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March 18-24 2024 3

Art Journal with the Moon for March 18-24, 2024

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.

Getting to Know Your Soul in Eclipse Season

This week we greet the spring equinox and we are nearing the full moon lunar eclipse in Libra which is on March 25th!

The full moon lunar eclipse happens at 1:00 am in the mountain time zone so to me, the eclipse energy is already alive and building on Sunday night so I want to talk about how you can best work with that energy in your art journal this week in case, like me, you’ll be working with it over the weekend.

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. You’ll get reminders every Monday morning 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.

Eclipse season continues as we move towards the new moon solar eclipse in April so working with powerful eclipse energy in your art journal is something you may be doing for the next month or so.

Before I talk about how to work with the eclipse in your art journal I have to tell you what happened to me on my walk this morning…

I heard the call of Canadian geese and I looked up and saw them flying in their famous V formation!!!

Woohoo! This calls for a celebration.

Spring really is coming to my neck of the rocky mountain woods. I share more about how to celebrate the spring equinox in your art journal in the prompt for Tuesday. You can scroll down to read that.

Now for my thoughts on working with the magic of eclipse season in your art journal.

Eclipses are powerful times of transformation and are often seen as turning points or moments of revelation in your life. On a spiritual level, understanding how eclipses are affecting you personally can help you understand what your soul wants to release and let go and where it is your soul wants to grow.

A Quick Note About Working With Eclipse Energy

Setting intentions or practicing magic during an eclipse can lead to unpredictable outcomes, and this is largely due to the nature of eclipses themselves. Eclipses are known for their potent and, often, chaotic energy. They have a reputation for unveiling hidden truths, bringing sudden changes (whether we’re ready for them or not), and shifting our paths in ways we might not expect. Because of this unpredictability and the intense energy they bring, waiting 48 hours after an eclipse to practice any moon magic or set intentions can be a wise choice, especially for those like me who are highly sensitive to energy. This approach allows for a calmer, more stable environment to work in, which can be more harmonious and gentle on the nervous system.

Eclipses, while not always the best time for active manifesting or magic-making due to their unpredictable energy, provide a perfect opportunity for rest, relaxation, introspection, and deep emotional healing. They offer a time to pause and reflect, to delve into our inner world, and to engage in practices that foster understanding and alignment with your soul’s path.

During an eclipse, instead of setting outwards-focused intentions, you can turn inwards, using your art journal as a tool for exploration and reflection. It’s a great time to:

  1. Reflect on Changes: Eclipses often bring changes or shifts. Use your art journal to reflect on any recent changes in your life or shifts in your perspective. 

  2. Introspection and Healing: Eclipses can unearth deep emotions or unresolved issues. Dedicate pages in your art journal for expressing these feelings. 

  3. Soul Alignment: Consider what it means to live in alignment with your soul. Create pages that explore your values, dreams, and what soul alignment looks like for you. 

  4. Rest and Recharge: Acknowledge the need for rest during this energetically intense time. You might create a page dedicated to calming and soothing your nervous system.

Working with the Eclipse Energy in Your Art Journal in a Deeper Way

To understand how to work with this powerful, transformative eclipse energy in your art journal in a deeper and more specific way, the first thing to know is there is a thing called lunar nodes.

The Lunar Nodes and How They Can Help You

Lunar nodes are not actual physical things you can see in the night sky. Instead, they are points where the Moon crosses the path of the Sun from our perspective on Earth.

Eclipses happen when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align closely with these lunar nodes.

There are two types of eclipses:

Solar Eclipse

This occurs at new moons when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and can block the Sun’s light.

Lunar Eclipse

This happens at full moons when the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon, causing the Earth’s shadow to fall on the Moon.

Eclipses only occur when the new or full moon is near one of the nodes, which is why they are directly related to the lunar nodes’ positions.

Eclipses happen at least twice a year in pairs (or occasionally in threes).

Another thing to understand when working with the magic of eclipse season in your art journal is there are two types of lunar nodes:

North Node

The North Node points towards the future, showing you what your soul is striving to learn and incorporate into your life for growth.

Right now, the north node is in the sign of Aries which means what you can learn and incorporate into your life for growth is being shown in the Aries part of your birth chart.

South Node

The South Node, on the other hand, represents your past—what you’ve already experienced and are familiar with, but are encouraged to move away from to evolve.

Right now, the south node is in the sign of Libra which means there are patterns, beliefs and memories you can release from the Libra part of your chart in order to help your soul evolve.

