SUPER MOON CANCER // DEEP FEELING

Astrologically, this is a pretty big year for the Feminine, and starting off the New Year with a Full Moon in Cancer throws us straight into the outstretched arms of the Cosmic Mother.

The kind of arms that you want to run into and be held by.  The kind that of love that loves you no matter what ... But also the kind that lovingly won’t put up with your excuses any longer.

Because Mama knows you’ve got work to do - and she’s using this Moon to urge you to get to it.

Balanced with Capricorn, we are asked to be practical, to take steps needed to move forward with the Feminine in our INNER world so that we can fully step OUT into the world.

Whether it’s stepping out as a leader, an embodied form of expression, a speaker, a teacher, a humanitarian, a parent: the stars tell us that this year we are literally leading from the Feminine, and so this Moon says: yes it’s time to do the work, but to remember that “the work” always starts on the inside.

The Cosmic Mother heightens our ability to tune into what we need to nurture ourselves, others and the world around us.  Cancer is a deeply feeling creature, and as the Cosmic Mother, she is attuned to the needs of those around her, but knows how to fill her own cup first.  She knows the more she nourishes herself the more nourishment she has to give.

The past few moons we’ve been rich in rising awareness.  Patterns, pain, triggers, fears have all surfaced.  Not surprisingly, the rising waters have been leading us to this powerful Feminine Moon. This moon says be practical but maintain the connection to the wisdom that arises from those feeling states.

I’m not usually one for running into the New Year with resolutions (just the word “resolution” riles me up ... click here if you want to see what I think about making resolutions a reality on last weeks Babe Q + A).

But this New Year, there is some serious practical magic afoot with the Feminine Power emanating from the combination of Cancer and Capricorn.

So - before you keep reading - pause and take a few deep breaths and think / feel into what’s been real for you the past few months.

Whatever you’ve been feeling / healing / experiencing has been leading you here. To this Moon, to this day, to this time.

It’s all arising to ask you ... WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE?  WHAT WORK DO YOU NEED TO DO? WHERE DO YOU NEED TO STEP UP?

The Cosmic Mother sees your pain, struggle, fear.  She knows where you’ve been, she knows what’s up.  Her arms are a judgement free zone for you to realize what you need in order to be unapologetically YOURSELF.  Because who you are is as unique as the Feminine Power that desires to express through you.

This power is a curious thing.  It requires courage.  It requires depth.  It requires release.  It requires ferocity. It requires surrender.  It requires action.  It requires an ever evolving embrace of the paradox that is the heart of your Feminine potential.

She is cyclical.  Mysterious.  Mystical.  Soft.  Strong.  Sensual. Fierce. Divine.  She is the force for creation, and inner DESIRE that feeds the impulse to create within you.

This is the potential that WANTS TO RISE in you but it needs you to ACT ON WHAT YOU WANT in order to do so.

I’m not just talking superficial desires.  I’m talking the real deal.  

I’m talking the kind of desire that when you finally have the courage to admit it yourself you get hit in the heart a knowing that feels like “FUCK that’s huge but there’s now way I can’t do it”.  

That kind of desire. 

The kind of desire that leads to the action and creation that the world needs from you as much as you need it from yourself.

I spent New Years Eve revisiting the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra.  The ancient text is narrated by cosmic lovers, Shakti, who is the Feminine CREATIVE power that animates the universe, and Shiva, the Masculine all pervading God of CONSCIOUSNESS.

The name loosely translated means, “the terror and joy of realizing oneness with the soul” (nbd) ... and its a really gorgeous interpretation of how to live intimately with ourselves and the world around us.

And it was so striking to read at this point in time, because I think this is where a lot of us find ourselves these days.

There is a depth that can’t be avoided.  There are truths that can’t be covered up.  There are parts of ourselves that are literally waiting to experience what it would really be like to access the potential of being RADICALLY ALIVE if we let ourselves go there.

There’s a craving for intimacy and an urgency to show up ... as ourselves, for ourselves and for one another.  

This is the joy and the terror of accepting yourself.  The joy and terror of showing up for yourself.  The joy and terror of having the courage to step up.  The joy and terror of leaving who the world taught you to be behind.  The joy and terror of allowing your true self to emerge.

