Written by A Wild Dove | Photographed by Caitlin Mitchell
At A Wild Dove, we are constantly inspired by the cross-section of new age wellness and luxury - the idea that today’s modern women can clutch her crystals inside her Celine tote. That we can work on our inner selves and outer selves and find joy in both. Ruby Warrington has had her finger on these coordinates since having worked as a features editor at the UK Sunday Times Style magazine. Once she hit a point where she no longer felt fulfilled in her career , she channeled her loved of astrology, tarot and all things “woowoo” into the language of glossy fashion magazines, and thus The Numinous was born. Her sophisticated, stylish site features the latest in fashion, culture and “modern cosmic thinking” (we love that, btw) and shares our philosophy that enjoying a more grounded, centered state of consciousness doesn’t have to exclude life’s finer things. Ruby is also a best-selling author, having recently published her tome, “Material Girl, Mystical World,” which hails her widely embraced gospel. We sat down with Ruby to hear about her personal evolution, what exactly is the “now age” and why the teachings of The Numinous have never been more timely.
1. So we are obsessed with the site and love your book! Tell us, was there a "trigger moment" in realizing the Numinous had to be?
As soon as I heard the word “numinous” (in conversation with an early mentor, the astrologer Shelley Von Strunckel) I saw it as the title of a magazine. I pictured it being something like The Gentlewoman, with intelligent and sophisticated articles on the esoteric arts, accompanied by beautiful artwork. Numinous means “that which is unknown or unknowable,” and I use it to describe anything within the realm of human experience that can’t necessarily be articulated with words.
2. Wow. We love that. Have you always been tapped into your spiritual side or was that an evolution?
I’ve been into astrology since I was a kid—I loved learning that I’d been born in the Chinese year of the Dragon. The evolution has been coming to see astrology as a “spiritual” practice. I see now how it’s a way for me to connect to something bigger than I’ll ever be able to fully understand, and that what connects me to this cosmic worldview, is my “spirit,” what I might also describe simply as my sense of aliveness, and what fuels my imagination, my inspiration, and my intuition.
3. Why do you think the Numinous is so important, especially today?
There are so many reasons, not least because they are in service of us answering the Big Important Questions: Who am I? What am I here to contribute/create? And what do I need to do this? Answering these becomes particularly important in what I call the “Now Age,” because the more we interact with and are governed by technology, the more we need to balance this with ancient human technologies like yoga and meditation. Also advertising-led capitalism (and now social media) has created a culture that makes it very difficult to know/accept who we truly are.
4. Totally. We certainly feel that way and find it important to tap into these “human technologies” as you put it. What are some of the ways in which mamas and children can enjoy these spiritual practices together and how do you think they benefit kids?
Other tools that help me access my spiritual self are yoga, meditation, dancing, writing, and storytelling, all of which can be made into fun activities and games for kids! I don’t have children myself, but thinking back to my own childhood I’m also so grateful that my parents always encouraged my creativity. Learning from an early age that our ideas and our imagination are of value is essentially how we learn to trust our intuition, and to have the confidence to make choices in later life that are in alignment with the path that’s right for us.
5. What is your therapy?
In the Now Age, any time I can spend offline. Preferably in close proximity to nature. Having my Moon in Cancer also means I need more alone time than most, to process all the big feelings I experience.
6. What are the tools you use to help live your best life?
My body, mind, emotions, and spirit. These are my tools, and all the practices I mentioned above are in service of keeping them operating at optimum capacity. Obviously diet and exercise also play a role, and in this area following what I call the “sober curious” path and cutting alcohol out of my life has had the most profound effect on my overall well-being—as, for me, it’s a substance that has a negative impact on all of the four “bodies” of my whole self
7. What's one thing you can’t live without?
Love. For myself, for my families (blood and soul), for humanity, and for our planet.
8. What makes you fly?
In a literal sense, I’m feeling and answering the call to host more and more live Numinous events, experiences and retreats in far-flung destinations, so hopefully it’ll be my work in 2018 and beyond. And metaphorically, becoming enlivened by the possibilities of a new idea always feels like flying to me.
