New Moon In April, New Moon In Aries: All Fresh!
Happy new moon in this fresh season of vigorous green growth and vitality animated by the longer daylight.
The new moon is in Aries, the youngest and first sign of the zodiac.
Moon in Aries affects your head and eyes.
Seasonal allergies affect the eyes, the face and the head too. So does that virus of the moment for which so many measures have been enacted since 2020. Boosting your respiratory and immune system, your health and vitality and soothing pain in your face and head may already be on your mind. I hope that my suggestions remind you to take care of yourself with kindness and love.
In the morning when you wake up, you can oil pull for a few minutes. Sesame oil, hemp seed oil and coconut oil are good choices. Or use the one you like to use and have on hand. When you are done, spit the oil into the trash. (Not into the toilet or sink — to avoid oil buildup.)
You can also dry brush your skin. Start from your soles and feet. Then, from your ankles, move in generous upward strokes along your legs to your hips and buttocks, and from there, to the abdomen and the lower back to your stomach and back all the way to your shoulder blades and towards the front in the direction of your heart. Then brush your palms and fingers, the back of your hands and your wrists. From the wrists, brush along your arms and shoulders towards the heart again. Dry brush your neck, jawline and ears. Dry brush gently over your face and sinuses. Then brush all over your scalp. It stimulates circulation and the hair follicles, loosens buildup from products, removes flakes and dandruff, and feels especially good today.
Spray rice water (with a bit of hibiscus tea) into your hair. You can leave it in for the day. It is a restorative protein, vitamin and growth promoting treatment for your hair. Very few people are allergic to rice or water. So it is a very clean product made of only two ingredients with an effect that will amaze you. So much that you might phase out all your other hair care products.
Wash it off in the shower later in the day.
Before you go into the shower, or take your new moon bath, give yourself an abyanga massage.
Abyanga is a self-massage with a warm oil, usually sesame oil. (Use what oil you have. Sesame oil is the best for this purpose. Its many properties promote serenity and deep relaxation and a profound well-being that is not easy to put in words. Try it. That is all I can say.) Through your self-massage, you let go of the day’s stress and impressions and return your attention to yourself and you connect with yourself in a loving way.
When you are done, put on your favourite music.
Brush a little castor oil onto your lashes and eyebrows. Dab a little castor oil around your eyes and into your nostrils too. It moisturizes the eyes and the skin around the eyes, it helps you tolerate pollen and dust if you have seasonal allergies, and it stimulates collagen production.
(Many tried and true and pure remedies made from what nature has provided work in holistic ways. You can feel good about using them. You will feel better when you see the results! By caring for yourself, you connect with the earth — instead of a pharmaceutical company and the bizarre world of ads. You are kind to your wallet.)
Relax your face. Close your eyes. Let yourself enjoy the tunes. If you sit in your bathtub, you can put your hair oil in or your hair mask on now.
You can also just lean back on a comfortable surface. Relax your face. Savour the moment.
A facial with a hydrating moisturizer is a good idea. So is your partner giving you a head massage.
Think about everything you appreciate and feel grateful for.
In spring, many cultures long before Christianity engaged in fasts and cleaned out their homes, properties and neighbourhoods. Christianity integrated the earth-based custom and called it Lent; all over the globe, regional practices encouraged deep cleaning of the home and the body. Early spring does wake us up. We want to spruce up our dwellings. We feel an itch to expand and try fresh things and leave the cold, dark season behind. People who grow herbs, veggies and flowers look for signs of the soil warming and sunlight and the moment when they can take their seedlings and young plants outdoors. Foragers and herb gatherers look forward to the sunny dandelions, the fragrant violets and the edible shoots of perennials pushing through the soil. They wonder what they will make from the plant matter, what kind of salad, ointment, infused vinegar and tea…
This spring is still long enough to do more spring cleaning. You probably need it. Your body will appreciate it. Eat as many spring greens and microgreens as you can. They help digestion and elimination, purify the blood and fill you up with vitamins, minerals and micronutrients and prepare you for the warm season. Drink plenty of green tea and nettle tea or neem tea now. Neem is a nutritional powerhouse. It is a panacea similar to nettle, only stronger. Do not drink or ingest neem when you are pregnant or breastfeeding!
Unclutter. Change up a few things. Evaluate your shopping. Can you cut down on some expenses? “Lighten up” your schedule. Let the sunshine in!
