Living Our Stories: Tarot and Tea for Gemini Season

Welcome to Gemini Season! Join me as I explore tarot practices and herbal allies for the twelve seasons of the zodiac (and you can learn more about this series over here).

With the change to the season of Gemini, we meet the first Air sign of the zodiac, having already traveled through the fiery energy of Aries and the grounding strength of Taurus. In the southern hemisphere, Gemini marks the last period before we enter autumn, and in the northern hemisphere, Gemini carries us through the end of late spring into summer. In astrology, Gemini is known as a mutable sign which tells us that we are dealing with energy that is changing and adaptable (Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces are also mutable signs). In many ways, we are living in intensely Gemini times with social media, perpetual news cycles, and more information (and disinformation) being accessed with greater ease by large parts of the population more than ever.

Gemini is a sign of duality, its symbols the sacred twins, but its symbol could easily be a double-edge sword as the same words and stories which liberate can also cut down and oppress. With Gemini we have the opportunity to explore the stories we're telling, what we're being told, what we are perceiving (and the lenses by which we're looking) and how we're being perceived in turn. So super simple stuff, right? Fortunately, Gemini holds plenty of paths of wisdom that we can take.

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Living Stories
Gemini Season Tarot Spread

One of the greatest gifts of Gemini is its ability to adapt. While Gemini is traditionally associated with the respiratory system, arms, and hands, I also associate the sign with the neuroplasticity of our brains. We tell ourselves and are told so many stories about who we are, our capabilities, what it is possible to achieve, how we've already failed, the burdens of our ancestors, the hopelessness of our descendants, and so on throughout our lives. Combine that with traumatic experiences and these stories can carve deep neural pathways in our brains that can begin to feel unmovable and unrepairable. (1) For many, one of the important steps of healing from trauma is moving from telling one version of a story about ourselves that feels unquestionably true (i.e. "I'm broken and worthless") to something which is more authentic and supportive of our wellbeing (i.e. "My worth is unquestionable, my wholeness secure"). Here is where the storytelling gifts of Gemini and its ability to adapt and change can support us. 

Gemini asks us, "What is the story you want to tell?"

The following spread is about helping us connect with our living story, whether we're processing personal traumas, dealing with the reverberations of collective trauma, connecting with our inner child or just doing the work of exploring our own stories, whatever emotions they evoke, with the goal of feeling more empowered by what story we're telling about ourselves.

While tarot spreads are wonderful tools of self-exploration, you deserve to receive professional therapeutic support when exploring difficult and challenging experiences and I hope you access help through the growing number of mental health services available. You deserve to be held, whole and holy, as you process through what it is you have lived through.

Card 1. That Which Is Being Spoken

What are you saying about yourself? If you want you can pull a card for what you're saying to yourself (inner dialogue, etc) and another for what you're saying about yourself to others. If a challenging card comes up here it can be a reflection that the story you're telling isn't in alignment with your inner truth and desires, indicating that you might need more support moving forward when it comes to affirming and empowered self-belief and expression.

Card 2. That Which Is Being Heard

This card highlights the stories about you that are the most persistent in your life. These might be cultural stories, opinions that you've adopted from social media, stories from parents, teachers, peers, and so on. 

Cards 3 & 4. The Living Story 

Instead of casting these cards as you usually would, you are going to look through the deck and purposefully choose two cards that symbolize the story that you want to be telling. Of course, if you're feeling fatigued with decisions, you can still cast these cards by shuffling and a random draw, but if you have the energy I encourage you to choose them with intention. If you're looking for some guidance, these cards might address the obstacles of the previous two cards. After you choose these cards proceed to read them as you would any other card in a spread as cards describing a living story that wants to be told. 

Card 5. A Message For Gemini Season

A general message, signs to pay attention to, and perhaps next steps to take as we move into Gemini season.

Bonus Card: That Which Guards the Lungs

If you feel connected with the philosophy of astroherbology you can pull an additional card to help you understand the current energies of your lungs, experiences and energetic ones, and what tension or wisdom you might be keeping there. I encourage you to take a somatic approach with this card - when you pull the card, first observe before rushing to analysis, following the feelings and sensations that it evokes from your body to understand its meaning. 

