By: Torrey Brooke The night of this month’s full moon fell nothing short of magical. A gathering of wombyn reclaiming their honor by virtue of the womb – the rite of the womb – set the tone under the juicy “Strawberry” moon. We all sat in sacred circle valiantly diving into the depths of our shadow selves and releasing anything that no longer served us. We trusted in the occult path which can sometimes seem dark or scary as a lone soul, but is mystical and empowering when traveling among like spirits. This fiery Sagittarius moon lit my once-dim Solar Plexus on fire with courage and inspiration. As a person with no fire signs in my natal chart, I am astrologically prone to self-doubt and need to regularly work on consciously bringing the fire element into my practice and keep my inner flame burning with bright, confident energy. (Of course, I realize that there are many factors to self doubt as a layered issue unattributed to one thing alone, and I actively integrate other strategies into my practice as I would recommend anyone do.) Whether you are a fire sign or not, we all struggle with self-doubt every now and then. With this juicy, fiery full moon at our backs, now is a good time, astrologically and spiritually speaking, to take inventory of what is no longer serving us and simply let it go. This practice of releasing is often encouraged around any and every full moon as are the natural renewing and releasing cycles of life – renew with the new moon, release with the full. However, I find it particularly imperative with this moon having been in Sagittarius so that we can release whatever it is that is smothering our inner fire. I like what Café Astrology has to say about this full moon, “The Full Moon in Sagittarius is a time of expansion, so we should be especially aware of what we’d like to promote at this time, trying to put aside or out of our minds those things that won’t serve us well if blown out of proportion.” Our Solar Plexus Chakra is located in the center of the torso above the naval and is associated with the element of fire as well as storage of self-confidence (or lack-thereof). Thus any chance you get to reignite that “fire” is going to feel so amazing and liberating. If there is something blocking that inner fire from being anything but the brightest it can be, get rid of it! A simple releasing ritual can be satisfying to our human form which craves that physical, tangible gratification. Of course, you should do whatever you feel called to, but here are some examples of simple releasing rituals: Up in Smoke One way to release is to write. Write down without using much conscious thought anything and everything that is no longer serving you (“stream of consciousness” writing). It is important to physically write as opposed to typing because it requires more intention and physical energy. Then, in a safe space, light the paper on fire and watch your fears, doubts, insecurities, and traumas go up in smoke. I can just feel that sweet release. As a follow-up ritual for the new moon, you can light a candle and say out loud into the candle all the traits of you as a confident person (brave, energetic, happy, inspirational, etc.). That candle will then hold your intention and every time you light it, it will represent you lighting your inner flame – a little spark of confidence! Out to Sea Another way to release is to state out loud the burdens you wish to release into a leaf, petal, rock, crystal, shell, etc. – anything natural and safe for the environment – and then throw it into the ocean (or lake/ river/ body of water). Let the ocean wash away what no longer serves you. This is a very calming and cleansing form of release. Into the Earth Of course, you can always perform the “Out to Sea” ritual and substitute the water for the Earth – whatever you feel called to do! If you need a more physical release, it can be very therapeutic to go on a hike to a high point, remote area, or sacred space to bury your “burdens.” It is very comforting to let Mother Earth mother you. Talk to her like you would a wise, nurturing mother. She is there to provide, let her do that for you. Cut the Chord Chord cutting is a liberating and necessary form of release. We make connections to people, things, experiences, and energies and they may serve us for a time, but not necessarily forever. One chord-cutting releasing ritual that can be helpful especially if you are not sure if you’re quite ready to cut certain chords yet, is to cut sage. Find white sage either on a hike or by purchasing a white sage plant and sit with it for a minute. Simply sit with the sage and tell it what you want to release. Then, cut the sage as a symbol of cutting ties with that which you wish to release, tie it together, and hang it to dry. This is helpful if you wish to release slowly, not all at once – like a life-altering trauma. Hang the sage somewhere where