Happy New Moon in Cancer dear ones. We're so sorry we're a little late getting this to you but we're hoping you can still tune into this powerful new moon energy. Over the weekend we have welcomed in the Summer Solstice and the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Cancer just a few days after Mercury went retrograde so it's safe to say, things have been somewhat intense. Self care, rest and nourishment couldn't be more important at this time. Cancer is a feminine water sign ruled by the moon so expect to feel ALL the feelings and eclipses will tend to heighten that experience even further. 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? How often do we let ourselves be vulnerable? Likewise, have we gotten in the habit of shutting ourselves off from others, feeling like we're unable to reach out and give care to others? In your journal write down your emotional needs. Are they being met? Think of ways that you could send love and care out into the world at the moment in a way that's not going to deplete you. Home is an important theme for cancer too as it rules the 4th Astrological house of Home and parenthood. One of the archetypes associated with cancer is the Mother. Rather just thinking about your role as a mother, (we all embody the mother archetype whether we have children or not) this new 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 ourself space and time to heal and process the trauma of the last few months. How could you open yourself up to receive? "Our capacity for embodied pleasure depends on our ability to receive, which is like a muscle that can atrophy if it's been habitually contracted. A learned sense of unworthiness can act as a barrier against our well-being, keeping us from opening to the beauty that's all around us. Whether it's our ability to receive positive feedback and support, or to expect things to work out in our favour, we may be distrustful of goodness even when it stands on our doorstep. But this doesn't have to be a permanent condition. With practice, we can learn how to welcome beauty and receive pleasure wholeheartedly." - Toko-pa Turner The Healing Power of WaterCancer is a water sign so it's a wonderful time to connect to the qualities of water. Water is flow, emotions, intuition, creativity, adaptability and healing. Moon in Cancer days can leave us feeling sensitive, vulnerable and emotional and gives us interesting insight into our relationship with our emotions. Do we embrace our emotions and see them as guides and teachers, offering insight into what's hurting and what needs healing? Or do we consider them something to be ignored and pushed down? Remember, emotions are energy in motion, they need to flow through us like water. In your journal, ask yourself how you feel today. Sit for a few moments with your hands on your heart, breathing deeply and asking yourself that question. Allow the answer to come forward honestly, without judgement and then write down in your journal how you feel. You could even turn this into a daily practice, doing it first thing in the morning or last thing at night and really deepening this connection to your feelings. Water is also associated with the unconscious, the dreamworld and with intuition. As we have been examining our relationship with our emotions, let's also examine our relationship with our intuition. Again, do we embrace it as a guide and as a teacher? Or do we push it to the side, favouring logic and other people's opinions? Reflect on the last 6 months since the Winter Solstice and examine the moments when you've trusted and followed your intuition and when you've ignored it. In your journal, write about how it felt when you were living in harmony with your intuition. Did it feel like you were living in flow? Like you were being guided by something beyond yourself? How did it feel at the times when you ignored it? What was the result? How did it feel in your body and mind? Was there tension present? How could you learn to trust your intuition more? “Intuition is the treasure of a woman's psyche. It is like a divining instrument and like a crystal through which one can see with uncanny interior vision. It is like a wise old woman who is with you always, who tells you exactly what the matter is, tells you exactly whether you need to go left or right. It is a form of The One Who Knows, old La Que Sabe, the Wild Woman.” ~ Clarissa Pinkola-Estes Keep a Dream JournalOne of the ways our intuition tries to speak to us is through our dreams. Keep a dream journal by the bed and first thing in the morning write down anything you can remember, even if it's only an image here and there. Over the course of a few weeks see if you can start to spot patterns and themes. What do you think your inner knowing is trying to tell you? With so many planets in retrograde at the moment it's more than likely that old emotions from the past are resurfacing, trying to get us to learn from the past, accept, forgive, heal and move forward. Retrogrades help us look back in order to move forward. New Moon in Cancer GoddessesCall upon Water Goddesses and Mother Goddesses for this New Moon: Oshun, Yemaya, Mother Mary, Kuan Yin, Danu, Mami Wata, The Lady of the Lake. Also, check out this wonderful free Summit over on Motherhouse of the Goddess: FEAST OF THE SACRED WATERS TELESUMMIT Self CareCancer rules the chest, lungs, stomach, liver and gallbladder. Emphasising breathing practices as well as looking at our stress levels on moon in cancer days is really important. Try dedicating some time for Pranayama practices and a chest focused Yin Yoga to help clear the lungs. A depleted heart chakra can also lead to ill health in the chest so going back to what we were talking about before, looking at whether you are giving too much of yourself out into the world and how you could scale back to help your body rest. Padma mudra is a wonderful mudra to help bring prana (life force) energy back into the heart chakra. Essential OilsHEART CHAKRA BLEND
