Social media has been woven into my sense of self and livelihood—but it's time to reclaim that energy. This isn't about leaving entirely; it's about intentionally choosing where and how we connect. Here's why I'm stepping back from mainstream social platforms. Here is where you can find me instead...
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New Moon Spell For Empathic Care ❤️🔥 /
“Everything we do to help each other is an act of resistance”
- Beverly Smith (from New Moon Magic: 13 Anti-Capitalist Tools for Resistance and Re-Enchantment)
Today's New Moon in Scorpio marks a transformative celestial dance, akin to a scorpion shedding its exoskeleton. Embrace Scorpio's potent energy tied to authenticity, truth, love, and courage. Channel this intensity into a spell, envisioning yourself as a conduit for empathic care that extends beyond personal boundaries.
Picture this compassionate energy field as a dynamic force—a collective tide of love merging with intentions worldwide. Let this spell be a catalyst for positive change, a ripple of kindness weaving through humanity's interconnected web.
Whether practicing alone or with companions, Scorpio's power thrives in collective experiences. Energetically invite others through methods like bibliomancy or a symbolic calling in of their energies. Join forces in person or virtually via Zoom or Facetime. Together you amplify your magic and add potency to your spellwork.
Today's New Moon in Scorpio calls us to be architects of compassionate change. Use the energy of death and rebirth, truth, love, and courage to cultivate care beyond our immediate sphere. Embrace celestial synergy and uncover the alchemy of connection and collective compassion.
A new moon signifies renewed optimism, a time to gather energy for the upcoming weeks. It fosters self-reflection, clarifying desires for contribution, and reception from the world. This phase is ideal for divination and imaginative exploration, envisioning and manifesting a change process.
How to begin
Gather the following materials (all materials are optional):
Salt
A white or black candle
A bowl of water
Crystal and/or plant friends who want to join & support (e.g. watermelon tourmaline, figs, pomegranates, rose quartz)
A few books for bibliomancy and/or your trusted tarot or oracle cards
Your journal or a notepad and a pen
Find a place that feels safe and secure. This could be in your bedroom, next to a tree friend in the forest, or in a private Zoom call with your closest friends. Set aside 10 - 30 minutes for this ritual.
How to begin
Start the spell by casting a circle of protection around you and anyone who is joining you. You can do this by physically creating a circle of salt around you and/or the candle you are using in this spell. You can also do this by taking a moment to visualize a circle of energy surrounding you and anyone else you want to bring into the center of this circle.
You can also use this time to cleanse the space with aura mists, crystal clearings, smudgings, bells, or prayers and affirmations.
Light the candle when you are ready. Let the spirit realm know you are ready to commune.
Check-in and connect
Take a moment and check in with yourself and/or each other. What are you feeling? How are you? Do you need anything right now? Feel free to use your notepad to take notes or write out reflections.
Ask for guidance
Turn towards bibliomancy and/or divination for sacred support. To work with bibliomancy, pick up a book you have brought into the circle and let yourself be guided to turn to a page and see what is the first thing that catches your eye. It could be a word or a phrase. How does it impact you? How does it make you feel? What comes up as a result? Again, feel free to use your notepad to take notes or write out reflections.
Similarly, if you are using tarot or oracle cards, I invite you to pull one card and take a moment to reflect on it. Let the card’s visuals and text connect with you deeply. What is real? What is authentic? What is here?
Feel free to pull another card for further guidance or clarification. Or do a three-card pull and assign meaning to the cards as you see fit (e.g. past-present-future, situation-intervention-outcome, desire-prayer-action, etc.)
Water Connects Us
Whenever you are ready, I invite you to hold the bowl of water you have in your hands. Or spend some time with your eyes closed and visualizing. I invite you to imagine your heart producing an electrical field of energy. This field can expand and contract with your intentions and desires. You can imagine this field of energy starting to expand to hold you and all your complexities. The parts of you that you love and admire about yourself and the parts of you that feel difficult to sit with or that you might even dislike. Imagine the water acting like an amplifying element, helping you expand and grow.
When you’re ready, imagine this field of compassionate caring energy starting to expand beyond your body and touching all those who are in your circle. The crystals, ancestors, plant kin, and other participants who are in this circle with you. Let your field of energy encompass them in all their complexities. Embracing and holding them.
From the circle, you will now imagine this force of love emanating outward from the circle. Touching your neighbors and their loved ones, touching those in your neighborhood, in your city, in your country. Let yourself envision this field of energy reaching out, moving at the speed of love, and touching, holding, and embracing, all those who need this energy right now. Let yourself embrace all living and non-living beings in all their complexity. Tune into your heart. Take deep breaths here.
