Dear ones, we are welcoming in our next full moon on Sunday 28th March at 6:22am(gmt). The March full moon goes by a few different names, I was particularly drawn to the name The Sap Moon which relates to the rising sap in the trees at this time of year. I love this idea of our own life force and creative energy rising within us as Spring is now well and truly underway. This full moon is also called the Worm Moon, the Paschal Moon and the Sugar Moon. It's the first full moon after the Spring Equinox which takes place on March 20th and is in the Air sign of Libra - how wonderful as the season of Spring is associated with the element of air and both Libra and Equinox signify balance! Both Spring and the element of Air welcome in renewal, inspiration, creativity and a feeling of hope which feels so needed after a long and heavy winter. The sun will have also moved into the sign of Aries (this happens on the same day as the Equinox) so we have another sense of renewal and rebirth as we begin a new zodiac cycle. We are entering the season of the Maiden archetype! The Maiden is the part of us that is sovereign - beholden to no one. The Maiden is creative, curious, playful, courageous, sensual and follows her whimsy and her wonder! It's time to shake off the heaviness of winter and bid farewell to the Crone. It's time to unfurl and emerge from the sleep of winter like the plants in the garden. For this full moon we will have the sun in the fire sign of Aries and the moon in the air sign of Libra. Aries is all about our relationship to self and Libra is all about balancing this by looking at our relationships with others. This full moon invites us to balance our own needs with the needs of others, and learn to give and receive in equal measure. Libras are always seeking for balance and harmony and are the peacekeepers of the Zodiac. This can sometimes be at personal cost as they often put their own needs and wishes at the bottom of the list and can get into the habit of denying themselves pleasure. With the arrival of Spring and Aries season we can fully step into our Maiden energy and create boundaries around time for our self, going after what we want and voicing our own needs and desires! This full moon teaches us how to balance the fierce, independent and self assured energy of Aries with Libra’s wish for peace and harmony with others. It’s an opportunity for us to see how much of our energy is spent people pleasing - you may need some more Aries devil may care attitude, or if you spend too much energy caught up in yourself - add in some of Libra’s air qualities of connection, harmony and communication. Libra teaches us that we are all interconnected in a web of humanity, everything we do affects others and the actions of others also have an effect on us, this is being illuminated not just by the glow of the full moon but also by our current global situation. Libra's ruling planet is Venus, the planet of love, beauty, abundance and pleasure. There is a lot of shame wrapped up in us experiencing pleasure and enjoyment. Do you always feel like you have to justify yourself when you do something that is just for the sheer joy of it? We can look back to our New Moon in Pisces reflections on our creativity and ask how much we block our creative flow because of this guilt and shame. When we long to create do we then strangle that creativity with the need to be productive? That constant need to be productive is a patriarchal quality and needs to be balanced out. “When you make pleasure your driving force, the doing is a joy and the outcome is irrelevant. When you make pressure your driving force, the doing is a stress and the outcome is always changing. It is irrelevant what you are doing, what is relevant is the undercurrent of emotion that is driving it. You can change your entire life, but if you don’t update the system nothing will really change.” - Rise Sister Rise Spring GoddessesAt times such as these when we are dealing with a lot of fear, anxiety and uncertainty, it's a beautiful practice to connect with the divine via the Goddess. Goddesses associated with Spring help us to connect with our inner maiden, with the abundance of mother nature and with our creativity. Here are a few suggestions: Blodewedd, Eos, Saraswati, Eostre (Ostara), Flora, Persephone, Polik Mana, Freya. Libra Self CareLibra rules the lower back, hips, kidneys and bladder so be gentle on these parts of the body as the moon journeys through Libra. Drink plenty of water and lay off the caffeine. Using springtime herbs such as nettle and Dandelion can help to gently cleanse the kidneys but its important you drink plenty of water at the same time. A yoga practice to help release the lower back and hips will not only aid in any muscular tension in these areas but will also help to release old emotions that have been stored here - perfect for the full moon when emotions are heightened and brought to the surface. You could also work with crystals to support and balance the Sacral chakra such as Carnelian and red jasper as well as working with crystals to support the heart chakra such as rose quartz, emerald and green aventurine. Tune into Libra's balancing and harmonizing energies with essential oils of Geranium - for balance, Bergamot - for harmony and Rose - for love. These are beautiful together and make a gorgeous bath recipe or body oil. Rose is often the symbol for both Venus and the Divine Feminine so why not treat yourself to a bunch of roses to decorate the home. I hope you've enjoyed this blog and wishing you a blessed full moon x Honouring Ostara Online CourseIf you would like to learn more about the Spring Equinox and how to celebrate and honour it in your heart and in your home then I have just released my latest online Wheel of the Year course. This self study online course takes you through the history of Ostara and then crafts, rituals, meditations and journaling prompts to help you connect to this time of year in a personal and authentic way. Course costs $20 and is available via mystery school of the goddess here:
https://seekingblissonline.com/courses/1372/about