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A Tea for Gemini Season

How do we nourish the energy of Gemini? The energy of Gemini challenges the quickness of Aries, and while their speed can be welcome when we're trying to solve a problem, express ourselves or communicate a new idea, most times Gemini energy benefits from remedies that softens and relaxes. Gemini is also the guardian of the lungs, the arms, the hands, and the nervous system (click here for a few list of traditional correspondences of Gemini) and I've included herbs which also support these body systems. 

Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a wonderful plant ally that meets us where we're at when it comes to energy - it soothes and relaxes when we're too overstimulated but energizes and enlivens when we're feeling sluggish. Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) is my favorite herb to help nourish our nervous system while quieting the noisy, distracting, and chattering part of our brain. My favorite nervous system tonic is Milky Oat (Avena sativa) and a plant ally I often recommend to Gemini folk who tend to overwork their nervous systems. Combined, these three herbs help us to welcome in the season of Gemini with calm so that we can reap the benefits of clarity that this season can bring. 

To make your tea, combine the following herbs:

• 2 parts Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

• ½ part Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)

• 1 part Milky Oat (Avena sativa)

These proportions are only suggested guidelines, so feel free to play around with them to your liking. As you make your tea, slow down, breathe deep, and infuse the blend with your intentions for the season (or whenever you’re drinking this tea to connect with the energy of Gemini). If you’re looking for more breathwork practices to help you connect with the energy of the season, come this way.

image source

Seasonal Reflections

What does the land feel like, look like, smell like this season?

What is coming to the surface from within me?

What is receding within me?

What am I feeling grateful for?

What am I grieving for or feeling challenged by?

What am I feeling inspired and where is it calling me to this season?

What am I calling to me?

What am I called to give?

♊️

I’ve been writing about the intersections between plants, stars, and planets for years, so if you’re feeling inspired to keep reading about all things astroherbalism, check out the Gemini Astroherbology Profile as a great next step. For those wanting some visual inspiration, I have a whole collection of Gemini Season images for you. If you’re looking for more information on using tarot as a tool of healing, come this way. And I’ve also written about my favorite plant-themed tarot decks (tarot is a very Gemini sort of divination system).

You can also learn about how to set-up your own Gemini season apothecary full of spring remedies.

Wherever the season of Gemini finds you may all lines of communication and clarity be open to you, all paths full of the right sort of people, places, and creatures!

This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎

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Notes

(1) If you're seeking resources for healing from this sort of trauma, EMDR is a well-researched form of therapy that helps folks recover and move on from the distress of trauma. This is the one form of therapy that I have recommended to clients again and again over the years, so if you're feeling like you're ready to get some support for your experiences of trauma, I hope you seek out the right practitioner for you. You deserve to be supported and your suffering eased.

Finding Freedom: Tarot and Tea for Aries Season

Hello, friends! You can find links to the full zodiac seasons series below!

One of the aspects of astrology that I enjoy the most is not about predictions or the shaping of personalities, but the alternative way of observing time that it offers. As a practitioner of an earth-based religion, there is a lot of emphasis on participating in the cyclical and spiralling nature of time which often means gazing beyond the confines of a calendar mandated by decree by imperialist powers. (1) Since astrology, and especially lunar astrology, is one of the oldest forms of marking the passage of time and season, it can be a fascinating and inspiring calendrical system to use. When we use a system like astrology to observe time, we're connecting to something that would be familiar to many of our star-gazing ancestors, and I find it grounding to find myself in time by engaging what is happening on the earth beneath my feet and the skies above my head (practicing the hermetic axiom As Above, So Below).  

Observing astrological time, I know that when the Spring Equinox rolls around, we are entering Aries season which is the first sign of the zodiac (for those in the southern hemisphere, Aries season coincides with the Autumn Equinox). When you read about "Aries Season" or "Leo Season" online they are referring to the period of time that the Sun is moving through a particular zodiac sign. Each season of the twelve sign zodiac lasts for about a month and are always sequential (i.e. after Aries season comes Taurus season, then Gemini season and so on).

