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Full Moon in Libra: Aphrodite's Holy Water

4/17/2019

As connected as I am to the moon, I honestly don't always celebrate each and every new and full moon. It depends on how busy things are and how connected I feel to the sign the moon is in.

But this Full Moon in Libra is one that I'm really looking forward to, and I wanted to share a ritual that I will be doing, in case it calls to you too. It was inspired by Danielle Blackwood in her book The Twelve Faces of the Goddess. The moon will be full at 4:12 am (PST) on Friday, April 19, so I plan to do the ritual the evening before.

Libra is ruled by Venus, also known as Aphrodite, and this ritual is meant to purify and regenerate our relationship with our bodies and sensual selves. The intention is to deepen into self-love by releasing any body shame so that we can fully step into the most confident version of ourselves.

There are two parts to this: the creation of the bath salts, and the ritual bath.

Part One: Aphrodite's Bath Salts

Gather the following ingredients:

2 cups sea salt (or epsom salt)
3 tablespoons baking soda
Handful of dried rose petals
10 drops rose essential oil
4 drops ylang ylang essential oil
2 drops jasmine essential oil
Mason jar
Small rose quartz crystal

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, visualizing Aphrodite and her qualities as you create the mixture. Ask for your specific intention related to this ritual (increased self-love, body confidence, releasing sexual trauma, opening to pleasure, etc.) Transfer the mixture to the mason jar and add the rose quartz crystal. Place the jar outside or on the window sill tonight or tomorrow night to capture the energy of the Full Moon in Libra.

I created mine this morning - look how pretty!

Part Two: Ritual Bath
You will prepare sacred space in your bathroom and use the bath salts to create a ritual bath to connect with Aphrodite and ask for her assistance in aligning with your intention.

Before beginning, cleanse the space (clean the tub if necessary, remove clutter, etc.) and use sage to energetically clear the room.

(Note on sage - I prefer to open the windows when I burn sage in order for the smoke to leave, as I envision the smoke carrying away any negative energies.)

Put on some music that will put you into a light trance (I like drumming for this - here's a good one to use, or just search for trance drumming on YouTube.)

When the room feels good to you, set up a small altar to Aphrodite. Items can include the colors of pink and green, roses, seashells, rose quartz, chocolate, red wine, images of Venus/Aphrodite, etc. (Don't feel like you have to use all of these items - it doesn't have to be huge.) Also place your bath salts here along with a candle.

Turn off the lights and light the candle. Begin filling up the tub with warm water. Allow yourself to connect to the music and get into a light trance through movement or swaying.

Take a moment to connect with your intention, whatever it was that you defined when creating your bath salts.

Identify anything that is getting in the way of that intention, whether it be limiting beliefs, old family/cultural conditioning, specific experiences, etc. Don't overthink it, just identify what comes to mind first. Speak aloud your intention to release these barriers: "I now release ____________________________________." Feel them energetically being lifted from you.

Take the bath salts and pour them into the tub. Enter into the water with the intention of being purified and cleansed of anything that no longer serves you. Align with the energy of Aphrodite and embody full self-love, enjoying the sensual pleasure of the bath: the feel of the water on your skin, the beautiful smells, the relaxation and music.

When you feel complete, give thanks to the goddess and empty the tub. Turn off the music and allow yourself to come back to the present moment. Dry yourself off, feeling beautiful and confident. Put on a bathrobe or clothes that feel really good on your skin. Look at yourself in the mirror with pure self-love and adoration.

I hope you enjoy this ritual! Let me know if you end up using it, I'd love to hear. You're also free to skip the ritual and just create the bath salts for use whenever you like, they are very beautiful.

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She Who is Whole Unto Herself: A Reclamation of the Virgo/Priestess Archetype

3/27/2018

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As a Virgo sun, knowing that this archetype is associated with the Virgin, I wanted to know more about the connection. I searched for more information, but there wasn't much I could find. Most Virgo descriptions of sexuality painted the Virgo woman as being ultra-feminine and perhaps a bit restrained in her expression of pleasure, but I couldn't find much more.

