The New Moon Can Be a Time to Set Intentions and Plant Seeds For the Future
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The Moon is technically 238,855 miles away. But that far-off celestial body can actually help organize your life right here on Earth. The practice of “moon mapping” assigns a different action or mindset to each of the Moon’s eight lunar phases. "The Moon gives me a schedule," tarot reader Mariah Oller tells Oprah Daily.
According to practitioners of moon mapping, the new Moon is a moment to ask yourself important questions or sketch out big dreams, which you’ll pursue during the upcoming lunar cycle and beyond. “The new Moon is when I set intentions, reflect on my goals, and figure out where I want to be, and where I want to go,” Oller summarizes. The themes of the new Moon are ones of invitation and attraction: “What am I ready to invite in? That’s the big question on the new Moon,” she says.
Consequently, most new Moon rituals are centered on planting seeds for the future—which makes sense, when you think about what’s happening celestially. During this three-day lunar phase, the Moon appears to disappear from the night sky. “It’s the dark time. It’s when you put the seed in, and you leave it and let it germinate. Eventually, it’ll come up,” Yasmin Boland, author of Moonology and creator of Moonology Manifestation Oracle, says.
Below, we’ve included rituals for using the new Moon as a window for knowing yourself better. Christine Gutierrez, a licensed psychotherapist and author of I Am Diosa, emphasizes the importance of incorporating rituals into daily life, beyond the time of the new Moon. "Rituals allow us to go into a space of remembering that we're more than just doing the mundane. They help us connect with our more spiritual side, and are also easy ways for people to incorporate mental health breaks," Gutierrez says.
One last thing: These new Moon rituals can be effective, no matter your belief system. “The new Moon helps you to get clear with your intentions,” Boland says. “You don’t need to believe in astrology.”
Think about what you want to bring into your life.
Boland encourages people to ponder a simple question during the new Moon: “What do I want to manifest this month?” Often, Boland says, people are concerned with matters of love or money. But you can also commit to smaller goals, like starting a mediation practice or walking for 20 minutes daily. You can also make a wish, too. “If you wish for something from the bottom of your heart, and then you affirm that it's going to happen and then you visualize it, then wishes can come true,” Boland says.
Wishing for something, setting an intention, or making a commitment are all valid ways to honor the new Moon. Regardless of the route, the most important thing is being clear and precise with your answer to the question, "What do I want to bring into my life?"
Create an affirmation.
After deciding what you want, Boland says, it's time to turn that desire into an affirmation. Say you’re looking for a new job. In that case, you could create an affirmation that imagines you've already gotten your new job: "I love my job, and my job loves me." Or if you're in search of a fulfilling relationship, you could say, "I am worthy of love, just as I am."
Boland stresses the importance of believing the affirmation as you say it. "It has to be something you can say, but also really feel in your body," she says. Or, as Dr. Wayne Dyer (and frequent Super Soul Sunday guest) once put it: "Feel the feeling of the wish fulfilled."
Visualize what you want.
The final step of the manifestation process is visualization. Let’s go back to the new job example. Close your eyes, and as you repeat your affirmation, imagine your commute to the new job or what the office will look like. Then, continue this visualization process beyond the new Moon.
In addition to visualization, you also have to be proactive. In short, as you manifest the new job, you also have to apply for jobs, and put yourself in the way of what you want to happen.
Write in your journal.
Since the new Moon is about setting goals, you may want to consider using a journal to refine what those goals actually are. As Oller says of journaling on the new Moon, "I’m sketching out the life I’m dreaming up."
One method? You can write out, with greater detail, a vision of the life you hope to actualize—and as you do so, start to imagine what it might take to get there. Oprah's The Life You Want planner has prompts and intentions to guide your way.
Plant seeds—literally.
Each new Moon, Oller and her family literally plant seeds in the ground. While doing so, they think about the thing they’re hoping to bring into her life. “Set the intention and say, ‘This is my book,’ or whatever project you’re working on,” Oller says as an example.
The new Moon sets the stage for harvest. You'll care for your plant, just as you work toward your intentions. As the plant grows, you’ll be reminded of your project growing in tandem.
Ground yourself.
Even Lisa Stardust, author of The Astrology Deck, uses the new Moon to instill a sense of calm to buoy her through the next month. She incorporates a yoga and meditation into the three-day new Moon phase, as a way to realign and center her vision for the upcoming weeks. Gardening work helps, too: "Connecting with the earth can be healing and rejuvenating as we move forward."
Pull an oracle card.
On the new Moon, after deciding what you want to bring into your life, Boland recommends pulling an oracle card. Oracle cards are sets of cards with messages on them around a certain theme. She equates this to a “report card,” a way of knowing the challenge or ease you’ll face. “You may take a card that says the doors are opening. Or it might say to work through your fears, in which case you know your fears are standing in the way of this manifestation," she says.
Create a vision board.
A vision board is a tool for visualizing your dreams. Take the time during the new Moon to make a visual reminder of your goals, featuring magazine cut-outs, inspiring quotes, photos, and beyond. Hang the finished product in a place where you can consult in the days, weeks, and months to come, a reminder of all the places you want to go.
Get a tarot card reading.
New Moons are an opportune time to consult with a tarot reader or a deck of cards. Oller, who frequently reads for clients during this period, says tarot readings can clarify your goals. "If you're asking, 'Is it OK for me to start a side hustle or a business?' a reading can give you that permission to say, Yes, you can go forward with this,” Oller says.
Reach out to people who can assist you.
Say there are people who can help further your goals. Oller recommends reaching out to them during the new Moon, and schedule meetings for the future. The first quarter Moon, a week after the new Moon, is a particularly good time for taking action.
Make new Moon water.
According to Gutierrez, the moon cycle is a way to remember that we're connected to nature. Gutierrez takes some grounding breaths, and speaks her desires into a glass of water. "When we connect in this way, we're sending our energy into the water to plant those desires," she says. After, be sure to use the water, whether by drinking it, pouring it into the bath, or watering your plants.
Don’t push yourself too hard.
Legend has it that the full Moon is a time of heightened emotion. The opposite is true of the new Moon. Oller warns that during the new Moon, you may feel depleted. As a result, focus on lower energy rituals, or relaxation.
"We’re doing a lot of energy internally. You don’t have to go hike up a mountain in order to be healing," she says. Instead, set goals for work that you can accomplish at a later date.
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