Art Journal with the Moon for July 1-7, 2024

Working with the New Moon in Cancer to Care For Your Guarded Heart

In this post, I talk about tending to broken heart memories with the new moon in Cancer so you can live with a heart that is open, able to feel deeply and willing to trust again. I also share a summary of the moon’s energy from Monday – Sunday with daily prompts you can explore in your art journal so your deep inner work and magic is in alignment with the moon.

Have you ever felt like your heart is guarded, as if you’re protecting it from being hurt again?

Those feelings often come from memories of times when our hearts were broken. These broken heart memories can make us wary of trusting and opening up to love again.

This happens from more than just our love lives. Broken heart memories can come from many areas of life, not just romantic relationships. For example, losing a close friendship can feel like a deep heartbreak, leaving you feeling lonely and rejected. Experiences of being let down by family members or feeling unimportant can also create broken heart memories. Even not receiving the support or encouragement you needed growing up can lead to feelings of heartbreak. Maybe you lost a job you really loved or the dream you were working so hard on didn’t happen the way you wanted it to or maybe you faced betrayal, or experienced disappointment in life when it didn’t turn out the way you thought it would.

Before I go into more details about all this though, don’t forget, if you want to stay updated on how to work with the magic of the moon in your art journal, sign up to my mailing list. Every Monday, you’ll get reminders of the moon’s energy for the upcoming week and how you can work with it in your art journal to practice magic, tend to your soul or do your deep inner work. You can sign up here.

Now back tending to your beautiful, tender heart.

When you experience heartbreak, it can make your heart feel heavy and weighed down by sadness or disappointment. Grief is a natural process and an essential part of going through a heartbreaking experience. It’s important to honor your feelings and not dismiss or ignore your grief. Tending to broken heart memories means acknowledging your pain and allowing yourself to feel it.

Over time though, looking at the thoughts and beliefs you carry from these experiences can be helpful because some of the beliefs may no longer hold truth, and recognizing this can help you heal.

Moving through the pain and allowing it to transform, if that’s what it wants to do, can also lead to growth and a deeper understanding of yourself.

When Your Mind is Trying to Protect You

There are some broken heart moments that can change how you view yourself, making you feel unworthy or not good enough. You start to doubt your ability to connect with others, leading to feelings of isolation or mistrust. This can also affect how you see others; you might become more guarded, expecting them to let you down or hurt you. These feelings can create barriers, making it hard to open up and trust again. This happens because your mind is trying to keep you safe from further pain, but it can also keep you from experiencing the love and connection you truly deserve.

I’m a highly sensitive person, and my heart used to break easily and deeply, especially in friendships, although my true heart break reached back much further than that – to a little girl in a lot of pain. From childhood into my thirties, I carried a lot of unfelt, unprocessed and uncared for broken heart memories. It all became too much one day when I lost another friendship and saw a creative dream come crashing down at the same time. The devastation was overwhelming.

I began to isolate myself, and my social anxiety grew stronger. Opening up to new experiences felt too vulnerable. I started to believe my creative dreams weren’t possible and I would never find the kind of friendships I longed for. On top of shutting myself off, my body could no longer handle the emotional pain I was carrying. Something had to change.

My journey to healing was long and layered but one of the more important elements in learning to trust and open myself back up to life and all it has to offer was learning to meet my own emotional needs. It was key to not only my physical recovery but also to my ability to trust myself, life and other people again.

Meeting Your Emotional Needs with the New Moon in Cancer

This week we greet a new moon in Cancer and it’s a great time to help your heart feel safe to put down the guards and start believing in love again because the new moon in Cancer brings nurturing energy. It’s a time when you can deeply connect with your emotions and explore what truly makes you feel safe and loved. You can tap into its energy and learn to meet your own emotional needs.

Learning to meet your own emotional needs helps you lower the guards around your heart because it builds trust in yourself. When you prioritize your needs, you gain confidence that you can handle whatever comes your way. This self-trust allows you to open up to love again, knowing that you won’t let others compromise your emotional well-being.

By taking care of yourself, you no longer tolerate relationships that aren’t emotionally safe or don’t meet your needs. You understand that it’s essential to be in relationships where you feel valued and supported. This self-awareness means you don’t rely on others to fill any emptiness within you. Instead, you create a strong foundation of self-love, allowing you to connect with others in a healthy, balanced way. As a result, you can open your heart to love, knowing you are supported and secure.

