Scorpio New Moon – INTEGRATE

Mercury and Mars are direct but still in their shadows (explanation here) as we reach the Scorpio new moon on November 15th (05:07 GMT). A lot of shit has gone down these past few weeks and you may be feeling scattered and unsure about how to pick up the pieces. I feel like this new moon offers the possibility of integrating those crappy and good things that have happened and start fitting things back together into some kind of (new) coherence.

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Finding creative ways to integrate new understandings, while allowing space to grieve for the old ways, is necessary now. Even if you don’t believe that linear time is true (and, on a grand scale, it probably isn’t), it is the way our human lives are experienced. And so, forward we go.

“Go back?” he thought. “No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!” So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

Divination/ Journalling Prompts

*What have I learned about myself this year?
*What have I learned about the world this year? (you can add more similar and specific questions here too e.g. what have I learned about my relationship with … / my dreams etc.)
*What am I yet to learn? (sometimes the cards will be vague about this, but it’s worth a try)
*How can I integrate what I have learned?

Ritual/ Spellwork/ EveryDayMagic Suggestions

*A ritual to call back any lost parts of yourself could be intensely healing now.
*Water elemental work, like a cleansing bath, would be effective.
*And last but not least, that Scorpio cliche, but for good reason, some shadow work.

Full Taurus Blue Moon – All Shadows Eve

Samhain + Blue Moon = Strong Magic.
There is an awful lot of fire and Earth energy out there right now, and not all of it (probably not even half of it) is particularly well-directed or contained. Which is to say, on this Full Taurus Moon (October 31st, 14:44 GMT), take care. Do your halloween things, call up your ancestors and helpful spirits, but take more care than perhaps you would in a year that is not this year.

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Things on this beautiful planet are changing more quickly than they have done for a couple of thousand years. An epoch is coming to an end, another is struggling to be born. We are in the throes of labour. It feels like hard work. It is hard work. It is what we are here to do.

“Truth is the daughter of time, and I feel no shame in being her midwife.”

— JOHANNES KEPLER

Divination/ Journalling Prompts

Nos Galan Geaf/ Samhain is the end of the Celtic year, and the beginning of the next. It is a great time to consult your ancestors (not just human) for guidance. I don’t really use a spread as such for this, as its more like a conversation than a fixed reading, you can keep pulling cards and let things flow. But I’ve tried to pull things together into a starting point that might be helpful. Let me know how it goes if you use it.

Ritual/ Spellwork/ EveryDayMagic Suggestions

*This is the point in the year where I do my year ahead reading for the following 12-18 months. I have a blog post with a card layout and prompts, which you are welcome to use.
*With Mercury still retrograde take extra care with any wordy magic, like charms, right now. Personally, I favour spirit work over all other forms of magic at this time.
*Clean/ Refresh/ Start an ancestor altar. Everyone should have one (and I almost never say that about anything).

New Libra Moon – STIR THE POT

Whoo, we are still right in the thick of things aren’t we? The Mars retrograde continues and now Mercury has turned (not actually pedants, it just looks that way from Earth) too. All that backwards and forwards energy swirling around this New Moon in Libra (October 16th, 20:31 BST) and a time (Libra season) when we are usually talking about balance and setting goals and priorities for the next 6 months has become altogether more … unpredictable?

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So what do we do with those swirling, unpredictable, bubbling pots? I think that depends on what is brewing in each. I am going to take a few off the fire (or at least try) so that I can focus my love and efforts on those which matter most.

“The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”

— THICH NHAT HANH

Divination/ Journalling Prompts

*What pots am I tending right now? (pull as many cards/journal as many responses as feels right)
*Which need to be stirred? (I’d be using a pendulum over the already pulled cards for this part)
*Which need to be taken off the boil?
*Which can be safely/ better moved to the backburner?

Ritual/ Spellwork/ EveryDayMagic Suggestions

*Clear out your worst drawer/ cupboard of hell, you know the one with the elastic bands and string, and the mixture of used and new batteries, tea lights, receipts for things you don’t own any more etc. There is energy available to tackle such grim jobs right now.
*Get your wards and protections in place
*Ditch any lingering commitments which no longer resonate (even/ especially those which are now only via zoom)

Full Aries Moon – CHARGE

Being frank, the astrology at this first full moon of October 2020 (1st, 22:05 BST) doesn’t look particularly auspicious (much like the entire year, sigh). The Moon joins retrograding Mars in fire sign Aries, squaring off against the heavyweights Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn in Capricorn. It’s all rather tense.