Despite falling on the “New Year, this moon isn’t really about resolutions: it’s about integrity and embodiment.

It’s about nourishment and the the sustainable choices that lead you to create sustainable change over time.

This Moon wants you to sit with what you need and what you want. To really sit with it.  To reflect on what’s working and what’s not and to be real with creating a game plan for what your true needs for nourishment are.

We are at a pivotal time in our evolution on this planet.  Positive change is rising at the same rate as devastating destruction.  Awakening consciousness is being met with dark forces.

We need you in your truest Feminine Expression in order to get through this pickle. We need you in your body and in your power and we need you to take of yourself so you can take care of the planet.

Your desires and nourishment are key pieces of the puzzle that have been waiting to fall into place.  But this Moon says: no more waiting. 

It’s time for you to stop side-stepping and use the energy of Capricorn to act.

As the billy goat, Cap is incredibly grounded, stable and goal oriented and Earthy.  Cap climbs the mountain, gets back to the bottom and decides to summit it again just because he can. 

Cap can be unrelenting but is incredibly dedicated and isn’t afraid to fight for what he wants or take the risky route.  But what really matters to Cap is that he continues to rise.  

So he climbs with intention and uses his instincts. He nourishes himself along the journey. He’s always calculates risk vs consequence and knows that NOT taking action is the biggest risk of all.

This Moon sets the scene for creative desire, intimate honesty and Feminine Potential: and when it comes to our needs, our Feminine Power, our true desires ... it takes a deep vulnerability to admit who we really are, what are wounds are, what we really want - usually because somewhere along the way we were told who we were or who we wanted to become wasn’t okay.

But this Moon, Cosmic Mama is here to remind you that part of accessing your Feminine Power is Reclaiming what’s kept you from it.

It takes deep courage to ACT in service of ourselves - but action taken from this place of integrity and embodiment - is also in service of something bigger than ourselves.

I believe the biggest way women can reclaim our power starts with reclaiming our own bodies.  And when we learn how to work with the inner well of sensual wisdom and power that resides within - the world responds. 

If this resonates or you feel called to heal, discover or activate your Feminine Potential: The Moon Map and Shakti Body are coming for you later this month.

These will both provide embodied and supportive experiences to: 

+ dive into your Feminine Power and activate your Shakti 

+ learn how to have a positive relationship with your cycle every month

+ feel safe, at home and sexy in your skin

+ freedom from shame and body image issues

+ sexual confidence, sensual confidence and self confidence

+ a deeper and more meaningful relationship with yourself as a woman

If Sensuality Practices, OYoga, Cycle Tracking, Sexual Confidence or Feminine Embodiment are key needs or desires for the year, sign up for the newsletter and stay tuned for a special early invite.

Happy New Year + Big Love,

Ashly

NEW MOON SAGITTARIUS // WISDOM OF THE BODY

This is a big moon for embodiment.  It's also the time of year for intention, yes.  But beyond the intellect of your intentions, how do you plan to e m b o d y your desire?

Venus in the fire and faith fueled sign of Sagittarius asks us to remember the wisdom of the body as we create our foundation for the future.  The body is the primary vehicle for experiencing life, use this moon to tune into where you need to strengthen your physical foundations.  

You may not know what it is yet.  You may have an idea.  You may still be processing in addition to gathering the insight and info. you need to move forward in the New Year.

Don't rush into "New Years Intentions" ... let them simmer within you for a bit.  The ruling sign of this full moon, Sagittarius begs you to leave your intellect behind for awhile to let your sensual instincts speak up and invites you to use this moon to F E E L into what you want. 

Sagittarius is the mystical creature of the Zodiac: half human, half centaur, she is ruled by her instinctive nature.  She operates from the wisdom of her body.  It's nearly impossible for her not to follow her heart.  Deeply connected to Spirit, and filled to the brim with faith and optimism, she lends us the crucial ability to run wildly towards our desires, and as The Archer, she's unrelenting in her aim.  After she sets her sight on what she wants, she rarely doesn't get it.  

But, because she is a no BS soul filled sign, she knows that these aren't just superficial desires.  She knows that these are the whispers of her soul's deepest expression for embodiment.

