moon phases
Astrology Forecast January 16 – 22, 2023
This week there is a cosmic ‘musical chairs’ occuring with various planets shifting as the heavens align for the beginning of the Chinese New Year this weekend.
Today, the Scorpio Moon will carry an intense vibration, enabling us to get a lot of things taken care of that have been on the back burner since last year.
A lighter energy prevails tomorrow and Wednesday, as the Moon dances through Sagittarius, but we’ll have to watch out for overly sensitive people and potential emotional outbursts. This may partly be due also to Mercury turning direct in Capricorn on Wednesday. This return can cause miscommunication and technical glitches that are sure to try some folks’ last nerve!
The Sun will move into Aquarius on Friday and meet up with Pluto, giving us a sense of destiny and karma to guide our way forward.
On Saturday the Aquarius New Moon will announce the dawn of the Chinese New Year. To add to the drama, Uranus will also turn direct this weekend, after four months of backward motion. This aspect will cement the fact that new beginnings are upon us! With the rare trio of the Sun moving into Aquarius, as well as the New Moon in Aquarius, and Aquarius as the ruling planet of Uranus going direct (as well as Mercury), plus the Chinese New Year all happening within a matter of days, the writing is certainly on the wall: major change for the better is on the horizon.
Energy Work With Lunar Herbs
The Moon is traditionally associated in healing and metaphysical practices with several flowers and plants, specifically herbs. Many of these herbs are silver, grey, or pale blue, as well as green, much like the Full Moon itself. Many of these plants are also associated with water, or grow near it.
There are several ways to use herbs in your practice, such as ingesting it in teas or other edible formats, and burning it as incense to purifying ourselves and our living spaces.
During the peak of the moon cycle when it is at its strongest during the Full Moon, is a powerful time to reflect on our emotions, the subconscious, healing, and parts of the body associated with water (blood, digestive system, reproductive system). We can enhance this powerful lunar energy by drinking an appropriate herbal tea, or burning an incense blend consisting of lunar herbs.
Different herbs are associated with the different energies of the lunar cycle. If you are working through some difficult emotional baggage, try lavender, wild rose, lotus, poppy, or kava-kava.
Since the Moon encourages healthy consumption of water and moisturizing, herbs like aloe vera, coconut, chickweed, or marshmallow and aniseed roots act as both natural refreshers and soothers. They are excellent to ensure healthy water absorption, and gels made from aloe are well-known as natural moisturizers.
If you wish to deepen your levels of compassion and understanding during a moon cycle, try mugwort, wormwood, or passionflower. Many of these herbs are edible and delicious. Just be sure to double check first, before adding them to your salad or your teapot!
The Transformative Power Of The Moon
Does your energy change for better or worse when there is a Full Moon? Every person has some notion of what a Full Moon means to them.
When the Moon is full, it has an energy pull and charging capability that is unlike the new or quarter moons. During a Full Moon, I usually find it difficult to sleep – no matter how hard I try. The energetic pull is powerful. This is when my mind is most active.
A Full Moon is in fact the best time to open yourself to receive healing or spirit messages, to recharge your energy, or set intentions for manifestation to transform your life for the better. Crystals can also be put out under the Full Moon to charge them up and bring new life to them.
The Full Moon is a time to breathe in the good, release what does not serve you, and allow the Moon’s energy to take lighten your worries and lessen your burdens. A simple clearing ceremony becomes ‘super-charged’ under a Full Moon. Write down what does not serve you: your hurts, your disappointments, your anger and so on. Then burn this list outside, under the Full Moon, while asking the Universe, Source, God, Spirit, the Divine to cleanse the energy from your being.
I live close to a lake and when the Moon is full, no matter what time of year, it reflects off the lake in its various hues and colors. I always take a walk to the lake to allow this energy to feed my soul. It uplifts my spirit and makes me smile. Gazing at the beauty of the Full Moon brings new energy to you if you do it properly.
The next time there is a Full Moon, venture outdoors, look up and contemplate her beauty and power. Ask yourself, how do you feel standing there under the Full Moon? Ask yourself what you want to accomplish or change in your life? You need not do anything further. The manifesting and healing powers of the Moon will carry your intentions forward.
Make Your Own Magical Moon Water
The Moon, our closest celestial body, is strongly associated with the element of water. One way we can harness its powerful energy is by making moon water. Moon water is a powerful tool for energy cleansing and balance, and for strengthening spiritual connection.
The energy charging of moon water can be done at any time, but it is most ideal with the Full Moon. All you need is distilled or fresh water, a container, and a strong sense of intent.
Choosing the right container for your moon water is key. Think about what you plan to do with it: bathing, drinking, watering plants. If you are going to leave the container outside and overnight, consider a mesh or other permeable covering or lid so nothing except moonlight can get inside.
You can also include lunar affinity crystals, such as moonstone, clear quartz, or opal in the making of moon water. You can leave it in the container where it will receive an optimal amount of moonlight, then retrieve it in the morning.
