In my last blog post, I spoke about honoring the Full and Waning Moon phases, so in this one, let’s explore the New & Waxing Moons!
When working with moon phases, we are called to pay attention to our feelings and emotions, the tug of our hearts, wombs, bodies and soul. Lunar energy has its own rhythm, which is not honored in our capitalist, patriarchal systems.
Like the Moon, we too are meant to ebb and flow, to rest and renew, to allow changes in our energy levels and productivity, our social habits and our perception. We can be multi-faceted. We can be moody, change our minds and hearts. We can have varying levels of energy. Yet we live in a world that often demands constant productivity, consistency, extraverted energy and sociability.
The New to Waxing Moon happens over a 2-week period before the Full Moon arrives in its bright beauty. This phase is one of planting, building, creating, and increase. This is a preferred energy by our social standards, making it often an easier energy to surf than the waning moon. However the New Moon itself can be challenging, or a mixed bag as the Full Moon often is.
The New Moon is a when the slate is wiped clean and a new cycle begins. The last cycle has ended and we have cleared some space for something new to be planted, or have a gem of wisdom to take with us into this next new cycle.
Sometimes the New Moon feels heavy, empty or challenging emotionally, as we may still be releasing the end of the last cycle and clearing space for the new. We may feel low energy, and people tend to hermit a bit still during this phase. This is all well and good, as it is important to honor your body and psyche’s needs at this time. Often we need some empty space in our schedule to process, and to allow ourselves to dream, and receive the new spark or seed to be planted into our new cycle.
There is often enthusiastic anticipation of this new beginning energy, and folks can’t wait to jump on manifesting their desires for this phase! I find it valuable however to allow for some pause around the New Moon for at least the first day or two to actually tune into your deepest self and needs, to allow the next cycle’s seeds of inspiration to rise up into awareness from within.
Planting seeds of intention may take several days or up to a week. It can take a while to feel a clear sense of what you desire and want to cultivate and grow. So, no need to rush into manifesting on the exact New Moon! Take your time to feel into what wants to come into being and build it gradually as the light increases.
New Moon Vibes
Keywords for the New Moon:
Rest
Dream
Renew
Begin
Open
Possibility
Receive
Inspiration
Hope
Excitement
Intention
Plant
Plan
Brainstorm
Experiment
Try
Seek
The New Moon is the transition between the archetype of an Elder and a Newborn, so in a sense it is like we can see the world with fresh eyes again around the New Moon. We can welcome a shift in perspective, one that holds both the wisdom of the last cycle and new hope and inspiration for the next.
This is the time to try something new, experiment, and be open to possibilities. Not everything we desire or plan at this time will be worth cultivating or make it to the Full Moon. However, at the New Moon, we can entertain possibilities and enjoy exploring and experimenting, so that at the 1st Quarter phase, one week later, we can narrow our focus and take action on something more specific, or in a specific way.
We may wish to plant a variety of seeds and see what takes until we can home in on what feels best or seems to be working. This is the time to experiment and be open!
Sometime around the New Moon, even if I’m not feeling particularly energetic, I find it helpful to get out for a walk, spend time in nature or somehow expose myself to inspiration, new ideas, and energies. If I just go out in public anywhere in the city, I often come across something- whether its hearing live music playing, having an interesting conversation with a store clerk, seeing a beautiful mural or a tree in the park, there’s always something that acts as a catalyst for my new intentions.
To honor the New Moon, I would suggest opening yourself to possibilities! Once the hermit phase is over, just get out and open to receive new inspiration. You can also do this through reading a book, or taking in media or entertainment of some kind. A seed will find its way to take root.
Ways to honor the New Moon:
Rest and pause so you can sense and feel what new energy is emerging
Putter, do simple daily tasks that allow your mind to wander and dream
Allow yourself to receive- take in nourishment for mind, body, heart and soul
Explore a subject you’re interested in online
Seek entertainment- ie) scroll on social media, see a play, watch a new show or movie
Get out for a walk
Have a conversation with a friend or a stranger
Seek out art, beauty, new scenery
Spend time in Nature
Practice openness and curiosity
Seek a shift in perspective
Write down desires and dreams- no matter how unrealistic or fantastical they seem
Envision your dream- create a vision board, begin to gather inspo, seek out resources
Brainstorm
Make a loose plan- know it can be refined and modified later
Write positive affirmations for yourself
Write down inspiring quotes
Seek out people who are doing what you want to be doing
Explore your options and don’t be afraid to experiment or try something new
The Waxing Moon includes the Crescent Moon, First Quarter Moon and Gibbous Moon phases, which flow from one to the other up until the Full Moon, the peak of energy.
The waxing phases are about building, preparation and creation. They involve planting a seed of intention and nurturing that seed with actions and tending to see the result 2 weeks later at the Full Moon.
These phases are suitable for increasing, growth, and building something up, rather than releasing, letting go or breaking something down. Both energies can take place at once, as nature isn’t all or nothing! Often both things are happening at the same time, but the focus is on the building and growing aspect, as energies are rising to support growth, like in spring.
The Crescent Moon phase comes a few days after the New Moon, where we explored potential and dreamed. We may feel very vulnerable or hesitant during this phase, as we step out into the unknown (think the Fool card in Tarot), but we have to start somewhere. There is room to experiment here and focus on inspiration and positive potential as we embark on our journey forward. This phase asks us to summon our courage, take a little step out of our comfort zone. It can also be a gathering phase, in which we build up our resources in order to reach a goal.
The First Quarter Moon comes next, and here is a ‘crisis point’ similar to the 3rd Quarter Waning Moon, but it is more about how our external reality bumps up against our goals and hopes. We often need to take a bolder action of some kind. We may need to contend with an obstacle, internal or external, and adjust our course forward a bit. We may need to shift our expectations or take a different approach than we originally thought. It’s normal here to make a change, take a concrete action or meet an obstacle that actually helps us forward.
Finally, the Gibbous Moon phase leads us into the Full Moon. Here, the energy tide is high and building up to a crescendo. We may feel some pressure building up, to perfect our creation or reach our goal. This can be a busy time, as we prepare, focus and perfect what we are doing. There is also a bit of surrender needed here, as there is a lot of energy pushing us forward without us having to paddle the boat too much, as we’re already engaged and building something. The energy will find its way, we just may want to adjust the channel for its release into the best form we can.
What we plant, nurture, tend and manifest in the Waxing cycle may be something simple like trying a new class, implementing a new health routine, creating an altar, learning a new subject, nurturing a friendship or relationship, or it could be a career move, house or apartment hunt, or creative endeavor. It can also be about our inner work and healing, where we implement a new thinking habit, self-perception, healing modality, medicine or embrace a new attitude towards our life.
As we reach the Full Moon phase, it doesn’t mean the whole thing has to be done and figured out! Some manifestations take many moon cycles to manifest. Each one is a step along the way.
Once we come to the Full Moon, we can assess the peak culmination and the journey we took to get there. We then go on to integrate, process and release what we no longer need as the Moon wanes. What is meant to stay will stay, to be worked on some more in the next cycle, and what’s meant to leave will leave, if it proved not to support our purpose or goal. Read more about the Full and Waning Moons here.
What are you planting, nurturing, or building right now? A new sense of self? A creative project? A career goal or domestic goal?
Eclipses:
Currently we are building towards a Lunar Eclipse- thus what we are building or working towards is likely nothing entirely new, but an outgrowth of the challenges and turning points of March 2025, and September 2024. It may be feeling intense, as it is an extra powerful moon cycle. Lunar Eclipses are like extra powerful Full Moons that bring more long-lasting culminations, endings, accomplishments and changes than regular Full Moons. You can read more about eclipses and how to navigate them here and here.
The Lunar cycle is such a central part of an earth-based spiritual practice. Many folks are especially drawn to doing something special to honor the Full Moon, as it is such an energetic time of the month. After approximately three days of fullness, the light of the moon begins to darken and wane. It then heads into the Disseminating, Third Quarter and Balsamic moon phases over the next two weeks, until the renewal of the New Moon.
Each phase has its own special energy, but we are often too busy to notice the more subtle energies that lie between the Full and New Moon. Here, I will focus on the Full Moon phase, and touch on the following two weeks of waning light that can be felt and tuned into if desired.
The easiest way to honor each lunar phase is to simply tune into how we feel! The moon is intrinsically connected to our emotions and thus can be felt on an emotional and physical level quite powerfully.
There’s a lot of talk about spell work and ritual around Full and New Moons, yet one doesn’t need to get all formal or analytical about this. We don’t need to worry about having the right colored candles, crystals, words or do a lot of prep to make magic. Ritual can be any action that aligns with the energy of the moment. It can be as simple as checking in with our body, our heart, journaling, having a good cry, going for a walk, singing, drawing or moving our body in tune with how we feel. Magic is something that exists all the time. It is felt as a result of being fully present with ourselves and the energies around us, not something we need to create with a special formula.
Often the material world naturally reflects the energies of the lunar cycle. Lunar magic, in its ebbs and flows is a constant that we can tap into any time. Rather than trying to ‘use the moon cycles to manifest what we want’ with specific spells or rituals, I advise simply opening up our senses and attuning our actions to harmonise with the lunar moment. Just notice how it feels, in your heart, in your body.
What’s your mood like? What’s the mood of the people surrounding you? The plants and animals around you? What are your dreams at night like? How is your sleep and energy levels? What emotions, desires, pulls or feels are flowing through you? How are things shifting?
Each week has a different lunar energy. Observe how that energy is manifesting within and around you.
Honor the Moon by flowing with it, rather than against it.
The Full Moon is a very expressive, emotional high tide. It is helpful to express your feelings to someone, or through art, journaling or just to yourself to gain clarity, healing, awareness and release of anything that’s been brewing beneath the surface for the last couple weeks (or longer!).
Full Moon Vibes
Keywords for the Full Moon are:
Culmination
Realisation
Awareness
Expression
Manifestation
Fullness
Visibility
Illumination
Clarity
Revealing truth
Balance & conflict
Light & shadow
Things coming to a head
Outward flow
Breakthrough
Release
The Full Moon Energies:
The energy of the Full Moon is a swell of upward and outward energy. That which has been planted or initiated at the New Moon comes to a culmination. Oftentimes, we are unaware of the seeds we have actually planted. Even if our conscious mind planted seeds at the New Moon, our unconscious may have had a secret agenda that may become known at the Full Moon.
Whatever has been brewing or stewing beneath the surface is revealed. This can be a healing breakthrough, even if it causes stress or conflict at first. When things come from our subconscious into our awareness it helps us to take steps towards new decisions that bring healing and a better quality of life.
This can be the busiest and most productive as well as stressful phase of the lunar cycle, as everything comes to a head and is revealed. That which has been worked on behind the scenes comes into a culmination or manifestation. It can be a time of honest proclamations and emotional outbursts, these can lead to healing breakthroughs as well as necessary endings. We often need time to integrate the truth that is being revealed to us into our body and psyche over the next two weeks, until the lunar cycle is completed by the New Moon.
This phase can be triumphant or challenging, or both. It can also be a very social, celebratory phase, as our energies are pulled outwards to connect with others.
Because the Full Moon is an opposition aspect between the Sun and Moon, there is often a ‘self versus other’ energy at play. Either self vs partner/friend/coworker/boss/family member/society, or ‘mine vs theirs’ or ‘this vs that’- there’s a conflict or oppositional energy to balance within ourselves, often through other people or another point of view.
This is all to help us balance different aspects of ourselves. Perhaps we’ve given too much energy to one aspect of ourselves and now a neglected part is crying for our attention. This may be experienced through conflict with others or our environment. Sometimes we just receive some awareness of where we could bring some more balance into our lives, or something that needs to change so we can be more authentically ourselves.
