ourselves. Sounds. And so, and then the full moon is when we really dig in and do the work because there's so much extra energy on a full moon. And so that's when we can say, okay, wow, I'm really blocked by my unworthiness story. Or I'm trying to manifest more abundance in my life and my money story is really tripping me up and I need to dig in and understand my money story, you know, and that is the work you can do on a full moon to release, to integrate. Because sometimes it's not just about releasing, which is what shadow work is all about. We're not releasing our shadows, we're accepting them and honoring them and integrating them. And that's how we actually can control them instead of them controlling us and sabotaging us. And so the full moon becomes this really potent time to do the work, to dig in, use this extra energy we have and dig in. And then we get to the last quarter moon and that's like that moment of final release where we're like, okay, I've been working with this, I've been digging into my shadows, I've been writing my money story, reflecting on, you know, my first instance with money, like my first relationship with money. Childhood trauma comes up there's all kinds of things that, that come to the surface when we set an intention and really start working with it and really train our brain. And then our brain, our energy are going to go, wait, we've got this block, we've got to deal with this. And it'll become very apparent and very visible. And that's good news because then we can work with it. And so then the full moon becomes that time to really work with it. And then the last quarter moon is like, okay, this is like the final moment of release. It's also a time of forgiveness. I find forgiveness is the hardest form of release. But we can waste so much energy, anger, resentment, and we need that energy to manifest our life. So we need to forgive not for that person, but for ourselves. And we need to forgive ourselves sometimes too, because resentment towards ourselves will definitely block our manifestation.
Alyssa Nobriga
It makes sense, these natural cycles and just, you know, even with, with coaching. So as soon as somebody says yes to their dreams, anything that's held them back will start to reveal itself.
Jill Winterstein
Right.
Alyssa Nobriga
Or as they take steps towards it. And so I always do vision and blocks work together because it's like getting really clear on what you want. Part of the reason I loved moving from psychotherapy to coaching was that as people would take steps, those things would come up, which is not bad news. But this is what needs to be worked through to actually heal and transform it, to allow you to really stabilize at a new level.
Jill Winterstein
Right.
Alyssa Nobriga
And so I love that you're working with the cycles and just nature and designing it around how you can evolve.
Jill Winterstein
Yeah. And then when you do it for, you know, three, five months, your brain starts to expect it. Because we just were programmed to sync with these things. You know, we're programmed to sync with nature and the moon and the sun and even just like meditation times. Like, that's why I always recommend people, I'm like, you can meditate whenever you want, but try and do at the same time every day, because your body, your brain, your energy starts to expect it. They're like, oh, it's 6:00am or 9:00am, like, it's time to meditate. Quiet. It's gonna be easier to access. And so working with a new moon every month is the same, same deal. Your brain, your energy starts to create. Expected, okay, I'm going to get some new programming, I'm going to get some new direction. It's coming. You know, you're primed for it. And that's why I love the lunar cycle, because it's just this beautiful framework we can work consistently with every month. And I always tell people, I'm like, it doesn't matter if you believe in the energy of the moon or astrology. Like the framework itself is just amazing for personal growth and development. Like just every month we're checking in, what do I want? Do I need to edit what I wanted last month? Am I a different person? How am I claiming it? What blocks have come up? First quarter we start to notice the blocks. Full moon, we dig in and do the work to dissolve them. Last quarter we do some final release, some forgiveness, some celebration that also comes into the last quarter. We celebrate the small steps. So we give ourselves energy and momentum to keep moving forward. And I also find then we don't get stuck in these loops where we're like, I'm just gonna do shadow work for eight months.
Alyssa Nobriga
Gonna say, I love that you said that. We go. It's almost like we go there but we don't live there. So sometimes people get stuck in the shadow work and there's a place for it, but not to. The intention is to live with more joy and open hearted, open minded as a result.
Jill Winterstein
Yeah. Yeah. And I find people get stuck in the translation trans. The transformation loop. Or they're just like, they're constantly. And this, I always think of Scorpio and. And you know that's the energy of Scorpio is transformation. And the low side is just getting like stuck in that loop where it's like we're the Phoenix rising and then we burn it all down to the ground again and then we've got to rise again and then burn it all again. And like you're like just fly, just fly for a while.
Alyssa Nobriga
And even like missing celebrations is also a loop. Then we'll have a nourishment barrier where we're not actually letting ourselves receive compliments or celebrations. And then we'll have this hungry ghost of wanting more.