The first day the Sun moves into Aries is the first day of Spring (i.e. the Spring Equinox which lands around March 19 - 22 each year). So I know that as the Earth is beginning to shake off the last remnants of winter, as the trees become ever more green with leaves, and as flowers are starting to appear throughout on the land I live with, that this is also the time when the Sun is moving into the sign of quick-moving, energetic Aries. I feel deeply interconnected with life when I make these observations, when I ask myself what is the spring of the place that I live in, and what does the season of Aries mean in the particulars of the space that I dwell (including my body). 

For this year, I wanted to offer a practice of observing space and place, so that you might feel grounded and connected to the land you live with as a practice of love and resiliency. To observe is to engage is to remember yourself back into the interconnectedness of life. Beginning this month with Aries, we'll move through the twelve signs of the zodiac as I have done twice before with you, first through my Astroherbology series and then through my New Moon series.

The Seasons of the Zodiac

I have made note of the terrestrial season in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and Southern Hemisphere (SH).

NH: Spring / SH: Autumn

Aries

Taurus

Gemini

NH: Summer / SH: Winter

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

NH: Autumn / SH: Spring

Libra

Scorpio

Sagittarius

NH: Winter / SH: Summer

Capricorn

Aquarius

Pisces

✨

The Practice

For each season of the zodiac you'll find a tarot spread and a tea recipe to inspire your practice as well as a repeated set of prompts that you can journal with (or discuss with friends or covenmates) to help you be grounded and centered with the seasonal changes around and within you. 

The tarot spread can be used during Aries season or any time of the year that you feel a need to connect with the energy of the sign. Every sign of the zodiac is in our birth chart, every star is shining on each of us, and though they move through the sky, revealing and hiding themselves from view, we can always connect with the specific energy of a sign. As someone who practices the art of astroherbology, I've also included an option in each spread to incorporate some body-based star wisdom. Same for the tea recipes you'll find in this series - they can be used throughout the year whenever you need them!

Feeling excited? Then let's get started with our friend, Aries the Ram.

Aries is a sign of impetus and change. Like the two other fire signs of the zodiac, Aries assists us in figuring out what helps us get free.

Aries asks us, "What would you do if you decided to let go of fear just go for it?"

While just going for it isn't always the practical or reasonable approach, what answering this question does is help you connect with your courage, something which the energy of Aries can help us to define. The following Aries Season tarot spread helps us find sources of energy to inspire us, identify what is blocking our energy, and connect with our courage to help us move into our freedom.

Finding Freedom
Aries Season Tarot Spread

Card 1 & 2. That Which Energizes You

These cards are the head of the Ram, the symbol of Aries, and help to highlight the things which energizes you most, including things, people, creatures, and places which inspire you. These are things which you might seek to bring more into your life during Aries season so that you are better able to connect with the energetic flow of the next month.

Card 3. That Which Blocks Your Energy

The gift of Aries is to live with unhindered energy so that we are able to ebb and flow as we need to. This card highlights how our energy gets blocked, especially during the recent past and present. Pay attention to the relationship between this card and the two preceding cards.

Card 4. That Which Frees You

This card can help you connect with the answer to the question posed earlier - "What would you do if you decided to let go of fear just go for it?" Here we can explore a practice or practices which helps to free up our energy and inspiration.

Card 5. A Message for Aries Season

A general message, signs to pay attention to, and perhaps next steps to take as we move into Aries season.

Bonus Card. That Which Guards the Head.

If you feel connected with the philosophy of astroherbology you can pull an additional card to help you understand the current energies of your head, including physical experiences and energetic ones, what tension or wisdom you might be keeping there. I encourage you to take a somatic approach with this card - when you pull it and see the energy, follow the feelings and sensations that it evokes from your body to understand its meaning.

image via @bakdandraw

A Tea for Aries Season

How do we nourish the energies of Aries? As an energetic sign that is quick-acting and traditionally guards the head (click here for a full list of traditional correspondences for Aries), we need herbs that will help us keep our cool without losing the spark which inspires us. Nettles (Urtica dioica) is a great herb for the change of the seasons, helping to nourish our bodies as an herbal multivitamin, improve circulation, and clear the head of any end-of-season fog. Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) helps the busy bee energy connect to the community song of the season, supporting the energy to do and go alongside the need to plan and rest. It's also supportive of brain health helping to strengthen Aries energy in our body. Finally, Rose (Rosa spp.) rounds out our blend, bringing red Aries energy into the visual magick of our tea, along with their ability to open us up to possibility.

