Between the Moon

On today’s episode Bronwyn and I discuss how astrology can help us become more focused and grounded in our body and spirit to meet the moment. We look at how working with the moon can help us emotionally prepare for some of the more dramatic shifts coming next year.

Some things that are happening right now may feel way too big to take in all at once, like the election and the uncertainty of what that hold for the climate, women’s rights, immigration, and international relations.

Why this matters? From now through next year the generational planets including Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are all changing signs.

Working with astrology can help us see where the arc of our own lives touches the greater arc of history. Bronwyn goes into specifics about this in the episode so definitely listen to the end!

In our conversation we discuss the incredible value of lunar tracking and being present with our hearts, emotionally prepared, and clear about our role during these pivot points. There is a layering effect that happens in the personal and the collective.

This episode is a little taste of what we will share on our community call on Tuesday Nov 12th: Distilling 2024 and Reviewing the Transits and Moon Cycles of the Year.

Join us here: https://astrologygoddess.mykajabi.com/offers/SpzpwaQH/checkout

You can join us for FREE! If you purchased the New Moon Calendar Journal last year or have pre-ordered yours for 2025 just send me your order number and I’ll give you the code to register us at not cost.

This is a supportive way to digest and integrate some of the changes from this year to feel more fortified to meet the challenges for next year.

All of the planetary changes will create a big shift in the cycles and the energy that is present. Especially moving from Pisces to Aries.

It’s the most extreme transition in the zodiac to go from the ending to the beginning.

From the dream realm and land of spirit to direct action.

For example: Saturn will finish his journey through the whole zodiac and move from Pisces into Aries. As Bronwyn shares in the episode:

What we hope to distill from any planets transit through Pisces is the spiritual fortitude and structures to then move wisely into the action and initiative that is required in Aries.

We're taking the spiritual and creative structures that we've been nurturing over the last couple of years and distill and carry those forward into action taking and Aries style structures that we will be creating for the next two and a half years, starting midyear next year.

So the Saturn and Pisces question: How can I create more spiritual integrity in my life … becomes: How can I take that integrity into action and initiative?

Thank you so much for listening - looking forward to seeing you this Tuesday!

Warmly,April

Calendar pre-sales will begin shipping in the next couple weeks!!! Use code: LUNARFLOW for 10% off when you purchase your copy of the New Moon Calendar Journal in the shop: https://themoonismycalendar.com/new-products

Image of sun and moon trees from Manuscript by Franciscan friar and alchemist Jean de Roquetaillade in 1350.

Hello dear listener,

As you know, the lunar cycle helps us pay attention because it’s always changing. Lunar tracking shows us how to find our own rhythm and energy amidst the fluctuations. It reminds us that we don’t have to fix ourselves - and can actually help us feel empowered to be more in-season with where we are at currently.

On today’s episode I have the pleasure of speaking with published author and coach Vanessa Wright about ways to feel empowered and flow with life’s challenges and how pausing can lead to transformation. She shares about how her practice of lunar tracking and purposefully seeing joy supported her through perimenopause to menopause, and the lasting effects this had on her creativity and view of cycles and seasons.

In our conversation Vanessa describes her experience of returning to her ancestral lands in Italy and a powerful Moonstory that marks a major turning-point in her journey.

Moonstories are what I like to call the moments in our lives when the presence of the moon was witnessing us at a pivotal crossroads. In these moments, we can feel like we are actually not alone and may receive new insight to continue on our path. I loved what she shared and I hope it inspires you to notice your own Moonstory moments.

We muse about the reliability of the moon - especially when things can feel unmoored or like everyone else is relying on us and we need something that can hold us - in this case during big life initiations like menopause.

This is a great episode for moms and people in caretaking roles who want to feel more inspired to find five minutes a day to connect with themselves to reduce stress and invite more awareness and magic.

There are some incredible insights we shared about not having to do it “right” with the moon, but being curious and noticing patterns to sense our own energy. Join us as we explore practices that are replenishing, but aren’t always the same - as we cycle through different stages of life.

Vanessa is a certified life coach, writer, seasoned homeschooling mom, and speaker dedicated to empowering midlife mothers through her FLOW method. She helps women reclaim their energy, creativity, and joy by fostering sustainable self-care practices.

In this episode she gives us a glimpse of her FLOW self-care method and the benefits of awareness at each stage of life.

Feed your body, mind, spiritLove yourself and lean into your season of lifeOwn your time and spaceWeed out what's not working and welcome something new.

Vanessa is a former contributor to the popular The Homeschool Mom blog. Since 2017, she has served as the special projects and content associate at Big Life Journal. Vanessa loves journals, stickers, pens, 80s/90s music, and reading five books at a time. She resides with her family in Raleigh, NC.Website: www.vanessanwright.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/vanessanwright/

Also mentioned: I shared a template for color-coding activities based on a book called 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less (ifykyk).

