Tuesday’s New Moon is in Aquarius, the water-bearing air sign that focuses our attention on our hopes and dreams. Aquarius is a detached and floaty sign, sometimes away with the fairies perhaps, but nevertheless inspired, imaginative, and even a little bit weird.
We like weird in these parts.
Imbolc is, in fact, the darkest part of the year, being the midpoint of Winter. Halfway between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox in March. The potency of this darkness landing on a New Moon, or Dark Moon, as it otherwise known is not lost on me under the new Jupiter in Pisces energy.
Imbolc is about planting seeds, literally and figuratively. The first seeds are sown at this time, and New Moons are always about setting intentions.
Do you see where I’m going here?
This New Moon, this turn of the Wheel of the Year, this dreamy, inspired sign under this powerful Astrological energy.
Kapow! (Insert comic style exploding gif here…)
This is big energy folks, and it’s waiting for you to take full advantage of it. If ever there was a Moon to set your most ambitious, hope-filled, dreamy intentions to, this Moon is the Moon to do it.
This is about planting the actual seeds that will go on to become the trees of the stories you tell in your twilight years, sat around a fireplace with recounting the tales of a life well lived.
How can you use this Moon, I hear you ask?
I’m so glad you asked…here are some perfect ways to honour Imbolc and the New Moon in Aquarius, and make the most of her powerful energy.
Salt Milk Bath - I love a salt bath, there is nothing better! And at Imbolc is it traditional to have Milk Bath. I’ve tried to find out where this tradition came from and the closest I can get to it is the origin of the name, Imbolc, which comes from Oimelc meaning ‘Ewe’s Milk’ and marks the beginning of lambing season. For this reason, milk and dairy is heavily associated with Imbolc and it’s been considered a beautiful ritualistic and heavenly act of self love to have a milk bath. You don’t have to use real dairy milk, oat milk would actually be even better for your skin, but just a cup or two added to the warm salty water along with a couple of drops of Lavender Oil is the most Goddess way I can think of to celebrate this beautiful Sabbat. Water is a powerful conductor of energy, but it’s also grounding, so a bath before meditation or any kind of ceremony (like intention setting) is perfect.
Thank the Earth - The literal Earth beneath your feet, the point of Gaia upon which your feet call home. Since Imbolc is about planting the seeds for the first harvests later in the Summer months, having gratitude for the Earth that will nourish those seeds just makes sense. Sit comfortable on the floor and place your hands on the Earth in front of you. Visualise soft pink flowing waves of gratitude drifting from your Heart space, down your arms and out of your hands into the soil. Say thank you to the Earth for its support, for all the things it births for us, trees, flowers, fruits, vegetables, even Crystals. Ask the Earth to take as much care with your intentions as she does with all these things, to nourish them and help them grow into strong and beautiful adventures.
Write it down - I always tell people to journal, or write it down. It doesn’t matter what your handwriting looks like, it doesn’t matter if you can’t spell, or you don’t like writing, the act of putting the words on paper is a literal channel for pulling these intentions from source, through your physical being, and out into the world as words…written words. Written word is powerful. So, write your intentions down on paper. Write them in present tense, write them with gratitude for them already having come to fruition, put them somewhere safe (in a journal or Reiki box if you have one, anything that’s special to you) and look back on them in the future when you’ve achieved your dreams.
Actually Plant Seeds - Literally plant seeds while you focus on your intentions, visualise your intentions growing just like the seeds, sprouting from their tiny shell and forcing their way up to the light, growing strong roots and unfurling leaves, leading to beautiful flowers. You can even plant your written intentions in the Earth with the seeds you plant, if you’re not worried about looking back on them.