The past few months the stars have been urging us to get to the root.  To excavate.  To extract.  To alchemize.  All has been leading to the awareness arising with this Moon, and the series of Moons to come, which will lead us deeper into the truth of our desires.

The past few moons have had us look at our taboos and wounds (Scorpio) and likely had us feeling very cerebral and reflective in processing our progress on the path (Gemini).  With the great cosmic teacher Saturn finishing his 3 year transit through Sagittarius right now, we've been reliving or remembering significant life lessons, if you have Sag in your chart in significance (in your Sun, Rising or Moon) then these lessons have likely been unrelenting.

That's because Saturn won't really leave us until we've learned the lesson.  So take stock of what's come up for you so far this month.  Triggers, patterns, pain are all arising to be released.  But you've got to be willing to allow them to surface and be seen so you can let them go.

If you're healing some real shit, releasing or realizing deeply held patterns (which is very possible with what the stars have been dealing us recently) then be with that.  This time of darkness is here to remind you that once you deeply you accept what has been rejected, or fully more you live the depth of the lesson to learn it: the more wildly you'll rise when the time is right.

As we approach the apex of darkness with the Winter Solstice, you're also asked to remember the intuitive intelligence and fertility of what's being alchemized right now.

"It is in this place that the seed can crack open and take root.  This cannot happen in the light, where all is seen and recognized. It must happen under the cover of darkness, where only trust can assure one of success.  This is the way of nature and it must be honored.  

Then, when it is time, it will leap like a wild creature, all instinct and intuition, into the morning light.  
For this moment, however, there is darkness.  
And that is essential for the appearance, so immanent, of the light on it's way."

Alana Fairchild

This moon is an opportunity to anchor back into the body and tune into the sensual instincts and rhythms of your body.  To get clear on what you need from the standpoint of your physical foundation (aka your body) in order to move into the New Year with a solid relationship with what nourishes and sustains your growth.

Sag has a fierce sense of optimism and Venus to bring a sweetness in, so if you lack confidence or lean towards cynicism and doubt, allow this moon to lend positivity and determination in engaging the sensual wisdom of your body.  Because your body is an animal and her sensual wisdom knows what you need.  Tune into your SENSES and allow this sensual intelligence to guide you towards what feels good / healthy / alive / in alignment for you.

Let go of the taboo of pleasure and feeling good in your body.  Your body is completely natural.  Your desires are completely natural.  Experiencing pleasure is completely natural.  The only thing that isn’t natural is the idea that pleasure (aka FEELING GOOD) is bad.

The suppression of pleasure leads to distortion and imbalance in your life (perhaps you can see where that has been true for you)?

This moon gives you PERMISSION to explore what pleasure means to you by allowing your body (not your mind) to guide you.  It wants you to explore what the next phase of embodiment could bring (aka 2018) if you allow feeling good in your body to be the compass for feeling good in your life.  So:

What's your relationship with your body?
What's your relationship with your cycle?
What's your relationship with your sexuality?
Your sensuality?
Your self expression?

Are you numbed out but ready to be turned on?  Are you self conscious but ready to cultivate confidence?  Are you healing but beginning to be willing to feel? Are you reclaiming your body and reclaiming your voice?

This moon wants to know, how would your life be different if you more fully operated from the wisdom of your body?  How can you create your intentions, and set your aim, based on what your body tells you what she needs (instead of what your mind or society tells you that you "should" do).

But most of all, this moon stands for a powerful reminder that Feminine empowerment begins in the body.

Learning how to feel good is a direct byproduct of l e a r n i n g.
Learning how take care of our female form.
Learning how to honor our intuition.
Learning how to honor our cycles.
Learning how to come home to our bodies.
Learning how to heal / release / feel.
Learning how to feel safe / sacred / sexy.

This is a loving reminder that you don't need all the answers: but it a deeper calling for you to allow yourself to learn, and learn how to give yourself what you need.

If this speaks to you there are a few Femme Rising opportunities for embodiment coming soon!

If you're ready to increase your relationship with your cycle and your sensuality, I have a special opportunity for you to work with the foundation of your body in this way coming next month. 

