High Vibe Times

Hello again Dear Ones,

Welcome back to our High Vibration Times newsletter—a place to share spiritual news, tools and practices I’ve been working on and trying out. It’s also a space for us to shine a light on our latest Sisterhood online practices—see our packed library of vibration-raising videos and upcoming workshops in the sacred space at our brand-new Galactic StarQuarters in Milan.  

Much love, J.J.

I had a lot of altars forced on me as a kid in Catholic grammar school, and aside from the pageantry of the Eucharist (the priest always brandished opulent embroidered silk scarves and shiny gold cups to serve communion), I never felt much of a pull towards one. Forty years later, though, I cannot get enough of altars or of temple spaces. I’ve built my own versions in my home, where I have a dedicated meditation room and two altars. Then there’s our DoubleJ Milan store basement, which was transformed into a Divine Mother Grotta, as well as the rooftop of our brand-new office building, which we christened last month as a Gong Temple. 

By “temple” I mean inner sanctum, a sacred space that you create for the worship of your Divine Self. Not your ego, not your wallet, your good looks, or your fancy job, but the pure essence of your eternal spirit. This is a beguiling, mysterious, miraculous, but also sometimes dark and confusing place that Carolyn Myss describes beautifully in her excellent book, Entering the Castle (and before her, the badass Christian mystic Teresa of Avila, who was the OG of finding the temple within). Temples and churches, contrary to what we might have been taught as youngsters, can be built anywhere, and by anyone. They are the work of the god or goddess inside you, the spark of highest human consciousness that seeks recognition, honor and respect. When we create a dedicated space and time for this practice, using meaningful symbols, images or small talismans to activate our own ancient remembering, we are making our very own Holy of Holies, a sacred place in which we bow to the mightiness within ourselves, and ask for loving guidance and the kindest self-mercy.     

A temple is also a place we can create in community, joining physical hands with others to sit together in loving connection as we share our often bumpy, bendy road towards self-evolution. I’ve always felt better doing things in pairs, in groups, and in collaboration, probably a carryover of my many years in an all-girls’ high school, and later, a sorority. Sisterhood, the linking of arms and sharing of space and support, comes naturally to me, and is also the greatest source of my spiritual assistance and emotional sustenance. That’s why we launched the Sisterhood community at LaDoubleJ (an open and gender-less collective), and it’s also why we’ve now ignited our new Gong Temple, which I invite you all to join.

We’ve dubbed Our new Milanese headquarters on via Vigevano the “StarQuarters,” a home for our entire team of creators, who I much prefer to refer to as Light Sources than as supervisors or assistants. The rooftop is called the Galactic Deck, because it’s aimed at connecting us with consciousness from the stars (one of my favorite kinds!). The fulcrum of this activity centers around a gong that was handmade for us by my German friend Pauline Fabry, who lives at the base of Sicily’s Mt. Etna. Pauline is as galactic as it gets. The first time we met to discuss my vision for the Temple Space as a place to bring together our employees, our Sisterhood community, and the public with a profusion of vibration-raising techniques, Pauline was already zooming off on her astral rocket, making plans. By the spring equinox, she had taken the Gong she’d made to Vulcano Island, where she submerged it in moon-bathed, sulphur-rich waters, before bringing it back to Mt. Etna, where she fused it with the volcano’s lava fire and coated it in meteorite particles. By the time she set it up in our space in Milan, our Gong was vibrating with frequencies of heaven and earth. “Every time this Gong is played,” she said, “you will literally be covered in and connected to the energies of a volcano, of purifying sulphuric water and off-planet meteorite substances. It’s very, very powerful.”ù

Sound is an exceptionally potent and direct way to raise your vibration. It’s also easy: the only thing required of you is to lay down and receive. Funnily enough, you may discover there are parts of you resisting receivership, and this is part of the sound game. Sound is an amplifier, and it also carries frequency. When you’re exposed to high levels of it, as with angelic high-pitched crystal bowls or the primordial low sounds of the gong, it can literally recalibrate the waves in your brain and the cells of your body. Most people report sensations of deep peace and relaxation after a sound bath, as if their mind and body have been swept out with a gargantuan broom. We activated Pauline’s gong with a group of my nearest and dearest 20 spiritual friends in Milan two days before the start of Salone del Mobile. Preceded by a sacred cacao ceremony, the gong—accompanied by four other gongs Pauline hauled up from Etna—was so loud that it felt like every speck of my brain dust had been blasted out. The more amplified it got, the more I surrendered. By the time I stood up, I was buzzing, floating, and feeling the limitless trajectory of our journey together.

