A New Moon that feels like the Intensity of a Full Moon...

tending the flames to maintain the warmth of compassion

Hello to you as you are in this moment.

My hope is that this bi-weekly Moonletter meets you well exactly where you are, and is a reminder of your inherent enoughness and interconnection to the whole. Inspired by the framework of Cyclical Mindfulness, this space is both a practice for myself and an offering for you. May you take what resonates from these musings, inspirations, and creations, and leave the rest behind.

Pause into the present

Pausing into the present...

I've been praying a lot lately.

I don't consider myself religious, but I have a great respect for spirituality and religious traditions (especially the Earth-based traditions and origins of people & place - which history shows exists at the core of all religions). I admire and revere anyone's belief and devotion to a higher source or religion.

I am honestly curious about and want to honor all religions and spiritualities to gain a multifaceted understanding of the various cultural perspectives and traditions for honoring what seems to be some unified source of creation and life force. I only criticize the structures and individuals when their beliefs do not align with their actions and fuel hate towards "others".

Yet I pray. I've worked to reclaim this word from where I learned it in the Church, or in the context of any other religious establishment or practice it relates to. I pray because my living & deceased ancestors pray(ed).

You can call it an intention, invocation, wish, petition, poem, song, whatever. But I choose to pray in hopes that it connects to all lineages, people, religions, lands and spirits.

I have many prayers/poems I speak and sing, some old and written by others, some written as channeled messages from my own hands.

This one came to me the other day:

I pray for a better way. I pray for a change. I pray for tomorrow to surrender to today.

I believe this is all relevant for obvious reasons. What's happening in the world weighing heavy on our hearts, especially as we are in the midst of Holiday season. But also, it's Sagittarius season bbs. My first house is ruled by sag & Jupiter's hanging out in there too, so I'm pretty driven by this sign and its energy.

Jupiter is the gaseous planet of expansion, mutable intervention, and hope. Yet its archetype can be too idealistic and imposing at times if not balanced with mindfulness and objectivity.

Sagittarius is shaped by this energy, as well as the mythos of Chiron, the wounded healer, the centurion ally who put others before himself, and yet gained favor from the gods because of his devotion to service, wisdom, and healing arts.

We don't have to be self-sacrificial to be wise or healing. Chiron's wound is resembled by inattention to this - partially due to external pressure pulling one away from this. We have to tend to our inner wounds, and from this wisdom energes. Healing is not a destination, but a practice and recurring theme.

It reminds me of this Rumi quote: "The wound is the place where the Light enters you."

The centaur's invitation is to believe in our own inner wisdom's ability to contribute to the collective. What seeds you hold within, what wisdom is passed down from your lineages, studies and contemplations - it grows stronger when it is shared - like a public library grown from the contributions of many individuals.

We can balance what we give and contribute with what our boundaries and needs are in order for it to be sustainable and ethical for all - yourself included.

Notice the cycles

Our New Moon in the mutable fire sign of Sagittarius exacts at 6:32 pm EDT on Tuesday, December 12th, 2023.

(If you're reading this at a much later time, it's still relevant to reflect on your life around this time / season, especially in comparison to what's happening now.)

As always, this peak of the lunation cycle is just that; the energy of a transit affects our collective before and after this moment as well. Additionally, we continue to integrate the lessons of a transit well after it shifts - whether we're aware of it or not.

The sun & moon meet at 20 degrees of Sagittarius on Tuesday. Conjunct mars in Sag, this new moon is fiery and active - it might even feel closer to the energy of a full moon with this group hanging out in the sky.

This gathering is happening trine our collective north node & Chiron in Aries (our shared evolutionary direction & wound we are tending to). We are learning and experiencing layers of larger collective and personal life themes here. This may feel like a lot at once, for better or worse - but it's nothing new and nothing we can't handle together.

This is clearly a heightened time for our collective world, which feels engulfed in flames of harm and injustice in so many places. No one is separate from this - yet these are collective, systemic issues.

Evolution only happens through revolution - which can take many forms. Sagittarius asks us to educate ourselves, tap into our resources, and give back from where we have an abundance to offer (big Jupiter energy) from our own fire we've tended.

We are healing big wounds, tending to the flames, guided by insight and a vision of a better future and way. Fire can be both destructive and healing. Fire is energy, the sun - which gives life but also takes it away. Fire is in our cells and beating heart, but it's also how we see and envision a better future. It is also the extremes of bombs and hostile reactivity. As we call for a permanent CeaseFire everywhere, for liberation of everyone, we can tend to our inner flames as we try to put our the collective firestorms.

From (re)activity and re-igniting flames, to tending to the warmth of collective energy and compassionate creativity.

During this time, it's important to remember your autonomy and inner compass. You are wise and guided - tune into that and don't feel like you have to do it all alone. All this mars & Aries energy is initiatory, but Sag as a mutable fire sign asks us to work with what we already know, feel educated on, and where our spirituality guides us.

This is a time to tap into your creativity - explore the ways you can serve the inner & outer revolution (you're probably already doing it)

I love this example of Callings & Roles for Collective Liberation by The Slow Factory.

It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Howard Thurman, which to how our passions can be of service, not bypassing if we are mindful; "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

It's easy to get swept up in the flames, but look to the support of your Earth placements for where/how in your life you can ground. Use your tools and resources to remain rooted as you engage.

Finally, this is all happening square to Neptune - so there may be a lack of clarity, a lack of obvious progress. But do not lose hope - even if we are not seeing the results yet, the shift is happening at the subconscious level.

Pay attention to your dreams, set your boundaries before bed, ask your spirits for guidance and protection during these dark days. There is no need to fear the dark when you are careful with your intentions - always return to your foundations (as my spiritual teacher Kaitlyn Graña says) of grounding, cleansing and protection.

Allow it to be felt & seen

Behind the scenes of creativity / reflections on recently...

I've been working on a LOT of new and exciting things :")

Very soon I will be announcing some exciting shifts in our community, that will allow space for something new and exciting to be shared !

Most of you likely have your 2024 Cycles Journal already, but if not... NOW IS THE TIME before holiday shipping gets messy! This year's starts right around Christmas due to when the new moon starts, so you'll wanna have it by the new year! Regardless, whenever you start is just perfect, and you can always fill in what you missed or leave it. :)

This isn't just another journal, it's a guide, companion & space that holds space for you for the next year & beyond.

Some journaling reminders I've been trying to share more :

Giving Back / PIF Updates: current fundraiser and/or funds raised!
Thank you all for your support during our extended BFCM sale! We were able to raise $150 and we split it between the First Nations Institute & the Pal. Children's Relief Fund. Receipts for transparency on our Advocacy & Giving Back page!

Reflect & Release

Invitations for you to sit with - you can pull cards about these, meditate on them, and/or reflect in your journal or notebook...

What feels ignited for you right now?
Where could you use more warmth or creativity in your life?
Where could you use more tending and containment of the flames?
What can you offer to the collective within your creative capacity?
What is your role in the current revolution?
What vision do you have for our future world?
What wisdom do you hold that you are discrediting as something worthy of sharing?

Gratefully connected,
Rachael Amber (they/she)
Creator of Cycles Journal / Cyclical Roots

All words, photographs and artwork are by Rachael unless quoted or otherwise stated. You're welcome to share (for non-commercial reasons only) so long as credit / links remain attached! Thanks for supporting living artists <3

Current Offerings ;
Catch the replay of the most recent Moonthly Meets Workshop, and join us for our Final Workshop of the Year: Release & Reset: Clear 2023 and Manifest a More Fulfilled 2024
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