Jill Winterstein
Yeah.
Alyssa Nobriga
So I just love the cycles. I love that it aligns obviously with nature, but how we can mirror that intentionally in our lives. I think that's really beautiful.
Jill Winterstein
Yeah.
Alyssa Nobriga
And I know you have a manifestation process. Call it in. I do. And that it really works with astrology and nervous system regulation work. Can you talk to us about that and the importance.
Jill Winterstein
Yeah. So the call it in method we go through understanding neural manifestation. So I bring forward my background in neuroscience and really just understand these pieces, like what happens in the brain when we set intentions. And you know, I'll dig in and we'll talk about the RAs, we'll talk about the salience network, we'll talk about the default mode network which is like where we store all our stories about ourselves and how, how those are tying into setting intentions, what happens when we visualize things and then doing it all with the foundation of a regulated nervous system. Because I have found over and over and over again in my research of manifestation or really creation of any kind is you need to have a regulated nervous system in order for you to expand your brain to solve problems, you to see opportunities in front of you. Your brain, your brain's filter narrows when you're in sympathetic, when you're in fight or fight and so you go into threat detection mode. And so if you're stressed out all the time time, you're not going to see the opportunities right in front of you to manifest what it is you want. But if you're in parasympathetic which is, you know, rest and digest, that's your calm state. Your filter is going to expand on your brain. You're going to let in more information and that information is going to be opportunities and things that can expand you solve problems. You'll start seeing things that might have been there all along but because you're in threat detection mode, you didn't see them. We can only let in so much information into our brain and there's a ton all around us all the time and we let in a very, very, very small fraction of it. And so we want to take control of that filter and we want to direct our brain to find the opportunities we want. And the way to do that is to get into a regulated nervous system. And it doesn't mean being calm all the time because I get that question, like obviously none of us are calm all the time. I don't even think monks are calm all the time. And like those of us have K that like it's impossible, you know, but the, the goal is resilience. So you, you know, you get thrown off, you get stressed out, you get stuck in traffic, you, this happens, your kid has a tantrum. I have a three year old so I'm in that phase of life, you know, and. But then you have tools to bring you back to a regulated state.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah, I think that's an important piece to highlight. I think sometimes people think that the goal with nervous system regulation work is calm.
Jill Winterstein
Right.
Alyssa Nobriga
And it's really just about allowing yourself to stretch the capacity to be with the range of your human experience and to find that resilience. To grow the capacity.
Jill Winterstein
Yes.
Alyssa Nobriga
And to be with all that that comes up and to. And even earlier, you said something about accepting it rather than healing it. Like, to really just allow it.
Jill Winterstein
Yes, really just allow it. Like, acceptance is. Is huge. Because when we resist things, then they persist. That's right. Right.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah.
Jill Winterstein
And then when we feel like we're at odds with ourselves and even. We were talking a little earlier about this with. With children, before we started recording, but, you know, when our kid is, like, having a bad behavior or like a tantrum, like, you just have to accept it for the moment. And then once we accept them, they stop. But if we're like, no, stop, please, please don't do that. Don't do that. You know, they don't. They don't stop.
Alyssa Nobriga
That's right. They can feel the agenda, like, let me love you so that you move on and that you. Exactly, Exactly.
Jill Winterstein
Exactly. And we're the same internally.
Alyssa Nobriga
Exactly, exactly. It's like, for our emotions, if we just think of them like little kids, they're just looking for a hug.
Jill Winterstein
They're just looking for a hug. They're looking for acceptance. They need to know that we're all on the same team. You know, everybody's part of the same team, working together on the same side of the table. Like, we're not trying to get rid of anything. We're not trying to oppose anybody. Yeah. We're all here. Yeah. And we're all working towards the same goal.
Alyssa Nobriga
And so for people listening, just the invitation then would be, next time an emotion comes up, that's really hard. See what happens when you hug it. See what happens when you breathe into it. You allow it.
Jill Winterstein
Breathe into it. Allow it. Thank it. Let it know it's you're here, you're listening, you know, don't let it control you. Don't want to take the driver's seat, but it won't. And when you accept an emotion, it won't take the driver's seat. When you don't accept it and you fight it and you suppress it or you avoid it or you try to project it onto other people, that's when it takes the driver's seat of your life.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah. And then it. It. You think it's in control, it's kind of like the dog walking you rather than walking the dog.