What Your Soul Wants to Learn in This Lifetime

Spiritually, the nodes outline a path from the known to the unknown, from the past to the future, encouraging you to let go of past patterns and embrace new experiences that will lead to your development. This journey is not just about acquiring new skills or knowledge but about deepening your understanding of yourself and your place in the universe. The North Node challenges you to grow beyond your perceived limits and to fulfill your potential, while the South Node reminds you of where you’ve been and what you’ve already achieved.

The placement of the nodes in your birth chart offers insight into the themes and areas of life where these soul lessons will unfold. In a way, the lunar nodes are like a map for the soul, guiding you through the experiences you need to embrace and those you need to release in order to grow and advance spiritually.

You will see the north node depicted on most birth charts. I show you how to create your birth chart in whole signs here. You won’t always see it depicted on your birth chart but the south node is in the astrological sign directly across from the north node (when you draw your chart in the whole sign system).

The lunar nodes in your birth chart act as a guide for your soul’s journey over a lifetime.

The North Node in Your Birth Chart

The North Node points towards the lessons you are here to learn, the qualities you need to develop, and the path you are meant to follow for personal and spiritual growth in this lifetime.

It represents what is unfamiliar yet necessary for you to embrace in order to evolve.

The South Node in Your Birth Chart

On the other hand, the South Node reflects your past—what you have mastered in other lifetimes, the traits and tendencies you came into this life with, and the comfort zone you are encouraged to move beyond.

It symbolizes the skills and behaviors that no longer serve your highest good or contribute to your growth.

What My Soul Wants to Learn in This Lifetime

Let me use my chart as an example.

My North Node is in Sagittarius and the South Node is in Gemini.

This means, part of my soul wants to learn in this lifetime is to gather information to find deeper meaning. My soul wants to seek wisdom, truth and a broader perspective on life and embrace beliefs and experiences that expand the mind and spirit. It wants to understand the bigger picture and find faith in the unknown.

It also wants to move away from gathering frivolous information and instead move towards gathering deep, meaningful experiences.

While Gemini energy is curious and enjoys collecting facts, ideas, and engaging in intellectual discussions, Sagittarius seeks to understand the world through direct experience.  It means prioritizing personal growth that comes from actually living through something, rather than just reading or hearing about it. For me that has meant learning through the challenges I’ve overcome.

According to the lunar nodes in my birth chart, my soul wants to see life as a classroom where every experience, whether big or small, contributes to a deeper understanding of myself and the universe. When I’m doing this, I’m aligned with the energy of the lunar nodes in my birth chart and I’m expanding and growing in the direction my soul wants me to go.

What We Want to Learn Right Now as a Collective

The lunar nodes don’t just show up on your astrological birth chart. They move through the zodiac which affects everyone collectively. As the nodes move through different astrological signs, they highlight general themes, lessons, and challenges that the collective might experience during that period. For instance, when the North Node transits through a particular sign, it draws our collective focus towards developing the qualities associated with that sign, while the South Node points to the qualities we need to release or move away from as a society.

The Aries/Libra Axis

Right now, the lunar nodes are working with the Aries/Libra polarity.

When the lunar nodes are in this axis, as a collective, one of the things we’re invited to learn is the balance between our relationships with others (Libra) and our own individual identity and desires (Aries).

The South Node in Libra highlights the qualities and behaviors we’re encouraged to move away from or release as a society—such as over-dependence on others, avoiding confrontations for the sake of harmony, or compromising too much of our own needs for relationships. It’s a call to reconsider where we might be seeking approval too much or where peace is maintained at the cost of suppressing our true selves.

On the flip side, the North Node in Aries urges us to develop and focus on qualities associated with Aries—like independence, courage, and taking initiative for our own lives. It’s about finding and asserting our individuality, pursuing what truly makes us passionate, and standing up for ourselves. This transit encourages the collective to embrace leadership within their own lives, to be more straightforward in pursuing what they want, and to cultivate a healthy sense of self.

The balance here involves learning to assert ourselves and go after our desires (Aries) while maintaining harmonious and fair relationships (Libra). It’s not about swinging too far towards selfishness or aggression (shadow sides of Aries) or becoming too passive and dependent on others (shadow sides of Libra). Instead, this period is about integrating the positive aspects of both signs—learning to be true to ourselves and our desires while considering the impact on our relationships and striving for fairness and equality in our interactions with others. As a society, for example, it invites the collective to find a harmonious balance between individual action and relational diplomacy.

