Dark moon introspection

What a month full of endings, realisations, growth and new possibilities.

As I sit here this dark moon with my altar lit, I am pondering the many change's that have occurred.

I’ve had my head in books studying the human brain and behaviour, preparing to take exams in the first week of June. Autumn netball competition has come to an end so I have a little more time to breathe.

Some things I’ve been working on have been based on personal and professional development. I set out this year to push past certain mindsets that held me in a place of comfort and stagnancy.

What I have found most liberating is finding the courage to be myself and not accepting the version of me that i have inadvertently allowed others to influence me into being. When I say influencing, I refer to the way I was raised, societal expectations, the values pushed on me and judgements made by others whether it was from parents, family, teachers, coaches and those I called friends.

It’s okay to live your dreams and go against the grain. Those who mind, don’t matter and those who matter, don’t mind. When you live in your truth, your vibe attracts your tribe.

Understanding the shadow

There comes a point in our lives where we enter the crossroads. Unsure of who we are, where we want to go and how we got here in the first place. Some of us may ask “Why do we put ourselves through this, why me? What did I do to deserve this? You feel stuck or seem to place yourself in situations that don’t serve your highest potential.

Well for starters, we want to be liked. We mould and shape ourselves to fit in line with everybody else or what we deem is “normal”. We can either be rigid, fixed & unbending or we can be flexible, adaptable and willing.

We want to make our parents proud, have solid friendships, date the guy, fall in love, be loved, Take part in the latest fads ect….

Sometimes we are blind to the nature of others because the relationships may hold an important aspect in our life.

When it is toxic though, it can have a larger impact on one’s life. For example, let’s look at a narcissistic relationship- A narcissistic parent.

We love our parents and want to make them proud, we want their approval so we work hard trying to impress them however, overtime we realise no amount of accomplishments are good enough. The narcissist will always find something you’re doing wrong or at fault with regardless of what you do. You learn to doubt your ability to achieve and accomplish success. Some may even go as far to gaslight you and you may question your own sanity.

Others may, compare you to siblings or other people’s kids to gain more control through guilt & shame, so you begin to think there’s something wrong with you. Narcissistic parents may have substance abuse issues and/or be violent. You essentially grow up in survival mode (fight, flight, freeze or fawn) sending your nervous system into chaos.

When you get older, you begin to realise the pattern and games of the narcissist. Having parents like this is often a prerequisite that can lead to a lifetime of bad relationships, a fragmented sense of self, addiction issues, superficial friendships and an inability to trust others. You may even repeat the same cycle. Why? Cause the people closest to you hurt you on such a deep level that you find it hard to believe there are good people out in the world and you lack self worth & confidence.

This is a prime example of how a shadow may have formulated and what may be the very trigger that leads to the crossroads of life.

The shadow and the dark moon

The dark moon when worked with can generate deep introspection and self-discovery. allowing one to seek their own personal truths, remove masks, unveil shadows and give them a name. The benefits of dark moon rituals are endless. We may struggle to move forward, create lasting change or lack understanding of why we behave and think in certain ways. The dark moon allows us to lighten the load, quite literally releasing some of those shadow concepts to make way for bringing in new intentions during the new moon. The dark/new moon cycle truly is a magical time in the month for those who want to focus on spiritual, physiological and psychological healing. Call the shadows by their name and release them, transmute this into light and set those intentions to greatness.

The magical month I had…

Continuing with my intentions for the year, I bring a little focus into every moon ritual that I do to boost my magical workings. Last dark moon I did a return to sender, banishing and a cord cutting to any negative energy that was impacting my ability to reach my full potential, this was in the form of roadblocks, people, places and things. The energy last dark moon was heavy and burdensome. I’m sitting here laughing right now cause it’s been 4 weeks and in that time there’s been some big changes. 1- my dad and I had a falling out over Aboriginal welcome to country debate and he over reacted making it into something it wasn’t. From this, I learnt that he doesn’t want me to be the person I am because it doesn’t tie into his version of me. He went home and blocked me on socials, which reinforced my initial thoughts.

2- from this, my mother has decided to move out of my house and get a place with my dad. Which will allow me to return to my original plans of creating my magical business space so I can take client appointments from home. I’ve had a lot of fun looking at dark cottage-core themes the past few days 😃💕

3- I had my first interaction with an owl, at the crossroads of all places. I knew instantly that Hekate had helped me unveil some truths and give me the reassurance that I’m on the right path. I hear her subtle “keep going” this dark moon.

What may have impacted me at one point in time has no bearing on my willingness to stay the path ahead.

When you work the lunar cycle and do spell work regularly you see the transformation happen before your very eyes. The hidden may be revealed, people with negative intentions will struggle to be in your protected sacred space, your situation will start to improve, you gain clarity, strength and inner wisdom. It’s a beautiful experience to live a life that is mine, where I can be me and left alone to enjoy the journey.

I am still available to take sessions via online zoom meetings. These can be booked directly through me on my Facebook page or on the website for those that may be interested in diving into some shadow work or person centred therapy. I won’t be undertaking in person sessions until I have my space set up. However, in case your unsure, of my experience in order to assist you, I have a diploma in community services with a decade of experience working in welfare and social work roles (domestic violence, youth, . child/adolesence, child protection clients, disability, emergency and crisis outreach) I’m currently attending university to attain my credentials in psychological science. I also have my certification in shadow work coaching.

Blessed dark/new moon everyone,

Until next time mystics 🧙🏼‍♀️💕

Leah