Once you feel your energy field expand to connect with your whole country, imagine your field of compassionate care reaching out and touching other people in other countries. Countries that may be filled with joy, grief, pain, celebration, shock, and hope. Let your compassionate care touch this country and the living and non-living beings residing there. Let yourself hold everything you encounter in its fullness. In all its complexity. Share care. Share love. Breathe. Come back to your heart.
For the last part of this visualization, you can imagine your empathic field of energy expanding out to hold the entire planet and all its living and non-living beings in all their grand complexity and wholeness. Taking another deep breath, you can imagine this field of energy moving out to touch all the planets in our solar system as well as all the stars, meteors, comets, space trash, and dark matter that exists in this space. And, if you’re able to, you can envision this field expanding out from beyond the solar system and touching all the other galaxies and living and non-living beings that exist in our universe.
Grounding Your Care
Take a few more deep breaths. Let yourself come back to your body and being. Perhaps touch the floor or rub your hands together. Do something to let yourself know that you’re back. Spend a moment writing any reflections you have about that experience, any intentions, or prayers you want to share or remember.
I am a big believer in the fact that all things are spiritual. Spiritual practice is done in ceremony and it’s done every time we offer our love, attention, and care to others. Spiritual practice is washing your dishes, donating to an organization you support, and advocating for peace out on the street with others.
Below I offer a few options for groundign your spiritual practice with specific actions that demonstrate care. Please feel free to choose one that resonates with you and/or create your own!
Craft Art & Stories for Change - Use art and narratives to expose truths, challenge misinformation, and counter disinformation campaigns by powerful entities. As artists and storytellers, unite against the manipulation of truth and amplify silenced voices. Imagine alternative worlds through your creations, resisting the status quo and demanding accountability. Your creative power is a force for change, shaping a narrative that advocates for justice and equity. Remember that there are MILLIONS of dollars (if not more) being spent on paying creatives to promote war and justify it. Check out this great conversation starter article What Roles Does Art Play In Protest by Art 21.
Sustain Awareness and Engagement - Make a commitment to stay vigilant and engaged with the evolving situation in Palestine. Align yourself with credible news outlets to stay abreast of developments. In this ongoing lunar cycle of awareness, continue to advocate for change, ensuring your efforts remain tethered to the evolving needs of those affected by the conflict. Check out this video by Travelgrrl which shares some people and organizations to follow for up-to-date information about the ongoing situation Gaza. You can also visit Genocide Watch to learn about other unfortunate situations unfolding around the globe.
Nurture Economic Empathy - Plant the seeds of support by championing Palestinian businesses. Seek out and patronize Palestinian-owned enterprises, nurturing local economies and fostering growth within the region. Whether online or within the vibrant tapestry of local markets, your conscious consumerism becomes a beacon of solidarity. Here’s a list of 24 Palestinian-owned Brands to support.
Champion Transformation - With newfound awareness, become a catalyst for change in Palestine. Channel your energy into advocating for political reform—penned letters to elected representatives, the resonance of your signature on petitions, and active support for campaigns echoing the call for peace and justice. Elevate your voice to illuminate the plight of the Palestinians, contributing to the positive transformation of their circumstances. Check out this blog entry by Haute Hijab on how to contact your representatives and what to say.
Tax Magick - A lot of people are angry that we don’t get to decide if we want our tax dollars to be going toward funding war and genocide or towards basic needs we have both here in this country and elsewhere. I have definitely seen a lot more people talking about protest via Tax withholding or writing official letters of complaint. While this is not financial advice this is meant to get you to start thinking about this as a strategy/practice/tactic and for you to see how and if it makes sense for you and your situation. Check out this great resource from the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee. I have also seen some very interesting conversations happening on TikTok and Reddit that have gotten my gears going. I’m definitely doing my research on this one and would love to hear any thoughts you have!
Illuminate with Generosity - Let the glow of the hidden new moon inspire a gesture of generosity. Cast your contribution towards reputable organizations dedicated to providing humanitarian aid. Click here for a list of reputable places to donate to from NPR. Donate directly to Doctors Without Borders here.
Publicly Promote Harmony & Ceasefire - Traverse the city streets with a collective heartbeat resonating in unison for peace. Join the assembly of compassionate voices, echoing a fervent plea for an immediate ceasefire and a resolute commitment to diplomatic solutions. Let the streets become a canvas for peace, where your advocacy paints a compelling picture of a world united against the ravages of war. Find a protest near you here (this list has been getting updated frequently). Here are some protest tips & resources from NYU Law.