If you want some 1 on 1 mentorship from me, I have room to work with 3 women next year, which I'll be announcing next week.

And if you want to reactivate your sexuality, reclaim your self worth or experience sensual confidence, then stay tuned for a new Femme Rising program in February!

In the meantime, embrace this darkness and aim those arrows high.  And then, with faith, aim even higher than what you think is possible for yourself.

Use the energy of this moon to release all the old structures that no longer serve you or your vision.  Honor your instincts and intuition.  Begin to identify and re-align with what matters the most. And re-member that you too are a like a creature a human animal, and that you already have the answers deep inside.  

Sensually,

Ashly

SUPER MOON GEMINI // GET REAL

Key areas to focus on this Gemini Super Moon are communication and the 2nd chakra: primarily communication with your self and this part of your body.  What’s suppressed here, what wants healing, awareness, love, embodiment, expression, creation in your body / your life?

The 2nd Chakra is home of our self identity.  It’s also where for some reason some of us learned not to feel safe with who we were or who we wanted to be … for most women, it’s where we disconnected from our bodies or shut down our Feminine Power.  It’s where we learned to turn ourselves into two people: the woman the world wanted us to be VS the woman we really were, intrinsically.

This Gemini Super Moon gives us the ability to get really real with our relationship with ourselves: primarily who we've been and who we are ready to become.  Full Moons are times of illumination, and as we see reflected in the world around us, these are extremely revealing times.  This moon is probably going to heighten that. 

A key element of the 2nd chakra is NURTURANCE: especially learning how to give ourselves the nurturance that we might not have received from others.  So many of us who are numbed out or shut down from our bodies come to rely on touch, nurturance or care from others, and so there is this constant internal void or feelings of shame or trauma if the need for nurturance was (or continues to be) delivered in an abusive, shameful or neglectful way.

This Moon wants you to get REAL with your RELATIONSHIP WITH YOURSELF AND YOUR BODY and your needs for nurturance.

Nurturance isn’t just about base level health or functioning.  Nurturance is what you need to thrive.  Nurturance is what you need to come alive.  Nurturance is what you need to learn how to give yourself over and over and over again in order to EMBODY your truest feminine power (and to learn how to continue to embody that power as you continue to transform and evolve).

The 2nd Chakra is home to our womb and so when I talk about Feminine Power this moon, I’m being literal.  The Sanskrit word Yoni literally means power.  Yoni Shakti means POWER SOURCE.  Your Yoni and the Shakti energy generated here are the source of your power.  If you identify as a woman, it’s the place where this identity is born (and no, you don’t have to be born with a yoni to experience it, but those who are have an amplified ability to access this Feminine Power).  

A foundational element of healthy sensuality and sexuality is not only experienced through healing what’s previously held you back from nurturing the embodiment of a healthy 2nd Chakra (healing or releasing any shame, trauma, shut down) but also, most basically what's keeping you from currently having a healthy relationship with this part of your body.

If we dive deeper into Gemini, the theme of this sign is EXPRESSION.  In Tantra, the ability to healthily and authentically express oneself is a hallmark of the 5th Chakra, which is directly connected to the 2nd Chakra.  As we see with so many courageously coming forward with their stories of #metoo and bringing sexual harassers and abusers to justice: a key way to take away someone's voice is to strip them of their sexual sovereignty.

This is what we call "Body Mapping" and why a healthy relationship with your yoni / womb / moon cycle / feminine power is much more than just physical: the health, confidence, embodiment and expression of your 2nd Chakra (self identity) has a direct effect on your 5th Chakra (self expression).

A lot of women who are ready to rise want to jump ahead to healing their sexuality, without realizing how much memory and power our 2nd Charkas hold.  The reason a lot of women miss this is because of a lack of NURTURANCE we received towards being simply female as we were growing up.  We were taught that being pretty was what mattered to ignore or feel shame for the fact that we bled, and through thousands of years of cultural conditioning, had our bodies turned against us.  Our greatest powers (healthy sexuality and the ability to bleed / create life) were turned against us and taken away.  

There is a deep, deep, DEEP reclaiming of this 2nd and 5th Chakra power happening on the planet right now which is what we see being revealed in the collective roar rising from the suppressed and wounded Feminine.

