Venus has spent the past several weeks retrograde in the sign of Scorpio. When we explore Venus’s retrograde, we typically are also exploring the story of Inanna’s descent into the underworld. In the tale, Inanna (goddess of love and fertility) descends to the underworld where she is stripped of her possessions (all things valuable on the material plane), suffers, and dies. For three days she remains, until she is revived - brought back to life - and transformed - and she becomes inseparable from the seasonal shifts and inseparable from the life/death story.

Our Taurus full moon comes as a sweet reminder of that inevitable transformation. As we navigate through the inevitability of death - all around us now in the season of autumn, as things begin to darken and die, we are reminded of the transformation that is to come in spring. Death is not the end.

The thing is, we must thrust ourselves toward the inevitability of death in order to stimulate and move through this said transformation, so that we may experience the coming to life anew on the other side. We must trust the unknown. This is, perhaps, the most difficult aspect of the process. To trust that what we do now matters, and our actions now have an impact on the future. There are many stories that illustrate this, tales of the life/death/life cycle, an ongoing death, resurrection, and rebirth. Inanna, Isis, Persephone, Odin, Ragnarok, Quetzalcoatl, the Phoenix, Jesus.

The stories remind us of a deep wisdom within us nudges us: death is not the end. We carry forth, all the through the great shrouds of mystery. The cycle, circle of life. We are reminded of characters from these rebirth stories that offer us insight into the process. The Taurus moon shines a light on the day that will come again. For now -it is a process of letting go - of detachment - and of trust in the unknown to see us through to the other side.

Mercury has also just stationed retrograde, in Scorpio, and our retrograde times present us with beautiful opportunities for review. Reflect, recall, remember. You may be unearthing some deeply-seated elements that are ready for compost. Take some time to also return to yourself and renew the vows you are committed to keeping now. Let go of the rest, and trust in the unpromised days to come.

Since Taurus is our earth body, you may also be encouraged to engage in physical activity. Tend to your dusty corners, give things a good sweep. Nourish yourself and your home. Honor your body in a tangible way.

Sending much full moon gratitude and Samhain blessings.

The many stories associated with Libra’s scales involve balancing light and dark, heart and head, the day and the night. Situated on the equinox, when day and night are equal in cosmic balance, our Libran energy reminds us of the importance of this accordance. Libra touts the ability to take two opposing energies, two conflicting truths, and measure them with equal importance. This blend is crucial to us all, and here in Libra season, we are encouraged to do the same.

Just as we breathe In -

And Out -

Amidst this opposition, we find the balance, the blend, the harmony combining into one.

One breath.

We are encouraging you in the midst of this Libra new moon, at the start of autumn, when all things begin to turn inward, that you find a balance of your opposing forces within, and may this balance be as natural and automatic to you as breathing. In, and out, give yourself a moment to notice - the eternal now of the space in between.

New moon blessings!

The Aries and Libra connection is a beautiful one, indeed. Compliment to one another, the yin and yang energy is strong. Moving through the motions of Libra season, element of air, represented by the scales, we are encouraged to weigh our balances. We are reminded, in opposition to the independent spark in Aries, that we are in relation to one another. Where Aries allows us to connect to the One, the individual sense of self and autonomy innate in all things, Libra brings us into the both/and quality of life and is designed to assist us in learning the art of balance. Libra reminds us that while we are all individual entities, we cannot exist without relation to one another. A symbol of inter-dependence. Libra is here to harmonize. To equalize. To find the middle path. In all our polarities, there must be a way to carry it in accordance.

Sometimes, in doing so, Libra energy can have a tendency to miss the decisive spark that Aries brings. Aries doesn’t care if things are in harmony. In fact, Aries stands to bring awareness of the polarities - the starkness of a light within the dark, the destruction that must occur in order to bring about creation, and vice versa. Aries doesn’t care so much about balancing between the opposites. Aries cares about bringing awareness and taking action to what must be changed.

Which brings us to our full moon. The collective sigh, the great exhale, a time of culmination and release. Our Aries friend is here to point out all the ways that actually, things aren’t in balance. And what might need to be done, how might we light a spark under the ass of whatever it is that needs to change, in order for us to exist in harmony, in balance? Libra has a tendency to keep the peace. Doesn’t always prefer to make waves. Appreciates when things are aesthetically pleasing and luxuriously harmonious.

Aries reminds us of the power in telling the truth. Certainly with and to others, but most importantly, telling the truth to ourselves. We’re in a close configuration on this full moon to Neptune and Saturn, both in the sign of Aries. Neptune is the planet of dreams and illusions, and Saturn is the planet of rules and boundaries. Perhaps there is something coming up now that will help you to bring awareness to the ways in which you have been deluding yourself, putting on a certain belief system or narrative in order to make things feel and look okay when they’re really not. Perhaps there’s something that must shift in order to be sustainable. During Libra season, you may have the tendency to skirt over the truth of the matter. This moon brings a strong energy of encouragement - speak up. Take action. Make the change. Awareness often comes with a sting. But it need only to sting once if you are able to take that awareness with the change it requires. Ignoring and avoiding truths will only lead to more turmoil. Ripping the bandaid off, as it were, allowing the (sometimes ugly) reality to come in to view, gives you the opportunity to tend to and heal what is necessary.

On another note, maybe are holding on to dreams and desires that require action, structure, and support in order to become a reality. While living in the fantasy of what could be can feel nice for a time, it can come with a tendency to avoid taking necessary steps to make change. Of course, too much reality (see: everything happening in the world right now) can debilitate us. Healthy doses of imagination, creativity, and fantasy about how the world might look are incredibly valuable. Imagining something that doesn’t yet exist is a remarkably liberating and essential process for change and evolution. Libra season is here to help us balance this fantasy with reality. It offers us the vision of what it looks like for our worlds to be equanimous, harmonious, and flourishing. Aries reminds us that without tangible action, without active participation, without making the change required for living in new ways, we have nothing but smoke and mirrors.

So take action on this full moon. Check in with yourself, seek revelation about that which you have willfully overlooked. If you feel stuck or uncertain, move. Go for a walk, dance, shake it out. Remind yourself that you have autonomy. Wield the fiery impulses of Aries intentionally so that you may make some necessary change toward a more balanced and harmonious life. Sending full moon blessings!

As always, our new moon provides us with a deep inhale, expanse, and opening. Imbued by the void, the new moon whispers to us what might become, with a bit of curiosity, creativity, and intention. In Virgo, we are particularly interested in what nourishes. What provides. What it requires to make the entire thing function well. Whatever your “it” is, this Virgo season gives us a heavy dose of awareness and introspection. An earthy element of grounded and practical matters. Virgo loves to get to the bottom of it all, figure out how things can work more efficiently, effectively, and sustainably.

The corresponding tarot card for Virgo season happens to be the Hermit. The Hermit is an appropriate choice for Virgo, because it speaks to a turning away from the outer world in order to explore the terrains within. To know thyself, to be aware of all we are, who we are, why and what we are - is a deep and profound process, indeed. If you have spent the last several months on the expanse of spring and summer, seasons that swell and build and sustain growing life, we are now reminded, on the precipice of transition, that we prepare to turn inward. Fall and winter are contracting seasons, pulling us to our inner sanctuaries and allowing us to tend to the inner gardens. We prepare to slow down, to clean up, and to begin to store our resources for the long nights ahead. We bring our light of humble awareness along with us to see what we might find on the journey within.