Rose, Ylang Ylang and Bergamot Either add a drop of each to a diffuser to infuse your living environment with these emotionally soothing oils or add a drop each to a base oil of your choice and rub onto your heart space. Just be careful with Bergamot as it's phototoxic so don't go out in the sun after applying to skin and be careful with Ylang Ylang which can have a somewhat hypnotic effect, best not to use before driving anywhere :) AMPLIFYING INTUITION BLEND Frankincense, Sandalwood and Lavender Add a drop each to a diffuser in the room where you sleep to enhance your dreams or diffuse during meditation. We've also created this Spotify Playlist for you to enjoy: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5v5JrtdABfwAkDKVpQjVjo?si=xxiD5rnTSmGbOuK4dE9wQw We really hope you've enjoyed our blog. New Moon blessings to you all :)
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Summer Solstice also called Litha or Alban Hefin takes places on Saturday 20th June this year and just like the Winter Solstice, marks a still point in the turning of the wheel of the year. Summer Solstice this year is interesting because it takes place on the same day as the Dark moon which creates this juxtaposition between the peak of the wheel of the year and the darkest point of the lunar cycle. At this point in the year the days are at their longest and from this point onwards the days will begin to decrease in length. Many people confuse Summer Solstice with the start of Summer but remember, Beltane is actually the beginning of Summer and Litha is Summer at its peak in terms of the position of the sun which is now at it's highest point. If we were to liken the wheel of the year to the phases of the moon Litha would be the Full Moon. We understand that after the full moon, the lunar energy wanes as the moon makes her way back to New Moon and it's the same with Litha, after Solstice, the energy will subtly shift to waning as we make our way towards the first Autumn festival in August. If you have been working with setting intentions and manifesting along with the wheel of the year then Litha is your time to enjoy the fruits of your labour. Litha's mirror point on the wheel of the year is Yule - the Winter solstice - so its also really nice to look back at the intentions you made at Yule and reflect on the year so far. I think we can all acknowledge that the year has definitely not gone according to plan. Who could have even imagined as we slumbered through the winter months what was awaiting us in the new year. In your journal, make a note of how you have adapted to all this change and any blessings you've been able to find during these strange and uncertain times. Look ahead to the Winter Solstice this year and make a note of any wishes, goals, intentions you have for the rest of the year. Summer Solstice is time to let your hair down and connect to one of its main themes - joy! In your journal, dedicate a whole page to the word JOY - what does it mean to you? What is your joy? And how can you make room in your life for more of it. Do the same with the word PLAY and WHIMSY. Really sit with these words and how they make you feel. What would life look like if you followed your whimsy? How often do you surrender to playfulness? Summer Solstice would have been another time where people would have gathered in celebration and merriment, and whilst we can't yet host or attend large gatherings you might like to host a small garden party to honour Litha. You could decorate your garden with festival bunting and fairy lights and create little sections for people to sit in and keep the appropriate distance. Or you could decorate your house for Litha and host an online solstice party if it looks like the weather is likely to scupper your plans. LITHA THEMES: abundance, gratitude, celebration, illumination, joy, magic, play, whimsy, merriment, community, motherhood, radiance AwenSummer Solstice is one of the three spirit nights of the wheel of the year, where the veil between worlds thins. The other two are Samhain and Beltane. This means it's another opportunity to connect with the Fae and with the elemental realm. There are many tales of folk who journeyed to the land of the Fae during Summer Solstice and returned with inspiration - the druid word for inspiration is Awen and features in much of Druid folklore. Fairies are known to grant wishes and bless projects at this time of year so be sure to leave them offerings and engage in activities that delight them like looking after the environment and caring for wildlife. AbundanceContinuing on from the abundance we celebrated at Beltane with Spring in full bloom, now we see summer in full bloom and can bathe in the abundance of nature. The days are long, the hedgerows are full of wild flowers and our own energy is at it's peak. Now is the time to really be in the moment and catch the joy as it flies - so many people say how quickly summer goes and sometimes the reason for that is that we don't mentally