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This Saturday, February 27th, we will be welcoming in the Full Moon in the beautiful grounded earth sign of Virgo. February’s Full Moon is also called the Snow Moon, the Ice Moon and the Storm Moon. Even though Mercury has now stationed direct we are still in the post retrograde shadow until March 13th. Virgo is actually ruled by Mercury, the planet of elevated thought, communication and travel. Virgo’s symbol is the maiden goddess carrying a sheaf of wheat (representing the harvest season but also the gathering of wisdom) - so again, we can turn our attention to thinking about the wisdom we have gathered over the winter and how to integrate that into the fresh energy of Spring. We can also use this gathering of wisdom in relation to our experiences during Mercury Retrograde, it’s likely that over the last few weeks we have had difficult emotions and baggage churned up and old karmic patterns resurfacing. We could just breathe a sigh of relief that it’s all over in a few days or we could spend some time sitting with the pain and discomfort of what’s been illuminated. This is really what full moons are about, we use the light of each full moon to shine awareness on our inner darkness. We ask, what is hurting that needs to be healed? What do I need to let go of in order to move forward? What wisdom lies in my suffering? The Virgo energy invites us to see our pain as a teacher. As Buddha said ‘Suffering has many good qualities’ - it shows us what we have left to master. For this full moon, we will have the sun in the water sign of Pisces (the sun entered Pisces on Feb 18th) and the moon in the opposite sign of Virgo. Pisces is a deeply spiritual sign and enjoys spending time swimming in the depths of the unconscious - their shadow side can be favouring the spirit world over being grounded in reality and connecting to others, they are sometimes described as being aloof or unable to cope with the realities of day to day life. Virgo is also a spiritual sign but their Earth element gives them the ability to embody their spirituality here on earth whilst being present. This Virgo full moon can help us to balance these parts of ourselves - the ability to journey to our soul world but also the ability to embody what we’ve learned from our time in the soul world with our feet firmly on the ground. Virgo full moon asks us how can we balance the Spiritual with the practical? How are we showing up for our spiritual life? Another key theme associated with Virgo is healthy habits. With Virgo’s love of being organised and healthy and winter beginning to recede, now is a great time to check-in with our daily habits and start to make tweaks to honour the change of the seasons. We can ask ourselves if our current daily habits are leading us where we want to go? Are we choosing things that make us feel good, well and balanced or are we relying on quick fixes and instant gratification? What would it feel like to add in new routines to our day now the days are getting brighter and longer? Perhaps a little bit of yoga first thing in the morning or a few minutes of meditation? Perhaps we could add in a new bedtime ritual of tv and phone free time and a calming practice like Yoga Nidra. How are we supporting our body at the moment? How are we caring for ourselves? Think NOURISH rather punish. How are your nourishing yourself both physically and spiritually? This could be another powerful time to moodboard - use the intuitive energy of both Pisces and Virgo to get a clear vision of where you’re headed and how you’re going to get there. Again, balance the ability of Pisces to dream and wonder with the organised and practical energy of Virgo...Virgos and Maidens know how to get shit done :) Make lists, create new pages and spreads in your bullet journal, create a plan of action! Virgo rules the gut and because of this they have very good instincts and are deeply guided by their intuition, this is also a big part of the Pisces energy. Virgo’s archetype of the Virgin and the Maiden is very much to do with the idea of being sovereign - being self assured, self reliant and deeply connected to our wisdom and intuition. Do you trust yourself? Do your trust where you’re being guided to go? Or are you resisting? The PriestessThis Full Moon we can also connect to Virgo’s other archetype of the Priestess. Virgo is associated with the Priestess due to it’s connection to the earth, the cycles of the seasons and also their connection to the divine and need to be of service. How could you use this Full Moon to awaken your inner priestess? Do you celebrate the turning of the seasons? Is there ritual, meditation, and faith in something beyond the ordinary in your life? Do you feel connected to a higher purpose? If so, what is it?These questions will help us to build on the work we did during the Capricorn New Moon and also our enquiries about serving the collective for the New Moon in Aquarius. In your journal write down the word Priestess and create a mind map around this word - what does it mean to you? How does it make you feel? How can you connect to this archetype within yourself? Set some time aside this full moon for ritual and devotion as a way to connect to your priestess archetype. Perhaps connecting with a particular Goddess or Deity, or creating a beautiful full moon altar honouring the Earth element and the sign of Virgo. And spend some time connecting to your body and your intuition. Place your hands on your belly and ask yourself questions and listen to your gut. How does the answer differ from the answer that your head has told you? This full moon would also be a wonderful time for embodiment practices such as dance, drumming, lunar yoga and chanting. Check out our Embodying Earth playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1oh7XDuUojwFl19xH7FIFt?si=SsPJ-QQySlSupetIEfTuLA Full Moon online Women's CircleWe are gathering online this Friday (26th Feb) at 7pm(gmt) to welcome in this full moon and continue exploring our 2021 theme: The Wild Moon Series. This time we are connecting to the animal ally of Fox and our guiding Goddess is Elen of the Ways.
