Decide: New Moon in Libra
A guide to nurture your creativity in harmony with the seasons
Welcome. Creative Contemplation is our monthly practice of connecting to the energy of the seasons to nurture our creativity. Each new moon letter includes creative prompts, a tarot reading, a special playlist, and a vision board to help guide your path.
If you haven’t already, download the accompanying journal with our monthly new moon themes, affirmations, and creative prompts for free here.
Hello.
I can feel the physical changes in the air- a crispness to the mornings and a shortening of daylight. Leaves scattering the sidewalk, my body longing for more moisture– a thick, nourishing lotion and sweet-scented chapstick. We’ve just turned on the heat and I feel myself sinking into autumn with relief and permission to soften.
Welcome to the heart of Libra season (September 23- October 23rd). My father was a Libra and my moon is in Libra, so I have a fondness for this energy. The New Moon on October 14th is also a solar eclipse which is fitting for this sign, a juxtaposition between the darkness of a sky without moonlight and the bright glow of the sun.
Eclipses are known to be times of quickening, forward motion and radical change. One of the character traits of Libra can be to hesitate, weighing choices and collecting data ad infinitum. This is not the time to deliberate.
Building on our theme of Clarity form last month’s New Moon in Virgo, we’re being called to take action. Our theme for this month is Decide.
Our affirmation is, “I make decisions with confidence, taking a risk to put myself first.”
Libra symbolizes the scales of justice and the yin/yang energy of life. This season is often described as a time of balance but I’ve come to see it differently.
I don’t know about you, but to me, the concept of balance (ie: work/life balance, trying to balance motherhood and our creativity, etc.) isn’t layered enough. It doesn’t speak to the actual tension of holding opposites, the capacity we need to inhabit both/and as we move through the world.
I struggle not to see tension as a negative thing- my shoulders hunched up near my ears, a tired muscle fatigue I can’t seem to release. But I think there’s a softer approach. I wrote this short poem years ago, and I think it offers a clue.
The Stringed Instrument Sings
"The stringed instrument sings, a finely tuned thing The tightrope sways, the music plays Tension holds the weight of our greatest fate Too tight and we snap, too loose and we lapse The pegs of the violin are worth mentioning"
Can holding tension be beautiful? Can it be what we need to sing our own precious note in the symphony of life?
The older I get, the more I see Libra as an opportunity to find harmony. Moving beyond the black and white of the mind, we enter a middle space that’s capable of nuance and complexity.
And, because it can be disconcerting and uncomfortable to practice this way of being, of seeing the world beyond duality, this is a season of creature comforts. Security. Family. Hygge, if you will.
What helps us feel safe enough to venture beyond our comfort zone?
How can we soothe our nervous systems while performing the delicate dance of self and other? Hope and despair? Beauty and terror?
I had the honor of discussing these themes during a lovely conversation with
from . We spoke about how we make decisions, taking risks, learning to trust our bodies, and the importance of bringing a sense of presence and care to ourselves and each other.It was a conversation that answered some questions and left room for more.
I will be sharing the full recording this Saturday, October 14th, just in time for the new moon. I highly recommend checking out her newsletter,
a beautiful expression of Renee’s pilgrimage through North America, captured in probing reflections and stunning imagery.
Libra is a cardinal air sign which means it is always looking for new ways of perception. It’s on the leading edge of thought, with room for exploration. It’s capable of using logic and intuition together to make decisions.
Ruled by Venus, it’s capable of moving beyond what’s known into mystery with a sense of curiosity, wonder, and pleasure.
Moving beyond our static understanding of balance into a state of homeostasis, how can we trust our bodies, our community, and our minds to take risks and make decisions in the face of uncertainty? How can we soften our sense of right and wrong while living on a planet governed by opposites? What “all of the above” boxes do we need to check in our own life, liberating us from the shoulds and what ifs?
Tarot Reading
The cards that came to me for the New Moon in Libra and the Eclipse are The Two of Swords, The Hanged Man, and The Fool.
The Two of Swords is about an internal crossroads. The mind stuck in “either/or” thinking. There are two paths of equal choosing and an inability to move forward.
In the traditional deck, the woman in the Two of Swords is blindfolded, an invitation to see beyond what our eyes can perceive and turn inward for more information. Tap into your intuition and open yourself to more possibilities. If neither choice feels right, perhaps there’s a third or fourth option available. This card warns us not to give our power to external situations or to feel trapped by what we believe is out of our control.
The Hanged Man is an intentional flipping of the coin. A chosen pause to turn your world on its head and put yourself in a different mental space. It’s the willingness to find alignment within before moving forward on your path. The wisdom to allow the energetic elements of your life to find their right place before forcing an outcome or situation that may end up being the opposite of what you really wanted.
The Fool is a callback to the Aries Full Moon we had at the beginning of the month and a willingness to courageously step into the unknown. The Fool is a way of being, a letting go of our past experiences and what we know with our mind to embrace the adventure of a new beginning. The Fool doesn’t need to have all the answers, it knows sometimes the questions are more valuable.
What questions can you carry with you as you decide to take a risk and move boldly toward your own becoming?
Creative Inspiration
Alan Watts is one of my favorite humans. His philosophical perspective on Eastern ways of thought and being gives my nervous system so much relief. Also, when he laughs it is the most joyful gurgle of life I’ve ever heard.
This is one of my favorite short videos with his take on how we make decisions.
“You do not know where your decisions come from. They pop up like hiccups. And people have a great deal of anxiety about making decisions. Did I think this over long enough? Did I take enough data into consideration? And if you think it through, you find you never could take enough data into consideration. The data for a decision for any given situation is infinite.”
-Alan Watts
Speaking of choirs and singing in harmony with others, the Swedish film, “As It Is in Heaven,” is a beautiful depiction of the tension between self and community and what can happen when we surrender to the beautiful music of the whole. I watched it once ten years ago while staying with a Dutch couple in the French countryside and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
For more chorale love, this video of strangers singing “Somewhere Only We Know” together is lovely. Check out the whole channel for more breathtaking songs sung by these “pop-up” choirs.
Playlist
Soulful. Sultry. Light a candle and slow down with these tunes. If a song comes to mind you’d like to share, add it to the list so we can enjoy it together!
Vision Board
Here’s a sneak peek of the Libra vision board. If you’d like to add your own pins for inspiration, use this link. Let’s see what we can envision, together!
Creative prompts
What is comfort food for you?
What elements do you crave to feel cozy in your environment or at work?
How can you reimagine an area of tension as a necessary tool to fine-tune your life?
Is there a local choir you can join or watch perform?
New Moon Blessing
May you surround yourself with the flickering light of a warm candle and let your gaze soften into the beyond. May your heart inhabit a rhythm that nourishes your soul, may your breath be the foundation for which you move forward, the air beneath your wings.
May you question simplistic thinking and established roles- within your family, your organization, and yourself. Make room for change and evolution. Ask yourself if the Villain must always remain so. Is there another story that could be told? A different angle from which to perceive?
Guard your own truth loosely, with open palms and curiosity. Go forth with compassion for yourself and others. Keep the fire of your heart light burning and the orange flame of the hearth steady. You never know who may be passing by, in need of your radiance.
All my love,
Mariah
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Mariah,
I look forward to sharing the video of our time together. And how could I have imagined that you are such a fan of Alan Watts (and Rilke, per my post)?!
These creative contemplations are rich, deepening, and beautiful. Thank you.
Wow! So much goodness here, thank you! The tarot reading was immensely helpful for me as I get ready for the eclipse tomorrow. And an upcoming video with Renee Eli?! I can't wait for that!!