Also, consider the astrological placement of the moon when making your moon water. For example, if you are setting an intention for extra insight and focus in your business or career, then a Full Moon in hardworking Capricorn is an ideal time to make some moon drinking water for the office.
As with any spiritual practice or manifesting ritual, stating your intentions clearly and firmly beforehand is vital. Remember to also extend gratitude to the Moon for her power and positive energies.
Astrology Forecast February 14 – 20, 2022
It’s all about love and romance this week, as the Moon moves into Leo on Valentine’s Day and stays there until it culminates in a Full Moon on Wednesday! The Leo Moon brings with it an air of confidence and self-expression.
Personal desires, flirtation, passion, romantic, relationships, and friendships, as well as contemplating what we truly value in life, will rise to the surface in the coming days.
Mercury in Aquarius, will further heighten our ability to be friendly and intuitively aware in our interactions with others, and some of us will even be able to truly turn on the charm today!
The Leo Moon opposite Saturn in Aquarius tomorrow might place a depressing damper on our mood after yesterday’s love fest. We may even feel unhappy and dissatisfied, question our relationships. We might also feel abandoned or lonely.
If you find yourself in this state of mind on Tuesday, try to work through your feelings before Wednesday, as the Leo Full Moon may further inflame a negative state of mind with moodiness, dissatisfaction, and irritability.
On Friday the Sun will move into soul-based Pisces and completely shift our focus from the external to our inner being. As the last sign of the zodiac, Pisces is a culmination of all we’ve experienced over the last twelve months and a time to go deeper and embrace our spiritual power and heart’s desires. We’ve spent the first part of the year looking at things outside of ourselves, and now we’ll be turning inward to see what personal and spiritual changes are forming.
Saturday and Sunday’s Libra Moon will aid us in determining how our inner desires are reflecting to the outside world, and how to approach things with more balance and ultimately, success.
Astrology Forecast January 31 – February 6, 2022
Happy New Year! This will be a week of fresh beginnings, forward motion and renewed motivation. Don’t be fooled by the Aquarius New Moon setting a contrasting, feminine, yin tone before the masculine yang of the Chinese New Year of the Tiger beginning tomorrow. The Tiger year will be giving us a second chance to make some resolutions and embrace a new energy for the year ahead.
The Tiger represents prowess, stealth and achievement, marking this year as one with the potential to bring success in all we do. It will also cast a stronger and more confident tone over us, inspiring us to move forward with passion and fortitude.
The year 2020 (Year of the Rat) was about survival and the need for adaptability and flexibility. The year 2021 (Year of the Ox) was about caution, keeping faith and staying centered and grounded in a challenging new world. But the Year of the Tiger will be about renewed vigor, futuristic ambition, revitalized enthusiasm, and the courage to make major changes and achieve new goals. We can expect things to change very rapidly this year.
The Year of the Tiger may however not start on a high note for those of us who are prone to melancholy, depression, or negative thinking. The Aquarius Moon conjunction with Saturn in Aquarius early on Tuesday could create a sense of dissatisfaction, loneliness or self-pity. Tap into the daring, self-empowered energy of the powerful tiger. Time to get fired up!
On Thursday Mercury will thankfully resume forward motion from its current retrograde, offering us yet another cycle of forward movement and progress. Fortunately, once Mercury resumes forward motion, no planets will be retrograde for the next three months. So, the sky is not even the limit of what we can achieve and attain the first half of this year.
The assertive and confident Aries Moon will grace the skies Friday through Sunday, making this the ultimate week to make fresh starts and embrace new beginnings.
Astrology Forecast January 24 – 30, 2022
Mars enters Capricorn today, adding power and drive to our every move over the next two months. Mars in Capricorn is an assertive, enterprising energy that increases our sense of responsibility, ambition and courage. We’ll want to capitalize on this energy and start putting our plans for the future into action. Moving with care will be important though, as we may tend to overestimate ourselves under this aspect. So, avoid the urge to look before you leap and first do your research. Avoid acting carelessly on a whim.
Tomorrow and Wednesday unfold under a Scorpio Moon, which could bring hidden information to the surface or alert you to where your thinking might be off. Take everything you hear and see with a grain of salt, as illusion could cloud your perception.
The Scorpio Half Moon tomorrow morning can further cause some disagreement or difficulties with family and coworkers; tension could arise with your partner or spouse; and conflict with strangers in public could also occur.
The Scorpio Moon opposition with Uranus in Taurus on Tuesday afternoon afternoon could make matters even worse, with people being irritable, moody and argumentative. Keep a calm focus and do not allow yourself to be derailed by the erratic negativity of those around you.
Thursday and Friday carry a fun and light-hearted tone under a Sagittarius Moon, where we can shake off the seriousness of the last few weeks and embrace the optimistic energy filling the air.
Venus will turns direct this weekend, after six weeks of retrograde motion, making it easier to navigate relationships and determine our true hearts’ desires. The Capricorn Moon also makes this weekend a great time to clear out clutter, do some home repairs, or simply tend to those personal needs we’ve been neglecting.