LUNARFLOW: code for 10% off when you purchase your copy of the New Moon Calendar Journal in the shop: https://themoonismycalendar.com/new-products

In today’s episode we explore some of the themes, symbols, and approaches to practicing self-study in relationship with cycles for the upcoming eclipses.

Show notes below and image sources …

Themes in this episode include:

* Regular rhythmic repetition of eclipses

* Nodes as crossroads, meeting place, relationship between the luminaries

* Dream recall full body chills

* Offerings for gateway gods

* Nodes: where we encounter the mystery

* Surrendering to the sacred, and/or analyzing the details

* Pisces/Virgo axis

* Themes of dreams, spirituality, creativity

* Making offerings (is there a right way?)

* Protocols for working with Spirit

* Leaving space for grace and opening

* Rearrangements in physical and energetic realms

* Exploring different configurations

* Uncertainty, disruptions, unsettling quality, fears of lack

* How much instability can any infrastructure take?

* Contemplation of fulfillment and sensation of longing

* Compassion and bathing in forgiveness

* And more…

Pardon me while I take a side quest and study medieval calendars for the rest of my life, lol. So many fish that got away!!

Lunar nodes are a point in space where the orbit of the moon crosses the path of the sun. This alignment happens about every six months like clockwork.

These nodes change signs about every 1.5 years. They are always in retrograde motion, moving “backwards” through the zodiac. Right now they are in tropical Aries and Libra, but this one is crossing the line ahead into Pisces.

Phases of the moon are gradual.

Eclipses are sudden.

How do you want to be in relationship with this cosmic alignment?

The Metonic cycle or enneadecaeteris (from Ancient Greek) is a period of almost exactly 19 years after which the lunar phases recur at the same time of the year. Look back to fall of 2006 for the echo of this current eclipse season.

Have a question or comment? Share on the Substack post for this episode.

Love this podcast? Leave a rating or write a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify - it’s such a great way to support this work.

Thanks so much for listening!

Re-releasing this episode from August 2024!

In today’s we episode explore the myths, magic, and misinformation about the so-called Lion’s Gate. This cosmic portal is said to occur on August 8th each year, but what is it really referring to?

Join us to unravel this phenomenon and find enchantment without needing to invent a “Galactic New Year” out of thin air.

Themes in this episode include:

* Origins of the Lion’s Gate Myth

* Flooding of the Nile

* Dog Star Sirius

* Cosmic Technologies of Timekeeping

* Manifestation Practices

* Self-study in Relationship with Cycles

* Longing for Authenticity

* Fixed Fire Season of Leo

* And more…

Update for 2025: You can get on the waitlist or pre-order your moon calendar and journal in the shop/

Image and text from Sirius and the Flooding of the Nile: this week on the Storyteller's Night Sky Interlochen Public Radio | By Mary Stewart Adams

“Every year in August, the constellation Orion returns to northern hemisphere skies at dawn, bearing with him the brightest star in our sky after the Sun ~ the star Sirius.

Sirius played a significant role in every aspect of Ancient Egypt culture, a role that carried on well into the 20th century, because its heliacal rising in mid-August each year was the signal from the natural world that the mighty river Nile was about to flood. At the heliacal rising of Sirius, people would move off the flood plain to make way for the river, which would rise up to 46 feet in some places!

The ‘heliacal rising’ is the first appearance of a bright star in the morning sky, before sunrise. It’s a word that derives from Helios, the Greek God of the Sun who bore the Sun through the sky in his golden chariot (…)”

“The Aswan High Dam was opened in 1970, and centuries of Nile River flooding ceased.

Still, Sirius continues to rise, and ceremonies celebrating the annual flood still occur, which is understandable, given that the dam is not quite 50 years old, but the cultural life inspired by the Nile’s annual flooding has existed through all ages of recorded history, and was rooted in the stars.”

More on the Constellation: Sirius and Orion’s Belt Constellation from EarthSky

The Lion's Gate Portal: Tracing the Origins of a New Age Myth Article by Celeste Mott

“Prior to the late 90's, nobody appears to have heard of the Lion's Gate (besides as one of the seven gates into Old Jerusalem). A search of peer-reviewed articles returns no results with that search term, indicating a lack of academic or folkloric interest in the subject. Searching by date, there are only three results for "lion's gate portal" between 1980 and 1999. Between 1999 and 2010, we have four pages of Google results. Today, Google returns over 87,000 results for the term.”

Top searches for the Lion’s Gate craze as of this recording …

Article in Women’s Health Mag UK with numerous false and unfounded claims:

Lion's Gate Portal 2024: How to quantum leap your manifestation powers during this cosmic vortex

“On the 8th of August, we celebrate a cosmic alignment between Sirius, the Sun, the Earth and the ‘galactic centre’, which is the central point of the Milky Way.