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If there’s an upside (and there nearly always is) it is that people are willing to engage now, in fact they’re chomping at the bit. So if you’d like to have something out with someone/ get something off your chest it will feel like a good time for that. Though, before you do, be warned it is unlikely to resolve peacefully. There is another option.

“To oppose something is to maintain it.”

— Ursula Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness

Divination/ Journalling Prompts

*What am I pushing against at this full moon?
*What is pushing back on me?
*How can I disengage?

Ritual/ Spellwork/ EveryDayMagic Suggestions

*Personally I won’t be doing any magic on this full moon. It just doesn’t feel that auspicious to me. Instead a quiet ritual/ meditation/ prayer session would be a good way to diffuse and use the current energy more peacefully.
*Cleansing and protecting your space could be another sensible option.

New Moon in Virgo – RESET

Can you smell it? The slightest whiff of something new is in the air. In a year filled with restriction and stasis this tiny undercurrent thrills me.

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The New Moon in Virgo falls at exactly midday BST (GMT +1) on Thursday 17th September. In theory, with Mars retrograde, this shouldn’t be a time for movement, and yet I can taste the promise of change, of chance, of a fresh start. That Virgo New Moon energy is pushing through, offering a reset point. I’m going to take it. Will you?

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

― Albert Einstein (maybe, or quite possibly someone else, no one really knows)

Divination/ Journalling Prompts

*What opportunities are ahead of me now?
*What is restricting me?
*How can I best move forward?
*How can I honour what I leave behind?

Ritual/ Spellwork/ EveryDayMagic Suggestions

*Do/ try something completely new. Be bold. This year we have all been heavily restricted so let your rebel out (as far as you can without getting yourself into trouble).
*Divination, use the prompts above, or ask whatever is in your heart. But try and make it future focused rather than asking questions about the past. This is your reset button, use it wisely.

First Quarter Moon in Sagittarius – FIRED EARTH

Earth and Fire predominate as the month closes, with only Venus and Neptune in Water signs (and no planets in Air signs) at the time of the first quarter moon (August 25th, 18:58 BST). What to do with that Earth and Fire? Perhaps make and fire pots, statues, bricks – physical and metaphorical.

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If you haven’t taken action on your new moon intentions yet, do so now. When Mars turns retrograde it will be more difficult to move forward.

“As we write, so we build: to keep a record of what matters to us.”

― Alain de Botton, The Architecture of Happiness

Divination/ Journalling Prompts

*What am I aiming to do?
*Who am I aiming to be?
*What supports me in my endeavours?
*What needs to burn away?

Ritual/ Spellwork/ EveryDayMagic Suggestions

*This could be a good time to make plans for the second part of this year (which likely look very different from what you thought they might be coming in to 2020), but don’t spend all the time planning and not taking action because real progress is possible now.
*Smoke cleansing and consecration of tools, particularly those with an action orientated/ creative purpose

Leo New Moon – I/ME/WE

With the inner planets moving forwards and the outer planets retrograde it suggests a conflict between the life and needs of the individual and the greater machinations of society.

The Leo New Moon (August 19th, 3:42 BST) is not just a moon/sun conjunction (like every new moon) but Mercury is also there in the mix, and all of them are trine Mars in its home sign of Aries. I’m taking this as a good indicator for the victory of personal power.

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It is in our hands what we choose to create or destroy at this time.

“Achievement doesn’t come from what we do, but from who we are.  Our worldly power results from our personal power.  Our career is an extension of our personality. People who profoundly achieve aren’t necessarily people who do so much, they’re people around whom things get done. Mahatma Gandhi and JFK were great examples of this.  Their great achievements lay in all the energy they stirred in other people, the invisible forces they unleashed around them.  By touching their own depths, they touched the depths within others.  That kind of charisma, the power to affect what happens on the earth, from an invisible realm within is the natural right and function of the son of god.  New frontiers are internal ones, the real stretch is always within us.  Instead of expanding our ability or willingness to go out and get anything, we expand our ability to receive what is already here for us.  Personal power emanates from someone who takes life seriously.  The universe takes us as seriously as we take it.  There is no greater seriousness than the full appreciation of the power and importance of love.  Miracles flow from the recognition that love is the purpose of our career.”

― Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”

Divination/ Journalling Prompts

This month’s astrology twisted my arm to create a card layout…

Ritual/ Spellwork/ EveryDayMagic Suggestions

*The fire energy is strong, candle magic or other types of fire magic are go (but take care not to get burned, as sparks fly more with Mars in Aries).
*Spend time getting creative just for fun, no expectations on the outcome.
*Been thinking about making a change to your appearance? Now’s the time.

Third Quarter Moon in Taurus – Breakout

The Moon reaches First Quarter point in Taurus (August 11th, 17:45 BST). Quarter moons are formed when the sun and moon are at right angles to each other, which is called a square in astrology (and geometry). This square energy is usually felt as restlessness, it calls for action, movement.

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With the moon and Venus in mutual reception, and Mercury close to the sun in Leo, I feel like this movement is more internal than external. It’s a mindset shift. Suddenly you notice something that you do regularly which is not helpful for you. Suddenly it becomes harder to lie to yourself and others.

“I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.”

― S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders

Divination/ Journalling Prompts

*What am I hiding from others?
*What am I hiding from myself?
*How can I breakout?

Ritual/ Spellwork/ EveryDayMagic Suggestions

*Purification bath, use three bay leaves, three handfulls of salt, three drops of rosemary, and soak.
*Going somewhere? Find a new way to get there.
*Change something in your daily routine/ rhythm, perhaps the order in which you put your clothes on, or the way you brush your teeth. You can change.

Sagittarius New Moon – Stretch

The Sagittarius New Moon falls on November 26th (15:05 GMT). A new cycle is beginning, and it is a cycle that promotes growth and expansion. Mercury is direct, cohabiting with, a, comfortable in Scorpio, Mars. Jupiter is alongside the sun and moon, revelling in Sagittarius. Projects that are started now have a very good chance of success.

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Things just feel easier now. You can work harder without getting as tired. Results come more quickly. People in authority, or who have influence, will notice your efforts. Time to put those grand plans into action. You do not need to be perfect to start.

I am in love and I am lost
But I’d rather be
Broken than empty
Oh, I’d rather be
Shattered than hollow

-First Aid Kit

Divination/ Journaling Prompts

*What have I learned?
*What have I lost/ shed?
*Where do I start?
*Where am I going?
*Who/ what is my companion?
*How far do I dare to go?

Ritual/ EveryDayMagic/ Spellwork Suggestions

*Pretty much anything you turn your hand to will do well now, so use this time wisely
*sigil making – be bold!
*Get going on your Great Work (or, if you don’t know what it is yet, use this time to try and work it out, but don’t stress, let what you love guide you).

 

Third Quarter Moon in Leo – Towards the Light

We are nearing the end of this powerful Scorpio New Moon cycle, and this third quarter point will likely feel like a welcome outbreath. There is light at the end of the tunnel (and that is not to say that the tunnel is bad, it is necessary). We are not totally off the hook yet, but the deep shifts that have been taking place internally are feeling more natural – easier – now.

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This third quarter moon in Leo (19th November, 21:10 GMT) is trine both the benefics, which should give this time a feeling of being blessed and lucky (if we have been sticking with the gratitude I mentioned at the full moon).

“… Has it never occurred to you that maybe your brother brings out the worst in people?”
“Or the best,” he said, “depending on which way you look at it.”
“You’re as bad as he is.”
“Actually, I’m much worse.”
― J.A. Belfield, Darkness & Light

Divination/ Journal Prompts

*Who am I now?
*What is my Work?
*What is my purpose?
*Where should I place my attention now?

Ritual/ EveryDayMagic/ Spellwork Suggestions

*Fire scrying
*Sunbathing, if you have enough sun where you are (unlikely I will here in wales)
*Candle magic