**Winter Solstice**

Letting In The Light That Helps Things Grow
12.21.22

Hi friends,

The end of the calendar year is upon us and with it comes a beautiful turning point in the seasonal calendar - Winter Solstice (well, on the Northern Hemisphere, and Summer Solstice for those on the Southern Hemisphere).

Winter Solstice is the day with the shortest hours of daylight and longest hours of night. Yet this day also marks the turning point when the light begins to grow again. Since the Summer Solstice, daylight hours have been diminishing, and now with Winter Solstice, we honor the return of the growth of light. Is it any wonder there are many holidays that honor lights this time of year?!

(Happy Holidays everyone! Happy Chanukah! Merry Christmas! Happy Kwanzaa!)

With Winter Solstice we honor rest as an integral part of our creative experience here on Earth. As we (hopefully) allow ourselves more downtime to rest, relax, hang out, cook (or just eat) warming meals, and maybe even nest a little, we ready the soil of our psyche and germinate the seeds of our next creations. (Oh friends, I am currently so excited about something I’m currently germinating for you in for early 2023!)

Winter Solstice is a beautiful day for connection, rest and manifestation work in the sense of getting clear on what you truly want from your soul’s perspective and releasing what is no longer needed. A great practice for this is to journal on what you want and to cross out anything that doesn’t make your heart feel open and expansive when you look and think about it. This is also great prep work for the powerful Capricorn New Moon two days later (more on that below).

journal prompts for winter solstice

What do you currently want to release from your life?
What do you want to grow?
Can you tell the difference between your soul’s desires and your ego’s desires?
How can you bring more rest into your daily practices?
Where in your life do you currently need to shine more light?

One of my favorite things to do on Winter Solstice is to go for a walk with my kids and find Nature items that remind us of Winter, and then make a Winter Altar with them. We arrange them around our family altar space and make sure we have items that represent all four elements, plus Spirit. I let my kids have fun decorating with our found items, along with crystals and stones we use often on this altar space. (To learn more about creating an altar check out pg. 15 in my new book Everyday Plant Magic!)

super new moon capricorn

Connecting With Your Greater Vision
12.23.22

You may want to set your intentions before New Years this year, because this New Moon in Capricorn is a powerful one for harnessing and manifesting your dreams!

Capricorn is the Boss sign of the Zodiac. Grounded yet driven, Capricorn is motivated by success, autonomy and discipline. Capricorn is also pragmatic and fair, often investing deeply in issues around social justice and equity.

With this lunation, the Moon isn’t the only one traveling through Capricorn. The Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus and Pluto are all hanging in the Capricorn vibes, The Sun represents the way we show up in this world, and the conscious self, while the Moon represents our emotional and subconscious self. Mercury influences our communication, transportation and technologies. Venus is the planet that most greatly influences our sense of values, love, safety and security. Last, but never least, Pluto represents transformative change, our shadow, along with our ability to alchemize our pain into purpose. With this stellium of energy all in Capricorn we are feeling energized again to live our values, speak our truth and share ourselves, vulnerabilities and all.

Along with all these planets in Capricorn, we also have even more expansive energy around us this new Moon, thanks to the planet of Jupiter (planet of expansion, luck, opportunity, possibilities, etc.) who moved into the action sign of Aries on 12.20.22. This energy will also enhance any conscious (or unconscious) manifestation work we do around this new Moon. (And if you are looking for some manifestation new Moon rituals, look no further than on pg. 151 in Everyday Plant Magic!)

When I connected with the Moon’s energy for this particular lunation, I first felt a huge activation in my Third Eye chakra. I then heard, “What’s your greater vision?” and then, “Ask and you shall receive.” I took this to mean that this Capricorn New Moon is a potent time for clarifying, holding the vision of attaining, and then asking for your Soul’s truest desires.

