Art Journal with the Moon for March 25-31, 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.

Three Magical Ways to Clear Your Energy in Your Art Journal

The week kicks off in potent and intense eclipse energy.

It might be intense and chaotic but what I love about these activated moments is the way they open magical doors and mystical portals where revelations come through and visits from the spirit realm are more frequent.

In this blog post, I’m going to share three creative ways you can work with this eclipse energy and the waning moon to emotionally and spiritually cleanse your energy in your art journal.

Before I talk about that, 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.

Speaking of magical portal energy, I had a dream the other night. It wasn’t gentle or pretty. It was more like a nightmare with a lot of flooding and big waves and buildings falling apart but a potent, healing nightmare nonetheless that left me transformed in the deep kind of way that is hard to put into words.

I woke up with the understanding that all has happened and all will continue to happen.

I know. It sounds silly but the feelings surrounding it were so peaceful. I’m in the middle of a never-ending story so why stress about anything? Everything goes on and on and on. There is no need for me to worry about what I do or do not accomplish. I can relax. I can enjoy myself. In fact, I might as well enjoy myself.

It’s the same feeling that the movie “About Time” captured.

It’s a little like standing outside of time and realizing that jumping in and out of time is a bit of a game.

It was a spiritually enlightening dream. The kind that brings me to a deep understanding about myself and life in the way a great meditation or guru does.

So, as I said, that’s what I love about the moon – it activates energy and opens spiritual doors and pushes you through portals you need to walk through it order to grow or align with your soul.

This week the South Node lunar eclipse carries profound emotional and spiritual cleansing properties, offering us an opportunity to release, end, and detoxify aspects of our lives that no longer serve our highest good.

I wrote a lot of helpful information about the eclipse last week so please go check that out. It applies to the upcoming solar eclipse as well.

The energy of the lunar eclipse on Monday will last for a little while so you might feel it for most of the week.

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.

Cleansing and Clearing with the Lunar Eclipse

On the actual day of the full moon lunar eclipse in Libra, you might find your vitality lower than usual, making it a perfect day for rest and introspection rather than action.

As my mentor Kelly Surtees explains, the lunar eclipse on the South Node is deeply connected to the themes of purging and decluttering, encouraging you to eliminate the waste—be it physical clutter, toxic relationships, or outdated beliefs—that has accumulated over time. It’s a time to get rid of what has become unnecessary, making space for new growth and healing.

It’s a period for deep cleansing, not just of our physical spaces but of our emotional and spiritual lives as well. This might involve eliminating waste in specific areas of your life or home or office or studio, forgiving and releasing past grievances, and making peace with endings. It’s an invitation to let go of what no longer contributes positively to your life.

Simplifying your life by prioritizing relationships and activities that feel good and light you up, while rethinking partnerships that are unbalanced or overly demanding.

The cleansing work done during a South Node lunar eclipse sets the stage for better opportunities to come, particularly as we approach the solar eclipse in April.

It’s a time to clarify your priorities and consider what needs to be let go of or restructured in your life.

This process, though it may involve endings, is fundamentally about making room for new beginnings and ensuring that your path forward is aligned with your true self and highest potential.

To help you make the most of this lunar energy, let’s talk about some magical ways to detox in your art journal.

Working with the Eclipse Energy in Your Art Journal to Cleanse and Clear

Cleansing and clearing your energy in your art journal through magical ways means using your journal as a safe and creative space to release negative energies, thoughts, and emotions that no longer serve you.

It’s about transforming your journaling practice into a ritual where you symbolically let go of what you wish to cleanse from your life. Ultimately, magic in your art journal for detoxing is about intention. It’s setting the intention to cleanse, heal, and renew, then using the act of creating as the vehicle to manifest that change. By engaging in this process, you’re not just making art; you’re conducting a personal ritual that harnesses your creative power to heal and transform your inner world.

The three ways to detox in your art journal that I share here include:

1. Clearing with a Symbol

2. Clearing with Destruction

3. Clearing with Watercolors and Salt

Clearing with a Symbol

Take a moment to think about what burden or negative feeling you want to release. It could be stress, sadness, or any worry weighing you down, a relationship you’re ready to release, a memory from the past you no longer need to hold in your body or a dynamic in a relationship you no longer want to repeat. Hold this intention in your mind as you prepare to create.

