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january-20-26-2025

Art Journal with the Moon: Themes and Prompts for January 20-26, 2025

In this post, I share a summary of the moon for the week of January 20-26, 2025 as it moves through the zodiac and interacts with the planets. I also share how to work with the waning moon in your art journal to release burdens your inner parts might be carrying and that are standing in the way of your creative or business dreams.

The Moon This Week

We are working with the waning moon phases this week and this energy invites you to rest, reflect, and release.

The waning moon is a natural time to let go of what no longer serves you. It’s a quiet phase, a time to breathe deeply and turn inward, asking yourself what you’re ready to set down so you can make space for something new. It’s not about rushing or forcing change—it’s about creating the conditions for new possibilities to grow.

We also just recently moved into Aquarius season. Aquarius encourages you to reimagine the future and step into your true self. It’s about seeing what could be, not just what is. This energy invites you to consider how you can show up in ways that feel truest to who you are. We are also moving towards a new moon in Aquarius so this is a good time to prepare for that new moon by figuring out what you want to create next in your life or business.

Stepping Into Your True Self

Stepping into your true self is a beautiful intention, but for many of us—especially if you’re highly sensitive and have a history of trauma or emotional neglect—it’s much easier said than done. You may feel a deep calling to live in alignment with your spirit, to follow your dreams, and to build a creative life or business that reflects who you really are, but something inside holds you back. It can feel confusing, frustrating, or even disheartening. What’s happening is often a result of how your inner world was shaped by your past experiences.

Your inner world is shaped by your past.

Inside each of us are what I call “inner parts.” It’s a term I learned from Dick Schwartz and his teachings on Internal Family Systems. Inner parts are the emotional and mental pieces of you that were created over time, often as a way to protect you from pain or harm. For example, if you grew up feeling unsafe, a part of you might have developed to be hyper-vigilant, always on the lookout for potential threats. If you were criticized or neglected, another part might have taken on the role of keeping you small and quiet to avoid drawing attention. These parts are born out of love and survival, even if their actions limit you now.

The challenge is that these parts don’t always realize when it’s safe to step aside. They may still be carrying the fears and burdens from your past, even if those fears no longer serve you in the present. So when you try to move toward your dreams or embrace your true self, these parts rise up with resistance. They aren’t trying to hurt you—they’re trying to protect you in the only ways they know how. But in doing so, they can block you from living as your spirit is calling you to live. When an inner part rises up it can look like losing your motivation, procrastinating, falling into self-sabotaging behaviors or a loud inner critic voice that shuts you down and causes you to doubt yourself or lose belief in your dreams and the possibility of change.

This is why for many of us stepping into your true self requires inner work. It’s about learning to recognize and connect with these parts of yourself, not to push them away, but to understand them, honor their role in your journey, and help them release the burdens they’ve been carrying. When these parts feel safe and supported, they can relax and allow your spirit or your core self—your true, wise, and compassionate self—to take the lead. This is how you create space for your spirit to shine and for your dreams to take root.

The process of working with your inner parts is a journey of love and patience. It’s about learning to see yourself with compassion, understanding the complex layers within you, and gently guiding yourself back to the wholeness and authenticity that’s been there all along. Yes, it’s work, but it’s also deeply rewarding, because the more you connect with your true self, the more you’ll feel aligned, free, and able to live the life you’re meant to live.

I absolutely LOVE working with my inner parts and I’ve seen time and time again with hundreds of clients how powerful and healing the process of lovingly and patiently understanding them can be. 

When you pair the reflective energy of the waning moon with Aquarius’ desire to support you in being your true self, you have a beautiful opportunity to connect with your inner parts and gently explore what’s ready to be released. Old patterns, limiting beliefs, or lingering fears may have served you once, but they might not align with where you’re headed. By helping your inner parts to let go of the outdated beliefs or worries they carry, you create space to reimagine what’s possible and dream into your next steps with clarity and intention.

Two Ways to Connect to Your Inner Parts

This week, I’m sharing two ways for you to connect with your inner parts—the pieces of you that carry memories, beliefs, or fears—and ask them what they need to feel safe enough to let go. When you work with your inner parts in this way, you’re not just clearing space; you’re building a stronger relationship with yourself and making room for your most authentic self to step forward. By honoring what’s ready to be released, you open the door to dreaming a bigger, brighter vision for your life and business.