So if you know what it is that you want to create, build, manifest, or attain in 2023, this New Moon is a beautiful time to set those intentions and start to work your co-creative magic with the Universe. And if you don’t yet have that clarity around what you want to co-create, then this Moon is an opportune moment to ask the Universe for the guidance you need to connect back with your Soul-led desires.

(Read on below for a ritual that will help you connect with this Universal guidance and the magic awaiting you in 2023!)

journal prompts capricorn new moon

How do you want 2023 to look and feel?
What do you want to co-create and how do you want this creation to feel?
How does this co-creation align with your soul’s desires?

Super new moon in capricorn ritual

**What’s Your word for 2023?**

Super New Moon Capricorn Ritual:

Your Energy Word for 2023

what You’ll Need:

your journal
a way to play your favorite dance song
a candle
optional: incense or diffusing essential oils for clearing and setting the scene, and background sound frequencies

what you’ll do:

Set the Scene:
Clear your space, gather your items, and light your incense or diffuse your essential oils should you choose to. Set up a comfortable spot for meditation and journaling, and pour yourself a cup of tea or cup of water should you desire. When your space feels ready, light your candle and state your intention to connect with the energetic word that wants to align with you in 2023 for the happiest and greatest good.
You can say something like:
“Creator, Mother Earth, Guides, Angels, Ancestors, Helpers and Higher Self, thank you for your presence, your guidance and your unconditional love. Please help me connect with the energy that I most want to embody in 2023 for the happiest and greatest good. With gratitude and full faith, Amen.”
Get into your Body
Put on one of your favorite songs and let your body shake, sway and dance to the music in any way that feels opening and fluid for you. Continue for another song if it feels good, or if you are still feeling like you are too much in your head.
Ask and you shall Receive
*Get comfortable either seated or laying down. Feel your energetic roots connect in with Mother Earth and your energetic branches (from the crown chakra) begin to to receive energy from the Cosmos. Breathe deeply and slowly, as you inhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4 and then hold again for 4. Continue this breath pattern for about 4-7 rounds of breath (or until you feel centered and calm in your body and breath).
*Place your hands over your heart and allow yourself to feel a deep sense of acceptance and gratitude for your life right here and now. Then allow that feeling to expand into excitement for the unknown of what 2023 might bring.
*Then place your hands on your sacral chakra, just below your belly button, as you breathe deeply into your diaphgram, feeling your lower abdomen rise with every inhale and fall with every exhale. Ask your sacral, the seat of your most authentic emotions, to share with you the magical word you are calling in for 2023. In your mind, ask your sacral: “Please share with me the magical embodiment word that is in my happiest and greatest good for 2023.”
*Now focus on your breath, and keep your attention in your hands and your sacral as you begin to take note of any intuitive guidance you may be receiving.
Is there a color behind your closed eyes?
Is there a part of your body that is calling your attention?
Did a song just pop into your heard, and is it repeating any specific words or phrases?
Did you just hear or see a word in your head?
*Write down in your journal anything you sensed or perceived in this meditative space.
*When you feel clear on your energy word for 2023 write it big in your Journal! Then underneath your magical word, list out some ways you can align with, and bring more of that word into your life in 2023.
*To add some extra magical oomph to this practice, you can choose to Vision Board your magical word, or you can take you journal entry and bury it out in your garden somewhere to symbolize it being a seed that is planted (be sure to take a photo of your journal entry first!).

Happy New Moon in Capricorn friends!

May the increasing light shine bright upon you and may you always feel the light that comes from only within you.

with infinite appreciation,

Rachael

do you want to help?

Let’s never forget how much power we the people hold when we come together to support and uplift each other. We the people can and do make a difference and here are some simple ways how.

Here are some great places to get involved with or support:
**Environmental Protection**
**Reproductive Rights**
**Human Rights/Anti-racism Justice**
**Gun Reform**
**LGBTQIA+ Equality**

If you enjoy learning about working with the Moon’s energies, please subscribe to my monthly New and Full Moon Moonletters, by entering your information at the bottom of this page. Thank you!

Winter Solstice & Super New Moon Capricorn