Stop Right Here

When you’re working with the magic of the moon in your art journal during the full moon lunar eclipse in Libra, you can stop right here and work with the collective spiritual and emotional themes of this moon. There’s enough in the collective themes of this eclipse to excavate and explore.  

What relationships or situations am I holding onto that no longer serve me?

Where in my life am I seeking harmony at the expense of my own needs?

How do I handle conflict and confrontation?

How do I stand up for myself in important relationships in my life?

Can I assert my independence and individuality when I’m interacting with others?

What balance do I wish to create between my personal desires and my relationships with others?

In what areas of my life am I called to take leadership?

Working with the Eclipse Energy in Your Art Journal in a Deeper Way

Taking your exploration of eclipse season themes deeper in your art journal involves looking at where the signs of Libra and Aries fall in your birth chart, specifically which astrological houses they occupy. Each house in your birth chart represents different areas of your life, from your sense of self, your values, relationships, career, to your subconscious mind, among others. By identifying the houses where Libra and Aries are located in your chart, you can pinpoint the specific life areas the current eclipse energies are activating for you personally.

The lunar nodes spend about 1.5 years in a sign which means for about a year and a half the lunar nodes are activating the same two houses in your birth chart.

They are currently in the Aries/Libra polarity and have been there since the middle of last year.

I show you how to create your birth chart using the whole signs system here.

What Your Soul Wants to Release During This Lunar Eclipse

The South Node is currently in the Libra part of your birth chart.

This means, in the areas of your life governed by Libra according to your birth chart, there are old habits, attitudes and behaviors that you’ve brought over from past experiences or even from past lives that you are comfortable with but that are holding you back from evolving and reaching your full potential now, so your soul is inviting you to let them go.

The spiritual undertone of this is about releasing ties and learning from the past in these specific areas of your life so that you can grow. It’s an opportunity to break free from the comfort zone of past behaviors and attitudes, to acknowledge and integrate the lessons they’ve taught you, and to move forward with a clearer understanding of your path and purpose.

The South Node’s influence in the areas of your life governed by Libra prompts a kind of spiritual housecleaning. It’s a time to let go of these outdated modes of being, thinking, and feeling.

This process isn’t always easy, as it involves confronting parts of yourself that you may prefer to ignore, but it’s essential for your spiritual evolution. By acknowledging and releasing these aspects, you make room for new experiences, lessons, and growth opportunities that align more closely with your soul’s current journey and the direction you’re meant to go, as indicated by the areas of your life governed by Aries in your birth chart (the North Node). This process of moving from the South to the North Node is a key aspect of personal and spiritual development in astrology, symbolizing the soul’s journey towards becoming its highest expression in this lifetime.

When the South Node is in the sign of Libra, as it has been for the last year, it asks us to release and clear outdated beliefs and patterns related to themes of relationships, harmony, balance, and justice.  Locate the areas of your life that are being activated by this eclipse then ask yourself the following questions:

In the areas of your life governed by Libra in your birth chart, what old patterns are you clinging to in relationships that are no longer serving you?

In the areas of your life governed by Libra according to your birth chart, are you sticking to relationships out of habit rather than genuine connection?

In these areas of your life, are you avoiding conflict to keep the peace even when disagreements need to be aired?

What can you release or let go to achieve the kind of peace, harmony or balance you desire in these areas of your life?

Which tough decisions do you need to make in these areas of your life to align with your goals and dreams?

By focusing on the house that Libra occupies in your chart, you’re engaging with the lunar energies of the eclipse in a way that speaks directly to your personal life journey and the evolution of your soul. This not only brings the cosmic themes down to earth but also offers a roadmap for navigating them in areas where they’ll have the most impact on you.

It’s a powerful way to align your spiritual practice with the universal energies at play, leading to deeper insights and more meaningful transformations in your life.

Let’s Do the Work Together

In this week’s Held by the Moon online creative gathering on Sunday at 6:00 – 7:30 pm MT, we art journal with the energy of the eclipse and work with the  MAP Method to release what your soul is ready to let go.

We’ll start with an art warm up to get into the creative flow then we’ll explore the general themes, lessons, and challenges that we as a collective might experience during this eclipse. This eclipse is pointing to the qualities we need to release or move away from as a society so we’ll explore what this means in your life.

Taking our exploration of the eclipse themes deeper, we’ll next identify the areas of your life the eclipse energy will be activating.  There are old habits, attitudes and behaviors that you’ve brought over from past experiences or even from past lives that you are comfortable with but that may now be holding you back from evolving and reaching your full potential now, so your soul is inviting you to let them go during this eclipse.

