{~7 minute read... or listen to me speak about even more here on our new podcast!}

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. May you take what resonates from these musings, inspirations, and creations, and leave the rest behind.

Pause

Pausing into the present...

September is a nostalgic month – the waning of summer where I live, back to school remnants of those feels for many, preparing, gathering, harvesting, consolidating, etc.

Virgo season has always felt like virgo season, even before I even knew what it was.

I have a really exciting new offering that feels super relevant to this season, new moon, the approach of the equinox, and World Mindfulness Day!

I've been working on some tools and practices to help sensitive beings find wisdom and support in the ever-changing cycles of life, even when they feel resistance and fear around change.

Cycles Journal is of course one of these tools, but I'm excited to offer new supplemental and accompanying tools.

Ready for the first of many?

Introducing... Cyclical Mindfulness! This is a practice method I've created from my studies, working with teachers, and my own experiences.

What is Cyclical Mindfulness?

Cyclical Mindfulness or Wholistic Cycle Awareness is finding our center of awareness within the ever-changing nature of life. It's honoring all parts of the whole, through noticing patterns, connections, and intersections. It's trust within the endless cycles of growth & decay; embodying our true nature. Following instinct & intuition, it is presence in both painful and pleasurable polarities – holding space for the in-betweens.

It is not just of the mind, but of all we perceive, feel and are.

Living within the unknowns, you are a beacon of potential. All you need is to stay anchored in presence so you can release and flow.

Despite my phases & passing weather, I am always present & whole at my center.

In this Cyclical Mindfulness Guide offering, for just $11/22/33 (you pick!) you receive:

The Cyclical Mindfulness Class Replay
Cyclical Mindfulness PDF Packet - printable guide, cheat sheet + resources
Guided meditation
10% off a future purchase
1 free month inside our Moonthly Meets Circle to access a live workshop & our replay library of 12+ workshops!

Notice

Current cycles and energy...

Our New Moon is in the mutable Earth sign of Virgo, exacting at 9:39 pm EST.

(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.

Virgo is the healer, the "virgin" or "maiden", or really just someone forming their purpose of service to others in the world. Virgo energy is always aware, seeking the most effective and efficient solutions for all, including oneself.

Virgo can also be the "inner critic" if we are not mindful of our patterns and internal dialogue. Maybe certain times of the month are more filled with this energy for you, too?

Mutable Earth can be seen as the way all of nature grows and decays, how plants are never stagnant but always changing. This all feels so relevant to Cyclical Mindfulness.

Virgo is ruled by the planet Mercury, our planet of communication - based on the roman god Mercury / greek god Hermes aka the messenger. It speaks to the origins of hermeticism and how the Hermit card in the tarot represents going within to seek answers, as well as remaining open to support from the unseen.

This is what makes Virgo very mentality-focused even as an Earth sign. Yet virgo's goal is grounded awareness and mindful action after careful consideration.

The air sign Gemini is also ruled by mercury. These two signs are square to one another as one is an earth sign and one is air, but are both mutable energies.

Nearby, not quite conjunct but very close by and in the same house, mercury in virgo is retrograde which may make things less clear in this moment. There may be set backs and frustrations, but are they possibly inviting you in to a better or simpler alternative? Are they simply asking you to reflect?

Recently I realized that when I'm getting vague answers (from others, myself, to the cards or my guides), it's because I've been asking vague questions! So I've gotten more specific and guess what, so did the answers.

Yet sometimes a lack of clarity is a sign to rest and pause, to come back to it later.

All of this revolves around discernment and a non-judgmental awareness. This is part of what we practice in the Guide to The Cyclical Mindfulness™ Method - Wholistic Cycle Awareness Packet

As always, how this new moon aspects your chart will affect how you feel during it. You don't need to speak astrology to just tune into how you feel during this time and remember to be gentle with yourself during these peak energy times (and always!).

Other than being near mercury, this new moon is only aspecting our slow-moving outer planets (which all happen to be in retrograde).

To me, this means that there's a lot of reconfiguring happening in our collective & communal realms. There are big changes happening at a large scale, and you can see it in the media, politics, the environment, the way we communicate, technology, etc. There's a lot of tension, heaviness and injustice happening – but this isn't without much push back and restoration as well.

With our new moon in a grand Earth trine to the outer planets of Pluto & Uranus, this feels like a reminder of the role we each play in the whole. Even in difficult and uncertain times, the ground still supports us, we have nature on our side, to listen to and act through.

Maybe sometimes you feel overwhelmed with all that is going on – me too! Pluto + uranus in earth signs is ungrounding - yet there is an essential restructuring happening. Sometimes we don't know how we can help the larger structures with our (at most) two hands, but you count and your voice and actions and/or inactions make a difference. You've heard it before, yeah yeah... but it's true. You can't do it all, but you can focus on your immediate impact with what you feel passionate about and what is accessible and immediate to you.

Solutions & support are not always fiscal, defined or linear – they are often energetic, love-based and creative.

Our new moon is also opposing Neptune in Pisces - asking us to get creative and let there be in-betweens.

Reflection before action is important – retogrades remind us of this.

Allow

You can view / read my two newest poems here, and please follow me if you're on Medium too! :)

cyclic-all

the breath is a cycle
the body asks us to be mindful

our heartbeat, our blood,
our digestion and our vitals

speech and though patterns,
dreams and neural pathways

the clock is a circle for a reason
like the weather and seasons always repeating

back and forth, to and from
no end, no beginning
always circulating, ever-changing

- Rachael Amber

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...

This Virgo new moon asks of you;

Where are you giving to others but not to yourself?
What is calling for your attention, action or service?
What skills do you have to offer in support of causes you believe in?
Are you in need of action or reflection right now?
What is your inner critic trying to tell you?
What is your current relationship with the mind?

As always, I hope you take what resonates with all this and release the rest.

Be well & talk to you soon - between the next peak moon~

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

p.s.

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Current Offerings;

Our upcoming Moonthly Meets Workshop is happening on Tuesday, September 26th at 5pm EST – but you can always catch the recording, along with our entire library of 15+ past workshops!
Also, I still have a few Super Clearance Mystery Bundles on my art IG last week, but I still have some left if you're interested! They range from $5-30, and they're 50-80% off the usual price. Many of these goods won't be available in the shop much longer, so get the deals while you can. :) Details in my saved stories here!