Next, create a Symbol for your burden. Draw, paint, or collage an image that represents this burden to you. For our example, you might paint a heavy, dark cloud. This symbol doesn’t have to be perfect; it just needs to feel right to you as a representation of what you’re carrying.

Overlay that symbol with colors of renewal. Once your symbol is down, think about what colors feel cleansing and renewing to you. Bright, vibrant colors often symbolize energy and renewal, but choose whatever speaks to you. Then, using these colors, paint or collage over your burden symbol. This act symbolizes the process of clearing out the negative and bringing in positivity and light.

After you’ve overlaid your symbol with renewing colors, take a moment to reflect on the act of releasing this burden and the new space you’ve created for positivity. You might want to write a few words or an affirmation around your artwork to seal this intention.

When you’re finished, close your journal and take a few deep breaths, imagining yourself letting go of the burden and welcoming in fresh energy.

Clearing with Destruction

You can combine the intentionality of writing with the transformative symbolism of destruction to help you release negativity and invite new, positive energies into your life.

Take a moment to think deeply about the thoughts, feelings, or experiences you wish to let go of. These could be fears, anxieties, old grudges, or any negative beliefs about yourself.

Once you have clarity on what you want to release, write these words or phrases down on your page. Pour your feelings into this act, knowing that this is a step towards letting them go.

When you’re ready, tear it out to bury or burn it.

If you’re tearing and burying, place the pieces in the earth, imagining them decomposing and returning to the earth, taking your burdens with them. If burning, carefully set the page alight, watching as the flames transform your written words into smoke and ash, releasing them from you. Always prioritize safety in this step.

After you’ve completed the destruction, spend a moment in reflection. Acknowledge the release of these energies and the space you’ve now created for something new and positive. You might want to write a positive affirmation or intention in your journal to fill this new space.

Clearing with Watercolors and Salt

Both salt and water are known for their cleansing properties, making them perfect to help you purify thoughts, emotions and energy through art.

Gather your art journal or a piece of sturdy paper, along with your usual art supplies. Make sure you have a small bowl of salt and a cup of water nearby, along with watercolor paints if you’re using them.

Before you begin, take a moment to focus on what thoughts, emotions, or energies you wish to cleanse or release. Holding this intention in mind sets the stage for a meaningful detox process.

Begin by applying a wash of watercolor to your page. Choose colors intuitively based on what you feel needs to be released or cleansed. As you apply the watercolor, envision the water carrying away negative energies, leaving a clean slate behind.

While the watercolor is still wet, lightly sprinkle salt over the page. Salt, known for its purifying and absorbing qualities, symbolically works to draw out impurities and negativity from your thoughts and emotions, trapping them within its crystals as the paint dries.

Allow your page to dry completely. As it dries, spend some time in reflection or meditation, contemplating what you’re releasing and letting go. The salt will create unique textures on the page as it interacts with the watercolor, visually representing the detoxification of your emotions or energy.

Once dry, gently brush the salt off the page and discard it. This act symbolizes the removal of the absorbed negativity. Observe the beautiful patterns left behind by the salt and watercolor.

You might want to write a few words or an affirmation on or around your artwork, reinforcing your intention for cleansing and clarity. Remember to clean your workspace and wash your hands after you’re finished, symbolically washing away any residual negativity you’ve released during your art journaling magic.

In Conclusion

As you move through this eclipse season, remember that it’s okay to take things slowly, to rest, and to engage deeply with your inner work. The transformations you undergo now, the space you create through releasing what no longer serves you, sets you up for the new opportunities and paths that will emerge. By detoxing in your art journal, you’re not just making art; you’re participating in a ritual of renewal and alignment with your deepest self.

May this be a time of forgiveness, release, and making peace with the past as you open your heart to the new beginnings that await.

And so it is.

LET’S DO THE WORK TOGETHER

In this week’s Held by the Moon online creative gathering on Friday at 1:00 – 2:30 pm MT, we art journal with the energy of the eclipse season and the waning moon then work with the MAP Method to clear, cleanse and release.

We’ll start with an art warm up to get into the creative flow then we’ll do all three clearing and cleansing techniques I described above. You’ll need watercolors and salt for this week’s gathering.

