New Moon & Eclipse

Sun in Sagittarius, Moon in Sagittarius with a total solar eclipse. Intensity and hard endings with an optimistic promise of hope. While the eclipse is not visible for all of us, we definitely feel its push and pull.

Usually I post a ritual guide for every new and full moon. This one is different. So many of my friends and clients have been wrestling with feeling overwhelmed and unworthy. In this state, no one needs another task to invoke fear of failure. Instead, my only guidance for this new moon and eclipse is to allow. 

What does it mean to allow? How do we do it?

From the outside, when we allow, it can look as if we aren’t doing anything at all. This is particularly true in an energetic or spiritual sense. When we allow in the wisdom and lessons offered to us through life and the Universe, we do not fight against them, we don’t question them or curse them, we don’t run from them. Ideally, we sit in stillness and observe the energy flowing through our beings and our reaction to it. This is easier said than done. The act of sitting in stillness and allowing takes practice and self-care. This is an excellent opportunity for both.

Give yourself as much quiet time as you can on Monday. Clear your schedule, move your calls. Wear comfortable clothes. If you need to clear clutter or do any cleaning to feel relaxed in your space, try to get that done on Sunday. It may not look like it, but allowing takes a lot of energy, so try to provide yourself everything you need in advance.

Have you ever had a headache with no ibuprofen in the house? When you have to just lie down and drink water and sort of wait for it to pass? That is kind of what this allowance is like, but for emotional and energetic waves.

There is no pill to take to lessen the impact of this eclipse. And you wouldn’t want to! The lessons eclipses bring, though they may be exhausting or painful in the moment, are extremely valuable. Another reason to allow them to flow through at their own pace.

Have a notebook and pen handy to jot down any thoughts or emotions that come through. They may not seem relevant in the moment, but they could provide great insight when you reflect on them later.

Whatever you usually do to reset and recharge will put you in the allowance zone. Meditation, taking a long bath, going for a run, sitting and staring into space, making a puzzle, coloring, listening to music. It’s different for all of us. If you begin to feel agitated or emotionally heavy, close your eyes and breathe through it, letting the sensation pass through.

A few witch tips to promote allowance:

Herbs: chamomile and lavender. These are calming and soothing and will help to alleviate tension and anxiety. Drink them in tea, wear as a fragrance, soak in them in a bath, whatever works. And speaking of baths…

Salt: salt is the master clearing agent of your pantry. I recommend pouring a LOT of sea salt or epsom salts in a hot bath to draw out anything this eclipse is trying to help you release.

Crystals: green calcite, selenite, lepidolite, rose quartz, and amethyst are all wonderful individually or in combination. Green calcite and lepidolite are excellent for easing stress and worry, selenite for energetic cleansing, rose quartz for heart opening and healing, and amethyst for purification and protection.

Tarot cards: You can draw a card asking what the Universe invites you to focus on or you can pull the Death card and The Star from your deck for inspiration. They are the centerpiece of my reading for the eclipse and a lovely combination for release and hope.

Full Moon & Eclipse Ritual

Sun in Sagittarius, Moon in Gemini with a penumbral lunar eclipse. While all full moons offer opportunities for closure, with a lunar eclipse added to the mix, the matters we are wrapping up can be even more emotionally potent than usual. The Sagittarius/Gemini axis brings forth situations that highlight truth and contradiction in our interactions with others, both being fairly social signs. This ritual is designed to help clear the fog and allow us to hold tricky dichotomies in peace.

Use what you have on hand in your home. Work with what you have, both in terms of physical items and knowledge and experience. Be more concerned with doing what is authentic to you than with what is “correct”. The most correct thing is the thing the you truly connect with and evolve through. You have everything you need.

Perform the ritual:

STEP 1: Clear the energy of your space, then close your eyes and take 3 deep cleansing breaths to ground yourself in space and time.

STEP 2: Place the candle in the center of your altar area. Place the images of Temperance and The Lovers, one on each side.

STEP 3: Place a drop of lavender oil or vanilla extract on top of the candle and trace it around 3 times clockwise, then sprinkle a tiny bit of crumbled dried lavender flower on top or place the vanilla bean ay the base of the candle.

STEP 4: Place the black tourmaline, quartz crystal, and selenite around the candle and any stones corresponding to the cards on the cards.

STEP 5: light the candle and say “I welcome the end of an era and the coming of the next. I draw my energy in and await direction from the Universe on where and who to trust it with moving forward.”

STEP 6: Close your eyes and spend a few minutes finding the most complete stillness you can. Allow your body to take in just as much air as it needs, no more, no less. Check in with the various functions of your body, your nervous system, digestion, skeleton, your muscles, circulatory system, your eyes nose and ears. Note that they exist purely to keep you functioning, no one else. Your heart does not worry that its beating does or does not serve the needs of another. See how much you can pull your attention and awareness into your own body and observe it at work. Sit in observation as long as you like, then gently come back to the present moment and open your eyes. Repeat this visualization daily for 7 days.

Gather what you have of the following:

CLEANSER: sage, palo santo, incense, energy cleansing spray, selenite wand, a bell – whatever you use to clear the energy of your space is great. 

IMAGES: Print outs or drawings of the Temperance card and The Lovers (you’ll want to keep the actual cards in your deck to use for readings)

CANDLES: Any color 7-day ritual candle in glass, whatever you feel drawn to. If you can’t get a ritual candle, tea candles work great. If you don’t have tea candles, simply follow the clearing, incantation, and visualization prompts.

CANDLE DRESSINGS: If your candles are pre-dressed, leave em be. If not, I like lavender (either oil or dried flower) and vanilla (a whole bean is ideal, but a drop of extract will do too) for this one. NOTE: vanilla extract very commonly has a high alcohol content so use VERY little.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS: A small dish of water and any crystals or other symbolic items you wish to include. Ideally, at least one piece each of black tourmaline, quartz crystal and selenite. In addition, a nice selection to match a stone with each card would be: peacock ore or fluorite for Temperance and tiger eye or tourmalined quartz for The Lovers. If you don’t have these, feel free to improvise with what you have on hand.

PRACTICAL THINGS: matches, a pen, a napkin or paper towel to wipe oil from your finger