Cancer, being all about home and family, encourages you to turn inward and care for your inner self. This energy helps you tap into your nurturing side, allowing you to embrace self-care and provide comfort to yourself and others.

It’s the perfect time to set intentions for emotional healing, to create a safe space within yourself, and to cultivate the love and support you need.

Working with the Archetype of the Great Mother

The new moon in Cancer also represents a time to tap into a divine source of unconditional love, much like the archetype of the Great Mother. This energy is nurturing, protective, and deeply caring. The Great Mother appears in many cultures as a symbol of ultimate love and support. In some traditions, she is Gaia, the Earth Mother, who provides for all living beings. In others, she is Demeter, nurturing and sustaining life, or Isis, a powerful protector and healer.

Connecting with the Great Mother during the Cancer new moon allows you to access this nurturing love, which can help you meet your unmet emotional needs. By embracing this spiritual source, you fill the gaps left by past relationships, such as the mother wound, which in a patriarchal culture can be the first heartbreak we experience.

This deep, divine love helps heal those old wounds, teaching you that you are indeed worthy of love and care. By nurturing yourself with this energy, you begin to heal and open your heart to new, healthy relationships.

Living with an Unguarded Heart

When you heal broken heart memories, you release the emotional pain stored in your body, which can reduce stress and physical tension and can help your nervous system stay calm and regulated more often. That was definitely my experience. It helps you feel more relaxed and energized, allowing your body to function more effectively.

As you learn to trust yourself, love, and life again, you also become open to positive experiences. You free yourself from the emotional weight that can cloud your view of the world. This newfound openness allows you to embrace opportunities with more confidence and less fear. You become more willing to try new activities, explore your passions, and pursue your creative dreams with more optimism.

Your self-esteem also improves, making it easier to take risks and step out of your comfort zone. This positive mindset helps you enjoy life’s experiences more fully. Overall, you start to see life as a series of opportunities rather than obstacles because your heart and mind aren’t busy being overprotective. They put down their guards and the wall around your hearts starts to crumble as you feel safe enough to relax and allow life to unfold and you to participate fully in it again.

Plus, a newfound trust in yourself and a faith that you are forever cared for by a divine source of love allows you to form healthier, more fulfilling relationships because you’re no longer held back by past hurts. You communicate more openly, set clear boundaries, and connect more deeply with others. Ultimately, tending to memories of your broken heart helps you create a loving, supportive environment for both your body and your relationships, leading to a happier, more balanced life.

Caring for your broken heart memories on your own isn’t always easy. That’s why I created the self-paced course “The Unguarded Heart”. In this course, you’ll dive into your shadows, align with the energy of the new moon, and create a powerful ritual you can perform in your art journal to connect with the Great Mother Archetype (or your Inner Mother) to help you trust in yourself and in love again.

Let’s be honest, there’s not a single course in the world that can tend to all your broken heart memories but performing an art ritual with the new moon in Cancer is a sacred step in the right direction. I like to think of my courses as tablespoons of medicine you can feed your heart and soul when you need it most.

As with all my creative online courses, you’ll also work with the MAP Method because I love being an art witch who can mix brain science with magic and creativity. The MAP Method helps you tend to broken heart memories by gently neutralizing the emotional charge they hold. This method works by accessing your subconscious mind to reprocess painful memories, allowing you to release the emotional weight they carry. As a result, the effects of these memories on your body and relationships are alleviated. You may notice less tension, reduced anxiety, and a greater sense of calm. This healing process helps you approach your relationships with an open heart, free from past pain, and empowers you to connect more deeply with others. By using the MAP Method, you can heal old wounds and create healthier emotional patterns moving forward.

Ready to take the first step toward feeling lighter, healing your heart and opening to love again?

Sign up for THE UNGUARDED HEART today. Together, we’ll work with the upcoming new moon because you deserve to feel loved, supported, and connected.

Learn More Here

The Moon This Week

If you want to work with the moon to manifest, do your emotional work or deepen your creativity, here’s a summary of the moon’s energy from Monday – Sunday with daily prompts you can explore in your art journal.

Monday

Today the last quarter moon is the sign of Taurus. It is also having a happy relationship with Venus and Saturn and an intense relationship with Mars.