To make your tea combine the following herbs:

• 1 part Nettles (Urtica dioica)

• 1 part Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

• ¼ part Rose (Rosa spp.)

These proportions are only suggested guidelines, so feel free to play around with them to your liking. As you make your tea, slow down, breathe deep, and infuse the blend with your intentions for the season (or whenever you’re drinking this tea to connect with the energy of Aries). If you’re looking for more breathwork practices to help you connect with the energy of the season, come this way.

image via @anniespratt

Seasonal Reflections

What does the land feel like, look like, smell like this season?

What is coming to the surface from within me?

What is receding within me?

What am I feeling grateful for?

What am I grieving for or feeling challenged by?

What am I feeling inspired and where is it calling me to this season?

What am I calling to me?

What am I called to give?

᠅

Here’s to the start of a new turn of the zodiac wheel and the start of a new season!

I hope that you’re feeling a little more inspired at the start of Aries season knowing that there are plant allies to connect with and tools to explore the energy within and around you.

If you’re looking for more information about the magick of spring, come this way. Here’s a recipe to support your spring dreaming and a more in-depth tarot spread for the season of Ostara. Enjoy!

This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎

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Footnotes

(1) The Geopolitics of Gregorian Calendar is a short summary read if you want to learn more.

Homecoming : The New Moon in Capricorn

Dismount!
Drop back and watch
constant thoughts galloping past

Watch the riderless horses,
thick as a running forest
streaming by.

Witness!
Rising from the forest,
a still and silent moon.

- Susa Silvermarie - 

The New Moon in Capricorn is a beast between. Born of water and earth, they are half goat, half fish. Caught up in the slow energy of late winter and not yet seeing the light of early, the New Moon in Capricorn can reveal to us what is happening behind the scenes. We have come to the valley of the overlooked. 

The recklessly bold energy of the New Moon in Sagittarius gives way to the landing place of Capricorn. We have come home. We are tackling the tasks that need doing. We may even be growing roots - for new beginnings of the New Moon is not just about movement and going elsewhere but also about choosing to stay still and stand steady. Discoveries that we make about ourselves and our world can’t take root unless we give these seeds of wisdom space, time, and nourishment - three key qualities of Capricorn. 

image source

It’s really important to know how to work with Capricorn energy in our age of hyper-connectivity and deep fears of missing out which has led to all sorts of social and spiritual FOMO. Here’s, too, where the trickster energy of the goatfish shows up - we think that we just need to take a bit of time off and relax when often there are some buried narratives about ourselves and our self-worth that we need to unpack. As healers it’s important for us to help those we serve to engage with tricky energy in their lives by starting to ask “Why?” in a non-judgmental, observational fashion.

Why don’t I take time off?

Why don’t I eat the foods that make me feel good about myself?

Why don’t I have a spiritual practice that reflects my values?

Asking why rarely leads us on a journey that is a straight line from point A to point B. Through asking why we find ourselves between the worlds, back and forth along the tracks of memory and projection. The inherently grounding, yet liminal goatfish serves as an important guide to the work of why. When we remain curious about our lives and the work we do it’s harder for us to feel left behind - because we’re always exploring and participating in our existence no matter where or who we are.

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
Plant Ally for the New Moon in Capricorn

Mullein is described by Nicholas Culpeper as being under the guardianship of Saturn. The herb is a great ally during the winter months, helping to clear phlegm from the system, reduce inflammation, and protect against infection. It’s excellent for clearing out chronic, long-standing coughs, especially dry and spasmodic coughs, and can help with a number of respiratory complaints including bronchitis, asthma, and general lung weakness.