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. On January 28th we will be welcoming in the first Full Moon of the new year in the sign of Leo! The January full moon is also called the Wolf Moon due to the howling packs of wolves that could be heard during this time in Winter in North America. It also goes by the name The Stay Home Moon which I just love, and The Ice Moon. All these names indicate to us that we are still very much in Winter. We can use some of this fiery and playful Leo energy to warm us up and stoke our creative fires! Leo is a playful and joyful sign which can help us open up to a feeling of lightness and new possibilities - combining this with the work we did at the Capricorn new moon will help us to get really clear on what we want from the year ahead. For this full moon we will have the Sun in the sign of Aquarius (the sun moved into Aquarius on Jan 19th) and the Moon in the opposite sign of Leo. We can shake off some of that grown up energy of Capricorn and lean into both the Airy and expansive nature of Aquarius and the light and playful energy of Leo. This moon is a great opportunity to ask yourself if you're taking yourself too seriously? When was the last time you belly laughed and were silly? How could you bring elements of fun and play into your life as we continue to navigate these challenging and uncertain times? Leo is often associated with our inner child, spend some time connecting to your inner child and inner maiden. What does she want to do? create? experience? What would you do if no one was looking? Leo is a fire sign, ruled by the Sun and epitomises self confidence, self belief and joy. Aquarius season is all about taking the visions and goals we had during Capricorn season and manifesting them out into the world. It's about sharing our gifts with the people around us, being the light that we wish to see. When we start to think about birthing our ideas out into the world we can often be met with fears, limiting self beliefs and a million reasons why we shouldn't follow our dreams. The inner critic takes over and our beautiful ideas, dreams and wishes go into storage for another year. Sound familiar? “There is freedom waiting for you, On the breezes of the sky, And you ask "What if I fall?" Oh but my darling, What if you fly?” - Erin Hanson Use this powerful Leo energy to give you the confidence to shine your beautiful light out into the world. Focus on Solar Plexus work during this full moon, it's in this chakra that we store our creative fire, our confidence and our self worth - it's often referred to as the seat of self. For the Capricorn New Moon, we asked you what your soul calling was, what you felt your soul purpose was. What's holding you back from achieving your vision? Remember to use the Full Moon to check back in with your new moon intentions and in particular look out for the shadowy parts of yourself getting in the way of your intentions. The shadow side of Leo can be an imbalance of the ego, it can dominate and lead to an overinflated sense of self. Reflect on the societal pressures to feed the ego, to dominate, to seek out power, fame and glory and see if you can notice this at play in your own life. Do you often compare yourself to others? Are you competitive? Do you feel like the only way to feel good about yourself is to diminish others? This is all the shadow side of the ego. The best way to override this is to come back to LOVE. Leo rules the heart and is an incredibly loving and generous sign. Check in with your heart and notice if it feels closed or open? Be a cheerleader of others, be happy for their success and delight in their happiness. "I cheer for people. I was raised to believe there's enough sun for everyone." - Tory L Eletto The WolfOur guiding animal for this Full Moon is the Wolf. The Wolf represents our Wild Woman nature, the part of us that won't be tamed, civilised or controlled. I recently learned that during the Cromwelian government in the 1650s, Oliver Cromwell ordered all the wolves in Ireland to be killed to signify the taming of the country. Prior to this, there were so many wolves in Ireland it was known as Wolf-land. The last Wolf is believed to have been killed in 1786. I found learning this absolutely devastating, particularly because of my Irish heritage and deep love for wolves. It's interesting to reflect upon the patriarchy's need to tame the wild and to civilise and dominate both nature and the feminine. As we reflect upon these disturbing times in history and also look to the current world stage can we awaken our own inner wolf and howl at the moon in defiance? When we connect to our inner Wild Woman, we shake off the need to be pleasing, to be polite, to be tamed. We shake off the need to be the same from one day to the next and start to become as mysterious and changeable as the moon. We start to tend to our inner world as much as we tend to our outer world. We arrive in our bodies, fully and without shame! "Healthy wolves and healthy women share certain psychic characteristics: keen sensing, playful spirit, and a heightened capacity for devotion. Wolves and women are relational by nature, inquiring, possessed of great endurance and strength. They are deeply intuitive, intensely concerned with their young, their mates, and their pack. They are experienced in adapting to constantly changing circumstances; they are fiercely stalwart and very brave. Yet both have been hounded, harassed, and falsely imputed to be devouring and devious, overly aggressive, of less value than those who are their detractors. They have been the targets of those who would clean up the wilds as well as the wildish environs of the psyche, extincting the instinctual, and leaving no trace of it behind.” - Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves The MorriganOur guiding Goddess for this Full Moon is the Irish Goddess The Morrigan. She is the perfect Goddess to continue our Wild Woman awakening, especially as one of her sacred animals is the Wolf who she also shapeshifts into. She is also associated with crows, ravens and cows. The Morrigan is an ancient Dark Goddess and one who is steeped in mystery and magic. She defies being typecast and remains to this day illusive and fairly misunderstood - even the meaning of her name is inconclusive. Some say her name means 'Great Queen', others say it means 'Phantom Queen' or even 'Queen of the Dead'. The Morrigan is a name, a noun and a title. She is best known as a battle Goddess and Warrioress but there is also evidence of her being a sovereign Goddess of the land as well as a Goddess of fate and prophecy.