Finally, we’ll work with the MAP Method to rewire your brain in a way that helps you release and let go what you no longer need to carry in your body. By doing this kind of subconscious release work in alignment with the moon you invite your deep emotional work to be done in a gentle, graceful way.

The goal of this gathering is to leave you feeling clearer, lighter, and more aligned with your soul. 

If you want to work with the eclipse to do some release and clearing work and you like the idea of understanding how to align with the moon in a deeper way or you just love to hang out in sacred space with your art journal and the moon, I’d love for you to join me.

These classes are held in my online Zoom meeting room and they will be recorded.  A recording will be emailed to you later in the week if you cannot attend live.

Don’t worry. You don’t need an art journal or art experience to enjoy these online gatherings. The exercises are simple and more about the process than the end result. Pencil crayons or markers on whatever paper you can find are perfectly fine.

Learn More or Register Here

Monday

The first quarter moon is in the sign of Cancer. It is also having a happy relationship with Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus and a tense relationship with Mercury.

The moon is in a tense relationship with Mercury today.

In your relationship with others this can look like moody conversations, disagreements, not considering the other person’s perspective and being overly opinionated or focusing on where you disagree instead of finding common ground.

Internally, this can look like tension between your thoughts and feelings. On days like today, I like to remember that I can’t always believe what I think especially when what I’m thinking is putting me down or coming from a place of fear, hopelessness, anxiety, rage, depletion or defeat.

It’s the kind of day where taking out your art journal and letting your feelings pour out onto the page is more productive than trying to express them in your relationships.

Which challenging emotion have you been dealing with most lately, fear, anger, hopelessness, depletion or anxiety?

What would you like to feel instead?

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents a challenging emotion you’ve been dealing with lately.

Tuesday

Today the first quarter moon moves into the sign of Leo. It is also having a happy relationship with Neptune and an opposing relationship with Pluto.

It is also the spring equinox which means the sun has entered the sign of Aries and it’s the beginning of a new astrological cycle.

The moon moves into the sign of Leo on the spring equinox, which I think is a fun synchronicity as they both celebrate the sun.

Leo, a fire sign ruled by the Sun, embodies qualities such as confidence, creativity, and self-expression. It encourages us to step into the spotlight, celebrate our unique talents, and share them with the world. The spring equinox, marking the beginning of spring, is a time when the day and night are of equal length, symbolizing balance and renewal. It celebrates the return of the Sun, bringing longer days, warmth, and the rebirth of nature.

This alignment of the moon in Leo during the spring equinox amplifies the themes of rebirth, renewal, and self-expression. Emotionally, it can inspire a sense of joy, bravery, and the urge to express oneself more freely and creatively. It’s a time when you might feel more open to taking risks, showing the world who you are, and pursuing what makes you happy. Spiritually, this period signifies a rebirth of your inner fire and personal power. It’s an invitation to reconnect with your passion and purpose, to honor your individuality, and to shine your light brightly after the introspective period of winter.

The combination of the moon in Leo’s fiery energy with the equinox’s theme of renewal offers a beautiful opportunity to set intentions related to personal growth, creativity, and self-expression. It encourages you to embrace your authenticity, to be proud of who you are, and to express your joy and creativity in ways that feel true to you. This is a potent time for planting seeds for the future—seeds that will grow with the increasing light and warmth of the coming months, guiding you to manifest your dreams and desires. It’s also a great day to think about what you want to harvest in the autumn.

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents celebrating the return of the sun and an intention you want to grow from now until autumn.

Wednesday

Today the gibbous moon is in the sign of Leo. The moon is also in a tense relationship with Jupiter. 

The gibbous moon phase is a time of anticipation and refinement. This phase, occurring just before the full moon, is symbolic of that sense of readiness you feel when you’re close to seeing your dreams or goals realized. It’s also symbolic of the stage in the creation process where you’re editing, revising, fine-tuning, and making the final adjustments before realizing your goals or the intentions you set during the new moon.

Fine-tuning your intentions to ensure they align with your deeper self is about making sure that your goals and aspirations truly resonate with your innermost values, desires, and essence. This process involves a deep self-reflection where you examine not just what you want to achieve, but why you want to achieve it and how it fits with your true self.

It’s about connecting with your core – the part of you that holds your true passions, values, and beliefs. It’s asking yourself whether your intentions bring you genuine joy, fulfillment, and a sense of purpose, or if they’re simply ticking boxes set by others.