show up for it. We as human have such a habit of dwelling in the past or the unknown events of the future - at a time such as this when the future is so unknown it's so important to stay in the moment and treat each day as though it is the most precious thing in the world...because it is! Summer Solstice is a wonderful time to dedicate yourself to a daily gratitude practice, you might want to do this in the morning or last thing at night before you go to bed. Each day write down at least one thing that you are grateful for. Ask yourself each day, what was there an abundance of today? It could be - today there was an abundance of sunshine. Today there was an abundance of rain which has nourished the plants. Today there was an abundance of connection as I chatted to a few friends on the phone etc. Harnessing the power of the SunThe sun is the Yang to the Moon's Yin - it is action, creation, power and sustenance. The element of the Sun is fire - fire is creativity, passion, transformation, will, motivation, and is associated with the Solar Plexus Chakra - the seat of self. Reflect upon your goals and intentions and ask yourself where you need some more of this fire? Where needs more power and action? The Solar Plexus chakra is all about our self worth, self confidence and sense of empowerment. Ask yourself what fears or self limiting beliefs might be holding you back from going after the things you want. Summer DrinksDIY COLD BREW TEA Cold Brew tea is so simple to make and is a wonderful way to connect to the herbs/flowers in your garden whilst providing a refreshing beverage on those hot Summer days. You can either use fresh herbs from your garden such as mint, lemon balm or lavender and place the herbs in a jar or glass bottle filled with water and place in the fridge to brew or you can use any type of tea (loose leaf or bag) and simply add to the water. This is a different experience to boiling the water and steeping the tea and creates a much more subtle flavour. Leave the tea in the fridge overnight and it will subtly infuse with your herbs. All you need to do then is sieve out the herbs and serve in a jug with fruit slices! You can actually buy special cold brew tea making vessels such as this one: HARIO COLD BREW TEA BOTTLE SPA WATER This is a similar concept to the cold brew tea in that you are simply infusing your water with the subtle taste of the fruit as opposed to a smoothie where you're blending the fruit to drink. Grab a jug of water and then add whatever fruit and herbs you feel called to. Here are some combinations to try: Fresh mint, cucumber and lime slices Lemon slices with cucumber Rosemary sprigs with orange slices Mixed berries with rose petals Lavender sprigs (or dried lavender) with fresh mint Just make sure the fruit and herbs are clean before adding them to the water. LAVENDER & PEPPERMINT ICED TEA Boil the kettle and add a teaspoon each of dried lavender petals and loose leaf peppermint tea to a pot and add a splash of cold water to cover the herbs so as not to scold them with the hot water. Pour over the water from the kettle once boiled and leave to brew for 10 minutes. After 10 mins strain out the herbs and leave to cool down. Once cool, transfer the tea to a bottle or jug that's suitable to go in the fridge and leave in the fridge overnight. Serve the next day and enjoy a cooling and refreshing iced tea! Litha GoddessesAineAine is the Irish Goddess associated with Summer as she is known to be a Sun Goddess. She is also referred to as Faery Goddess or Faery Queen and is linked to midsummer, wealth, joy and sovereignty. GreineGreine is another Irish Sun Goddess who watches over agriculture and is associated with fertility and love. Like Aine, she is associated with the Archetype of the mother and is often referred to as the mother of all women. GaiaWho better to connect with at this time of year than Gaia - our glorious mother earth. Summer Solstice is a wonderful to make offerings to Gaia as well as give thanks for all of her gifts! SekhmetSekhmet is an ancient Egyptian fire Goddess associated with the Sun. She is both Protectress and Destroyer and is associated with healing, war, power and righteous anger! TapatiTapati is a Hindu Mother Goddess and is daughter of Surya, the Sun God. Her name means 'warming' and she bestows heat upon the land. She is also a Goddess of wisdom, knowledge and devotion. Create a Litha AltarCreating an altar for Summer Solstice is such a joy because you can really go for it with the abundance theme. Decorate your altar with freshly cut flowers and herbs from your garden and images of the Sun and Solar Goddesses. You might also like to add images, poems and words that help you to connect with being in the moment and keeping joy alive over the next few months. We would love to see your Litha altars! For some inspiration, here is our pinterest board: Litha Herbs, Crystals & Essential OilsHERBS: Vervain, St John's Wort, Elderflowers, Dandelion, Rose, Honeysuckle, Yarrow
