We are heading into a full moon lunar eclipse tomorrow and mercury retrograde is just around the corner so we thought it would be nice to share some self care tips to help you navigate these intense energies. It's more than likely that as we get closer to the eclipse our emotions have been coming up to the surface and we might also be picking up on other people's energy too. It's really important to keep on top of energetically clearing your space on the lead up to a full moon and in particular an Eclipse. Use sacred smoke or essential oils to cleanse the energy of your home and take a cleansing Full Moon Salt bath - salts are also great for energetic cleansing: FULL MOON BATH Combine dead sea, Epsom and Himalayan pink salts and mix together well. Add in fresh Lavender from the garden and a few drops of Clary Sage, Juniper and Lavender essential oil (not suitable in pregnancy). Add the essential oils to a base to help disperse them in the water - a bath oil or milk work really well. Surround your bath with candles and crystals and enjoy a good soak. CRYSTALS Again, focus on crystals that will help you navigate the intense energies of the Eclipse but also to connect with shadow work and the Earth element to ground you - Onyx, Obsidian, Hematite, Pyrite, Clear Quartz and Smoky Quartz. CACAO CEREMONY Creating an at home Cacao Ceremony is a beautiful way to honour the Full Moon and will also help you to drop from head into heart. Cacao also helps us to ground and become present to our body. Sipping on Cacao whilst choosing oracle cards, meditating and journaling is a really powerful practice and then when the energy of the Cacao builds you might like to take yourself into a movement practice such as the Moon Salutations or have a good old dance to our playlist below :) PLAYLIST If you need a bit of a dance around to release pent up energy here's a Lunar Eclipse playlist we made for you to enjoy: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4AI0Mf5o6Dtgi6DYadQkNq?si=z1jszRvDRweiKrafxnpu3A Navigating Mercury RetrogradeThere can be a fair bit of anxiety in the lead up to Mercury Retrograde and it's beauty is often overlooked and a lot of this is to do with that fact that this is a time for slowing down, letting go of our reliance on technology and for getting our affairs in order - in our fast paced, productive world, these are not always things that we want to do or are encouraged to do. Mercury Retrograde is when it appears that the planet Mercury is travelling backwards. Though this is simply an optical illusion and Mercury isn't in fact moving backwards, it has an energetic effect of reversing what this planet rules. Mercury rules communication, travel and technology and is often referred to as the trickster. During the few weeks when Mercury goes retrograde we can expect the flow of this planet in reverse - delays, confusion, misunderstandings and technology to more than likely let us down. Mercury is retrograde from May 29th until June 22nd - the retrograde pre-shadow began on May 15th and the post shadow ends on July 7th so it's a fair chunk of time to be dealing with these energies. But it's not all bad, Mercury Retrograde can actually present us with an opportunity to slow down, resist the temptation to start anything new (projects started during a retrograde can be often hard to get off the ground) and instead focus your energy on getting everything up to date. It's a great time to get on top of admin, catch up on your chores, re-organise your home or office and do some spring cleaning. Mercury Retrograde also teaches us the value in being present and mindful, as it's easy to get into misunderstandings with people at this time, take special care when communicating with others - speak clearly, truthfully and from the heart, say what you mean. This is a great time to check-in with your throat chakra, if you find it hard to say what you mean, it's likely to create confusion and havoc during this time so ask yourself why you find it hard to be clear and honest with your speech? Being honest, direct and clear is a great habit to get into whether Mercury is retrograde or not. Slow downOne thing you often find during Mercury Retrogrades is that travel plans can be scuppered or delayed and that everything just takes that little bit longer - it's like the world around us is buffering! This can be incredibly frustrating but can also be a prompt to fall in love with the art of slow living. In a world of internet streaming, amazon prime next day delivery and the instant gratification of social media, we have forgotten what it means to live slowly and patiently. These days people get irate if you don't reply to them straight away or if they have to wait more than 24 hours for something to arrive! The world is getting less and less tolerant and more and more anxious. So, again, we can embrace this energy and slow down. Ask yourself about the demands that others place upon you and your time and how you can create new boundaries moving forward. If it's an option you might even choose to take some time to do a digital detox.
Honouring Mercury Retrograde as a time to recalibrate, slow down and be mindful can mean that you even end up looking forward to it. You can mark it in your diary and be careful of what you plan during this time and schedule in plenty of down time and time at home to potter and get organised. It's a wonderful time to catch up on your journaling, or add to your moodboards for the year. We really hope this blog has been helpful, travel well dear ones!
