Wednesday, August 16th
New Moon
in Leo 23°17'
2:37 am PT

Source Yourself: Spells for Self-Belonging
by Sarah Faith Gottesdiener

The August New Moon always coincides with a pivotal moment: enough of this Chariot year has passed so that we can look back in order to figure out what worked, what didn’t, and where we can go next. Celebrate your advances; notice how well you’ve navigated the mountains and valleys of the year. Summer’s brightness casts a clear light on certain personal themes: now is an opportunity to acknowledge what those are, in order to process them. What experiences have you learned the most from? What would you have done differently, knowing what you know now? Can you apply that knowledge into action?

With that same gaze, witness yourself: only you can make contact with who must now emerge. Naked honesty about over-attachments to illusions or defenses is one of the steps to freedom. Where have you been conflating control with security? Where have you been confusing overworking with being important, and over-giving with being lovable? Whenever there’s a scoreboard and a time clock attached to self-assessments, you know it’s time to stop playing yourself and leave that toxic game behind.

Get clear about what to unplug from. Explore what lights you up. The more time and energy you spend obsessing over what isn’t for you, the less time you’ll have to connect to what truly is Out past the distractions, a technicolor world unfurls.

You won’t get there by staying the same, or by hiding who you are. In order to close the gap between who you’d like to be and who you are currently, get real. To become that emergent Self, our actions must be aligned with our values. For our dreams to become reality, we need discipline coupled with grace, and we need to take a longer, and lighter, approach. You’re well-acquainted with the hard way; now it’s time to learn ease. The infinite game is one we play for the sake of play, not to win.* Our lives are a playground for learning, with pleasurable lessons everywhere. The universe has a sense of humor. Laugh along as you practice the art of sourcery: become your own generator, inspiration, and energy source. Commit to a practice, and choose your tools.

You’ll need consciousness, which requires discernment and humility.

You’ll need confidence, which has nothing to prove.

What we often experience when we lack self-esteem is simply a lack of consciousness, self-knowledge, and self-trust.

Part of any spiritual path is to become completely yourself, shining your unique light out into the world. It sounds basic, but with so many external influences, so many programs, so much brainwashing out there, this self-becoming can be a major project. An added layer is that we change; the individuated Self can step in and out of roles at will—the flexible soul is the flexible self.** At the heart of this process is the ability to source from the Self. To become self-full, which is distinct from selfishness. This must include the ability to connect with, and be in, your own home frequency: the unique energetic field only you can emit. Too many people have other people’s energies, hooks, and cords distorting their own field. Too many people have outsourced their energy, which includes their decisions, behaviors, personality, and personal power, to other people. When you are in your own home frequency, you are centered and aligned. You can source from yourself: from the inner flame, our personal Sun, and from our ability to connect to the earth and elements for nourishment.***

To resource the Self is to resource others.

There are a trillion messages that try to convince us otherwise. Often, the over-culture brainwashes us into the codependent belief that to be of service means to be a martyr.

Being overly attuned to everyone else at the expense of the Self is a trauma response.

It also stops us from forming authentic relationships.

Connections with others are not strong ones when they are founded on performance, pretense, and projections.

Source want all of us to source from ourselves. (Which, of course, is also Source!) We are all a part of Source, a part of the One—when we shine, we restore unity to the whole.**** Play in your own energy; bask in your own specific glow.

This is true belonging.

The Sun card, one that correlates to both this time and the sign of Leo, illustrates these themes and can help us initiate the process of shining our light.***** Older versions of this card depict two figures dancing under a bright Sun. This illustration is thought of as the eternal Self and the mortal body, illuminated by the energy source of the entire cosmos. They dance together, illuminated by the light of the Sun. This is an illustration of the infinite game, which is also enlightenment.

Source yourself: create more than you consume.

Source yourself: connect to the Sun overhead and the Sun inside of you.

Source yourself: expand your life force by inhaling inspiration.

Source yourself: embrace the next version of yourself you are calling in, and embody it.

This New Moon time, engage in some sourcery: have fun!

— Excerpt from the 2023 Many Moons Lunar Planner. To read Sarah's exclusive Spell for Self-Belonging and other New Moon rituals, get your copy of Many Moons. The benefit edition is here. The digital edition is here. 

 To download the Moon Studio's Reset Guide for this New Moon, sign up for the Moonbeaming Newsletter here. 

*The infinite game was coined by James P. Carse in his book Finite and Infinite Games.
**This is a Jungian concept.
***I teach classes on this. It is a foundational topic in a lot of energy work and witchcraft.
****This is the idea of “Tikkun olam” in Kabbalistic thought.
*****In the Northern Hemisphere