A Free Recording to Help You Align Your Inner Parts

The first way to connect to your inner parts that I’m sharing is this recording I created as a gift from me to you.

It is designed to help you connect with the parts of yourself that may be holding you back from realizing your creative dreams or growing and expanding your business. It’s an opportunity to pause, tune in, and give yourself the gift of understanding the internal landscape that shapes how you show up in your work or how you show up for your creative dreams. By the end of this recording, I hope you feel more aligned, compassionate toward yourself, and ready to take the next steps to making your creative or business dreams a reality.

You can download and listen to that FREE recording here.

An Art Journaling Process to Invite an Inner Part to Release a Burden

The second way to connect to your inner parts is this process you can enjoy in your art journal during the waning moon phases. This process invites an inner part to release a burden they are carrying. This step-by-step process encourages compassion, self-awareness, and creative expression – which aligns beautifully with the energy of the waning moon.

Set the Space

As always, let’s start by preparing your space and setting your intentions.

Find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed. Gather your favorite art supplies—paints, markers, colored pencils, or collage materials. You don’t have to get fancy here. It’s more about the process than the end result. Light a candle or play soft music to create an atmosphere that feels warm and cozy. You can even write an intention on the page of your journal, such as:

I invite my inner parts to share what they are ready to release, and I approach this process with compassion and curiosity.

Create a Symbolic Sanctuary

Open your art journal to a blank page (or use the page you wrote your intention on). Imagine this page is a safe space for your inner parts to show up and express themselves.

Using colors, shapes, or symbols, create a sanctuary. This might look like a cozy room, a glowing light, a soft nest, a clearing in a forest, a fire pit with chairs around it or an open field—whatever feels comforting.

Add any symbols that represent safety and trust for you (e.g., hearts, stars, a protective circle). This is a space where every part of you is welcome, no matter how it feels or what it has to say. 

Explore Your Goal

Bring to mind a meaningful goal you have for your business or creative work. This could be a dream you’ve been nurturing, an intention you’ve been holding close, or even something you’ve only recently felt inspired to pursue. Whatever it is, allow it to surface in your mind and create a page in your journal that represents this goal. You don’t have to take a lot of time creating this. It can be as simple as choosing a color that represents how this goal makes you feel then writing your goal on top of it. If you want to spend more time on it, create a picture or collage images together that represent what this goal is and why it’s important to you.

As you’re creating this page, imagine what it would look like to achieve this goal. Picture it in your mind in as much detail as you can.

What does it feel like to see this goal come to life?

What emotions arise when you think about reaching this goal?

Let yourself sit with the energy or the excitement of this vision.

As you hold this goal in your mind, reflect on a few questions:

What excites you most about this goal?

Why is this goal important to you?

How will achieving this goal or this dream help you shine your light and share your unique gifts with the world?

Let these questions guide you as you create in your art journal and deepen your connection to your goal. Notice any thoughts, feelings, or images that come to you as you reflect. There’s no need to analyze or judge—simply observe with curiosity and compassion.

As you hold this vision gently in your heart, know that it’s okay if it doesn’t feel fully clear or complete yet. This process is about opening a space for connection and intention, and you’re exactly where you need to be. Keep this goal in mind – in whatever shape or form it’s holding for you today. You don’t have to get this right or do it perfectly. We’re just playing with your imagination and the moon here.

Invite a Part to Step Forward

Sit quietly for a moment and close your eyes.

Imagine yourself gently calling forward an inner part that might be holding onto something heavy or difficult in relation to this goal. It might feel like a quiet whisper, a tug in your body, or a flood of thoughts or emotions. This part may feel hesitant, worried, or resistant about the goal you’ve been holding in your mind for your business or your creative goals. However it shows up, let it know it’s welcome here.

Take a deep breath, grounding yourself in compassion and curiosity, and gently connect with this part. You might say something like, “I see you. I feel you. I’m here to listen.” Let it know you’re not here to push it away or ignore it. You’re here to understand and honor its perspective.

Ask this part, “What are you trying to protect me from?” Notice what comes up.

In your journal, draw or paint the presence of this part. Remember, it doesn’t have to look like a person—it might appear as a shape, color, or symbol. Trust whatever comes up.