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Dear ones, our next full moon is just around the corner and we will be welcoming in a lunar eclipse in the sign of Sagittarius. May's full moon is referred to as the flower moon, the milk moon and the corn planting moon and will reach fullness on 26th May 12:13(bst). Eclipses can be intense and we can probably already feel the effects of the upcoming Mercury retrograde which is taking place on May 29th. This full moon is also a super moon so definitely up your self care and grounding practices in the days before. Retrogrades and eclipses can provide us with the opportunity for shadow work. Ask yourself as you head into this lunar eclipse, what shadow parts of myself are making themselves known at the moment? “There is a special quality of stillness in a person who encounters their shadow wholeheartedly. Your body may relax in their company because it understands, in the subtle communications of their presence, that nothing is excluded in themselves, or you, from belonging. Such a person, who has given up guarding against the shadow, who has come to wear their scars with dignity, no longer squirms from discomfort or bristles at suffering. They no longer brace in avoidance of conflict. They carry a deep willingness to dance with the inconstancy of life. They’ve given up distancing as a strategy, and made vulnerability their ally.” - Toko-pa Turner Sagittarius is a masculine fire sign, ruled by the planet Jupiter and the 9th house of Philosophy and long distance journeys. Jupiter is often referred to as the great benefactor, it is the largest of the planets and has the largest number of moons so has this beautiful expansive and abundant quality. Sagittarius moon is a wonderful time to focus on manifesting your dreams, cultivating gratitude and joy, and elevating your thoughts. With it being an eclipse we can ask our self what is holding us back from manifesting our goals and dreams. It’s also the perfect opportunity to check back in with your new moon intentions and tend to them with the expansive qualities of Sagittarius. Sagittarius has a childlike curiosity about everything and will always look beyond the ordinary, everyday appearances - they seek adventure, truth and crave independence. I see them embodying the Huntress archetype. Sagittarius themes: freedom, expansion, knowledge, abundance, joy, travel. philosophy, light, growth, limitless opportunities, adventure, curiosity, meaning, direction, focus. For this full moon we will have the sun in Gemini and the moon in Sagittarius, these two signs compliment each other really well as both are to do with the mind. Sagittarius is known as the Philosopher of the zodiac and can help to ground Gemini’s constant quest for knowledge and information and it's somewhat flittish tendencies. This full moon helps us to see the balance between intelligence and wisdom. Do we spend too much time absorbing information but then not actually integrating it into our life? For example, maybe we have been reading about certain topics for a long time, like meditation, but don’t actually put them in to practice. Intelligence comes from the gathering of knowledge whereas wisdom comes from putting that knowledge into action and gaining insight and experience from it. That’s where doing the work comes in! It also invites us to ask whether we feel like we constantly need to be doing another course or qualification in order to feel ready to step forward into our future? Sagittarius wants to learn, understand and gather knowledge and wisdom. They want to learn from others, travel to other lands and gain insight into how other people think and experience life. I often think of Sagittarius as the travelling storyteller or Bard - welcome at everyone's hearth to fill the room with wonder and enchantment. Embrace your inner bard and expand your mind with books, podcasts, blogs and conversations. Use your journal to record the things you've been learning. Start or join a book or philosophy club. Enroll in new studies. The world is your oyster! The image associated with Sagittarius is the Centaur holding a bow and arrow aimed at the sky and the constellation is the arrow. The symbol of the arrow reminds us to check-in with our direction in life. Is the direction we are currently headed in in alignment with our true desires and our integrity? Do you feel like you have the reigns of your own life? Or are you just along for the ride? How could you take the reigns back? Another key theme associated with Sagittarius is freedom. What does freedom mean to you? How does that word make you feel and where in your life do you feel restricted right now? Sagittarius Self CareSagittarius rules the hips and thighs. On Sagittarius moon days it’s important to look after these parts of the body. Due to the optimistic and joyful nature of this sign, uplifting Citrus oils such as Bergamot, Orange and Mandarin are lovely to use and these oils help to lift our mood and connect us to hope. Why not add some of these oils to a base oil and make yourself an uplifting leg massage oil.
