Hello friends! How is it going? Have you been enjoying Laura’s series on the alchemy of cocktails so far? I’m so lucky to have such an excellent witch in my circle.
Let’s get right into it. There’s a new moon tomorrow. Usually the new moon is the time we set our intentions, revisit our expectations of ourselves and others, and edit our plans as necessary. Within this new moon is also the Winter Solstice, which is – at least to my mind – new moon energy writ on a solar scale. One of the things I treasure about being a witch is the way we work within rhythms and cycles of the world around us. We use the cycles of the moon and the sun to guide our own changes and to reflect on the effect we have on the world outside our door. I believe it makes us better humans, this constant reflection and reviewing of intentions.
This new moon, though, coincides with a solar eclipse. In reading about this month’s lunar and soar cycles, I discovered that many witches do not set intentions or cast spells around an eclipse, for varying lengths of time according to the witch’s beliefs. One of the phenomenal practitioners I follow on Instagram is Mētztli of @revolutionary_mystic. They wait three days after an eclipse to practice because the universal energy is unstable; I recommend their post and supporting their work however you can.
Because of tomorrow’s eclipse, I have been thinking about the new moon today instead. Currently my family is in the throes of a Greek drama surrounding the holidays. Some of us believe we should all stay in our respective houses and celebrate together virtually. Some of us are comfortable traveling via plane, relying on COVID tests and astronaut-level PPE. Some of us feel that we are not bound to any human construct of “time” or “holiday” and advocate for simply rescheduling Christmas for after everyone is vaccinated. Words have been said. Feelings have been trodden upon. Accusations have been hurled from all camps. It’s a mess, y’all.
I spent my morning thinking about the difference between what I want to do and what I need to do. As an oldest child and a Sagittarian, I rarely lack the courage of my convictions, and even rarer still am I hesitant about sharing them. I can fall into the trap of believing that if the other person would just listen, if they could simply take the time to read the fucking article, or if I could just explain it one more way, they would change their minds, get on board, and everything would be fine. It should come as no surprise that this approach does not always work.
So, back to the want vs. need. I decided to pull a 3-card spread, making it up as I went along (although I cannot take credit for the spread itself, being sure that I’m not the first reader to come up with it). I pulled cards for what I needed to focus on today, tomorrow, and for the week to come.
This is the Maiden Oracle from Leila & Olive, and contains the 20 major arcana along with 48 oracle cards. I love the wide interpretive nature of oracle cards, and the additional guidance of the major arcana? Perfect. It’s the first time I’ve used this deck, so I gotta say: I deeply appreciate cards that do not fuck around.
For today, we have Death, signifying the release of things that do not suit us in favor of allowing something new to grow. It encourages us to give up our adherence to old forms so that we may move more freely in a different direction. In regards to relationships, it can signify a need for a pause or break to reassess.
For tomorrow, there is Strength – sometimes VIII, in this case XI. It asks just that: strength and quiet fortitude, and in this case, to allow the new direction to play out. Knowing how I am, tomorrow I will start to Feel Things again, and this is a good instruction to remember that I’ve done my best and now ceded control – or at least, recognized that I never had control over the situation in the first place; only over myself. This card reminds us to maintain our strength of character and a calm conviction in our choices.
For the rest of the week, the Wheel of Fortune, reminding us to literally let fate take the wheel and allow your intuition and judgement to manifest themselves. Again there is a directive to let the new growth play out while the old sloughs away, along with a relationship-specific chance for positive communication with friends and family from far away (hey-oooo).
Y’all, I could not have come up with this reading if I’d tried. When I stopped staring at it with my mouth open, it’s entirely possible that I yelled “FINE! I HEAR YOU!” And stalked off to the kitchen for more coffee. I’ve let these ideas settle as I took a day mostly away from text messages and social media, I’m satisfied with the directions the universe is sending to me.
What do you think? Is there a statement for you in this reading as well? And most importantly, how are you holding up under the added stress of the holidays in COVID times?
In closing, I have to admit to being relieved that Christmas, etc., is pretty canceled this year. I enjoy being with family and friends, the wine and food, the caring for one another. But Christmas itself, I kind of loathe. One of the reasons I outed myself as a witch to my Quite Religious Family was to be able to cut back on aggressive HOLIDAY when I needed to. Through all this, I have been heard to exclaim to my coven that I’m going to wear my witch hat on the Christmas Zoom, and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop me. I’ll report back on how that goes over…
Have a safe and happy eclipse, everyone!