Dearest moonbeams, we are approaching our next full moon and this one is a powerful Lunar Eclipse in the sign of Gemini. The Full Moon Lunar Eclipse will take place on Monday 30th November at 9.29am(gmt). Lunar eclipses are when the Earth moves between the sun and the moon blocking the sunlight. Full Moons always offer us the chance to do shadow work and eclipses just amplify that energy even further. We all have shadow sides of ourselves, parts of us that are wounded, parts of ourselves that we are ashamed of, states of mind that you could consider to be 'negative' - these might be things like anger, jealousy and attachment. When we're talking about spirituality and 'doing the work' we're referring to shining light on these dark places within ourselves and learning how to either heal, embrace or overcome them. Shadow work means leaning into those difficult and painful emotions and looking at what lessons they can teach us. There's a beautiful section in the book Belonging by Toko-pa Turner where she talks about 'negative emotions' and the Shadow self: "'Negative emotions' don't cease to exist because we ignore them. They just find other ways to express themselves. Sometimes we lash out inappropriately, have confusing crying fits, or feel protractedly numb. Most commonly we slip into depression and anxiety. And if we leave it for too long, we become prone to accidents, crisis, and even physical disease." "Negative doesn't mean bad, it simply means opposed to the way things are. So if we remix those definitions, negative emotions are a disagreement with how things are and, if we are receptive to them, they can change the way we are navigating our lives." - Toko-pa Turner What tends to happen when we experience a 'negative' feeling is that because we have labelled them bad, we immediately feel ashamed and then try to bury/repress them. Shadow work teaches us to invite them in, sit them down with a cup of tea and listen to what they have to tell us. It won't always be comfortable or easy but each time we do this we will have learned a little bit more about ourselves and how we can heal and move forward. That is the invitation for this full moon as we begin to close out this difficult year. The November full moon is also known as the Moon Before Yule, the Mourning Moon and the Darkest Depths Moon. For this full moon we will have the sun in the fire sign of Sagittarius and the moon in the air sign Gemini - both are masculine signs and both are to do with the mind. Both Sagittarius and Gemini are inquisitive, curious and mentally expansive. Gemini also rules communication so it's interesting here to work with combining the philosopher archetype of Sagittarius with the ability to communicate our ideas out into the world. A key theme for Gemini is truth and honest communication and sometimes that communication can be to do with how we view ourselves, the conversations we're having with ourselves and whether or not we're being honest. When the full moon is out, there's nowhere to hide, this can be a powerful time for looking inwards and asking these questions. On Gemini moon days it's easy to get caught up in our thoughts, Gemini has a mercurial energy to it which can leave us feeling ungrounded and mentally overwhelmed, add this to the busyness of the lead up to Christmas and hello frazzled mind. It's a really good idea on Gemini moon days to bring ourselves back into our body and do things that will calm and focus the mind. Think of the idea of using the arrow and focus of Sagittarius to focus the somewhat flighty tendencies of Gemini. Using practices such as Yoga Nidra, guided meditations and gentle yoga can be really helpful for slowing the mind down. Also, when it comes to tackling Christmas tasks, try to focus on one thing at a time, write lists or use a bullet journal to give yourself the satisfaction of ticking things off. Try not to flit from one unfinished task to the other, just like leaving loads of tabs open and programmes running on your computer slows it down, it's the same for our mind too. The combination of Sagittarius and Gemini can also lead us to get over excited about new ideas and ventures, so check-in with yourself honestly about whether or not you're taking on too much? Can some things wait? Are you honouring the season of winter and the need to rest? Sometimes it can be so hard with all the pressures of social media to not want to jump into new things straight away, one of our favourite quotes is "Do less, be more" - can we let go and soften a little bit and pick up the pace again in Spring? Or is our gut telling us that now really is the right time? Only you can know :) Gemini is an AIR sign so why not use sacred smoke cleansing practices to cleanse your home, your oracle cards and crystals and to do a ritual of letting go - this ideal as this full moon falls at the end of the month. Use incense, resins or herb bundles to clear negative, old or unwanted energy from the last month. Afterwards light a white candle which represents the way you'd like to feel moving forward or the things you want to welcome in for the month of December. Gemini rules the shoulders, arms and hands and it's easy at this time of the year to feel like we have the weight of the world on our shoulders or that we're juggling too many things. Make sure you're taking time out for yourself, meditate, listen to relaxing music, read and take baths. Sometime over the next few days, if you have access to one, run yourself a cleansing epsom salts bath to help soothe