Pandemic measures can be expected until the end of the year, year number 2. You can respond with anger and boredom and stress; but you can also take this rare opportunity to transform and release and build what you can and visualize the future that you want to live in. It is hard to imagine that anyone finds containment positive, but humanity has survived bigger challenges. I personally have overcome problems that make the pandemic measures seem manageable in comparison. Maybe you can say that of yourself too. Controlling negativity is not everyone’s cup of tea, but those who give it a try belong to the wise.
On this new moon, clean up around you. Give your body a break from digesting. The new moon is a time when you can let go of everything heavy and clear up the paths for the new that wants to arrive and grow near you.
On new moons, our bodies are trying to clean themselves of all that slows us down and burdens us, and they don’t hold onto much. It makes sense to support what the body wants to do: clean up. Let it renew itself.
Aries is the sign of new beginnings. The season of green growth has just begun, and this time of the year feels like nature’s New Year indeed.
Aries is a sign that wants to experience itself. It is excitable, high energy, physical, ego-driven, and ready for action. Aries natives are not known for listening to long lectures or for pondering their next steps; they do them on the spur of the moment. Aries is the baby of the zodiac, the inner child, the impulsive, impatient, somatic, visceral stage of development, surprised by everything. Aries learns best by doing.
Everyone can learn from Aries when venturing out into new territory. Start what piques your desire. Do not overthink it. Seek help when you need it. Trust the journey. You will cross that bridge when you get there. Express your joy about what you are discovering. Share from your heart how grateful you are for everything that is going well. Dance your happy dance — because you are alive. Dig your drive and this day’s high energy.
The quality of this lunar day shows itself quite like the Aries prototype: you wake up filled with new energy. Right away, you see things that need to get done, the projects that you want to complete, “stuff” that appears insufferably drab and lifeless, and you attack those things, pronto. (It happened to me this morning. Last night, nothing bothered me; this morning, I was like “Whoa! Let me get to it! I can’t look at that anymore!” It is what you can expect when the moon goes into Aries. Many people feel impatient, triggered or inflamed; I experience the moon in Aries as enormous back wind.) Perhaps the reality of your life feels far from what you envision for yourself. Dissatisfaction with circumstances is pretty common too when the moon transits Aries, and it can be over-the-top and comedian; at the same time, you have what it takes to make changes immediately. The energy to do something about what bothers you is there. Use it.
So this is not a day for theories, but a day to finish tasks you have ignored, to start something new, to get sweaty and to enjoy the sun later.
In Feng Shui, the roof of the house is a symbol for the head. Its state reflects the health of the resident’s head. Clean-ups, repairs and upgrades in your attic or on your roof are great activities for today. Maybe you lose the tension in your face, the headache or the brain fog. Windows are a symbol for the eyes. Wash your windows. Maybe it clears up what and how you see. The main door is a symbol for your mouth. Dust it off. Adorn it with a welcoming accessory. Maybe your jaw relaxes and you smile a lot more. Stranger things have happened. Energy shifts in inexplicable ways, but it shifts, and with it, everything is new.
On new moon, at night, write down all your goals for the areas of life that you care about. Or make a vision board.
Putting what you want on a poster, into a booklet, or into a word document will motivate you to endure the limitations of the moment, for example, a stay-at-home order, the slower pace imposed by the local pandemic measures, and so on. The time to take big leaps will come. In the meantime, you can make micro movements towards your goals. Keep the reminder of your better self, of your future self, in a place where you see it often. It helps.
Clean out your plant pots. Sow a few more seeds of the vegetables that you will eat this year.
Launder your pillow cases. They come into contact with your face and hair too.
Dermatologists and hair experts have been raving about silk pillows for restful sleep and rejuvenation. As of now, there is no vegan alternative — except bamboo, but bamboo does not have all the benefits of silk — , but you can keep your senses open.
If you want good, uninterrupted sleep, a sleep mask made from a skin friendly material can be of help. If you already possess one, use it tonight.
Avoid injuries to your head. Be kind to your head. Be good to yourself.
11 April 2021
#selfcare #selflove #abyanga #abhyanga #oilannointing #oilpulling #castoroil #sesameoil #coconutoil #hempseedoil #hibiscus #springgreens #sprouts #microgreens #dandelion #violets #neem #greentea #ricewater #2021 #pandemic #newmoon #lunar #auspiciousactivities
