When fashion journalist and author Ruby Warrington started her online magazine, The Numinous, in 2013 – she wanted to bridge the gap between her love for the material (fashion!) and her fascination with the mystical.
It was created as a space where Celine shoes and the Celestine Prophecy could exist in beautiful harmony.
Though originally deemed an astrology site for cool girls, The Numinous has evolved to become part of a movement for a global shift in consciousness. And the book, Material Girl, Mystical World, provides the map documenting the many ways which can support one’s path to an awakening. Or as the subtitle states it’s The Now Age Guide To A High Vibe Life.
I follow The Numinous on Instagram so when I saw there was a book coming out, I knew it would speak my language. With chapters on astrology, tarot, yoga, shamanism and meditation, the basics get covered providing enough information (along with resources to explore more) to sate simple curiosities around these healing modalities.
For me, “healing” is about simply acknowledging and processing what feels bad in order to get to the next feeling good bit.
She offers up these tools to help with the processing which really relies on creating a stronger connection to the authentic (or higher) self. It’s about learning how to listen to your inner voice (intuition) so you can stay true to your dharma (fulfill your destiny in service of your personal truth).
But don’t think for one second her language gets too heady, or esoteric. Yes, she delves into the totems of spirit animals and plant based medicine, but what I loved most about the book is her writing. Ruby effortlessly translates what could be considered “out there” or new-age-y ideas into modern syntax that can be easily digested by anyone including those who think jupiter squares mars means the size of jupiter is 2 times larger than mars. (There is a glossary at the end defining all of her Now Age terminology… just in case.)
Self Love and The Divine Feminine (lots of talk on the period) are also covered, and as she is a fashion person, there’s a personal style bit in the form of Spiritual Style Icons which brings us to the The Inner Beauty V. Botox Debate.
As a former party girl who spent half her time in Ibiza, there’s also a section on Healing Is The New Nightlife to explore the different ways one can socialize and heal collectively. (She now considers crying in public to be a good night out.)
To support each chapter, the pages are filled with interviews in all realms of the Now Age including Eddie Stern (yoga teacher and philosopher), Bri Luna (The Hoodwitch) and Ellie Burrows (CEO of MNDFL meditation center). And because of her journalist connections, she’s able to land a conversation with Angelina Jolie on the Universal Mother. (She also uses these connections to jump the line of hugging guru Amma.)
If it’s her research — in the form of multiple interviews — that supports each chapter, it’s her personal transformation that threads it all together. This book, which documents her path from Material Girl connecting to the mystical world, is part of her dharma, and this became glaringly clear after a trip (pilgrimage) to Burning Man. (She needed to remove all the desert dust covering her eyes!)
If somewhere along the line, drink and drugs had become my “default” route to bliss, then numinous experiences connecting to my higher self (Source, the Universe, Goddess energy, etc.), where doing my dharma had also come into the equation, had shown me a glimpse of true nirvana.
And this:
Those realizations make Burning Man one of my most numinous experiences to date – since cultivating awareness around the myriad ways I (we) have designed to numb out from the immediate experience of simply being with our true (sometimes ugly, uncomfortable, angry) selves is one of the cornerstones of thriving as a fully actualized human in the Now Age.
If you’re a seeker, then this book will serve as a fun and informative guide, highlighting various roads along the curvy and colorful path to self awareness.
Buy the book here.
And checkout The Numinous here.
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I’m big on holistic living but not a believer in some of the other new age stuff – tarot reading and astrology. What percentage of the book would you say is devoted to that?
Most of it. She’s a great writer, but if you don’t believe in the new age stuff then you probably won’t get much from this book.