An emotionally wise person can create a loving container by providing a safe, non-judgmental space for you to express your feelings. They listen actively and empathetically, without interrupting or trying to fix your problems. This allows you to feel heard and understood. They offer gentle encouragement and validation, acknowledging your emotions and reassuring you that it’s okay to feel what you’re feeling.

Being with someone who has emotional wisdom supports you in processing and expressing your feelings because they model healthy emotional behavior. Their calm and grounded presence can help you feel more secure and less overwhelmed by your emotions. They might ask thoughtful questions that guide you to explore your feelings more deeply and gain insight into your emotional experiences. This supportive interaction helps you build emotional resilience and learn to navigate your feelings with greater clarity and confidence.

In their presence, you learn that it’s safe to be vulnerable and that your emotions are valid. This experience can foster a stronger sense of self and improve your ability to form healthy, supportive relationships.

In your art journal, to align with this lunar energy, draw, paint or collage an image that represents what you imagine a loving container for your difficult emotions might look like.

Tuesday

Today the balsamic moon is in the sign of Gemini. It is also having a happy relationship with Neptune, Mercury and Pluto and an intense relationship with Uranus. 

Gemini is ruled by the planet Mercury so the moon is carrying a little of that planet’s energy as well.

Gemini energy is adaptable, flexible and brings swiftness and movement. It sometimes can bring energy that feels frantic or unstable as well as scattered, inconsistent, unreliable or unfocused but it is also dynamic, versatile, communicative, multifaceted, friendly and curious with the capacity to change and be interested in many different things which means it sees the good in people and the possibilities in experiences.

Try to think of something in your life you want to move more swiftly. Perhaps it’s a challenging experience that you would like to process or move through more quickly. Perhaps it’s a dream you’d like to draw more closely to you.

With ease and grace, what is one thing in your life you hope shifts or changes quickly and easily?

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents something in your life you hope shifts or changes quickly and easily.

Wednesday

The balsamic moon is in the sign of Gemini. It is also having a tense relationship with Saturn and an intense relationship with Jupiter.

This kind of closeness between the moon and Jupiter brings ease and flow.

Jupiter wants to bring harmony, well-being, kindness, justice, abundance, growth, expansion, good luck and balance to your life. The moon is supporting Jupiter’s desire to do this in your life today because the comforting and nurturing qualities of the Moon merge harmoniously with the expansive and optimistic nature of Jupiter.

This can bring uplifting emotional and spiritual experiences. You might feel a surge of joy and optimism, a lightness that could elevate you above any sadness or despair that might come your way today. This is also a time when the spirit of generosity and kindness might feel more pronounced, creating an environment conducive to giving and receiving support and love, allowing you to connect more deeply with others. The closeness the moon and Jupiter share today may also provide an opportunity for insight and awareness, helping you have more empathy and understand yourself and others in a deeper way.

On a spiritual level, this energy could inspire spiritual growth, providing insights and wisdom that can deepen your spiritual beliefs and practices. It’s a time rich with the possibility of manifesting desires and intentions, focusing on the abundance the greater forces of Love have to offer you. It may also serve as a beacon, illuminating your higher calling and purpose in life and encouraging you to pursue your spiritual aspirations with renewed passion and enthusiasm.

Take a moment to close your eyes and imagine what it would feel like to be bathed in goodness – as if a warm magical liquid light of harmony was being poured all over your body and throughout all the corners of your life – all the people you interact with, all the places you will go today, all the spaces you will be in and all the experiences you will have are bathed in this warm golden light of goodness.

In your art journal, draw, paint or create a collage that represents being bathed in a golden light of goodness.

Thursday

The balsamic moon moves into the sign of Cancer. Itis also having a tense relationship with Neptune.

The Moon in Cancer is a nurturing time that aligns well with the concept of the inner mother. The inner mother is an archetype representing the nurturing, caring qualities within you, often mirroring the care you wish you had received when you were younger. Cancer, a sign deeply connected with emotions, home, and maternal energy in astrology, provides the ideal backdrop for connecting with and cultivating your own inner mother.

For highly sensitive people, especially those who have experienced trauma or emotional neglect, engaging with the inner mother can be incredibly healing. When you’ve grown up in environments where emotional support and nurturing were lacking, visualizing and interacting with your inner mother, can begin to provide you with the compassion, understanding, and unconditional support you missed.