"She is blood and battle and death, The blade that cuts flesh from bone, That cuts the old from the new, That reshapes, remakes, redefines us. Blood is not to be feared; it is the current of life, Battle is not to be feared; it is the price of sovereignty, Death is not to be feared; it is the end of the old... And a new beginning, endlessly." - Pagan Portals, The Morrigan We will be taking a journey with The Morrigan with our Online Full Moon Circle on Sunday 24th Jan at 7pm(gmt) - if you would like to join us please email Michelle at [email protected] for information on how to book in. Alternatively, join our Patreon membership to enjoy monthly online women's circles, more info here: www.patreon.com/sistersofthemoononline Welcome dear ones to 2021 and to our brand new theme for the year: The Wild Moon Series. Each New Moon we will be seeking inspiration from an Animal Guide, a Tree from the Celtic Tree Calendar and a Goddess. We are starting with the New Moon in Capricorn which takes place on January 13th at 05:00am(gmt) and we are welcoming in the guidance of Badger, Birch and Goddess Nicnevin. Capricorn season is a time to connect to the darkness of winter, to the dark Goddesses, the archetype of the Crone and the idea of learning to love the dark and all the wisdom it contains. What wisdom is waiting for you in the dark of the winter forest and how can you slow down enough to hear it? Just like the winter trees, can you strip back your layers and bare your soul without the distractions of busy summer months to cover you up. Who are you underneath it all? In modern society we have forgotten how to sit with silence, stillness, ageing, the dark and death - how can we learn to stop shying away from these incredibly magical times and use them to transform and transcend? Capricorn themes: Wisdom, Winter, The Crone, Soul Purpose, steadfastness, spirituality, dedication, mother earth, structure, silence, stillness, retreat. Capricorn is a feminine Earth sign, ruled by the planet Saturn. It's a cardinal sign and initiates Winter in the Northern hemisphere and Summer in the Southern hemisphere. Saturn rules organization, structure and practicality. Capricorn is the final of the Earth signs and therefore carries a mature and wise energy and the archetypal qualities of the Crone or Sage. Capricorn is represented by the constellation of the seagoat. As always, we can draw powerful messages from astrological imagery. The seagoat represents the combination of the earthly, practical life (the goat) with the soul life (fish tale). This provides us with the wonderful opportunity to reflect on the balance between our work life and our soul life before we head into 2021. Is our soul life something that we just squeeze in as and when we can? Or is it with us all day? What's our soul purpose and soul calling? Are we dedicated to it? Capricorns integrate their spirituality and soul purpose into their daily life. This is a beautiful quality and gives them this wise, grounded and magical energy. They also have the dedication and focus of the mountain goat and therefore are hard working and able to carry out their goals. Are we lacking in determination and focus? Due to Capricorn's placement in the Zodiac and it initiating winter in the Northern hemisphere, one of it's archetypes is the Crone, or the Elder. When asserting boundaries it can be really helpful to step into the power of the Crone and assert yourself. Think of all the wisdom that you have gathered over the years about yourself and what you need. You know what you're about, you know who you are and you know what you need, sometimes we just get too easily swayed by others. The Crone does not, her days of dedicating an ounce of energy to what other people think are behind her. How much does what others think of you affect the choices and decisions you make? How could you listen to your inner elder more and the noise of the outside world less? Connect to the wisdom of winter and the archetype of the crone, trust your deep inner knowing and guidance. Channel your inner Baba Yaga :) BadgerOur animal guide for this month is Badger. Badger spends a lot of time underground and is a fairly solitary animal so perfect for connecting to the season of winter and the Earth element of Capricorn. Badger spends a lot of time digging down into the earth, we can take inspiration from this and dig down into our own psyches. Underground, there are no distractions, it's dark and we can listen deeply to the messages of our soul. Capricorn asks us what our Soul purpose is, how can we use the darkness and quiet of winter to connect to our unique soul purpose and let that shape the year ahead? Badger is a burrowing animal and can help us to unearth treasures buried in the cold winter soil - call upon the spirit of this animal to help you find your way in the dark and to uncover messages and insights. The other aspect of Badger is that they never back down, this ties in really well to the aspect of Capricorn that is steadfast and determined. Badger invites you to hold your ground and stand powerfully in your truth. Badgers are fairly illusive creatures but often when encountered by humans they are aggressive and fierce and are known to attack or charge at people. Badger teaches us the importance of boundaries and defending them. This is particularly important at this time of year when we need to defend this period of rest and dreaming. BirchIn the Celtic tree calendar, the tree for January is Birch. Birch represents rebirth and regeneration. It's the first tree to sprout new growth after winter and is the first tree to grow back after a forest fire. It's a pioneering tree and was one of the first trees to take over the British Isles after the Ice Age. Birch is self-sustaining and adaptable. Birch is also called Lady of the Woods and has often been used to create magical items such as brooms. In winter, brooms made out of birch were used to sweep away the old year. Birch trees also shed their bark and so can teach us the importance of letting go of what no longer