This date is known as Galactic New Year and is thought to be the day when Light Codes are strongest.”

p.s. Galactic New Year according to who? The Galactic Center is in the constellation of Sagittarius.

Learn more about Islamic roots and Astrology from Historian Ali A. Olomi

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/headonhistory/postsPodcast: Head On History CurrentlyNerdy.comhttps://www.instagram.com/aaolomi

Thanks for listening!

Love this podcast? Please subscribe and write a review - it’s such a great way to support this creative work!

“When ideas are suspended in a place of possibility for too long, they either need to come down to earth or be set free.”

Today’s episode will help you understand what kind of gardener you are when it comes to creative projects.

We explore our relationship to the seeds we want to bring through a whole harvest cycle and practices that help keep the creative channels from getting clogged.

Having a creative practice is like planting a garden; some seeds seem to sprout over night and other takes years, generations, or even lifetimes. Bringing awareness to how we tend to them informs each new season and solar cycle.

Clearing physical clutter creates breathing room to allow space for each idea to take form. Applying an understanding of cycles to your relationship with creativity and can help you figure out how to process unfinished projects.

Hopefully you find this episode super generative and fruitful! If you do, please leave a review while you’re feeling inspired and consider subscribing on your favorite platform!!

If you’re listening somewhere other than Substack, here’s where I publish the podcast in case you want to view the images or leave a comment: https://betweenthemoon.substack.com

p.s. I recorded this episode while sitting on a rock in the mountains, so you may hear some wind in the background. May this wind give your seeds wings!!

Between the Moon is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts as they are released, it’s easy to become a free or paid subscriber.

“A river of material flows through us.

When we share our works and our ideas, they are replenished.

If we block the flow by holding them all inside,

the river cannot run and new ideas are slow to appear.”

― Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being

Today’s episode explores reasons why we get “backed up” and seasons of having “the runs” - creatively speaking.

The poop metaphor came out of a writing course I took recently that offered a way of understanding creativity akin to a daily physical need. It a visceral reminder not to belabor the act of writing, speaking, drawing, designing, painting, creating… just s**t and get off the pot.

Easier said than done.

Lately I’ve had too many ideas without a way of relieving myself and so this episode is honestly a way for me to loosen things up and take some of the pressure off. There’s no straining here - I even chose to not edit the ummms our of this one.

So here we go - let’s consider the energy of our own creative cycles in relationship to:

* where ideas come from and where they go

* outlets and containers for creativity

* noticing times of gestation

* tracking times of output

* looking to the harvest cycle as it relates to the energy of the Leo archetype

* remedies for creative constipation

Spirals at the center of the seed

Pomegranate seed reference image mentioned in this episode: Punica granatum in Köhler's Medicinal Plants 1897 by Walther Otto Müller

The process from draft to completion

This is the Harvest Cycle Artwork series that I created last year for the 2024 Lunar Wall Calendar. In the episode I share about why I left this particular one until the very end.

Thanks for reading and listening!

Between the Moon is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts it’s easy to become a free or paid subscriber. This helps egg me on to create new content.

Before you go, leave a comment about your own experiences with cycles of creativity and what you do to keep from getting backed up because I’m sure you have some ideas that would be helpful to hear!!

In today’s episode we explore how the three signs of spring relate to creativity and the tropical zodiac. We share personal experiences of the creative cycle as understood through the lens of the zodiac and the phases of the moon.

Astrology teaches us to notice how energy starts, sustains, and shifts throughout each season. This conversation is about the story of spring told by #1 Aries who starts the fire, #2 Taurus who sustains the idea to bring it into form, and #3 Gemini shifts into new possibilities.

Between the Moon is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

The Three Signs of Spring each have a unique approache to harnessing and directing creative energy. In the episode we offer examples of ways that each sign supports the one before and the astrological sign that follows.

Notice the energetic signature that Aries, Taurus, and Gemini bring to YOUR cycles of creativity.

Aries - Cardinal Fire

inspiration strikes

an idea sparks the creative fire

takes action to begin!

... and then runs out of steam...

Taurus - Fixed Earth

slows down and stabilizes

creates a process and a container

digs in and gets to work!

...and then gets stuck...

Gemini - Mutable Air

gets curious and expands

talks to their muse and does some research

cross pollinates to bring in fresh ideas

...and then has too many options and enters the next season...

It’s so much fun to bring art and astrology closer together. If you’re like me then you probably want to keep playing with these ideas and apply them to your process…

You’re in luck! Come play with the planets and your birthchart in an experimental masterclass called Cycles of Creativity Masterclass! Together we will explore the archetypes of each of the eight planets and how they relate to the creative process.

Friday May 17, 2024 from 1:30-3:00 PM Pacific - replay will be available.

