Welcome back.
Today's Practice
Monday-Friday | 6:30am Sydney Time | 30 minutes | Live on Zoom
*If Zoom asks for a passcode, please enter: 615761
*The room opens 5 minutes before we begin
*Don't have Zoom? Download it here.
Current Theme
28 September 2026
Venus Retrograde: Entering the Liminal
Venus retrograde is a liminal passage, a threshold between worlds, between one way of loving and another. Currently she is the Evening Star, descending towards the horizon until she disappears into the light of the Sun. For a time, she is invisible to us. She has entered the mystery. Moving towards her meeting with the Sun, the cazimi, where she passes through the heart of the solar fire. This is the turning point of her journey, before she emerges once again as the Morning Star.
There is an ancient feminine story held within this celestial movement: the woman who descends, who enters the underworld (briefly, this is not her extended underworld journey), who willingly leaves behind what once adorned her.
As Venus moves from the star point of Capricorn into Scorpio, we too are invited beneath the visible structures of our lives: beneath the roles, agreements and identities we have constructed around love, relationship and value. We now enter into the deeper waters of desire, intimacy, trust, attachment and transformation. Scorpio is the realm of what cannot be faked. Here, Venus asks us to feel what is true when we are no longer able to hold onto the familiar form.
The approximately 40-day rhythm of Venus retrograde gives us a sacred interval in which to descend, gestate and listen. Forty is an ancient rhythm of retreat and transformation: a time of wilderness, initiation, purification and becoming. We don’t need to rush through this passage or immediately make meaning from everything that arises. Like the seed beneath the earth, something may need to remain unseen for a while.
And then Venus rises, in the East as the harbinger of the day ahead.
She emerges as the Morning Star, carrying the light of a new cycle. The woman who entered the darkness is not quite the same woman who returns. Something has been shed. Something has been reclaimed. Something has been remembered.
For these forty days, we can allow ourselves to move with her: from Evening Star, into the underworld/ incubation, through the heart of the Sun, and towards the dawn.
Our intention is to enter the liminal, and allow what is ready to be transformed to reveal itself in its own time.
Our practice will be the embodiment of this 1.6 year offering from the Goddess of the heavens.
Our Myth is Inanna’s Descent to the Underworld from the Sumerian clay tablets, and this myth will be an overarching mythos we return to each Moon/Venus Conjunctions over the next 584 days.
Current Myth
Foundations
Simple guidance for entering the shared field, working with the breath, and resting in stillness.
Stewarding the Circle
Please read this guide before your first practice. It explains the shared agreements that help protect the warmth, respect and integrity of the morning space.
WhatsApp Group
A simple space for practice-related questions, brief reflections, practical reminders and gentle connection through the week.
FAQ
Find answers to questions about the live practice, replays, foundations, participation and membership access.
Contact
For Zoom access, replays, billing, membership or technical issues, please contact us here.
© 2026 Our Living Rhythm. All rights reserved.
STEWARDING THE CIRCLE
A Guide to Practising Together
Last updated: September 2026
Welcome to Our Living Rhythm.
This guide offers a simple set of shared agreements to help protect the warmth, respect and integrity of the morning practice.
It sits alongside the Participation Agreement. The Participation Agreement sets out the formal terms of membership. This guide describes the culture of the practice and how we gather together.
A Place of Return
Our Living Rhythm is not a course to complete or a curriculum to work through. It is a place to return to and establish a consistent spiritual practice.
Each morning stands complete in itself. Some days you may attend live. Some days you may use the replay. Some days you may miss the practice and return again when you can. Regardless, you are not behind.
The rhythm is here to support your return, not to create pressure or performance.
How the Circle Is Stewarded
Our Living Rhythm is held as a shared morning practice. To keep the space simple, respectful and sustainable, the circle is actively stewarded.
Stewardship means caring for the conditions that allow the practice to remain clear and available: the rhythm, the atmosphere, the use of community spaces, and the wellbeing of the group as a whole.
At times, this may mean clarifying a boundary, redirecting a conversation, adjusting how something is held, or contacting a member privately. These decisions are made in service of the practice and the circle, not to control anyone’s personal experience.
