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Art Journal with the Moon for August 7-13, 2023
This is a summary of the moon’s energy for the upcoming week and the inner work and magic you can do in your art journal to make the most of the opportunities the cosmos is gifting us with.
Every week the emotional and magical opportunities the moon is sending you are different because the energy she is drawing down from the planets and stars changes moment to moment. Planets and stars and moon phases and moon signs each carry their own unique energy. This is my weekly update of the moon’s comings and goings to support you in aligning with her energy.
Get your art journal or a scrap of paper you see lying around, your art supplies or those pencil crayons you have hidden away somewhere and have fun. Spend 10 – 20 minutes focusing on the themes the moon is supporting you to explore that day while you play with colors and shapes and watch what happens over time.
It’s amazing what a little consistent creative time can do.
When you’re ready, sign up for my free Creative Moon Cycle Guide and every new moon I’ll send you a beautiful booklet that guides you to work with the upcoming lunar cycle in your art journal to heal your emotional wounds or practice magic and create the changes you want to see in your life.
Moon Rituals Really Work!
Ahhhhh!
I cut all my hair off!
And I blame my full moon art ritual!
My full moon magic seems to have worked a little faster than I expected it to. These particular results I’m experiencing are more internal than external (except for the hair). Something seems to have shifted in the way I feel about myself. When I was performing my moon ritual in my art journal with my Grow More Good group, I could feel the power I was tapping into. I would describe the shift as feeling like I now have a shitload of personal power I didn’t have before.
Personal power, to me, is about the ability to influence my own life and the world around me through my beliefs, attitudes, and actions. It means I make decisions that align with my true self. It means I believe in my abilities and my worth. I’m able to have confidence in myself, take action, take risks, and advocate for myself. It means I have the ability to bounce back from adversity, learn from my experiences, and keep going in the face of challenges. It means I have the ability to communicate my needs, boundaries, and desires clearly and respectfully – or at least I’m always learning how to better do this.
It’s me saying; “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”
It is an inner strength and confidence that allows me to make conscious choices, take action, and exert control in shaping my own life path and the results I experience. I know I can’t control everything but being in my personal power, to me, means I feel confident enough to believe I have more power than I realize I do and maybe, just maybe, I can stretch and grow and expand in ways that allow me to experience myself differently.
And that’s what happened – I feel different. I’m me but different. I know how strong I am and I can see I’m a force.
If I was playing a video game and I started as a certain character, I’d still be that character but I’d have more gear and tools. I’d look like I upleveled.
I’ve reached a new level of inner success. No one else will notice it but I sure as heck feel it and it’s reminding me how this shit works.
Playing in my art journal with the moon works!!!
It might seem frivolous or like a hobby but it isn’t. It’s important work and it causes change.
Harnessing the power of the moon in my personal and professional life is a transformative experience. This past full moon, in particular, had a helpful intense energy for amplifying my new moon intentions and I’m so glad I used it.
If you’re not art journaling with the moon yet, I encourage you to start. It’s playful and you can keep it simple. You can start with just the full and new moon. You don’t have to get fancy and you don’t need to be an artist. You just need to start with a curious heart and learn as you go.
Art journaling with the moon provides a unique way to express and release emotions, thoughts, or patterns that no longer serve you. This cathartic process allows you to clear emotional clutter, making room for personal growth and transformation. And…creating art taps into your intuitive side, and the moon further amplifies this connection. It can deepen your self-awareness and understanding, allowing you to better align with your true self and values.
And what I’m finding is art journaling with the moon for your intuitive or creative business is especially helpful.
Art journaling with the moon is a great time to revisit your business goals and intentions. Through an art ritual, you can visually express these goals, providing a tangible reminder of your vision. This can help clarify your business direction, ensuring you’re working towards objectives that truly resonate with your business values. Plus, you invite your spirit allies to help you and the magic you create together is sometimes so mind-blowing, you feel like you have secret powers.
Art rituals with the moon can invigorate your creativity, sparking new ideas for your business. Whether it’s new products, services, or marketing strategies, these creative insights can help you uplevel your business. A moon art ritual can help identify and release limiting beliefs or fears in your business journey and we all know how important that is. #innerworkismagic The inner work you do with the moon and your subconscious mind frees up mental space, allowing for a growth mindset that embraces challenges and sees potential rather than obstacles.
Incorporating a moon art ritual into your regular routine provides an opportunity to sync with the natural world’s rhythms. By connecting your personal and business growth to these lunar cycles, you anchor your progress in the natural flow of expansion and contraction, fostering a sustainable and balanced path of upleveling. Plus, you start to think and live in circular and spiral ways instead of linear ones.
Linear perspective sees life as a straight line, moving from point A to point B. It’s based on a beginning, middle, and end. This view places heavy emphasis on the past, present, and future as distinct, non-repeating stages. The ultimate goal tends to be focused on progress, growth, and achievement, often measured by tangible markers of success such as wealth, status, or productivity.