Even if we feel pretty calm around the Full Moon, others may be sailing rougher seas. This is because each Full Moon happens in a different astrological sign, and these can hit us all differently, based on how it interacts with our individual astrology. So, even if it’s not feeling like a big deal for us, our partner or friend may be really going through it, which also affects us. We also may find others are more high energy or excited than we are, or vice versa.
Sometimes the Full Moon’s emotional brew doesn’t rise up fully until there’s an opportunity when it can. If we are too busy holding all our feelings in, keeping it all together for work, or being a solid rock for others during the Full Moon, we may not receive our own emotional effects until a few days later. This is why it is important to make some space and time around Full Moons for yourself. The longer we hold things in, the less likely our emotions come out in healthy ways.
We may also feel the effects more strongly a few days before the Full Moon instead of during the 3 days of peak fullness. The waves come when they can find a way through. This might even only be during our dreams at night. The Full Moon is a great time to remember your dreams, write them down and see what they are trying to reveal.
How to Honor the Full Moon:
All we need to do is give ourselves the space and time to FEEL our emotions and EXPRESS them. Let them show us the part(s) of us that are calling for attention. Let them flow through us, whether it be anger, rage, grief, joy, pride, love. We are meant to feel the full range of human emotions in this life, despite the hierarchy of ‘acceptable’ ones by society.
Emotions are also ‘energy in motion’, so they need to move and be expressed in healthy ways. Doing so prevents us from reacting in ways we may regret later. Once we are aware of what we’ve been feeling deep down, we can decide how we wish to move forward with that information.
Ways to Honor the Full Moon energies- Feel & express emotions, connect with others:
Journal your feelings and thoughts
Try somecreative writing
Deep, releasing breaths
Sing
Drum and chant from the heart
Play a musical instrument
Do some sounding (just making sounds as you exhale, letting whatever needs to come out to come out)
Dance to music you feel called to
Walkoutside
Move your body any way that feels good: Shaking, stomping, wiggling, stretching etc.
Scream or yell in a safe place
Punch a pillow or other safe object
Have an honest conversation with a friend, loved one or therapist
Take a salt bath
Watch a movie or reading a book that tugs your heartstrings
Listen to music you feel drawn to
Spend time in nature, especially around water or in water
Listen to ocean waves or whale song
Smoke cleanse your self & space
Record your dreams, speak them aloud to someone
Speak your feelings aloud- to yourself or another who you feel safe to process with
Play a sport or game
Go out with friends
Hold a gathering or celebration
What happens next? The Waning Moon Period:
Once the Full Moon starts to lose its intensity (usually a few days later or when the moon sign has changed), we come into a phase of integration and release.
The period of the Waning Moon is two weeks long and includes the Disseminating phase, Third Quarter phase and Balsamic Phase. Each of these last a few days and flow into the next. I won’t go into much detail of each of these Waning Moon phases here, but overall, this Waning Moon period is where we integrate, process and release the awareness that the Full Moon brought up. It takes a while for our body to catch up sometimes, so our nervous system may take some time to realign, and our psyche may take some time to rebalance.
Shortly after the Full Moon, during the Disseminating Moon, we may wish to continue with some activities of expression that are listed above to help process the energies. We may feel called to synthesize our newly gleaned awareness into something that can be helpful from our experience to share with others. This is an alchemizing, creative time where we can make beauty from our wounds, create new pathways forward and give thanks to others, and the universe.
As the Third Quarter phase comes into play, we may feel challenged to make an internal shift to let go of something that no longer serves us. This is an important time to release, lighten our load and tend to the inner part of us that felt triggered at the Full Moon with gentleness. Energetic cleansing practices, such as smoke cleansing, baths, walks in nature, and healing therapies are great at this Moon Phase. We may need some extra self-care and self-nurturance here. We may also feel empowered as we turn a corner within and make decisions about how we want to move forward.
As we get closer to the New Moon, the moon’s light is becoming less visible, our energies go increasingly inward and downward. We may feel lower energy or wish to be alone. We may also feel called to simplify and free ourselves from anything we don’t need and keep things light and easy. This is our time to release our attachment to material outcomes and embrace a more spiritual perspective. It is a great time for retreat. Meditation, nature, stillness, extra sleep, spiritual practices and healing therapies are supportive during this phase as we prepare to renew and turn over a whole new leaf at the New Moon!
The Lunar Cycle vs dominant culture:
Flowing with the Moon’s shifting tides is very counter-cultural. It upsets the patriarchal system. Our calendars and schedules are not made in honor of the lunar cycles. We are expected to perform in the same way all month long. This is especially hard on menstruating bodies and psyches, which flow in a very similar way as the moon. But it is also hard on any of us sensitive beings who wish to honor nature’s cycles within and without.
Reclaiming our shifting tides and emotional nature is a form of reclaiming lost power. It is a way of healing our lineage and transforming the world. Honoring the ebbs and flows we feel in body and psyche are powerful ways of coming into realignment with nature. We carry the Moon within us (all genders), and its power is available to help us evolve, grow, shapeshift, create and manifest with greater ease and authenticity- if we choose to tap into it.
How do you like to honor the Full Moon? How do you feel at the Waning Moon?
What a powerful season of change we are in right now. Not only is Spring Equinox the astrological new year, but we are also amidst an eclipse season and Mercury and Venus retrograde. The Sun moves into fiery, trailblazing Aries and there are some larger planetary shifts from Pisces into Aries coming soon, too. Talk about endings and beginnings! Big and small cycles moving through here.
March of this year is just a lot, energetically. So if you’re really feeling it right now, you’re not alone. We are shedding an old skin as a new one emerges from underneath and this process can have us feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed. We may feel alot of mixed feelings as the past, present and future all meet up together to create a new brew in our inner cauldron.
Things get clearer as April moves in and by May we can really feel like we’re flowing forward again. We are in this retrograde energy to integrate all we’ve been going through these last 6 months and much further back too. There are some bigger cycles closing here, so there may be many past memories, emotions and experiences bubbling up to the surface now to be integrated, moved through and released.
We are shedding so much, like the Snake. Old outworn programming, social conditioning, burdens we no longer need to carry. It’s a process we need to be patient with, which can be hard in Aries season. But we are moving forward, even if it doesn’t feel like it sometimes.
The planetary energies are really reflecting that spring dynamic of two steps forward, one step back. One day you are wearing your light spring coat and rain boots, then the next day it’s back to the parka and winter boots. It’s sunny, then it snows, then it rains. You’re not sure whether to ditch the sweaters just yet, but you really want to. It seems we can never really dress right for the weather. That’s kind of the vibe of this eclipse and retrograde season. It can be confusing, frustrating, exhausting, exciting and overwhelming.
All this push-pull, back and forth energy is like labour contractions- it is a necessary process leading to our imminent rebirth. We must trust that all this change is bringing us exactly where we need to be.
Have patience with yourself and your own process. Letting go can be hard, and there is so much vulnerability that comes with rebirth. Like the little sprouts poking up through the soil, we must turn our gaze to the sunlight- to hope, inspiration, vision, desire. We must gather our strength and rise up to meet our destiny with faith and trust in the universal flow of life.
Spring Equinox brings us a beautiful balance of darkness and light- the Equinoxes are helpful in showing us where we are out of balance and need to make adjustments. We may be evaluating our relationships, jobs, lifestyles, work-life balance, inner-outer needs and may see where some shifts could be made for greater balance and wellbeing.
When we look at Spring’s opposite season- the Fall Equinox- we see a similar theme of shedding and letting go. However, the difference is that Fall is about letting go of what we don’t want to take with us on theinner journey we’re about to embark on, and embracing changes that draw us inwards and down into our subconscious realms, spiritual realms, roots, and shadow material.
Spring is about shedding what our inner journey demonstrated is holding us back, so we can launch into a journey of outward manifestation and self-actualization. We are being drawn out and upward, like the buds on the trees, flowers and sprouts reaching for the light of the sun.
There is an aspect of ourselves that is rising, reaching for the light and longing to be seen, heard and embodied. We may not even have a clear sense of what that is for us yet, but there is often a feeling that comes around this time of year of a desire or wish we want to fulfill. A part of us that wants to be felt and expressed more fully in our lives. Through the challenging inward journey that winter took us through, a new seed or gift was conceived and is trying to find its way into our consciousness and into the physical world.
In order to rise up, we may experience a type of breakthrough akin to the sprout breaking ground. There may be a hurdle to jump over, fears to confront, a new pathway or trail to blaze. We may be shedding old generational narratives, old trauma responses, and creating new pathways, which take courage. Be kind to yourself and acknowledge any brave steps you are taking forward. Your small step forward creates a pathway for others.
Remember we all sprout, rise and bloom in our own time. The seasonal calendar may not be perfectly in sync with your particular rhythm of growth and shedding, but regardless, new life is rising around us, to be enjoyed, seen, felt and heard to nourish us no matter what stage we find ourselves in! Light, life and love are slowly blooming around us to feed our heart and soul with all it needs so we can do what we’re here to do.
Spiritual Support with Animal Allies
With all of this change, it is very helpful to connect with our Animal Allies this season.
Animal energies help us remember different aspects of ourselves, each holding its own particular medicine. Animal Allies are spirit guides that come to us in animal form, and are an important part of Indigenous cultures all over the world.
Animal Allies come to us to help protect us, strengthen us, and align us with our gifts and power. They help us embody aspects of our being we may have forgotten and give us the strength we require to get through challenging times.
My journey with animal allies is ongoing and has changed my life for the better in countless ways. I honestly don’t know where I’d be without these relationships in my life.
You can also connect with animal energy with the oracle reading below- I am using the beautiful new Animal Elders Oracle by Indigenous creators Asha Frost & Hawlii Pichette.
Choose Your Animal Oracle Card:
Take 3 deep breaths to ground and center yourself. Then ask- ‘What animal energy can help me most for this Spring Equinox?’ Then gaze at the cards below and let your intuition choose one!
Remember the number of the card you chose, and scroll down for its meaning! Descriptions are by Asha Frost, the deck’s author.
Elder Cardinal- Gitchi-aya’aa misko-bineshiinh– Ignite Your Flame
With their bright and beautiful red plumage, Cardinal often bring instant delight when they fly across our path. A powerful messenger from the spirit world, this Elder asks you to reconnect to your inner flame. There is a fire that dances inside of you, yearning to be expressed and released. Maybe it’s a truth that needs to be shared, or perhaps it’s a way of leading in the world, but whatever it might be, a call to courage is the message of Elder Cardinal. What are you currently feeling fired up and passionate about? Your ideas matter, and you cannot hide in fear of being shamed or misunderstood any longer.
Cardinal swoops in as a messenger from an ancestor or loved one who has passed. They are standing behind you in full support, flooding you with the courage that you have inherited from your loved one’s heart. Feel this warmth now as you dare to speak, share, and take bold steps toward sparking new consciousness in the world.
You have the support of generations behind you, and if your flame feels small or you feel scared, lean into your ancestral support, and they will remind you why you’re here. Elder Cardinal brings a splash of good luck, encouraging your inner flame to grow in the magnificient fire that your ancestors have always held for you. Be loud and be proud; your life force is yearning to be shared.
Elder Cardinal speaks: “When you need to remember your brave spirit, call on me, and I will invoke the resilience of your ancestors. Many of them have walked in courage, helping to create the opportunities that now lie before you. Your flame is fueled by their wisdom, their love, their challenges, and their growth. My vibrant red feathers inspire you to take a bold step, and I hand you one to carry with you. Remember that your ancestors did not have the same privilege to speak and share. It is now your sacred responsibility to use that inner fire.”