Jill Winterstein
Yeah, exactly.
Alyssa Nobriga
Speaking of intensity, I know that eclipses bring up a lot for people.
Jill Winterstein
They do.
Alyssa Nobriga
And so can you talk to us about eclipses? Like, what are they here to really show and reveal to us? How do we work with them, use them?
Jill Winterstein
Eclipses are amazing, and I love Eclipse season. Eclipse season is a 34 day period where we, when we have our eclipses, we usually have a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse eclipse. And this happens twice a year. Sometimes we get a third eclipse if we're lucky. In an eclipse season, it can be extra special. But they really bring up our karmic path in a way. So they activate the nodes, which I touched on a little bit. And so eclipses happen at the lunar nodes. And it's not a planet, it's an energetic vortex. It's where the moon's orbit meets the sun's path in the sky. And so this is where eclipses happen because the moon and the sun get close to a south node or north node, and then we have an eclipse. So eclipses involve sun and moon just like a new moon or full moon would. And then also the lunar nodes and the lunar nodes are really, really special. They're overall for the collective, they're where we're headed as a collective. So it's the lessons we're here to learn as a collective. And then the lessons we're here to release would be the south nod. And so we're always headed towards the north node or always releasing the lower energies of the south node. And then we each have personal lunar nodes. So you know where the lunar nodes were when we were born. And that is our path this lifetime. That's our karmic path. And so we've come into this world knowing and understanding our south node placement. And oftentimes that was probably what our sun sign was in a previous lifetime, but we got it kind of wrong. So we had to come back and figure it out. And so we're often very attached. And speaking of shadows, we can have shadows around it as well to the lower energies of our personal self node. And so we always want to be aware of where our south node is in our chart and what sign it's placed in and the energies of that sign and really focusing in on the low energies of that sign. Because we're obviously not trying to transform or transmute the higher energies, but the lower energies are what we really need to work with. And then our personal north node is what we're here to learn the wisdom, we're here to integrate to understand this lifetime. And so we're always walking from south node to north node. And then during an eclipse that gets amplified. And so we start to really see our south node low energies come up. And that's what makes eclipses ultimately super intense, is that energy just amplifies and we're like, oh my gosh, I'm attached to this pattern. It keeps coming up over and over and over. How do I get away from it? Or we, you know, we get into a place where we feel confronted by our north node energies. Because a lot of times where our north node is, we'll resist that. Like, my north node is in Virgo. And for a long time I was like, I'm not organized. I'm. I'm not this, I'm not that. And then like my whole life, life is, you know, doing very detailed work. You know, a lot of writing, a lot of spell checking, a lot of word count fitting in little boxes in the workbooks. Like, I remember when I first started doing the workbooks, I was like, here's my north node.
Alyssa Nobriga
Virgo Earth school in session.
Jill Winterstein
Exactly, exactly. But, you know, we usually resist that. Like, all through my 20s, I certainly resisted my north node in Virgo. And so we can feel very confronted by that north node energy. And it's usually what we need and we need to accept and we need to lean, but there's that resistance and that can come up around eclipses as well.
Alyssa Nobriga
I love that you said, I love eclipse season. It's a new narrative.
Jill Winterstein
Well, because I love the work. I love doing the work. And eclipse season, like, we were talking about, like, breaks from work and, you know, time to charge for it. And eclipse season is time to be.
Alyssa Nobriga
Like, okay, this is the work.
Jill Winterstein
I'm open. Show me the work.
Alyssa Nobriga
And I love that because then it's like, oh, life is showing me what's next to heal or to get free from so that I can live more open hearted. This is us just not running away from ourselves, but having life. Show us. Okay, yeah, very obviously. And we can ask for support and in lots of ways so that we can move through it with more grace.
Jill Winterstein
Yeah, yeah.
Alyssa Nobriga
But what about Mercury in retrogrades? Do they have a bad rap? What are they? Talk to us about how we use this time as well.