Here, we find a connection to the concept of individuation - a holistic process in which one strives to make all that is unconscious, conscious - so we may move more intentionally and less automatically, so that we may walk with wisdom and presence, towards alignment and truth. Of course, on this journey to individuation, it doesn’t mean all becomes perfect once we become aware of our what’s and why’s and how’s of identity. But it does mean that we can confront ourselves, all parts of us as a whole, and work intentionally towards bringing harmony among the fragments and disparate parts. We begin to see ourselves as a collective, with a variety of needs and wants, desires and dreams, occasionally contradictory, often in tension or conflict, as our ego attempts to push away and shun the aspects of ourselves that are unacceptable. When we can bring this truth to ourselves, to see things more clearly as they are, instead of applying our own illusions and misconceptions onto them, we can learn how to accept the presence of varying needs and wants without giving in to them or allowing them to take over unknowingly.

On this Virgo new moon, you are invited to explore your inner terrain. Perhaps there is an aspect of you waiting to be discovered, bringing a new illumination. Or maybe there is a forgotten element of you ready to shine once again. To explore what this version of you needs to feel fulfilled, bring awareness to it. Listen. In this space, nonjudgment, patience, and acceptance is encouraged. Now, it’s important to note that acceptance doesn’t mean approval or submission. Acceptance is simply taking reality on reality’s terms. This element exists, which you can validate and confirm. You accept its existence. What you decide to do with it is up to you entirely. How can this be a gift to you, for you? Maybe you try a new hobby or engage in something you enjoy that you haven’t done in a long time. Whatever the act, know that you are in the spirit of breathing in on the new moon. Allow this breath to fill you completely as you begin to take it in. Let it be a new breath to open you to new horizons about yourself and the world around you, to prepare you for the aligning and balancing season of Libra, coming soon.

We’re finally out of eclipse season and have an oracle spread for you. Sit with your inner knowing and see what comes your way. May you find a new light among the shadows, prime for illuminating that which is rich and fulfilling. May it meet you with purpose and with value beyond measure.

The Pisces moon comes in full on Friday, alongside a partial lunar eclipse. This lunation gives us a bit of a turbo charge when it comes to themes of the Virgo/Pisces connection. As opposing signs, Virgo has a knack for getting down to the nitty gritty. Virgo thrives in the knowledge of exactly how everything is put together, how it all works, and if necessary, how to make it work more effectively and efficiently. As an earth sign, Virgo lavishes in the fullness of the season - just a bit more before we bid summer adieu - the greens and the harvests of the fruits of our labor these past months. And Mercury is in full force - how can one best analyze, articulate, and execute what needs to be done? Virgo sees with intricate eyes all that it can, taking in the knowledge and information in order to best move forward.

Pisces, on the other hand, brings everything together as one. Where Virgo categorizes and separates, Pisces merges it all to blend together. The watery nature of Pisces brings the essence of melting all the variables into one. Though this opposing pair can have a tendency to come up against one another in this way, they each offer a great deal of wisdom for us to be able to participate in a balancing act on this full moon. And as mutable signs, Virgo and Pisces both offer us the encouragement to make use of what is right in front of us and to adjust accordingly, with a healthy dose of flexibility and finesse.

The Pisces moon arrives with a reminder to tap into our emotional bodies as well as the spheres of our intellects. At its most challenging, Virgo energy can leave us ruminating and fixating on what the “right” answers are. Pisces comes with a healthy dose of somatic awareness, tapping in to our intuitive nature, our psychic prowess, reminding us that not all we experience is tangible, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. On this full moon, we are encouraged to reconnect to our intuitive faculties, to reconnect to our hearts, to allow room for the formless and abstract mysteries to flow freely.

As with all full moons, we are taking a collective exhale, letting go of that which is required for us to prepare for the next breath. Pisces is especially adept at letting go, being last in the astrological cycle. It is the great surrender. As all joins together as one, we are encouraged to release the resistance to change and the holding on to that which is no longer relevant. This eclipse cycle is also the last in the Virgo/Pisces channel as the nodes fully shift into Aquarius and Leo from here on out. The moon is a release, the eclipse is a release, and Pisces in and of itself is a release. Pay attention to what is no longer pulling your attention, the things that don’t feel comfortable or fitting any longer, the outdated and outgrown narratives that perhaps you may have a tendency to cling to. Let go or be dragged, as they say. Perhaps you may not have any concrete reasoning or hard facts as to why things must shift. But trust your gut - and surrender to the flow.

Pisces is truly the great harbinger of surrender, and when we intentionally surrender - to ourselves, our egos, our attachments - we allow for clarity of mind, heart, and action. We can move in ways that serve what is to come, because of course, every new beginning requires a release. Release what you will on this full moon, and may it be a valuable release for you to endure. Be patient with yourself and with others, gentle to yourself and others. Allow compassion to be present. We are sending much love. Full moon blessings!

As a reminder: the nodes are the points which our sun and moon move and form their path around the earth. This path creates eclipses when the sun and moon overlap points. Our north node is currently transiting from Pisces to Aquarius, and the south node is transiting from Virgo to Leo. If you were born with your north and south node in Aquarius and Leo respectively, you are experiencing your nodal return. If you have prominent planets in Aquarius or Leo, this particular eclipse cycle may feel more intense and personal.

Historically, eclipse season was fraught with unpredictable and superstitious energy. The luminaries were literally going dark for a time, power sources making an energetic shift. Being in this unknown space was scary for us humans who didn’t know what would happen when the skies went dark. And thus, the eclipses became known for their connection to fate, sudden disruptions and transformations, profound insights, revelation, and upheaval. On a natal chart, where your north and south nodes are provide insight into what you are bringing into this world in your lifetime - the north node, and what you are cycling away from - the south node. It is important to be mindful as the north node is correlated with excess and the south node is correlated with deficiency. It is our task in this lifetime to learn how to balance our nodal energies so we are exploring our inherent polarities - or extremes - with the opposing energy of the signs, and actively working with themes of attachment/detachment in healthy ways.

As the nodes shift, this general essence also rings true for each of us. Collectively, we will be experiencing the north node in Aquarius - meaning we are working with the Aquarian themes of innovation, transformation, activism, and authority for the next year and a half. With Leo in the south node, we are to move away from a centric, individualistic-based identity and into more collective notions of what it means to be human, what works best for the good of all rather than for the individual person, and how we can take our collective similarities to bring unity and new connections. We can watch out for shadowy Leo tendencies like pride, arrogance, dismissiveness, and the need for external validation. We can also watch out for shadowy Aquarian tendencies taking root - such as superiority, alienation, shying away from personal responsibility, rigidity, aloofness, inflexibility.

To complicate matters, Pluto is also now in Aquarius, which highlights the more shadowy aspects of Aquarian energy. And in Leo season, on the Leo new moon, we’re tasked with bringing awareness to these shadow elements and working diligently on our balancing act. Just as we explored at the Aquarius full moon, we’re not looking to go from one extreme to another ad infinitum - instead, we’re exploring HOW to find the balance, the midpoint - the third way - when we take both extremes into account.

Since this moon is in a fire element, it would be of value to explore some movement-based practices to usher in the new moon. Perhaps you may try some balancing poses, or engage in an activity the requires balancing - what we do with one side of the body, we must also do with the other to bring balance. Consider the balance between personal and collective, self and other, part and whole. How do these extremes work together? How do you see them working right now, currently, in your own life - and in the lives of those around you? Allow yourself to be seen for being uniquely you - one in the all.

As with our eclipses, we take a pause for the month from tarot and oracle readings. We give ourselves a break from manifestation. Ask the universe, your guides, the divinity within you to help you find a balance within. See what comes up when you explore the balancing act of this Aquarius/Leo eclipse season. Can we boldly be humble? Will our self-illumination shine on others? Does the light within me also honor the light within you? May the ways you work with yourself lead to deeper insights and revelations within. May they transcend to the external and have a sustainable, supportive, loving impact on those around you. New moon eclipse blessings!

