A New Moon Ritual and Prioritizing My Joy

Saturday was the new moon. Here we are, back at the beginning [or at least, another beginning].

I love marking time by the moon. Her gentle rhythm is comforting and supportive. And as a Capricorn, I like the organization she brings to my life. For me, the new moon is a time to think about projects I want to accomplish, intentions I want to set. Celebrating the new moon with a simple ritual focuses my energy and connects me to Spirit. This is how I celebrate:

Before I begin my ceremony, I take a moment to reflect on what I want to manifest in my life. I think about my health, my creative endeavors, my relationships, my home and garden, my spirit. I write down all my intentions in a little book that lives on my altar. When I first started doing this, I set way too many intentions. It was like an impossibly long to-do list; maybe appropriate for a whole year, but definitely not a month. Since then, I've learned to limit myself to a couple of intentions for each aspect of my life.

Usually I wait for everyone to be in bed, when the house is dark and quiet [and all mine!] I light candles on my altar and smudge myself with sage to clear the energy. I then say a little prayer to the four directions [facing each direction as I go, and smudging the direction with a feather wand]:
"I send my love out the the East and the air that is my inspiration. Thank you spirits of the East for being with me tonight.
I send my love out to the South and the fire that is my passion. Thank you spirits of the South for being with me tonight.
I send my love out to the West and the water that sustains our life. Thank you spirits of the West for being with me tonight.
I send my love out to the North and the Earth who is our mother. Thank you spirits of the North for being with me tonight."

I continue on with a prayer that is my version of a traditional Navajo prayer:
"Love above me, love below me.
Love in front of me, love behind me.
Love on my left, love on my right, love in my center.
I walk a path of love."

I then ground myself with my daily meditation. And so cleansed, grounded, and surrounded by Spirit, I set my intentions. Reading each one aloud, I breathe the intention into my body, hold it in my womb space for a moment [source of creation], and then release it out into the universe.

When I have finished, I end my ceremony by releasing the spirits I have called to me. Facing each direction, I say, "Spirits of the East [South, West, North], thank you for being with me tonight. Stay if you please, go if you must, I love you and I thank you."

And then I go to bed.

There are many ways to celebrate the new moon. I encourage you to find a ritual or ceremony that resonates with you. Connect with yourself and the moon.

I do try to hold my ceremony on the actual new moon, but if I'm off by a day or so, I don't sweat it. If you missed out on Saturday or haven't yet set any intentions, it's not too late to do so.

Of the intentions I set this new moon, there is one I see as the big mama intention. It is prioritizing my joy. Making my joy a priority. This is an idea that I got from [I'm sure you know what I'm going to say by now...] Wild Feminine by Tami Lynn Kent. It seems so simple and obvious, yet how often do we really put our joy above everything else? It's so easy to get caught up in all the obligations of our lives that we forget what life is really about: enjoyment. Living in joy. I find that even when I'm doing the things I love, I'm often on automatic and not truly enjoying them.

This is my joy

Living in joy is about living with awareness. Living with awareness is about connection to Spirit. For me, that is what life is about.

Playing in skirts on a sunny day is what life is about.

So my focus this time around is on manifesting my joy. Taking time to stop and feel joyous about life. Making sure I am doing what makes me happy.

I hope you do the same.

Anthony brings me joy, and so does our new greenhouse!

*Blessings*