2.Elder Canada Goose- Gitchi-aya’aa Nika– Invest in Community
A wisdom keeper of community and connection, the Canada Goose reminds you of the power of dedicating care to your fellow kin on this planet. This elder is part of many Indigenous creation stories, supporting Sky Woman in her journey down to the earth. Canada Goose shows up today to call you into leadership and to invite you to be a voice for those who don’t have one. With their characteristic V-shaped formation during migration, Elder Canada Goose teaches us that we must lean on one another to get where we need to go.
In order to create an equitable world, we all need to shoulder some responsibility to care and take action. We cannot fly free unless we all fly free, and Canada Goose calls you to the front of the V formation. You are here to set the pace for your community through words and actions, for you have always known that nobody should be left behind. Remember you can lean on the support of others, calling upon the communities you are connected to , to rise up in allyship.
Elder Canada Goose knows the power of strong family bonds and asks you to look around at those who might not be seen, heard or uplifted. Invite them into your sacred circle, advocate for them and remember that we are all interconnected. Community care is the best care; you know what to do and where to direct your compassion and love. With this Elder flying beside you and helping to lead the way, you remember the power of inclusivity and building a just world.
Elder Canada Goose Speaks: “With you at the forefront, you set the pace. Invoke me when you need guidance and clarity around how to be the best ally and advocate. There are many ways to be an activist in this world and I will help you return to your true nature regarding what is best for you and your communities. Your actions have an incredible impact on the world around you, and I offer you a feather to welcome you into leading the way.”
3. Elder Horse- Gitchi-aya’aa mishtadim– Honor Your Sensitivity
Elder Horse trots across the wildflowers into your cards to affirm the current heightened sensitivity of your heart and spirit. As incredibly attuned beings, Horses invite you into the spaces and places inside yourself that feel extra perceptive and acutely aware. This Elder holds incredible physical and emotional sensitivity, as well as powerful muscles that allow them to travel far. It is in this way that they remind you that your sensitive nature is a strength and not a weakness.
Just as Elder Horse can sense emotions, shifts in energy and even potential threats, you too are asked to trust your ability to feel moments deeply. Because sensitivity has often been shamed in our younger selves, we are frequently conditioned to turn away from the imperceptible nudges our body and spirit offer us. Horse always trusts their acute senses and reacts accordingly with a swish of the tail or a swifter gait, and this Elder is here to support all that you are feeling and picking up on.
Sometimes amplified sensitivity can feel raw for our hearts and spirits, and this Elder reminds you of the importance of a calm external environment. Just as the Horse gallops through fields and forests and nourishes themselves near bodies of water, you are asked to do the same. The Earth Mother is always here to help you regulate your nervous system. Know that you can pull on the reins of life and set appropriate boundaries when your system feels flooded. Take the time to graze on what balances you. The world needs your tender heart.
Elder Horse Speaks: “When your relational experiences or your environment are filled with subtle signs that are only detectable to you, call upon me so that I can help you trust yourself. When you find yourself saying that you’re too sensitive, remember that your acute perception is a superpower. I am here to remind you that trusting those nudges will always lead you to greener and more vibrant pastures.”
To many Coyote is a trickster, bringing us witty and unpredictable energy. Culturally, for Indigenous people, this trickster has strong medicine. If Elder Coyote has crossed your path, it’s a reminder to stay extra curious and not get thrown off by unexpected changes and obstacles. There is no room for rigidity, and the current situations in your life require you to be more flexible and adaptable.
If questions arise around which path to follow or what decision to make, Elder Coyote asks you to seek a new way. If you only see two paths before you, this Elder suggests a third. If you have always been serious and responsible in your decision making, this Elder adds lightness of heart and laughter. It has been said that before we pray, we must laugh so that the sacred can flow through more effortlessly. Bring in this good medicine so the trickster spirit can guide you.
Elder Coyote reminds you to see through the illusion of certainty. While the energies may feel erratic and chaotic, stay with the shake-up. You have the power to adapt and move forward in a new and amplified way.
Elder Coyote Speaks: “Even though I am known to be a jokester, when I show up it’s a sign to pay attention, for my medicine is powerful. If you are feeling confused about how your life is going or if something isn’t turning out how you anticipated, I’m here to bring joy to the redirection. If you are having a hard time letting go of expectations, reach down and feel my bushy tail wagging as I support you. We will trot along the path of the unknown together. I shall remind you that even if you make a ‘mistake’, you will remember not to take yourself so seriously, for spirit has a plan.”
5. Elder Hummingbird- Gitchi-aya’aa nenookaasiins– Remember the Magic
This tiny and beautiful bird has many enchanting gifts to offer you. Hummingbird has to eat every 10 to 15 minutes to sustain their energy, and yet they travel long distances, trusting that all of creation will support them sweetly. The flowers of creation meet their expectation, offering nectar abundantly. This Elder comes forward to remind you that you are constantly showered with sweetness and support.
Elder Hummingbird calls you back into the magic of your child self when you held awe and wonder. Do you remember wishing on a star? How about the joy of blowing on a dandelion puff? The innocence of your child heart is asking to be remembered. You are invited to see how even though you’ve journeyed through the ups and downs of life, the spark of magic remains a part of you. Gifts and blessings are here to touch your life, and this Elder asks you to expand your capacity to receive them.
The fluttering of the Hummingbird’s wings is a miraculous sight to see, and with this delicate bird at your side, the same quick vibration is offered to you. Look for the magic all around, see the beauty that Mother Earth offers you, and open your heart to receive. The nectar is here to feed you, and teh blessings of your life are about to bloom in a riot of kaleidoscopic color.
Elder Hummingbird Speaks: “Invoke my spirit when you have forgotten the magic of life, for I can fly in all directions and gather it from the past, present and future. I flutter before you and expand your heart to remind you of your inherent worthiness to receive sweetness. I carry an incredible ability to remember the flowers that have nourished me, and I bring this memory medicine to you. I shall help you to recall the sparkle in your eyes and the hope in your spirit that you once held. Magic abounds.”
A symbol of rebirth and renewal, this Elder hops into your energy space, calling you from the land to the water. Water is our first medicine, and when Frog shows up it invites us back into this space of creation. When you swam in your mother’s waters, you were sensitive to the energies swirling around, imprinted with different thoughts, words, and environments. In those waters you were also exposed to inherited energy threads that link you to generations past.
When you were birthed out of your first waters, you brought these energies into your earth walk, and with each step you have chosen what to carry with you and what to heal and release. Addressing generational wounds is a lifelong journey and is calling to you once again. What are you compelled to do in a different way than your parents? What is something that happened to your ancestors that you can alchemize into medicine? A generational wound is coming forward for you, and as you bring healing awareness to it, Elder Frog guides you through the waters of creation with care and safety.
As you move through this renewal, there are waves of wisdom that flow forward, connecting you to the stories, healing and resilience of your ancestors. Elder Frog swims beside you as a tadpole, sprouts legs, and hops beside you to encourage your metamorphosis. You are reminded that, with their help, each time you swim into the depths of your generational healing you will emerge cleansed and renewed.
Elder Frog Speaks: “It is courageous to go back and address the pains and wounds of the past. I see the brilliant sparkle of your sacred waters each time you acknowledge a layer to be healed. Each time you exit a body of water, think of me, for I am with you, bringing forward generational rebirth and beauty. It can feel vulnerable to move through these cycles, and I am here to hold you while you take your first steps upon the land as your renewed self toward your reimagined life.”
7. Elder Raven- Gitchi-aya’aa gaagaagi– Activate Your Spiritual Connection
One of the most intelligent birds in the sky, Raven soars into your sacred space today to connect you more deeply to the intelligence of the universe. Elder Raven acts as a powerful messenger and opens up your connection to the spirit world and beyond. Ancient and ancestral wisdom drop in with ease when this Elder appears, and you are asked to listen with an attentive heart.
You are ready for the next level of your soul evolution, but it will take a greater commitment and dedication to your spirit connection through rituals and ceremonies to achieve it. It is in these sacred spaces where the echoes of knowledge and wisdom drop in, so be prepared to dive deep into your spiritual practices. Elder Raven opens the bridge between this physical realm in a way you have not yet experienced. Ancient secrets flow from the higher realms, and Raven captures these energies in their beak, bringing them down from the star nations to the earth.
Elder Raven reminds you of the magic you have held for many lifetimes. You are an old soul, and the memories from your previous lives are revealing themselves. Tap into the memories of when you practiced as a medicine person, healer, and seer, for you are meant to bring this forward into your current life. With Raven guiding you, your connections to the spirit world is strengthened, and your gifts grow and blossom. It’s a time of great responsibility on your spiritual path and you are ready.
Elder Raven Speaks: “Invoke me when your spirit is ready for great transformation. I will help you remember the vast tapestry of gifts that you already hold. When you call on my medicine, I will encourage you to share your elevated abilities with the world so we can all remember our interconnectedness. You are a vessel for higher-level spiritual wisdom, and I offer you my feather as an invitation to listen to the call of the ancient ones. They sing to you from the stars and are delighted that you are now listening.”
Often in life, you gain perspective on a situation or challenge only after time has passed and you have had some distance to reflect. In those moments, you must hold compassion for the previous version of yourself who didn’t know then what you know now.
Elder Hare is hopping into your field today, asking you to take inventory of how your past experiences have shaped you, marked you and changed you. Hares have an incredible capacity to see 360 degrees around them without turning their heads- in the winter, seeing their tracks in the snow behind them and the clean, untouched blanket of white ahead of them. They offer the medicine of holding the past, present and future all at once.
Is there a relationship from your past that felt like a world-ending loss when it came to an end? Did you have a creer change or job loss that shook up your life? Was there an unexpected redirection of your path that felt painful or a failure that brought shame? Elder Hare is here, holding space as you alchemize those previous pains into current wisdom. It’s a gift to be able to look back at the places where your heart was broken in the past and see that eventually light poured through the cracks, sealing them up. It is time to seal any lingering cracks from these situations and own the power of what you have learned.
Elder Hare Speaks: “Call upon my insightful medicine when you are ready to dig deep and examine past scars left on your heart. I am here with my swift energy, helping you to transform pain into purpose and challenge into knowing. With my help, this process will go quickly, so get ready for an increased level of energy as we call back any energy you may need to reclaim. As you feel this strengthening healing energy moving in yoru body, mind and spirit, know that you now hold everything you need to make powerful decisions and live the life of your dreams.”
Did your card resonate? I hope it did! Feel free to ask another question to the oracle and choose another card if you like!
Wishing you blessings of rebirth in light, joy, freedom and renewal this Equinox and beyond!
A quiet, liminal energy flows through this gateway, as we enter a New Moon in Capricorn on Dec 30th, right before welcoming a new calendar year. So much has transpired over the past year, and there is much to come. This moment of reflective pause is an opportunity to just exhale. Let go. Rest. Reflect.
Allow for spaciousness and emptiness to hold you in its potential. Allow silence to surround you so your heart’s voice can be heard.
Take a moment to reflect on all that you’ve accomplished. Not just external things that society values, but the subtle, internal ways in which you’ve changed- the quiet shifts no one else noticed, the spiritual, emotional or physical challenges you overcame. Give yourself the recognition you deserve, for you’ve come a long way. You’ve made it here. And you will flow into 2025 with so much potential to grow, change and offer your gifts to the world!