serves us as we head into a new year. Themes for Birch: determination, healing, peace, self reliance, rebirth, personal truth, ancestors, winter, new year. NicnevinNicnevin is an ancient Scottish Goddess shrouded in mystery and magic who goes by many names: Mother Nicnevin, Grandmother Witch, The Bone Mother and The Witch Mother. She is associated with Winter and Darkness and is said to fly through the winter night's sky as part of the Wild Hunt with her retinue of nymphs and witches. She is depicted in crone form wearing a grey mantle and carrying a magic wand but will also shapeshift into her enchanting maiden aspect as Queen of the Fae. Similar to the stories of the Cailleach she is linked with the shaping of the land and is believed to be as old as the land itself. She is often referred to as the Mother of Witches because of her particular interest in Witches and Witchcraft and the way she watches over Magical Practitioners. There are stories about her caring for the souls of women who were burned as witches during the Witch Trials and carrying them away with her to the Otherworld. We will be taking a journey with Nicnevin with our Online New Moon Circle on Friday 15th Jan at 7pm(gmt) - if you would like to join us please email Michelle at [email protected] for information on how to book in. Alternatively, join our Patreon membership to enjoy monthly online women's circles, more info here: www.patreon.com/sistersofthemoononline
For our final full moon of 2020 we welcome in the full moon in Cancer on December 30th. With this full moon taking place so close to the end of the calendar year we have a wonderful opportunity to really release and let go of all that no longer serves us and all that we don't wish to carry in to 2021. December's full moon is also called The Moon After Yule, The Cold Moon, The Long Night Moon and the Oak Moon. Cancer is a feminine water sign ruled by the moon herself so expect to feel ALL the feels in the lead up to this Full Moon especially as this moon lands in that weird crimbo limbo time. Self care, rest and nourishment couldn't be more important at this time. Cancer themes: home, nurture, care, nourish, motherhood, receiving, emotions, healing, belonging, intuition, the divine feminine, the lunar, the mysteries. For this Full Moon, we have the Sun in Capricorn and the moon in the opposite sign of Cancer. Capricorn invites us to look at our soul purpose and the balance between our spiritual life and daily life - we'll explore this more with the New Moon in Capricorn. The full moon in cancer can help us to see how much emotional baggage is standing in the way of us achieving our spiritual goals. Spend some time really sitting with your emotions and whatever is coming up for you during the lead up to this final full moon of the year and journal about your feelings. What patterns can you find within your emotions? What narratives can you see are on repeat? How much of this is your stuff or stuff that has been passed down to you? Can you cut the cords? This Full Moon falls so close to the end of the calendar year, really ask yourself what you don't want to carry with you into the new year. We can also ask ourselves if our attachment to safety and security is preventing us from moving forward and stepping into the unknown. Cancer is a very home orientated sign and the shadow side of this can be that this sign gets stuck out of fear. A key theme associated with cancer is CARE - it's really important to achieve balance between the care that we give to others and then making sure we care for ourselves. How good are we at receiving care and support from others? Winter is a time to let ourselves receive - receive rest, nourishment and restoration. It's a time to hug our energy in and create boundaries that protect this important time for our self to process the events of the year and also to allow our self time and space to dream the new year ahead. It's really important to re-establish our boundaries at the beginning of a new year. Reflect on your emotional boundaries at the moment, are they functioning? Do you need to assert new boundaries? Who and what is depleting your energy? Remember, if we want to achieve our soul purpose we need our energy to be directed in the most beneficial way. It's important to remember, in the midst of everyone posting about "new year, new you" detox plans and exercise goals that we are in the depths of winter and will be for some time. In the old celtic calendar, the first signs of Spring are celebrated with Imbolc on Feb 1st but even then there's an awareness that this is a subtle shift and there's still plenty of Winter time to go. We still have to get through the frosts, fogs and potential snow of January, February and March. So, an invitation is to think carefully before packing away all of your Yule decorations. Home is an important theme for cancer (crab shell), moon in cancer days invite us to look at how nurtured we feel. Think about the home comforts that are going to keep you warm and nurtured over the coming winter months. Continue to adorn your living spaces with fairy lights, candles, and soft and luxurious throws and blankets. “The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” - Maya Angelou Self CareCancer rules the chest, lungs, stomach, liver and gall bladder. The cold, damp weather can leave us susceptible to coughs, colds and chest infections so again self-care is key. We need more rest in winter so make sure you're getting early nights and sleeping more. Gentle yoga practices like yin, restorative and yoga nidra are wonderful at this time of year as well as emphasising breathing practices to help your lungs. SUPPORT YOURSELF WITH ROSE ESSENTIAL OIL Rose is like the mother of essential oils. She will support you, comfort you and help you to let go of painful emotions. You can work with Rose essential oil energetically by holding a bottle of rose essential oil whilst you meditate or you can apply topically. Rose is a very strong oil so just one drop in some carrier oil will be sufficient. Taking this across the heart space will help to soothe emotions and replenish your heart chakra. Mother WinterOne of the archetypes associated with Cancer is the Mother - this full moon turn your attention to how often you let yourself be mothered. How often do you receive help, guidance and motherly affection? There is so much going on right now in the world around us and in our own lives as we navigate our way through unknown territory. It's so important to allow our self space and time to heal and process the trauma of the last year. How could you open yourself up to receive? This is wonderful time to connect to Mother Goddesses, especially mother Goddesses associated with Yule and the season of Winter:
