Hi! New Moon rituals focus on the new beginnings you'll be embracing for the next month, until the Full Moon.

New Moon rituals are important because it can help you focus and pinpoint specific milestones you'd like to achieve, rather than a constant stream of continuous thoughts with no real purpose. I've been doing rituals for the last 4 or 5 months for full and new moons, and I've seen a big difference in where my life is heading. Maybe you will too.

It's a good idea to start the ritual with sageing your room (letting the smoke rise into all four corners), sageing yourself, and sageing your crystals and tarot cards (if you have any). This helps set the stage for the ritual, because sage helps to cleanse all negative energy. If there's enough negative energy, it can block your intentions, and make it harder to connect with self and higher consciousness.

For my intentions today, I did a bit of a lazy day ritual. I cleansed my crystals a few days ago so I don't think their harboring much negative energy. Instead of doing all of the normal preparation work, I simply saged my tarot cards, and then let the sage continue to burn in my room.

After sageing my cards, I did my tarot reading. To set intentions, you can either write out a list based on your own intuitive sense of what you need brought into your life, or you can do a tarot reading asking what you should be embracing. Since I always have a million things on my mind, I've found it's better for me personally to ask the tarot cards. That way, I don't end up overwhelmed, feeling like I have a million things I need to do, or macro and micromanaging all of them.

I normally choose 3 cards so I don't end up overwhelmed. For the this New Moon reading, I received Knight of Swords, Ace of Disks, and Prince of Disks.

Knight of Swords is a part of the Swords suit, normally rules physical, moral, or internal battles, courage, moral conflicts, action, sudden changes, and struggles.

Interpreting this card for myself this next month, I know that I'll need to be embracing the mental clarity I've been gaining through working on myself, and continuing to apply this to become conqueror within my life. The Knight is the equivalent of the King, which means that the possibility is there for me to really gain some ground with my depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc. I should be spending this time making commitments to grow internally, and refusing to give up even when it seems hard. I should take the time to plan ahead mentally for anything that may be triggering, and be ready to say "No" for the greater good of myself gaining my voice. This will be a time of trying very hard to stay on the right path. Minimal drinking, drugs, sex, and men.

Ace of Disks is a part of the Disks suit, which is ruled by physical and Earth-related matters, such as health, wealth, material possessions, manifestation, and material gain.

Since I received the Ace, which is the equivalent of 1, it means there will be immense new beginnings within this realm. This is a great time for regrouping mentally and financially and taking time to continue to delve into this new sense of self. Meditation, writing, "me time" (going to the beach, hiking, visiting parks, etc.) and listening to my inner voice as I get to know myself again. It also speaks to being gentle with myself, and understanding that mistakes will be made, because there's no "perfect" way to heal. It's important for me to embrace the new Kay, and love her unconditionally. Knowing that I'm not alone, and never have been.

Lastly, Prince of Disks is of the same suit as Ace of Disks. It rules the same matters.

Since this is the Prince instead of the 1st card of the suit, this would hypothetically mean that there will be a lot of long-term growth to be done during this month. Not only will there be a newness, but with hardwork and dedication, the mental health and self-dedication built within this time will not die out. I have to remember that it's important for me to continue putting in work, and understanding that what I reap will be satisfying, beneficial, and continuous. Protection will surround me.

After you do your tarot reading, or write your list, I recommend keeping it in a safe place, and then writing out a New Moon affirmations list. Put it somewhere you'll see it often (the bathroom mirror, your bedroom door, etc.) so that it's easy for you to read off of it regularly. Make it pertain to what your intentions are, so that your intentions will be reset everyday. This is my list for the New Moon:

After that you can either meditate on it, or be finished. Sometimes I feel that writing it out and thinking over the list is enough, but go with whatever intuitively speaks to you.

The next New Moon is Sept. 1 if you'd like to mark your calendar, and the next Full Moon is Sept. 16. Until then, namaste! Let me know if this was helpful and if you've tried anything like this before.