Hello you!!
How are you? Hope you are well. The past few weeks have felt very intense and challenging for many as energies affecting us were very strong. A lot of us were faced with old challenges and patterns. Things we thought no longer had power over us came up strong to be seen and healed once and for all. Deep rooted fears can be addressed, lessons can be learned and healed so that we can then move on and open ourselves up to a more joyful way of living. A life with more ease, health, energy and passion. A life without self imposed limitations. A life of love.
Well I am back, it is still early morning Saturday and I am sitting at my desk, snuggly wrapped in a blanket, writing to you just to say hello and give you a quick update. I have been so eager to connect with you. I returned from a holiday to Italy last Wednesday evening, but couldn’t write until now because I had to go straight back to work on Thursday and yesterday. So now, first thing Saturday I connect with YOU! You are so important to me and I miss you all when I am offline. Generally I am quite good at leaving behind computers, social media, etc. I am not one who is glued to the screen and gets excited whenever messages pop up. So just being away by myself, not connecting to the interwebs is something I do easily and eagerly, I love wandering around without a sense of time and without a plan. But I do miss writing to you and sharing with the people I love. Then traveling alone can be a bit lonely sometimes. So yay happy to be back here at my home which is Joy in Creation.
I took many pictures and will post a link sometime this weekend.
We are now in that in-between time where Summer has just said goodbye and the darkness and chill is beginning to be felt. It is quite a big shift from 31 degrees C. in Italy to chilly nights here in Amsterdam, though we are still having lots of sun and beautiful warm days, and I am drinking in it’s warmth so it can sustain me throughout Winter. Fall is in the air, it feels crisps, the rotting leaves can be smelt and the air feels thinner. All is much more heightened at this time. I love the magic in the air and the colors of nature. I love pumpkins, chestnuts, beets, blackberries, pears, plums, cinnamon and spice. Also as much as I love being out and about in Summertime, I am now craving guilt-free time indoors.
Equinox
I do hope you had a wonderful Equinox celebration (22 September) and took time to celebrate and honor this time of year. This is a time of unity, transition and harvest. A time of balance. A time of the scales, of the sign of Libra. This is a time to pause and ground and reflect on where we are at. This is a time to choose how you want to move forward as this is an excellent time to get clear about our intentions, and to go within ourselves to embrace, heal and move beyond anything that is no longer serving our greatest good anymore. What have you sown that you can harvest now?
Mabon
And Mabon officially marked the beginning of Fall (23rd this year) and celebrates Mother Earth and her abundance. Mabon means ‘son’ and honors the life force that is being harvested to provide nourishment during the dark season. The energy of the sun/son is waning and the masculine goes in hibernation, moves to the Otherworld so that he can be reborn at the Winter Solstice. As he goes and retreats, the Feminine will rise to support our internal process and we are invited to return to the dark void of the womb.
Pick the fruits
This is a time to celebrate the seeds that have come in to full growth and you can now pick the fruits from. A feast of gratitude as we acknowledge all the energy you have put into these seeds to grow and blossom and ripen into fruition. We now honor the harvest but with this joy also comes release and grief as death is a part of harvest. What do you need to let go in these dark days to come? This can literally mean getting rid of ‘stuff’ from your house or body or getting rid off patterns, behaviors, anything that are blocking or sabotaging you from being the best you can become this season.
Surrender and let go
As I was in Italy I couldn’t really do a full ritual but I took time to journal about what I am harvesting right now, thinking back of the seeds I have sown at Spring Equinox and what wants to be seen and celebrated at this time. What efforts have I made and what rewards am I receiving now. It is a time to be grateful for your growth. Also as this is a time of balance, I looked at all that is not in balance at this moment. In my life and the polarities within myself. What parts of me need to be more balanced and what do I need to keep that equilibrium? You can write all of this down and then burn it to let all of this go and in this way create a void for new possibilities to arise. You need surrender and let go of control, release.
