E170: New Moon Rituals

The New Moon is very much aligned with the season of winter. This is a time of rest and reflection, with dark, cool and quiet qualities. The New Moon, and the week surrounding it is when there is little to no moonlight and the stars twinkle brightly in the sky.

During this phase we may feel tuned into our intuition or feel called to turn inward and access the dream realm. Perhaps we feel less excited about social events and feel more inclined to stay home and visualize the life we want to create.

To tap into this new moon power, there are a few different rituals and practices we can implement to make us more open to our intuition and to creative downloads.

Although this episode releases on a Pisces new moon, these rituals can be used for almost every new moon from today onward. I imagine this to be an episode that we can come back to when the next new moon phase happens and we want to recreate stillness and connect to this powerful energy.

The few days before and after the new moon are the best times to lean into the open energies and to make time to reflect. If you aren’t sure when the next new moon is, you can google it. I like to put the lunar calendar for the year into my planner/schedule so that I know what is happening when and can schedule these rituals or make time for these practices instead of rushing to something last minute.

Remember that this is a beautifully quiet time in the lunar cycle. We want our bodies and minds to feel calm, grounded. This is a very intuitive phase and the more we can connect to stillness, the more open we will be to receiving. In this quiet and stillness, in this void if you will, we will probably feel dark, and empty, and this might feel unknown or uncomfortable. But remember that the new moon IS a time of darkness and emptiness and it’s an opportunity to surrender to this discomfort, step into the unknown and embrace the uncertainty of this space. The more we can lean in and surrender to it, the more clarity we can receive.

[03:08] 1. Create Sacred Space

What does stillness, darkness, and quiet mean to you? It could be turning off the lights and surrounding yourself with candles or salt lamps. Maybe it’s drawing a warm bath and closing the door to be alone. Or maybe it’s a gentle yoga practice with a long savasana on your mat.

Creating sacred space means carefully or thoughtfully preparing the physical space you’re in, but also the mental and emotional space too. Before getting into the heart of your ritual, take a few minutes to breathe mindfully, and relax the physical body so you can better connect to your thoughts, feelings, emotions and spiritual self.

Your space can be minimal or you can bring a number/variety of talismans or charms into the space such as crystals, jewelry, special coins, oracle or tarot cards, books, journals, essential oils, candles, photos, flowers, food, anything you like.

I usually tap into how I’m feeling and what I would like to include in the ritual and some days it’s a single crystal, other days I lay out a full altar. If you choose to create a large or full altar I encourage you to pick and place everything slowly and mindfully rather than just tossing a bunch of your cool crystals in a pile. Make it special in your own way.

Quick tip: this moon phase as I mentioned before is very quiet and still. However most of us do not live a very quiet or still life. If you are like me and feel restless or mentally overwhelmed before meditation or quiet time, incorporate movement into your ritual before settling in. This could be with yoga, walking, or anything physical to move lingering energy.

[06:20] 2. Set Meaningful Intentions

One of the most important things to do during the new moon (in my opinion) is set meaningful intentions.

1 month: One full lunar cycle is about 28 days, set an intention that you want to embody or focus on for a month.

6 months: The astrological lunar calendar changes often depending on the planets. The zodiac sign the moon is in in the sky changes every 2-3 days. This means there will be multiple moons in pisces, but the next “significant” moon in pisces will be the full moon and this will be later in september, about 6 months away from when this episode comes out.

This means we can create intentions for the next 6 months and we can revisit to see how we did with keeping them or embodying them in 6 months time.

12 months: The next pisces new moon will be next February or March, in about 12 months. This means we will have completed the astrological lunar cycle as it relates to the new moon phase. My intention for this episode - speaking of intentions - is not to get too deep into the astrology part of the lunar cycles, but I did want to sprinkle this in because when we’re setting our meaningful intentions we want to also set them for the year.

Now you might be listening to this episode and thinking, “well how am I supposed to set a new intention every month for one, six, and twelve months!?” And my answer to you is, keep it simple. Your monthly intention may change each new moon, and maybe you have an intention for the year that you can break down into smaller intentions for each month or for each half of the year.

For example: Maybe your intention for the 12 months is to feel more peaceful in your mind, body, and soul. Breaking this down into a six month goal or intention could be to create a consistent yoga practice. The monthly goals could be: find a studio I vibe with, do one yoga class and one guided meditation each week, and then build off that each month.

[08:29] 3. Start Something New

With the new moon being the start of a new lunar cycle, it’s also a great time to start something new! This energy is all about newness!

Create a new habit
Start practicing a new skill
Connect with new people
Say yes to invitations
Join a new community

Not sure where to begin? Well, start by thinking about what you’re most passionate about and go from there. This is the perfect time to embrace the moment, follow the fire, and plant seeds for momentum.

[09:15] Make a Manifestation List

With new moon energy comes manifestation powers! Just like starting something new, we can call in and manifest what we desire to bring into our lives. You can break down your intentions into a list of what you want to attract and go into detail of those intentions.

Let’s use another example: your intention is to attract more clients into your business. What types of clients do you want to attract? How does your relationship with them feel? Describe the onboarding process and the emotions you experience when you meet them and invite them into your business. What kind of community do you want to cultivate? What will your work hours be like? What sort of projects or goals will you and your new clients want to work on? Go deep and write it all out in a list or in a paragraph form if that’s more your style!

Quick tip: write this in the past or present tense rather than future tense. This will help your mind/brain get on the level that has it thinking this has already happened and is very important when manifesting!!

[10:27] 5. Your Own Ritual

I mentioned before that not all my new moon rituals look or feel the same. When we’re tapping into creativity and creating spaciousness and embracing emptiness, it’s really about listening to how that works for you. Perhaps it’s movement or bringing in the elements, perhaps journalling, moving your body with ecstatic dance. Whatever that essence of the new moon means for you, is what you want to create: quiet, stillness, darkness. Let it be fluid, flexible and change each month if that’s what works for you.

If you’re interested in the astrology part of the new moon, check out CHANI APP —> http://chani-nicholas.myshopify.com

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Podcast Host

Valerie LaVigne

Valerie is the creator and founder of Valerie LaVigne Life and the Women's Empowerment Show. She helps busy and empowered women create healthy habits so that they can become the best version of themselves and transform their lives. Learn more about Valerie here!