Jill Winterstein
So we always have three a year. Sometimes we have four, but it's usually we have three periods a year. So people are always like, it's always happening. And I'm like, no, it happens three times a year for about three weeks. Weeks every year. And I think it does get a bad rap. It's just great to blame something. We all have a good scapegoat. Yes, we do. And Mercury retrograde does do that. I'm trying to change the narrative. I've been trying to change the narrative around Mercury retrograde for Years. I think it's a great opportunity. Retrogrades spin the energy of a planet inward. And so Mercury is the planet of communication. And so we have that energy of communication spinning inward into us. And so it makes it this perfect time for reflection, for journaling, for understanding our inner narrative, for doing that default mode network work we were talking about. What is my identity story? How can I reframe it? How can I reprocess things in the past so that I can view them from a different perspective? That doesn't block me. So for me, it becomes this amazing time to communicate inward and do some really deep work through journaling. Now, would I sign a monster contract during Mercury retrograde? No, there's just some things you don't do. Yeah, definitely not without a lawyer looking at it, you know, and if you do have to sign a contract, like a lease or something like that, like, just read it three times over and double check meetings, because things. There's miscommunication because again, the energy of communication that's normally outward is going inward. So it's kind of like what's happening. And so you want to check meetings, you want to check flight times, all that kind of stuff. It's just a good practice, kind of anyway. And then if your natal Mercury is retrograde, you normally don't have as hard of a time during Mercury retrograde.
Alyssa Nobriga
Interesting.
Jill Winterstein
Because you're always there.
Alyssa Nobriga
Ah, interesting. Do they have a harder. It feels like it's always happening, so there's less of a contrast happening. Okay, interesting.
Jill Winterstein
They always need to. To spell check on. Okay. Yeah.
Alyssa Nobriga
And one of the things I love about your work is that you bring the psychology and the astrology and so talk to us about how those worlds go together in your eyes. And some of the. You said neuroscience and things that I think would help people.
Jill Winterstein
Yeah. So, you know, my journey into astrology and psychology started from the same angle, which I was just trying to understand humans and human consciousness. And to me, they're frameworks, they're lenses to view ourselves from. And so that's where I find that they can really go together. And then when we look at the astrological pieces, and one of the reasons why I like working with the lunar cycles is because every month we're working with a different zodiac sign with the new moon. So we'll have the new moon in Capricorn and then the New moon in Aquarius and then the new moon in Pisces. And so it's going around, you know, the entire zodiac. And so then every month we're working with that zodiac theme, and then that can actually touch on every aspect of our personality. And so in Capricorn, when the new moon is in Capricorn or Capricorn season, right, we're working on our career. What do we really want? What is our life's work? What is our lasting legacy when we're in Aquarius, okay, how do we speak our truth? What is our truth? How do we stand in our truth? How do we honor our uniqueness? You know, that's a big theme of Aquarius. You know, we get into Pisces, okay, like, what's my. What's my spirituality? How do I go inward? Like, how do I find my center? What are my spiritual practices? What are my meditation practices? We get into Aries. Here we are at life's purpose, right? What's my life's purpose? What am I here for? How am I prioritizing it? You know, we get into Taurus. We're working with abundance, we're working with self worth. And so we go around and around and around, and we touch on every aspect. So it just becomes this beautiful framework to really dive into personal growth and development and touch on every aspect of ourselves.
Alyssa Nobriga
I love that. I love how balanced it is that we're looking at it holistically. But is there any, like, neuroscience that you've found? You've kind of touched in on a few things, but I want to give a chance to highlight some things you think would be helpful for people to understand.