Conclusion & Future Offering
I cannot stress enough that protest & spellwork are creative spiritual practices! They are also emergent ones. Meaning that we can sometimes receive messages from within or without that share information about our next steps. That inspires us to dream and experiment with the ways in which our spellwork and protest take forms. I am hoping this New Moon spell can guide you in connecting with your own intuition and that you are able to explore and create the perfect containers and creations that you need at this moment. Remember there is no wrong or right way to do this. Listen to your intuition and ask for help and/or support if you need it!
And, if you are wanting a space to co-create art spells together in community I am offering a Full Moon Art Spell Ceremony for my subscribers on Instagram on Sunday, November 26, 2023 at 11 AM PST (and also available asynchronously). This is a perfect time to bring together any insights, downloads, or channelings you receive from this New Moon time up until the Full Moon as this lunar cycle is going to be RICH and DEEP with messages & moonifestations. Come make magic with me and others and help amplify the Art Spells you are making by creating them in a community of other witches!
You can join by clicking the subscribe button at the top right of my posts or on my Instagram profile page. If you found this helpful and are feeling called to send me a donation or energy exchange, please do so. Your support helps me continue to thrive and do this work.
Please also share this spell as a resource for others and sign up for my newsletter to receive future offerings & updates.
This spell is inspired by Risa Dickens & Amy Torok’s New Moon Magic: 13 Anti-Capitalist Tools for Resistance and Re-Enchantment.
Five Lessons I've Learned This Chariot Year 2023: Embracing Transformation and Growth /
As the year of the Chariot draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the profound journey I've experienced over the past months. This period has been marked by a surge of learnings, energies, messages, and guidance that has led me to reorient and reorganize myself both internally and externally. The Chariot year has brought with it a series of powerful lessons, paving the way for transformation and growth in ways I could never have imagined. Here are five lessons I have been reflecting upon, receiving, working with, playing with, dancing with, etc. these past few months.
1. Change is holographic and nonlinear.
Change can happen in the most microscopic levels. From you taking a moment to make a different choice, access a different part of yourself, or choose a different path home, change can often feel small and incremental. Change can also happen all at once, like learning to cope and adapt after receiving a life-changing diagnosis, leveling up in your practice or career, taking a big risk, or going through a spiritual crisis. Change cannot be contained. It is messy, wild, and emergent. It has its own consciousness, its own process, and its own flow. Change is holographic as it touches everything. Change moves within and without. Change is the universe and the soul.
Change has an energy you can tune into and that you can speak with, commune with, and flow with. What does change feel and/or sound like for you? For me, it’s electrifying, tingly, uplifting, enlivening, and sentient. I feel it moving through my hands, my heart, my back, my neck, through my third eye. It has structure, scaffolding, and a certain sense of unfurling, reaching, stretching, and contracting. It asks you to listen, to be present, and to feel its presence.
It moves forward and not at all. It is nonlinear as it exists now, existed before, and will exist for time immemorial. It moves in cycles, in seasons, in waves, in moments of eruption and transcendence, and moves slowly, imperceptibly, in chthonic underground fermenting, rotting, interconnected ways. Change can feel like a river, it can feel like a trickle, like a big flow, like a void, or a pause. Change is mutable and mutates. Change will not stand still. What does change feel like for you?
2. What we feel and think matters deeply when it comes to making changes.
I’ve been sitting with the profound power that our feelings, emotions, stories, and imagination have when it comes to how change happens in our lives. The Chariot can often be associated with action, with taking the reins of life, and while that is an important aspect of this tarot card, it is also important to look at what is underneath our desires, our dreams, and, ultimately, our decisions. This year, I have been asked to take a deep look at my own motivations, catalysts, and the emotions and stories that I am consciously and unconsciously producing. It is challenging me to take risks, dream bigger, and expand my ability to tolerate the unknown, the seemingly impossible, and the great discomfort that comes with trying on new ways of existing, perceiving, thinking, and behaving. It is important to take action and it is important to ask ourselves why we are taking action. To look at the maps we are creating and to re-direct, re-draw the map, access other dimensions, and form new possibilities. It is also important to really take a look at what is fueling our Chariot. What is driving us? Why are we taking action?