Welcome friends! We are in the heart of summer, our full expanse. Days are long and toasty and we’re reigning through the halls of Leo season - the season of the sun, elemental fire, sign of the lion. With all its boldness, courage, lustrousness, and warmth, Leo season is the time to shine if ever there was one. Perhaps you are one of those “I can’t believe summer’s almost over, I can’t believe its nearly August” folks who’s been spreading this slander about summer, but rest assured - we are situated smack-dab in the middle of our season. Leo, the fixed sign, provides us with the mid-point of our expansive summery story. And bright the story is. Leo loves to shine. A necessary force, bright-eyed, glowing, and eager to show off. Show off what, exactly? All can be seen when it’s struck by the light of the sun. And of course, the sun is necessary - we literally wouldn’t survive without it, but it can come with some detrimental forces. The intensity, relentlessness, and unforgiving nature of the sun’s rays. Here, we take caution, for we may get burned.

Enter the Aquarius full moon.

As far as unlikely partnerships go, the Aqua/Leo compliment is a unique one, indeed. Where Leo can have a tendency to get hyper-focused, to hog the spotlight, to be the biggest star in the sky, Aquarius is too busy taking us further and further away. Reminding us that the sun is but one star, in a galaxy full of billions. On earth, and in our solar system, it is a necessary force for life as we know it. But once we get to the great beyond, Leo becomes one little fish in a very, very immense pond.

What’s interesting is that right now, there are a lot of big-shift transits happening in our solar system. But full disclosure: sometimes the “once in a lifetime transit” and “never before experienced conjunction” schtick of astrology can get a little overwhelming and start to feel like a gimmick. It seems that something huge is always happening, and it is, but much of our lives in the day-to-day aren’t huge monumental turning points. And also, all of life feels a little (or a lot) intense, all of the time. So, now is a wise time to notice and observe, but if you start to feel wrapped up in the drama of it all, remember to give yourself a little distance from the stars and ground yourself in the tangible. The full moon in Aquarius is prime for being able to take a large-perspective observation, rather than focusing in on the nitty gritty details. If you have gotten caught up in the drama of life - that is, any drama at all - this moon is here to remind us of the power of healthy detachment. Its a good time to remember our ever-shifting and changing moods and emotions. Whatever comes up for us now, despite its tensions or intensities, will ultimately pass. We can view whatever comes our way as information. Providing us with some context for what is going on in our inner domain. The moon - our emotions, our intuition, our unconscious, our depths - is given a little perspective in the sign of Aquarius. By nature, our air sign elements generally offer us a bit of objectivity. We have the ability to notice and consider rather than react.

Nevertheless, there have been some really huge things happening in our skies, astrologically speaking. We’ve spoken about all the planetary shifts over the past few months. There have also been some pretty major interactions between these planets, all situated in new signs. This push-pull tension we are exploring during our Aquarius full moon in Leo season is also happening now with our sun, moon, Jupiter, and Pluto. Jupiter, newly in donned in Leo makes opposition to this moon, and Pluto, traversing through Aquarius in its early stages, makes a conjunction. Jupiter, the planet of expanse, and Pluto, the planet of transformation. Not only that - the same formation is also happening with the sun in Leo - a conjunction to Jupiter in Leo and an opposition to Aquarius in Pluto. When conjunctions happen, it’s a validation - a supportive nod. The influence is doubled. With an opposition, it increases the tension. The opposing qualities are exaggerated. We can really see and feel the extremes of one to another. There’s a lot going on out there.

Since the complimentary aspects coming up around the Aquarius/Leo dynamic are more pronounced, this moon may indeed be a bit more intense. This tension, of course, tasks us with finding the balance. We do our best here to notice the tendency to lean from one extreme to the other and in that noticing, we would be wise to move toward the middle path. The opposing sign each month gives us an opportunity to balance the energetic lessons from the season at hand. In Leo, we are offered a crash course in warmth, individuality, boldness, and visibility. The Aquarius moon offers us the awareness that we aren’t the only one. That sometimes life is cold and unforgiving. That we are in service to the whole of it all. It tasks us with remembering our personal place among the collective so that confidence doesn’t become arrogance and our brightness doesn’t become burning. The moon provides us with a reminder that we’re all in this together. The one in the all. And as each of us make up one piece, one integral aspect, we must set our vision for the whole of it all.

In all of its individuality and boldness, Leo can have a tendency to go off on an ego trip. But the real essence of Leo isn’t being the only one - it is rather a bight and bold reminder that we all carry a unique essence, an important soul-ingredient in the mix of life. Without the one, each part and aspect, the whole wouldn’t be. Aquarius brings this reminder that in order to work collectively, we all must tap into and access the unique aspects we bring to the table, and to bring them in earnest, in service of the highest good.

Of course, this can highlight our own inner tensions and contradictions. Desire to be seen but can’t stand the thought of being perceived? Want to be in relationship but also love to be alone? Ready for the revolution and also afraid of the pressure and unknowns it could bring? These are the crux of our inner tensions, our inner contradictions. And on our full moon especially, we find a way to illuminate what has been keeps us stagnant so we can make choices about how to proceed.

It can be quite helpful to give whatever comes up for us a voice in earnest. If you are someone who both desires to be seen and cannot stand the thought of being perceived, see if you can get to know each aspect of yourself. Flesh them out. Notice how they would present themselves. Give each part equal time to share their perspective, without judgment. The part of you that wants to be seen - for what? And why? The part of you that needs privacy, to stay hidden away - what is the reason? In this way, we validate both voices. Our core present self is the mediator and negotiator between the two. We listen, we explore, and we negotiate a way to balance both opposing qualities.

Of course, our core present self - the us that is doing life right now, reading this, comprehending it, putting it together - is also responsible for our values and our integrity. This core self calls the shots - how we act, how we behave, the things we ultimately do. We utilize what matters to us - our ethical sense of self - to ultimately move in balance with our inner contradictions.

On this full moon, perhaps there’s something of an inner conflict coming up for you. Give it room to exist. So often, when something we don’t like or can’t make sense of comes up, we can have a tendency to push it away. To suppress it, ignore it, avoid it, chastise it. When we give ourselves, every part of us, an opportunity to be heard and understood, we can more fully develop a balancing and compromising relationship to ourselves.

May the intensity of this full moon, of the stars, of ourselves, of life in general, be kind to you. May it provide an opportunity for you shed some spaces that have kept you stagnant, to try on a new perspective, to come to a fuller sense of balance within. We are sending many blessings! See you again at the new moon.

As a water sign, Cancer speaks to our emotional bodies. It touches on the fluidity and formlessness of our perceptions, intuitions, and moods. Just like the tides of the ocean, we ebb and flow. Cancer is at home in the moon, as its ruling body. When these two link up, there is a feeling of alignment. With Mercury - planet of communication, analytics, and logic, and with Neptune - planet of dreams, illusions, intuitions, and abstracts paired together influencing our experiences right now, this moon is encouraging us to explore how to balance the both/and.

Our emotional bodies sometimes get a bad rap. They’re unpredictable. Unfathomable. They can alter our perception, change our minds about reality, cause us to go mad. They’re so unpredictable, in fact, that society has spent aeons attempting to control the emotional tides of our human experience through rationality. Plato and Socrates began explorations of the rational man way back in ancient times. The enlightenment period in the 17 and 1800s brought droves of revival around rationality and birthed us into the age of reason. Empiricism and evidence-based practices became the prerequisite for the authority which stands today. Along the way, intentional or not, we lost an ability to promote, explore, and experience the less concrete aspects of our human experience.