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 season and the waning moon to do some deep release and clearing work and you like the idea of working with the MAP Method to deepen that clearing work in your body 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 full moon lunar eclipse is in the sign of Libra today and the moon isn’t having any relationships with other planets.

Libra likes to helps us achieve harmony, balance, and fairness in our relationships. It encourages us to evaluate our connections with others and how we maintain balance in our lives. The full moon amplifies these themes, bringing emotions and relationship matters to a peak. However, because this eclipse occurs on the South Node, it signifies a time to release outdated patterns, dependencies, or imbalances in our relationships that no longer serve our highest good. It’s an opportunity for deep emotional cleansing, encouraging us to let go of old grievances, to forgive, and to make peace with the past.

Aligning with the lunar energy of this eclipse involves embracing the art of release and balance. It’s a powerful time for reflection on how we relate to others and to yourself.

To align with this energy, read my post from last week, join my Held by the Moon gathering on Friday, complete one of the clearing exercises in your art journal that I listed above or simply spend time contemplating your relationships. Which ones support your growth, and which ones might be holding you back? Consider the balance of giving and receiving within your relationships. Are there relationships where you’re giving far more than you’re receiving? Is that still viable for you?

Balance is key during this time. Engage in activities that bring a sense of peace and equilibrium to your life. This could mean practicing self-care, meditating, or simply spending time in nature.

Eclipses are times of transformation. Be open to the changes in your relationships and in the way you balance your personal needs with those of others. Trust that these shifts are guiding you toward greater alignment with your true self.

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents what you want to release and clear from your relationships during the full moon lunar eclipse.

Tuesday

Today the moon is still full and in the sign of Libra. It is also having an opposing relationship with Mercury.

If you didn’t get a chance to do your clearing and release work during the eclipse, you can still work with the full moon in Libra to do that important work. Read the post I wrote last week about working with the full moon lunar eclipse in Libra, do on of the clearing and cleansing exercises in your art journal I described above or meditate and ask your spirit allies to show you what you need to see about the relationships in your life.

Ultimately, the full moon in Libra casts a light on how you connect with others, urging you to find equilibrium between your needs and the needs of those around you. Libra, ruled by Venus, embodies the qualities of diplomacy, fairness, and the art of partnership. Thus, a full moon in this sign often brings issues of justice and balance in relationships to the forefront of our consciousness, encouraging you to address and harmonize any imbalance or discord.

Emotionally, this time can heighten your sensitivity to imbalances and injustices within your personal connections, stirring a desire for peace and mutual understanding. Spiritually, it offers a reflective mirror, asking you to consider the ways in which your inner state affects your external relationships and vice versa. It’s a call to examine the give-and-take dynamics with your partners, friends, and colleagues, and to realign these relationships with your true values and desires for connection.

Working with the energy of a full moon in Libra to clear and cleanse your relationships involves embracing its qualities of reflection, balance, and communication. It’s a time to openly address and release any grievances or imbalances, approaching these conversations with the aim of restoring harmony and understanding. This might mean forgiving past hurts, renegotiating the terms of a relationship, or simply expressing gratitude for the support and love you receive. The key is to engage in these actions with a spirit of love, fairness, and a genuine desire for peace.

On a deeper level, this period invites you to cleanse your own heart, letting go of any resentment, jealousy, or anger that you may be harboring. It encourages you to look inward, identifying any personal barriers to harmony and working through them. This might involve meditative practices focused on heart-opening, journaling to process emotions, or creative expression to visualize the harmonious relationships you seek.

Ultimately, a full moon in Libra calls you to cherish and nurture your connections with others, reminding you of the beauty and growth that balanced relationships bring into your life. By consciously working with this energy to clear and cleanse, we open ourselves to deeper, more meaningful connections, and align our external relationships with our true selves.

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents what you can clear and release in order to approach your relationships with an open, loving heart.

Wednesday

Today the full moon moves into the sign of Scorpio. It is also having a happy relationship with Mars and a tense relationship with Pluto.

In ancient astrology, the full moon is a time of culmination and clarity, illuminating the hidden corners of our lives and bringing to light what has been brewing beneath the surface. Scorpio, a water sign ruled by Mars in ancient astrology and Mars and Pluto in modern astrology, is associated with depth, intensity, transformation, and the desire to explore the truths that lie in the shadows. When this deep, probing Scorpio energy harmonizes with Mars, the planet of action, desire, and courage, it creates a powerful opportunity for passionate pursuits, transformative healing, and courageous emotional expressions.