This practice involves imagining what an ideal motherly figure would look and feel like—one who offers love, encouragement, and protection. On days when the Moon is in Cancer, it supports this kind of deep emotional and nurturing work, making it easier to access and strengthen these qualities within yourself. This process not only helps heal old wounds but also empowers you to respond to your current emotional needs with greater kindness and care, effectively re-parenting your inner child to foster healing and emotional resilience.

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage a page that represents what you imagine your loving, patient and kind inner mother looks like.

Friday

The new moon is in the sign of Cancer.

The new moon is the darkest of the moon phases. I like to think of this phase as an empty garden plot filled with rich black dirt just waiting for me to plant a seed in. It is a time to go inward, be still and dream up what you next want to create in your life. You can help yourself get unstuck by using this time to get clear on what it is you really want, look forward, plan and think about what success means to you – especially in the area of your life that the new moon was focusing its energy in.

This particular new moon is in the sign of Cancer. Cancer energy is sensitive, sentimental and carries the wisdom of cycles. It is connected to your ancestors, your roots and your feelings of home. It walks alongside your subconscious realm.  It is the wise and whole mother within who knows how to wrap and protect and care for all your inner parts.  It is calm, compassionate and nurturing but it is also emotions that move up and down and all around. It wants to help you meet your emotional needs and teach you have to feel emotionally safe. It can help you change and transform your inner landscape but it can also amplify your defensiveness or resistance.

To personalize this new moon even further, let’s get specific and see the area of YOUR life that this new moon energy is focused on.

To figure out what area of your life the new moon wants you to focus on, you simply need to know your rising sign.

If you don’t know your rising sign (it’s different than your sun or moon sign), then you can read more about it here and you can calculate what it is here. I also show you how to calculate your birth chart using the whole sign house system here. When you create your birth chart in this way, you will see your rising sign is the zodiac sign that occupies the first house in your birth chart.

If your rising sign is Aries, then the new moon is inviting you to connect with the archetype of the Great Mother and heal a memory of a time your heart felt broken when it comes to your family, your ancestors or your home and living situation. Think about these areas of your life and consider what intentions you want to make in order to heal that memory with unconditional love, understanding and compassion.

If your rising sign is Taurus, the new moon is inviting you to connect with the archetype of the Great Mother and heal a memory of a time your heart felt broken when it comes to learning, the way you communicate or express yourself, your relationship with your siblings or peers, or your experience with the goddess and nature or moon-based rituals. Which one of these topics feel most important for you to focus on during this new moon? Choose one of them and consider what intentions you want to make in order to heal that memory of a broken heart with unconditional love, understanding and compassion.

For Gemini people, the new moon is inviting you to connect with the archetype of the Great Mother and heal a memory of a time your heart felt broken when it comes to your relationship with money, your income or your livelihood or your assets and the things you own. Which one of these topics feel most important for you to focus on during this new moon? Choose one of them and consider what intentions you want to make in order to heal that memory of a broken heart with unconditional love, understanding and compassion.

If your rising sign is Cancer, the new moon is inviting you to connect with the archetype of the Great Mother and heal a memory of a time your heart felt broken when it comes to your identity, your relationship with your body, your appearance or your relationship with your spirit or your true essence. Which one of these topics feel most important for you to focus on during this new moon? Choose one of them and consider what intentions you want to make in order to heal that memory of a broken heart with unconditional love, understanding and compassion.

For Leo people, the new moon is inviting you to connect with the archetype of the Great Mother and heal a memory of a time your heart felt broken – especially a memory that lives in your subconscious mind or includes secrets or something you hide from yourself or others. Choose a memory then consider what intentions you want to make in order to heal that memory of a broken heart with unconditional love, understanding and compassion.

For Virgo people, the new moon is inviting you to connect with the archetype of the Great Mother and heal a memory of a time your heart felt broken when it comes to friendships, groups, community or your hopes and wishes. Which one of these topics feel most important for you to focus on during this new moon? Choose one of them and consider what intentions you want to make in order to heal that memory of a broken heart with unconditional love, understanding and compassion.

