Art Journal with the Moon for June 24-30, 2024

I’ve been thinking a lot about identity lately and how it affects my creative dreams. The way I see myself isn’t always aligned with what my spirit is longing to do or what I want to accomplish in this life. There are parts of me that believe I’m incapable of doing what I want to do or that I’m not the kind of person who will achieve my dreams – that somehow it’s okay for other people to achieve those things but it’s just not meant for someone like me. I never explored my identity to this depth before, at least not to the extent it’s been pulling at me lately and I’m going to blame Jupiter for that. I’ll explain why in a moment.

For now, know that in this blog post, I share what I’m learning about aligning your identity with your creative dreams and explain why you might want to do this as well. As always, when you scroll past all that goodness, you’ll see I describe the comings and goings of the moon this week as well as the daily prompts you can use to art journal with the moon and align your emotional healing with lunar magic.

Before I talk 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 to Jupiter.

Jupiter moved into the first house of my astrological birth chart. This is far more impactful than I expected it to be because it inspired these massive shifts in how I see myself. Where I saw my body as weak, I now see my body as strong. Where I saw myself as lacking, I now see myself as overflowing with potential and abundance.

It’s hard to describe the extent of the shift but it’s like the foundation of a house being completely restructured. I wasn’t expecting the transformation, but Jupiter does tend to bring blessings, so I’ll take it.

In ancient astrology, the first house, also known as the Ascendant or Rising Sign, is one of the most important houses in your chart. It represents your soul, spirit or essence, your identity and self-image, your personal appearance, your approach to life, and the initial impressions you make on others and this is where Jupiter is in my chart now.

Think of the first house as the doorway to your chart. It represents how you project yourself into the world and the filter through which you experience life. This includes your personality, your physical appearance, your mannerisms, and the style through which you express your individuality. It’s like the ‘cover’ of a book, influencing how others perceive you.

The first house also reflects your self-awareness and how you perceive yourself, including your conscious awareness of your own identity. It’s your likes and your dislikes, your preferences, what interests you and what doesn’t and the way you take action and how you approach new beginnings. Whether you see yourself as bold and ambitious, cautious and reserved, or somewhere in between.

Aligning How You See Yourself with What You Want

Ultimately, when it comes to identity, it helps when the way you see yourself is aligned with your true self. When you make choices that reflect your deepest, truest desires and dreams and when you see yourself as someone who can achieve what you truly want, you’re aligning your identity with your truest self.

This, of course, is easier said than done.

The way you see yourself isn’t always aligned with your true self.

This is because the way you see yourself—your identity—is often shaped more by past beliefs and memories than by your true nature or spirit.

From a young age, your experiences start to mold your self-perception. For instance, if you faced criticism or emotional neglect, you might have internalized those experiences, leading to a belief that you are not good enough or unworthy. These formative experiences can create a version of your identity that does not truly reflect your inherent worth and potential.

Can you see the problem here?

Your identity becomes misaligned with the truth of who you really are.

Or, in other words, who you think you are is NOT always who you actually are!

How You See Yourself Can Change How You Act

To add another layer of complexity to this, you are not always aware of how see yourself. Often, it’s your actions, or the lack thereof, and your behaviors and choices that reflect your self-perception. Before you become aware of how you see yourself, you might notice aspects of your life that aren’t going as planned or feel unfulfilling.

When you see yourself in an unhelpful or negative way, it often manifests in behaviors and choices that might not immediately seem connected to how you see yourself but don’t be fooled, how you see yourself influences you more than you realize. For example, you might procrastinate on important tasks, not because you don’t want to do them, but because subconsciously, you doubt your ability to complete them successfully. The first thing you’ll notice in this situation is the fact that you’re procrastinating. You might even judge yourself for it or feel frustrated by it, but it won’t be until you get curious and dig deeper that you’ll see what is actually causing you to procrastinate – which was the identity that says, I don’t have the ability to complete this task successfully.

Another example is withdrawing or remaining silent in social settings. You’ll notice that you’re being quiet when everyone else is talking but it’s not until you dig deeper that you’ll see why you’re doing that. When you get curious, you might realize it’s because you believe your opinions aren’t valued or worthwhile, so you hold them back. That’s an identity you’re holding onto – I’m a person whose opinions aren’t worthy of being shared.

Recognizing how you see yourself can help you change your identity which, in turn, changes how you act, think and behave.

As Long As What You Want is Aligned with Your True Self

Transforming your identity in ways that allow your true spirit to shine through, shedding the unhelpful negative self-image and embracing an identity that reflects your true strengths, talents and dreams is important when you’re working with manifestation magic because shifting your identity and changing the root of your belief in yourself needs to happen until your identity matches what you want to create in your life.

