An Expedition of Reality Through Technology, Astrology, and Nature
After the Gemini New Moon in June, I connected with Bri, the owner of Blossom with Bri. She is a content creator with a passion for personal growth and intuitive musings.
We explore finding balance through living and self-improvement, astrology as supportive energy for self-understanding, technology, and the impact of spiritual tools on the environment.
Creating Hope in the Wisdom of Duality
After Bri left an old job to pursue her dreams of creating content and sharing her stories online, a co-worker suggested she name the company Blossom with Bri. After that moment, the seeds were planted to share her journey of spirituality and support others with astrology and tarot.
“My whole journey has been saying what I actually want to say and being comfortable expressing my interests,” she says. Aside from a friend who guided her to the magic of astrology, she found her other tools from pure intuition. From that moment on, she finds ways to trust the flow of her business.
But it’s not all love and light. Bri explains that she strongly believes in creating a balance between the light and dark aspects of life through our inner cosmic workings.
“My North Node is in Libra, so balance is a big part of my life,” Bri explains. “Understanding both light and the dark is very important to me, and it's something I'm still working on understanding.”
Spiritualty businesses have become a massive industry. From paid advertisements on social media to businesses that solely have a price to help people connect with their intuition and live their best life.
At what point are we too focused on healing or self-improving, that we forget to enjoy the ride of life?
“It’s important to find the balance between human experience and your spiritual experience. Meditate, do your research, and connect with spirit, but at the same time, we may be taking away the fun part of this whole life,” Bri says.
Creating and embracing the duality of life is no easy achievement. Bri explains that she is a work in progress and trying to find out what balance means for her. When working with clients, it’s finding what works for them.
Our journey is meant to have flow, not a rigid set of things to do each day to make us our whole selves. This idea of being our best self in order to enjoy life is exhausting and unauthentic. Spiritual tools and practices are here to support our uniqueness, not define us to perfectly curated grids.
Astrology is Energy, Not A Concrete Classification
Many people seek astrology to define who they are, what their love life looks like, or what type of career they should have.
“Astrology is a tool to help you learn more about the energies you're working with. I don't think it's something you should base your whole personality or life on, but I believe it's a tool that can help you if you're feeling confused about who you are as a person,” Bri explains. “To achieve your highest good is understanding those energies and working with them.”
Astrology can support us in understanding the cosmic energy that supports and challenges. When we allow ourselves to be in flow with chart progressions, transits, profection years, and time lords, we can see beyond the structure and embrace the science of astrology, and the flow of life.
I was curious to learn more about this idea of the highest good from Bri. She mentions that our highest good is, “When you are operating at your best capacity, and that varies from person to person. Your best capacity could be you fully expressing yourself with no shame or guilt. Your best capacity could be existing; not just doing anything but feeling comfortable at that moment.”
The Escapism Of Society Through Technology
As we move forward into the new age of astrology, spirituality and the adaption of technology, it’s critical now more than ever, to consider what happens beyond the screen.
Society and life are interconnected, even co-dependant, on technology. To get the most out of the technology, we should use it where and when needed. It has changed how we think, communicate, and learn. Arguably, it has caused addictions and stolen our ability to daydream.
In an era where we are so connected, why do many of us feel alone?
Bri explores the idea of technology like the wild west. “I think about when we first settled in America, and there was a gold rush. That's how I consider the Internet. There's money to be made. Everybody wants to get in on it. Everybody wants the fame and the attention.”
“I feel like we're losing our sense of empathy in a way. And I feel like we're a little bit too connected. It’s great connecting with people of all parts of the world, but I feel like there's so much stimulation and information that we become overwhelmed and distracted,” Bri explains.
We have so much information and stimulus when we go online. This ease of access is removing many of us from thinking for ourselves and being original in our ideas.
When was the last time you stopped to find significance in everything, came to yourself, and held the space for what is important to you, or to find your own meaning?
