Working with the Moon

Working with the moon helps us tap into our deepest patterns and helps us reflect and release with a consistent cycle. Connecting with the moon and following her cycles is a way to tap into our unique wisdom and power.

The moon mirrors our rhythms and cycles, our energy and our emotions, reminds us of our humanity and our true nature. Not so long ago, our calendar was lunar, and we lived by the moon. Our ancestors planted seeds by the moon and made decisions in sync with the seasons and their respective energy.

Some cultures still operate around a lunar calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar which has become the container that prescribes when to clock in and out regardless of the cycles of nature and the seasons. This is neither healthy nor natural for us. The lunar cycle is less prescribed and is energetically aligned with nature’s cycles. It’s how so many of us experience time – peaks and valleys, having space to feel into what we need.

The Gregorian calendar prioritizes productivity over all else, and as a result, we constantly feel behind and exhausted – like we’re never enough. Solar time is binary – we’re either ‘on’ or ‘off’. When we take the time to connect with our natural cycles and observe our natural rhythms, our quality of life improves, and time becomes abundant and healing.

Creating A Moon Practice

Tuning into the moon is a spiritual practice, and our fast-paced Western world doesn’t always recognize the benefits of taking the time for spiritual practices. You can start by just taking time to look at the moon – sit underneath her and feel her energy. Meditate. Moon gaze. Talk to her and ask questions. Close your eyes and tune in to your energy. Lunar language comes from within.

Other ideas to connect with the moon:  put a mason jar of water outside to be charged under the moonlight; start a moon journal to track how your energy feels with each phase; go on nightly moon meditation walks; paint pictures of her; write letters to her.

2022 Moon Planning CalendarWhen working with the moon around a specific goal, you will want to strategize and plan to pair the appropriate actions with the most supportive lunar phase. The repeating pattern of the lunar cycle helps keep us motivated and in alignment.

Lunar work reminds us that it all begins with the self, and most importantly, it begins with love. A self-care practice requires constant consideration, as it is the practice of continuous love. A self-care practice isn’t selfish. If you don’t prioritize yourself, who will?

8 Moon Phases

The new moon is the first day of a lunar cycle and is when the moon is dark in the sky, and there is 0% illumination. This phase is for setting intentions, planting seeds, imagining, dreaming, visioning, hope, rest, renewal. Season: late winter to early spring.

The waxing crescent moon is approximately 2-6 days old and is between 1 to 49% illuminated. This phase corresponds to yin, beginnings, optimism, cultivating better habits, tangibility, action, visible new life. Season: spring.

The first quarter moon is approximately 6-9 days old and is at 50% illumination. This phase is good for reconnecting with one’s self, discernment, making choices, pivoting, changing course, discipline, healthy habits, boundaries. Season: late spring to the summer solstice.

The waxing gibbous moon is approximately 6-13 days old and is between 51-99% illuminated. This yin phase can assist us with health, healing, energy, fertility, luck, abundance, expansion, growth, sensuality, self-care.

The full moon is approximately 3-15 days old and is at 100% illumination. It corresponds to the harvest, ripeness, blooming, celebration, emotional release, intuitive work, ancestor work, or any efforts you need a magical boost for. This is the time to reconnect with your emotions and inner world. This is the time to double down or to change direction if we are off course with our new moon intentions. Season: solstice to mid-summer.

The waning gibbous moon is approximately 15-22 days old and is at between 51-99% illumination. The light on the moon is now on the left side in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the time of the second harvest, receiving, gratitude, dissemination, release, and sharing inner wisdom. Season: late summer to the autumn equinox.

The last quarter moon, also called the third quarter moon, is approximately 21-23 days old with an illumination of 50%. This phase is associated with balance, crossroads, surrender, subconscious work, organization, and internal processes. This is the final push before the end of this lunar cycle. Season: between the autumn equinox and Halloween/Samhain.

The waning crescent moon is approximately 22-27 days old. The light fades from 45% to 1% illumination. The energy of this phase of the moon corresponds with cleaning, clearing, diving deep, and going within. This phase facilitates internal growth; when the light of the moon fades, many of us can process and connect to ourselves more deeply. So, as the light of the moon fades, our inner knowing grows. Season: just before the winter solstice.