There is no rush to get the next year all figured out now. We don’t need to prove ourselves by fitting in or keeping to imposed timing. We can take our time to truly listen in to the beat of our own drum and let our goals organically flow from there. Mars- planet of action- is retrograde until Feb 23rd, slowing us down and allowing us to ponder our next moves more deliberately, ensuring our New Year’s goals are aligned with our heart and souls’ authentic needs.
This Capricorn New Moon on Dec 30th is a grounding one and asks that we turn our focus to the structures and foundations of our lives over the next few weeks. It asks that we start getting real and begin creating sustainable structures that support our well-being, dreams and goals. So, there is a very productive energy here we can work with, it is just best to think slow and steady, small steps forward. Rushing ahead into a big drastic change, or on something we feel we should do, but that isn’t aligned with what we desire won’t work for us.
Capricorn is realistic and conscientious, valuing sustainability. This is why its planet Saturn, rules commitment. When we truly commit our heart to something, we must think about how we can sustain that over the long-term. It is often easier to sustain a commitment when we have realistic expectations of ourselves. Not exceptionally low ones based in self-limiting beliefs or exceptionally high ones that are unattainable. We must find the balance. Also, our heart and soul’s investment in the goal is key to being able to sustain our efforts!
This New Moon, we can reflect on what our heart and soul needs are at this time. Then we can decide what goals feel compelling enough to commit our energy to. We can then begin to create a pathway forward with realistic baby steps. We must decide where we’d like to commit our precious energy in the weeks to come and slowly build something nourishing and abundant for ourselves and others in the future.
Capricorn’s ruler, Saturn is direct in Pisces, reminding us that our actions in daily life are like a devotional prayer to what we believe in. Whether it is a dream, a cause, an ideal or an energetic vibration we are trying to manifest on Earth, we must get clear on what it is we are devoting our energy to, and how we’d like our daily actions and commitments to reflect that.
A reminder that commitment is a process and doesn’t have to be a rigid set of rules that never bend! Give yourself grace to experiment and change your approach if needed along the way. Process is progress. Commitment requires flexibility to be sustainable, too.
This Capricorn New Moon can teach us the art of commitment. Let it be a process, a learning experience, an expression of your passion and devotion- not something you either succeed or fail at.
Capricorn New Moon Reflection Questions:
What am I currently committing my energy to?
Does this align with my physical, emotional and spiritual needs at this time?
Do my commitments align with my values and my ideals?
What am I truly devoted to? How can my commitments reflect that?
What do I wish to commit my energy to in the coming year?
2025 – A year of change and rebirth
It feels wise to take these quieter, slow-moving winter months to fortify our mind, body and spirit for the journey ahead. Soak up gentle and slow medicine while we can, because the upcoming year portends to be one of transformation and rebirth!
All of the outer planets will eventually be in new signs this year, as well as the lunar nodes, which is rare. This means that we will all be moving into some kind of new territory, collectively and personally. If you’ve felt things have just not been moving forward fast enough, or like you can’t shake the past, 2025 will help you feel the change you’ve been waiting for, starting in Spring. New beginnings are afoot.
It is the Year of the Snake, helping us shed old skins and grow.
2025 is also a numerology year 9, which is a year of letting go, change, gratitude, spirituality and humanitarianism.
New energies will flow in as the year progresses, and two planets move from Pisces to Aries in the spring which is a huge ‘new beginning’ energy. We may find that who we are in a year is very different from where we stand now.
I am excited for the changes the year will bring and also feeling the call to stay grounded and centered in my spiritual practice to help root me as things shift.
Oracle Reading- Themes for Contemplation
To get your reflective wheels turning for this new moon and new year, choose an oracle card from my new deck I got this Solstice!
It’s called the Old Ways Magick oracle by Naomi Cornock. Each card holds a theme for you to contemplate, with both positive and negative manifestations as well as wisdom to help you navigate. It leaves freedom for you to interpret as you feel called. Words are of the deck creator, Naomi Cornock.
Take 3 cleansing breaths. Then, choose your card. Remember that number! Scroll down to find its number and meaning…
Old Ways Magick Oracle by Naomi Cornock
The World- Lughnasadh
As the Wild Goddess brings abundance wherever she treads, so as we gather in the harvest. We give thanks to her for her wonderful bounty.
Welcome: Grasp hold of bounty or boon and a world of possibilities is before you.
Warning: Disappointment, lack of reward for efforts made.
Wisdom: Be aligned with the rhythms of nature, and a world of endless bounty opens up.
2. The Cauldron
The Welsh Goddess Cerridwen is often associated with witches and magick, as well as nature, creativity, herbs, poetry, spells and knowledge. Her cauldron holds all potential and possibilities.
Welcome: A time to stoke the fire and harness the creative energy brewing in your cauldron.
Warning: Your cauldron is empty, your fire is out and energy gone.
Wisdom: Light the fire, fill your cauldron with creative magick and potential.
3. Community
Wolf can teach us to embrace community and understand it is there for us in times of need. In wolf we find courage to trust and lean on others.
Welcome: Reach out, connect with others when support is needed.
Warning: Unable to ask for community support.
Wisdom: To Wolf I ask, guide me to hold others with courage and love.
4. Sacred Journey
Find the quiet space inside you. Hear your own truths, recognise that everything is connected and you will not only heal yourself but all the world around you.
Welcome: A time for internal healing, look inwards to prepare for a new journey to begin.
Warning: Feeling unprepared and lacking the tools necessary to begin a journey.
Wisdom: Awaken to a new day, beginning of a sacred journey of healing.
5. Journey’s End
Sit under the long branches of wise old oak, soaking up quiet strength. Time to rest again and be still and grow moss. Steadfast and sustained, at one with the spirit of the land, sea and sky.
Welcome: Steadfast, stable, quiet strength.
Warning: Feeling unsupported and unstable.
Wisdom: A journey is complete, be uplifted and sustained.
6. Illuminate
Arianrhod is mother, lady of the silver wheel and queen of the citadel in the stars. She is Goddess protector, healer and wielder of justice.
Welcome: Shine a light in the shadows so hidden obstructions can not trip us up.
Warning: Be careful not to be ruled by the fear of what is hidden by the light.
Wisdom: Shine starlight on shadows which diminish their power to hinder progress.
7. Bounty- Mabon
Artio reminds us to balance the dark and the light in order to gather all the bounty the universe provides. And so it is at Mabon, we sees this reflected again, we must equally embrace the light and dark to grow and transform.
Welcome: Face our shadow fears, strong in the knowledge that our blessings are bountiful.
Warning: Unable to find balance and equilibrium between fear and love.
Wisdom: Gain a fuller and deeper understanding in order to make the most of bountiful blessings.
8. Pathways
Elen of the Ways is one of the shining ones who walks with me when I journey on the web of life, illuminating the old ways and showing me the paths to take.
Welcome: Follow the paths which wind down old ways to find what we have been looking for.
Warning: Don’t turn away from the paths lest the way is lost.
Wisdom: Elen lights the paths trod by the old ones, there we may find wisdom for today.
Did your card resonate? I hope it did! If not, perhaps it will stir some feelings or thoughts to expand on later. There is so much magick to behold in this moment. Trust your heart to lead you where you need to be. Trust in your own divine timing. All is flowing as it should.
Sending you blessings of hope, renewal, love and wellness for this New Moon and for 2025!
If you are interested in a more personalized reading for the new year, I am always booking Tarot Readings! You may also explore my other spiritual services here.
It’s Eclipse Season again, which is what I lovingly call a collective ‘Cauldron Time’, which is a time of transformation that impacts us deeply and can alter the course of our lives.
Spanning from the Spring Equinox until about the end of April 2024, we are in one of these times. We had a Lunar Eclipse on March 25th, we have a Solar Eclipse on April 8th and we also have Mercury retrograding from April 1st-24th. This period emphasizes the need for flexibility and inner reflection as things shift and change to bring us onto a path more aligned with who we truly are.
The Cauldron is a symbol prominent in Celtic Myth that represents transformation and rebirth. I think of ‘Cauldron Times’ as those times in life where we are neither ‘here’ anymore, nor ‘there’ yet. We are stewing and brewing in the Great Mother’s cauldron, surrendering to her plan for us, as she seeks to helps us grow into our full potential.
We can think of a Cauldron Time as a spiritual gateway, a metaphorical cocoon, a mysterious twilight, a period of being betwixt and between while we await a transformation to complete.
Cauldron times can range from uncomfortable to very challenging or even traumatic. Some examples of natural transitions I would consider to be Cauldron Times are puberty, pregnancy, becoming a parent, midlife, perimenopause/menopause, illness/healing and dying. Other common ones are marriage & divorce, moving, ending/starting a career path, business or relationship. There are many more.
Cauldron Times are anytime we are no longer who we once were and not yet who we will be. This is, in a way, the human condition itself, as we are always evolving and changing! But the Cauldron Times are characterized by a more intense period of struggle with our sense of self, identity, and feel a clear ‘before’ and ‘after’ version of who we are and our life path.
Often after a Cauldron Time we find there is no going back to who we once were. They commit us to a new level in our evolution and growth.
The Cauldron Time transforms us thoroughly enough to mark us. Sometimes we may not even be aware of how deeply an experience etched itself on our souls until many years later. Sometimes what seemed like a regular job, or relationship at the beginning turned out to be life changing, altering our sense of self or path forever.
A Cauldron Time can last days, weeks, months or years, depending on what type it is. It may begin and end abruptly, or be much more gradual.
Surrender
Many Cauldron Time experiences leave us with little to no control. Things are breaking down, dissolving or falling away in order to make way for something new. This is often painful. In most cases we must surrender and accept the change taking place and find ways to cope and evolve through it. There may be adjustments to make, new things to learn, and inner healing required to move through it. Denying or resisting this kind of change or controlling its trajectory is often futile.
We are conditioned in school to believe that if you have good intentions and work really hard, you can achieve your goals. That if you behave and follow the rules, you’ll receive rewards. That you control your destiny. That life moves in a straight line of logical decisions and accomplishments.
But as we grow up, we find out the real world isn’t like that. Bad things happen to good people. There are folks who treat their bodies terribly who live into their 90s and young healthy athletes who die of cancer. There are kind loving couples who struggle to have a child, and abusive people who have lots of children. A global pandemic can hit anytime. You can lose everything through no fault of your own. Life isn’t fair or logical. It can be painful, nonsensical, chaotic. We are most definitely not always in the driver’s seat.
Fate can swoop in when it feels like it to wash away all your efforts. It can come out of left field and drop you on a completely different course. Oftentimes these changes teach us important lessons. Maturity comes with an awareness and respect for the larger forces at work in the universe beyond our individual human self. It comes with humility and learning how to accept, adapt, and do our best with the cards we’re given. It doesn’t mean we give up on life completely, or let go of personal responsibility. But acknowledging that devastating loss, hardship, betrayal and pain is an essential part of our evolution can help us accept, learn, and become more empathetic people.
To me, surrender is the art of learning the limits of our manifesting ability and trusting the divine to bring us where we need to be, to learn the lessons and have the experiences our soul needs.
Sometimes we need to trust divine timing and the flow of life. This is one of the biggest lessons of a Cauldron Time. In letting go of our usual habits, expectations and assumed reality, we can grow into a more expansive, strong, wise, compassionate version of ourselves.
Eclipses
Eclipses are times where the hands of fate often move us off one course and onto another. It is believed that they bring us back onto our path if we’ve strayed. It depends, of course on how the eclipse hits our unique astrological chart. Some will affect us greatly, and others we may barely notice. Not every eclipse will feel like a Cauldron Time for us, but it may for someone else.