Members are asked to honour this stewardship so that Our Living Rhythm can remain a place of return for everyone.
A Shared Circle
Although we gather online from different homes, we are entering one shared space of practice. Every member contributes to the quality of that space. By arriving with kindness, patience and respect, we help create an environment where everyone can participate in their own way.
You do not need to believe the same things as anyone else to practise within the shared rhythm. The practices, stories and themes offered in Our Living Rhythm are invitations. You remain free to listen, experience and interpret them in your own way.
Participation
During the live morning practice, members are not expected to speak or share. The live session is held as a guided practice space, allowing everyone to arrive, participate inwardly and remain with the rhythm of the morning.
Reflection and questions can be shared through the member WhatsApp group when appropriate. Some members may enjoy contributing there, while others may prefer to simply read, practise and absorb. Both are welcome.
You are encouraged to watch or read the latest Golden Feather update when it is available, as it offers mythic, seasonal or astrological context for the themes Vanessa may draw upon during the live practices. It is not required before attending, but it can deepen your understanding of the current cycle.
During live Zoom practices, you may have your camera on or off. When your camera is on, it can help Vanessa feel more connected to you and to the shared space, but it is never required. If your camera is off, we ask where possible that you join using your real name and, if comfortable, a recent photo of yourself as your Zoom profile image.
Questions and Support
Questions are welcome.
For brief reflections, practice-related questions or practical updates that may support others, please use the member WhatsApp group. You are welcome to participate there as much or as little as feels appropriate.
For Zoom access, replays, billing, membership or technical issues, please use the Need Help? pathway in the Practice Room.
Our Living Rhythm is a shared morning practice, not a private mentoring or one-to-one guidance container. To help protect the rhythm and care of the whole group, we ask that private messages be kept clear, concise and limited to matters that genuinely need to be communicated privately.
If you need deeper personal, therapeutic, medical or spiritual support, you are welcome to book a private consultation with Vanessa.
Technology
Members are responsible for providing a suitable device, reliable internet connection and working audio equipment.
Please take a few moments before each live practice to check that your device, sound, camera and Zoom access are working.
We will do our best to provide clear access links and practical guidance, but we cannot take responsibility for individual internet, device or equipment problems.
Respecting the Teachings
The live practices, recordings, written resources, videos and other materials inside Our Living Rhythm are offered for your personal practice and household participation. Please do not copy, distribute, publish, repost, teach, sell or share these materials outside the membership without written permission.
The Practice Room link, Zoom link, replay folder and member resources are for current members only. They are not intended to be shared publicly or passed on to people outside your household.
Thank You
Thank you for taking the time to read these shared agreements. Our Living Rhythm is created through the simple act of returning, morning after morning, in the company of others.
We are glad you are here.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The Morning Practice
Use the Join Live Practice button near the top of the Practice Room. This will take you directly to the Zoom room.
The room usually opens a few minutes before we begin.
The practice is held Monday to Friday at 6:30am Sydney time and runs for approximately 30 minutes.
Because Sydney moves between AEST and AEDT during the year, we use Sydney time rather than a fixed timezone label.
You are welcome to enter quietly if the room is still open.
Simply join, settle yourself, and enter the practice from wherever you are. There is nothing to catch up on.
No. The rhythm is here to support you, not pressure you.
Some weeks you may attend every morning. Other weeks you may come once, use the replay, or return after a break.
No. You may keep your camera on or off. Choose what helps you participate with ease, privacy and presence. When your camera is on, it can help Vanessa feel more connected to you and to the shared field of practice, but it is never required.
You only need a quiet place, an internet connection and a way to join Zoom.
Headphones can be helpful, but they are not required. You may sit, stand, lie down, or adapt the practice in a way that honours your body.
Recent Replays
Use the Watch Recent Replays button in the Practice Room.
This opens the replay folder, where the most recent morning practices are available.
Replays are available for seven days. The recordings are there to help you return when you cannot attend live, not to create anything you need to catch up on.
No. You should be able to watch the replay through the shared Dropbox link without creating a Dropbox account.