The emotional and spiritual properties of the moon today urges you to dive deep into your feelings, particularly those you might usually avoid or suppress. Scorpio’s influence encourages you to confront your fears, insecurities, and the darker aspects of your psyche with bravery and honesty. This introspection can lead to significant emotional purges and transformations, allowing you to release what no longer serves you and emerge renewed – especially during eclipse season.

The happy relationship the moon is having with Mars today gives you the courage and motivation to face these deep-seated emotions head-on. Mars’s fiery energy supports taking decisive action based on the insights you uncover. It’s a time when your intuition is sharp, and your desires are strong, urging you to move forward with passion and determination.

To best use this energy, embrace the courage to delve into your emotional depths. Use this time for profound self-reflection and healing, exploring your desires, motivations, and the changes you wish to make in your life. It’s an excellent period for transformative practices such as deep meditation, therapeutic conversations, or any activity that allows for emotional release and renewal.

The moon today also supports making bold moves towards your goals, especially those that require you to transform and evolve. It’s about aligning your actions with your deepest truths and desires, harnessing the dynamic energy of Mars to propel you forward. Whether it’s making significant life changes, committing to personal growth, or pursuing desires that deeply resonate with you, imagine having the clarity, courage, and drive needed to make it happen.

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents the power of transformation – the ability to start one way and grow and change to become something different.

Thursday

The moon is still in the full phase. It is also in the sign of Scorpio and having a happy relationship with Saturn and Venus and an opposing relationship with Uranus and Jupiter.

When a full moon in Scorpio forms an opposition with Jupiter, it creates a dynamic between Scorpio’s deep, introspective energy and Jupiter’s expansive, optimistic influence. The full moon is a time of heightened emotions and revelations, shining a light on what is usually hidden in the dark corners of our psyche, especially in the sign of Scorpio, which is associated with transformation, intimacy, and the mysteries of life and death. Scorpio invites us to dive deep into our emotional depths, urging us to confront and heal from our deepest fears and to embrace our true power.

Jupiter’s influence encourages you to look at the bigger picture, to find wisdom in your emotional journey, and to integrate these insights into your broader understanding of life and your place in the world.

The moon today can intensify emotions but it also provides a unique opportunity for emotional and spiritual growth. The challenge lies in balancing Scorpio’s intense inward focus with Jupiter’s outward quest for meaning and expansion. It encourages you to not only delve into your personal shadows but also to connect your personal transformations with larger life lessons. Where is the wisdom in your pain?

To best use this energy, allow yourself to fully experience and explore your feelings, recognizing that there is profound wisdom to be gained from what you uncover. At the same time, be open to seeing how these personal insights connect to larger truths about life and existence. This is a time for deep healing, for releasing what no longer serves you, and for transforming your pain into wisdom.

The full moon in Scorpio opposite Jupiter can also prompt you to examine areas where you might be overindulging or where your quest for growth could be leading you away from confronting necessary inner work. It’s a reminder that true expansion often comes from facing your innermost challenges and integrating those lessons. Because the moon represents your body in ancient astrology as well, I’d extend that inner work to explore how you can integrate emotional wisdom into your body.

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents a pain you have transformed into wisdom.

Friday

The disseminating moon moves into the sign of Sagittarius. It is also having a happy relationship with Neptune and Pluto and a tense relationship with Mars. 

The disseminating moon phase, occurring just after the full moon, welcomes reflection, gratitude, and sharing. The moon is slowly diminishing in light which symbolizes a time of release and dissemination of the insights and revelations you received during the full moon. It’s a time when the energy shifts from receiving to giving, emphasizing the importance of gratitude, giving back, and offering thanks to your spiritual allies, deities, or the elements of nature that have supported you through the lunar cycle.

Emotionally, the disseminating moon invites you to feel and express gratitude for the growth, challenges, and transformations you’ve experienced. It’s a period for recognizing the blessings and lessons each lunar cycle brings into your life and acknowledging the role of the unseen forces that guide and support you.