While a linear perspective can motivate us to strive and achieve, it can also create pressure and stress. There’s often a fear of running out of time, not achieving enough, or failing to meet your culture’s expectations. This approach can lead to a feeling of imbalance and emotional strain, especially in challenging times, as it doesn’t readily accommodate the natural ebbs and flows of life.
The circular or cyclical perspective, on the other hand, is embodied by the cycles of the moon, the changing seasons, and the rhythms of nature. In this view, life is seen as an ongoing series of cycles and patterns, each with its time of growth, fruition, release, rest and rebirth.
This perspective honors the value of every stage of the cycle, including the times of stillness and letting go. It promotes acceptance and understanding that just like the moon waxes and wanes, our lives, too, have periods of vibrant activity and quiet introspection. It encourages us to flow with life, accepting and adapting to changes, rather than resisting them.
By understanding life as a series of cycles, we learn to accept change as a natural part of existence, rather than something to fear or resist. This acceptance can help us cope more effectively with life’s ups and downs, enhancing our emotional resilience. The circular perspective encourages us to balance periods of activity with periods of rest and reflection, promoting emotional well-being and preventing burnout. Just as nature has its periods of decay that make way for rebirth, the circular perspective helps us see challenges and endings as opportunities for transformation and growth. The cyclical nature of time encourages us to live more fully in the present moment, embracing each stage of the cycle as it comes. This mindfulness can greatly support our mental and emotional health. When we understand our emotions as part of a larger cycle, we’re more likely to show compassion towards ourselves in difficult times and patience knowing that this phase, like the moon, will also change.
By aligning yourself with these natural cycles, you can navigate life with more grace, acceptance, and resilience, embracing every stage of our journey as necessary and valuable in its own right.
It’s cliché but true – art journaling with the moon really has changed my life (as have many other things like my trip to Sedona, the MAP Method and coconut cream in my coffee.)
Along with changing my hair and my life, I’m changing a few things in my business as well but I need your help first.
I’m looking for 10 spiritual or creative solopreneurs who have big business goals but their ambitions often surpass what their sensitivities allow, forcing them to achieve success at a slower pace than they want to.
If you are ambitious and run your own spiritual, creative, or healing business, and feel a deep, personal connection to your work but you experience emotional challenges, such as low self-esteem, anxiety, overwhelm, self-doubt, and procrastination, which can sometimes interfere with your business and personal growth, I’d love to schedule an interview so I can gather some much-needed market research.
Don’t worry. I want to make this a win for you too.
Our talk will last an hour but I’ll only ask you questions for 30 minutes. You can use the next 30 minutes as an Intuitive Support Session where we ask my guardian angel Cassandra what advice or tips she has for you and your business. She’s pretty great at identifying next steps and offering creative solutions to the problems you might currently be facing in your business.
I want to figure out the best way to serve moving forward and your insight is invaluable. Our talk would mean the world to me. No selling or weird bait and switchery – I promise. Please use the link below to book a time if you’re up for an interview.
Click Here to Book a Time
Monday
The moon is in the fixed earth sign of Taurus today. Taurus is ruled by the planet Venus so the moon is carrying a little bit of that planet’s energy today as well.
Taurus energy is stable and secure. It brings an air of grace, calm, tolerance, tenacity, comfort, pleasure, grounding, safety and security. Depending on the way it affects you or the area of your life it influences the most, it may also bring laziness, inactivity or stubbornness.
Allow the stable and secure energy of Taurus to sit in your body for a moment.
Think of someone or something that makes you feel safe.
It could be someone you know or even a place in nature that makes you feel held. Maybe its the feeling of being wrapped in the arms of someone you love.
Your nervous system deeply benefits from dosing your field with feelings of safety. Taking care of your body includes caring for your nervous system and allowing it to remember what feeling calm and grounded is like. When you are able to achieve that feeling of safety its like medicine to your nervous system – a warm liquid medicine that flows through your nervous system and speaks to the energy you hold there and reminds your entire system you can let go and relax because in this moment you are safe. Your brain can take a break. It doesn’t need to stay alert. It can put down the guards.
In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents someone or something that makes you feel safe.
Tuesday
The last quarter moon, also known as the third quarter or waning half-moon, is the second to last phase in the moon’s monthly cycle. After the brilliance of the full moon, the moon’s illumination begins to wane, drawing inward once more. The last quarter moon stands as a symbolic crossroads, a time of reflection, release, and inner transformation.
The last quarter moon is viewed as a time of introspection and surrender. As the moonlight diminishes, we too are invited to draw inwards and assess our inner landscapes. It’s a period of letting go, symbolizing the release of old beliefs, habits, or emotional baggage that no longer serve us.
