Season: Spring
Element: Wood
Moon: Quarter
Zodiac: Leo
Happy Tuesday!
Tomorrow is a first quarter moon in generous Leo. I have a bit of a confession to make. In my last post about the new moon, I stated that the zodiac sign was Aries when it was in fact Taurus. Perhaps I was called to write about the impulsive sign of Aries in reflection to how I was feeling or perhaps it was just a simple mistake. As I write these posts, I too am learning about astrology, the seasons, the elements, and the moon. I try to write not as an expert, but as a curator. And as I say to many of my clients, “I am a human not a robot, so there will be mistakes, but let me know and I will fix them.” I hope you can be generous with me about my mistake and trust that I will continue to strive to be the best curator I can for you and will let you know when I get it wrong.
For so many years I’ve tired myself out striving for perfection. Getting super anxious when I made a mistake. Being constantly vigilant to make sure nothing was missed or forgotten — that all was completed and correct. As the Institute of Child Psychology writes in their article The Power of Mistakes, “Many people can’t tolerate making a mistake, there are both physiological and psychological reasons for this. Our body’s response to failure is often experienced as actual physical pain. The same areas of the brain that are activated when we experience emotional injury are activated when we experience physical injury. So not only do we physically “feel” mistakes, but we experience shame as a result of an error, and we feel there is something wrong with us if we can’t get something right.”
We are all human so mistakes are natural and will happen no matter how vigilant or anxious we are. With acceptance of this, we can move beyond shame and understand that mistakes are the basis of trial-and-error learning, which helps us respond to failures. They teach us and help us get skills we did not have before. As Lizabeth Roemer PhD writes in Mindfully Making Mistakes, “When we stay present and engaged, and let go of perfectionism, our mistakes can bring us closer to the way we want to be.” Keep this in mind the next time you find yourself making a mistake, being anxious about doing something wrong, or when perfection vigilance is tiring you out.
And like the saying “every cloud has a silver lining,” the mistake I mentioned above lead me to learn something new. New moons occur when the Sun and the moon meet at the same astrological degree that astrologers measure in the sky. The new moon is the very first of eight monthly moon phases which occur in a 29.5-day lunar month. Each new moon in a calendar year falls in a different zodiac sign. The new moon is always in the same sign as the Sun. So, since we are in Taurus season, the new moon is in Taurus. Brilliant!
Don’t forget to sign up for the beautiful full moon Sound Curation with Kara Markovich on Thursday, May 23rd from 6:00pm - 7:30pm. Kara is a treasure and her sound work is truly life giving. Her sounds will move your brain from beta brainwaves (critical thinking, problem solving, the active brain state) to alpha (resting state) or theta (lucid dreaming). You can read more in my post about Kara and on her website.
Note: Rest products are still in the works, but I am leaving the paid subscriber Rest Readings, Rest Recipes, Rest Rituals, and Rest Recordings on the newsletter for a month or so. If you want to contribute, consider becoming a paid subscriber through Substack:
REST READING
Check out all of the rest reading recommendations in Resources on my Substack page.
REST RECIPES
In my March 8th post, I wrote about how I was going to try to integrate the saying “Breakfast Like a King, Lunch Like a Prince, Dinner Like a Pauper” into my daily meals. I’ve been pretty consistent with this integration and it has been great for my digestion and my sleep. That said, I have tried a new smoothie recipe after my naturopath, Heather Dexter ND, recommended I up my vitamin C intake through acerola cherry powder to support my immune system. This is the smoothie recipe that came with Flora’s acerola powder and I have found it to be amazing. So here is the recipe for Flora’s Elder-Power Smoothie:
2 tablespoons flax oil
4 tablespoons plain yogurt or plain kefir
3 grams acerola powder
5 grams elderberry crystals
1 cup strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries
1 banana
1 cup nut milk or coconut milk
Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
*I use Elmhurst milked walnuts for my nut milk. Per Healthline’s article The 9 Best Foods and Drinks to Have Before Bed, “Some researchers claim that eating walnuts improves sleep quality, as they're one of the best food sources of melatonin. The fatty acid makeup of walnuts may also contribute to better sleep, according to a study on mice.”
REST RITUAL
In 2021, I listened to The Daily’s episode on the Cloud Appreciation Society and found the organization completely charming and utterly imaginative. The Cloud Appreciation Society is a society founded by Gavin Pretor-Pinney from the United Kingdom in January 2005. The society aims to foster understanding and appreciation of clouds, and has over 60,000 members from 120 countries, as of September 2023. Here is the society’s wonderful manifesto:
WE BELIEVE that clouds are unjustly maligned and that life would be immeasurably poorer without them.
We think that clouds are Nature's poetry, and the most egalitarian of her displays, since everyone can have a fantastic view of them.
We pledge to fight 'blue-sky thinking' wherever we find it. Life would be dull if we had to look up at cloudless monotony day after day.
We seek to remind people that clouds are expressions of the atmosphere's moods, and can be read like those of a person's countenance.
We believe that clouds are for dreamers and their contemplation benefits the soul. Indeed, all who consider the shapes they see in them will save money on psychoanalysis bills.
And so we say to all who'll listen: Look up, marvel at the ephemeral beauty, and always remember to live life with your head in the clouds!
Cloud watching is a past time most of us did as kids. When we had time to do nothing and could sit and stare at the sky. Well, why not try it again as an adult with your kids, partner, family, or friends. When we are engaged in cloud watching — discerning what type of cloud it is or what shape it reminds us of — our minds wander off and our worries disappear. The Cloud Appreciation Society has lots of resources to help with cloud watching including a free app and beautiful books such as The Cloud Collector’s Handbook. I am going to use both over this summer when we travel to Nova Scotia across Canada. There is a lot of big sky out there so who knows what clouds I will find!
Thank you so much for reading! I hope this has been enjoyable. May you have a restful week.
Below are the upcoming 2024 Cascade Rest Curations (links to Eventbrite are in the titles):
Sound Curation
Date: Thursday, May 23, 2024
Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Location: Liebestraum Chalet, 5505 Bancroft Avenue Southeast Alto, MI 49302
Description: Join Kara Markovich for a sound immersion using various instruments such as singing bowls, crystal bowls, and gongs. Her soothing sounds will fill the space and allow you to move into a state of deep relaxation on the Full Flower Moon.
Cost: $55.00
Rest Event
Date: Sunday, June 9, 2024
Time: 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Location: Liebestraum Chalet, 5505 Bancroft Avenue Southeast Alto, MI 49302
Description: Guided body scan, energy clearing, vagus nerve reset, yoga nidra exercise, rest / sleep, wake up, and meditation over an hour and a half.
Cost: Free
And if you are interested in my feng shui services, please see my website at www.cascadefengshui.com and contact me at abby@cascadefengshui.com. I’m also on Instagram at cascade.feng.shui.