New Moon in Aries, 5th, April, 2008

Hi Everyone,

Happy first new moon of spring – what a great time for new starts! I hope you are all feeling the courage, optimism and faith renewal that this moon can bring. Those of you in NY, a reminder that we are meeting on the evening of the 8th, 8:30pm. I’ll email again that day with full details but looking forward to seeing you in person!


Calling the circle As we contemplate this new moon, we call to the spirits of our season, the spirits of the East. New beginnings, new starts. Element of air, first breath – the power of life, springing forth. We call the spirits of the East and ask them to join our circle.

We call now to the spirits of the South, spirits of strength, power, warmth, clarity, motivation, energy, movement. Element of fire, the power of light, bright and powerful. The fire that is our passion, burning deeply within us always. We call the spirits of the South and ask them to join our circle.

And we call to the Spirits of the West. Spirits of our deepest feelings, our strongest emotions, our truest love. A sunset over a calm ocean, a still lake reflecting back the sky, the still waters that run deep, deep within. Element of water, emanating the power of love. We call to the spirits of the West and ask them to join our circle.

Now we call to the spirits of the North. Spirits of midnight, dark moonless skies in winter, places where truths are told, where laws are made. Element of earth, grounding us. Power of law, karma, ancestral wisdom, we call to the spirits of the North and we ask them to join our circle.

And we call to those spirits above us, angels, stars, heavens, light beings everywhere, those souls not yet incarnate. Children of our children. We call the spirits above and ask them to join us.

And we call to the spirits below us, to the earth that grounds us and keeps us steady, the green kingdom with its deep roots and to the lava beneath the crust that impassions us. We call the spirits below and ask them to join us.

Finally, we call to the spirits of the center, where all the directions meet and merge and where they meet and merge in each one of us. The central flame. The sacred spirit. This circle is closed, a safe and sacred circle where everyone is welcome and free to express herself.

Where is the Moon?
This new moon lands in Aries, joining the sun, focusing on our own individual goals and abilities to manifest our will in the world. This is the biggest and best new moons for raising some energy and making things happen. It is the moon of youth and vigor and innocence - remembering how easy it was to accomplish impossible tasks until they suddenly seemed hard. Believe powerfully in yourself and your ability to move mountains!


Talking stick
By a design that has nothing to do with moons, I find myself spending this particular one in New York again. Owen has school breaks in between his terms that are four weeks long, so it makes sense to take this time to come to New York to catch up with work. I like that I am here for it though, particularly in light of the particular theme of how even seemingly insurmountable tasks were a great deal easier to accomplish without the filters of age and experience, and somehow New York represents that perfectly. I was young here and often didn’t think about how hard something that I wanted to accomplish was, I just decided and went off in that direction. Not everything worked exactly the way I wanted it to, but in the meanwhile there were some genuine miracles that came out of that exuberance.
I don’t mean to suggest that I don’t have the ability to harness that exuberance and enthusiasm and belief in myself now because in fact I think I do. I feel stronger and more powerful. But – I also have those filters and they are an asset in many ways, but they also have the potential to be a liability. Sometimes I don’t want to think through every consequence, I just want to act, feel, intuit, move. I am definitely trying to embrace more of that over the last few months, and what I feel the most as a result is that my creativity has really been buzzing, lots of new thoughts and ideas that I want to pursue. I’m really grateful for this renewal, timed with this new spring, because back in December things really felt a bit sticky and mired. Glad to be out of it!

I also want to note that Owen is six now, and really becoming such a wonderful, sharp, loving and funny little person. I feel so unbelievably grateful to be a mother. It has changed me immeasurably and in all the ways that I hoped it would. It is a constant challenge to face myself, learn, grow and adapt. And, the main thing, which ties into the moon theme as well, is it is never the same. Owen is constantly in motion and cannot be pigeon-holed. It is different every day and it reminds me not to allow myself to get stuck in ruts of belief about myself as well.

That sounds like an excellent new moon intention: to remember that I am always changing and different and not get stuck in ruts of thinking about myself!!