Eclipses often conceal the fullness of a situation but also reveal something we were unaware of. Previously concealed information, news and proclamations from others may come out of the blue. While new information may come to light, the full situation may not yet be fully clear, so it can be good to move cautiously rather than react impulsively.
Eclipses are super-charged full and new moons. Emotions are high, and everyone feels a bit more on edge. Our sense of time may alter as well, as it can feel like more time has passed than actually has, because things change more intensely in a short period.
Emotional triggers often happen around eclipses, which can reveal to us how we really feel about something or someone, or how someone really feels about us. This may change our relationship with the person permanently, for better or worse. Eclipses are very much about shadow work. They reveal what’s been in shadow and what is beneath the surface. They ask that we deal with these truths.
Eclipses help enhance our self-awareness and align us with our true self and support our growth and evolution. There is no predicting exactly how we will experience an Eclipse. But it is said that whatever transpires during an eclipse was meant to be, and it is putting us on path. It is also considered a time where we don’t need to make things happen, because life is trying to get us to flow in a particular direction, so the more flexible we are, the better.
During this time of transition, having some guidance can help.
I believe we are meant to trust our wisest selves, and not just blindly listen to the advice of others. So, keep in mind, while I will offer some advice based on my own experience, please just do you, experiment and follow what you feel works for you!
Here’s my little advice list for dealing with Eclipses:
Remember that some eclipses will affect you more deeply, and others may feel mild. It may not really be a Cauldron Time for you, but it may be for someone you know. You can be empathetic and supportive to them in that case. Also, the collective will likely be impacted, and so we are too, as we are all connected.
Leave space in your schedule for the unexpected and for processing your feelings. If you overschedule yourself, you may get stressed out, reactive or say things you regret later, because emotions tend to run high. You may also find things just don’t pan out how you hoped. Take it as an invitation to slow down, do a bit less and draw your attention inward.
It’s not the best time to schedule important gatherings, social events, or project launches you want to go smoothly. Eclipse energy can be chaotic, unpredictable or have unintended consequences. A launch or gathering is easier to handle once eclipse season is over, when the energies are more stable. Permission to stay home and be a hermit! However, if you do have something planned you cannot change or you feel strongly about the timing, it may be an experience you need, or part of your growth journey. It also really depends on the type of gathering, and the eclipse energies. As a highly sensitive introvert, I usually avoid large gatherings at this time (and most of the time, lol).
Stay grounded yet flexible. Eclipses have a way of uprooting us or making us feel a bit nervous or edgy. Keep your daily routines- regular mealtimes, meditation, exercise, spiritual practice, etc. going at a steady rhythm to keep your grounded and centered. Along with this, just be open to new ways of seeing and doing things. Be like a Willow tree- rooted yet soft.
Take a break from manifesting. Often folks wonder if they should do manifestation spells and rituals under an eclipse. I personally don’t because I find the energy is too intense and chaotic. Things are breaking down and shifting. The soil is being cleared and turned. The weather is stormy. If you plant seeds, they may take if you’re lucky, but why not wait until conditions are favorable? The conditions are favorable for inner work, however. Connecting with our own emotions, shadow work, healing and transformation are what eclipses encourage. I apply this for both the solar and lunar eclipse, and the whole eclipse season. Again, feel free to experiment for yourself.
It’s a great time for grounding and processing rituals, such as journaling, reflection, a craft, yoga, movement, nature walks, Tarot, anything that helps you be present with yourself and how you feel, and anything that encourages self-awareness or healing is wonderful. It’s also ok to do nothing in particular and just go with the flow!
It is a great time to get support- from a healer, therapist, or a friend to help you navigate your feelings and thoughts. You don’t have to completely hole up and avoid life during eclipses. Healing, support and care are available. I do tend to be a Hermit during Eclipse season, with the exception of my work and things that serve my wellbeing.
Any of the above list can apply to another Cauldron Time you may be experiencing. Be kind to yourself. Be patient with the process. It’s ok to be a work in progress. It’s ok to be neither here nor there, betwixt and between!
Being in Transition is Counter-Cultural
I think one of the hardest things about being in a state of transition or change is that it is frowned upon by our dominant culture. Our mechanized world loves clear definition, boxes and hitting goals.
What if our goals change? What if we aren’t who we thought we were? What if we have a goal, but it’s a winding road there, and the messy, ugly in-between part lasts a long time?
You are allowed to be a mess. For life to be a mess. To not know the next step. To feel confused, overwhelmed or tired. You’re allowed to neither be here nor there. We’re all a work in progress. Letting go of our need to have it all figured out and fit into a neat box is the first step.
Trust that in time, things will come together, how and when they are meant to. I fully believe in Divine Timing. While it can be challenging, I am learning the importance of surrender in making transitions empowering, healing experiences rather than scary ones.
Aries Energy
Mercury goes retrograde on April 1st in fire sign Aries, adding even more emphasis on our need for flexibility and self-awareness. Our ‘spring forward’ momentum may feel slowed down. On April 8th, we have the Solar Eclipse in Aries.
Aries energy helps us to home in on what our most authentic desires are. The next few weeks can help us identify the ways in which we want to nurture our personal needs, passions and independence, trailblaze or start something new. It can also help us find ways to live more in alignment with our inner flame. It may help us heal some wounds around who we truly are, help us shed fears and live more bravely and authentically.
We may feel frustrated at times, since linear progress may not happen how we want or as fast as we want this month, as Aries loves to push forward. But we are making progress here. As we re-align with who we truly are and what we truly want, we make progress. As we re-kindle our inner flame of passion and energy, we make progress. As we release the insecurities, masks and heavy expectations we no longer need, we make progress! Inner work is the foundation of making our dreams happen in the physical world.
The Eclipses and Mercury retrograde come to make sure we are moving forward in the right direction instead of the wrong one. There is method to the universe’s madness!
Here are some reflection questions you can work with over the next few weeks. Feel free to apply them to a specific situation you are struggling with.
What do I feel ‘done’ with?
What is no longer working for me?
Where could I afford to be a bit more honest? A bit more vulnerable? A bit braver?
What persistent desire keeps bubbling up to be felt, no matter how often I try to push it down?
What lights me up inside?
What habits or actions do I do regularly that drain my energy?
What habits or actions help to fuel my energy?
What parts of myself do I feel insecure about?
What parts of myself am I proud of?
What part of myself do I feel needs more space to exist and express itself in my life?
What part of myself or desire have I been neglecting or pushing away?
I hope this was a bit of a helpful guiding light for your path as we navigate the transitions of April, and beyond. Note that you can apply much of this to any transitional time you are navigating, like a big life change, whether it is short term or long term.
If you’d like some support and guidance for your journey at this time, I offer Tarot Readings to shed light on your situation and bring balance to your mind, body and spirit! I also offer 1 on 1 Reclaim Your Magick Sessions to help resource you for stressful times.
We all carry the essence of the time we are born in. I believe this and have seen proof of these patterns, as a lifelong enthusiast and practitioner of astrology. As a Witch, I also see how we express the energies of the seasonal festival closest to our birthday. This is what I call our ‘Power Season’ because it relates to our vitality, creativity, and inner power. It is a time of year where we operate from a place of greater strength and energy, potentially making big strides forward in our lives. This is when our unique light shines bright.
Likewise, we have an opposing season, or what I call a ‘Balancing Season’- when our creative energy is lowered. During this low season, it can be a good time to recharge and refuel our creative cauldron. It is also a great time to integrate that season’s balancing energy to help us achieve greater wholeness. I invite you to read the description of your balancing season as well, as it is often our best teacher!
Remember- this is simply an added lens through which to get to know yourself, one that compliments astrology, not replaces it.
Find Your Power Season
In the modern witch’s calendar, the year is divided into 8 seasonal festivals. These 8 festivals take place at the Equinoxes, Solstices and the points between each of those.
Your birthday season is your Power Season. Find where your birthday falls in the list below. Your Power Season is the seasonal festival that is closest to your birthday. You may need to look at your calendar to see which one that is. Your birthday may fall right in the middle of two seasons, and thus you may carry some of the energy of both, as one season fades into the other. You can consider both festivals good times for using your creative power, and both balancing seasons good times for recharging your energies.
Winter Solstice- Approx Dec 21st
Imbolc- Feb 1st or early Feb
Spring Equinox- Approx March 21st
Beltane- May 1st or early May
Summer Solstice- Approx June 21st
Lammas- Aug 1st or early Aug
Fall Equinox- Approx Sept 21st
Samhain- Nov 1st or early Nov
Now, let us explore these seasonal festivals and how they resonate with your inner gifts and power..
Winter Solstice Approx Dec 21st – The Wise Witch
If Winter Solstice is your power season, you are the Wise One, Old Soul, carrier of elder energy. You are attuned to the ancestors, and value the wisdom held in traditions and the old ways. Perhaps you feel you’ve had many lives on earth and have knowledge you wish to pass onto others. Your life is one of collecting experiences that teach you to become stronger and wiser. You may choose to teach others as well. The darkness of this time of year doesn’t faze you as much as it does for others, because you have a strong core of self-reliance that holds you steady as you surrender to the Mystery. You can see in the dark with your intuitive senses. You can hold space for the unknown while your feet stay planted on the earth.
The festival of Winter Solstice is one of honoring endings and beginnings- processing all that the year has brought, and rekindling the hope of renewal as the light begins to slowly increase once again. It is a deep moment of stillness, reflection, rest and retreat, before the dawn.
You carry this essence of depth and of hope- the ability to straddle moments of death and rebirth in life for others. You may find yourself called to be in those moments of transition, loss, or challenge for other people. You enjoy the company of elders and feel a kinship with the ancient ones.
Your power lies in your internal strength, an inner light that blazes even when everything around you is in darkness. You are the solid rock others lean on when in need. You sometimes may feel you need to carry the world on your shoulders and have trouble asking for what you need. You feel like you must be always the responsible one or the authority. It may be too easy sometimes to get swallowed in darkness, grief, or pragmatism. Your focus may be past-oriented, as you glean wisdom from your past experiences or the wisdom of others who have tread the path before. You follow what has worked over time, and you are patient.
At the Winter Solstice, embrace solitude and really tap into the increased wisdom the year has brought you. Stand in your power gained through experience. Consider how you can share this wisdom and be a source of strength for others in the year to come.
Your Balancing Season:
Your balancing season is the Summer Solstice. Let this time be an invitation to step out of your usual role of authority and let yourself receive the earth’s gifts and replenish your deep reserves. Open up to the love, bounty and beauty around you.
The melting, softening, opening and blossoming energy of solstice may feel uncomfortable, dripping with excess, drama, or just too much sunlight! But the light, playful and expressive energy of summer solstice can help you remember that you can have fun, be silly and enjoy life! Receive the light into your being, so you can shine it for others in the dark. Read the description of Summer Solstice season for added insight.
Reflection: How do you embody wisdom? How do you integrate your playful, youthful side?
Imbolc- (Feb 1/Early Feb) The Visionary Witch
If Imbolc is your power season, you are the sparkling magic of sunlight on the snow, the gentle stirrings of new life deep in the belly of the Earth Mother. The cold may be harsh and unrelenting, yet the light has noticeably increased. Like a deer in a silent winter forest, your spiritual antennae are attuned to higher frequencies and your sensitivities are heightened to the energies around you. This attunement to subtle energies gives you an allure of mystery, as not everyone can hear what you hear or see what you see. Your sensitivity may also require added care and protection. Inspiration is what you seek to channel, as it fuels your visions of a brighter future and motivates your creativity.