But what so many women are still oblivious to or are just now realizing (and no judgement, it took me a very long time to realize it too, which is part of why I'm so passionate about helping women reclaim their bodies in this way) is what a huge role their menstrual cycles play in sensual confidence + healthy sexual expression throughout the month and therefore throughout their lives.  

Again, the reason so many women miss this is because of a lack of NURTURANCE.  

nurturance |ˈnərCHərəns|

noun

emotional and physical nourishment and care given to someone.

• the ability to provide emotional and physical care

So many of us never learned to give ourselves what we need and so instead of owning our cyclical, physical, sensual, emotional, sexual, psychological, spiritual needs ... we learned to dismiss or ignore them (and so sadly, this is so unconscious for most of us that we don’t even realize we do it).  This monthly cycle gives you the ability to practice navigating your internal terrain and external circumstances while staying connected to your body and the source of your Feminine Power, without blindly throwing it away throughout the month.  

Embodiment, nurturance and expression creates the PHYSICAL FOUNDATION of a healthy 2nd Chakra.  

A healthy relationship with your cycle sets the stage for a healthy relationship with your body.

A healthy relationship with your body sets the stage for a healthy relationship with your sexuality.

A healthy relationship with your sexuality sets the stage for a healthy relationship with your expression.

A healthy relationship with your expression sets the stage for a healthy relationship with your SELF.

The Feminine is Rising, we see it in ourselves and we see it in the mainstream and this moon is your mirror to determine where your Feminine Embodiment work continues, deepens or begins.  

Where are you at with your body?  Where are you at with your cycle?  Where are you at with honoring your feminine needs?  Where are you with the role your cycle plays in your life?  What are your menstrual symptoms trying to tell you?  What menstrual products are you using?  How do you feel the moment your bleed arrives (annoyed, shameful, inconvenienced, celebratory)?  Where are you in deeper need of sexual healing or sensual activation? Where are you in your true self expression?

Because Gemini is about communication, be attentive to the quality of your inner dialogue as you explore these themes. What are the stories you’ve been telling yourself, that you’ve been told about yourself from others or that you’re ready to rewrite?  What’s holding you back from having a healthy, compassionate, objective self dialogue + what is your body trying to express to you as an ally in the conversation?

Use this moon to determine the connection between your feminine reproductive health and your monthly moon cycle, your sexual health and expression + tune into where you need to strengthen your physical feminine foundation.

Dial it back.  Are there any cracks in your foundation?  Where does your 2nd Chakra need nurturance?

As an air sign, Gemini rules over the mind, but the magic of this moon isn’t found through the mind, it’s revealed through the body.  This means that if we’re ungrounded or obsessive as we attempt to get a clear sense of ourselves, it can leave us feeling spacey or overly emotional, so make sure you ground this moon.  Put your feet on the Earth.  Get outside.  Connect with the physicality of your body.  Breathe deeply.

As much as you’re able, try to let go of the forced linear or “logical” answers, and practice allowing them to arise from the sensual wisdom of your body.  Create space for silence: instead of seeking the answers, create the space for them to arrive.  This moon lovingly says, your brain has had the reigns for way too long, so please practice allowing the wisdom arise from your body (aka your womb / 2nd chakra / yoni if you have one).

If your body is an uncomfortable place to be, use this moon to sit with and examine that more.  Create space and see what arises: your body is always the way in, you’ve just got to get out of your head long enough to begin to learn how to listen to her.

For a guided Yoni Shakti meditation on accessing your inner wisdom, join the FB Group HERE.

If working with your menstrual cycle speaks to you and you're ready to learn how to nurture yourself throughout the month or how to access the power of your Moon Cycle make sure you’re signed up for the newsletter for a special announcement I have coming soon!

FULL MOON RITUAL:  Don’t underestimate the power of a long walk connected to the depth of your breath to allow energy or insight land.  As you walk ask yourself: what do I need for nurturance? 

Practice feeling vs thinking.  Be here + be real + practice compassion + create space for silence + breathe + let your body lead you.  The answers might not come right away.  The tools to carry you forward might need time to manifest or present themselves to you. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are entering into the depth of the Feminine Darkness, the fertile void where true potential is revealed.  Use this time to let yourself be with yourself.  Trust that you'll know what you need to know when you're supposed to.