Our season of Cancer is ruled by the tarot of The Chariot, which is all about balancing the light and dark aspects of self. Sometimes considered the external and internal elements, the masculine and the feminine, the known and the unknown, the tamed and the untamed, the order and the chaos. Collectively speaking, we’ve had a long time of focusing solely on the aspects of light, of the known and knowable, the measurable, the masculine, the ordered, the rational. To throw us into darkness means to throw us into the unknown, the uncontrollable, the wild, the chaotic, the mad, the feminine. It doesn’t take much looking around at the current state of things to see these two at play in just about every facet of our lives. We’ve gotten one side of the coin for quite a long time. We are invited here, in this season of our chariot-balancing water sign, to learn how to make space for the other.

Of course, your personal experiences may differ slightly from the collective trends. Whether you are more versed in navigating the throes of the unknown and often unknowable, the mysteries of life, the mysticisms and darkness of the wild, or whether you have a tendency to be quite rational, structured, orderly, and concrete all depends on where your experience has taken you. This moon is a call for us to explore the spectrum of order and chaos. Where are we? Are there spaces or areas in our lives that require more balancing of one or the other? Perhaps we may like to invite some discipline to our chaotic nature. Conversely, perhaps we may want to loosen our grip on the reigns of order and allow for some yielding to the mysteries.

Because when we are in a more balanced place, we begin to learn how to hold space for our emotions. Rather than accepting them as facts, we look to emotions as information. What they are informing us can be connected to a myriad of things, often just outside of our rational faculties. We can stay with the concrete and also allow intuition to reveal how we might move through the world, and discern what our emotions, our intuitions, and our fluid nature may be saying to us. When we invite in curiosity and detachment, and apply a bit distance in our observations, we stop identifying ourselves so strongly with the issue at hand. We can look at it from multiple perspectives, explore, experiment, and try new things as a way to respond. And in this way, we allow for our known and ordered ways of being to make room for our mysterious and unknowable chaos. Rather than attempting to control and overpower, we learn how to work with what is there. To negotiate a way forward, not suppressing or controlling, but with a gentle compassionate firmness. To validate our whims without losing ourselves to them. And in this balancing act, we find ourselves at the seat of wisdom, able to drive the chariot on successfully.

We have a tarot spread for you and we are hoping you are making your way through this retrograde Cancer season with patience and intentionality. Remember, it’s ok to go slow. Sometimes it’s a requirement. Cancer encourages our slowness, our comfort, our supportiveness, our nourishment. Do something on this deep inhale new moon to nourish yourselves. New moon blessings!

Welcome all, to Cancer season. We’ve made it, our the season of summer. Everything is expanding. Day is longer, weather is milder, and all the world’s a buzz. We’re here now, a week into Cancer’s watery wisdom, and we’re bestowed with a full moon in Capricorn. With Cancer as the ruler of the moon, our Capricorn struggles a bit, the moon is a sign of its detriment. But as with all tensions and challenges in the zodiac, the offers an opportunity to be intentional about how we work with this full moon. And Capricorn has much to offer us now. We are culminating, we are rising, we are taking a collective exhale, purposeful and with ambition, as the moon rises high in Cancer’s sign of counterpart.

The Cancer and Capricorn correlation stands out. It contains perhaps one of the more obvious duos with traits that stand apart as well as in similarity. These signs have an opportunity to play off of one another quite well. They are the mom and dad of the zodiac - one nurturing, comforting, homey, moody, and fluid, and the other providing, structured, cautious, ambitious, stoic, and somewhat distant. When they learn how to work together, they can become a powerful, unstoppable force, with much to provide about learning when to offer and learning when to allow. When to comfort and when to let things be. When the duo embraces a both/and approach, we see magic.

Both of these signs are cardinal, and our cardinal signs mark the beginning of new seasons throughout the year. They are the great manifestors, powerful self-motivators, and let’s-get-this-party-started initiators. This energy provides us with an opportunity to let go of limitations and to embrace our wild ideas for nurturing and loving the world around us. It encourages us to put in the work to ensure we are present to the needs of ourselves and of those around us.

Does anyone remember a number of months ago, during our Capricorn new moon in January, when we explored discipline as an expansive practice? If you have been thinking about discipline, practicing it, struggling to work with it, or even lightyears away from any sort of disciplined practice, well, this moon is your call-back reminder. Luna is knocking on your front door. Will you answer? What did you explore committing to back in the winter? How have you been doing? This moon is a perfect opportunity to see where the road has taken you since the winter months. Perhaps even more generally than that - no matter where you’ve been with discipline, what has worked well for you these past months? What has allowed you more freedom, more autonomy, more expansive practices? Where have you found yourself called or drawn to recently? And on the other side of that - where have you felt drained? Worn out? Losing energy at a rapid pace? Tired? These thoughtful check-ins can allow us to explore how we can more intentionally carve out our pathway forward.

On this full moon, we’re invited to work with this culmination of the things that have led us here now, and to continue working in earnest on the ones we’ve committed to and are working for our best practice. We’re also encouraged to release and let go of the things that haven’t been working out so well. Especially if those things provide us some comfort or familiarity in some way, yet aren’t serving us sustainably. In our watery season of Cancer, with the earthy full moon in Capricorn, we’re graced with an opportunity to be honest with ourselves about the ways we may be tempted to allow comfort and ease to keep us stuck. Our beautiful Cancerian influence in turn teaches us a thing or two about nurturing a departure or supporting ourselves through a let-go moment. Perhaps we are remembering how to invite some play and lightheartedness into our discipline. Maybe we are offering comfort and support to the places within that usually go unnoticed. The parts of ourselves that take care of the basics - food, shelter, essential resources - we send out a bit of gratitude for the work we do to ensure our needs are met.

There’s also a bit of a creative element imbued within this moon. The Capricorn influence to our moods and emotions may have a tendency to remain steadfast, stoic, and unfeeling. But if we are able to balance with the influence of the Cancer energy, we open ourselves up to explore our need for expression. To tap into creative depths and utilizing this structured energy to work through an artistic endeavor. The watery energy combined with the groundedness can offer us much by way of creativity. Get it out it in whatever ways honor you.

Finally, we also officially begin another Mercury retrograde on this full moon. Mercury is positioning retrograde, also in Cancer, for the next couple of weeks. We enter into a period of re-ing: reflect, remember, reevaluate, review, revise, renew. In Cancer, this can produce some watery, nostalgic, and moody themes around communication. You can set an intention with this Capricorn full moon to allow yourself to remain diligent about how you remember and reevaluate things. Its important to reflect, but it may not be prudent to actually go back and re-hash or attempt to reconfigure things all over again. Try to keep your head above water. When all else fails, float.

We are sending you many blessings on this Cappy full moon. May you honor yourself and your expansiveness.

Welcome friends, to our beautiful Gemini new moon. We’re here in the final days of Gemini season, inching closer to the solstice and the shift from spring to summer. I surely hope you’ve felt the warmth, vibrancy, and aliveness that so often comes with the changing of these seasons. After navigating some difficult turbulence with many substantial sky transitions over the past few months, June brings with it a nice respite and a sweet spot for this new moon in Gemini.

Gemini is our beloved air sign - mercurial, communicative, analytical, insatiably curious, pithy, quick with a joke, clever, and oh-so witty. Represented by the sign of the twins, Gemini is our symbolic representation of the light and dark sides of all of us - our inherent duality and multitude of contradictions, coming together in order to allow us to live more authentically. Just as we breathe - in and out, so too must we embark on this task of embracing the opposite tensions of life.