Beside the image, write a few sentences or keywords that describe how this part feels or what it wants you to know.

Explore What Your Inner Part is Ready to Release

Ask your inner part:

Are you carrying a burden you’d like to release?

What are you trying to protect me from?

What do you need me to understand?

Listen with an open heart and a curious mind. Perhaps this part has been holding onto a memory of a time when you felt rejected, unsafe, or overwhelmed. Maybe it carries a belief that was formed long ago, like, “I’m not good enough,” or “It’s safer to stay small.” It might be holding onto fear, sadness, anger, or shame. It might be trying to shield you from disappointment or protect you from taking risks that feel too scary. Whatever this part has been carrying, honor the weight of it. Recognize the courage and effort it has taken for this part to hold onto these feelings on your behalf.

Then gently ask, “How can I support you so that you feel safe releasing this?” You might imagine offering this part comfort, reassurance, or understanding. You might visualize holding this part in a safe and loving space, letting it know that it doesn’t have to carry this weight alone anymore. It’s okay if this part isn’t ready to release what it’s carrying just yet—simply offering it your presence and care is enough for right now.

In your journal, represent the burden your inner part is carrying visually. This might be a dark cloud, heavy weights, tangled lines, a jumbled mess of colors or whatever feels right to you.

Next to or on the image, write down any insights or messages this part shared with you.

Release and Let Go

Whether or not your part felt ready to release what it is carrying, turn to a new page in your journal. Imagine what it would look or feel like for this part to release its burden.

Using your art supplies, create an image that represents releasing, healing, transforming or letting go. Maybe you draw a balloon carrying the burden away or you paint a stream of water washing it clean or you collage a fire burning it into light. Include symbols of lightness, freedom, or peace to represent how it feels to you to release and let go of something that has been holding you back.

If this resonates…

If tending to your inner parts until they feel aligned with your creative or business goals resonates with you and you’re focused on growing and expanding your business in 2025 , I’d love to invite you to consider joining me for my new six-month group program, A Call to Grow.

This program is for highly sensitive entrepreneurs who are ready to grow and expand their businesses, but who also know that growth starts with you—your healing, your self-awareness, and your willingness to show up in the world as your true self. This isn’t just about strategies or checklists; it’s about nurturing the deeper, soulful work that allows your business to grow and expand in a natural way.

If you’re seriously considering joining A Call to Grow, I invite you to book a free discovery session with me here. During our call, we can explore whether this program is the right fit for you and your business. I’ll also take a look at your birth chart and share my initial thoughts on how the astrology of 2025 might influence you and your business. It’s a beautiful way to gain clarity on your next steps and understand where the energies of 2025 align with your goals.

Now let’s look at a more detailed summary of the moon’s energy this week, giving you an overview of what to expect as the moon moves through different signs and phases. If you want to watch my videos and reels where I talk about how to work with the moon in your art journal every day and share with you the journal pages I create in my own art journal, be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok. You can also sign up here, to get reminders in your inbox of the moon’s energy for the upcoming week and how you can work with it in your art journal to practice folk magic, do your deep inner work or, if you’re a highly sensitive entrepreneur like me, grow and expand your business. 

Monday

The week kicks off with the disseminating moon in Libra on Monday but it’s also having 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, rage, grief, anger, hopelessness, depletion or anxiety?

What would you like to feel instead?

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage your feelings onto the page.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, the moon moves into the sign of Scorpio and has a tense relationship with the planet Pluto. This can bring intense emotional energy to the surface, creating an opportunity for transformation and understanding a little more about yourself and your inner parts.

Scorpio is all about diving into the depths of your emotions, uncovering hidden truths, and facing the things you might normally avoid. Pluto intensifies this energy, adding a powerful pull toward healing and letting go of what no longer serves you. While this can feel heavy or even overwhelming, it can also be a time of incredible growth. This energy asks you to confront your shadow—the parts of yourself you might find difficult to face—and embrace the healing that comes from doing so.

This lunar energy might stir up strong feelings, like fear, anger, or grief, and bring unresolved emotions to the surface but it’s not here to punish you—it’s here to help you shed old layers and transform into a more empowered version of yourself. It’s a time to get honest with yourself about what’s been holding you back, whether that’s a pattern, belief, or situation, and to release it with courage and grace.