Jill Winterstein
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I love putting, you know, framing the neuroscience with manifestation, because ultimately, when we're working with the new moon and the lunar cycles, we're working with lunar manifestation. So we're understanding manifestation through the lunar cycles. And then when we start to tie in the neuroscience aspect, that's when we get into some really interesting things where we're understanding, okay, well, how am I programming my brain? What are my inner narratives? What am I highlighting? How is my nervous system reacting to this vision that I'm planting? Is it scaring me, or do I feel expansive in it? And then we may find, as we're going through this journey, which is part of what I teach in the Call it In program. Oh, it's a worthiness block. Oh, I need to do some shadow work. Oh, my abundance story needs to be updated. And then we can say, okay, I need to really work on my abundance. Like, my abundance story, my neural pathways around abundance. I need to rewire them. I need to stop. Because a lot of times we see in the pattern, right Our neural pathways are there's a stimulus, there's a response, and that response is often automatic. So I get a bill. I have this response. Yes. I, you know, this thing happens in the financial world and I have this response, and it's automatic. We have no space. And so that, that's a superhighway in your brain, right? That's a neural pathway. That's just, it's in there. It's like a groove goes deep, and every time we fire it, it goes deeper. And so we need to create space. And so when we set an intention around abundance and we're trying to manifest more abundance, we can say, okay, well, you know, what's my story? What are my patterns? What are, what are my reactions? Maybe I can't change them yet, but I can start to see them. I can. They become visible to me. So I can see when A happens, I have B reaction. And then once that awareness is built, we can create space in that pattern and we can start to form a new pattern. So we can say, okay, I'm going to try a different reaction. And then every time we try a different reaction, we're creating like a little footpath, right? And in our neural firing, and it's not a super highway yet, but it's just like a tiny groove, it's a tiny rewiring. And then if we keep going with it, then that becomes our dominant reaction. And maybe it's not even a reaction. Maybe we've rewired that. We, like take, take space and we don't react and we just sit and observe, right? And so it just brings us all into our consciousness. And then for me, like, I would pair abundance with Taurus season or a moon in Taurus if I wanted to really work with abundance. Because when the moon or the sun is in Taurus, it just gives us more energy to work with around abundance, because Taurus themes abundance. And so that energy in the cosmos is going to be highlighted for everybody. We're all gonna be thinking about abundance when it's Taurus season or just our resources, right. Our Earth below us, because Taurus is an Earth sign. And so when you pair that with your abundance story and working and you're like, okay, now I can start to see how this can all really go together again in a framework that just gives you the control of your life, right at the end of the day.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah, it's almost like you're working with the natural energies of what are wanting to happen, and you're surfing the waves so that you're Being intentional about clean cleaning house or celebrating or being intentional in your life.
Jill Winterstein
Yes, yes. It's about being intentional with your attention. Like, that's something I teach so much is the power of our attention. It's one of our greatest resources. And so, you know, if you want to work on abundance, put your attention there and start becoming aware of your patterns and start rewiring those patterns in your brain.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah. And the first thing is just slowing down to get mindful to see what actually those patterns are and then bringing acceptance to them, you know, somatically, mentally, emotionally, behaviorally, unconsciously, and then moving into aligned action. That's like. That's the way to actually change it.
Jill Winterstein
Right.
Alyssa Nobriga
And what are some things that are misunderstood in astrology that would be helpful for people to hear and to debunk?
Jill Winterstein
I think Mercury retrograde is definitely misunderstood.
Alyssa Nobriga
I still love that. You said you love eclipses.
Jill Winterstein
I do love eclipses. What haven't I said yet? I love eclipse season. There's no bad compatibility. I think that's a huge one. There's no bad energy. There's no, oh, no, Saturn entered this sign, or oh, no, we're doomed because of this. I'm not a dooms person. There's no bad energy. We can work with anything. There's no bad compatibility. There's no bad transit.
Alyssa Nobriga
It.
Jill Winterstein
It's all happening exactly as it's supposed to happen for us, for the collective. This is the journey we're on together. There's. There's higher meaning in everything. Yeah.
Alyssa Nobriga
And that we can use everything for our growth and awakening.
Jill Winterstein
We can use everything for our growth, and the reason why it's in front of us and it's highlighting or amplifying something is because we're supposed to use it for our growth.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah. And do you feel like the more somebody is anchored in themselves, like, the truth of their being, the less they get swayed by the winds of life, for example.
Jill Winterstein
I think so. For sure. Yeah.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah.
Jill Winterstein
I mean, definitely.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah. So then it also feels empowering to use that rather than that excuse. I saw some comedian online that said something like, everyone believes in astrology and Mercury in retrograde because then they have somebody to blame.
Jill Winterstein
Exactly.
Alyssa Nobriga
And so it's like, let's hold it with balance so we can take personal responsibility and do the work to.
Jill Winterstein
To get free. Yeah. Yeah. There's like, a classic meme. I forget the artist who did it. Whenever Mercury retrograde is over, it starts popping up and it says, oh, Mercury retrograde's over. Now you have to blame yourself. Yeah.
Alyssa Nobriga
And that's tricky, right, because we can take personal responsibility without the judgment. You said the forgiveness was important. I know for me, when I started doing personal development work was like, I'm responsible. And it felt both empowering. But I think my low self worth was really taking it through shame. And so then I, then I really discovered the power of forgiveness, forgiving myself. So it's like matching personal responsibility with forgiveness was what the unlock was for me.
Jill Winterstein
Right.