3. There is control and there is allowing.
I have been directed to take expansive and microscopic looks at my life. To think about the next few decades and to make decisions in the present moment based on the goals, visions, fears, doubts, hopes, wishes, and desires I see moonifesting in them. This has helped me make some tough decisions and start to create structures, processes, and changes in my life that are reflecting this deep work and the insights I am receiving about the many paths my life is taking/will take. I have also been directed to trust. To let go of control. To allow and receive. To feel into the synchronicities that want to unfurl in my life. To enjoy the mistakes, the failures, the moments of serendipity and surprise that accompany this type of change. To know that there is control and there is allowing and that both of these energies are important. To try and find balance, flow, and enjoyment within these ways of being and doing.
4. Clarity and imagination are keys!
Keys are potent forces of fire in our lives. Keys help us unlock doors of possibility and they help us enter into other dimensions and other realms of being. Keys are psychic tools and psychic gifts. Clarity and imagination and two magical keys we are being called to connect with deeply.
Clarity allows us to see things clearly and to get specific. The devil is in the details and so is the divine. Let the universe know exactly what path(s) you see yourself on and what it is you are looking to bring into and/or change in your life. Write a list. Make a map. Draw up a plan. Put it in your calendar and check off those items on your checklist. These are the gifts of clarity.
Imagination on the other hand opens us up to possibility. It allows us to dream beyond the current constraints we may have or imagine possibilities emerging where we once could only see obstacles or limitations. Imagination is a realm of the unknown, and an invitation to pause, re-center, and tune into what is present and what is wanting to emerge, be born, and blossom. Imagination is closely connected to our intuition. It can sometimes want to be expressed through art, dance, song, somatics, poetry, breath, channeling, and other forms of non-linear and expansive containers. Our imagination should surprise us, confuse us, and make us wonder and reflect. These keys are, of course, not binaries and can sometimes mutate into each other and be a part of a similar tool and process.
5. Grief and change bloom together.
This one has been hard. But a big lesson I have been learning this year has been to truly sit with the grief of change. Of letting go of past versions of yourself, past relationships, or even stories that have provided us comfort, solace, and meaning. Grief means mourning the person we were, the possibilities we clung to before, and the existential worlds we created as a result. It means feeling the loss that comes with change. We cannot move forward without looking back and without acknowledging the sadness that emerges when we depart from somewhere with our chariot pointing in the direction of a different land, a different career, a different version of ourselves. Grief and growth are friends. They are mirrors of each other. We are blessed by their presence in our life and must learn to dance with them. They are here to teach, guide, clarify, enrich, soothe, transmute, and transform.
As an added bonus, I am excited to say that a few folks from my newsletter have decided to share their own lessons and experiences from this year!
Ohhhhhh soooo much, where do I even begin? How do I even put it into words?!
Everything is a sign
I often teeter between giving everything meaning and straight up nihilism. When I have that tickle in the back of my head asking if something happened because it was meant to be a message, I now embrace that notion. First of all… life is more fun when you believe it is magical, and you also never miss a message. This is true ESPECIALLY when you ask yourself “was that a sign?”
I am from the past and the future.
Not only do I represent what’s to come… one stroke beyond the pendulum of time that swings back and forth, but I am of the past… reflecting a time before colonialism and white power when my ancestors clung closer to their core and the earth and each other.
Every move in the physical world makes moves in the spirit world.
And vice versa. They are inextricably linked. Every chant, manifestation, dance, song, etc. effects all energies and spirits around me and connected to me. I’ve been “pushing” more than ever in the spirit world… and I have still yet to see its total progress in the physical world. So much has happened already!
Everything is a mirror because everything is me.
I look into the eyes of another and I greet myself, wishing myself a great day. I am happy for myself for having an experience, and sad when I’m stuck in a depression cycle. The collective mind is a humbling place to return to and remember.
I am creative because I am a creation.
I remember this when I feel a lack of creativity flow.
The tools I need in life are easily accessible to me… almost like I can grab them out of thin air.
This relates back to the “everything is me” theory. I have done literally everything in the world, so why not access what I want to now? The tools I’ve used for lifetimes can return to me now.
No matter how “enlightened” I become, I will always struggle with my core trauma and wounds.
They will find their way back in my body, in my mind and all I need is better tools to fight them. Just when I think I’ve slayed the last self-hate demon, another one starts to infest. Just when I think I’m done trying to appease my parents, some pattern of behavior reveals itself. I try not to beat myself up for it.
Being on Earth is a divine experience.
Embrace it and feel every aspect of it… hell and heaven exist here!
