@Katja.Perez, witchy illustrator. Follow on Instagram.
Happy astrological new year! The Sun has crossed the threshold into Aries, commencing a new 12-month trip around the zodiac. This also means spring, the season of new life and growth, has arrived! To add potency to this passage, today there is a New Moon in the sign of Aries at 0 degrees. The Sun and Moon are meeting up in the sky at the first degree of the first sign of the zodiac. WOAH. This means new beginnings and fresh starts are buzzing all over the cosmos! Are you feeling it?
If you are anything like me, this newness both excites you and overwhelms you. Maybe you feel pressure that you will waste this precious galactic magic, or make the wrong move, or succumb to paralysis analysis.
That’s the thing about this new moon: It isn’t necessarily about making big, bold moves in your life (although if you do, then the sky is at your back!), it’s about believing in your inherent belovedness.
That means, that no matter what: you come to know in your bones that you are loveable and loved.
This is no small feat in a world where we have been loved imperfectly, conditioned to believe we are broken and unworthy, crammed into oppressive systems that deny us safety, opportunity and the ability to breathe freely. To love ourselves is trailblazing.
That is precisely the power of Aries. To break new ground. To be the first to say, I belong here. I matter. I am who I am. I get to take up space and express myself unapologetically. I get to be me.
Astrologer Chani Nicholas says 2023 is the year of the “self.” Claiming our “self” is tricky terrain in a society that centers the self at the expense of the other, that prioritizes personal profit over people, that encourages independence over interconnection, and whose mantra is me, more, now.
That’s actually the shadow side of Aries. That is Aries energy acting out when it feels hurt and afraid. The Aries energy inside each of us is at its highest expression when it is rooted not in our woundedness, but in our worthiness. Grounded not in our fear, but in our truth. This is the invitation this new year and new moon have in store for each of us.
Imagine a world where we all get to live from our inherent belovedness. Our sacred sovereignty. This is my vision and mission (I am an Aries Sun conjunct Jupiter in my 1st house after all!).
This journey starts with you. And me. Showing up to the hard, courageous work of turning not away, but turning toward both our pain, and our beauty. Our flawed and fabulous humanity. Our messiness and our magic. That’s how we set ourselves free.
So, what’s the first step on this trailblazing path?
It’s learning to identify, listen, and follow our sovereign Voice — that voice inside each of us that is compassionate, calm, curious, clear, courageous, creative, and connected. What you might call your highest self, or soul voice, or intuition, I call our sovereign Self.
The problem we face of course, is that Voice is typically drowned out by the other voices in our head: the ones that can be mean, judgmental, rigid, impulsive, shaming, illogical, dramatic, fearful (and the list goes on and on).
What all these voices have in common is that they are trying to feel safe and loved; whereas our sovereign Self already knows we are safe and loved. It knows we are whole, holy, and already home.
I want to pause and acknowledge that not everyone is safe all the time. This is exactly when we want to listen to the fight-flight-freeze voice who is trying to protect us. What I am referring to is when we feel a perceived threat based on past pain, abuses and trauma. This is when I make the distinction between what’s real and what’s true. What may be real is that you feel unsafe because trauma still resides inside your body. At the same time, what is true is that for most of us walking around the world right now, we are actually safe. Our job is to honor what feels real, tend to its pain, and help it feel safe again, in the here and now.
Deep breath. Believing in our belovedness truly is lifelong labor. It is literally my full-time job. Be gentle with yourself. Take your time. Celebrate the small wins. Don’t do it alone.
And please trust me, this belovedness is inside you — even when you don’t feel it. It’s there, waiting for you to slow down, get still, be present, and listen.
This sacred listening takes practice. Lots of practice. What helps you connect to this Voice inside you?
This past year I was finally able to establish daily rituals that help me return to this Voice (after YEARS of trying, and was particularly difficult during the pandemic years). These days I wake up early before my boys so I can hear myself think with no interruptions. My morning walk has become a co-creative time between me and Spirit. Most afternoons I step away from my screen and thoughts, and put my legs up the wall for a 20-40 minute “meditation nap” (it also helps me digest my lunch with more ease!). When I notice my tight jaw, racing heart, or anxious tummy, I place my hand on them to offer comfort. When I feel stuck or like I am forcing something to happen, I stop and change positions (usually that means washing dishes, or folding laundry). I’m still learning to turn off my cell phone at a decent hour. I’m also writing down my nighttime dreams again (Barack and Michelle keep showing up!).
How about you? What is one new thing you can implement today, on this new moon and new year, to practice listening to that Voice within you that believes 100% in your belovedness?
My friend Leslie forwarded me this Instagram reel this past week. Please watch. Cory Muscara, author and teacher (and apparently once a monk) succinctly point us to how to discern the different voices in our head.
I am here for each of you. If you need support, please reach out to schedule a complimentary coaching session. Or refer family and friends.
P.S. If you are a local friend of mine, this is a perfect time to deepen your understanding of your personal astrology. Learn more about my upcoming Sun-Moon-Rising sign workshop series! You can attend one, two or all three of them!