Recordings may be downloaded during their seven-day availability window for personal use, where available.
Please do not share, repost or distribute the recordings outside the membership.
Replays are usually added after the live practice has finished and the recording has been processed. We aim to have it uploaded by 7:30am Sydney time. However, on occasions there may be a slight delay when Zoom transcodes the video final. If it is not there immediately, please check again in 15 minutes.
Current Theme & Golden Feather
The Current Theme is updated when the seasonal, astrological or practice focus changes.
This may be as short as two weeks, or as long as 3 months, depending on what holds significance to our practice at that time.
The Golden Feather is Vanessa’s mythic or seasonal reflection for the current cycle. It offers a wider story or contemplative companion to the morning practice. We recommend watching the Golden Feather updates so that you are familiar with the myths & themes when they are mentioned during the morning practice.
No. These traditions may inform the atmosphere of the practice, but you do not need prior knowledge to participate. The morning practice is something you enter through experience, not study.
Foundations
No. You can join the morning practice straight away.
The Foundations are there when you want deeper context or more detailed guidance around aspects of the practice that cannot be fully explained during the morning session. They are supportive resources, not lessons you need to complete before participating.
For most people, the practice will feel unfamiliar. We have noticed that if a person can practice regularly for 2-3 weeks, they will begin to notice themselves relax and drop deeper into the rhythm, language and nature of the practice.
Community & Support
The WhatsApp group is a simple space for reminders, practical updates, Vanessa's living sky updates, and community connection through the week.
It is not something you need to keep up with constantly.
No. Participation is optional. You are welcome to be part of the morning practice without being active in the group.
Yes. Someone physically present in your household may sit and practise alongside you.
Your membership is not intended to be shared as a separate digital login or access link outside your household.
Use the Still Need Help section below or contact us directly. You can reach out for support about problems with Zoom access, replays, billing, membership questions or anything practical that is making it difficult to participate.
Please contact us if you need help managing or cancelling your membership. Cancellation stops future billing, and your access continues until the end of the period already paid for.
Still Need Help?
If there is something you'd like to know that isn't covered here, please reach out and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT
Last updated: September 2026
1. About this Agreement
This Participation Agreement applies to paid membership of Our Living Rhythm.
Our Living Rhythm is an ongoing live morning meditation practice. Each morning stands complete in itself, with no curriculum to complete and no requirement to attend every weekday. The rhythm is there as a place you can return to.
By purchasing an Our Living Rhythm membership, you agree to the terms below.
2. Participation
Participation is voluntary.
You are responsible for choosing your own level of participation and deciding whether a particular practice is appropriate for you.
There is no requirement to speak during live sessions, share personal experiences or explain your spiritual or contemplative beliefs.
Practices and teachings are offered as invitations. You remain free to interpret your own experience.
3. Household Participation
Your membership allows members of your household to practise alongside you when participating from the same home.
Your membership account, access details, recordings and member resources may not be shared with people outside your household.
The membership remains registered to the purchasing member.
4. Live Practice, Recordings and Access
Membership provides access to the live morning practice and the recordings and resources described on the membership page.
Recent recordings may be available for a limited period rather than forming a permanent archive.
Membership access and resources are provided for your personal and household use only.
You are responsible for providing a suitable device, internet connection and any equipment needed to participate online.
We will make reasonable efforts to provide reliable access, although temporary interruptions or individual technology problems may occasionally occur.
5. Respect and the Shared Space
Our Living Rhythm is intended to provide a respectful shared environment for contemplative practice.
We ask members to communicate with kindness and respect and to recognise that participants may hold different beliefs, interpretations and life experiences.
Personal information or experiences shared by another participant should be treated with discretion and should not be recorded, published or shared without their permission.
6. Intellectual Property
Unless otherwise stated, original recordings, meditations, written materials, teachings, visual resources and other content created for Our Living Rhythm remain the intellectual property of Vanessa Strauss and/or the business operating Our Living Rhythm.
Membership gives you permission to access these materials for personal and household use.
You may not reproduce, publish, distribute, teach, sell or commercially use Our Living Rhythm materials without written permission.
