25/06/2025
โจToday, the Moon and Sun arrange across the sky to form a New Moon in Cancer, nestled just days after the Winter Solstice* the darkest point of the southern year. My morning walk was filled with fresh dewy glorious lightโฆ.the Sun has paused at its lowest arc, the shadows are as long as theyโll be before the sun slowly begins its return.
In this beautiful liminal moment of the yearโ when the light is reborn and the Moon is void โ I offer you a simple ritual to embrace this energy. Cancer is the Moonโs natural sign, a water sign of protection, intuition, and deep interiority (Itโs also my Sun AND Moon sign, hence my love of this time of year! The sign governs our inner shell โ the sacred architecture of safety around the self and a major theme in my art.
A simple ritual.
โจGrab your Journal, a shell and a candle and find a cosy spot, where you feel comforted and womb-like, wrapped in soft warmth. You can make this more elaborate with incense and ornamental bowls and so on, but what is so much more important is your intention. For that you need nothing, but yourself.
โจLight the candle, hold the shell and meditate by slowing down your breath and opening the single eye of light in the dark of your mind. Allow yourself the time to relax and see yourself clearly. Shine light on the shadows that youโve covered over with darkness and compassionately examine the parts of yourself that are hidden, repressed, or denied.
โจYour journal prompts:
What does โhomeโ feel like in my body right now?
Where do I need greater protection, softness, or boundaries?
What is a new emotional truth Iโm ready to honour?
What seed do I wish to plant in the soil of this midwinter?
โจAfter writing, hold the shell in your hand, feel its soft strength, its outer walls of living protection that travel and grow in perfect harmony with the animal within (you). Hold your shell (if using) and whisper a phrase that anchors in your intentions.
Your shell will now be there to remind you of this shadow illumination and intention setting during the darkest time of year.
Blow out the candle XX And step into the Sun XX Pass on some light XXโจโจโจโจโจ
*may go by other names in other traditions ๐๐ผ