Spiritually, this phase encourages you to give back as an act of gratitude. By offering your thanks to spirit allies, deities, or the elements in nature that have supported you, you acknowledge their support and guidance. These offerings can be symbolic gestures, such as leaving a small gift in nature, lighting a candle, dedicating an art ritual or meditation in their honor, or simply expressing your heartfelt thanks through prayer or intention in your art journal. The act of giving back in gratitude strengthens your spiritual connection and creates a reciprocal flow of energy, ensuring you remain in harmony with the give-and-take dynamics of the universe.

The disseminating moon is a reminder that gratitude and generosity are powerful forces that can amplify your spiritual growth and emotional well-being. By focusing on gratitude and giving offerings of thanks, you not only honor the support you’ve received but also contribute to the cycle of giving and receiving that sustains the universe. It’s a time to share the wisdom and insights you’ve gained and to prepare yourself for the next phase of your spiritual journey with a heart full of gratitude.

In your art journal, make an offering of gratitude to one of your spirit allies.

Saturday

The disseminating moon is in the sign of Sagittarius. It is also having a tense relationship with Mars and Saturn.

Mars and Saturn are known as the malefic planets in ancient astrology, often associated with obstacles, conflicts, and hard lessons. Mars, the planet of action and aggression, in a tense relationship with the moon like it is today, can heighten emotions, leading to impulsive reactions or feelings of frustration. Saturn, representing discipline, limitations, and structure, can add a sense of pressure, restriction, or challenges that test your patience and resilience.

The relationship the moon is having with Mars may stir up unresolved anger or tension, pushing you to confront these feelings directly. Meanwhile, the tense relationship the moon is having with Saturn might highlight areas where you feel blocked, requiring you to practice patience and find strength in the face of adversity.

The moon today suggests a need for careful navigation. It’s a time to be mindful of your reactions and to approach conflicts or obstacles with a strategy rather than impulsiveness. Emotionally, this calls for self-awareness and control, urging you to channel any heightened energy into constructive action rather than letting it lead to frustration or rash decisions.

Spiritually, the moon today offers an opportunity for growth. It invites you to reflect on your resilience, to understand the lessons behind the challenges, and to cultivate gratitude for the strength you discover within yourself. It’s a reminder that even in the face of difficulty, there is wisdom to be gained and progress to be made.

To best support yourself during this time, focusing on grounding and centering practices in your art journal can be immensely helpful. This can help soothe the stirred energies of Mars and the restrictive feel of Saturn. It’s also a time to practice kindness and patience with yourself and others, recognizing that everyone may be feeling the weight of the moon today.

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that calms and soothes you. 

Sunday

The disseminating moon moves into the sign of Capricorn. It is also having a happy relationship with Mercury and a tense relationship with Venus and Neptune.

Capricorn is an earth sign, which emphasizes stability, responsibility, and practicality and highlights such qualities as groundedness, persistence, and a strong connection to the physical and natural world.

The Crone archetype, embodied by the wise old woman, and Hecate, the goddess of magic, crossroads, and deep intuition, both reflect Capricorn’s spiritual depth. These figures represent wisdom that comes with experience, the ability to navigate transitions and endings, and the power to transform and rebirth. The moon in Capricorn activates these archetypes, urging us to embrace the wisdom of letting go, the importance of life’s cycles, and the value of introspection and inner guidance.

The moon in Capricorn teaches us about the cycle of life—acknowledging that endings are a natural and necessary part of growth and transformation. It encourages you to respect the process of aging, to honor the wisdom that comes with experience, and to understand the power of your own inner guidance as you navigate the complexities of life.

It’s a time to set realistic goals, to plan for the future with a clear and practical mind, and to honor the wisdom you’ve gained through your life’s challenges and transitions. The energy of Capricorn invites you to build a solid foundation, to respect the limits of the physical world, and to work patiently and persistently towards your goals.

Engaging in practices in your art that connect you to the earth, such as painting leaves, gardens, or crystals, can help you tap into Capricorn’s grounding energy. You can also reflect on your life’s journey and acknowledge the lessons you’ve learned.

The moon in Capricorn is also a time to honor the wisdom of age, the necessity of endings, and the transformative power of introspection and practical planning. By grounding yourself, respecting the cycles of life, and aligning your actions with your inner wisdom, you can navigate life’s challenges with grace and build a strong, stable foundation for your future.

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents what strong physical, emotional and spiritual foundations for your future mean to you.

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

with love,

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