Step outside into nature and carry that Sagittarian curiosity with you. Marvel at all the seasonal changes taking place in your local area, look up when you'd usually be looking down and leave your phone at home. Hope you've enjoyed this blog and wishing you all a wonderful full moon! Dear ones, we welcome in our next new moon on Tuesday 11th May at 7:59pm(bst) , the new moon in Taurus. The previous new moon in Aries carried that energy of the new born child, curious and inquisitive about everything and fired up by passion. Taurus now helps us to ground that Aries energy by inviting us to slow down and connect to it’s element of Earth. Taurus is a fixed sign, giving it it’s notorious reputation for being stubborn but the flip side of that is they are incredibly loyal and reliable. Taurus is a very loving sign, ruled by the planet venus, with a deep connection to mother earth it gives us permission to enjoy the abundance of nature’s gifts. Taurus themes: Love, beauty, abundance, gratitude, sensuality, sexuality, re-wilding, grouding, pleasure, being present, blossoming, expression, creativity, truth, honesty, loyalty. Taurus is a feminine earth sign ruled by the planet Venus, the planet of love, beauty, wealth and abundance. This new moon invites us to look at our self love and self worth and to experience life through all our senses. We can ask ourselves in what ways do we deny ourselves the pleasures of this life? And what are the reasons for this? Do we feel undeserving? Do we feel shame in relation to pleasure? We are so often shamed for seeking and experiencing pleasure or conditioned to feel guilt when enjoying ourselves, its time we reclaimed pleasure as an expression of the Divine. Pleasure, love and enjoyment are all our birthright! Taurus invites us to be fully in our bodies and awaken all our senses. It’s an incredibly sensual and affectionate sign. How can you be in your body more? Dance, move, give yourself a massage, run an aromatherapy bath, go for a walk, place your bare feet on the ground and get present. Taurus rules the throat and neck and one of the struggles that Taureans face is either an overactive or underactive throat chakra. An overactive throat chakra can lead to that Bull in a china shop effect of speaking our truth in an overpowering and overbearing way, an underactive throat chakra can mean that we rarely ask for what we want or are honest about our needs and wishes. We can ask ourselves, when my needs aren’t being met - how good am I at asking for what I need? Being able to vocalise our needs and wants is such an empowering act of self love, it is saying to ourselves and the world that we deserve to be loved and respected. The way that we love ourselves teaches others how to love us. New moon in Aries asked us 'Who am I?1 and new moon in Taurus asks us 'what do I need?'. We can also spend some time thinking about the inner dialogue that we have with ourselves. What kind of conversations are we having with ourselves on a regular basis? If we were to read aloud the kinds of things we said to our self would we be shocked? If someone else were to speak these things to us how would it make us feel? Would we tolerate such words? Communication, truth and honesty are key themes for New Moon in Taurus. How are we being present and honest in our relationships with others? We can check-in with our own stubborn tendencies and notice if they’re getting in the way of harmony in our relationships. As mentioned previously, Taurus rules the throat and neck so when the moon is in Taurus take special care of this area of the body. Taurus also invites us to get grounded and prioritise self care - with all that is going on right now and being bombarded with so much information/news it’s so important to have time where we’re moving from head to heart, where we can feel present, grounded and connected. Support yourself with rose quartz and rose essential oil and try this recipe for rose moon milk: Rose moon milkMoon milk is an Ayurvedic recipe to help with sleep and stress, so a perfect comfort drink before you hit the hay. It contains the adaptogen Ashwaghanda which is known for its ability to calm the nerves, ease anxiety and aid sleep. Before taking any herbs or superfood powders always check the contra-indications and whether or not they interfere with medication or aggravate certain health conditions. If in doubt, consult your health care practitioner. You can make this recipe without the Ashwaghanda and it’ll still be yummy and beneficial for helping you unwind and get to sleep and/or de-stress! INGREDIENTS Almond/Oat or Coconut milk 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp coconut oil 1 tbs loose leaf hibiscus 1 tsp dried rosehips 1 tsp dried rose petals 1/2 tsp Ashwagandha 1 tsp honey Bring a small amount of water to the boil on the stove and add the hibiscus, rose petals, rosehips, coconut oil and honey. Stir thoroughly and then simmer for 10 minutes so the herbs can steep and to get the max amount of pink colouring out of the hibiscus. Then add your milk of choice and the nutmeg and Ashwagandha, stir thoroughly and reduce the heat a lot so as not to burn the milk. Continue to stir over a low heat for a few more minutes. Then decant the latte through a sieve (to catch the loose leaf herbs) into a blender. Blend for a few seconds to make frothy and serve in your favourite mug. Rise as QueenNew moon in Taurus also invites us to connect to the archetype of the Queen. The Queen represents self confidence, self assuredness, strength and the courage to stand up for what she believes in. She also represents loyalty and dedication and so at this time of year we can ask ourselves how we're going to commit to our goals and intentions. How can you be loyal to yourself? What are you Queen of? We have spent a while connecting to the maiden of early spring and now with the passing of Beltane we transition into Queen who holds the space between maiden and mother. Queen themes: Sovereignty, grace, dedication, loyalty, compassion, power, truth, integrity, leadership, devotion, empowered. We have compiled a playlist to help you embrace your divinity and rise as Queen, hope you enjoy: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/25LS6aPhCEDOt6IK93hr4E?si=7180b34893624040 New Moon Online CircleWe are gathering online this Friday (14th May) at 7pm(bst) to welcome in this new moon and continue exploring our 2021 theme: The Wild Moon Series. This time we are connecting to the animal ally of Bear and our guiding Goddess is Artio the Celtic Bear Goddess.
If you'd like to join us either join our Patreon membership here: www.patreon.com/sistersofthemoon or you can drop-in for £5, email us at [email protected] to do this. New Moon Blessings to you all xx |
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