Alyssa Nobriga
So that I could actually work with it. Yeah, I know you talked about the big three earlier. Can you share with us just breaking down what it actually is and just different placements that are important for us to know about?
Jill Winterstein
Well, your big three is your sun sign. That's the one almost everybody knows. That's your horoscope in the back of Cosmo.
Alyssa Nobriga
And is that how like people see.
Jill Winterstein
Us or that's how we know ourselves? That's. That's the, the center of who we are. So this is center of our personality. It's what everything in our life, our personality revolves around. It's our inner sun. Yeah. Right. So you can think about how the sun is the center of our solar system and everything revolves around.
Alyssa Nobriga
I love that you're saying our personality, which I think is an important thing to highlight. It's not who you are, it's your personality.
Jill Winterstein
It's your personality. Yeah, it's your personality. And I often tell people when they feel lost, I'm like, align with your son, your sun sign, because that will center you. It will center in who you are. And so just understand it. And it's good to understand it and it's good to see it through the lens of high energy, low energy. I often find a lot of the memes online are all about the low energy. I'm a Leo and it's always like drama queen. I'm like, yes, and yeah, totally.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah.
Jill Winterstein
Another thing I'm debunking personally. That's right. I know some astrologers won't even say their sign, but yeah, I'm a Leo. And yeah, so that's like one of the things you do want to know. The high side and the low side of all of your placements. The high energies, the low energies. So you can work with the, the low energies. But yeah, the sun is the center. It's the core of your personality, your rising sign. And that's the sign that was rising in the horizon when you were born. It starts your chart. It's what governs your first house, which is the house of identity. That's what you project outward. So that's what people see. That's how you dawn on people. Right. And oftentimes it's what we allow people to see at first. So acquaintances, people who first meet us, this is like what we'll allow. So, like, we kind of gate the rest of it. We like, allow this piece to be seen, we project it, and then our moon sign is our emotional side. And so that's like. I like to think of it as the idiot, you know, in going back to Freudian psychology, that it has no logic. It's that child tantruming in the grocery store. It just wants what it wants and it wants it now. And that's often the piece of you that needs a hug. That's the piece of you that needs extra care. That's the piece of you that needs a lot of processing to understand the emotions of your moon. And your moon sign can really lead you into what you need to feel fulfilled in life. Like, what do you need to feel nourished in life? And so that one's an important one to note as well and know that it's not really based in logic. So it just kind of pops up and can take you by surprise.
Alyssa Nobriga
I'm wondering if there's a story in your own life where understanding your astrology helped you navigate a situation.
Jill Winterstein
Yeah, I mean, I think overall it helped me. I mean, I'm a Leo sun. And so I think really the lunar nodes, though once I understood my lunar nodes placement, I understood my life and it was pretty impactful. And my personal moon is in Scorpio. And so that really helped me understand some of my intensity and my rising is Libra. And so that's why when everybody first meets me, they're like, you're so calm. You have such a calm voice. You're so calm. And I teach meditation. And like, you're so. I'm like, yeah, I got a moon and Scorpio and a sun and Leo. Like, there's nothing calm behind here. So that piece, like, understanding your rising sign, for me, it can help understand, like when you're in dynamics with other people, why they don't necessarily, like, see the lion in Scorpio. I'm always like, yeah, I got this like, calm facade. And then I've got like a lion with a Scorpio riding on its back, like in the background, you know. But for a long time I was like, why don't people see me as fierce and like, I'm so, you know, And I was like, oh, well, they're they're seeing the Libra side, but my lunar nodes, like, understanding the. The Pisces, Virgo, my south nodes and Pisces, and, like, the low sides of that is, like, escapism. And so, like, I smoked so much weed as a kid, and, like, that was just, like, the escapism. And then. But then there was also that, like, knowing, like, Pisces, south nodes kind of come in. Knowing a lot of spirituality already. And so for me, it meant, like, I was reading a lot of, like, spiritual text or books on meditation, and it's just like, oh, yeah, I know this. Like, I felt like I was remembering it and just, you know, how much information that I had, like, almost on the tip of my tongue. I just had to, like, unlock it. But then my journey this lifetime is to transmit that information, not just keep it for myself in some cave, you know, is actually to transmit it in very Virgo form, very, like, spell checked and all that. Proofread.
Alyssa Nobriga
I also having that frame probably supports you in not feeling a victim to it, but, like, oh, this is part of my Earth school curriculum. This is part of what I signed up for. This is what I'm here to learn.
