In my last blog post, I shared about my Full Moon practice of letting go of fears. I faced a fear that was holding me back (fear of failure), and overcame it so I could start this blog. Today, is the New Moon in Leo. It feels like a good time to share my personal practice of setting intentions, reflecting, journaling, and taking action according to the lunar cycle.
You do not have to believe in astrology or know anything about the zodiac signs to use this practice. All it takes is finding out when the New Moon and Full Moon is each month. This practice simply uses those dates as prompts to take action…to create a roadmap for your life, and a reminder to keep you following it when you stray.
According to this practice, the New Moon is when you set your intention for the next month. Think of it as a New Year’s Resolution, but just for one month at a time, not the whole year. This is useful for many reasons. First, setting an intention is different from a resolution. It’s not an outward declaration to do something. An intention is a deeply personal, positive goal. It can be as big or small as you want it to be, as long as it is constructive, specific, and realistic. For example, rather than “I’m going to lose 10 pounds,” an intention could be, “I will be more aware of what I eat.” Rather than “I will be top in sales in my company,” it could be “I will be present and focused in my work.”
New Moon intention-setting is also helpful because it is for a short amount of time…just thirty days. Setting a goal for a month is more achievable than setting one for a whole year. And since you set an intention each month, if you do not accomplish your intention during that month, you can set that very same intention for the next thirty days, and for as many months in a row as you need. I found this especially helpful since I would usually break my New Year’s Resolutions by February or March, and then would have nothing to work towards for the rest of the year.
I’ll dive a bit deeper into intention-setting next month, and will share about the Full Moon check-in on the next Full Moon in two weeks. For now, I invite you to set your own New Moon intention. Take a few moments to sit in silence or walk outside in nature. See what comes up for you when you think about what you need in your life. Then journal about what personal, positive intention you could set for this month.
*I am not a doctor or mental health professional. I personally love studying astrology, but I am in no way trained to lead others on that journey. Everything you read here is information I have collected from my yoga training, teaching, ongoing research, and personal experience. Please take what you need, and leave the rest behind.