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents something you’re ready to let go of or transform.

Start by reflecting on an emotional pattern or situation that feels heavy or stuck. You might write about it, sketch symbols that represent it, or use colors and shapes to express how it feels. This is your space to get raw and honest.

Once you’ve captured the energy of what you’re working through, begin transforming the page. Use paint, collage, or markers to layer over what you’ve created, symbolizing the process of releasing and reshaping that energy. 

Wednesday

On Wednesday, the Scorpio moon is having a happy relationship with the planet Saturn. This is both deep and grounding energy.

Scorpio brings emotional intensity and a desire to dive beneath the surface, while Saturn adds stability, discipline, and structure. Together, this energy helps you face your emotions with maturity. It’s a time when you can work through difficult feelings in a calm and steady way. It’s energy that encourages and supports you to take an honest look at your emotions, especially the ones you might find challenging, and to approach them with patience and self-compassion. Saturn’s influence helps you feel more grounded and capable of handling whatever comes up, while Scorpio gives you the courage to go deeper. It’s a wonderful time to create emotional boundaries, make commitments to your healing journey, and set intentions that align with your long-term emotional well-being.

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents a time in your life when you faced something challenging and came out stronger.

Thursday

With the moon moving into the sign of Sagittarius and having happy relationships with five planets, Thursday brings a lightness and sense of adventure to the emotional atmosphere.

Sagittarius is all about optimism, growth, and looking at the big picture, so this energy encourages you to break free from anything that feels heavy or stuck and focus on what inspires you. It’s a time for dreaming big, exploring new possibilities, and embracing a sense of freedom and expansion. With the Moon having happy relationships with five other planets on this day as well, this energy is amplified, creating a sense of harmony and support in areas like creativity, relationships, and taking action. It’s a day to follow your passions, connect with others, and focus on what brings you joy.

This energy invites you to tune into your inner fire—the part of you that longs to learn, explore, and grow. Emotionally, it can feel like a breath of fresh air, offering clarity and enthusiasm after a period of uncertainty or heaviness. 

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents a dream you carry in your heart for yourself, your business or the world.

Friday

On Friday, the waning moon is still in the sign of Sagittarius.

The waning moon is a time for reflection, release, and gratitude, focusing on what we’ve learned and how we can share that knowledge with others. Sagittarius likes to pursue truth and wisdom. When the waning moon is in this sign, it’s a good time to consider your beliefs, the experiences that have shaped them, which ones you no longer need and which ones you’d like to keep and anchor more deeply into your heart and spirit.

When you think about letting go of outdated beliefs or perceptions that may be holding you back, which thoughts come to mind?

How do they hold you back?

What beliefs have you outgrown, and what new understandings are you ready to embrace?

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents a belief about yourself, others or the world you are ready to release or transform.

Saturday

On Saturday, the moon is in the balsamic phase.

The balsamic or waning crescent phase of the moon, just before we plunge into the darkness of the New Moon, is a deeply spiritual time, ripe with opportunities for introspection and release.

Emotionally, the balsamic moon phase is like your spiritual guardian, whispering, “It’s okay to let go.” It’s not typically the time for launching new projects or making big decisions. Instead, it’s a time for tying up loose ends, letting go of what no longer serves you, and giving yourself permission to rest and recharge. The balsamic moon phase is a little like a detox for your soul.

This phase is your invitation to dive into your inner world and tend to what emotionally and spiritually needs tending to. It’s like a spiritual retreat, allowing you to explore your dreams, fears, and the stories you tell yourself. This energy encourages you to let go of old emotional baggage and release patterns that might be holding you back. It’s an opportunity to make peace with the past and create space for new beginnings.

Imagine you’re decluttering your emotional closet.

What do you need to let go of?

What emotional weight is dragging you down? 

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents the things you’re ready to release. It could be a collage of images or words, or even an abstract representation of the emotional baggage you’re letting go of.

Sunday

On Sunday, the balsamic moon moves into the sign of Capricorn.

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, which I like to think of as 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 – energy that complements the balsamic moon phase.

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.

In your art journal, draw, paint or collage an image that represents the element of earth.

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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