So we've recently had our second New Moon in Aries but did you know that the second New Moon in the same sign in a season is known as a Black Moon? It's just like the second Full Moon in the same sign in a season is known as a Blue Moon (hint: we've got one coming in August!). But it was also an eclipse that was only able to be viewed in Australia and Indonesia because it was a hybrid eclipse.
A hybrid solar eclipse is when the eclipse moves between both a total eclipse and an annular one. A total solar eclipse is when the Sun is hidden by the Moon because the Moon and the Sun are at their closest so the Moon fully covers the Sun. An annular solar eclipse is where the Moon is further away and during the eclipse, the Sun isn't fully covered by the Moon so there is a ring of light (more commonly known as a "ring of fire") of the Sun still visible behind the Moon.
The week of this New Moon really kicked my behind because I wasn't well, and my energy levels were really low. Being unwell might have been partly due to a change in medication but it certainly coincided with this lunar event so I'm entirely open to the possibility that both were involved during that week.
The ritual I attended for this was all about returning to self because of the Black Moon, the imminent Mercury retrograde, the end of Aries season and the start of Taurus season, as well as the coming Full Moon lunar eclipse. Because that's a lot of energies to be dealing with, Emily was right when she said that coming back to the self seemed quite important at this time.
So in order to come back to the self, Emily led a mediation that had three parts to it: the first was an initial body scan, then there was some music to move to, before doing a final body scan. The first body scan highlighted my stomach area and my neck - two places that I hold a lot of tension and stress. These areas were brought to my attention because they felt tight and almost stuck, so immediately following the scan, I was invited to use my breath to loosen and unwind these areas.
The music that followed this first body scan was different and not what I was expecting to hear but they were pertinent to the theme of this ritual. The first song was "Tribal Trap" by Peace Sine and this really made me think of Native American, Celtic, and/or Viking/Danes dancing around a fire in a group, just allowing the music to flow and be expressed by their bodies. I have a hard time allowing myself to dance on camera with only a few other people there because I am very self- and body-conscious. The second song was "I Need Love" by LSB and this made me think of belly dancers and how sensual and connected they are to their bodies. I will admit that I was moving my body while sitting at my desk, moving mainly around my stomach area (almost like a belly dancer). The final song was "Earth My Body" by Maggie Clifford and this song actually got me wanting to move my body more than I already had. This song made me consider that every element is present in my body, that I am the elements and they are me. Because of this, I felt like this song was very much about freedom and general sacredness.
After listening and moving to these songs, there was a second body scan during which I discovered that my whole body felt more free and much lighter than it had at the beginning. While my neck and stomach area no longer felt tight, my back did feel tight but this might have been because I don't tend to move or dance very much in my day-to-day life.
Following this, Emily posed three questions: In what ways could I honour my body? If my body was an altar, how would I decorate it? And if I were to treat my body as a sacred vessel, what would I gift it? I do feel bad that I don't take such great care of my body so I set the intention to apply body butter to my whole body more often. I can also honour my body by listening to it and doing what it is telling me to do when my body says it needs it - like sleeping when I'm tired. To decorate my body, I could get more tattoos (this is a plan but costs money so it's a long-term plan) but I could also wear clothes that make me feel good and wear different pieces of jewellery that I like and maybe don't wear as often as I'd want to. The gifts I would make to my body would be good wholesome food, and clothes that fit and that I like.
This was a really interesting ritual as I actually purchased a witchy t-shirt a few hours before I had this experience. It really made me think about how disconnected I can be from my body but it gave me hope that I can change that and reconnect with my body.
I hope this inspires you to think about how you can reconnect with your own bodies and take care of them.
Peace and love to all!!
Comments