Emotionally, this phase is about acceptance and forgiveness. We are encouraged to make peace with our past, cultivate forgiveness towards ourselves and others, and create space for new possibilities and growth.
To enhance your experience of the last quarter moon, consider these questions:
- What lessons have I learned in this past moon cycle?
- What am I ready to let go of?
- How have I grown and changed over this moon cycle?
- Who or what do I need to forgive to move forward?
- What seeds of intention do I want to plant for the next cycle?
The last quarter moon invites you to pause, look inward, and clear away what no longer serves you. As you align with this lunar rhythm, you nurture your ability to adapt, release, and prepare yourself for new beginnings. So, as you look up at the night sky or art journal with the moon tonight, take a moment to remember every ending is a new beginning in disguise.
In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents what you need to let go of before you consider what seeds of intention you want to plant during the next cycle.
Wednesday
The moon is in the sign of Gemini today.
Gemini, symbolized by the Twins, is the third sign of the zodiac, synonymous with duality, communication, and curiosity. As an air sign under the rulership of Mercury, the planet of communication, intelligence, and information exchange, Gemini’s influence is often marked by a lively intellectual curiosity and a desire for a lot of different kinds of experiences.
When the moon, which is closely to your emotions and intuition, journeys through Gemini, it creates a rich and dynamic interplay between your heart and mind. The moon’s emotional intuitiveness aligns with Gemini’s intellectual curiosity, resulting in energy that stimulates both your feelings and thoughts.
While the moon is in Gemini, you might feel more curious and open than usual, leading you toward exploration, learning, and the quest for new ideas or concepts. Communication, especially around emotions, becomes an important theme as the Gemini Moon encourages open dialogue, sharing of ideas, and meaningful conversation. Gemini moon days are also characterized by a noticeable versatility and adaptability in dealing with emotions. You are nudged to see various perspectives, to better understand your feelings and those of others.
Furthermore, the Gemini Moon encourages exploration of your inner duality, much like the twins that symbolize Gemini. This exploration allows you to become more comfortable with the many faces and dimensions of your inner self, helping you understand that your complexity is part of your unique beauty. Yes, you have many more sides to you than you realize.
It’s a good day for mindful communication. Seek out conversations that stimulate you and nurture your spirit. This could involve heart-to-heart talks with loved ones or lively debates with friends, with an emphasis on expressing feelings. It’s also a good day for intellectual stimulation through books, documentaries, or taking a short course.
Because Gemini’s influence can sometimes result in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, journaling can be a powerful tool during this time, helping provide clarity and understanding.
For a deeper introspection, consider reflecting on questions like:
How can I better communicate my feelings to others?
What new idea or topic am I curious to explore?
How am I embracing the duality within myself?
In what ways can I adapt to the emotional changes I’m experiencing?
And how can I use my intellectual curiosity to support my emotional well-being?
Above all this Gemini moon day is a great reminder that the dance between our heart and mind, when embraced, can lead to a more enriched and balanced emotional and spiritual life.
In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents an emotional or spiritual change you’re going through in your life right now.
Thursday
The moon is in the sign of Gemini today but it’s having a difficult relationship with Mars and Mercury. I find this interesting because Mercury is the ruler of Gemini.
The Gemini moon encourages curiosity, communication, and exploration of our emotions. This energy, when combined with Gemini’s natural adaptability, stimulates versatility in our emotional responses and paves the way for exploring our inner complexities.
On the other side of this challenging relationship with the moon, we have Mars and Mercury in the sign of Virgo, a sign known for its meticulousness, analytical abilities, and desire for order and routine. Mars, the planet of action, passion, and drive, under Virgo’s influence, seeks productivity and efficiency. Mercury, the planet of communication and intellect, is quite at home in Virgo because it is the ruler of both Gemini and Virgo. In Virgo, Mercury seeks clarity, precision, and likes to analyze things.
In astrological terms, the kind of relationship the moon is having with Mercury and Mars brings tension and challenge, a sort of friction that, while initially uncomfortable, can lead to growth and change. You might feel this tension between your emotional needs and your instinct to take action and analyze.
It’s a good day to reconcile your emotions and curiosity with your need for productive action and clear communication. It’s a time when your thoughts might be running high, your emotions might be bubbling under the surface, and your actions may be driven more by intuition than by good solid plans.
It’s also a prime time for introspection and self-reflection. Perhaps consider how your thoughts and emotions influence your actions.
Are there times when you should trust your intuition more?
Conversely, are there times when a more pragmatic approach could be beneficial?
Reflect on questions like:
How can I create a balance between intellectual curiosity and practical action?
Are my emotions leading my decisions, or am I leaning too much on plans and rules and expectations?
How can I better weave together my intuition and my pragmatism in my daily life?
In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image representing a message you received from your spirit allies today.