Intentions
Balance your inner scales as this is a time to feed your inner being, to help you sustain this Wintertime so you can set long term goals and make them happen. This is a good time to invest in self-development. What would you like to delve into this dark season? All questions you can work with at this time and be sure to set clear intentions and hold yourself accountable. Do not forget about these intentions. Place your them somewhere that feels right for you. Somehow remind yourself of your longings, wishes and intentions. You can do this with an altar, a mood board, a reminder on your phone, a desk top illustration, whatever suits you to keep your intentions and directions top of mind. Magic works but not if you don’t feed it energy and intention, you have to keep the magic alive and can’t do it half-arsed. You really have to want it and be willing to work for it.
At home I would make a fire as a dedication to the power of the sun and create an altar in devotion of my intentions for the coming season, this was a bit difficult whilst traveling, don’t think setting a fire at the AirBnB would have given me a good guest-score ;-). I did journal, light a candle and did a small ritual to honor this time. I will set up my altar this weekend and if you are looking for inspiration and correspondences at this time think of the colors brown, reddish purple, orange, crystals such as citrine, peridote and pyrite, and herbs like sage and mugwort.
Harvest Moon
On the 25th of September the harvest moon was full and it’s theme is letting go and immortality. I hope you got to see the Moon that night. I was in Rome and there the Moon was large and a deep orange color. Unfortunately the pictures I took don’t show this well. Oh well it is all about that time and place anyways, not to be captured on picture. So questions to ask yourself are what would you like to release and what experiences and talents have you developed which you want to take with you in your eternal being, your greater power and wisdom.
This day was also my birthday. My Sun sign is in Libra, so I know this energy well. My Mercury and Pluto are also in Libra…haha just saying (that explains a lot right!).
Libra
So after Virgo season and its energy of organizing, cleaning, and clearing, Libra helps us slow down. Libra loves harmony, cooperation, beauty, artistry and well the good life. But a head’s up here not to get distracted by this energy as Libra is the prototype doormat, ehm harmonizer. Libra wants to make everyone happy, even at the cost of ones own desires and needs. Libra does not handle disharmony at all, so Libras tend to agree as to ruffle as little feathers as possible. So please be aware that you don’t give up on what YOU want, be assertive and never sacrifice yourself just to have the scales balanced. Also be aware of the lurking need to indulge. Yes Libra likes the finer things in life and there is absolutely nothing wrong with earthly sensual pleasures do keep things, ehm well balanced. Even though Libra seeks balance, it often rebels by overindulging. And also be aware of Libra’s trait of weighing everything and taking forever to decide for the fear of making the wrong decision. So keep it moving. Be aware of these pitfalls and this Libra season will be one of beauty and the finer things in life. EnJOY!
Aries
Anyway on the 25th the moon was full in Aries and the conflict between these two signs Aries Moon and Libra Sun are like a fight between mind and feelings. This moon will have great significance for relationships including the one you have with yourself. The Moon reflects your emotions and in temperamental Aries this may mean that you have the urge to be independent, you may make rushed decisions, act on impulse and find it hard to unwind. Aries has lots of energy and is quite self-willed. You may be impatient and will not always be very tactful in your overflowing passion and ideas. The urge for action and to make big changes is great at this time. You may feel very motivated and empowered. Aries is quite competitive and this high emotion and strong headedness may affect your judgement, so be aware. Now Libra on the other hand likes harmony and will not act without thinking things over again and again. Libra sees both sides of each story and likes to keep to peace. So these two signs bring some interesting polarities into play and this is a great invitation to us to bring balance in these energies.
Wounded Healer
Cheiron is located ‘next’ to the Moon, the Wounded Healer, and it may bring up painful memories from the past, pain that needs to be healed for you to move forward. So this time don’t push away this pain, but feel what triggers you and what you need to balance this. As this pain is a hole in yourself that you now may fill by all kinds of things just so you don’t need to feel this void. But what do you need to give yourself to heal this gaping wound? What do you need to give yourself so you can come home to YOU instead of looking for emotional safety with others. Count your blessings and be grateful for all you have given yourself.
As always, make sure you are taking good care of yourself during these times of great change, and always know we are ALL in this together.
See you soon!
