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Full Moon: December 22nd – 24th

Key Words: Pleasant surprises, new opportunities, excitement, self-care, restoration, evaluation

What started as an aggressive, tense and anxious moon cycle on December 7th is now waxing into a full moon of joy and excitement. You may have found yourself on edge over the past couple weeks as everyone around us has been assessing their own personal growth and evaluating their year-long journeys. As humans, we tend to measure our successes by the external manifestation of our work and efforts; money, career advances, relationships, fitness goals. However, 2018 for most was a year of inner growth. Big shifts happened on the inside, and over this exciting full moon in Cancer, we may start to feel or see signs of those changes as they manifest into our external world.

Embrace the Possibilities

While a tendency towards doubt, fear, anger and hostility may have gripped us in the past couple weeks/months, this full moon opens our spirits up to embrace the exciting possibilities that are present everywhere. If we open our eyes or even make a slight change in perspective, we will see that opportunities for what we have been calling in over the past year are up close and present. This full moon brings an exciting energy that lends us the strength, happiness and insight we need to perceive occurrences around us as positive pathways. In fact, sometimes all it takes is a small shift in our attitudes to allow us to attract an incredible possibility.

Take a moment to mindfully shift your perspective this full moon if you find yourself sliding into negative thinking. It could make all the difference in taking a seemingly negative situation into one that is beautifully beneficial to you.

Expect the Positive and the Unexpected 

This is a wonderful full moon for pleasant surprises in your career, your financial situation and also for romance. Expect that what you want is coming your way and embrace joyful surprises. You deserve the happiness and it is not until we accept that we deserve good that good will come our way. Cancer’s energies will heighten your intuition, which is good as you may be called to act quickly if an opportunity comes your way. Further to this, your third eye may be working in overdrive. Expect insightful flashes of guidance and direction from your spirit guides and inner being. Listen with love and trust your gut.

Surrender to Self-Care, Restoration and Joy 

Turn off your head. Sink into joyful occasions with friends and family. Let the world go on without you for a bit. Turn off your phone. Practice presence in the moment. This is a beautiful full moon for gifting yourself with self-love, self-care and opportunities for happiness. If you are able to let go of the hustle mindset over this time, you will find you are more than ready for the excitement you have manifested and called in for 2019.

Autumn/Fall Equinox: September 23rd, 2019

What Is It? When the Southern and Northern Hemispheres experience an equal amount of daylight. In the Northern Hemisphere it marks the beginning of fall, when daylight hours start to shorten until winter Solstice in December.

Key Words: Reflection, change, harvest, gratitude

The spiritual meaning of the fall equinox can be found in the holiday of Mabon, celebrated in Paganism and other faiths that revolve around nature. Mabon marks the middle of the harvest cycle, a time when we are called to reflect upon and recognize the bounty that Mother Earth has brought to us over the past year. This is a time when we express great gratitude for a bountiful harvest and start to stock our pantries for the colder months ahead.

As many of us have transitioned our work from the fields to more modern methods of harvesting and creating bountiful existences, the Autumn equinox can be viewed as a magical time to honour our growth and abundance from a spiritual, professional, financial and relationship perspective. Finding ways to give thanks to yourself for all you have achieved over the past year is an important part of your journey. The more gratitude you give, the more reasons you will find you have to be grateful.

A way to tap into the spirituality of this Autumn equinox is to set aside a dedicated time of reflection and gratitude. Reflect on where you were this time last year in each area of your life that you find relevant; self-love, partnerships, work, etc.  Honour your journey and symbolize your gratitude with the simple lighting of a candle or new addition to your altar, such as a crystal that inspires and speaks your reflective energy. You can even do something a little less woo-woo like place a pumpkin on your doorstep to honour the abundance you have manifested.

Further to, the Autumn equinox is a time when both the days and nights are equal in length, inviting us to recognize what areas in our lives are craving balance. For example, if you have been scurrying away during the harvest season and running yourself a bit ragged, you are invited to surrender to your body’s important need for rest and recovery. These next couple days are a magical time to call balance into your life through self-care and meditation. We happen to love that we are in a resting period of the moon’s cycle (Gibbous) during this equinox, which allows us to pass our trust over to the universe that everything is happening exactly as it should.

Enjoy this Autumn equinox. Rest and prepare for the next phase of your journey.

Mercury Retrograde Started July 26th, 2018 Ending August 18th, 2018

It’s no coincidence that the final days of Mercury Retrograde (ending on August 18th) coincide with a yin moon phase, and a Crescent Moon phase at that. Yin moon phases indicate that the energy offered from the moon serves us in a receptive manner, as opposed to a  yang phase which serves us in a active manner.

So what does this have to do with the current Mercury Retrograde we are presently experiencing? First thing’s first:

What Is Mercury Retrograde?

Four times a year, the planet Mercury is said to go into Retrograde, meaning that it appears to be moving in an opposite direction from the Earth. Simply put, planets move from east to west around the sun. Mercury in Retrograde refers to the four times a year when the planet moves from west to east around the sun, giving us on Earth the optical illusion that it is moving backwards.