An Cailleach, The Deer Mother, Frau Holle, Elen of the Ways, Frigga. Dearest moonbeams, we are approaching our final New Moon of the year and in keeping with the rest of 2020 we're finishing on a solar eclipse! It will be the 6th and final eclipse of 2020...and oh my what a year it's been! The moon will turn new on Monday 14th December at 16:17(gmt) in the sign of Sagittarius. We say goodbye to Scorpio and Samhain season and welcome in Sagittarius season, Yule and the end of the calendar year. Scorpio season can feel a little intense, so this shift into Sagittarius can feel a little bit like turning on the lights after a power cut. 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 new moon is a wonderful time to focus on manifesting your dreams, cultivating gratitude and joy, elevating your thoughts and honouring the light. Sagittarius themes: freedom, hope, truth, expansion, knowledge, abundance, joy, travel. philosophy, light, growth, limitless opportunities, adventure, curiosity, meaning, direction, focus, optimism. The image associated with Sagittarius is the Centaur holding a bow and arrow aimed at the sky and the constellation is the arrow. There are many messages we can take from this image, one of these is the message to look at the balance in our own life between our lower and upper chakras. Do we spend all our energy only on the lower chakras associated with this life and this life alone - our home, financial security, our sense of self and the day to day? How much time do we spend connecting with the higher chakras, looking to the stars? Asking questions about the universe and why we're here? Who are we underneath all the layers of daily life and responsibilities? Sagittarius is often referred to as the philosopher of the zodiac and they love to ask these kinds of questions. They have a childlike curiosity about everything and will always look beyond the ordinary. The symbol of the arrow can also remind 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? This moon cycle will carry us through the darkest time of the year so it's an important time to connect with Sagittarius' fire element in all it's aspects and welcome this element into our home. Sagittarius season is a wonderful time to connect with practices such as candle magic, hearth magic and fire ceremonies as well as decorating your house with lights to keep your spirits lifted during the winter. Here are some wonderful fire Goddesses to connect with: Brighid, Vesta, Pele, Hestia, Frigga, Durga, Cerridwen. This Sagittarius New Moon falls in the build up to Christmas so it's a really nice opportunity to connect to the abundance of this sign and live from a place of generosity, kindness and warmth. As we journey towards the end of the year a lovely practice would be to reflect on all that has taken place over the last year and really focus on the word JOY. Grab your journal and reflect on all the things that have brought you joy over the last year and allow your heart to be warmed by the many things you write down. The other archetype associated with Sagittarius is the traveller or the explorer. This doesn't necessarily mean physical travel but can also mean travelling with our mind. During the winter, a wonderful way to tune into this energy is to read. 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 online world is your oyster :) Step outside into nature and carry that same 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, leave your phone at home or turn it onto flight mode :) Self care for SagittariusFollowing on from Scorpio and working our way down the body, Sagittarius rules the hips and thighs. On Sagittarius moon days it's important to look after these parts of the body. As the weather continues to get colder it's important to stay mobile in the hips by doing lots of mobility work as well as stretching. A leg massage would be ideal or using a foam roller for the thighs, IT band and back of legs to help release any tension.
ESSENTIAL OILS Due to the optimistic and joyful nature of this sign, uplifting Citrus oils such as Bergamot, Orange and Mandarin are lovely to use at this time of year. They also help fight against the fatigue we so often feel during the winter months too. Here are some festive diffuser blends for you to enjoy: Orange & Clove Rosemary & Orange Mandarin & Myrrh Bergamot, Orange & Frankincense Mandarin & Chamomile We really hope you've enjoyed this blog, wishing you a blessed New Moon Solar Eclipse. If you would like to connect to this new moon in a deeper way and with like minded women, don't forget you can join our monthly new moon circles. Head over to our Patreon for more information: www.patreon.com/sistersofthemoon 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 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! Dearest moonbeams, on Samhain itself - the 31st of October we welcome in the Full Moon in Taurus - the Hunter's Moon. Mama Moon will enter fullness at 2:49pm(gmt) and as this is our second full moon this month it is known as a blue moon. Samhain is a magical time of year where the veil between worlds thins and we can connect more deeply to our ancestors and honour our beloved dead. Samhain represents the death of the year and the full moon is the peak of the cycle so we can use these energies to think about all that we are grateful for since Samhain