tense and tired muscles and gently detox the body. Add rose and geranium essential oils to help you de-stress and bring you back into your heart space. We've also created a Gemini playlist for you to enjoy: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1HZ6xcw1Fjbvnkd3QuJ6Qe?si=Ed_wLVfeRTu3wd6nx-jjgQ Honouring the Full MoonSet aside some time on the full moon itself or the days either side to honour the full moon. First of all, reflect on the intentions that you made at the New Moon in Scorpio and read back over your reflections and insights. Ask yourself how those intentions have served you? What have you learnt over the last 2 weeks? As mentioned above, this full moon is taking place at the end of the month, reflect on the events of the last month and ask yourself what needs to be released? What are your grateful for and what, if anything, needs to be forgiven? Spend some time connecting to your intuition, draw oracle cards and reflect on their messages and meaning. Place your crystals out to be cleansed and re-charged and take a cleansing aromatherapy salt bath. Wishing you a blessed Full Moon dear ones! Upcoming CoursesWe have some exciting online courses to share with you to connect to the season of winter and to celebrate and honour Yule: We are delighted to share this course with you! One of our biggest passions is helping people to connect to the cycles of the seasons and the Moon. In this course we are going to be exploring how to honour the Winter Solstice in our own hearts and homes. We will also be exploring how to embrace the season of Winter - the season for dreaming, storytelling and cultivating magic below the surface. Our founder Michelle Rose Boxley has combined her background in Celtic spirituality, meditation, art and yoga to bring you this course jam packed with magic, ritual, self care and ceremony. You will learn:
Cost: $20.00 https://seekingblissonline.com/courses/1299/about Join us for a slightly different take on the Advent Calendar! In this free course you will receive a daily prompt introducing you to a different Goddess each day. We will journey together from December 1st until December 25th exploring Goddesses of Winter, Yule, Magic and Light. If you have been wanting to deepen your connection to Goddess this is a wonderful place to start.
Sign up for free via the link and the course starts on December 1st! https://seekingblissonline.com/courses/1350/about
0 Comments
Dear ones, we are once again about to complete another lunar cycle with the dark moon at the end of the week. The moon will then turn new in the sign of Scorpio on Sunday 15th November at 5:07am(gmt). The moon will transition into the sign of Scorpio on Friday 13th at 16:18(gmt) and will stay in Scorpio until 11:12am Sunday morning. We also have Mars stationing direct on Saturday after being retrograde in Aries since September 9th so make time on saturday for allowing yourself to recalibrate. We'd also recommend using the energy of the Waning Moon this week to release all that hasn't worked out this lunar cycle to create space for the new. Post Samhain, releasing and cleansing is so important - set some time aside to cleanse your home and to engage in ceremonies and meditations of release. Scorpio is a feminine water sign ruled by the planets Mars and Pluto. Mars brings the energies of sexuality, action and primal passions and Pluto has this connection to the underworld and therefore the cycles of death and rebirth and the parts of our self that are unseen, hidden and secret. Scorpio is very much about making the unconscious, conscious. This New Moon, we can use this magical, feminine water sign to dive down into the shadows of our psyche and 'do the work'. Scorpios have an almost disdain for the mundane, the shallow and the ordinary and like to spend a lot of their time in quiet, deep contemplation on the how's and why's of the world and are also unafraid to confront topics such as death and dying. Key words/themes associated with Scorpio are: transformation, passion, death, karma, emotions, intuition, magic, regeneration, rebirth, sovereignty, the witch, the dark goddess, the liminal. Scorpio rules the sexual organs, urinary tract, hips, pelvis and sacrum and it's element is water. Due to it's ruling element and anatomical associations - Scorpio's chakra is the Sacral Chakra. Sacral chakra work requires us to go deep into our emotional wounds and begin a process of healing, releasing, forgiving and moving forward. Scorpio Moon often brings secrets and truths to the surface to be dealt with, cleansed and released. Honesty and communication is key for this New Moon. Have a deep think about what is being revealed to you at the moment. Instead of looking away can we lean in to the process of transformation? Womb healing practices and ceremonies can be wonderful for Scorpio season - why not try this simple Womb Breathing practice: Womb breathing is such a simple and yet beautiful way to connect to yourself and to feel grounded and at peace. Find somewhere to sit where you can be comfortable and undisturbed. Place your hands either on your womb or you can take Yoni Mudra and rest your thumbs on your womb. Close your eyes and begin to focus on your breath. As you breathe, begin to take your breath all the way down to the bowl of your pelvis. You could even imagine your pelvis like a witch's cauldron as per Sally Lister's description above or focus on the vibrant orange colour of the sacral chakra. With every breath, feel a warmth and a spaciousness being