What Makes New Moons So Magical?

It’s always wonderful when we get a hint of spring on St. Patrick’s Day here in New York City and this year was no exception.  As the late afternoon approached, people were shedding their heavy coats and enjoying the extra daylight with a walk in the park.  The energy all around felt free and light.

As I made my way around the lake in Central Park, a robin swooped out in front of me just as I turned a bend along the pathway.  I could feel the breeze from his wings as he flew upwards, landing on a tree branch, and posed as I took his picture.  I smiled knowing that the return of the robin is a definitive signal from mother earth that spring has arrived.

Robin wisdom is about shedding what no longer serves your highest good and planting the seeds of new intention as you commit to new patterns of relating to yourself and others. 

Each year the spring equinox marks the beginning of the astrological new year when the sun moves into the sign of Aries and this year it is followed by a new moon the next day to amplify the energies of this new cycle of growth. 

What makes new moons so magical? 

When the moon and the sun meet in the sky approximately every 29 days, the moon, which is usually the brightest object in the night sky, is no longer visible.  Helping to regulate the ebb and flow of water on the planet, it is a part of our daily rhythms whether or not we’re aware of its presence.  On the nights the moon goes dark, we can no longer see it, allowing the stars and planets that are further away from our view to be seen with more clarity.

The new moon is a moment each month when the archetypal energies of the higher realms can commune with your own inner realm just as an old cycle is ending and new one is beginning.

This is an opportunity to pause, meditate, and reflect while allowing a higher perspective to emerge and support the process of setting a clear intention with a sense of certainty that is more somatic and less intellectual.  It produces an inner knowing that infuses your whole being and not just your mind. 

Taking a pause during a new moon can help you recognize just how far you’ve come and what next steps, small as they may seem, can help you release what is no longer relevant to your own journey.

Sometimes it’s about setting small goals to help you feel safe in moving forward in your life.  Other times it’s about being ready to take a bigger leap of faith into the unknown.

The most lasting changes that can support your evolution are often an accumulation of the small steps you’ve taken along the way which eventually pave the way for you to take that next big stride forward. 

Understanding your level of readiness to both let go and move forward is important and the new moon is a beautiful time to find those answers within yourself, free from the patterns and expectations of your outer world. 

What new intentions and patterns are ready to come online in your life?

New moons are often used as a time to plant the seeds of intention that are supported by the cycles of nature and when these intentions are set with clarity and commitment, these moments can produce the feeling of magic in your life.

Clarity is the key here.

Clarity in what is genuinely possible.

Clarity in what feels good as you envision your intentions.

Clarity in the creative energies you are working with.

Clarity in how you are surrendering any attachment to the outcome and allowing synchronicity to play a role in the process.

The energies for the spring equinox and new moon are particularly potent this year.

For the first time in a few years there is a greater sense of freedom to plan as there is less turbulence impacting our daily lives. 

With this opening though, the question to ask is how you can do things differently than before and are you ready to make different choices?

What choices no longer align with your values?

What choices deplete your energy and are only made to please others?

What choices keep you self-connected and support your growth?

When deciding what intentions you are ready to set at the beginning of a new cycle, it’s great to know it in your mind, envision it, and even plan, but when you feel that resounding YES in your heart and a lightness in your body, then you know it’s an intention with some power behind it.

Intention setting is at its most powerful when it comes from a neutral space within, one that is not tethered to the outcome but instead seen as an adventure. 

Obstacles are no longer a reflection of your worthiness or victimhood but explored as tools for learning and growth; and disappointments turn into course corrections towards something even better than you could have imagined.

In turn, you become more open to the playfulness and magic of the synchronicities experienced along the way such as the robin that reminded me of the beautiful new beginnings that await us this spring.