Birth and Rebirth
By Monique McCrystal

Welcome to the April New Moon. If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, we’ve passed the Vernal Equinox and have entered into my personal favorite time of year. Spring is a time of rebirth. We begin to see movement that was seemingly paused during the cooler months. The leaves and flowers begin to show their beauty. The days are getting longer. Take a moment to pause and notice all that is happening around you. Give yourself a boost of love for arriving here today. Now give yourself another extra boost for moving through another retrograde. Today we welcome a New Moon in Aries and Mercury also goes direct. Open your eyes a little wider, love. Take a deep stretch, raising your fingertips towards the cosmos, inhale…exhale, and shake it out. The fog has cleared and you are still standing. The energy has opened and aligned for us. Today, give yourself permission to choose to begin, or begin again.

As the first sign of the zodiac, fiery Aries organically supports the process of beginnings and birth. As a birth worker and reproductive justice agent, I’ve always had a deep love and connection with the process of bringing a human into the world. In my work as a birth doula, there is a deep emphasis on the energetic and spiritual process as the physical body shifts and expands, in preparation to birth a new human. Old stories are shed. Past wounds are exposed so that they may be healed. We practice forgiveness, trust, and radical self-love. A new intention is created—a new beginning, a rebirth of self. After all, birth is not just about a body, despite the messages we receive from mainstream culture and the standards of care for women.

This work happens with unapologetic prioritization of our truth. When we do our best work, authentic power is harnessed and there is a realization that we have all we need within us. We always have. A woman I supported through her birth last Summer so beautifully illustrated this practice. Intention was created and she completely surrendered to the process of her own rebirth before bringing a little Leo goddess Earthside. When her baby girl decided to enter this realm, mama ripped off her dress in one motion, and pushed three times while standing, welcoming her daughter into the world with her own hands. Her power was not in medical providers, textbooks, or perfectly timed contractions. It was found through that deep-seated intention and the process of rebirthing herself first.

The truth of the matter is, no matter your gender identity, your choices, or experiences, the process of birth is a beautiful mirror for what we all experience in this thing we call life. We can always think about the ways in which we are mothering, nurturing, and sustaining our own unique process of birth and rebirth. We all have the power to begin again.

This process of rebirth has played out in my own life journey. In early 2016, I felt an undying fire in my belly, a calling to something new and larger. I awakened and realized my time in my career had come to a close after 13 years. This was more than a choice. It was a calling. So just as in my doula work, I began the process of creating a new intention.

Digging in and out.
Practicing forgiveness, trust, and radical self-care.
Standing in my truth.
Finding my power.
Preparing to birth a new life. This one being my own.

It is not a coincidence that my own experience of preparing for rebirth aligned with the Aries New Moon.

As humans, we are often encouraged to place our power in something outside of ourselves. We become swallowed up by stories, titles, and accomplishments. By how others view us or by what they believe about us. The truth is: everything we need is within us. It is ours to cultivate and it comes from within. We are the Earth that sinks in between our toes, that grows the flowers that fall from our hips. We are the light, the dark, and everything in between. We are the strike of the match, the flame, the fire, and all that comes from the ashes. We are our own alchemist, the creator of our own beginning, again and again. It is often messy, painful even. But when you realize your own power and the magic that comes from within you, the end result is always beautiful, be it the birth of a new human or your own rebirth.

Suggested Affirmation: "I can begin again, however I choose. Rebirth is possible through my own intuition and truth. My power comes from within."

The Aries New Moon encourages us to create space for our rebirth. Awaken. Now is the time to truly examine your hopes, wishes, and desires. What feeds your fire? What do you want to create?

A Meditation to Create Intention for Rebirth  

Clear your meditation space with sage or palo santo. Light a candle and take a comfortable position, standing or sitting. Firmly root your body into the earth beneath you, close the eyes, and soften the gaze.

Find your natural breath, and begin to notice your inhales and exhales. Acknowledge each of your senses, noticing what you taste, touch, hear, smell, and see (even as the eyes are closed). Now begin slowly turning your sense of awareness inward. Detach from all distractions, including the ego. Become fully present with your most authentic self.

Begin to build heat in the body, allowing your inhales to come in through the nose and leave the body through the nose. Bring the palms together at the center of your heart and create more heat by rubbing them together, as you would to warm the hands. Pause when you feel intuitively led, and place the hands at the belly.

Open the eyes, and fix the gaze upon the flame of your candle. Feel the energy of the fire as you continue to breathe for the next three minutes. Take in each color of the flame individually as you inhale. When you take your final intentional inhalation, fill the belly with air, and let out a deep sigh with the exhale.

Where in my life do I want to create space for rebirth?

How do I need to physically, energetically, and spiritually prepare?

How can I practice forgiveness, trust, and radical self-care to reclaim my power?

How can I support creating this space for others?

 What is my intention?

Write your intention in a journal or on a piece of paper that you will keep somewhere safe. To deepen this ritual, you may choose to plant literal seeds that represent your intention. Toss sunflower, marigold, or rosemary seeds into the earth and trust wherever they land.

— Excerpt from Many Moons. Buy here. 

Follow Monique here.
Visit Monique's space, The Carriage House, here.