created. Stay as long as you like with this practice. Scorpio GoddessesOne thing many of these Goddesses share in common is that they are misunderstood and misrepresented - their herstories have been changed and manipulated to perpetuate a Patriarchal narrative. You could associate most of these Goddesses with the archetype of the Enchantress/Wild Woman/Witch which is one of the archetypes associated with Scorpio. Moon in Scorpio teaches us to embrace our Enchantress. The part of our self that uses our emotions as a tool for divination, the part of us that won't stand for falsehoods and mistruths and would rather be in the company of herself rather than the company of the fake. It's time to embrace your too much woman! It's time to tell a different story about these Goddesses and about our self! LILITH Is there a Goddess more Vilified than Lilith? - Adam's first wife who refused to submit to his will and was therefore cast out. Even to this day Lilith is depicted in many stories and TV shows as en evil temptress who brings nothing but destruction. Lilith helps us reclaim our wild and call back all the parts of ourselves that we have buried or hidden out of shame. She teaches us that NO is a complete sentence. "Like the screech owl for whom Lilith is named, Her screech cannot be silenced. She is all women who have been subjugated, humiliated, and cast out from male-defined society. Her rage is the rage of women who have realized that our natural women’s sexuality has been made dirty by men who fear the power of it and the power of free women." - Motherhouse of the Goddess HEKATE Hekate is an ancient Goddess associated with the Dark Moon, the liminal, witchcraft and magic and is often called The Queen of Witches. She guides Persephone on her journey through the underworld and so we can turn to her on our own journey of transformation. KALI Kali is the hindu goddess of death, karma and transformation. If you're having trouble breaking free from certain Karmic patterns and habits, want to move forward but keep clinging on to the past then Kali can help you with her powerful fire of transformation. She has a wrathful appearance showing that she helps us to conquer our inner demons and fears. Beware when calling upon Kali, she is the great mother and will give us what we need in order to transcend but it won't necessarily be what we want. CERIDWEN Ceridwen is another goddess of transformation, her name comes from the celtic word 'Cerru', meaning cauldron. She is a shapeshifting Welsh Goddess associated with creativity, power, the moon and magic. You can read the story of Ceridwen here. MORGAN LE FAYE What do we think of when we think of Morgan Le Faye? Dark witch who tried to kill King Arthur? Evil temptress? Bitter woman? Look closer and we once again find that her story was changed. Morgan Le Faye was a Druid Priestess, a healer and Medicine Woman who was more than likely protecting her people and her land. There are some wonderful books written about Morgan Le Faye in this different light such as The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. MARY MAGDALENE Again, one of the most misrepresented women in history! Mary Magdalene was a High Priestess and teacher who taught at the side of Jesus. Her story has been changed from a woman who was the most trusted of Jesus' disciples to being a prostitute who he took pity on. Many women today are drawn to Mary Magdalene's energy and discovering her truth for themselves. She teaches us the power of enduring love and being committed to your path no matter what other people think about you. Scorpio AromatherapySacral Chakra Aromatherapy Blend This warming, spicy and soothing blend would be lovely rubbed into the lower back and lower belly (not suitable in pregnancy or whilst breast feeding) Choose 25ml of base oil 1 drop Sweet Marjoram 1 drop Jasmine 2 drops Ginger 3 drops Mandarin 2 drops Ylang Ylang Scorpio Diffuser Blend Cypress, Pine and Sage pure essential oils. Cypress is associated with Pluto, PIne with Mars and Sage with Samhain. This combination of oils is a great energetic clearer, perfect before or after ritual or spell work! Scorpio New Moon invites us to tap into our passions, our inner fire and to embrace and unleash our creativity. By integrating the archetype of the Enchantress can you allow yourself to shed layers of shame and allow yourself to transform and transcend? Celebrate your body, celebrate whichever part of the life cycle you are in, celebrate your sexuality, your desires, your passions. Celebrate being you! In all your glory! "Have the courage to love yourself. Have the courage to act as you really feel - to act, if need be, against everything that the whole world is trying to persuade you to do." - Moon Times Join our Moon MembershipWe have a wonderful community of moon lovers over on our Patreon site - if you would like to join us for monthly online moon circles then please head to:
https://www.patreon.com/sistersofthemoon and check out our different membership tiers, you can join for as little as $2 a month :) We will be gathering online this Friday night to welcome in the Scorpio New Moon and to also honour Friday the 13th which is a sacred Goddess day! |
Welcometo the sisters of the moon blog. Here we get to share with you moon magic, astrology insights, seasonal inspirations and much more. JOIN OUR FACEBOOK COMMUNITY
MembershipJOIN US IN THE LUNAR TEMPLE FOR 2022
E-ZineOnline CoursesWOMEN'S CIRCLE FACILITATOR TRAINING
Archives
May 2022
CategoriesFree Online Bookclub |