As we breathe our collective inhale on this new moon, I invite you to consider what it is exactly you’re breathing your life into. Since Gemini also represents the messenger - and as with all air signs - our thoughts, communications, narratives, patterns, etc, we’re particularly interested in exploring what those narratives are and how we breathe our life into them. The new moon offers us an opportunity to pay particular attention to the stories we tell ourselves and tell others about ourselves. Oftentimes, the way in which we speak is representative of our deeply-held beliefs about ourselves and about the world around us. Gemini reminds us here that words are spells, and how we communicate represents what we speak into being. We are, after all, actively defining ourselves to the world around us. So this moon comes with questions. Is the story still true? Is there a way to address it differently, or to see a new perspective that you hadn’t considered before? Perhaps you’ve been in the theatre of your life watching the play all along from in the wings. What would happen if you were to go out and sit front and center? Left or right? How about in a balcony seat? How might your narrative change, how might your perspective shift, if you were to change the way in which you view the story all together?

The benefit - and sometimes the demise - of Gemini season lies within this ability to see varying perspectives. To look at things differently, creatively, curiously. To open opportunity for new possibilities and perspectives in any given situation. Its demise, of course, is ultimately in deception - over-looking or deceiving how we present ourselves. However, this mutable Gemini energy turns to gold when we’re able to wield it with intentionality and empowerment. In this practice of trying on new perspectives, we invite our friends of wisdom and discernment along for the ride to keep us moving with integrity. To tell the truth, always, but to not let it define us or inhibit us so strongly that it becomes our identity. We are mindful here of our limiting statements. Our insulting statements. Our scarcity statements. The things we say that are critical, harsh, and demeaning. We are, after all, defining ourselves as we go. The world is ours to create. This moon invites our perspective to widen and shift into abundance.

Our new moon is also asking that we not only edit our self-talk, but we also learn how to embody it. To integrate it into your being. Not only to think about it or to talk about it, but to attach some form of action or behavior that correlates so you can really live in it. It can be as simple as a physical movement or an act of creativity - whatever you do, make it a sacred practice to honor a new perspective. We have a new moon tarot spread for you, and we are sending you many Gemini blessings! May your perspectives shift in ever-growing, expansive, and sustainable ways.

At the heart of Gemini season, our expression of understanding is often analytical. How does it all connect? How does it relate? Sometimes in this quest for answers, we end up having too many options, many multitudes of possibilities for how things are. Gemini is gifted with the ability to see things from various angles and gives us a unique opportunity to understand the shadowy realms of our depth in order to learn how to live more consciously and thus, more harmoniously. When the Sagittarius moon comes into play, that expanse of information gets targeted. The archer comes through to shoot far and wide, looking to hit a certain exacting point, a new realm for discovery.

So what propels you forward? If you’ve found yourself stuck in a loop, going round and round the same things with no aim in site, where can you pivot and focus in order to reach a new point? What is drawing your attention now? What is ready to continue its growth process in new and exciting ways?

Perhaps this moon is a crucial moment for seeds that you planted over the past several months/years/decades/lifetimes. What you are growing now is beginning to come alive, really alive, growing into fruit for your nourishment. The expanse that we meet here on this full moon is meant to help us grow, under the right conditions and with the proper care and tending. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, and the moon is ruled by Cancer. With this full moon in Sagittarius and Jupiter in Cancer until the end of June, these luminaries swap places to offer wisdom in one another’s domiciles. Cancer, and thus the moon, appreciates a luxurious expanse for its own moody well-being. It likes having lots of room to build a comfortable, nurturing space. Sagittarius, and thus Jupiter, gently encourages, through optimism and unwavering faith in the universe, openness and new possibilities for transformation. These two inspire each other here and now, inviting us all to open ourselves to new transformations towards a more vibrant and interconnected way of being.

Our moon in Sagittarius is also bold, fierce, and courageous. It asks us to feel the depths of our emotional selves, whatever we may be feeling, savory, unsavory, or any space in between. We are invited here to really feel it, and in good faith, to see it through to the other side. And there is an other side, Sagittarius assures us. We must be brave enough to move through it in order to learn and to grow. We are promised by our dear Sagittarius friend that it will be worth the effort and the energy. So why not appreciate the ride while you’re at it?

May this moon bring you luck and fortune. May it help you appreciate the blessings, the abundance, the expanse in it all. As we grow, we fulfill a place that was once empty. Full moon blessings!

True wealth isn’t only (or even mostly) about money, and living abundantly means we are alive in the fullness of ourselves. Our values, our integrity, our community - the things that matter most to us - that is where our treasures lie.

This moon encouraged us to get serious about making a commitment to pleasure and abundance - not mindlessly, but with intention. For when we set intention towards these things, we find blessing in the most unexpected of places. We find growth in areas we weren’t even necessarily looking for it. We aren’t here for mindless consumption and needless excess. We are here to live abundantly, sustainably, with all the gifts this world has to offer us.

Sending well wishes and abundant offerings on this Taurus new moon. May your days be full of growing love.

If Aries season is about the spark, the beginning, the dawn of the fire we need to get us going, Taurus season is about the slow growth process that occurs after that dawning of first light. Taurus is an earth sign, after all, Venusian in nature, and likes to take its time. It appreciates the slowness of allowing things to come on their own accord, not forcing, not rushing. Indeed, Taurus can get somewhat bull-headed and stubborn if pushed to act against its will. But move we must, in this season of growth, and we learn through the energy of Taurus that everything comes at its own accord. If we must force it, it’s out of alignment. So here we practice the art of taking our time, and seeing what will bloom as we go.

We’re met here in Taurus season on May Day, the first of the month, and also Beltane, of pagan tradition. Beltane is the spring awakening, the fertility and protection celebration, honoring life and all its offerings. We’re also met here today with the full moon in Scorpio. Scorpio rules the still waters that run deep within us. On the other side of the coin, Scorpio brings a reminder of what comes on the other side of the season of life - the season of death. Scorpio is a powerful water sign, carrying an energy that the moon struggles in. Our moon prefers comfort, ease, nurturance, and support - Scorpio is on the scene to tell the truth, comfortable or not. Easy or difficult. Scorpio has a knack for saying the things that have gone unsaid, the things we would’ve rather avoided, the things we use as excuses. Scorpio has the ability to strip us of these comforts, these sugar-coats - to get to the heart of what must be done in order for us to be whole. And sometimes that means we must be honest with ourselves about a truth that is painful or uncomfortable.

The full moon Scorpio is really here to set us free. We still are being a bit influenced by much Aries energy, and both of these signs are traditionally ruled by Mars. The action-orienter. The go-getter. The confronter. The get-shit-done-er. With this influence, the moon is essentially saying that the ways in which we’ve avoided, ignored, forgotten, and left aside are the things that are keeping us stuck in place. They’re the extra baggage, the weight we’re carrying that is holding us back. These things that keep us trapped will destroy us.

So what’s your hang-up? Whats the thing that is keeping you stuck in place? Is it a long-held belief that you’ve used as an excuse to avoid doing the necessary work to change? Is it the protective barriers you’ve built up to keep yourself safe from the outside world, that actually have just become your own prison? Is it a job, a relationship, or a place that you keep allowing to hold you, even though you see the signs of stagnation everywhere you look? A major tenant of growth is also the pruning process. The letting go. The release of that which has gotten to be too much, in order for us to keep growing in full, we must take away what is keeping us stuck in place.