Add the herb to your cold and flu blends with Elder (Sambucus nigra) and Peppermint (Mentha piperita) for a lung-opening, immunomodulating blend. Mullein is useful, too, for Capricorn folk who tend towards stagnant cold states which lead to swellings and cysts as the herb helps to dissolve such manifestations of buildup. As a decongestant, Mullein is good for allergies such as hay fever, helping to clear phlegm and relieve pain. In her Physica, Hildegard von Bingen recommended Mullein for “one who is hoarse or has a pain in his chest” recommending that they combine the herb with Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) in a medicinal wine. As a moistening diuretic, Mullein helps to soothe an inflamed urinary system and help with the release of urine. The herb also helps to remove toxins from the body because of its ability to move water out of the body. Mullein can be used for nerve pain and combines well with other nervines such as Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) and St. Joan’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum).

Topically, the mucilaginous Mullein is excellent for dry skin conditions but also as a healing compress or salve for boils, bruises, inflammation, hemorrhoids, eczema, sciatica, and joint pain. Mullein is useful in cases of bulging discs and bone setting. The herb helps the skin repair after a wound, burn, sore, and ulcer and can be used for skin infections, too. The long thick stems are sometimes referred to as Hag’s Tapers (the dried stalks dipped in wax will burn as a somewhat messy candle) as they are associated with the magickal workings of Witchfolk.

Flower + Gem Essences for the New Moon of Capricorn : Birch (Betula alba), Elm (Ulmus Procera), Larch (Larix decidua), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), Rock Water (Aqua petra), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Agate, Amethyst, Flourite, Garnet, Tourmaline.

Essential Oils of Capricorn : Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), Melissa (Melissa officinalis), Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora). 

image source

Ritual

Taurus is an Earth sign that teaches us about our physical form and Virgo as an Earth sign which highlights our experience of our physicalness and our physical needs. Capricorn is an Earth sign that signifies the vibrations that underly all forms - it's the moment of something becoming. The following ritual helps us to tap into the power of sound to connect to vibration and all of its magick (whether through sound, sex toys, ocean waves or through the hum of singing bowls).

Begin in a sacred way (read the New Moon in Aquarius post for further inspiration). Hold an intention in your mind that answers one of your questions of “Why?” For example, you might have asked “Why do I struggle to drink enough water everyday?” and your answer may have been “Because I haven’t quite made the connection between the sacredness of water and the sacredness of my body and its needs.” Your intention might be “To create a sacred connection between the water of my body and the waters of the world in order to nourish my body everyday.” With that intention held in your heart (and maybe even written down and placed on an altar before you) begin making a low hum. Notice how the hum feels in your body. Follow the sound. You might go up or down an octave. Open your mouth and hold a single note. The main purpose is to follow sounds that feel good and powerful to you. It’s not about sounding “good” but about sounding like you to you.

You are, by holding your intention, and making a vibrating sound, relaxing your cells, nourishing your nervous system, and making change all the more possible for you. 

When you are done toning, place your forehead on the ground if you are able or raise your hands to your face or some other way of returning to yourself and grounding.

Cards are from The World Spirit Tarot

Oracle

With a divinatory tool of your choosing ask the following question. You can also ponder it during meditation or through journaling.

Why am I here?

Additional queries to consider:

How grounded am I?
How comfortable with change am I?

Tarot Cards of Capricorn

Every card within the tarot deck has an astrological association. The following correspondences follow the system laid out by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. You can add these cards to your altar as part of your New Moon in Capricorn magick or use them in readings to help with determining celestial influence or timing (i.e. this will come to pass at when the Moon is in Capricorn.

• Tarot Card of Capricorn: The Devil
• The Earth Signs of Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn : Ace of Pentacles
• Jupiter in Capricorn : Two of Pentacle
• Mars in Capricorn : Three of Pentacles
• Sun in Capricorn : Four of Pentacles

Find all of the New Moon Healers Project posts right over here. Be sure to share your insights and experiences in the comments below or via instagram with the tag #NewMoonHealersProject.

Need more astroherbology in your life? You can learn more about the astroherbology of Capricorn by reading my in-depth profile on the sign. Check out the magick of each phase of the Moon. For those of you ready to learn how to live your magick and create your herbal remedies by the cycle of Moon and star, you're invited to join the The Lunar Apothecary.

Blessed New Moon, wise healers.
May your healing be healing to us all.
May our healing be healing to you.
Blessed be! Blessed be! Blessed be!

