FEELING ALL THE FEELS this NEW MOON

Hi loves,

I have really good news for you. This is a bit of a special week. Never mind all the hype about 'blue Monday' and 'January blues', it's all marketing b!#**!ks. I worked in commercial marketing for well over 20 years and I can tell you for certain, that most of these things are pure marketing ploys. This one in particular is a marketing work of genius by the package holiday collective. Yep, they just want you to book your trips to boost their sorry looking January spreadsheet.

The real thing about January is that it's still winter and we should be taking things slowly and gently. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's crazy that someone way back when decided to shift the calendar around and have a new year start right in the middle of winter (in the northern hemisphere of course). Madness. What total numpty thought of that? Pope Gregory the bloomin' XIII in 1582, that's who! He did it to bring Easter in line with the spring equinox. Long before that, new year was celebrated at the spring equinox, around 25 March. Makes much more sense to me and that's what I'm sticking with. I work to the Celtic calendar (see January Blog Post) and so I won't be preparing to 'come out' until Imbolc on 1 February, and won't be fully out and operating on all cylinders until the March spring equinox. Right now, we should still be, well 'wintering'. All that said, this week sees the beginning of some exciting and optimistic happenings that can definitely give us a boost and help us prepare to come out to play again. Our old friend Mercury, who rules our minds, has been retrograde since 29 December along with mighty Mars, so lovely one, if you've been feeling a bit all over the show, finding it hard to focus or finish anything, having tech or communication problems, now you know why. The good news is that Mars went direct on 11 January and Mercury goes direct from 18 January. Woohoo. As if that wasn't enough to make you heave a sigh of relief, we have a new moon coming on the 21 January after the sun moves out of earth, grounded Capricorn and into lovely airy and light Aquarius so we should feel weights being lifted and ideas and energy starting to flow. New moons are always a time to set new intentions, create new things and build new connections, so now is the time to offload any excess baggage you've been carrying around and set yourself free. The full energy of a full or new moon isn't really felt until after the peak of it and hangs around for two or three days, so no rush. In fact, this Aquarius new moon has a lovely feminine energy and it's inviting us to go gently, so try to resist the urge to burst forth with your actions and ideas. Think about the old fable of The Tortoise and the Hare. Steady wins the race. Although new moons are great times for intent and manifestation, focus more on feelings than things with this one.

If you're open to it, here's a little ritual I'll be practicing. Remember, although I'm always very happy if you want to follow mine, you should explore your own practices and rituals too... WRITING PROMPT

This new moon is all about how you want to feel as opposed to what you want.

• Gather 3 leaves. They can be from outside or from an indoor plant. If they're big enough to write intentions, write straight onto them, if not, do the following...

• Get three strips of paper.

- Leaf/Strip 1 : Write three words that represent how you'd like to feel as you start each day.

- Leaf/Strip 2 : Write three words that represent how you'd like to feel as you end each day.

- Leaf/Strip 3 : Write three things you would like to call in/manifest.

As always, resist the urge to contrive or control your answer. If you feel yourself beginning to construct, take a long, deep breath and come back.

RITUAL

• If you have a cleansing tool (sage / palo santo), cleanse everything you'll be using...pen, paper, leaves, candle, you!

• Light a candle. It doesn't matter what colour really but if you want to add extra oomph to your manifesting, gold would be my candle of choice. • Lay out your leaves. If you have written on strips of paper, place those on top of the leaves.

Recite the following mantra (or make up your own):

"New moon, as you come renewed again

Lift my burdens and ease my strain

Lighten my load and free my heart

Let me be free to make a new start

I am ready now, to cleanse my soul

To clear out space, to become whole

Imbue me with your energy true

Carry my dreams and desires with you

I vow my intentions are as they should

For me, for others and for the greater good.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

Leave everything somewhere safe and in the morning, return the leaves and your paper if you used it, to nature, out in the garden or purposefully placed on your daily walk.

Have fun with this love. It should always be fun!

If you want more of this, come and join me and some incredible and lovely peeps in my private Facebook group Words and Woowoo where we openly share all we need to and have the opportunity get and give support. If freedom is your thing, don't forget you can get my eBook Your Path to Freedom right now. It's packed with tips and real life stories (including mine) that will inspire and motivate you to claim your version of freedom.

With love and gratitude,

Michele x