CRYSTALS: Citrine, Carnelian, Fire Agate, Jade, Fuchsite ESSENTIAL OILS: Bergamot, Lavender, Wild Rose, Wild Orange Starchild Glastonbury do a wonderful Summer Solstice aromatherapy blend which you can view here. Wishing you a blessed Litha dearest sisters! Welcome dear ones, to our Full Moon blog. We are heading into a powerful Full Moon Lunar Eclipse tomorrow in the sign of Sagittarius and entering into eclipse season. We may have already been feeling how potent 2020 is astrologically and it's set to get even more intense as we work our way through planetary retrogrades and eclipses. This combination of eclipses and retrogrades combined with all the events taking place throughout the world is calling us to do the work! To do our own inner work and to show up to do the work needed for the collective. This year is all about bringing injustice, untruths and structures that need to be torn down to the surface. Eclipses are often referred to as times to do shadow work and we know that this is always a theme that comes up every full moon also. Ask yourself as you head into this full moon lunar eclipse, what shadow parts of myself are making themselves known at the moment? Where do I need to do the work? Are we turning away from what's going on right now in the world or are we turning to face it and our own shortcomings? Tomorrow, we have the sun in Gemini and the moon in Sagittarius, these two signs compliment each other really well as both are to do with the mind. Sagittarius is known as the Philosopher of the zodiac and can help balance out Gemini's constant quest for knowledge and information. This full moon helps us to see the balance between intelligence and wisdom. Do we spend too much time absorbing information but then not actually integrating it into our life? For example, maybe we have been reading about certain topics for a long time, like meditation, but don't actually put them in to practice. Intelligence comes from the gathering of knowledge whereas wisdom comes from putting that knowledge into action and gaining insight and experience from it. That's where doing the work comes in! WISDOM noun
Sometimes Gemini can be led by ego, wanting to acquire knowledge and information for their own gain. Sagittarius wants to learn, understand and gather knowledge for the greater good. We can ask ourselves if ego or love is the driving force behind our thirst for knowledge? How do we use the information we have gathered? Do we share it with others or do we keep it for ourself? Sagittarians want to learn from others, want to travel to other lands to gain insight into how other people think and experience life - not for their own sake but to help them connect better with others. Again, we can ask ourselves, how willing are we to learn from others? To be humble and to understand that ours isn't the only point of view. We love this Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about the danger of the single story: Sagittarius is a masculine fire sign, ruled by the planet Jupiter and the 9th house of Philosophy and long distance journeys. Jupiter is often referred to as the great benefactor, it is the largest of the planets and has the largest number of moons so has this beautiful expansive and abundant quality. Sagittarius moon is a wonderful time to focus on manifesting your dreams, cultivating gratitude and joy, and elevating your thoughts. Sagittarius themes: freedom, expansion, knowledge, abundance, joy, travel. philosophy, light, growth, limitless opportunities, adventure, curiosity, meaning, direction, focus. 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 much like Gemini. 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? 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. As we still find ourselves in lockdown, 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 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! This fits in so well with our New Moon in Gemini theme of following our whimsy and wonder. Full Moon Journaling Questions- First off, have a look back at your journal from the New Moon in Gemini. Have you stayed connected to your intentions and have they served you? - Ask yourself if you have a balance between intelligence and wisdom? - Tuning into the expansive quality of Sagittarius, how could you expand your mind? What topics are you curious about but know nothing about? - We might not be able to go travelling physically at the moment but where would you like to travel in your mind? How will you do that? Will it be through stories? Reading? Connecting with others? - Do you have a balance between focusing on the tasks and responsibilities of everyday life and also zooming out and seeing the big picture? Are you able to see beyond the ordinary? - What are your triggers at the moment and how are you dealing with them? Are you taking the time to do the work or repressing these triggers? - A big part of developing wisdom is being humble. Using the light of the full moon to shine down on your heart and mind, who and what could we learn from at the moment? - A key theme for Sagittarius is elevating thought for the greater good. What can you do at the moment for the collective? How can you educate yourself on matters that will help you gain better knowledge and insight into other people's experiences? Sagittarius Self CareSagittarius rules the hips and thighs. On Sagittarius moon days it's important to look after these parts of the body. If we're spending more time at a desk or cooped up at home, 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 - you'll have to do this yourself 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 and these oils help to lift our mood and connect us to hope. Why not add some of these oils to a base oil and make yourself an uplifting leg massage oil :) We really hope you enjoyed our blog. Don't forget you can join us over on a Patreon page for monthly moon circles, visit: www.patreon.com/sistersofthemoon |
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