Moon Journaling- say what?!
What's up friends! So as you know I am working on rebranding my blog space (mostly my insta). I have honed in 100% on what I want to create in this space and got a little help on how to make it happen. Social media is a beast of a topic and to be honest I needed guidance. Check out Jessica's page for some great fashion inspo and her adorable blog! If you want to make blogging a thing or find any interest in branding your business feel free to reach out to her for services. She has truly been wonderful to work with and I have learned sooo much! Here is her site. She's seriously the cutest! I just wanted to give her a little shout out because she's helping my dreams become a reality right now and I couldn't be more thankful!
Anywho, I took a poll on topics that people wanted to know about and to my surprise Moon Journaling was a BIG one!! So in this post I thought i'd talk about what the heck this even is and how it's honestly helped me plant seeds and manifest things into my life. It all started when I discovered Jill of Spirit Daughter on instagram through of course one of my favorite bloggers Jordan Younger of The Balanced Blonde. Jill is an astrologist who is always keeping you updated on what is happening in the cosmos and if I'm talking about it on my own feed it's likely because I learned from her. She's so knowledgeable and helps break down what is happening in our cosmos in bite size pieces that help you use the universal energy to your own life. I mean we all know that sometimes we peak with motivation, other times it dips, and sometimes we just have no idea what is going on LOL. Well that's because energy is always shifting through the zodiac signs and the planets and with each change comes a shift in universal energy that affects us all differently. It starts with your astrology chart to really hone in on how these shifts will affect you on a personal level. So get your free birth chart here from the Astro Twins. This will let you know your sun sign, moon sign, rising sign, north and south node, and a bit more if you want it.
I am a Leo sun, Pisces moon, Libra rising. These are really the 3 I think you should start with in basic astrology. Your sun sign represents your inner core and the person you are in this world, your moon sign represents your internal shell, think your emotions and deepest layers of your soul. Your rising sign is how others perceive you and your general impression to the outside world. It's all three layers of you as a person and as we know each of us is so unique that this has a lot of other facets to it, but keep it simple when you dive in to what it means. Go check out what your signs are and let me know in the comments!
Once you have a better understanding of that and the basics of your sun, moon, and rising sign comes the moon journaling. It's exactly as it sounds, journaling to the phases of the moon. It changes every few days and every month, and with each phase of the cycle a change occurs. Every month there is a new moon phase and a full moon. Sometimes two if we are lucky! So if you think of yourself now, it's kinda the same thing. We are never the same day to day or month to month... it's small changes everyday that happen that shape us and bring us to our dreams or the life path we envision. It's small choices all the time. We are all evolving all the time and it's a crazy thing we experience through each phase whether that be good or bad. It's all important to our own individual paths and if you so wish to sync with the moon cycles we can dive deep into our own magical selves to make our lives happen! Try it out! See what happens when you allow your mind to expand.
It was the first New Moon cycle of this year that I decided to try one of Jill's moon journals. It was the first new moon of the year, the first month of the year, and the start to what felt like a new chapter in my life so I thought it was the perfect time to try something new out. Trust me when I say there is no right or wrong time to start something for yourself. Just go freaking do it and don't look back! If you've been reading along you know my world has shifted SO much the last 7 months of my life I can't even fathom it. So take it from a girl who was terrified of going after things because of all the normal human fears (rejection, judgement, and failure to name a few) and always played it safe. Just GO FOR IT!!! I am glad I am stepping into my own bold self to make my life happen regardless of the outcome. People aren't lying when they say stepping out of your comfort zone is where life happens. So, back in January the moon at this time was in Capricorn. With Capricorn energy came "where there is a will there is a way" as Jill so beautifully writes in her workbook. This picture is an excerpt from her book and why she explains the New Moon is so important. With that Capricorn energy it was a time to create structure in my life to help me get to where I want.