you can see it every day, reminding yourself that this release is turning into something beautiful. Death and detachment can be beautiful and even useful. Once the sage has dried, you now have a smudge bundle you can burn. With each lighting of the sage it slowly releases that which no longer serves you and synchronously cleanses you by the smudging practice. When the smudge bundle is done, you can use the stems to do the “Out to Sea” or “Into the Earth” ritual if you wish. As a follow up ritual, you can plant white sage (or any plant) on the new moon which follows the completion of the releasing ritual as a symbol of new growth and rebirth. However this full moon affected you, I hope your inner flame is lit, you are inspired, and you feel that fiery MAGIC. Do not be afraid to release anything that no longer serves you – full moon or not! Hording our worries, traumas, and burdens does nothing to help us. Do yourself a favor and gently release what you no longer need. Forgive yourself. Love yourself. Let that Solar Plexus burn with an unapologetic, fearless, blazing fire of confidence! Release and let burn. Stay lit, my friends. By: Torrey Brooke The overall, well-intentioned philosophy of the commonly used phrase, “choose happiness,” is that we make a conscious decision about the direction of each day through our attitude, perspective, and actions ultimately leading us to our overall happiness (or lack-thereof). While there may be some truth to that sentiment, the reality is that suggesting someone “choose” happiness can actually be one of the most unhelpful suggestions and feel pretty invalidating. It can actually come off as victim blaming because telling someone to choose happiness implies that they can choose all of their emotions – if I’m not choosing to be happy, then I must be “choosing” to be upset or anxious or guilty or lonely or discouraged. It can make someone feel like they are putting themselves in a position of anxiety or sadness because they’re simply not choosing otherwise. I am making a public plea for us to replace “choose happiness” with “cultivate happiness.” It may seem like an insignificant change, but this simple, semantic shift completely transforms the meaning of the phrase. “Cultivate happiness” translates to: “Unconditionally accept yourself and your feelings,” “Forgive yourself,” “Be gentle with yourself,” “Be kind to yourself.” It means it is okay to be anxious or fearful or angry or upset or confused. It means I know you don’t want nor choose to feel these difficult feelings, but you are and that’s okay. It means I see you, I hear you, I feel you, I accept you, and I value you. Cultivate happiness means happiness is a wild flower – it needs to be cultivated with sunshine and water and earth. It may not always be in bloom, but that’s normal. Given the right season and conditions, it will bloom again eventually. When we say, “Cultivate happiness,” we’re saying, "happiness is possible." “Choose happiness,” feels alone and guilt ridden. “Cultivate happiness,” feels like there are options.
For myself in particular, and I know for many others, the struggle is Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I did not choose this. I do not choose to be in a constant state of alertness and worry. I do not choose to have restless sleep at night just in case I need to be up for an emergency at a moment’s notice. I do not choose to have anxiety attacks in front of my boss, or at a coffee shop, or on a holiday. I do not choose my anxiety and it is for that same reason I also cannot just “choose happiness.” This phrase does more than just erase mental illnesses, it also erases experiences. Can people live full and happy lives growing up in poverty and other less-than-desirable situations? Of course, but to simply tell someone to “choose” to be happy in that situation is an erasure of anything else they may quite justifiably be feeling. Can we instead allow people to feel what they’re feeling – good, bad, or otherwise? Allow that to be okay. Allow that to be okay for them. Allow that to be okay for yourself. Let’s create a world where happiness isn’t the only acceptable feeling. Let’s all vow to meet ourselves and others wherever we’re at on our journey and to accept that unconditionally. Let’s all vow to see that we are worthy of that acceptance. Let that be enough because you are – you are enough. You are worthy. You are so worthy. Instead of the mantra, “Choose happiness,” let’s coin the mantra, “Cultivate happiness.” Instead of getting down on ourselves for feeling anything but happiness, let’s meet ALL of our emotions with unconditional acceptance and love by allowing ourselves to feel whatever we feel and then saying to ourselves, “I love you anyway.” Doesn’t that feel good? Let’s cultivate happiness through self-love and compassion. Let’s choose love.
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