The dark moon is the end of the lunar cycle, with the moon in its last 3 days. The moon is between 27 and 29.5 days old. This is the time for deep rest, release, turning inward, peace, acceptance, cutting cords, death, endings. Season: winter.

Tuning in to the phases of the moon and its energy reminds us to look within and connect with ourselves and nature. Creating a moon practice helps us get to know ourselves and to be compassionate with what we find. It also helps us be more in-tune with the seasons, allowing us to slow down and practice self-care.

2022 Moon Planning Calendar

Fun Moon Facts

Formed at least 4.5 billion years ago, about the same time as the earth, the moon is our closest celestial neighbor.

The moon, like Earth, is shaped like an egg, and the moon is about 33% smaller than the earth.

The moon is a natural timekeeper with her cycle taking approximately 28 days to orbit the earth.

During this cycle, the moon moves through 8 phases of a few days each.

The sunlight the moon reflects back to Earth is a result of the moon’s position in relation to the sun.

2022 Wheel of the Year Celebrations {Sabbats}

Holiday 2022 Date

Samhain
Monday, October 31

Yule
Wednesday, December 21

Imbolc
Tuesday, February 1 – February 2

Ostara
Sunday, March 20

Belatane
Sunday, May 1

Lughnasadh 
or Lammas
Monday, August 1

Mabon
Thursday, September 22

Wheel of the year 2022

Mother Earth’s Seasons in the Northern Hemisphere

Winter
Winter Solstice: shortest day of the year/longest night of the year marking the start of winter
Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Spring
Vernal Equinox: day and night of equal length, marking the start of spring
Sunday, March 20, 2022

Summer
Summer Solstice: longest day of the year, marking the start of summer
Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Fall
Autumnal Equinox: day and night of equal length, marking the start of autumn
Thursday, September 22, 2022

Winter
Winter Solstice: shortest day of the year/longest night of the year marking the start of winter
Wednesday, December 21, 2022

2022 Moon Calendar

What is yoni steaming?

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Yoni Steaming is simply the practice applying herbs to the yoni via gentle steam.

Also called a “Vaginal Steam,” I prefer to call this sacred ritual Yoni Steaming because it’s more than simply the vagina and external organs that benefit from the practice.

feminine uterus with flowers and moons

In Sanskrit, the Yoni is known as “sacred temple” or pathway, a place to access our wisdom, and our power.

Many women experience menstrual cycle challenges such as PMS, cramps, infertility, excessive flow, fatigue, vaginal dryness, and menopausal symptoms can be helped with a Yoni Steam. A Yoni Steam works by using gentle steam to carry the medicine — the herbs — to the exterior tissues of the vagina (the vulva). The steam’s warmth and moisture increases circulation to the vulva, causing it to open up and expose the inner labial mucous membranes. These tissues are very porous and absorbent, allowing the herbs to infuse their benefits.

Steam (with or without herbs) is healing for the mucous membranes of the vulva, vaginal canal, cervix and your womb because it purges toxins through blood circulation and sweat. The herbs also provide the benefits of aromatherapy, PLUS the 10-30 minutes you spend steaming, you are relaxing and not ‘doing’ — which is very valuable self-care.

Yoni Steaming is about women taking back ownership of our personal health and our wombs and using our intuition, as well as herbs from the Earth, to support and nourish our overall well-being. This is also about trusting the wisdom of generations of women that have come before.

The practice of yoni steaming has been used across the world for centuries through culture and time. The ritual of yoni steaming, also known as pelvic steaming, v-steam, vaginal steaming, Peri-Steam Hydrotherapy, Chai-yok, or Bajos, amongst others, has been revered by midwives, herbalists, healers, shamans, medicine women and sisters from all walks of life. It is seen in almost every indigenous culture – African, Mayan, Greek, Native American, Cook Islands, Filipino, Japanese, and many other Asian countries have described the practice as Yoni Steam, V-Steams, Vaginal Steaming, Chai-yok, or Bajos. These cultures have used Yoni steaming as a routine ritual to honor and connect with their feminine energy.

This is the medicine of reconnection… to heal our bodies, connect with the earth and bring balance into our lives.

Sister, The Sacred Ritual of Yoni Steaming is now open for enrollment. If you’re curious about yoni steaming, let me be your guide to create a safe and effective steam plan. I would be honored to teach you, so you can pass this wisdom on to your daughters and your mothers. ❥