Reckless Abandon : The New Moon in Sagittarius

Restore us to memory
As the new ones begin to stir
We continue to kindle the hearth
To preserve the flame
For we are forged from stardust
The light of the heavens - 
We are filled by ancient cultures
Who lifted their eyes beyond.
We are the constellations.
The Cosmic Sea

- Karin A. Larsen -

The New Moon in Sagittarius is a bow pulled taut, it’s arrow not seen, but its point aimed at the distant horizon. For some the October New Moon in Libra marked Lunar Samhain while for others (like myself) it’s the New Moon in Scorpio which is Samhain’s Moon. For me, tonight marks the end of the lingering season of Samhain as Sagittarian energy pulls us towards the dark of winter with an archer’s precision and focus.

New Moon Sagittarian energy is recklessly bold. It’s not necessarily the best time to try and make big commitments, but to experiment with and try new things while the night holds sway over the year. Witches and other magickal beings have long understood the power of the dark. We can change forms more readily, move unwatched, and pull away from the glare of the scrutiny of our day lives. We have the opportunity to become more ourselves without the expectations of others cutting up our flow (work started at the New Moon in Libra).

Photo by Raul Petri

There’s a real optimistic streak to the New Moon in Sagittarius. We’re reminded to be playful and flexible in our mindsets in order to bring about healing. A healer’s purpose is to not only to help provide physical relief to their clients, but to help those they serve ask the question, “What if?”

What if I put my healing first?

What if I said no to people who are emotionally draining?

What if I said yes more?

What if I allowed myself to imagine a life that I love?

What if? What if?

I’ve experienced it again and again in my practice where I ask, “But what if…” and there’s a sudden - sometimes dramatic, sometimes subtle - shift in the person to whom I’m asking the question. And that’s when the adventure of healing really begins.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Plant Ally of the New Moon in Sagittarius

One of the greatest gifts of Dandelion to heal is through its ability to help vitality move freely through the body. The primary way that the herb accomplishes this is by clearing the blood of toxins and waste material. Dandelion has a tonic effect on the blood, lymph system, and liver, helping to detoxify all three and improve the eliminatory qualities of the liver and gallbladder. Part of its blood purifying qualities comes from its high nutritive salt contents which cleans the blood and clears excess acid. Nicholas Culpeper writes in his Herbal that Dandelion “is under the dominion of Jupiter. It is of an opening and cleansing quality, and therefore very effectual for the obstructions of the liver, gall and spleen, and the diseases that arise from them, as the jaundice, and hypochondriac.”

One of the indications that Dandelion might be useful for a client (and one of the ways that it shows its Sagittarian connections) is that symptoms improve with movement - such as through massage or gentle exercise. I love Dandelion’s ability to help us rewire us from a state of survival (where we rarely ask a what if question that is for our benefit) to one of thriving (where we’re always curious about what the future might hold). Magickally, Dandelion has become a modern symbol of revolution, resistance, and transformation (how very Sagittarian!). Incorporate it into your protest and march magick as well as other activism related pursuits.

Flower + Gem Essences for the New Moon of Sagittarius: Peach (Prunus persica), Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), Sage (Salvia officinalis), Yellow Flag Flower (Patersonia xanthina), Zinnia (Zinnia elegan), Chrysocolla, Moonstone, Peacock Ore.

Essential Oils of Sagittarius: Black Pepper (Piper nigrum), Marjoram (Origanum majorana), Nutmeg, Ginger (Zingiber officinale), Pine (Pinus sylvestris).

Photo by Andrew Robinson

The Ritual of Dangerous Questions

As healers and magick makers we not only provide relief and refuge to our communities, but we ask dangerous questions that challenge cultural norms. We ask what would happen if Black lives mattered. What would change if womxn’s stories of sexual harassment and abuse were taken seriously from the start. What would happen if the rights of the environment were considered along with the rights of people and creatures. To be able to ask dangerous questions on a cultural level, which change minds and shift narratives, we also need to know how to ask them on a personal level.

For this ritual you will need a candle as well as a pen and paper. Begin in a sacred way (read the New Moon in Aquarius post for further inspiration). Place the candle before you and before you light it say:

Questions hidden
Wisdom hidden

Then light the candle and say:

Questions asked
Wisdom known

 Bring yourself to a meditative state where your mind is soft, your body comfortable, and your heart curious. Ask yourself, “What if?” Observe what follows. It might be a flurry of questions. It might be silence with a very tentative voice asking something in the background. After a few moments choose a few what if questions that came up for you - especially the ones that feel a mix of scary and exciting - and write them down. You can then free write under each question, continue to meditate with them, get up and dance with your question or whatever else feels good to you. Indulge your curiosity and the healing power it possesses.

When done with your ritual either let your candle burn out (if there is any left) or blow it out with the intention of lighting it again when you’re feeling resistance to asking “What if?” again in your life.

The World Spirit Tarot

Oracle

With a divinatory tool of your choosing ask the following question. You can also ponder it during meditation or through journaling.

What if I acted with reckless abandon?

Additional queries to consider:

• What problems have I been running from?
• Where am I most distracted in my life?

Tarot Cards of Sagittarius

Every card within the tarot deck has an astrological association. The following correspondences follow the system laid out by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. You can add these cards to your altar as part of your New Moon in Sagittarius magick or use them in readings to help with determining celestial influence or timing (i.e. this will come to pass at when the Moon is in Sagittarius).

• The Sign of Sagittarius: Temperance
• Mercury in Sagittarius: Eight of Wands
• Moon in Sagittarius: Nine of Wands
• Saturn in Sagittarius: Ten of Wands
• The Fire Signs of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius: Ace of Wands

Find all of the New Moon Healers Project posts right over here. Be sure to share your insights and experiences in the comments below or via instagram with the tag #NewMoonHealersProject.

Need more astroherbology in your life? You can learn more about the astroherbology of Sagittarius by reading my in-depth profile on the sign. Check out the magick of each phase of the Moon. For those of you ready to learn how to live your magick and create your herbal remedies by the cycle of Moon and star, you're invited to join the The Lunar Apothecary.

Blessed New Moon, wise healers.
May your healing be healing to us all.
May our healing be healing to you.
Blessed be! Blessed be! Blessed be!

Depth of Power : The New Moon in Scorpio

It’s the journey that steels us.
The stumbling and
picking yourself back up,
the seeking, that staves off fear
and fills us with hope.

- Dr. Karen Tate -

The secret grin of the New Moon in Scorpio marks the end of the season of Samhain. Now we tumble headfirst into the dark. If Libra is about weighing our options, than Scorpio is about measuring our depths. A Scorpio Moon can bring heightened sensitivity to many of us and the New Moon is especially activating to our psychic centers. We find ourselves wanting to howl at the Moon, run our fingers through the starlight, and dissolve back into the earth from whence we came. The ecstatic, the erotic, the enchanted all become elevated during a Scorpio New Moon.

Even if folks don’t know much about western astrology they’ll know that Scorpio is supposed to be the sign of sex. I’m don't know the story of where Scorpio got that reputation from but it might be from the intense nature that this sign can bring out in folks. Perhaps it’s the intensity of exploration Scorpios tend to take and the resulting deaths (of ego, of expectation, of past selves) both big and little (and the subsequent rebirths). What I do know is that Scorpio is a sign of shadow work and transformation. At the New Moon in Libra we were asked to cut away the expectations of others and to choose to live our lives as we want to. Then the New Moon in Scorpio arrives and asks us, “Yes, that’s fine, but what lies beneath?”

Photo by Lyndsey Marie

Scorpio is a fixed water sign which means that it’s an ocean with no sea floor. In the mutable water sign of Pisces we are asked to feel while in the cardinal water sign of Cancer we are asked to shelter. In Scorpio we are asked to know. The depths that Scorpio takes us to aren’t always comfortable. They can feel be pressurized, yet endlessly vast, and what we thought was up is really down, what we thought was truth was really just assumption. But the mystery unfolds when it is sought and so it is the calling of Scorpio to seek. Who of us as healers has not met someone and marveled at the vastness of both their pain as well as their remarkable resilience? That is the power of Scorpio. 

Blessed Thistle (Cnicus bendictus)
The New Moon in Scorpio Plant Ally

Spiky and unexpectedly useful, Blessed Thistle is already distinguished as a Scorpio herb by the doctrine of signatures. Blessed Thistle has recorded use since ancient Greece and is a powerful bitter herb that awakens a damp and weak digestion (listen for sounds of gurgling, poor digestion of fats, as well as feelings of distention and flatulence). 

As an alterative, Blessed Thistle’s eliminatory powers are applied to the blood and acting as a purifier. In combination with its skin-opening diaphoretic properties, Blessed Thistle helps to re-establish balance or homeostasis in the body. The herb is also a nervine and can be used to relieve spastic pain and headaches, especially when brought on by nervous tension. Blessed Thistle relieves brain fog and has a markedly uplifting effect.

Blessed Thistle is a very protective herb and can be used in all sorts of charms and rituals for boundary-setting, warding, and making safe people and places. It’s an herb that helps keep us safe as we journey into our depths. Blessed Thistle also has a resonance with students, both for its medicinal use for clearing brain fog and its magickal properties in awakening the inner spark of inspiration.

Flower + Gems Essences for the New Moon in Scorpio: Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium), Holly (Ilex aquifolium), Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis), Aquamarine, Bloodstone, Tiger’s Eye.

Essential Oils of Scorpio: Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin), Pine (Pinus sylvestris), Black Pepper (Piper nigrum), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium).

Photo by Falco Negenman

Scrying the Depths

What better way to dive into the depths than through the ancient art of water scrying? The key to successful scrying is learning how to relax your gaze which means being able to look at a fixed point and allow your vision to grow soft and blurry around the edges. For our rite, you can focus on a specific issue that you want revelation around (such as a path of healing for a particular ailment) or simply ask to have it be revealed something that you need to know as part of your personal development as a healer.

You will need a bowl of water and candle. Begin in a sacred way (read the New Moon in Aquarius post for further inspiration). Place the bowl of water in front of you and the candle in a place where it illuminates the water, but you cannot sees its reflection. With you intention in mind, touch your third eye and say:

Vision beyond vision,
open to me.

Touch the right side of the bowl and say:

The depths are known…

Touch the left side of the bowl and say:

And revealed to me.

Repeat this ritual sequence twice more. Press your palms together and hold them over the bowl. Open them slowly, visualizing the veil between the known and unknown parting, and the bowl acting as a portal for you to gaze through. Relax your gaze and let the images arise. 

After a period has passed and your scrying is complete, hold your hands over the bowl and slowly bring them together, visualizing the veil between the known and unknown coming back together. Touch your third eye and say:

I have seen what has been shown.

Touch the left side of the bowl and say:

The depths have revealed…

Touch the right side of the bowl and say:

What is to be known.

Ground and center, ending the right by blowing out the candle and pouring out the water (preferably outside) and saying, “Blessed be!”

Oracle

With a divinatory tool of your choosing ask the following question. You can also ponder it during meditation or through journaling.

When I gaze into my depths what is gazing back at me?

Additional queries to consider:

What emotions have I repressed that need to be honored and expressed?
How does resentment or jealously prevent me from living my dreams?

Tarot Cards of Scorpio

Every card within the tarot deck has an astrological association. The following correspondences follow the system laid out by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. You can add these cards to your altar as part of your New Moon in Libra magick or use them in readings to help with determining celestial influence or timing (i.e. this will come to pass at when the Moon is in Scorpio).

• The Sign of Scorpio: Death
• The Water Signs of Cancer, Scorpio, + Pisces: Ace of Cups
• Mars in Scorpio: Five of Cups
• Sun in Scorpio: Six of Cups
• Venus in Scorpio: Seven of Cups

Find all of the New Moon Healers Project posts right over here. Be sure to share your insights and experiences in the comments below or via instagram with the tag #NewMoonHealersProject.

Need more astroherbology in your life? You can learn more about the astroherbology of Scorpio by reading my in-depth profile on the sign. Check out the magick of each phase of the Moon. For those of you ready to learn how to live your magick and create your herbal remedies by the cycle of Moon and star, you're invited to join the The Lunar Apothecary.

Blessed New Moon, wise healers.
May your healing be healing to us all.
May our healing be healing to you.
Blessed be! Blessed be! Blessed be!