The festival of Imbolc venerates the goddess Brigid, healer, poet, smith, and hearth-tender. It is a season of cleansing and preparing for new life, dedication to our spiritual path, and stoking our inner hearth of inspiration and creativity. It is a time where we envision the year ahead, and gently incubate the new life stirring within us.
Like the season, you may straddle the world of harsh reality with one of hope and possibility. You may find your sensitivity, spiritual orientation or unique perspective misunderstood by others or seen as impractical, but these are your gifts. You can see much farther ahead than most, feel collective energies stirring beneath the surface and can intuit things very accurately. The job of a visionary is to dream. To see possibilities, where others don’t. You embrace multiple perspectives, and make connections. The world needs your inspiring visions and goals. You are here to inspire hope, help others believe in magic, and create new ways of doing things.
During your power season, re-commit to your spiritual path and ideals. Tap into your creative visioning power! Dream a new dream and map out the way there. Trust your instincts and sensitivities. Your gentle nurturance is a gift for all life- you may wish to share it with young children, animals, plants, or ideas. Honour the preciousness of new life and tend to its needs.
Your Balancing season:
Your balancing season is Lammas. Let this time be an invitation to take a break from future-minding and get present to the earthly bounty around you. Soak up those warm rays on the beach, get deeply interested in the sand between your toes and nothing more. You may find this season uncomfortably physical or pragmatic. The land asks that we reap our harvest and contend with the results. Enjoy your harvest! The practical energy of this season helps you bring your dreams down to earth. Drying herbs, canning, pickling, crafting, and making bread are all good activities that help ground your expansive spirit into the here and now. Read about Lammas season for further insight.
Reflection: How do you embody the Visionary energy? How do you integrate your grounded, practical side?
Spring Equinox- (approx. Mar 21st) The Brave Witch
If Spring Equinox is your power season, you are the bright flame of rebirth, regeneration, and new life! As an early spring witch, you carry the essence of new beginnings, optimism, and brave action. Like the baby ram leaping about, or the relentless green shoots pushing through the soil, you are motivated to break new ground and enjoy doing it. The old ways of doing things don’t interest you. You seek to innovate, initiate, and move things forward. No matter how old you are, you carry a youthful, fresh, and innocent energy. Children are likely drawn to you, sensing a deep kinship. Life is your adventure, and the world is your oyster. You are sensitive to energy and can channel a large amount of it. Your motivation and optimism are contagious, like a flame that lights others’ awaiting wicks.
The festival of Spring Equinox is a celebration of new life and inspires taking tangible action. This is the time of year when we can begin to implement the creative visions we had in Imbolc season, bringing them into the material world and taking risks or bigger steps forward.
Like your power season, you love to start new things. Others may find your optimism childish or that you lack follow-through, but new beginnings are the job of the brave witch that you are! You know that you can’t manifest a dream if you don’t try. You are more likely to succeed in your endeavors than most, simply because you’re willing to act where others let fear prevent them from taking the first step. You may feel called to be that helping hand or voice that urges others to be brave, stand up for what they believe in or take a step towards their dreams. You may be an advocate for the vulnerable, or champion of the underdog, willing to put yourself in the line of fire if needed.
During your power season, take a stand, start something new, share your innovative energy in some way. It will have far-reaching effects. The world needs your brave warrior witch energy!
Your Balancing Season:
The Fall Equinox is your balancing season. This is where we begin our descent into the underworld and draw inward. You may find this season depressing or difficult, as the leaves fall, reminding you of what has been lost or ended. Let this be an invitation to take off your armor and give yourself a break from being the warrior. You deserve rest and recuperation too. Make a warm pot of your favourite tea, get cozy with a good book or pull out your journal. Let your heart melt and the tears flow. Your own inner child deserves the love, care and protection you give to everyone else. Read about Fall Equinox season for further insight.
Reflection: How do you embody bravery? How do you integrate your softer, reflective side?
Beltane- (May 1st/Early May) The Sensual Witch
If Beltane is your power season, you vibrate with the green earth, which is alive and beginning to show buds, leaves and flowers. The energy of growth is your magic, with a passion for manifesting tangible creations. You’re a very sensual being, in touch with your body and sexuality, trusting your physical instincts more than most. The vibrant spring energy you carry exudes strength, confidence, optimism, and beauty. You may have a green thumb or a talent for healing, cooking or art. There’s lots to do during this season- gardens and projects to plant, tend and cultivate. Likewise, you may find you are often busy and juggling many tasks at once. Like the butterfly, you may find yourself flitting from one thing to the next, sampling nectar from different flowers and bringing together different flavors or notes to create something new.
The festival of Beltane is a time to celebrate fertility and growth. We do rituals in celebration of the body, love, dancing and feasting. It is also a time for cleansing and protection from mischievous fairies as well.
The warmer weather brings people out and about, ready to mingle and socialise, and you may find you are often drawn out to connect with others, or simply enjoy nature. Beltane is a time of movement and growth, so you do not like to stagnate or stand still too long. There is too much to experience! You may find you have a knack for connecting people to one another and learning new things. Some may think you’re a bit scattered or lacking depth, but you are here to enjoy life and all it has to offer! Your diverse, tangible experiences enrich your life and enhance your skills. You always have a good story to bring to the table, or something beautiful to bestow upon the world.
During your power season, indulge in a new sensual experience, buy yourself new adornment, travel or learn a new skill! Share your fertile, sensual energy with others in creative and loving ways.
Balancing Season:
Your balancing season is Samhain. Your spirit may feel a bit low around the dark, death-embracing energies of Samhain. However, your power must be replenished with a period of dormancy and rest. Samhain invites you to slow down, draw inward, and connect with your deep emotional roots. What ancestral gifts or wounds do you carry? Is there something you need to grieve? Embracing solitude and allowing yourself to feel your depths- especially pain-helps you to transmute it so you can bloom even brighter next year. Healthy roots are necessary for growth. Read about Samhain season for further insight.
Reflection: How do you embody playful sensuality? How do you integrate your inner darkness and pain?
Summer Solstice- (Approx June 21st) The Shining Witch
If Summer Solstice is your power season, you shine with the colours of the rainbow! The flowers are in full bloom, and medicinal herbs are ready to be harvested. Everything is blooming and expressing their full potential. You too, like to bring your full potential to everything you do, and expression is very important to you. You are very generous, and like to go big or go home. Authenticity is a motivating force in your life. Why pretend to be somebody you’re not? You are unabashedly you. Highly attuned to the Earth Mother’s energies, you love to bask in the sun, swim in the water and play as much as possible. You feel life is to be enjoyed and celebrated.
The Summer Solstice is a time where we celebrate the longest day and acknowledge the sun’s protective and energizing gifts. Again, like at Beltane, fairies are out causing mischief and many believe this to be one of the most powerful times for magic in the year. It is a peak of energy that reverberates and energizes us for long into the future, so it is best to use it wisely rather than let it go to waste.
Like your festival, and like the sun, you carry a strong energizing force that can powerfully protect, bless, or burn. You decide how you wish to use your energy. Be careful of burning out, as some may take advantage of your warm rays. Some may feel blinded or jealous of the light you carry, but don’t let them dim your light. Trust that you are meant to wield potent energies, and have the capacity to create big, beautiful things!
During Summer Solstice, find productive, creative channels for your power, and use your abundant energy to make the world a better place. You are a nurturing, giving and generous soul, meant to share the Earth Mother’s love with all.
Balancing Season:
Your balancing season is the Winter Solstice. With all the giving you do, this season invites you to rest and recuperate. You may find it depressing or exhausting when winter descends but think of it as a soft blanket wrapping you in love and giving you permission to simply be. This season teaches you that you do not need to be at your best all the time! You can feel tired, lazy, and anti-social and that’s ok. You can let someone else host the holiday dinner and be the first to leave. Just do the basics and hold space for the unknown. It is in the dark void that we grow truly wise. Spend time with the elders in your life. Invite the wisdom of darkness to help you understand how to wield the light. Read about Winter Solstice season for further insight.
Reflection: How do you embody the life-giving energies of the sun? How do you integrate rest and embrace darkness?
Lammas (Aug 1st/Early Aug)- The Abundant Witch
You straddle the bright shiny energy of summer solstice as well as the beautiful harvest season, here at Lammas. You carry the soft, warm glow of sunset on a wheat field, the wind rustling through the trees, and crickets singing through the night. There is a sense of peaceful fulfillment during this season, an inner satisfaction that no other season carries. It fills us with gratitude. Like the Summer Solstice Witches, you love to play outside- basking in the sun, picking flowers, swimming in the water. You carry the energy of abundance, like a balm to the collective scarcity wound. Gratitude is a theme in your life and its essence is the highest expression of your spirit. Naturally skilled and creative, you do not waste anything, and often make beautiful things- whether cooking, crafting, gardening or any sort of art! You use your time, energy and resources wisely. You carry the wisdom of reciprocity in regards to relating with the Earth as a living being. You understand the give and take, the importance of showing gratitude in physical ways. You love giving gifts to others and like to receive appreciation as well.
Lammas, or First Harvest festival is the festival of the grain, and making bread is one of its main activities. It is at this time we have a sense of which of our planted seeds have done well and which haven’t. We reap what we’ve sown and accept the outcome. We separate the wheat from the chaff and begin our preparations for autumn. It is a festival that celebrates artisans and farmers with food and craft markets, feasting and gratitude.
You like to upcycle, to create something beautiful from humble beginnings. Where others see rags, you see a potential quilt! During your power season, use your craftiness to make incense or medicines from herbs, jams or preserves from fruits, or create beautiful clothing, jewelry, décor or other items that enhance people’s lives.
Some may say you get hung up on the details or focus too much on issues of scarcity and abundance, but you are a true artisan of life- you know that life is in the details, for nothing of quality can be made haphazardly. You prefer DIY projects because you trust your own magical ability to weave thread into gold!
Your Balancing Season:
Imbolc is your balancing season. Sometimes you may get bogged down by the mundane details and limitations of the physical world. The season of Imbolc invites you to reconnect with your ‘why’- the higher principles and motivation behind your actions. Imbolc takes place at the coldest, harshest time of year and you may find scarcity thoughts take hold at this time. Remember that you are the earth and you are magic. You don’t need to get your energy from the outside world, the flame of creation lies within you. Reconnect to the awe and wonder you had as a child, rekindle your belief in magic, possibility, and new sources of inspiration. Connect with your Spirit and dream new dreams for the future. Read about Imbolc season for further insight.
Reflection: How do you embody abundance? How do you integrate your spiritual, idealistic, dreamy side?
Fall Equinox- (Approx. Sept 21st) The Balanced Witch
If Fall Equinox is your power season, you are one lucky witch! Often called the ‘season of the witch’, this time holds the beauty of a feast shared with loved ones, the brilliant reds, oranges and yellows of the trees, the gentle cool breeze and a warm cup of tea. Something about fall equinox is extra witchy- perhaps because it is that point of balance between light and dark, marking our descent into the darker half of the year. You are drawn to the inner journey, sensing the magical treasures to be found there. You carry the ability to both live in this world and the spirit world. You can just as easily craft a beautiful besom or herbal tincture as you can dance with your demons. You enjoy a bit of socializing as well as curling up alone with a good book. You are not afraid to dip your toes into the darker realms of human nature, and yet you also delight in the sensual aspects of life, feeling the leaves crunch beneath your feet as you sip your pumpkin latte, or soaking in an essential oil bath. Your path is one of integrating different aspects of yourself, your inner light and dark.
The Fall Equinox festival is another harvest festival, this time focusing on fruits and veggies rather than grain. It is a time of gratitude, celebrating what has manifested and worked well, and grieving or letting of what hasn’t. We may let go of physical things we no longer need, or habits that have been holding us back. It is a time of transmutation, release, and opening to the mystery that awaits us as we begin the journey inward.