Friday
The moon is void of course from late morning to early evening in the mountain time zone.
This sometimes happens when the moon is moving from one zodiac sign to another or when it’s not making any aspects with other planets – I think of it as though the moon is just hanging around alone and in the in-between space – no longer where it was but not yet where it will be. The moon likes reflecting energy down to us but when it’s void of course there’s nothing substantial for it to reflect so its reflecting that emptiness back to us.
It’s as if our celestial guide takes a brief pause, suspending its influence and opening a unique window of stillness and introspection.
Embrace this pause, take a step back, and reflect. This period is not about making significant decisions or initiating new projects; rather, it’s a time for taking stock, for going inward, and for focusing on self-care and inner peace.
When the moon is void of course, it is a good time to engage in activities that nurture your emotional well-being. This is also an opportune time for self-reflection and introspection, allowing us to connect more deeply with our inner selves.
On the flip side, it’s best to avoid initiating new projects, making important decisions, or embarking on significant endeavors during this period. The energy of the void of course moon is not conducive to starting new things; rather, it supports wrapping up loose ends and investing in self-care.
Consider reflecting on these questions during a void of course moon:
What areas of my life require my attention, but I’ve been neglecting?
How can I better care for my emotional well-being?
What loose ends do I need to tie up before moving forward?
The void of course moon invites us to embrace the pause, to indulge in introspection, and to nurture our emotional health. It’s a gentle reminder from the cosmos that in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, taking time for yourself, for stillness and self-care, is not only beneficial—it’s essential.
In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image representing an area of your life you’ve been neglecting.
Saturday
Today the moon is in the balsamic phase.
The balsamic or waning crescent phase of the moon, just before we plunge into the darkness of the New Moon, is a deeply spiritual time, ripe with opportunities for introspection and release.
This phase of the moon, characterized by the last thin sliver of moonlight before the moon disappears from our sky, is a symbol of endings, release, and spiritual preparation. It’s during this time that we are asked to let go, to surrender what no longer serves us, and to prepare ourselves for the new cycle to come. It’s a period of quiet introspection, mirroring the autumn season or the twilight hours of the day.
In the heart of the balsamic phase, the wisdom of the Dark Goddess or the Dark Mother comes alive. The Dark Goddess symbolizes the transformative power of endings, the wisdom that comes from facing our shadows, and the liberation of letting go. She calls us to courageously delve into our innermost depths, to explore the parts of ourselves we often keep hidden, and to lovingly release the aspects that no longer serve our growth.
During the balsamic phase, we can cultivate practices that echo the wisdom of the Dark Goddess. Consider performing a ‘letting go’ ritual, perhaps writing down what you wish to release and safely burning the paper as a symbolic gesture. I sometimes save the ashes from these rituals to use in my art journal. Or, use this time to meditate, focusing on your breath as a reminder of the cyclical nature of life — inhaling new life and exhaling what has served its purpose.
At this time, it can be particularly insightful to reflect on the following questions:
What is no longer serving me that I am ready to let go of?
What wisdom has the Dark Goddess offered me during this lunar phase?
How can I honor the process of release and prepare myself for the new beginnings to come?
To deepen your connection to the Dark Goddess during the balsamic phase, you might choose to create an altar with symbols of the Goddess in your art journal, include imagery of a black or dark purple candle, or meditate on the Dark Goddess archetype, seeking her guidance as you journey into your own inner darkness.
As we approach the darkness of the New Moon, we are reminded that even in the darkest night, the promise of renewal is just on the horizon.
In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents the Dark Goddess.
Sunday
The moon is having a happy relationship with five planets today! I’m thinking this creates pretty spectacular lunar energy for us to enjoy.
Some of these relationships are trines and some of these relationships are sextiles. A trine, an aspect representing a flow of energy, and a sextile, an aspect signifying opportunities, between the moon and these five planets create a day of exceptional harmony and potential.
It’s a good day for serendipity and synchronicity. You might experience a lot of fluidity, optimism, and creativity. You may find yourself feeling more open to inspiration, intuitively aligned with the world around you, and ready to seize opportunities with gusto. You may also feel a heightened sense of vitality and a drive to communicate and connect with others. It’s an excellent day to pursue creative projects, engage in brainstorming sessions, or seek inspiration for new ideas.
This lunar energy might also support you in making important decisions or taking bold actions towards your goals. It’s a celestial invitation to step into the flow of life, to embrace the harmonious energy permeating the cosmos, and to move with the rhythm of the universe.
In your art journal, create an image that represents a blessing you’d like the Universe to send your way today or one you observed it already did.
Have fun with your art journal and the moon this week.
with love,
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hi i'm dana...
This is a space where art and spirit come together. On the blog, I share art rituals for working with the magic of the moon. I also work with the subconscious mind to lighten your emotional load and follow your creative dreams.
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