Jill Winterstein
Exactly, exactly. And, you know, especially when you look at the houses, like, my north node is in virgo, in my 11th house. And 11th house is the community. It's the collective. And so I'm really here to, like, teach the collective in an organized way. You know, again, mad libbing it down and understanding that. I was like, oh, I get it. That's why I spent years in research, like, you know, doing research papers and being meticulous about data collection and things like that. I was like, oh, I. I get it all makes sense.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah.
Jill Winterstein
Yeah.
Alyssa Nobriga
And I'm just curious, in closing, if there's anything that you feel like we haven't touched on that would be important for people to know or hear.
Jill Winterstein
I have an amazing book coming out.
Alyssa Nobriga
Yeah, tell us.
Jill Winterstein
In 2026, in March. And I'm super excited about it is my journey from my career in neuroscience and psychology through a very mucky decade of trying to figure out who I was and a failed marriage and all kinds of things to spirit daughter. And so I wrote it to be a very inspiring. Part memoir, part prescriptive book, so part self help, but really not from the angle. Like, I have this amazing, you know, a testimonial on an endorsement on it. It's not from the angle of me being, like, holier than thou. Like, me being. And I wrote it specifically so that it didn't come off like, you know, I start by saying, like, I'm not a spiritual guru. I'm not. I'm no different than you or anyone else. Like, I know all these things, but that does not make me any different. And anything I've done in my life or created or manifested or gotten through or any of the tools I use, you can use them too, like anybody can you. Anybody can save themselves. We're all amazing. We're all amazing beings. And we all can, can create the life that we want. We all can own our power and change our life. And I'm no different, no special, more special than anybody else. And if I can do it, so can you. Beautiful.
Alyssa Nobriga
And what is, what is the book called?
Jill Winterstein
Spirit Daughter.
Alyssa Nobriga
Spirit Daughter.
Jill Winterstein
Yeah, it's called Spirit Daughter. Own your power. Change your life.
Alyssa Nobriga
We'll put the links here below in the show notes. Thank you, Jill, for your time.
Jill Winterstein
Thank you.
Alyssa Nobriga
So being here, what a gift.
Jill Winterstein
Thank you.
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Alyssa Nobriga
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Tools for transforming your fear into freedom.
Alyssa Nobriga
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Podcast Host/Announcer
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Episode: Why This New Year Activates the Start of a Powerful 9-Year Cycle
Date: January 6, 2026
Guest: Jill Winterstein, Founder of Spirit Daughter
This episode explores the intersection of astrology, psychology, neuroscience, and personal growth as we enter the start of a new 9-year cycle in 2026. Alyssa and guest Jill Winterstein discuss how to use these frameworks to set intentions, tap into purpose, navigate change (including the role of technology and AI), work with the energies of the new year, and build a foundation for lasting transformation. They offer concrete tools for harnessing astrological and lunar cycles, integrating nervous system regulation with manifestation, and using self-awareness for relationships and personal development.
On the Brain and New Beginnings:
“If we don't really visualize a new life for ourselves and we just try and write it on paper and have like a to do list, when it starts to manifest, our brain is like, wait, this isn't my normal comfort zone. And anytime our brain is like, this is new, it runs back. We sabotage ourselves.”
— Jill Winterstein [00:22]
On Karmic Patterns at Eclipse Time:
"Eclipses … bring up our karmic path. … So we start to really see our south node low energies come up. And that's what makes eclipses ultimately super intense, is that energy just amplifies and we're like, oh my gosh, I'm attached to this pattern. It keeps coming up over and over and over."
— Jill Winterstein [32:46]
On Acceptance:
"Acceptance is huge. Because when we resist things, then they persist."
— Jill Winterstein [30:52]
On Forgiveness & Manifestation:
"Forgiveness is the hardest form of release. But we can waste so much energy, anger, resentment, and we need that energy to manifest our life."
— Jill Winterstein [24:39]
On Personal Responsibility & Humor:
“Oh, Mercury retrograde's over. Now you have to blame yourself.”
— Jill Winterstein, referencing a meme [47:03]
Practical Tools:
Holistic, Empowered Message:
For anyone seeking to work intentionally with the energies of 2026 and beyond, this episode offers both insight and actionable guidance for harnessing astrology, psychology, and personal mythmaking to build a vibrant, purpose-driven next chapter.