You may feel you walk a line between worlds at times. Perhaps you feel the call of the darkness more strongly, and other times, you wish to feel your feet on the ground. Some may find it hard to know where you stand, or demand you pick a side. But, like your festival, you carry an inner sense of balance within that you like to maintain. This also aligns with a sense of personal integrity, understanding, ethics and justice. You live by an inner code that reflects your need for balance. Reflection is very important to you, and you may find your mind venturing into the past to integrate its lessons.
During your power season, take the time you need to digest the year’s energies and consciously begin an inner journey- spiritually and/or emotionally. Honor your inner Witch in gentle, loving ways. Stand in your power as an edge-walker, a balancer of light and dark.
Balancing Season:
Perhaps you are more willing than most to learn from your balancing season? Spring Equinox is your balancing season, as it invites you to embrace innovation and break new ground. Your natural essence is integration and reflection, which can make the impulsive verve of Spring Equinox feel unsettling and forceful. Spring asks you to take off the cozy sweater and try new things, which can feel scary. It asks you to jump in feet-first and be willing to fail. Can you trust your ability to land on your feet? You won’t know what you’re capable of until you try. Let spring show you new aspects of yourself to fuel your quest for integration. Read about Spring Equinox season for further insight.
Reflection: How do you embody Balance? How do you integrate your brave and impulsive side?
Samhain- (Nov 1st-Early November) The Healing Witch
Your power season is Samhain, also known as the Witches’ New Year. The winds have grown colder and many of the leaves have fallen by this time, leaving their stark, twisted, craggy naked beauty to behold. You do not shy away from the grittier, darker aspects of life, as you have an x-ray vision that shows you the deeper essence of everything. You are not fooled by appearances and can smell a rat a mile away.
This is the season of death and increased darkness. You carry the wisdom of knowing that death is simply a part of nature’s cycles and always leads to rebirth. Life never ends, it only changes. Your healing power stems from this wisdom, and your simple presence can offer comfort to someone who is grieving, struggling, or experiencing deep pain. It is said the veil between this world and the spirit world is thin this time of year, giving you a heightened sensitivity to the spirit world. You may be unusually attuned to your ancestors or helper spirits from other realms. You may be gifted at mediumship, oracles, channeling, or of course, healing.
The festival of Samhain is one in which we honour our beloved dead and tend to our roots which contain our ancestral gifts and wounds. We may feast the dead, talk about our favourite memories, or do some deeper shadow work.
During your power season, take the opportunity to do some of your deepest healing. Tackle those ghosts in the attic or delve into that ancestral wound. The work you do now will reverberate not only for the rest of your life, but generations forward and back all through your lineage. You are a powerful healer.
Others may find you intimidating, intense or dramatic. But this is because your path puts you through more intensity than most. Life, death, and rebirth will always feature prominently in your life, and others will likely seek you out for guidance when they are in transition. In order to heal, we must understand illness, in order to cultivate life, we must learn to embrace death. One cannot happen without the other. You know this.
Balancing Season:
Your balancing season is Beltane. The sensual delights of the earth blossoming invite you to embrace life and be nourished. The darkness of Samhain can diminish your trust and ability to appreciate life’s simple pleasures. Place your feet on the soft morning grass, smell a flower and appreciate the bounty that surrounds you! Care for your body, be kind to yourself and allow yourself to thrive, connect and create! Enjoy the life aspect of the cycle, remembering this is the thriving, healing energy that moving through loss eventually brings. Read about Beltane season for further insight.
Reflection: How do you embody deep change and healing ? How do you integrate your lighter, sensual side?
I invite you to take some time to delve more deeply into awareness of these seasonal points. How can you use this knowledge to enhance your birthday season or recharge during your balancing season?
If you’d like to experience the seasonal energies in a deeper, more meaningful way, join us for the Hearthfire Circles! We celebrate the seasonal festivals online and in-person with guided meditation journeys, art-making, ritual and warm community vibes.
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to comment below!
I talk alot about cycles- seasonal cycles, astrological cycles, moon cycles, and the menstrual cycle.
I’ve always found it fascinating how our own psyches and bodies are mirrored through these cycles around us. Knowing that whatever we are struggling with is temporary and part of a natural cycle, is deeply comforting. Understanding the nature of the energy we are dealing with and how to work with it rather than against it can be so empowering.
Aligning with the cycles of nature can be a healing act of resistance, too. When we remember we are nature, we tap into a power that our capitalistic cultural conditioning seeks to suppress.
But, we are complex beings. Sometimes how we feel doesn’t match the season or phase we are in. Just because it is summertime outside doesn’t necessarily mean we are feeling happy, expressive and social and aren’t experiencing grief, loss, or death (so-called ‘winter’ feelings). Just because it is the waxing moon doesn’t necessarily mean we feel energised and creative. We can have our bleeding time at any moon phase, even if bleeding resonates with the dark/new moon. We can experience a relatively chill and relaxing Mercury Retrograde or chaos and delays when it is direct!
This is partly because there are several cycles happening within us and around us at the same time- for instance, we could be going through a long Saturn transit (planet of restriction & loss) that goes on for years, and it overlaps with a season of abundance, or a transit of benevolent Jupiter.
It’s also partly because we are not meant to always look for explanations and answers outside of us- in theories, systems and patterns. Sometimes, we’re just meant to experience life in the moment and not overthink it! Sometimes, we just need to embrace whatever our current feelings and needs are and listen to them, and trust they are part of our growth.
Embracing our Inner Seasons and Cycles
None of these cyclical systems- astrology, the seasons, or the moon- is a perfect template for our life, nor is our understanding of them meant to be rigid, or fully understood so we can control our lives and make them foolproof.
After studying and living with this awareness for so long I feel that it is impossible to fully understand how cycles overlap and play into our lives. Leaving life to the Great Mystery is part of the fun, as well as a key spiritual ingredient to our growth and wisdom.
Increasingly, I’ve been feeling our human analysis of ‘how this cycle is supposed to go’ can be a trap that prevents us from flowing through our own phases more organically, in a more honest, authentic way.
Oftentimes in life, simply knowing ‘this is a temporary phase’ is enough. Remembering that death and rebirth happen simultaneously, and that energy is always changing is enough.
It’s ok to be in whatever phase you are in, for however long you need to be. It’s ok to flow back and forth between phases. There is no right way or wrong way. It doesn’t have to match up with anything outside of yourself. Your experience may resonate with a seasonal or lunar energy, or it may not, and it can happen any time, and its all good. It’s part of your path. You are not doing life wrong or misaligned somehow if your plans don’t match up with the moon or you’re not feeling the effects of Mercury retrograde!
Information vs Wisdom Gained from Experience
I’ve been thinking about this whole thing more lately because there’s been a huge increase in astrologers, psychics and witches- and all kinds of random people without any astrological knowledge or study behind them- talking about astrology, the moon and sharing information online. Some of it is parroted info, lacking in any substance or actual knowledge of its complexity or delineation.
I see lots of superficial cookbook associations such as ‘Venus retrograde means it’s the season of the ex!’ ‘Leo season means it’s time to sparkle!’, ‘Plant your intentions, it’s a fabulous new moon!’ (even if it’s under conflicting aspects). I know that friendly bite-size bits of info are all folks want to consume these days, so I get why this is a trend. However, it bothers me that this is where it usually stops.
I started studying astrology formally with a mentor with the Canadian Association for Astrological Education in 2001. Social Media wasn’t a thing back then. We were fringe-y weirdos into hidden knowledge. Ever since, I have been continuing to learn and live the knowledge, which gives a more nuanced perspective than when you simply read an article and parrot things other astrologers say for your own online content. When you study the cycles in-depth, you realise you have to actually live the knowledge and experience it yourself before you can say you know it or understand it. And even then, you still can’t truly know the secrets of the universe or even fully ever understand any of it.
The more I live it, the more I realise I don’t know. I also realise how spiritual systems of understanding are quite limited and can hinder our spiritual growth by encouraging us to continually measure our experience with external patterns, or gaze towards the future instead of fully beingin the present. Especially since so much of our existence is online now, I feel it is more important than ever to instead gaze within and live more in the present 3D moment.
Being Present & Leaving Space for the Mystery
What makes life what it is, is its mystery. We’re not always meant to understand it or feel we can control it.
In witchcraft and astrological communities online, I repeatedly see the message that when the season is ripe, we should grab the bull by the horns and go for it! Every new moon, we are reminded to plant those seeds of intention. Every full moon, we’re told to release, let go, or watch what we say to avoid drama. I’ve repeated this narrative too, of course.
But, my practice has been shifting away from harnessing energy to create a desired outcome and instead just flowing with the energy and experiencing it within myself with no agenda.
This idea that we need to harness the energy around us at all times- do something with it, create with it, use it, feels kinda capitalist and colonial to me. I get that it can also be empowering sometimes, so I don’t mean to diminish that, but the messaging often feels steeped in our cultural shortcomings- The fear of being rather than doing, the fear of resting and not producing- and perhaps our biggest fear- being fully present within ourselves.
I feel it is too easy in today’s witchcraft to fall into this trap of needing to be in control, to overly focus on manifesting, to keep ‘using’ nature’s cycles to get what you want, and to spend more time creating online witchy content than living your actual witchy life.
What if we live fully in the moment? Without analysing, or striving to understand its context or place in the whole. What if we spend less time doing and more time being? What if we stop looking outside for validation and listen to the whisperings within?
My practice has steadily been shifting away from manifestation towards surrender over the years. It’s more about connecting with myself and my environment more deeply, rather than spellwork or ‘harnessing the energy’ all the time. I’ve been spending less time online in favor of staying present within my body and self.
I have been outgrowing practices I used to do and making shifts to honour where I am at now.
Midlife Weirdnessand my Inner Fall-Winter
I feel I have been in a ‘fall-winter’ phase within for the last few years. My creative and social drive is low, my sensitivity, introversion and spiritual antennae is high.
My solace is the cave of the Dark Goddess, merging with the fertile darkness of Her womb, where all life begins. Cerridwen has been my companion through this. I have been in a process of simplifying, clearing and turning inwards.
I am in a particularly challenging phase of parenting, as my daughter nears her 15th birthday. I have hit middle age, and my role as mother, as partner, as healer and all the things I identified with is changing.
I am aware of my current astrological, hormonal and life cycles. However, this awareness hasn’t really helped me navigate the path as much as I would expect. My mind wants to analyse and understand but it is being quieted by my heart and soul who just want to experience. I am making space for this transition and doing my best to simply be present rather than grasp at activities that distract me away from it.
I can’t see more than this very moment in time right now, so I am embracing this call inward, this call to self, to letting what needs to fall away go.
I am letting go of my need to know and trusting the mystery before me no matter how strange and uncomfortable it is.
I trust that this process will help me on the next step of my journey.
Being called to the Cauldron of Change and Rebirth
There are times when the metaphorical cauldron calls me to deepen my spiritual lessons. I envision this cauldron as much larger than me, sitting in the earth, tended by Cerridwen. I sit on the edge and dangle my feet in for a while, testing the waters. I may stay there for days, weeks or months, just slowly dipping in, one part at a time, like entering cold water, gathering the courage to let go of the rim and drop all in. Cerridwen is patient with me, most of the time.
I try to go voluntarily or else I know I may just get pushed in. I currently feel I’m headed in for another journey. I’m already quite immersed, I just need to let go of the rim. I don’t know how long it will be, or where it will take me, of course. Not knowing is key to its purpose.
