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TU BISHVAT - MINOR JEWISH HOLIDAY HONORING TREES Sundown Tuesday, January 30 through sundown Wednesday, January 31
FULL MOON/ECLIPSE 11 DEGREES LEO Wednesday, January 31 5:26 a.m. PT/8:26 a.m. ET/1:26 p.m. GMT
Conjunct Ceres
Conjunct North Node
IMBOLC Thursday, February 1
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Between the full moon/eclipse, the Jewish holiday honoring trees Tu Bishvat, and Pagan holiday welcoming spring Imbolc...this week is ripe for ritual and ceremony! See suggestions down below:
Tu Bishvat :: A minor Jewish holiday, Tu Bishvat, celebrates the birth of fruit trees and in the past was used to help farmers know when to plant. Modern-day Jews often honor the day by planting trees or bringing focus to contemporary ecological issues.
Full Moon/Eclipse :: It came and went while I was in deep self-care mode and decided not to force myself to write newsletter content.;) This full moon/eclipse was not technically a blue moon as the idea of two moons in one month was about the same sign, not the same Gregorian calendar month, which came after the idea of Blue. (Though more info on that some other time.) This moon was however exactly conjunct Ceres, the first asteroid discovered (150 years before Pluto) and one of my personal favorites. Ceres energy recognizes the paradox roles we inhabit as both our own parent and child. It also teaches us where we easily provide nurturance, love, and care to ourselves and others. It often unveils our deepest needs and reinforces our self-care priorities.
Imbolc :: Imbolc has two possible etymological translations as Celtic "imbolg" for "in the belly" or "ewe's milk." At its core the Pagan holiday is a clearing and cleansing in preparation for spring. As with most Earth-based holidays, Christianity adapted it to its own and instead has Candlemas with candles lit paying homage to the fertility and purification of Virgin Mary and her guiding light.
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RITUAL IDEAS: * Create an altar focused on symbols of spring and renewal...don't forget a candle, fruit, and flowers! * Plant flowers or trees or purchase them for decorating the home * Spend time outside or go on a walk looking for new blooms or signs of spring * Get Kabbalahistic by drinking four cups of wine or other colored juices/liquids such as: white wine or grape juice (to symbolize winter), white with some red (a harbinger of the coming of spring); red with some white (early spring) and finally all red (spring and summer). * Pull oracle or tarot cards for a spread representing how to prepare for spring * Do a good ol' fashioned spring cleaning of closets and living spaces * Or my fav...set an intention of how you want to feel and create your own!
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: * What is my relationship to my inner child? * How do I relate to my inner parent as mother or father? * What is wanting to be purified, cleansed, or renewed in my psyche or my body? *How do I honor the fruits of my labor? Or alternatively, what is ready for me pick now or focus on that wasn't ripe before?