We will show you how this sequence factors into the way artistry and expression unfolds in your life. You will personalize this flow by designing your own template for creativity based on your birthchart.Let's share creative practices in community to feel more connected and inspired!

Also mentioned in this episode is the Creative Fire by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés. This series of three lectures is a gem and can be found on the Sound’s True website.

Thank you for reading Between the Moon. This post is public so feel free to share it.

On today's episode I have the pleasure and honor of speaking with beloved author Benebell Wen about her process and inspiration for writing her most recent book: I Ching the Oracle - A practical guide to The Book of Changes.

Benebell shares about the the spirit intelligence of the I Ching (as it differs from other tools for divination) as well as the creation myth that connects with the binary code of yin yang. She also talks about the distinction between the "broken" and unbroken lines that form the trigrams and 64 hexagrams of the I Ching.

I loved listening to her stories about how she intuitively worked with the I Ching as a mode of communication with ancestors (her grandmother) before confirming that this was a part of its shamanic origins all along.

In this playful conversation, Benebell shares a correspondence between the eight trigrams and the eight phases of the moon. This insight into the lunar phases serves as a reference for understanding the energetic qualities and polarities of the trigrams and their three lines of code as they relate to the lunar phases.

I am grateful for how she illustrates this correlation between Fire, Thunder, Wind, Water, Mountain, Earth, Heaven, Lake and the 8 phases of the moon because when you are learning something new, it helps to have something familiar to connect with (like the moon).

This was so eye opening for me - and I hope it helps create new neural pathways for you as well!

We also touch on the lunisolar calendar and timekeeping as it relates to cycles. She shares about the specific hexagram that corresponds with this year of the Wood Dragon, and speaks a little bit about the qualities of that particular hexagram and what that may foretell about the energy of the year.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of a vast subject, so I invite you to receive the generosity of all that Benebell shares through her work.

If you love this conversation and want to support this podcast, please leave a 5 star review - thank you!

Links:

Benebell's Website:

https://benebellwen.com/

Free Companion Course for I Ching the Oracle: https://benebellwen.com/i-ching-the-oracle/a-companion-course/

I Ching and the 60-Year Lunar-Solar Calendar Cycle

Post about how 2024 corresponds with hexagram 43 when you superimpose the lunar-solar calendar over the I Ching https://benebellwen.com/2024/01/05/i-ching-and-the-60-year-lunar-solar-calendar-cycle/

Asian Wheel of the Year: Lunisolar Astrology: https://benebellwen.com/2022/10/28/asian-wheel-of-the-year-the-lunisolar-agricultural-calendar/

Website. http://www.benebellwen.com

YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/c/BenebellWen

Twitter. https://twitter.com/benebellwen

Instagram. http://www.instagram.com/bellwen

Chocolate Dragon Cafe (in Oakland - not Berkeley like I say in the episode): https://www.chocolatedragoncafe.com/

Book: The dragon : nature of spirit, spirit of nature / Francis Huxley

THE MOON IS MY CALENDAR

2024 Moon Calendars available in the shop https://themoonismycalendar.com/

In today's episode with Predictive Astrologer Bronwyn Simons - we explore structures of time and the natural impulse to reinvent, and in this vein we delve into reimagining and reinventing the Wheel of the Year.

We look at the "why" of the energetic correspondences between the lunar phases and the solar stations over the seasons and how we might bring more inquiry and creativity to this relationship.

There's a big shift coming, the undertone humming vibration of Pluto is moving from Capricorn to Aquarius this Saturday January 19th and will take us in a new direction for the next 20 years!

This conversation sheds light on how we are currently straddling the worlds of what we have inherited (social structures, legacy of time aka Capricorn) and what will serve humanity moving forward (aka Aquarius) so that we can live in more harmony with life's cyclical nature in new and innovative ways.

Doors are opening soon to Lunar in Nature: Reinventing the Wheel very soon, so hop on the waitlist if you haven't already!

https://astrologygoddess.mykajabi.com/lunar-nature-waitlist

This is a solilunar mystery school that invites us to learn and vision and create and experiment, to honour tradition and hold space for innovation, to live into and deeply embody Lunisolar cycles for a whole expansive and beautiful Year together.

If you love this conversation, please like and subscribe so that it can reach more people who will benefit from the topics we explore. 

Today's episode shares a meditation for settling the nervous system to find a sense of inner calm supported by the cyclical nature of life and the moon.

The new moon offers a time to reset and bring awareness to the inner cave. That hidden place where the moon goes each cycle and is no longer available or visible to the outer world.

Be guided by the moon to slow down and deeply listen. Listening to the whispers of the intuition.

This meditation draws on the wisdom of nature to connect with all of life through the expansion and contraction of the breath. If you love this meditation, please consider leaving a glowing review and subscribing to the podcast.

Thank you for being here, your presence is a gift!