So may this full moon be a release of sorts for you, may you have the courage to tell yourself the truth in the ways you need to hear it, and may you have the resolve to act on what you learn about yourself through this process. May the moon in Scorpio illuminate and shine its supportive light upon you, so that you may move stronger in truth and with compassion to honor your authentic self, you dynamic being, growing and transforming throughout this season and beyond. It’s all for your benefit. May it be so.

Fire changes things. It is the spark, the lit match, the candle, the bonfire. It can also be the explosion, the house burning down, the forest fire. Fire is alchemy. Its heat provides warmth and life, gives the ability to shape tools and resources, allows us to turn inedible foods into nourishment. Fire makes change. And, it has the potential to be catastrophic. It burns. With this much heat in the skies, we must be mindful now of how we are moving, where, and why.

As we consider all of the ways we move, we are reminded also of our body’s innate sense of resiliency. Our ability to navigate through stressors and difficulties with instinctual protective and survival responses that allow us to keep going through it all. The bulk of our behaviors are a function of survival, even if they don’t always feel helpful or useful in the moment. Our minds are constantly filtering through information, which comes from our five senses, to decide whether we’re safe or not. This information about our experiences in the world form neural pathways and networks in the brain to build maps of what we know. Once upon a time, this network was thought to be a fixed thing - scientists and early developmental theorists believed that once we hit adulthood, our brains stopped developing, and thus we, too, were crystallized with all the information we had. No chance for change. Then, in the late 19th and early 20th century, it was discovered that our brains actually have quite a bit of neuroplasticity - meaning we are able to shift and change as we receive new information or have experiences that confront the original network paths, for as long as we are alive.

If we think of our brains as a large, dense forest areas and the neural pathways that form connections as hiking trails, then the most used trails are well-worn and grooved-in deeply, marked well, hard to miss, hard to lose. When something happens to obstruct these paths, like a fallen tree or a landslide, new paths are found on the trails to link the routes together again. This makes for an incredibly resilient and adaptable system. But our neuroplasticity also means we have the capacity to intentionally go off trail and form our own new neural networks, or new hiking trails. Yes, we have the capacity - we are free to shift and change, form new routes, find new ways of being and doing - but this isn’t entirely comfortable for our processing system. The brain prefers our familiar patterns, even if it means we’re walking alongside a treacherous cliff for many miles, or moving through an environment where the terrain is rocky and unforgiving. Even if it may be damaging and scary to our bodies over time to walk on such precarious trails, our brains still prefer the familiar, simply because the familiar is comfortable, well-known, and predictable. We like having the answers. We like knowing what’s coming - even if it’s a familiar hellscape of life, rather than having to anticipate the unknown, unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and uncertain.

We also save energy by making our usual routes automatic - and don’t we love that efficiency. Saving energy by going into autopilot - yes, it takes more energy to be mindfully aware of ourselves and our choices. And actually, we love to think we’re in control of ourselves ever-so-much more than we actually are. The bulk of our processing and decision making is done based on automatically repeating the patterns, precisely because these patterns are so familiar and comfortable to us. To be curious, to experiment, to try new things and to put ourselves in unfamiliar places - this all requires an intentional letting go of control. Better the known, the familiar, and the predictable, than relinquishing these guarantees and feeling out of control. And control, by the way, isn’t such a dirty word - we need it. We need to connect to a sense of autonomy, of agency, and of independence. But to truly be able to do so, we also must practice awareness, which takes energy and requires a great deal of motivation and willpower.

Perhaps you may already be thinking of some themes or patterns that are defining factors in your life experience. Maybe you’re already aware of the hiking trails that are overdue for a change, and you’ve been trying to make sense of where to begin. Aries tells us there’s no better time than NOW. And wouldn’t you know it? Aries is also the ruler of the head - all those beautiful trails in there and the moves we make on autopilot in order to allow our processing system be so efficient and effective - we’re coming for you. Perhaps this new moon is time to make a commitment to be more intentional and mindful of where we’re going on our wilderness journey.

In addition to ruling the head, Aries is also the cardinal yang energy. Yang is synonymous with masculine, outward-facing, activating, day/light. Yang is the outward motion. So the energy now is moving fast, bursting forth ready and raring to go. In its most difficult times, Aries energy reacts rather than responds, acts before it thinks, and moves impulsively rather than with discernment. So the objective here during our Aries new moon, in our Aries season, with so many other strong influences in Aries all at once is to practice discernment, practice intentionality, practice awareness. And, of course, to try something new. Because this energy tends not to overthink its actions before taking them, we’re in a prime season now to try it in a different way. Many of our neural pathways/hiking trails are well-worn for a reason. Because they work in some way or another, they’re the most efficient and quickest way at getting done what we need. But just like that bonfire that quickly turns into a wildfire, we must keep watch what we are doing as we move on our path, lest our fire becomes uncontrollable.

So on this new moon, consider what changes you’re ready to make with this momentous opportunity. What new things await down the trails less traveled? Remind yourself of the difference between being uncomfortable and unsafe. We are working with discernment here especially. Remember to give yourself a pause as often and as long as you need to, before you say the thing, do the thing, or move the thing in autopilot towards the direction of the familiar. It’s time to try it in a new way.

We are sending many new moon blessings. May this new year bring the fire you need within to warm you and move you to bright, new places.

As we are imbued once again with this spark of life, we prepare for our Libra full moon. While Aries is first out of the gate, Libra resides right in the middle of the show. She’s an air sign, ruled by Venus, and this aesthetically pleasing, beauty-mongering sign supports our need for balance. Aries, on the other hand, acts with urgency. It is pure impulse, pushing that which is dull and stagnant out of complacency and into motion. It doesn’t care so much for balance or equanimity, rather, it carries the torch that lights the flame to illuminate all around us and move where needed.

But balance, of course, is necessary for sustainability. In the midst of Aries’ act first think later mentality, we are reminded of the fleeting and often damaging nature of extremes. The world exists in balance - a healthy ecosystem is a balanced ecosystem, each in harmony with its own elements and the requirements that are needed to maintain life. Whatever we begin now, we we must be prepared to deal with the ramifications of what we put into motion.

This Libra moon is here to help us establish a sense of balance. Where things are off-kilter, Libra steps in to provide what is needed to maintain the middle way. Finding balance isn’t a passive, hands-off kind of thing. It is a dynamic, shifting, ever-moving, and active task. Thus, with Libra in the picture on this full moon, we are tasked with taking a look at our own momentous nature. How are we moving through the world now? What changes are occurring, within and without, that can’t be undone? How do we wish to move through as we go along, to ensure longevity? What areas of our lives need tending to - paid attention to, examined, and re-worked so that we can find the middle way?

I used to do a lot of canoeing, and I particularly liked to paddle on New England’s narrow, fast-moving streams. They are called rock gardens, since they twist and turn among the rocks left by glaciers. On these quick-silver streams if you go with the flow you will smash your canoe on a rock or find yourself side-ways to the current and be swamped. The current has the power to chew up your canoe, and even to drown you, but if you understand it you can move in harmony with it. You can dance with the current, sliding smoothly around rocks and whipping around eddies. You can do all this without working terribly hard, but it is nothing at all like “going with the flow”. It is an active engagement with natural forces, based on knowing the forces intimately so you can accord with them.

Passively going with the flow is not the kind of acceptance that we speak of. The [mindful] way says that what we need to do is accept what is at this moment, to receive things as they are, with our minds and hearts wide open, in an active engagement with life. And if you should meet a patch of calm water, you can enjoy its gentleness while it lasts, secure in the knowledge that it will soon change.