The first rule of sound healing, like all holistic practices, is to listen first to your own body. Everyone will resonate differently with different modalities, sounds and teachers. Trust when your body opens, relaxes and asks for more (and conversely when it shuts down—that’s a no!). It’s this wisdom that we seek to develop in all our consciousness practices.  

At DoubleJ, we have begun to create a wonderful circle of very talented sound magicians. Here’s a list of those I wholeheartedly recommend, and where to access them.

Harriet Emily - Using her voice as well as crystal bowls, you can find her exquisite work on our practice page, or more on her IG here.
Larissa Giers - Look out for Larissa performing live as a special guest in the Gong temple, but also here.
Alessandra Montana - You can sense Alessandra’s deep connection with Mother Earth in her sessions. She’ll be hosting practices in our Gong Temple soon, but in the meantime, check her out here.
Cecilia Cortes - One of our go-to crystal bowl experts, she will soon take a residence in our Gong temple. You can find some of her work here!

Whether it’s a pull-out drawer, a shelf, or an entire room, there’s something incredibly powerful about designating a sacred space within your home. This “altar” is meant for devotion and intention, and the more you use it respectfully, the more charged it will become with potent energies. You’ll want to fill the space with anything of emotional, spiritual or energetic relevance: talismans (from crystals to drawings), symbols, representations of ancestors, angels or galactic guardians (in the form of photos, statues, or illustrations). There’s no right or wrong! But keep the space pure: don’t empty your pockets or drop your dirty laundry here. It is important to keep this space “alive” by suffusing it with ritual: spend at least 5 minutes a day sitting in front of your altar. Keep a fresh flower or sprig of herbs in a little vase. Light a candle, close your eyes, bow your head, and set your intentions for the day, month, or year. Meditate or chant if you want! You’ll be shocked by how powerful focusing your attention and intention can be. 

Pauline not only custom-makes gongs, but she also holds beautiful intimate retreats at the base of Etna that are sound and fire coded. These are earthy experiences, so don’t expect a lavish setting: all of the opulence will be happening on your insides, perfect conditions for developing your inner temple. Her next one is June 9-13. Find more info here.

At DoubleJ, we have begun to create a wonderful circle of very talented sound magicians. Here’s a list of those I wholeheartedly recommend, and where to access them.

Entering The Castle by Carolyn Myss & Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila

A decade ago, I was sleeping under rows of little Buddha statues in a stranger’s Airbnb bedroom in Basel, Switzerland, when I serendipitously discovered a book on the shelf by Teresa of Avila, written in German. Although I couldn’t understand a word of it, I took it as a sign: the 15th-century Carmelite nun had inspired Carolyn Myss to write Entering the Castle, a book about discoursing with your soul, that I was in the middle of reading at that very moment. When I finally read it in English, I learned that both women discuss “the castle” as the inner mansion (or in our case, the inner temple) of your soul, and how to navigate the hallways, doors and rooms to get there. Highly recommended!

Our friend Sia Lanu Estrella channels the Rainbow Race (you must know more about this) and leads profound retreats to sacred sites around the world. This June, she’s hosting a magic and mysticism journey through Peru, and in October she’s guiding a White Lions and Lyran longlines retreat in South Africa. If you can’t travel, Sia also teaches online courses like this one on the Rainbow Tablets Mystery School, which I plan on taking.  

Lelama Sjamar, one of my beloved teachers who will join us in Milan on May 27th at our Gong Temple, uses her voice to activate multi-dimensional access and expansion. One of her tools is Light Language, a channeled soul language of very high frequency. To learn more about this, watch her video here.

If you need a moment of grounding or want to get out of your head and into your heart, go pull up Snatam Kaur on Spotify immediately. Her voice will literally melt you into liquid love. There’s not a song of hers I don’t love.

Our dear sister and resident Crystal Whisperer, Mayra Hernandez, is opening up a IX Crystal Co-Lab in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It’s a collaborative space where artists, spiritual practitioners, and wellness leaders come together to explore energy, creativity, and sacred traditions and co-create meaningful experiences. Open from May 1st at 121 Orchard St, there will also be a blessing ceremony on May 15th.

Our temple space is meant to be a place for you to discover some of our most beloved healers, as well as special practices with teachers or practitioners who may not otherwise have visible platforms. Here are a few that we’ll be hosting over the next 3 months.

Cecilia Cortes - Sound Healing every Monday evening at 7pm
Celeste - Hatha yoga and Ayurvedic insights every Tuesday afternoon at 1pm
Iris - Meditation tools and techniques every Wednesday evening at 7pm
Marco Migliavacca - Katonah yoga every Thursday evening at 7pm
Lelama Sjamar - New Moon Empowerment Activation, May 27 at 7pm
Taryn Toomey - The Class: Shadow & Light on June 3rd at 6:30pm