7. Health and Wellbeing
Our Living Rhythm provides meditation, contemplative practice and education.
It is not intended to diagnose or treat a medical or psychological condition and does not replace appropriate professional healthcare.
Some practices may involve breath, movement, sound, stillness or inward attention. You are responsible for participating at a level appropriate to your circumstances and may modify, observe or stop a practice at any time.
If you are uncertain whether a practice is appropriate for you, please seek advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
8. Membership, Payments and Cancellation
Our Living Rhythm is an ongoing membership.
Monthly memberships renew each month unless cancelled before the next renewal.
Annual memberships renew every twelve months unless cancelled before the next renewal. The annual membership is offered at a reduced rate in exchange for payment for a full twelve-month membership period.
You may cancel your membership at any time. Cancellation prevents the next scheduled renewal, and your membership continues until the end of the period already paid for.
Cancelling an annual membership does not provide a pro-rata refund for the unused portion of the current annual period.
Refunds are not provided simply because a member has not attended live practices or used the available resources.
Where a billing error, duplicate payment or exceptional circumstance occurs, please contact us so the matter can be considered fairly.
Nothing in this Agreement excludes any rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded under Australian consumer law.
9. Stewarding the Practice
Our Living Rhythm is intentionally stewarded to protect the integrity and respectful functioning of the shared practice.
If a member repeatedly disrupts the practice, disregards these shared agreements or significantly affects the participation of others, we may limit or end their participation.
Where appropriate, concerns will first be addressed respectfully and with consideration of the circumstances.
10. Privacy
Personal information is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
11. Changes to this Agreement
We may update this Agreement as Our Living Rhythm develops or where changes are required to our membership arrangements.
If a change materially affects an existing member's rights, fees or ongoing membership arrangements, we will communicate that change appropriately before it takes effect.
12. Acceptance
By purchasing an Our Living Rhythm membership, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to this Participation Agreement.
Our Living Rhythm is operated by The Trustee for Strauss Family Trust
ABN 57 962 604 616
PRIVACY POLICY
Last updated: 31 August 2026
1. About this Privacy Policy
We value privacy and are committed to handling personal information with care, transparency and appropriate restraint.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, hold and disclose personal information when you interact with our websites, clinical services, consultations, programs, classes, memberships, events, newsletters and related services.
Our services are operated by:
The Trustee for Strauss Family Trust
ABN 57 962 604 616
This includes services and programs offered under the Vanessa Strauss and Our Living Rhythm names.
In this policy, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to The Trustee for Strauss Family Trust.
We handle personal information in accordance with applicable Australian privacy laws, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles and, where applicable, relevant health privacy requirements.
2. Information We May Collect
The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us.
This may include your name, email address, telephone number and other contact details; information relating to appointments, consultations, programs, classes, memberships or events; information relating to purchases, subscriptions and payment status; communications and enquiries; information associated with registrations and participation; and technical information such as IP address, browser or device information, cookies and website activity.
Payments may be processed by third-party payment providers. We do not generally hold complete payment card details ourselves.
We aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary for our activities and services.
3. Health and Sensitive Information
Some of our services involve health or other sensitive personal information. This is particularly relevant to Vanessa Strauss’s clinical services, where health information may be required to provide appropriate care and meet professional or legal obligations.
People participating in other services or programs may also voluntarily provide information about their health, personal circumstances, beliefs or experiences. We collect and handle sensitive information only where it is reasonably necessary and where we have consent or another lawful basis to do so. Clinical health information is not used for marketing purposes.
Where possible, please avoid including unnecessary health or sensitive personal information in general website contact forms or ordinary email enquiries.
4. How We Collect Information
We generally collect personal information directly from you when you interact with us. This may occur when you complete a website or registration form, make a booking, purchase or subscribe to a service, participate in a program or membership, subscribe to a newsletter, contact us, request support, or participate in an online or in-person service.
Some technical and usage information may also be collected automatically when you use our websites or digital services. In limited circumstances, we may receive personal information from another person or service provider where this is reasonably necessary and lawful.
