Thursday morning is our September New Moon. There is an alertness, an aliveness to this time of year. Shifts are personified in the fading light, in the crispness of the air we breathe. We are just five days away from the Autumn Equinox: a sacred time of acknowledging balance, space, and the inherent contrasts of our world. After that, there is the Harvest Moon: in some areas of the Northern Hemisphere, we are sowing seeds for the last time. This is the time to figure out what we need to keep close, and what to give away.

There is also the undeniable fact that this is a time of deep reflection. This year has been a 4 year, an Emperor year—a year to contemplate civilizations as we know it, to take actions that will serve and influence humanity. The Emperor reminds us that we are all empowered individuals. Just because we feel helpless doesn’t mean we are. That’s what the patriarchy—the Emperor archetype at its very worst—wants you to believe.

On a personal level, issues of your power may have come up in various ways throughout the year: how you claim it, how it serves your deepest good. It’s time to ask yourself, has the world you built reflected your ideals? This brings us to the Tarot archetype that corresponds with part of this month and this New Moon: number 9, the Hermit.

The Hermit is deeply spiritual: loosely and uniquely, holistically and particularly. The spiritual is in the unseen, the spiritual is in the divine communication from guardian angels. The spirituality is in the belief, and that belief is powerful illumination. This could be a time to consciously connect to the holy, in all her forms.

The Hermit is the discovered self, the self of realization—this could be where the “solitary” interpretations of the Hermit comes from. It is very solitary—and at times downright lonely—to carve your own path, to make your own way, to move forward on an unknown journey. It is also a way to ensure that your energy is your own: you become sovereign. You become your own source of energy, of power, as you choose yourself over and over again.

Like the Hermit, we need to create our own sources of power from within. Define success for yourself and for yourself alone.

Gentle reader, the rest of the year is going to fly by. October will be a lot of energy to be in and to process. November and December are going to provide Solar and Lunar Eclipse shake ups that will give us previews of what we are to shed and what we are to share into 2021. Through the next three months, you’ve got to stay focused and become your own source of alignment. If you’ve been doing this already, congratulations. This is a confirmation that you are allowed to sink even deeper into your practice. If you haven’t been, that’s absolutely fine. You can begin at this blessed New Moon that occurs on a Thursday, which correlates to Jupiter, planet of expansion.

Little by little, with focus and attention, your power will grow. Little by little, a cold hearth, when tended to with matches and fresh wood, will warm.

This is a New Moon to choose you.

—Excerpt from the 2020 Many Moons Lunar Planner. Pre-order the 2021 edition here!