Perhaps, not everything needs to have concrete implications and we should try to let the energy flow.
The Environmental Impact of Colonizing Ancient Spiritual Tools
Technology and social media have no doubt played a role in the increase of Palo Santo and white sage (Salvia apiana). Plants harvested and nurtured by Indigenous peoples are rapidly becoming colonized and unethically harvested to get them into consumer's hands. When we look at the history of these tools, there are rituals and ethics behind them. But as consumers in a capitalist society, we are distracted by trends and finding the best deal.
“Not every practice is going work for us. One of the dangers of social media is that it is turning spirituality, which is supposed to be such an individual thing, into a kind of religion, you can even see it with astrology. There’s supposed to be structure, but also open to interpretation. It almost feels like there are all these rules about something that's supposed to help us be freer in our life. And it doesn't always support the Earth,” Bri says.
Many social media accounts do not talk about the ethics of burning these spiritual tools. Smudging is distinctly Indigenous and has been used as an important tool for ceremony – ancient rituals that have been around much longer than our curated Instagram grids.
Colonization repressed the spiritual traditions of Indigenous people in Canada. The Indian Act in 1951 outlawed religious and cultural activities, in which smudging has an integral role.
“That smudge stick represents the deep pain, sacrifice, resistance, and refusal of Native peoples. It represents a continuing legacy of marginalizing and punishing Native spirituality,” says Keene. “So when our religious practices are mocked through these products, or folks are commodifying and making money off our ceremonies, it’s not about who has the ‘right’ to buy or sell. It’s about power.” Source
In Canada, Indigenous people still face private bans on using their tools. In 2016 a woman was told she could not smudge inside a provincial building, and in 2017, a woman in Saskatchewan was prohibited by her landlord from smudging. Later that year, a woman in British Columbia was served an eviction notice by her landlord for practicing the ritual.
This is a current human rights violation, and yet, you can buy a pack of Palo Santo on Amazon or go to most box stores and grab white sage, which is troublesome. Many of us are working against the earth to find new age ways to connect to the world around us leaving behind a heavy environmental and spiritual impact.
The practice of smoke cleansing (incense, herbs, or woods) is a suggested alternative to smudging. Keep in mind when it comes to Palo Santo: “buying this Central and South American tree bark used by Amazonian tribes can also be harmful, in similar ways to white sage. Palo Santo has been added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) list, because though the tree is not yet nearing extinction, its recent overharvesting can put it on that path.
We must sit with ourselves and ask why we are using specific tools and consider if there is an alternative method that is ecologically sensitive and respects the ancestors. Take a step back and think critically about your practices and consider how you’re respecting ecosystems and Indigenous cultures.
Using Astrology in Historical Context and What’s Coming Up
Often astrology is used as a glimpse into the future, but what about the historical context of transits?
A couple of months ago, one of the extensive talks was the demise of the USA with its Pluto return. When we look at it historically, it could be the end of the system, but during the Roman Empire's fall on their Pluto return, the UK was created.
“It's not necessarily the end, but it could be a big change. Looking at history and understanding some of the things that happened can shine some light on the present. That's the whole point of history.” Bri says. “When you learn history, you get some insight into what will happen in the future and the present. Because there's nothing new under the sun, cycles repeat.”
Another significant shift in the outer planets is Neptune is transiting Pisces from February 2011 until January 2026.
After that, it’s moving into Aries until 2039 – conceivably, dreams and the false illusions of spirituality will get a reality check. Just before that, Pluto will be moving into Aquarius in 2023, feasibly inviting a humanitarian shift in how we use technology.
What will these transits mean for online spiritual communities and creators?
As Bri mentions, it will be interesting to see who sticks around, and what society will do with what they have learned in the past. How they will use the information in the present – beyond the screen?
Stay Connected & Support Blossom with Bri
You can support Bri by sending her an email or DM or chat. You can book a reading online and check out her online platforms: