Maybe you’re like me and you’ve always found yourself tied to the rhythmic changes a year holds. Maybe it’s because I grew up in an area of the world that experiences all four seasons. Maybe it’s because I wrote an entire course on how to organize your year in both your personal and professional realms (grab it here). Maybe it’s because I’ve spent so much time in the wedding and event industry, where designs are tied to seasonal availability. Or maybe it’s because my family and I spent a year traveling in an Airstream, experiencing changing leaves and snowy plains all across the US. Whatever the reason, even before I experienced the spiritual transformation I detailed in my series Uncovering Divine Femininity, I felt deeply connected to seasonal changes.

One of the most obvious ways we notice changes throughout the year are the different phases of the moon.

And the “new moon,” the absence of any moon in the sky, is just as significant as the full moon.

When I first became curious about astrology, which I shared about in my series called Following the Stars, I learned that while the sun represents masculine energy, the moon embodies the feminine. In Greek mythology, Apollo is the sun god while Artemis is the goddess of the moon. Ask any labor and delivery nurse about the connection between the moon’s phases and birth rates, and they’ll confirm that there’s a special female connection to the moon.

And just as there’s a pull with the full moon so strong it can cause babies to be born, there’s an equal and opposite pull during the new moon, like a pendulum swinging first to the right and then to the left. If the full moon represents the beautiful life of a full womb, the new moon represents the empty potential of that same womb.

The complete darkness that envelops us during the new moon isn’t a darkness that causes fear or despair. It is the darkness of reflection. Promise. Creativity. Wonder.

When I first became aware of the moon’s cycles, I discovered that the beautiful thing about the new moon’s emptiness is that you get to decide how to fill it.

If we’re inviting the natural world to share its wisdom with us, the new moon is the perfect chance to reevaluate our lives. Just like you take all the junk out of your coat closet before you can really organize it, the new moon invites you to take the junk out of your life so you can find clarity about what needs to be put back.

Too often, we wait until it’s too late to remove toxic things from our lives. Instead, we can make this a monthly habit, guided by the new moon’s wisdom.

And without getting too deep in the weeds on moon cycles, no new moon throughout the year will reveal the same insights because each new moon is different due to how our relative position to it changes throughout the year. So if you invite this pattern of reflection, you might find yourself reflecting on your professional work and intentions. Next month, you might be drawn to more personal reflections. It’s never the same, but always a theme of purging and renewal.

Now, I’m sharing in other blogs what my personal new moon ritual looks like and how I help my kids navigate their own new moon ritual, but before you read those and imagine your own new moon routine, I want you to ask yourself these questions:

How can I follow nature’s lead and invite more periods of reflection in my life?
Am I afraid to quiet and empty myself and my life each month? What am I afraid of?
What am I missing out on because I’m not focusing on emptying my soul and mind?
What in my life is no longer serving me? Why do I fear letting it go?
Do I believe that I will be enough when all I have to surround me is myself?