To get to grips with the energy of the new moon cycle, birthed on the 1st December 2024, visualise the embers of a fire. The embers are the hottest part of a fire; strong and established. This fire is the one we need to keep us warm and positive on long nights, the fire of winter gatherings. As we sit around the fire, what stories will we hear and tell? The embers are the fire of magic, of smiths and cooks, the fire that can be worked with to make something that cannot be made in any other way. The fire of alchemy.

Halloween, the American holiday celebrating ghouls and monsters, takes inspiration from both the Mexican festival, “Day of the Dead”, the Catholic “All Saints Day” and “All Soul’s Day”, and the ancient British (and European) event known as Samhain. All these events share the same date and similar themes, revolving around honouring the cycles of life and death and celebrating and giving gratitude to the ancestors.

The Autumn Equinox brings the active phase of the year, born at the Spring Equinox, to a close. Whereas the warmer months are the time of doing, the winter months are the time of introspection, processing and planning. Following a path which is aligned with the energies of our more-than-human world, the first part of winter invites us to go deep into our psyche to process our inner world. This is what we are heading into now.

The new moon in September occurs at one of the most important periods of the year for all beings living on the land in the northern hemisphere, as the time marking the change from Summer to Autumn. Yet, knowledge of any specific rituals or celebrations marked by our ancestors hasn’t been passed down to us.

The celebration of Lammas, typically marked on August 1st, is an English Christian festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. However, the celebration has a much older heritage within the islands of Britain…

These blog pages, focused on the energies of the new moon, are designed to help people attending the Wheel of the Year online group, alongside anyone wanting to engage with shifting, cyclical energies month-to-month. Designed to be worked with for at least a full yearly cycle, they are primarily suitable for people living within the Northern hemisphere, and the U.K. in particular, as that is where I am based.  The energy of a new moon is a time of new beginnings, a time to set intentions and plant seeds for the coming month. This month we focus on mid-summer and the energy of the astrological signs of Cancer and Capricorn, two strong action makers with themes revolving around home and family, protection, career, finance and the outer manifestation of success. Perhaps hoping to utilise these energies, the U.K. government has called a general election to take place the day before the new moon. These are interesting times.

Over the past week, I have been feeling the rise of energy that signals the approaching Summer Solstice. The extended hours of light that bring spaciousness to our days and the sometimes burning heat of the sun which warms and ignites our bodies, helping us to feel energised.  It’s a time of abundance in nature and we can, perhaps, feel that within ourselves, within our animal bodies.

Whilst Samhain has been commercialised, it’s opposite celebration Beltane, largely remains a more localised affair throughout Britain, with Morris Dancers and elaborate processions of people dressed in red and white gathering amongst characters such as the Green Man and the May Day Queen. Dancing around the Maypole is still a widespread village custom and the bank holiday at the beginning of May honours these older traditions. But what do we know of the roots of Beltane and does the celebration really derive from the time in prehistoric Britain when the people we know as Celts lived on the land? I will leave discussion around what we know of the Celts for another day as it’s possible that Beltane has earlier origins.

Yesterday a friend remarked that we are a quarter of the way through 2024… there was an intensity, an urgency behind this. But urgency for what? That is the question for this moon cycle.

Bringing awareness to the passage of the moon and sun helps bring our awareness to the energies which influence the Earth, in turn which move within us very deeply, as we are Earth’s children. This month will see the Spring Equinox, that time of balance in the year when the day and night are of equal length. Living near the coast, I am reminded that the Spring Equinox has a strong impact on the sea, especially at the new and full moons.

The beginning of Spring, or the great awakening in the land, has begun. As daylight lengthens and the land begins to warm with the sun, though we might remain cocooned within our wintry nests, we can feel the rising energy of new life within the Earth.  Hazel trees have started flowering, their catkins full of pollen, whilst snowdrops, primroses and early daffodils begin to send up new shoots. Many creatures are shaking off winter and becoming active. Robins, blue tits and blackbirds are already heralding in the dawn and for some, like the long-tailed tit, the breeding season has begun. So too mammals like the fox and grey squirrel and in many areas the mating calls of the common frog can be heard around ponds at night in February.

Have you noticed, particularly on social media, that in January there is a proliferation of people advertising their work and putting out new content as soon as the New Year starts? When many of us are in bed and recovering from the intensity of Christmas and hopefully slowly unfurling from some degree of holiday. What is that about?

The energy of a new moon is a time of new beginnings, a time to set intentions and plant seeds for the coming month. We can discern the specific energy of each moon cycle with a variety of tools - the energy of the season, following the wheel of the year around the sun, diving into the wisdom of our ancestors, those who lived closer to the Earth, and an awareness of astrology, forming part of that wisdom.

This month we are focusing on the Winter Solstice and the energy of Sagittarius. The themes are of expansive dreaming and winter hibernation.

For many years I have been gathering groups of people together at the new moon each month, to dive into the natural rhythms of the time and to journey into the spirit realms to work on the various themes of the month.

For many years I have meditated on the energies of the time prior to the monthly group and captured little nuggets of this to aid the work within the group. These monthly blog pages are the results of my meditations, written down in a more public format for the first time. They are designed to be worked with for at least a full yearly cycle and they are primarily suitable for people living within the Northern hemisphere, as that is where I am based. I hope that working with these meditations helps you to align your life within the natural world and helps you to reconnect. If you would like to join the monthly group, you will find information on how to do so within the website under “groups” or send me an email.

This month we are focusing on both Samhain and the energies of Scorpio, which are interlinked. The themes are of death and shadow work