Rest, Reflect, and Set Your Intentions- 3 Things You Should Be Focusing On This New Moon
New Moon in Gemini
The upcoming New Moon in Gemini is occurring on Friday, May 19th- and it’s sure to be a doozy, especially for you creative types.
Gemini rules the brain and the nervous system so this new moon will be best spent learning or being creative. Stimulate your brain by challenging it- learn a new skill, begin a new hobby, practice a LOT on Duolingo :)
For you, who have been putting off spending time on your passions….this is the time to readjust ad make them a priority. Your passions and creativity should take the front seat this week and especially as we move into the New Moon phase. But regardless of what your dive into your creative side looks like, let’s talk about the most important things you should be focusing on as we move into the New phase of the lunar cycle.
Three Crucial New Moon Practices
The New Moon could be considered both the final phase of the Lunar Cycle or the start of the Lunar Cycle. Of course, that’s the beauty of a circle- there is no clear end or beginning. However, there are many things about the energy of the new moon that make it feel a little more definitively like a beginning or an end. In fact in my opinion it’s both….and neither. The New Moon phase is all about rebirth. Sounds like a beginning, BUT rebirth is actually the void before birth. It is the void after death. It is truly the space between where we find infinite possibilities. In this phase, it is important that we do the work of the in-between. After something has ended and before something else begins. It’s a small window, but an absolutely crucial one.
So during the New Moon, what is the most important thing we can do with our energy? I believe there are 3 major things we should focus on.
Rest- Just as with the Waning Moon phase, the New Moon is a low-energy phase. It is associated with wintertime and rebirth as I already mentioned. This indicates that we should take a step away from major planning or action. Instead, we slow down with the Waning Moon, and as we move into the New Moon- we pause completely. Think about a night when you haven’t slept. How do you feel the next day? How easily are you able to complete the tasks of the next day? What happens to your productivity? Chances are…you feel crappy, experience extreme difficulty in accomplishing things, and likely experience a decrease in productivity. Resting during the New Moon phase isn’t just about sleeping though. But the concept is the same. If you don’t take the time regularly to recharge- your overall quality of life and work are likely to suffer. While it may not come naturally to you- rest is crucial. Stick around til the end to get some suggestions on making time for rest!
Reflect- Once we take the time to rest, or pause completely, we have the opportunity to reconnect to ourselves. Often in periods of high activity and upward energy, we get caught up outside of ourselves. We get consumed with our responsibilities to other people, our jobs, being somewhere on time, picking up the kids from school, cooking dinner, and answering emails. All of these tasks bring us out of ourselves and usually result in some degree of disconnection from our feelings and thoughts. We have to disconnect because if we feel every thought and emotion, we could end up more behind. When we consciously slow down, we can start to hear our own inner voice speaking to us again. When we pause, we are able to think and feel more. Which for some of us, maybe even you, is why we keep so busy! BUT- we will never be able to grow into the people we wish to be if we are ignoring ourselves. If we don’t take the time to listen to that inner voice, it will be very difficult to make the choices, changes, or adjustments in our lives that are necessary to be happier. Journaling is a habit we should all develop for this same reason. Don’t be afraid of that inner voice. I promise she is trying to help!
Set Intentions- Once we allow ourselves to stop and reflect on how we feel about where we are...we will find ourselves in the right space to MAKE CHANGES. True transformation can happen here. When we know where we’ve been, we can start to understand what is working for us and what isn’t. We’ve let go of things that aren’t serving us, especially in the Waning Phase, and now we get to decide how to do it differently. Imagine a construction crew showing up to work one day to begin on a brand new building and the architect shows up with no plan. Instead, he just shouts random tasks out to whoever feels like doing things in hopes that somehow all the tasks will work out to create a building That would never work! The architect must first have the plan for the building before a crew is even hired! Otherwise how many people does he know he will need? Does he need any specialists? What materials are going to be brought to the site first? A plan is crucial for the building to manifest. And this is NOT different from how we make adjustments in our lives and how we manifest what we truly want. The New Moon is the time to create your plan. Without it- you're just floating throughout the cycle, trying things without intention, in hopes that you will manifest what you want. It won’t work without a plan.
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Yoga and The New Moon
During the new moon phase, I always encourage practicing restorative and yin yoga. Keep it slow and give your mind an opportunity to breathe, along with your body. Incorporate a lot of pranayama or even mantra meditation into your practice to encourage your mind to become calm.
Besides tailoring your yoga practice to this energy, how else can you honor this phase? Here are some quick suggestions:
Take a hot bath and load it up with salts, essential oils, calming music, and maybe a glass of wine!
Take a walk outside in nature. And walk slowly. Like…really slowly.
If you have the funds for it- get a massage or acupuncture. If the funds aren’t there right now…maybe a partner or good friend would help you out!
SCHEDULE yourself time where you do an activity completely unrelated to work of any kind. And I say “schedule” with such confidence because you are more likely to actually do it if you put it in your calendar.
Coloring! Seriously-pick up one of those adult coloring books, or even just doodle on some scrap paper. Coloring is not only a great way to occupy and calm the brain, but it also taps into creativity (hello Gemini!) and connects us to our inner child, which can be incredibly revealing when it comes to our thoughts and emotions!
So all week the moon will continue to wane as we approach the New Moon. Keep it slow, keep it chill, and keep giving yourself permission to do the above things in addition to your yoga practice! I think you will find the more you give into the energy of the New Moon, the more fulfilling and productive the next phase of your life and goals will be.
Don’t forget to download my FREE Moon Manifestation Workbook to help work alongside the moon phases and create the life of your dreams!