It wasn't until years later when working with some powerful women that I uncovered the connection, and it wasn't what I expected.

Amanda Garcia Yates taught me that the Virgos were the priestesses. I found that fascinating and part of me was in disbelief - because I had been led to believe a much different picture of Virgo - but we didn't get too deep into it at that time.

Shortly after, when Tami Brunk read my birth chart, she took me deep with this concept, and I will share her teachings here. I am blending what I learned from her with my own research on this topic.

Let's look at the true history of the word "virgin" - and how it ties into the true meaning of the Virgo archetype.

The original defintion of Virgin means:

she who is whole unto herself.
unattached.
free, unconstrained, self-sufficient, un-owned by a man.
whole, complete, and grounded in her femininity.
the place within us that cannot be shared with anyone else.
she who is independent from the views of others when defining herself.
she who never defines herself only as somebody's other (wife, mother, etc.)

Note how different these definitions make you feel vs. the later definition of a virgin as someone who has not yet had sex. It is so interesting to see how words evolve and change over time! And while these statements have extra special meaning for women, they can apply to men too.

Historically, Virgins (Virgos) were the Priestesses in charge of the ceremonies. This is what the Virgo archetype was modeled after. Tami Brunk shared this with me as she read my chart:

Virgo has an incorrect reputation in classic descriptions as cold, controlling, and nitpicky. (Some zodiac signs have been disrespected, violated, forgotten, or purposely misinterpreted by the patriarchy - and you can see why when learning about the original definition of virgin as described above.)
Virgos want to be of service, they have deep care and concern for the earth. As Priestesses, they had to take great, impeccable care with these sacred rites that were so critically important. They could not make mistakes - they needed to know what they were doing to be in full alignment with the sacred - this is the deep dedication, precision, and focus associated with Virgo. This was such a huge revelation for me and it was the first time I really understood the connection between the word "virgin" and Virgos.
Virgos have a need to be introverted, to go inside themselves and experience deep connection to their higher self/the divine.
The Virgo energy is earthy and feminine. It is an involutionary path - which means bringing the energy of the divine down into the earthly realm (vs. focusing on ascension). This means going deeper into the experience of what it means to be human, in a body, what it means to bring spirit into this physical world.
- Pisces is also a feminine (water) sign and also involutionary. The purpose of bringing spirit into matter for Pisces is to bring unconditional love/Christ/Kuan Yin energy into the world.
- The purpose of bringing spirit into matter for Virgo is to make it holy again, to consecrate it - the Virgo priestess created sacred containers where we would begin to remember that everything around us is divine, sentient, and awake (the “animist that lives inside of us.”)
Virgo understands the deeper patterning of creation. She sees the web of creation and how it works. She can pull the tiniest thread to make things interconnected, alive, and synergistic.
Virgos bring a grounded feminine energy that is impersonal (the Priestess robe of protection, to have that inner temple inside that one can access, embracing one's sovereignty).
Virgo has the deepest connection to the Divine Sovereign Feminine (“she who is whole unto herself”) - she may choose to be a mother, lover, etc. but does it out of full choice rather than needing to feel complete. She is so deeply dedicated to her spiritual path that the other identities are not usually the primary focus, or at least not the ones that nurture her most deeply.
This Virgo aspect is sovereign. "I know who I am, and have deep self-love. I am a goddess, I am connected to the divine feminine."
The challenge for Virgos is that since the Priestesses were wiped out deliberately by the patriarchy, Virgos have not been able to find outlets for their skills, so the energy has become secular. They may be workaholics and channel that energy into a corporation/organization, or fix what they see is broken around them on a more mundane level.
They miss their connection with Gaia/Mother Earth when they do this. Virgos need to feel like they are bringing the world around them in congruence with the earth, and feel their spiritual roots connected into the earth.
Some Virgos throw themselves into motherhood or being an excellent wife because they want to be of service in a humble way, but then a part of her longs for that deep inner space of being connected to her sacred work.
The Virgo/Priestess mantra: "Tuned into earth wisdom, I am here to speak for Mother Earth."