Text by Mads Ambrose
My chariot year is intermingled with my personal year, the star/strength (January 9th bday). I am 33 years old, just finished my masters in counseling psych and have studied human development and healing for over a decade (aquarius rising and Gemini Moon). Having said that, I was never really good at actually implementing or embodying the practices that I learned over the years, but this chariot year is helping me have the courage and self-love to put the healing in action when I need it.
When you wrote about widening your window of tolerance, I wanted to "like" your email! Through EMDR and trauma healing, I now realize that I couldn't implement all that I had learned because my nervous system's imprint of the past was overriding my experience of the present. Slowly, very slowly, and gently (I see the imagery of the strength card), I am feeling sensations in my body and the time it takes me to realize when I have been triggered is becoming shorter and shorter. I celebrate this growing capacity to put my knowledge into action so it may become embodied wisdom and muscle memory. I feel myself walking through the world with a more grounded and sure footing, and at a much slower pace than before. I am learning to be a better steward of this chariot, which to me feels like it's more about checking in with and taking care of the sphynxes than controlling them.
Text written by Erin F. Bower, Songwriter, Therapist, Teacher
Embracing the Freedom of Art: Reclaiming Our Mark-Making /
When I was in second grade, an incident occurred that left a lasting impact on my artistic journey. My teacher called my parents into school to discuss the messiness of my art and expressed concern about my abilities. That experience instilled within me a deep fear of making marks, planting the idea that my artistic expression was flawed and that there were strict rules dictating right and wrong ways to create art. However, as I grew older and pursued art as a passion and even as an educator, I came to realize that many people carry similar burdens—self-imposed restrictions and boundaries when it comes to art-making. In recent times, I had a profound experience that reminded me of the true essence of art and the freedom it offers. It became clear to me that there are no right or wrong marks in art; instead, there are marks, and they hold profound meaning. Art is a powerful tool for healing, nourishment, and self-expression—a mirror that reflects our hearts, spirits, and unique creative process.
Breaking Free from Self-Imposed Boundaries:
For years, I carried the weight of my teacher's words, believing that my mark-making wasn't acceptable and that there were predetermined standards I needed to adhere to. These constrictions limited my artistic exploration, stifled my creativity, and hindered my ability to embrace the full potential of art. It wasn't until I embarked on my journey as an artist and educator that I witnessed countless individuals grappling with similar self-imposed limitations. I realized that societal expectations, comparisons to others, and fear of judgment often play a significant role in shaping our views of what art should or shouldn't be.
The Liberation of Art:
However, a recent artistic encounter shattered these preconceived notions. In this transformative experience, I felt a profound sense of freedom, liberation, and connectedness. I discovered the true essence of art—its ability to heal, nourish, and embrace. I understood that art is not confined to a set of rules or aesthetics; it transcends such limitations. Art is a language that speaks to our souls, allowing us to communicate in ways that words alone cannot capture. Each mark we make carries personal significance and meaning, making it inherently valuable, regardless of how it may align with external standards.
Subjectivity and Interchangeable Meaning:
Art is a realm where subjectivity reigns supreme. The beauty of artistic expression lies in its interpretive nature. What may resonate deeply with one person may evoke a completely different response in another. Our art becomes a reflection of our inner selves, a testament to our unique perspectives and experiences. It is a celebration of the diverse tapestry of human existence. The meaning we imbue into our art is entirely personal, fluid, and ever-changing. It is this flexibility that makes art such a powerful means of self-discovery and self-expression.
Reclaiming Art and Embracing Freedom:
In the process of creating art, we reclaim our autonomy and redefine what it means to be an artist. We reject the notion of right or wrong, and instead, we revel in the boundless possibilities that art offers. We embrace the truth that art is not limited to a select few, but rather, it is a birthright bestowed upon all of us. Art becomes an avenue for liberation, an escape from the confines of self-doubt and societal expectations. It is through art that we find solace, joy, and the courage to be unapologetically ourselves.
My journey as an artist and educator has led me to the realization that art is a powerful force capable of breaking down barriers, both internal and external. The experience of overcoming my fear and embracing the freedom of art has been transformative. It has allowed me to shed the constrictions that once held me back and recognize the limitless potential that resides within each of us. Let us reclaim art as a mirror—a reflection of our hearts, spirits, and unique creative processes. Let us revel in the freedom it brings, and through our mark-making, shape a world where artistic expression knows no boundaries. Art is freedom, and we, the artists, are the embodiment of that freedom.