Meditation Imagine yourself lying beneath a fragrant apple tree, on a warm, clear spring evening. You are surrounded by flowers, lying on soft earth, breathing in and out in time with the breeze, in time with the stars. As you breathe, you feel yourself getting smaller and smaller, until you are so small that you are able to walk right into the tree. As you look up, you note the vast branch system, how tall and high it is, looking down, you note the vast root system, reaching down into the earth farther than you can see. Then, notice that one of the roots is larger than the others, and resembles a spiral staircase that you can walk down. Imagine then stepping onto the 13th step, the step of transformation, then spiraling down and around and inward to the 12th step, then down and around to the 11th and the 10th, spiraling down and around and inward to the 9th, then the 8th, then around and inward to the 7th and the 6th step. Then, pausing on the sixth step, note that as you look up you can no longer see the top, and looking down, that you can no longer see the bottom. You are standing in the middle of the spiral, in a moment of infinite perfection. If there is anything that you are carrying that you don't want to take with you on your journey, you can leave it on this step. Continuing then to the 5th step and the 4th, spiraling around to the 3rd and the 2nd and then finally the 1st step, then stepping into a clearing with four doorways, each pointing in one of the four directions. Imagine yourself walking down the pathway that heads east.

The time of day is early morning, and the earth warm and light, the sun shimmers and everything is just buzzing with life. You are struck by the intensity of animation of the animals, insects, plants all vibrantly glowing in the light of morning. You listen to their sounds as you walk, listening for anything that you need to hear. As the path winds deeper into the meadow, you become aware of a dwelling in the distance, one that you know well. You move toward it, knowing that you have reached the home of your wise woman.

As you are about to knock, the door opens and your wise woman greets you, welcoming you in. Her home is as completely comfortable and safe for you, and she leads you to the kitchen where she is cooking. She offers you whatever it is that she has cooked for you, and you sit and eat or drink with her, asking any questions that you may have, or asking for any wisdom that she might wish to share with you.

When you are ready, she leads you down a hallway, with many doors. You walk to the doorway at the end of the hall, noticing anything in particular about the door as you walk through. You step out into the air and begin to fly. You are able to fly over your life, see all the people and places within it; you can fly to the future or the past, anywhere you need to go. Your wise woman flies with you so that if you have any questions along the way, she can answer them for you. Finally, you fly to a place, time, or circumstance where you really want to be. You become one with the you that is in that place and you really experience what that life feels like, and anything you need to know about creating it, staying in it, or really anything else about it. When you feel you are fully able to create that life, you separate again, flying back to your wise woman house. You fly back to the door, and when you are ready, you open it and step back through.


You head back toward the kitchen, sharing any last minute thoughts, asking any last minute questions. As you reach the door of the house you say your goodbyes, and while in her embrace, she whispers one word or phrase and presses an object into your hand that will help you to remember the wisdom that you received. You thank her, then you return to the path that runs along side the stream, listening again to any of the sounds of the water, or just noticing anything else that you need to see. When you are ready, you walk through the doorway.

Stepping back up onto the first step, spiraling upward and outward to the second step and the third, and upward and outward to the fourth step and the fifth. Then spiraling around to the sixth step, and pausing now on the sixth step, retrieving anything that you left behind before, or just leaving it behind in that perfect moment in infinity. Climbing now to the seventh and upward to the eighth, upward and outward to the ninth, then the tenth, and around to the eleventh and the twelfth and then finally to the thirteenth step, the step of transformation, then back into to the tree. Stepping out of the tree, you find your place beneath it, again enjoying the cold night air. Then, feeling your consciousness return to the space you are in, and, when ready opening your eyes.

Prayers for our circle
Sacha, may you be welcomed home with love and light, you will be so missed here in the UK! Also lots of love, support and healing for Felicity, Sacha’s mom.

For a couple of women who are friends of my mother’s, both of whom I was close to growing up and both of whom are really struggling physically. That they find the strength to carry on, or when the time comes, to let go.

Much love to everyone,
Tara