If your rising sign is Libra, the new moon is inviting you to connect with the archetype of the Great Mother and heal a memory of a time your heart felt broken when it comes to your career, reputation or ideas of success. Which one of these topics feel most important for you to focus on during this new moon? Choose one of them and consider what intentions you want to make in order to heal that memory of a broken heart with unconditional love, understanding and compassion.

For Scorpio rising sign people, the new moon is inviting you to connect with the archetype of the Great Mother and heal a memory of a time your heart felt broken when it comes to your faith, spiritual practices, international travel or future success. Which one of these topics feel most important for you to focus on during this new moon? Choose one of them and consider what intentions you want to make in order to heal that memory of a broken heart with unconditional love, understanding and compassion.

For Sagittarius rising sign people, the new moon is inviting you to connect with the archetype of the Great Mother and heal a memory of a time your heart felt broken when it comes to your psyche and your emotional or mental well-being or any debt you have accumulated (your own or your ancestors) or your relationship with money you’ve shared with someone else or your relationship with taxes. Which one of these topics feel most important for you to focus on during this new moon? Choose one of them and consider what intentions you want to make in order to heal that memory of a broken heart with unconditional love, understanding and compassion.

If your rising sign is Capricorn, the new moon is inviting you to connect with the archetype of the Great Mother and heal a memory of a time your heart felt broken when it comes to a close, intimate relationship, your marriage or a partnership. Which one of these topics feel most important for you to focus on during this new moon? Choose one of them and consider what intentions you want to make in order to heal that memory of a broken heart with unconditional love, understanding and compassion.

For Aquarius rising sign people, the new moon is inviting you to connect with the archetype of the Great Mother and heal a memory of a time your heart felt broken when it comes to your daily work routines, a relationship with a pet or your health and wellness. Which one of these topics feel most important for you to focus on during this new moon? Choose one of them and consider what intentions you want to make in order to heal that memory of a broken heart with unconditional love, understanding and compassion.

Finally, for Pisces people, the new moon is inviting you to connect with the archetype of the Great Mother and heal a memory of a time your heart felt broken when it comes to your children, your hobbies, your sex life, your relationship with pleasure or your relationship with creativity or a creative project. Which one of these topics feel most important for you to focus on during this new moon? Choose one of them and consider what intentions you want to make in order to heal that memory of a broken heart with unconditional love, understanding and compassion.

In your art journal, draw, collage or paint an image that represents your new moon intentions.

Saturday

The moon moves into the sign of Leo. It is also having a happy relationship with Saturn and Neptune, an opposing relationship with Pluto and an intense relationship with Venus.

Leo, a fixed fire sign, is ruled by the sun. When the moon enters Leo, it highlights a bit more of the sun’s radiant energy. Imagine the moon, who represents emotions, soaking in the sun’s light and reflecting back to us feelings of loyalty, warmth, optimism, playfulness and power. This is the core of Leo energy. It invites you to shine your light unapologetically, to soak in the warmth of your inner worth, and to happily and confidently project your unique essence into the world. Helpful affirmations that help you align with this lunar energy include:

“I am radiant and worthy.”

“My light attracts goodness.”

“I shine brightly, unapologetically.”

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents shining your light unapologetically.

Sunday

The moon is in the sign of Leo. It is also having a happy relationship with Jupiter and an intense relationship with Mercury.

The moon is in a happy relationship with Jupiter today.

Jupiter wants to bring harmony, well-being, kindness, justice, abundance, growth, expansion, good luck and balance to your life. The moon is supporting Jupiter’s desire to do this in your life today.

The moon is the queen of the night. She wants to illuminate the darkness, bring about change, be a mirror to reflect us back to ourselves and awaken our receptive and intuitive powers. She represents your body and emotions and reminds you that life is an ever-changing cycle of birth, death, decay and rebirth. She wants to bring kindness, nurturing, novelty and adaptability.

Together, the moon and Jupiter are shining more peace into our lives today. They’re helping us feel open-hearted and generous. They’re supporting us in focusing on what connects us to each other and what brings us together. It’s energy that helps us feel calm and safe and willing to see and receive the goodness other people want to share with us. It’s energy that reminds us what’s good in our life.

One of the best ways to work with this energy is to drop into your heart and choose something in your life to feel grateful for.

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents something you’re grateful for.

Have fun with your art journal and the moon this week.

with love,

Pinterest Pins