Where practical, you may interact with us without identifying yourself. Some services, however, require identifying information in order for us to provide them properly.
5. How We Use Personal Information
We may use personal information to provide and administer services you have requested, manage appointments and registrations, process purchases and subscriptions, provide information needed to participate in a service or event, respond to enquiries, provide support, communicate with you about services you are using, send communications you have chosen to receive, understand and improve our services and websites, maintain appropriate records, protect the security and operation of our business, and meet professional, regulatory or legal obligations.
We may also use information for another purpose where you have consented to that use or where it is otherwise permitted or required by law.
6. Email Communications and the Golden Feather Journal
Some communications are necessary to provide a service you have requested. For example, if you register for Open Monday, book an appointment, purchase a program or become a member, we may send confirmations, practical information, reminders and other communications reasonably connected with that service.
If you choose to receive the Golden Feather Journal or other ongoing communications, we may send you stories, reflections, information and occasional invitations relating to Vanessa Strauss, Our Living Rhythm and other relevant offerings.
You can unsubscribe from optional marketing communications at any time using the unsubscribe option provided or by contacting us.
We may retain a record of your communication preferences and consent so that we can respect your choices.
7. Cookies and Website Technologies
Our websites may use cookies and similar technologies to support website functionality, security, analytics and measurement. These technologies may collect information such as your IP address, browser or device information, pages visited and interactions with the website.
We may use analytics or advertising measurement services to help us understand how our websites and communications are being used and performing. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings and, where available, website cookie controls. Some website functions may operate differently if cookies are disabled.
8. Sharing Information With Others
We do not sell or rent your personal information. We may disclose personal information to trusted service providers where reasonably necessary to operate our business or provide our services. These may include providers of website and data hosting, booking and administration services, email and communications, payment processing, online meetings and video services, data storage, analytics and website measurement, and professional, accounting, legal or technical services.
We seek to limit the information shared to what is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose. We may also disclose personal information where required or authorised by law, or where reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.
9. Overseas Processing and Disclosure
Some of the service providers we use operate internationally. As a result, personal information may be stored, processed or accessed outside Australia, including in the United States, Ireland, other countries within the European Economic Area, and other locations used by our service providers. These locations may change as service providers and their infrastructure change.
Where applicable, we take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information disclosed overseas is handled appropriately and in accordance with our privacy obligations.
10. Security and Storage
Personal information may be held electronically and, where relevant, in physical records. We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. The measures used depend on the nature of the information and the circumstances in which it is held.
While no method of electronic storage or transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take reasonable steps to protect the information entrusted to us.
11. Retention of Information
We retain personal information for as long as it is reasonably required for the purposes for which it was collected and to meet applicable legal, professional, clinical, accounting or administrative obligations. Different types of information may need to be retained for different periods. Health and clinical records may be subject to specific legal and professional retention requirements.
When personal information is no longer reasonably required and there is no lawful reason for us to retain it, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it.
12. Access and Correction
You may ask to access personal information we hold about you or request that it be corrected if you believe it is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date or misleading. We may need to verify your identity before providing access or making changes. There may be circumstances in which access or correction cannot be provided. Where required, we will explain the reason.
Additional requirements may apply to requests concerning health information.
13. Privacy Concerns and Complaints
If you have a question or concern about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us using the details below. We will consider your concern and respond within a reasonable period. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as our services, information-handling practices or legal obligations change. The current version will be published on our website and will show the date it was last updated.
15. Contact
For privacy enquiries, access or correction requests, or concerns about how your personal information has been handled, please contact:
The Trustee for Strauss Family Trust
ABN 57 962 604 616
Email: privacy@vanessastrauss.com.au
You may also contact us through the contact form on our website.
CONTACT US
We're here to help. If you have a question about Our Living Rhythm, membership, technical support or anything else, we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
WE READ EVERY MESSAGE
Your message goes directly to us.
CONSIDERATE SUPPORT
We aim to respond within 1-2 business days.
WE'RE IN AUSTRALIA
We work Monday to Friday AEST
By submitting this form, you acknowledge that your information will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.