- Jisho Warner, Stone Creek Zendo

Here, we review the nature of our superpower - the breath. This Aries season is our deep and full breath all the way in. Filling up, expanding, bringing life to our bodies. Our Libra full moon is our long breath out. Our releasing exhale, letting go of that which is not serving our balancing needs. In between breaths, we rest and find our balance. But of course, we cannot only breathe in or only breathe out. We must complete both cycles in order to make one full breath.

May this Aries season bring the necessary changes to spark life into your days. And may this Libra full moon gift you with the wisdom of balance so you may find your center.

Welcome friends. We’ve reached the end. Of our astrological year, of course. But perhaps for many of us, this energetic end is beckoning something more than just a symbolic shift. If you have felt the paralysis of late winter transitioning, you are not alone. We’ve reached the end of the line, and many of us are ready for something new. Enter our new moon in Pisces. A small yet mighty opening on the precipice of ending and beginning again, rich in opportunity and greeting us with provision of sustaining support. Pisces, our last in the bunch, element of water, here to dissolve it all so that we may come out on the other side renewed. Pisces arrives with baptismal waters, and whether you are ready for it or not, things are indeed changing.

Chani once described Pisces as the waters that drip through the cracks of all the walls we build to keep everything else out. The moisture that leaks through no matter what reinforcements have been put in place. The water that floats alongside the air, the water that becomes steam, the evaporating moments. The water that exists in all things because it is all. We’ve reached a grand culmination, here in Pisces season.

The energy of Pisces is often described as dreamy, ethereal, poetic, romanic, and compassionate. On its worst days, Pisces can fall into illusions and acts of escapism as a way to cope. Given that we’ve been navigating through a Mercury retrograde period, perhaps you might spend some time considering the ways in which you’ve embodied the Piscean energy this season - how have you allowed yourself to dream, to create, to romanticise, to care? And on the other side, where have you been prone to checking out? Is there one small way you might check back in on this new moon? To take a couple of breaths and settle in to the moment?

Mercury’s retro has been swinging back also in the sign of Pisces, the place of its detriment. Mercury likes structure. Communication prioritizes cohesion. And Pisces, well, Pisces is the Cocteau Twins. Pisces is poetry at the cliffside by candlelight. Pisces communicates like the dream you had last night. Its energy moves in ebbs and flows, beyond the structures of space and time. So if the past few weeks have been challenging, confusing, or chaotic, breathe in deep and breathe out slow. Our retrograde lasts until the equinox, when it will station direct once again. It will continue to reside in Pisces until April 14th.

In addition to all of that, we’ve also just completed our eclipse season cycle. There has certainly been much commotion in the collective sphere, especially the political one. Though times may seem quite dire, it is important to remember that we carry the wisdom within us of survival. Since the beginning of time and up until this point, our lineage remains connected to others who throughout time have survived such challenges, difficulties, and suffering only to keep going. As humans we are quite resilient and rather stubborn on the survival front. We have an opportunity each moment to not only survive, but to thrive, in ways that incorporate awareness of ourselves and the people around us, that encourage presence and intentionality, that ask us to define what enough is so we may take what we need and share the rest. To thrive by remembering the interconnectedness of all things, remembering the relationship between ourselves and the environment, to the communities around us, and to all sentient beings everywhere. Indeed the times are dire, but we hold the wisdom of survival in our hands.

And we return again and again to the topic of sustainability. What sustains us, here and now? How are we held, even in the smallest, most minuscule of ways, by the world around us? How do we sustain ourselves? Oftentimes the things that do the most heavy lifting get the least credit. Reflecting now on sustainability, what provides for you, what allows you what you need to keep going? If the bulk of that work is done by yourself, perhaps the next question is this. When was the last time you really gave yourself credit for all the work you do to tend to yourself? To ensure that the house is clean, the bills are paid, the belly is full, the needs are met? That credit needn’t look like a self-serving arrogance, but rather a humbling gratitude. You really do that. Send up some thanks. And also remember that sustainability is really the interconnectedness of all things working together to make up an ecosystem. If you’ve been doing it all by yourself, perhaps now is the time to ask for support. To delegate. To allow in. A simple, yet tangible way to do this is to allow for little supports in your life. Someone offers to hold the door open for you. Gives an opportunity to merge into the traffic lane you need. Lets you go in front of them in line. If your immediate impulse is to say no, thank you, to allow them to pass, to refuse - well, perhaps its time to explore some new options.

On this new moon in Pisces, consider this a strong encouragement to honor what sustains you by allowing yourself to rest. Though you may feel the rumblings of spring beneath your skin, shake it slightly and let it settle for now. We still have a few more days until our astrological new year, our new spring, and what a spring it will be. Many of our outer planets throughout the next year (and beyond) has shifted or will shift from water and earth to fire and air. The anchors (water and earth) have lifted, and we’re preparing to take flight for huge changes. How this will play out for you and for the the rest of us is anyone’s guess at this point in time. We are on the side of supportive social change, environmental sustainability, and collective liberation. Our fingers are crossed.

If there’s just one ritual thing you might partake in on this new moon, let it be a spiritual bath or shower. We have a shortlist for you here with materials, and for this water season, may you cleanse yourself in the waters you need for new beginnings. Allow yourself to shed, to rinse, to renew. We also have our new moon tarot spread for your enjoyment.

For your spiritual soak, if you’ve never done one before, you can make it happen with things you likely have in your kitchen, such as:

Himalayan Sea Salt

Cinnamon (for abundance)

Basil (for clarity, focus, discipline)

Rosemary (for protection)

Sage (for cleansing)

Bay Leaves (for abundance and protection)

Parsley (for abundance and protection)

Thyme (for cleansing and courage)

And if you’re already an herbal soak aficionado, you may consider mixing in:

Epsom Salt

Rose Petals (for love)

Lavender (for purification, calmness, warding away negativity)

Chamomile (for relaxation, peace, rest)

Lemon Balm (for healing and joy)

Calendula (for protection and prosperity)

You can also add a small amount (tablespoon or two) of Turmeric (natural glow), Spirulina (nourishing, inflammation reducer), Rose Powder (softening, hydrating), or anything else you see fit.

Any kind of liquid oil (small amount) or a can of coconut milk to give your waters a soft, silky finish. Place your materials in any kind of cloth satchel. If you’d like, you can even make this on the stove with a steamer or strainer by placing your herbs in water, brewing a tea, straining them out, and pouring the water into the bath. Add your salts and oil, and you’re good to go. All of these things can be found at your grocery store, herbs especially, in the tea aisle!

Wishing you a very blessed new moon. Looking forward to the new year ahead.

And where are we going, exactly? In the early hours of the morning, we honor the Virgo full moon. Virgo, our earthy and analytical counterpart, has kept all the receipts. Well thought out, planned, checked, and double checked, Virgo puts in the work to keep it going. Just as Pisces brings it all together as one, Virgo sorts it out into categories and labels them all individually. We have these two opposing forces come through to remind us of the need for both the flow states and the think tanks. This full moon is here to help cultivate a new way forward. Our Piscean energy is here to remind us to do this gently, with grace and compassion.

There may be some obvious pinnings coming up for you on this Virgo full moon. What’s more is that we’re still in eclipse season, and we’re meeting a Virgo lunar eclipse here. Virgo gives us a critical eye to see things clearly. Sometimes that clarity can become judgmental, harsh, and unforgiving. So we seek a little softening now. Where can I smooth over the rough edges? Can I give some direction to myself without the criticism? Can I remember to say thank you to myself when I do something (everything) to take care of me?

Given that we’re still in eclipse season, and that Mercury is stationed retrograde for most of Pisces season (in the sign of Pisces, a Mercurial downfall), we will keep it short and sweet here. May this full moon illuminate your path in kind and unexpected ways. May you see yourself softly, through the eyes of loving kindness, as you organize what you will bring to the party. One moment at a time.