Fine-tuning also involves being honest about whether your goals are realistic and attainable, and if they contribute positively to your overall well-being and personal growth. It’s about adjusting your intentions so they not only bring success or achievement in the conventional sense but also nurture your soul, enhance your emotional and spiritual well-being, and help you grow as a person.

Create a page in your art journal that explores the theme of fine-tuning your intentions and ensuring they align with your true self or your higher purpose.

Some questions you might want to reflect on include:

What are my core values and how do my current intentions align with these values?

How do these intentions contribute to my personal growth and well-being?

Think about whether your goals help you grow as a person, enhance your well-being, or contribute to your overall happiness and fulfillment.

Do these intentions reflect my true desires or are they influenced by external expectations?

Question if your goals are genuinely yours, or if they are shaped by societal norms, family expectations, or peer pressure.

What emotions do I feel when I think about these intentions?

How will achieving these intentions impact my life and the lives of others around me?

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents any adjustments you want to make to your new moon intentions.

Thursday

The gibbous moon is in the sign of Leo. It is also having a happy relationship with Mercury, a tense relationship with Uranus and an opposing relationship with Mars.

The moon is in a happy relationship with Mercury today.

Mercury is the messenger of the Gods. It is concerned with communication and connection. It influences transportation, commerce, language, writing, speaking and education. It also represents the mind. When it’s happy it is helpful to the mind and learning and inspires curiosity, ingenuity and business. In a happy state like it is today it brings helpful thoughts, good communication, ease with technology, curiosity and success in business.

It’s a day where your right and left brain are harmonious and respectful of each other. You’re more likely to trust your intuition or follow your creative impulses. Because the moon rules your emotions and dreams it’s also a day where you’re more likely to communicate how you feel in a way that others will respond to in a caring or helpful way.

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that celebrates you following your creative impulses.

Friday

The gibbous moon moves into the sign of Virgo. It is also having an opposing relationship with Mars.

The moon is in a relationship with Mars where its like they’re coming from opposite sides which can feel polarizing. It brings energy that can be intense which produces discomfort and sometimes even blocks and barriers.

When Mars and the moon are in opposition like they are today your emotions can be unpredictable, easily triggered and more volatile than you want them to be. It feels a little like aggravated energy and instead of allowing that energy to build up in your body and affect your mood or the way you perceive the people you interact with today, if you are feeling any of it, you might consider moving that energy through your body in more productive ways like drawing wildly and finger painting with chaotic movements or moving your body until you work up and sweat. That way you can show up in your relationships with more composure and less tendency to become annoyed or agitated.

In your art journal, create an image that expresses intense or challenging emotions you want to release today.

Saturday

The gibbous moon is in the sign of Virgo. It is also having a happy relationship with Uranus and Jupiter and an opposing relationship with Venus and Saturn.

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

Virgo energy is nocturnal and of the earth. It is mutable and versatile. It supports you in being efficient and organized. It wants to help you find the most effective way of doing things. It brings practicality, attention to detail, a love of quality and precision but it can cause you to get lost in the details.

When the moon is in Virgo, it’s the perfect time for review and adjustments.

Do you like what you’ve been creating in your life lately?

You’re not in control of creating everything you experience but of the things you do have control over, which situations and experiences that you’ve been creating do you enjoy and which situations and experiences have you not been enjoying?

If you don’t like what you’re creating, what adjustments can you make?

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents an area of your life you want to adjust or change.

Sunday

The gibbous moon moves into the sign of Libra today. It is also in a happy relationship with Pluto and an opposing relationship with Neptune. 

The moon moves into the sign of Libra later in the day. Libra is ruled by Venus so the moon is carrying a little of that planet’s energy in the evening as well.

Libra is an air sign. It is fluid and dynamic. It brings energy that is soft, beautiful and artistic. It likes to help you be sociable and enjoy friendships, gatherings and groups. It also likes to keep things balanced and looks for equality in relationships. It brings an energy of acceptance and understanding but it can also be too outwardly focused or, in other words, have you focusing on other people’s needs at the expense of honoring your own feelings and needs.

Let’s magnetize the helpful energy Libra brings.

Think about one of the beautiful relationships you have in your life – you know, one of those relationships where you feel accepted for who you are. One of the relationships in your life that is easier and smoother than other relationships in your life.

 What do you like about that smoother and easier relationship?

What does equality look like in that relationship?

What does having harmony in that relationship feel like to you?

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that celebrates a relationship in your life.

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

with love,

Dana da Ponte

 

 

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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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