Get your Full Moon Playlist here.  Put it on shuffle, play it loud and move your body ... you can thank me later ;)

Always remember: you are something to be revered,

Ashly

PS If you're a Sagittarius (Happy Birthday!) have awareness of the heightened mental energy Gemini brings and let yourself get quiet and get real this weekend.  This Moon is likely extra reflective for you as Saturn (the great / annoying cosmic teacher) is also finishing his 3 year transit through Sagittarius right now, asking us what the have the past 3 years revealed.  Who have you become?  What have you overcome?  What’s ready to be expressed, realized, revealed, released?

NEW MOON SCORPIO // RISE UP

Scorpio wants you to dive deep - but with Jupiter and Venus - it doesn't want you to stay under for too long.  It wants to give you the time and space to see what stirs under the surface so you can bring your awareness there .... and you can continue to rise with patience with what wants to emerge.

Have you ever been scuba diving?  When you go diving, you have to ascend at a particular rate.  You have to have time coming up to the surface so you don't get decompression sickness.  It doesn't take a lot of time, but it does take awareness.

You could just rise until you reach the current of the surface, but this physical law says WAIT.  It says that when you dive deep, your body needs time to REGULATE the changes that are going underway.

It says:

Rise, wait. Observe, wait.  Rise, wait.  Observe, wait.

Right now we have the watery taboo realm of Scorpio, here to confront us with what might have been hidden or lurking under the surface, but we also have Jupiter and Venus in the mix, bringing a sense of beauty and widened perspective to ourselves, what we've been through and what we're moving into.

Venus, the planet of love, beauty, fertility and feminine power is paired with Jupiter which brings expansion and blessings and Scorpio follows the same transformative cycles as the Feminine: birth / life / death / rebirth / transformation.  

This moon we have SHAKTI in her essence: the divine Feminine force of creative potential, expressed within creation, energy, power, empowerment, movement, change, nature and liberation.

So to say this is a powerful moon is an understatement.  There is incredibly powerful Feminine alchemy at work.  

I personally love Scorpio (no surprise there with the taboo breaking work I do in the world) but a lot of people find it too intense.

If you feel the intensity; know that it is meant to be felt and observed so it can show you what might need to rise to the surface for healing, growth, transformation or expansion.

If you don't feel what you need to feel it will likely manifest into anger or get further shoved under the surface where it's suppression will distort even more - but if you have the courage to admit how you feel - there's are big alchemical possibilities afoot. 

The fruitful darkness we have of this Scorpio New Moon brings us the true opportunity of rebirth.  Deep, true, lasting rebirth and re-emergence into who we are to be.

The kind that you don't have to suffer through.

The kind that can just HAPPEN if you allow it to.

Not to say it wont be uncomfortable, painful, wrenching or leave you feeling like Kali just ripped off all your skin.

But it might not.

If you're the mind that change requires pain ... let yourself experiment with the fact that it doesn't have to.

Of course you do have to actually be real with what you feel and if you've been avoiding feeling, been avoiding your wounds, been avoiding the truth, then this might be a really uncomfortable or confronting Moon.

But it wants to remind you that this life is your choice.  You get to choose what's best for you, who you want to be and what needs to happen in order for you do become who's ready rise up from within.

Scorpio allots you the opportunity to move into the next cycle, into something that might of felt impossible or unattainable, before, with a sense of rapidity, realization and power.

So know that if you do need to dive deep, you have accelerated energy on your side.  What might have take you a month or months or years to get through could be as swift as catching your breath once you come back up for air.

This New Moon might be one of my favorite of the year, rarely do the stars come together in such a benefit and fertile way. We all have the opportunity to literally just decide to be done.  To let go.  To rise up.  To alchemize.

Wherever you're at, the more deeply you let yourself be there and move through it to create space to welcome whats ready, the more you'll be able to transition with the awareness, clarity, optimism and integration Sagittarius has to offer you next month.

Keep trying to go of the notion it has to be hard ... breathe ... rest ... wait ... observe ... wait ... and stay open to the notion that anything could happen :)

Xx.

Ashly