In these last two seasons of our astrological year, we get schooled relentlessly in the studies of deconstruction and dissolution. Aquarius takes us out, way, way out, to allow us a bird’s eye view. We see things differently out here. This perspective can be so helpful, but also quite disorienting. Its interesting to note that the month of February is also linked to the Roman god Februus, the god of purification. So Aquarius is essentially a time for seeing-it-for-all-it-is, followed by Pisces season, which is our depth-centric cleansing and purging season. Here, it all dissolves into one.

We’re standing on the threshold in the last degrees of Aquarius season, Pisces season is right around the corner, in the North Node, with an eclipse, on the Aqua new moon, which gives us real potency. We have a unique opportunity here to bring collective transformation to core aspects of our innermost selves.

This eclipse is happening on the north node. When north nodes are activated, we slip into a space that is unfamiliar to us. Chaos, unpredictability, and uncertainty ensue. Here, now, the cracks in the foundation are shaking. Things that have long been left in the dark are being unearthed. Its true that eclipse season is akin to the lights going out, but perhaps it is also akin to the power coming back on, with a sudden bang, flashes and sparks and all in tow.

Unsettling, surprising, yes, but not all chaos is negative. Not all unpredictability or uncertainty is bad. In these moments of eclipse season, we are reminded of the value of loosening our grip, even if just ever so slightly. We mustn’t need to white-knuckle it all in order to make it through. Oftentimes, loosening into a gentle grasp is enough to hold on to what we need, and save the rest of our energy for unexpected new horizons.

This moon is here to remind us that we have breath. And now, on this new moon, we are instructed to breathe all the way in. As fully and deeply as we can, before exhaling again. Allow for the corners and deep crevices of your lungs, the places that don’t normally receive expansion, to be fulfilled. We remember now that we must take in, we must receive in order to release. We cannot pour from an empty cup. So we breathe in, to the depths.

As we are being called towards the in-breath of expansion, we are also being called towards evolution. In the late degrees of Aquarius season, there’s also a tinge of letting go-ness here on our new moon. As the season comes to a close, we remember that though we don’t know where this new path will lead, we must trust the journey. Here, we let go of what cannot serve us up ahead. Though we may not know the whole of where we shall go or even where our next step will be, we move with intention and discernment. New wine cannot be poured into old wineskins. So, we let go what we must in order for our new selves to fit well.

Per usual during eclipse season, we take pause from pulling cards. We’ll be back in a few weeks for the Virgo full moon. Until then, remain intentional and discerning, and stay with your breath. As long as you have breath, you have options.

Leo is ruled, of course, by the sun. The whole reason we’re here. Bold, courageous, unafraid of performance. As Aquarius points to the whole, Leo comes in and calls upon us to remember the one. There is only one you, after all. Leo reminds us that without the one, there is no whole. It encourages us to stand apart in our uniqueness, to be fully ourselves. To honor our needs, priorities, and desires. It also calls upon our attentiveness. A reminder that in order to fully be our authentic ourselves, we must also be present. We must be attuned. With the Aquarian energy running high, the question that comes is: how are we being our best selves for the purpose and good of all? This question points us to notice how our individual choices and actions effect the world around us.

Our counterpart, Leo, helps us to stay tethered to ourselves. With many planets in Aquarius now (The sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Pluto), it is especially important to remember our unique position in the whole of it all. We are each one within the whole. And each of us have an essential part to bring, to collaborate and integrate with the rest. This full moon moment is here to remind us of how we can utilize our one-of-a-kind perspective to shine. With much Aqua-ness happening in this moment, we may run the risk of losing ourselves to the cause, the crowd, the collective. The Leo moon helps us to balance bringing our unique flavor to the world while also remaining connected to the collective. Sometimes, in order to remain connected, we are tasked with discerning what is sustainable and life-giving, and what is actually tearing down and eroding the collective balance. We are in a crucial moment of this now. We are being asked to shine by honoring our integrity. It is possible that we are being asked to sacrifice something - a convenience of sorts, because it does not support what we wish to see in the world. When we consider the collective, being in community, we must remember that sometimes we cannot get everything we desire. And sometimes, that is a very good thing.

There’s a difference, however, between self-sacrifice and self-abandonment. Self-sacrifice is an intentional refrain for the greater good of all. It builds off of our intention from last season: expansive discipline. Because it is just that - expansive and purposeful. With meaning. It is the way we enter into communal interdependence and how we can stand in integrity. We give away one thing - convenience, comfort, ease - and trade it for something less tangible, but much, much more valuable. Presence. Purpose. Perspective. This moon in Leo invites us to boldly stand with collective liberation. The light of luna shines a powerful beam down on those whose names have been power, greed, domination, and exploitation. The collective unrest of the earth is loud and rumbling now. The full moon is calling out what does not serve us or the greater good, and what we can do about it.

Self-abandonment, on the other hand, is an unconscious abandonment of self. It is, at its core, a form of self-protection. It falls within our automatic stress responses, and it serves as a fawning response, touting the belief: if I can keep the peace all around, then I’ll stay safe, even if I’m miserable. We can’t just stop our protective responses, because they are connected to our automatic and instinctual nature. But we can continue to be mindful and pay attention to what is happening in our relationships and responses to the world around us at large. We can shorten the amount of time it takes us to realize we’re moving through unconscious fears and protections. And we can make a different choice. The full moon is here remind us now to check in on the areas of our lives where have self-abandoned. It shines its light on our own inner dominators and exploiters. It awakens us to what we must address in order to cultivate a more just, sustainable environment within and beyond.

Most of all, this full moon invites us to keep our chests wide and our hearts open. Leo is, after all, the heart of it. Life, as we know it, would not exist without the sun. Playful, childlike wonder is welcome here. This moon touches the pulse - clarity on exactly what it is we must do to boldly be the person we are meant to be. So, we shed our unconsciousness. We shed our autopilot. We release the methods of self-abandonment for appeasement. We check back in. Consciously. With presence and integrity. We make necessary sacrifices to build a brighter world. Even as we float through Aquarius season, lightyears beyond lightyears above, we commit to remaining connected to the heart of this life.

Full moon blessings!

Our Capricorn season has given much opportunity to explore our boundaries, how we spend our time, and what disciplines we might need to get things a bit more put together. This time of year is always an invitation to return to yourself and to check in on how things are going, and where, and why. It’s a beautiful chance for us to get clear about the intentions we are setting towards future growth, here in the the darkness. Our new moon doubly offers its void, knowing that what will be unfolding is still in the dark. We’re given an opportunity to find clarity within ourselves to set the intentions we wish to follow and take actions to move in the direction of our vision.

This new moon is an ideal time to explore what areas in our lives have been lacking discipline. Shangrilogs writes about this in saying how - “self-discipline, though—real discipline—is expansive.” Discipline as an expansion of how you move through the world. Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, our cosmic discipline daddy, is often known for its harsh boundaries and limitations. But here we are reminded of the expansion that comes from caring for ourselves enough to put a limit on how we are spending our time and energy. To get clear about how to build a beautiful world. Saturn offers us this encouragement lovingly, reminding us that nothing of value is built until we put in the work to make it happen.

Much is changing in the sky this year. Many outer planets have recently shifted, or are about to shift into new signs. Collectively, we’re preparing now for a new way of being. As you take a breath in deeply on this new moon, may whatever you are inviting in provide you with the expansive discipline to build something sustainable, creative, and authentic. May it serve us all well.

New moon blessings to you!