"A promise to control the tide is always a lie. The resolute moon is more persistent than the best of intentions."- Claudia Mauro

Happy 2018! we are starting the new year off with a full supermoon in the watery sign of Cancer. Cancer is associated with home, family, and yes of course, intense emotions. Cancer is also associated with the past and old patterns of behavior. We must do the work of releasing old wounds, grudges, or past hurts if we are to move beyond the feelings of isolation and fear that are two common feelings during this watery moon’s transit. Cancer in astrology is ruled by the Moon. With tonight’s Full Cancer moon we have the Mother in all her glory, sailing high in the heavens and asking us to call forth our personal power, and psychic awareness. With our Full moon falling on New Year’s Day nostalgia reigns supreme, and this can either feel excellent sharing with family and close friends or the most isolating and lonely. This is a time where we may need to examine the influence of Mother. Not just our physical (biological) Mothers, but the mother within, the nurturer, and the caretaker. Whom and what will she nourish? The Full Cancer Moon’s journey is all about moving from isolation and fear to a place of self- compassion and a deep knowing of where we belong.

Cancer Moon's are helpful, quiet, and domestic. This is the time to work magick around all matters to do with:

Family, children, Fertility
Nurturing the imagination
Dreams
Ancestors, and tradition
Working with the home
Ocean
Healing the stomach, breasts,or lymphatic system

Candle Color: White

Crystals: Rose Quartz = Unconditional love, healing, nurturing.

Essential oils of: Chamomile, Lavender, Rosemary

For many, New Year’s eve is symbolic for a time of new beginnings. Most of us have at some point made a “resolution” either to start exercising more, cutting off toxic relationships, or quitting bad habits like smoking cigarettes or consuming alcohol. However, come January’s end (I’m being generous here) and most of us have completely fallen off and are back to our usual routines. What happened? In order to truly break free of a habit we must be open and honest with ourselves that we’re fully committed to letting go. Much like the rituals of the New Moon, Creating a sacred New Years ritual can be plenty of fun.

You may wish to gather with a group of close friends, to create an intimate atmosphere where you'll all set your intentions for the New Year, or practice alone.

CREATING A NEW YEAR RITUAL:

Gather Sacred Supplies: Your altar is where you collect your sacred objects -- pictures, found objects and the like. Using herbs with healing or symbolic properties adds to your ritual. Stones and crystals are another powerful ally. Candles are magical, and in its form contains all four of the elements. A small journal on hand allows you to keep a record of your intentions.

Preparing for the Ritual: This is the most important part of ritual, since your commitment is the key. Take a ritual bath with sea salt to clear your field of any negative energies. Sage is an herb used to clear a space, and make it sacred for ritual.

Light the end of the sage wand and blow on it until there is a smoldering glow. Use it around your own body, and in the space of your ritual. Clear your mind with meditation, using music or just quieting down in your cleared, sacred area.

Grounding: This is something that's important anytime, for staying connected to earth energy. Signs that you're not grounded are mania, nervousness, racing thoughts and the like. Too often we forget to feel the earth under our feet. I've mentioned Starhawk's Grounding Meditation a few times on the site, and her tree grounding exercise is one of my own daily rituals. In a nutshell, it's visualizing the roots going down into the Earth, through the layers, into the core, and then drawing that energy back up through your feet again. It moves through each chakra, coming out the top and down around you. Try this or another variation of grounding before you set yourNew Year intentions.

Your New Year Wishes: After you've cleared a sacred space and settled your energy, you're ready to set your intentions. Make a list of what you'd like to draw into your life, and Dream Big! take a moment to conjure what seems out of reach, and creating the vision is the first step to making it a reality. But these are not just words on paper. As you write them down as intentions, you are committing to doing your part to make them real. Some call it co-creating, since you're opening to universal energies to set dreams in motion.

THE HOODWITCH'S NEW YEAR TAROT SPREAD

Each New Year's Eve/New Year's Day aside from deep cleaning my house and cooking certain foods to bring in prosperity and financial abundance, I enjoy doing a tarot spread for the year to come. Last year instead of doing my usual 12-13 card circle spread with each card representing a month I did this one. This is a very simple 5 card spread. Some people use a 6th card in the center as a Significator. However, what felt best for me was to simply use the 5.

1. THE EARTH CARD SHOWS YOU WHAT WILL BE EMPHASIZED FOR YOU IN TERMS OF PHYSICAL HEALTH AND FINANCIAL STABILITY IN 2018.

2. THE SPIRIT CARD REPRESENTS YOUR MAIN SPIRITUAL LESSON.

3. THE FIRE CARD SHOWS YOUR CREATIVITY, FERTILITY, WILLPOWER, COURAGE AND AMBITION. THIS CARD RELATES TO YOUR WORK/CALLING THEME FOR 2018.

4. THE AIR CARD HIGHLIGHTS PROBLEM SOLVING IN THE YEAR AHEAD. YOUR MAIN COMMUNICATION THEME/CHALLENGE FOR 2018CAN BE SEEN HERE.

5. THE WATER CARD REPRESENTS THE SPHERE OF EMOTIONS: YOUR MAIN RELATIONSHIP THEME/CHALLENGE FOR 2018 CAN BE FOUND HERE.

Remember, the beauty of tarot spreads is that there is no "right" or "wrong" way to do a spread or reading. Trust yourself and your intuition and open yourself to the wonderful messages/symbolism that the cards and your guides share with you to assist you on your journey in 2018. we all have the ability to change course and to create new opportunities that will serve our highest good.