The cornerstone of work that I do with clients in both bodywork and counseling, is identifying, deconstructing, and rewiring personal narratives. Many of us get stuck in loops or limiting containers of expression. Our experiences inform our perspectives but if we only identify with one part of an experience, we lose the beautiful nuance and complexity that serves to expand our capacity for understanding.
If a series of compound events has left you feeling like you don’t have any control or that you are at the mercy of the universe, it is difficult to motivate yourself into action. When we commit to this narrative, we tend to shrink away from our embodied experience because it is all too much. Sometimes this limited expression of ourselves starts to feel the safest and we get stuck in a rut with our wounds. But we can break these cycles and get ourselves outside of the box by relating to a different perspective. Embracing the darkness is as necessary as seeing the silver lining, and holding both truths can be a profound and empowering experience.
I’ve used this analogy before, but it bears repeating: Our perspective is like a torch or flashlight in a dark room. If we only shine the flashlight in one direction and we see a wall, our perspective is going to be pretty limited. We will only be able to see the wall, something we cannot overcome, something that is blocking us from what we want or need. Many of us tend to forget that we can move the flashlight. We can shine it in another direction. We can broaden our awareness, open ourselves up to other angles. We don’t have to identify with all of them, but they can inspire new questions and inform a broader perspective. And the broader our perspective, the more informed we can be and the more options we have.
In narrative structure, the common template of the Hero’s Journey always begins with a calling. Aries season often sees us starting—if not jumping headlong into—new projects, relationships, and adventures. It is the call to action, the initiatory trumpet. It is the swell of symphonic music that carries us out of our ordinary world and into the wilderness of something new. Well First name / ma dear, we have just set out on yet another grand adventure, and the upcoming full moon is a chance to take stock of your resources and calibrate for the rest of the journey ahead.
A full moon is illuminated by the sun in opposition; they are facing one another, the moon mirroring back the light. When you face yourself, what is reflected back? And not just what you want to see, or what you always see, but what else is included in every angle of the reflection? Some of us like to use optimism to bounce over difficult things that require our attention. Some of us are harder on ourselves than we need to be.
Try finding a neutral position and take in the w h o l e picture.
🪞
—Full Moon in Libra—
Tomorrow night’s Full Moon in Libra is an opportunity to be radically honest with yourself about your progress. If Aries energy is all about starting, taking action, and making moves, then the Full Moon in Libra with its desire for harmony and refinement makes a great place to pause and reflect on what we’ve accomplished so far in order to determine what will need further attention and action. We’ve done the uncomfortable work of beginning and that deserves its own recognition. Certainly, nothing has to be complete just yet. Give yourself credit for the opening sentence, the first bold strokes on the canvas, and for the ground you’ve tilled.
When the Moon is in Libra we seek resolution, sometimes to the detriment of our own needs or expression. And this moon will be facing the asteroid Chiron, who shows us where to find both our deepest wounding and greatest potential for healed expression. Although we may desire to keep the peace or to not ruffle any feathers (including our own), acknowledging and addressing the triggers that bring up our core wounding as well as facing the emotional impact of our wounds, will serve our ability to alchemize the hurt and reinvest our energy into what we desire. {Sorry that was a long sentence, but it had to be said. Radical honesty in practice.}
Take a little more care than usual over these next couple days, and notice where you are externalizing your emotional world. Incorporate sensitivity into your expression. And reinvest your attention into healing the discrepancy between who you are and who you think you are. This can look like tuning into your verbal tone for clues to how you really feel about a subject; or practicing a pause before an explanation or response to discern what motivates you to defend, justify, or withdraw yourself. You may surprise yourself this week by being able to draw strength from the complexity of the human experience.
If that feels like a lot, try to remember that you are most beautiful with your imperfections, because we share our fallibility with every other human being.
A harmonious aspect of Mercury sextile Mars can strengthen thinking and speed up action during this time. While Venus sextile Neptune inspires us romantically and creatively. This next week could be a great time to find resolution in relationships, or embark upon a new one with honesty and vulnerability. We have an opportunity to speak and act with integrity for the betterment of our relationships and creative projects.
FOR THE BODY
Libra rules the kidney's urinary system, anus, hormones, distillation and filtration systems, lumbar region.
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Mobilize the lumbar region after long hours in the same position with a standing cat/cow. With your feet at hip width distance, slightly bend the knees and place your hands on your hips. On an inhale, arch the back and stick your bum out like a duck shaking its tail-feathers. Exhale and scoop your pelvis forward, rounding the tailbone under. Feel free to go full Shakira and roll your hips in circles like you're stirring the bowl of your pelvis.
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Damiana is a relaxant, mood lifter and digestive stimulant known to ease bladder and GI issues. It is also known as a libido enhancer. A versatile herb associated with the sign of Libra, it can be taken as tea, tincture or added to herbal smoking blends.
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Tap in our old friend cranberry juice, or add dried cranberries to your spring baby greens salad!
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Hormones have a profound effect on our physical appearance, but also how we feel, think, and act. No matter how you identify, having access to the hormones that are correct for you and your body's authentic expression is imperative to your health.
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Work with rose quartz to enhance loving energy in your interactions with others and yourself, as well as blue or green aventurine to support clear and loving communication.
*I am not a doctor nor registered dietician. Please consult your PCP to make sure that any changes are correct for you and your body.
—What's the truth and what's right?—
The sign of Libra can get pretty obsessed with being right. With a theme of judgment, this energy can slip into perfectionism. Libra just wants the correct answer. It wants the capital-t TRUTH. And while this is an honorable standard, the correct answer is more often than not subjective. What is right to one person may not be correct for someone else. The truth of a situation is often so elusive because it is conditionally agreed upon by the surrounding parties, it requires us to create the space for the possibility of variation or fluidity.
It is said that a sign of emotional maturity is being able to hold two contrasting ideas at the same time; to understand that truth exists in complexity and nuance. I’ll address this further during Gemini season when we revisit the theme of Both/And, but while we’re embracing a full moon about refinement and judgment, it does serve to remember that when we actively seek multiple points of view we become more informed and expand our capacity for possibility.
—Pink Moon—
The April Full Moon is referred to as the Pink Moon or the Egg Moon in American indigenous and European folk culture. So named for being a season of potential new life and for the blooming wild ground phlox that heralds the visible return of spring. The Pink Moon is a time to celebrate and give thanks for what has been conceived; from the buds on the trees to the groundwork for new projects, prospects and promises can be magical spells of motivation on their own. No, we don’t yet know how things will turn out. But the options and the possibilities are there.
As always First name / my dear friend, I hope that this resonated with you and I am so excited to share more about what's to come. I'm happy to answer any questions via email or DM (@honoredbody). If you want to share the Moonsletter with others, feel free to pass it along! And if you're reading this and you haven't signed up, join here!
With honor and gratitude for you,
alexandra@honoredbody.com
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** Interested in CranioSacral Therapy, but not local to PDX? Feel free to reach out with any questions you have. I love to talk about the experience and benefits, and I'm happy to help you find a provider where you live!