Now let’s pause here for a moment and realize this is assuming that you’ve peeled away the layers and connected with a true desire – one that is rooted in your spirit or soul and not in an unmet emotional need. When your desire is clear and pure and aligned with your true self, shifting your identity to match it aligns you with your spirit as well.

Let me use myself as an example. It has taken years to realize that one of the things my soul truly wants to do is create and sell a book I illustrate. That’s how my true self wants to express herself and experience her art in the world.

Now that I’ve said YES to this, I’m going to be on a journey of seeing where my self-perception is aligned with this and where it is not.

Self-perceptions that are not in alignment might include doubts about my artistic talent or questioning the value of my creative ideas. I might catch myself thinking, “I’m not a real artist,” or “Who would want to buy my book?” Sound familiar? These thoughts stem from a lack of confidence in my abilities and the fear of not being good enough.

On the other hand, self-perceptions that align with my dream include seeing myself as a capable and creative artist who has unique stories and visions to share. I can embrace the belief, “My art is valuable and it resonates with others.” When I do, I’ll feel confident in my skills and believe in the uniqueness of my voice. I’ll see challenges as opportunities to grow and I’ll be excited about the process of creating and sharing my work. Adopting these positive perceptions supports my creative dream, energizes my efforts, and attracts the right opportunities and people to help make my dream a reality.

Perfection is Not the Goal

Now, don’t get me wrong here, I don’t expect myself to be perfect or fully aligned and I don’t think my manifestation magic requires that but it is helpful to be curious about my inner world when I’m procrastinating or not meeting my deadlines and not setting boundaries around my time and energy. When I’m behaving in a way that is preventing me from realizing my dreams, it’s helpful to be open to changing how I see myself. It’s helpful to be open to shedding identities that no longer serve me.

We are all works in progress, and I don’t believe in perfection, nor do I think it is the point of this journey we call life, but I do think it’s possible to shift how I see myself and I do know from experience that when I shift how I see myself and I embrace an identity that is more aligned with who I really am or what I really want, my life runs a lot smoother, I experience less resistance and my body doesn’t carry as much stress or tension because I’m not living with a misalignment or an internal conflict. My parts are in agreement with each other. They are living in harmony and allowing my spirit to drive my bus which feels freeing, exhilarating and a lot more grounded.

When you align your identity with your creative dreams, it means you see and think of yourself as someone who embodies the qualities and habits necessary to achieve those dreams. It’s about embracing a version of yourself that can confidently navigate the path toward your artistic goals. Imagine how a successful artist you admire behaves, thinks, and interacts with the world. Now, imagine yourself doing the same.

This alignment is crucial because it shapes your daily actions and decisions. If you believe you are a creative and capable person, you’re more likely to take steps that reinforce this belief and bring you closer to your dreams. Conversely, if you don’t see yourself as someone who can succeed, you might hesitate to seize opportunities or invest time in your skills.

By identifying with your creative dreams, you set a powerful intention. This intention acts like a compass, guiding your choices and inspiring you to commit to actions that bring your dreams into reality. Think of it as preparing the soil for the seeds of your dreams to grow. If the soil—the self-image and identity you cultivate—is fertile and well-suited for those seeds, your creative dreams are much more likely to grow and turn into something you enjoy. 

If you know your identity isn’t in alignment with your creative dream and you’d really like to change how you see yourself, my SHINE YOUR LIGHT SUMMER program is perfect for you. It’s a 30-Day Activation where we empower your inner witch, unleash your authentic art and manifest your creative dream.

You will receive 30 morning motivational recordings to help you shift your identity and change the root of your belief in yourself to match what you want to create in your life.

You will also learn my step-by-step process to create manifestation art. Think of it like casting spells in your art journal that draw your creative dream closer to you.

You’ll also end up with a library of 30 MAP recordings to use over and over again to clear subconscious blocks, rewire your brain and neutralize memories that are not serving you anymore (this alone is worth the cost of the program).

And of course, there’s a lot more like a private Facebook group where I’m committed to responding once a day so you know you’ll have support to keep you motivated and focused and a weekly Q and A session where you can ask me anything. You get so much value because I really want to support us in achieving things we only dreamed of in the past.

Whatever your BIG creative dream is, by the time we are done, I want it to feel realistic and attainable and on its way to YOU. I also want you to feel so light and refreshed from all the emotional baggage you cleared!! You deserve that.

Yes. I’m Ready to Shine My Light This Summer

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.