So I took her workbook, read everything she had to write in there and applied it to my own life. I think it's important to remember that with anything you have to learn on your own terms so it resonates with you. Inside her journals she educates you on what is currently happening with the new moon, how to harness its energy, and then at the end there is a section of questions that help you reflect your current situation. She makes you really dive deep into yourself and helps you reflect where is the good, where are there parts to improve upon, and how do you want to do that? She chooses very specific questions that help you reflect and this is different each time depending on what we are to take away during that specific moon cycle. For me I always use time before I do her journals and reflect to plant intentions. Also known as goals just a little different way of doing it. When I describe intentions I think these are the things I intend to do over x amount time. They can be the same every month, or it can change, just like I said before our thoughts and wants evolve. Let them and know that there is no right or wrong here. Just go with what feels right and aligns with what YOU want. So for example during this Capricorn cycle I said I was going to really give love to my blog and make it happen because it was something that brought me happiness, I also said I wanted to be more present in my life so that I connected with the people in my life and they felt I was there with them, and I said I was going to allow myself to enjoy life and not be in work mode all the time because I needed space to feed my creative energy and rejuvenate my own soul. These things were very important to me for the new year ahead because last year I didn't do a whole lot for myself, I expended my energy so in the end I felt so defeated.
The intentions part I think is important to do because it allows you the space to really see where your heart and mind are. It allows you a reflection of what you want out of your life from a more emotional part not just logical. Though both are so important I think emotionally we never give ourselves what we really need because pardon my word choice here, but outside shit in this world will mess with your mind and make you think you aren't living the life you should be. At the end of the day I am learning what feels right is what is right. Who cares about what others think is right or wrong for you. They aren't you so don't let them tell you how to live your life. Let these intentions be the seeds you plant and let them grow however the hell you want. I typically choose at least 3 with each New Moon, but depending on how I feel I will write more. I try to do it the day of the New Moon or at least 1-2 days before or after so I stay aligned with the energy of this phase. Though at the end of the day when you do it is the least important part, just make sure you do it! :)
The last section of her journal are what she calls Dream time which is a favorite part for me. During dream time you create a moment, it can be literally anything and just let yourself write. Let yourself daydream about the life that you want with every last detail of it. Nothing is too big or small here and that's the fun it it. We all daydream here and there but we always think of these things as unrealistic expectations of our lives. Which is so not true. We can pretty much accomplish whatever we want if we really let ourselves get there and not care so much about the path it takes and are just willing to do the work. I like to say be realistic on how you will get there, but never think you can't. Some people were lucky and born into their realities and the rest of us do have to work our asses off to get to where we want BUT you can and that is the point of dream time. For me, I have dreamt about being a blogger for as long as I can remember. During the time of tumblr I was obsessed and I created a space through that. I remember saying it would be my dream job to be a blogger. Well a lot of people in my life told me it was unrealistic, people don't do that, well look at the world now. So many people do it! They make a full business of it and inspire people along the way. How cool is that?! Now look, I started this blog and who knows what happens now but it feels so right and i'm excited about it! I totally majored in something so opposite of what I am doing in my current life, but I know everything that has happened in my life was for a reason and I truly believe that what is meant for you will happen. You just have to trust the process and yourself to get there which means you have to really turn inward and not be afraid of what you discover. This is all so much easier said than done, and as an extremely realistic logical person it took me awhile to let go and believe in my own journey. I listened to the outside world too much for too long and now I am listening to myself and i'm happy I am.
There is so much more to moon journaling like crystals, mantras, body flow and honestly the best way to do it is with Jill's workbooks. She really takes you through the entire current Moon cycle and gives you the tools to reflect and use that energy to your advantage however you so wish. I subscribed to her workbooks every month and it's one of my favorite things to do with each phase. This is her site if you wanna try one out for yourself. See what happens! In just these 3 months I have seen my world shift and grow and have become so in sync with the life I want. I am working my little butt off to get where I want and allowing myself to step out into the unknown and just believe. It's weird. It might even sound silly to you, but all I can say is expand your mind and let yourself grow with no boundaries of the what if. Put yourself out there and most importantly believe in yourself and the process!! Have a little faith loves and you'd be surprised by the own magic you can create.
I hope you enjoyed this!! Let me know your thoughts. I am always a comment or message away. DM on instagram @shaylenelissette I want to hear all about YOUR own adventures in this.
Xoxo,
Shay