Think about when you are driving on a highway and pass a car. The other car appears to be moving backwards, but it really is just moving slower than you. That other car is Mercury in this analogy.

What’s All The Hype About? 

Mercury is recognized as the messenger of the Gods and the planet of communication and logistics. On a modern-day level, this means that we can expect interference in our daily conversations, emails, travels or when we are making plans. It may feel as though we are talking to loved ones and co-workers through a thick static, where messages are getting caught or missed.

Technology and travel can be highly effected during this time. Think back to the start of this Mercury Retrograde (July 26th). Did you experience any issues with your travel and technology? Did your TV stop working for no reason? Did you pop a tire?

This, of course, can be frustrating and is why Mercury Retrograde gets a bad rap.

What’s Good, Though?

On a woo-woo level, it is said that when Mercury goes into retrograde, he travels deep into the underground of our psyches, opening up the pathway to our base-level human consciousness, offering insight into past experiences and helping us gather information for the next phase in our journeys. Because we move so fast, we rarely have a chance to stop and reflect on how our past stories are shaping our present lives and future experiences.

When Mercury goes into retrograde, we are forced to slow down. Technology and travel will push back, forcing us to go inwards for insight. Your phone’s not working? Take five to meditate and download information from your higher self. Bus is late? Embrace the opportunity for a long, head clearing walk.

Patience is a virtue during this time and one that will be greatly rewarded. When Mercury goes into retrograde, its a time for data-collecting and reflection. Time alone is essential during Mercury Retrograde. You may have tapped into to some key insights about your life direction or relationships during this time. Mercury has a lot to reveal to us, and when it goes into retrograde, we have a greater opportunity to listen.

Making the Most of these Last Few Days

It’s no secret that this has been a super charged summer, one that was extremely transformative, whether you realized it or not. Shifts happened this summer and we are all susceptible to them. We absolutely LOVE the fact that the last few days of the Mercury Retrograde fall in a receptive yin moon phase, the Crescent Moon phase, when are called to stop and breathe into our final intentions of the summer, allowing them to permeate our bodies and minds.

We are invited to take advantage over the next few days of the final insights Mercury can offer us in its last days in Retrograde. Because the planet is retrograding through the fire sign of Leo, we may feel an opposing pull to rush into action. But remember, even Lions know when to lay low and observe, calculating the jungle before making their next move. Lay low over the next few days. Meditate and reflect. And most importantly, listen. The universe has messages for you and Mercury wants to help you receive them.

Moon Cycle: From July 12th – August 10th

Blood Moon/Full Moon: July 27th

Keywords: Transformation, Change, New Beginnings, Rebirth, Strengthening Our Foundations

This week, on July 12th, we welcome a new moon that will lead us to a Full Blood Moon on July 27th. If you’re feeling transitional, emotional and a bit unsteady, trust that this is completely aligned with the Cancer season. The date of this new moon also marks the start of a powerful solar eclipse, the first of three which will happen this summer; the second will happen on the Full Blood Moon on July 27th and the following on August 11th.

This series of solar eclipses will no doubt have a powerful effect on our sense of stability. Do not expect things to remain the same. In fact, these solar eclipses could prove to bring life-changing and unexpected circumstances leading all the way through to 2020.

We love the fact that the solar eclipses of this month align with the new and full moons. As the moon blocks our view of the sun and the world is in proverbial darkness, we are invited to come out of each eclipse with a sense of rebirth, leveraging the energies for new beginnings. Working with an understanding of the planets and their shifts helps us leverage their powerful energies with focused intention, rather than letting them rule us without a sense of purpose.

Remember in this powerful time of transition that we will likely be presented with feelings of hesitation, perhaps even fear. We cannot see through the darkness and we cannot know the ultimate outcome of what is about to happen.

This is when the practice of trust will truly come into play. You may feel a strong need in your personal life to hand your trust over to the universe on the dates of July 23rd to July 26, during the Gibbous Moon phase. Expect your questions about your personal direction to be amplified during that time. The universe may throw you some curves or challenges during this moon cycle where trust will be needed.

Leverage That Cancer Energy

Remember; this new moon is occurring in Cancer, a potent and emotionally charged period, affecting our senses of security, support, our connection to our roots or heritage, our family and of course our inner sense of self (who we are, what are we doing, our feelings, our responses, etc.).

This is a time to nourish our foundations and everything that we feel a connection to as our home. Not to be confused with strictly our personal houses or dwellings, this can include anything that is in our daily vortex; people, our workplaces, our routine and of course the “home” within, our inner foundations and strengths.

Ensure to dedicate time in July to honour your inner being, your true sense of comfort and security and every single feeling. Acknowledge, confront and release. Take comfort in your sources of security; your family and your true close friends.

Expect to be called to a new beginning of sorts, one that may require you to leave behind something valued and treasured. While this will be difficult, remember new beginnings can be an exciting blessing, it’s a matter of what we learn and how we choose to leverage things going forward.