New Moon: Release and Embrace

Today is the New Moon and it sort of snuck up on me this month! Usually I'm very attentive to the moon phases but with all the shifts and transitions going around me I've been a bit distracted. Today is also a Sunday, and I love spending some time with my thoughts and a hot cuppa coffee on Sunday mornings, so it seemed like a good moment to pull some New Moon cards.

The New Moon is the the first phase of the moon cycle, after which it begins to grow in visibility (waxing) as it approaches the Full Moon approximately two weeks later.  This is commonly a time for doing workings that invite positive new opportunities into our lives, or that seek to nurture and grow the abundance we already experience. For this New Moon I decided to pull two cards in the following manner:

New Moon Spread

1: What to release into the past

2: What to embrace and nurture over the next two weeks

Now before I discuss the cards I pulled, let me digress momentarily! It's funny how the moon has become an important symbol for me lately. Exactly one week ago, on Mother's Day, my family and I stopped briefly at a local rootwork/magic shop so that I could restock some of my tools, and I decided to review the stones and crystals. I have several moonstones, but I was very drawn to the store's selection - their sizes, shapes, and luminescence. I spent almost ten minutes holding and examining all of them before choosing one that was an elongated oval with areas of pearly sheen broken up by chunks of transparent, quartz-like stone. It's currently sitting by my bedside in a small, antique wooden box.

Additionally, over the past week or two I've been having image flashes of some of the cards in my Deviant Moon deck, which is one I haven't used in quite a while. It seemed to be calling to me. Last night I finally pulled it out for several readings, and spent time admiring the dark-yet-warmly-vibrant color scheme. When I realized this morning that it was the New Moon, I simultaneously felt compelled to draw a couple of cards from this deck, and was drawn to the moonstone in the little wooden box by my bed. There is a theme here, about cycles, shadows, emotions, and acceptance that are highlighted in the cards I pulled:

Deviant Moon Tarot - P. Valenza
U.S. Games Systems

1: What to release into the past - Wheel of Fortune reversed

2: What to embrace and nurture over the coming two weeks: 10 of Cups

Hm! Sometimes you pull cards and sit with them for a while in order to allow the meanings to steep and bloom like tea-flowers in your heart and mind; other times the significance is immediately apparent. This reading fell into the latter category. 

First we have the Wheel with its connection to cycles, movement and change. Inverted it suggests that I've been resisting, to some degree, the fluctuations in my life over the previous months. This card highlights the sense of feeling somewhat powerless in the face of major life events, and that has certainly been true for me. I wrote a short while back about my children, and how they're going to spend two months with their grandparents this summer. This is essentially an awesome vacation for them, but the length is due in part to the fact that my husband is leaving for work overseas and will be gone for most of the summer. This arrangement allows the kids to enjoy their summer break properly, and spend quality time with their extended family. But of course the thought of being away from them (and my husband) is painful for me, no matter how much I can rationalize the benefits. A few weeks ago I was really struggling with my feelings on the matter when I felt drawn to a selenite stone (which I am just now realizing is also a moon stone!) on my table. I wondered why, as it's not a stone I've worked with much before, but I generally follow my intuition, so I stuck it in my pocket and went about my day. Several times throughout that day I realized how calm and at peace I felt. The sadness seemed to wane considerably, and I realized that I was feeling very reasonable! Of course my husband should go on this work opportunity, and the kids are only going to be gone for two months, during which time I'll see them for a week when I take my own mini-vacation. That's not so bad! I was both impressed with this new emotional development and immensely relieved. And that feeling has stuck with me. Now my husband has been away with our two youngest kids for a few days (they're coming back tonight) and while I've enjoyed the down time, it's reminded me how much I miss them when they're gone. So now I'm facing two weeks (almost exactly) until they're scheduled to head north with grandma: the countdown begins. The Wheel reminds me that life is change, and that breaks in routine (like my field trip on Friday) are important for our health. That everything is temporary, including summer vacation, and that as I'm not planning to alter our plans, resisting the movement is a waste of precious energy. I can't control everything, but I can release my intense attachment, just a little bit. 

So if I'm releasing my futile attempt to control my environment, where should I focus? The 10 of Cups! Well isn't that the truth! I have two weeks left before my children depart (on the precise date of the Full Moon, mind you). I have a choice: spend the next two weeks worrying and feeling sad in anticipation, or go with the flow, and make the most of this time with my loved ones. This second option is the clear winner. The image on this Deviant Moon card is the perfect representation of my family (just add an extra kid!). The parents embrace each other while the children galavant about. There is a clear sense of unity and love which is exactly how I feel with my husband and children. This is an awesome, beautiful gift to be able to experience and share - why waste even a moment of it?

Tarot de St. Croix
Lisa de St. Croix

What is it about the moon? In Tarot this card symbolizes those things that are not tangible, obvious, or direct. It calls forth our fears, our shadow, our concerns about things that can't be known, or of what might be. Above all the Moon offers us a valuable invitation to know ourselves better, and to face the source of our discontent. It's not always fun, but it's always worth it to dive right in...and to remember that the moon, like all aspects of our lives, moves in cycles and phases; there is great comfort to be had in understanding that when things are feeling dark, you can always count on the tide turning once again.