Trust The Signs From The Universe

Featuring Amber the Conduit, Spiritual Consultant + Psychic Trend Forecaster

I’m writing this from Barbados, amid preparation for my grandmother's funeral services. As I write it, it still doesn’t feel fully real. Grief is a weird thing—the best way to describe the ebbs and flows of emotion is to liken it to the turbulence I experienced on the JetBlue flight over here. 

What’s helped during this time is leaning into my spirituality. Luckily, I have a sister who helps people embrace spirituality for a living (via Soulfulbeauty111). When we learned the news, Ashlee sought answers from her cards:

“The morning of our grandmother’s birthday, and a week post her transition, I requested a direct sign from her that she was present, that everything was okay. The beauty of spirituality is that we can choose to anchor ourselves in these direct and more indirect conversations with the Universe (God, Ancestors, energies) and self, during times of bliss, and especially times of grief. The answers are always available.”

She got her answer from the below:

Card pull from Ashlee

In part inspired by Ashlee, I’ve long been receptive to signs from the universe—the 11:11 on the screen, the seemingly idle feather in the street, the familiar song that keeps popping up. But something about channeling ancestral energy feels more sacred. It’s newer territory, leaning into the notion that my grandmother’s with me and, thus, I should call on her when I need her. I should look out for the ways she chooses to communicate with me.

This week’s featured guest taps her ancestors daily: Amber the Conduit, a gifted Spiritual Consultant + Psychic Trend Forecaster. I had the pleasure of working with Amber during my time as managing editor for Sweet July, for which she led the Sweet Scopes (horoscopes-driven) series but also showed her breadth of writing talent, penning a number of other wellness and lifestyle features.

Amber the Conduit

Amber’s divinity is a huge anchor in her life, both personally and professionally (she offers readings in various written, verbal, and face-to-face formats while building her Hot Honey Musings community). Get a sneak peek of our conversation:

In addition to helping process grief, Amber is big on using higher-self, spiritually guided rituals to help inform big life decisions, or even small ones: Job decisions. Career moves. Relocation qualms. This process, she says, has helped her say “no” more, without regret. Not everything, at the end of the day, is for us. Divinity helps us make these important distinctions. And while it might seem daunting, I’ve learned that leaning into it is really about trusting yourself. The highest version of yourself.

My grandmother’s passing is fresh. I’m admittedly still processing. But I think I’m ready to embrace that her energy is always lingering somewhere in the air. She has always been on my team, rooting for me, supporting me, loving me. Now she’s part of my spiritual team. And my intuition is only stronger for it.

Stay In The Groove

Upcoming events for your calendar:

• CreatorFest (October 24, London)

• Barbados Food & Rum Festival (October 24-27, Barbados)

• Well-Read Black Girl Festival (October 26, New York)

• Beautycon (November 2-3, Los Angeles)

• Stylist Live (November 8-10, London)

• Curator Summit by Eventnoire (November 9, Chicago)

• AfroTech Conference (November 13-16, Houston)

• The ADCOLOR Conference (November 14-16, Los Angeles)

• ALDB’s New York Holiday Soirée (November 16, New York)

Some job opportunities I’m seeing:

• Lonely Planet is seeking a Social Contributor Manager

• Salon is hiring a Senior Staff Writer, Culture

• Apple has an opening for a Content Producer

• Topicals is seeking a Social Channel Manager

• Muck Rack is hiring a Social Media Manager

• TIME is looking for a Director, Partnerships

• MoMA is on the hunt for a Marketing Manager

• Fortune is looking for a London and New York reporter

• Under Armour is seeking a Social Media Specialist (Women's & Run)

• Penguin Random House is accepting applications for Summer 2025 internships

• The San Francisco Chronicle has an opening for an Investigative Editor

• L'Oréal has opened up submissions for its 2025 Fellowship Program

Brittany Dandy’s Ode To Us platform is building the winter cohort of its Maybe Motherhood Community. For more context on this brand, I’m re-plugging my Sweet July feature on Brittany’s important work and what inspired her to launch it.

Since settling the lawsuit that ultimately shuttered its grant program for Black women business owners, Fearless Fund is still making fearless moves: The firm confirmed a seven-figure investment into the Black women-led e-commerce platform Zimi.

My current read: The List by Yomi Adegoke (Hope to finally finish this week on the beach…)