Tonight’s newsletter started out as a bit of a copout, I was just going to share a delightful white bean and greens soup recipe I made for friends on New Year’s Eve. This year held a record number of soups made for friends, and I hope to beat it in 2022. This year I also started paying attention to the lunar cycle. This semi-monthly pause to slow down and check in with what has been and yet to be illuminated in my life has been a lovely touchstone, so I’m going to share what I like to do with you, too. Tonight’s dispatch ended up being less of a copout and more of an odd-couple. Soup and the moon. Hey, that’s TWO somethings good. What a deal.
Onward.
What makes this soup special is how creamy it is without containing any, well, cream. The secret is blending about a quarter of the soup into a smooth, thick liquid, then adding it back into the pot. Let me know if you make it.
The other recipe I have for you is a new moon ritual. By the time you read this, tonight’s new moon in Capricorn will have already passed. But, you can play with the energy of a new moon on the days before and after, and ritual is appropriate whenever we have it, so don’t worry about offending the moon with a day-late recognition. The moon, like most of us, just appreciates being paid attention to at all.
You’ll need a journal, a pen, a quiet place, this song, and a candle. The song is actually optional, but you should just trust me that it will get you into the moon mood.
The darkness of the new moon invites us to snuggle down and turn inward. How did the last lunar cycle feel? What do we want the upcoming lunar cycle to hold? How do you want to feel in the next month? What’s one thing you’re looking forward to? With the new moon in Capricorn, you can consider these questions though the lens of Saturn, the sign’s ruler. Saturn’s energy is regimented, focused, and organized. Make a plan, identify a helpful structure that will help you move closer to what you desire, focus your energy on what you want to make manifest. Capricorn reminds us that slow and steady wins the race, nudging us to keep moving forward, even if it’s one tiny baby step at a time. As our lord and savior Miley Cyrus reminded, us, it’s the climb.
Journal a bit by the light of a candle. I also like to make a collage next to my new moon entry every month with ephemera from the weeks prior. Once you’ve captured the energy of your last month and stated intentions for the month to come, blow out your candle. Sit in the darkness of the new cycle for a minute.
Happy New Year, friends. Maybe we’ll do this again for the full moon.
Until next week,
Elizabeth