6 Journaling Prompts to Embrace the Potential of the New Moon
This article originally appeared on Yoga Journal
Under a new Moon, the sky is dark as the Moon sits between the Earth and the sun and is cast into shadow. From our perspective, she is no longer visible during this phase of the cycle. The night sky seems empty, void, and silent. There is only darkness. It is in this darkness that we are invited to begin again.
If you've explored astrology or the cycles of the Moon, you're probably aware that the new Moon is known as the most powerful and aligned time of the lunar cycle to set your intentions. It's curious that we aren’t drawn to look to the Moon and make a wish when she is in her fullest visibility and power. Instead, we look to the Moon for guidance as she strips herself bare in order to begin again. The new Moon reminds us that we must empty our hands before we can hold anything more. We must quiet our mind for a new idea to emerge. We must shed what is not ours to receive what is.
What exactly does the new Moon show us?
The beauty of astrology is that when we witness the stars and planets, we witness ourselves. We behold cosmic movement so that we may see ourselves and our internal movements. We perceive the Moon, the stars, and the planets as mirrors to our inner world.
If the full Moon illuminates all of ourselves and all that isn't ours to carry any longer, the new Moon is where we meet what is underneath all of that. It's as if we take off all the layers--the masks, the expectations, the conditioning, the pressures--and we are left with ourselves. What remains is the truth of who we are. Nothing else.
The new Moon is a beautiful opportunity to mimic the quietness and stillness of the night sky, and the mystery that comes in the darkness. It is an opportunity to hear our own truth without all the extra noise. During this time, it can be incredibly powerful to engage in practices such as yoga, breathwork, or even sitting with yourself and curiously witnessing where your inner guidance leads you before allowing your truest self to express itself in journaling.
Nothing in nature remains the same. Not the Moon as she waxes and wanes, or the Earth through her seasons. Not the waves as they continuously move in and out. And not us as we beautifully age, mature, and move through what can feel like multiple lifetimes in one. We are cyclical beings, and it is our nature to shift, evolve, transform, shed, release, bloom, and become over and over and over again.
Often, we hold onto ways of being, circumstances, relationships, practices, jobs, or more out of fear of becoming the emptiness that the new Moon embodies so effortlessly. But it is here that we are reminded that where there is emptiness there is spaciousness, and where there is spaciousness there is potential. Where there is potential there are new beginnings that reflect the you that is continually evolving. You are no longer tied to old ways of being or held in a box where you no longer fit.
Let the new Moon remind you that you are under no obligation to remain the same. You can let go of what has expired and say yes to something new. The new Moon invites us to dream, vision, and dare to step into what we desire and where our hearts are guiding us. It invites us to let our desires be the roadmap that guides us forward. It encourages us to strip away any complexity and voices other than our own and return to the simple truth that we deserve happiness, beauty, fulfillment and deep, deep, love.
Journal prompts to explore under a new Moon
How do you hear the voice of your intuition? Journaling can help you connect with the voice within. Here are some journal prompts that might help your inner guidance emerge.
Looking back at a time in my life, was there a moment or chapter where it felt like everything was falling apart? What was this?
Was there any new chapter, idea, or way of being, that was born during or after this falling apart? What began?
If I held no expectations, if there were no barriers, if life could simply be that good, what would this new chapter initiate for me?
If I held no expectations, if there were no barriers, if it could simply be that good, what steps would I take?
If I could make decisions and take steps purely based on excitement, fun, and joy, what would I begin?
The New Moon brings a quietness that allows our inner voice to be heard. If my intuition was whispering something, what would it be saying?
About our contributor
Jordane Maree is the founder of Girl and Her Moon, a platform and community exploring Soul through the lens of astrology, tarot, and energy healing. She is a writer, intuitive astrologer, energy and soul guide, and many other labels that could never fully grasp the magic, passion, and desire she has to serve.
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