Letting go is a practice. It takes practice to really tune into our internal creative rhythms and listen to the call of our soul- especially if it doesn’t align with our idea of where we ‘should be’ or with our environment.
Change is the only thing we can rely on. This is always a bit uncomfortable for me to accept.
What season are you in?
The seasonal energy I feel within is on the dark side- it resonates with the Last Quarter Moon, the Fall, Midlife, The Enchantress and the planet Pluto. Yet, it is none of those, exactly. This is my own unique experience, my own personal ‘season’- the spiritual phase I embody, as I type this under the high noon July sun and waxing moon. My season is my own.
I am on a journey of renewing my creative energies. Composting the past and incubating new seeds of growth for the future.
Following our creative rhythms takes courage, as it can go against well-worn patterns we’ve become stuck in, or the outside world’s demands- to constantly and consistenly produce and share all the time.
But as a creative soul, I know the importance of doing what is necessary to renew my energy, to keep my creative waters flowing without stagnating. To regain inspiration and motivation requires change and many journeys inward and down to the deep.
Is there a particular aspect of your life, where you feel in a reflective winter phase? A blooming summer phase? A change-filled spring or release of fall?
How do you feel when the focus of your energies is quite different from the energy around you?
What spiritual practices ground you into this moment?
If you are interested in learning practices for renewing your creative energy, as well as celebrating the season of First Harvest, please join me for my online circle on Tuesday, August 1st for First Harvest Circle- The Cauldron of Creativity! This will be my last seasonal circle before I take a pause to renew my creative energies. More on my journey to come, I recommend you sign up for my newsletter below for details.
Wishing you acceptance and love as you move through whatever phase you are in!
What we call ‘Eclipse Season’ is the period of time that the solar and lunar eclipses happen. Eclipses happen in pairs, over a period of a lunar cycle, but the effects last for months and beyond. There are at least 4 eclipses per year, and the signs they happen in change every 18 months or so.
Eclipses are like super-charged new moons and full moons. They are more intensely emotional and function as a gateway of spiritual, mental, and emotional growth, often coinciding with big endings and beginnings in our lives.
Everyone will experience each eclipse differently, depending on how it hits your astrological chart. Some folks will have major life-changing events happen, and others will feel a more internal, subtle shift. From an astrological perspective, whatever changes happen during an eclipse can leave their mark for months or even years to come.
An analogy I heard and resonated with about eclipse season is that it’s like standing on one side of a large chasm and crossing a rickety swing bridge over to the other side. As you walk, the bridge slowly disintegrates behind you and once you are on the other side, you can never go back to where you were before. The changes are on some level, permanent.
The other astrological perspective is that during eclipses, whatever happenswas meant to happen. The changes are not initiated by our conscious actions and intentions, but by our higher self, the divine, fate or whatever you wish to call the larger forces that be. We are not in control of the situation. All we have control over is how we respond, process and navigate on an internal level. It is for this reason that I recommend focusing on wellness in mind, body, heart and spirit during this time, leaving space for integrating, healing and processing.
Staying Well During Eclipse Season
During eclipse season, time can feel like its moving a lot faster or slower than usual. A week can feel like a month has gone by because we are processing so much more energy on all levels. Our emotions are usually much closer to the surface, and more intense. The gravitational pull of an eclipse can cause higher tides and tidal waves in the ocean, so imagine that same forces affecting our bodies!
You may also experience restless nights, trouble sleeping and more vivid dreams than usual. I find taking melatonin or valerian root helpful for sleep during eclipses as well as all full moons.
You may feel more easily exhausted, burned out, or a sense of rootlessness and anxiety, as it can kind of feel like the ground is shaking under our feet. You might feel a bit ‘buzzed’ or like the energy around you is crackling.
Those of us living in the big city will often notice more chaos around us- accidents, violence, emergency vehicles, increased noise, etc. If you are an empath, highly sensitive person or introvert, you may feel overwhelmed by all the energy around you. It is important to practice grounding and protection during this time.
Many find grief an emotion that comes up with eclipses, since there is often some kind of ending taking place within us or around us.
Staying well during eclipse season requires us to give ourselves a bit more space and flexibility in our schedule in order to process. Take some time to meditate, reflect on your life, or journal before bed. Go to bed earlier than normal. Eat high-nutrient foods and don’t skip your vitamins or supplements. Exercise can help you stay grounded as well as process the excess energy flowing through you.Other grounding activities such as cuddling with pets, gardening, plant care, spending time in nature or body care, such as a massage or movement is very helpful.
If you are feeling overwhelmed as a sensitive, intuitive or empath, I recommend you read about my suggestions for energetic cleansing here, and my suggestions for energetic protection here.
Should we do spells or rituals during an eclipse?
I think it really depends on a lot of factors, such as what type of ritual you are planning, the energies of that particular eclipse and how it affects you personally, whether it involves other people and what traditions you practice. So, I can’t give a definitive answer. I come from an astrological perspective, and much of the caution around spellwork at eclipses stems from Astrology, a very ancient practice that is still thriving to this day. It is not some new idea born from Witch Tok, despite what some memes may say. Over millennia, astrologers observed that eclipses bring chaotic energies and irreversible changes. Caution with magick as well as mind-altering substances is sensible advice in my opinion, as many folks are feeling more emotional and off-balance than usual, which can have adverse effects that last.
I personally don’t do any spells or manifestation around eclipses, but I still do my daily grounding, prayer, cleansing and protection rituals. I also find it a great time to do divination, self-inquiry, journaling, reflection and take some extra time to check-in with myself and my life.
Eclipses are a potent healing gateway, a time to pay attention to what is emerging for you and open to the greater forces that be. It is helpful to listen to the needs of your mind, body and spirit at this time.
An Inner Balance Spread & Reading forthis Eclipse
The lunar eclipse happens on May 16th at 12:15 EDT in Scorpio.The Taurus-Scorpio energies at play are about worthiness, money, shared resources, intimacy, sex, illumination of that which is hidden and deep transformation.This particular eclipse is making a tight square with Saturn, which means it may challenge us to accept limitations, negotiate boundaries or cultivate greater maturity.This eclipse may also bring some sort of release or ending, which can be painful. It could also feel like relief, and an opportunity to accept things as they are so we can move forward with greater wisdom.
Let’s see what the cards say about navigating these energies! Below is my 5-card Inner Balance Spread that I offer in my Inner Balance Readings. It is great whenever you feel overwhelmed, frazzled, scattered, burned out, or feel out-of-sync in your body and mind. It will help you address your needs on all levels and feel more centered.
My Inner Balance Spread
For this reading, I used The Gentle Tarot by Mariza Ryce Aparicio-Tovar. The interpretations are mine but I include quotes from the author as well. You can use any deck you resonate with for this spread. As you shuffle the cards, drop into your body, heart and soul. Let the feelings arise. Ask to be guided towards your wellness and wholeness in body, heart, mind and spirit.
This is what I’ve pulled for you today, dear reader, for this eclipse:
Body: Seven of Wands
1.Body- Seven of Wands: Stand up tall and root your feet onto Terra Firma! You are more powerful than you’ve allowed yourself to be. Carry yourself with conviction and connect to that flame within that burns bright and wild within. You are strong, resilient, wise and know where you stand. Embody your inner fire. Let your passion move you, and give your anger an outlet. Anger can both heal and destroy, the raven reminds us to use this energy wisely. Try movement and sounding to release stuck frustration. Listen to the needs of your body and tell others what you need. Command and embody respect. This starts from within- from healthy self-respect for your own body, its needs, desires and limitations. You decide what energies you let in. You decide what’s right for you.
“Command your energy and cast it with integrity where it needs to be- this is called conviction and it is healthy. You know when something is right or wrong. Don’t fear fighting for it. You are powerful. Together we can change the ways of the world.”- Mariza.
Heart-Nine of Wands
2.Heart- Nine of Wands: Are you feeling the need to protect yourself right now? Perhaps you are struggling with trust. What is your heart telling you about who or what you can trust? Are you feeling safe? How can you adjust your boundaries in a healthy way to protect your tender heart but still be able to receive the love and healing you need? The lynx is a wise feline who’s wildish instincts keep her safe. Perhaps your inner lynx is asking you to pay attention to how you really feel about a situation. Maybe something isn’t quite as it seems and your heart is telling you so. Listen to that wildish wisdom in your heart, it will not guide you astray. Safety is the precursor to any genuine connection, healing or opening, so if safety isn’t there, protection and boundaries are a must.
“It is okay to guard yourself. The world is what it is and not all people are worthy of your trust.” – Mariza.
Mind: Flower of Thunder
3. Mind-Flower of Thunder: Engage your wisdom and objectivity. Look at your situation with the clarity and breadth of the eagle. Eagle is an amazing huntress and knows how to see the big picture as well as zoom-in on her prey. You too, can move between the big picture and laser-like focus if you choose to. Your higher mind is aligned with your sense of what is right, true and honest. Cultivate truth and honesty. Are you being honest with yourself and others? Don’t be afraid to cut to the truth of the matter. Communicate clearly what you desire, what you see, what you know. Are you living in tune with your ethics and principles? Speak from your heart- share what you stand for and all will flow from there.
“The energy of this card is one of bold, clear communication coming from an experienced, loving, powerful heart.” -Mariza
Spirit: Seven of Cups
4. Spirit- Seven of Cups: You are at a special place in time where many opportunities present themselves. Your spiritual path has perhaps come to a crossroads where you can choose your own adventure from this point forward, or you are at a juncture where you can choose a libation of nourishment to support you on your path. You have options before you, however it is important that you remember that not everything is as it seems upon first glance. Take a moment to reflect on what it is that truly serves your spiritual growth, rather than reaching for the shiny thing in front of you as a reflex. Look a bit deeper. Take some quiet time to listen to the whisperings in your heart and soul. Then, when you look at the opportunities or offerings before you, you will choose from your deepest truth and authentic soul desire.
“I embrace my gifts and the options that surround me. Instead of being scattered or spread too thin, I am ready to choose and I go all in.”- Mariza
Integration: The Tower
5. Integration- The Tower: Sometimes, the world is in chaos and it seems impossible to gain steady ground, stability, hope or serenity. During times of upheaval like these, what flame still flickers in your heart and soul, keeping you here, helping you wake up every morning? What small things can keep you grounded in the moment? Times of change and crisis are the destruction of illusions, the disintegration of the wobbly structures and outgrown narratives that can’t hold up to the power and truth of this moment or who you are anymore. They must give way to a better system, a better container for all of who you are becoming and what the world is becoming. Change can be really scary, and its ok to feel anxious, weird or out-of-sync. It can also bring feelings of grief as the old passes away, and we aren’t quite sure what new will emerge. But remember that this time of transformation is about creating a more authentic life. As the integration card, The Tower reminds you that all that you are feeling right now is due to some deep internal changes happening, right down to the cellular level, so be patient with yourself and allow some space and time for integration of all that you are processing. Eventually a new world and a new you will emerge, perfectly in sync. Trust the process.
“Amidst the chaos, there is deep knowing, humility and trust in their facial expression. The figure depicted here is androgynous, all labels and boundaries aside. Burn old ideas and allow the true to emerge. Start fresh. Allow restrictive ideas, unhealthy relationships, and toxicity to be stripped away.” -Mariza
How do these messages land for you? How do you support your wellness during eclipse season? Share in the comments!
Would you like a more in-depth, personalised Inner Balance Reading with me? I offer the above spread in my Inner Balance Readings. See my Tarot Readings page for details.
May you be well resourced and adaptable during these intense times. With love and warmth,