last year but also, all that we wish to release. Make time to journal about all that has taken place since this time last year. What have your learnt? What has served you? What do you want to take with you into next year? And most importantly what do you want to let go of? Ask the dark goddesses to help you let go of things holding you back. On this full moon, the sun will be in Scorpio and the moon will be in Taurus and as with each full moon, we use these seemingly opposing forces to help us shine the light of the full moon on our inner darkness and move forward with clarity and balance. We have Scorpio, a water sign associated with the underworld and Taurus an earth sign associated with the earthly and material world. These signs appear to contradict each other but they actually invite us to establish balance between these two aspects of ourselves. We can check in with where we dwell most often. Are we always off exploring the dark mysteries of the world, brooding, deep in thought but perhaps a little aloof? Or are we distracted by the trappings of the material world and do we shy away from thinking about the darker concepts of life? Balance between the Scorpio and Taurean energy would be this idea of being in the world but not of this world, the ability to stay connected to the truth of life - the cycles of life, death and rebirth whilst being grounded and present with our self and the people around us. There would be this peaceful, contented energy of enjoying the things of this life whilst having the ability to let them go when the time is right. Moon in Taurus invites us to look at our attachment (the shadow side of Taurus) not an easy thing to look at as for humans, attachment is as natural as breathing. We can be attached to people, places, objects, experiences, other people's views of us and according to most spiritual teachings, attachment is the cause of most of our mental suffering. It's important to not misunderstand attachment for love, when we are striving for non-attachment it doesn't mean that we don't care about people, places and things, in fact it actually means we are able to love people more purely and enjoy things in a more pure way. Attachment is a self centred mind whereas love is a selfless mind. Attachment causes us pain because we are unable to enjoy things as they are, attachment wants things to last forever, it wants to bend things to it's will, and when things don't work out the way we wanted them to or people 'let us down' we get angry, disappointed or hurt. We can ask for the help of the powerful Scorpio energy and it's ability to comfortably sit with topics such as death and change to help us tune into the flow of life, understanding the impermanence of all things helps us to erode away our attachment. "He who binds to himself a joy, Does the winged life destroy, But he who kisses the joy as it flies Lives in eternity's sun rise." - William Blake We can also use the grounded Taurean energy to help us balance out the intense energy of Scorpio season. Taurus is a very loving sign, ruled by the planet venus and has a deep connection to mother earth. If we have been having a difficult time emotionally with the chaos of mercury retrograde and the intense emotions that come to the surface with both Scorpio and Samhain Season then it's time for some Taurean self care. Use this full moon to come back into your body - dance, move, get a massage, run an aromatherapy bath, go for a walk, place your bare feet on the ground and get present. Taurus is a very embodied sign and Scorpio is deeply sensual so use these powerful feminine energies to celebrate your feminine magic. Samhain Full Moon BathUsing salts to cleanse is always a good idea on and around full moons but especially important on Samhain when the veil is at it's thinnest. Here is a cleansing full moon ritual bath recipe with Autumnal scents: Epsom salts Dead Sea Salts Dried Rosemary Dried rose petals 1 drop Juniper Essential oil 1 drop Rosemary essential oil 2 drops Orange essential Grounding essential oil blendUse this combination of essential oils either in a diffuser or in a body oil to help you come back into your body, drop into your heart and connect to mother earth: Sandalwood Cedarwood Ylang Ylang Jasmine Sweet orange Express YourselfTaurus rules the throat and neck so when the moon is in Taurus it's particularly important to look after these parts of the body. With the weather getting colder and sharper be sure to keep your neck extra warm during Taurus moon days. It's also an opportunity to check-in with your throat chakra, Scorpio season often brings secrets and truths to the surface to be dealt with, cleansed and released. Ask yourself if you're being honest with yourself and those around you? Are there words you long to say but are holding back for some reason? Mantra can be a wonderful tool to help open up the throat chakra. With Scorpio ruling the Sacral Chakra and Taurus ruling the throat, it's also time to have a look at our creativity which is associated with both of these chakras. Again, ask yourself if you are holding yourself back in anyway? What are your creative dreams and wishes? Journal about them, create vision boards and fill yourself up with inspiration and encouragement. If you want to dance, dance if you want to paint, paint, whatever it is that your soul is calling you to do, can you get out of your own way and express yourself fully. Who would you be if you let yourself shine? In two weeks time, on Sunday 15th November we will have the New Moon in Scorpio where we will be delving deeper into the themes associated with Scorpio. We really hope you have enjoyed this article and wish you a blessed full moon and blessed Samhain. Don't forget you can join our Patreon membership site to join in with our New Moon and Full Moon sister circles. Click here for more information! Secrets of Samhain CourseIf you would like to deepen your understanding of Samhain and also have access to a MP3 meditation for this Samhain Full Moon then join our Secrets of Samhain online course.