Let's return to the phrase "she who is whole unto herself" - which struck me straight in the heart. Like, something I literally need to tattoo onto myself.

Why is it important to be "whole unto yourself"??? I think you probably have an idea why...

These reflections are for those of us who easily lose ourselves in others. For the empaths, the romantics, the givers, the helpers, the healers, and so on:

1) In relationships where you become too intertwined, it is easy to lose your identity. What makes you unique and special, separate from the other? Who are you, on your own? Think about this in relation to your significant other. To your children. To your family members. To anyone who you love deeply.

2) Losing your identity like this in a relationship is the road to codependency. When your energies become too blurred, it can be hard to separate yourself from the other person energetically. When they are happy, you are happy, when they are sad, you are sad. It's hard to live separately from them in your own energetic realm.

3) When your energies are so tied up in another person, your energy is continually leaking out towards that other person. Sometimes, the other person is a vampire (metaphorically!) who loves to suck your energy. But often times, the other person - lover, child, etc. - may feel smothered by your energy. (I have felt both smothered by others and have smothered other people...)

4) Pay great attention to energetic boundaries. Develop and respect your own boundaries, and respect the boundaries of others.

5) Learn to do the dance of union vs. separation, especially in romantic relationships. Allow yourself to love fully, with your whole heart, while also being able to pull away when appropriate in order to nurture yourself, and in order to respect the other person's boundaries. It's the ebb and flow, waxing and waning of a healthy relationship dynamic.

6) Don't think that pulling away happens only when you are mad at the person or punishing them. If that's the only time you pull away, question whether the relationship is codependent. Reframe your view of separation. Pulling away should be a natural, healthy thing that happens in order to respect the energetic boundaries of both parties. The push and pull of union vs. separation is key. Love flows freely between both people, but both parties are 'whole unto themselves' and are not dependent on the other person to complete them.

This can be VERY hard work for those of us who love others deeply. I am a romantic person who loves the concept of a soul mate. I know that I have come into this lifetime as a Virgo to learn the lessons I have just described. I must become whole unto myself, or else this lesson will continue to reappear in my life until I master it...

Related to all of this, I have looked at my tendency to put others (especially lovers) on a pedestal. These reflections may be useful for you, too, if you do this:

1) Remember that some do not WANT to be put there. They will feel overwhelmed by the love and attention and worship.

2) Ask yourself: why am I worshipping this other person so much? What do they have that is so worthy of that much love and attention? And why am I not able to give that much love and attention back to myself? Is it a feeling of being less than? A feeling that I am not as good as they are? A feeling that I lack that qualities that I am worshipping?

It really does create a huge imbalance, which leads to feelings of unworthiness in the person doing the idolizing. It can also lead to a reality where the other person DOES see themselves as better than you. This can very easily create an imbalance of giving and receiving, where one person is giving so much and not receiving much in return.

The other thing that happens when we idolize others is that we end up craving their love and attention. We imagine how we must reinvent ourselves in order to please them. So we end up disconnected from who we really are, trying to be somebody who we are not (AND also making the mistake of thinking that we know what they want us to be, which may not even be accurate.)

Back to that familiar lesson of balance...strive for the middle point between worshipping somebody and not caring at all. Love them, but also love yourself. Just as much.

Rupi Kaur poem:

i do not want to have you
to fill the empty parts of me
i want to be full on my own
i want to be so complete
i could light a whole city
and then
i want to have you
cause the two of us combined
could set it on fire

It is only when we are truly authentic AND truly comfortable in our own skin that we will attract real love. Healthy love. Because you allow that person to love you for who you truly are (and vice versa). So strive for authenticity, true self-love, and being "whole unto yourself."

I wish you much luck on this journey - it is a work in progress, always!

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Full Moon in Libra: Aphrodite's Holy Water

She Who is Whole Unto Herself: A Reclamation of the Virgo/Priestess Archetype

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