You will learn:
This course is a self study course - once you've signed up you'll have access to all the lessons and you can study at your own pace. Cost: $20.00 Sign up here: https://seekingblissonline.com/courses/1289/about On Friday 16th October at 8:30pm(bst) we welcome in the New Moon in Libra. This New Moon is also Lunar Samhain and takes place 2 days after Mercury goes retrograde so there's a lot going on! Libra's constellation is the scales of balance and it rules the 7th house of partnership so we can use this moon cycle to look at balance in our relationships. To create balance in our relationships we can ask ourselves do we need to be more open hearted or more boundaried? Is there a balance between love for ourself and love for others? Where are we leaking energy? Where are we missing out on opportunities to connect with others? How good are we at receiving? The combination of Libra's association with relationships and it's element being Air makes this an ideal time to work on our Heart chakra. The Heart chakra rules not only the heart but also the respiratory system so making time to connect with this chakra's air element via Pranayama practices would be really beneficial at this time. THEMES FOR LIBRA: Love, Beauty, Fairness, Equality, Harmony, Peace, Partnerships, Communication Libra's ruling planet is Venus, the planet of love, femininity and harmony and invites us to make peace with others and let go of past hurts and resentments, this is also perfect for honouring both Lunar Samhain and Samhain itself which is a time of release. Friday itself is ruled by the planet Venus and was historically honoured as the day of the Goddess so we can also tune into that potent divine feminine energy. Libras are always seeking for balance and harmony and are the peacekeepers of the Zodiac. This can sometimes be at personal cost as they often put their own needs and wishes at the bottom of the list and can get into the habit of denying themselves pleasure. Libra teaches us that we are all interconnected in a web of humanity, everything we do affects others and the actions of others also have an effect on us, this is being illuminated not just by this new moon but also by our current situation. Libra invites us to ask ourselves - how are my actions affecting others? Libra is a fair, just and loving sign and provides us with an opportunity to examine our love for others, is the love we have for others conditional on them behaving a certain way? Is our love for others clouded by attachment? How could we love more openly with less strings attached? Do we judge ourselves and others too harshly? It's also time to check in with our self-love, do we feel deserving of our own love and affection as well as other people's? Do we always place ourselves at the bottom of the list? In order for the heart chakra to be balanced there needs to be equal amounts of love pouring in and love pouring out. How is your self care at the moment? If you feel your heart chakra is depleted at the moment, like you are giving too much without receiving in return, practicing Padma (lotus) mudra can really help with this as it redirects prana back into the heart chakra. Libra and it's associated season of Autumn also encourages us to make peace with change, surrendering to what is. Journaling about where you feel you're resisting in your life at the moment can be a really helpful practice and then trying to tune into the lightness and freedom of Libra's air element to help you move past this resistance. Look to nature at this time of year and you will see so much effortless change taking place around you. Remember, for change to take place, the old way of being has to die. What can you shed like autumn leaves to help you make space for the new? Venus RisingAs we mentioned above, Libra's ruling planet is Venus, the planet of Love, Beauty, Abundance and Pleasure. There is a lot of shame wrapped up in women experiencing pleasure and enjoyment. Do you always feel like you have to justify yourself when you do something that is just for the sheer joy of it? Do you find yourself saying things like "I've worked so hard this week I deserve this long soak in the tub."? When you finally have some time off, do you feel guilty and so instead of doing the things you actually want to do you end up doing things that feel useful or productive? That constant need to be productive is a masculine quality and needs to be balanced out. In the book Rise Sister Rise by Rebecca Campbell, she talks about the shift she made from corporate life to working for herself and how before she knew it, she had got caught up in that masculine approach to working. She talks about the difference between working from a place of pressure or pleasure: "When you make pleasure your driving force, the doing is a joy and the outcome is irrelevant. When you make pressure your driving force, the doing is a stress and the outcome is always changing. It is irrelevant what you are doing, what is relevant is the undercurrent of emotion that is driving it. You can change your entire life, but if you don't update the system nothing will really change." - Rise Sister Rise Do you operate from a place of pressure or pleasure? Think deeply about the driving force behind your actions. Connecting to the Goddesses Venus and Aphrodite will help you to tune into these divine feminine energies of pleasure and the understanding that pleasure, joy and love are you birthright not just treats that are released after a certain amount of productivity. When we allow ourselves to let go and enjoy ourselves, we arrive in a place of happiness and contentment, we are then more open to loving others and receiving their love in turn. We live in a state of flow, ease and grace. When we deny ourselves love, happiness and pleasure it's then so easy to begrudge others who seem to be enjoying themselves, our mind can then be overtaken with jealousy and bitterness. This repression can then cause problems with our ability to create as our relationship to pleasure is linked to our Sacral Chakra and therefore our womb space. "The womb is not a place to store fear and pain. The womb is a place to create and give birth to life." - Rebecca Campbell OTHER LIBRA GODDESSES: Themis, Astarte, Green Tara, Hera, Mother Mary. Self Care for LibraLibra rules the kidneys, hips and bladder. When the moon is in Libra it's important to not do anything that would place these parts of the body under extra stress. Restorative or yin yoga sequences for the hips would be especially nice over the next few days as the hips are also where we hold a lot of past emotions. Dedicate some self care time on your mat for a releasing practice. Adding in mantras is another beautiful way to connect to this signs Air element, try this mantra for balancing the heart: OM MANI PADME HUM Aromatherapy for LibraEssential oils to assist the respiratory system: Eucalyptus, Pine, Ravensara, Frankincense, Fir.
APHRODITE BODY OIL Here's a recipe blend for connecting with our inner Aphrodite Sweet Almond oil 25ml 1 drop Rose absolute 2 drops Sandalwood 2 drops Jasmine HEART CHAKRA OIL A dreamy heart chakra oil blend to bring comfort and balance back to your heart space: Sweet Almond oil 25ml 1 drop Rose absolute 2 drops Ylang Ylang 3 drops Bergamot 3 drops Geranium To make it extra special add some rose quartz chips and dried rose petals to the bottle to infuse over time. |
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May 2022
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