New Moon in Cancer: Imagining Radical Care
As the sun and moon both sit in the sign of Cancer this new moon, you have an opportunity to imagine what radical care might look like for yourself, your loved ones, and your community. While the cardinal water sign of Cancer is often associated with emotions (as all water signs are), it is also linked to love, caregiving, mothering, family (whether chosen or biological), and home.
New moons are a time of curiosity, imagination, and receptivity. We live in an overculture that devalues the role of caregivers and mothers and often views self-care as something purchased. There's no idea too big or "out there" when it comes to how you reimagine caring for yourself and others. The core theme of this moon asks, "What does radical care look like?"
Keep reading for themes, ritual suggestions, and prompts for the new moon in the sign of Cancer.
As the sun and moon both sit in the sign of Cancer this new moon, you have an opportunity to imagine what radical care might look like for yourself, your loved ones, and your community. While the cardinal water sign of Cancer is often associated with emotions (as all water signs are), it is also linked to love, caregiving, mothering, family (whether chosen or biological), and home.
The theme of feeling safe and comfortable in your home is reflected in the crab, the animal associated with the sign of Cancer, with its protective exterior shell. Unlike the crab, you get to decide what home, family, and caregiving/mothering mean to you, and you get to change your mind as often as you want.
This new moon is an ideal time to be aware of your relationship with and feelings about themes of family, mothering/caregiving, and home. Whether or not you're a mother or live with your family of origin is irrelevant. This new moon invites you to investigate what it means to care for yourself and others, what family means to you (even if it's not your family of origin), and what it means to feel at home (even if it's untraditional).
New moons are a time of curiosity, imagination, and receptivity. We live in an overculture that devalues the role of caregivers and mothers and often views self-care as something purchased. There's no idea too big or "out there" when it comes to how you reimagine caring for yourself and others. The core theme of this moon asks, "What does radical care look like?"
Keep reading for themes, ritual suggestions, and prompts for the new moon in the sign of Cancer.
New Moon in Cancer Themes
Themes: radical care, love, family, home, caregiving/mothering, tuning into your relationship with these themes, being aware of what home means to you
Sign: Cancer
Element: water
Modality: cardinal
Quote: "The ethos of mothering involves valuing in and of itself a commitment to the survival and thriving of other bodies. It presents a fundamental contradiction to the logic of capitalism, which un-moors us from each other."
― Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Revolutionary Mothering: Love on the Front Lines
New Moon in Cancer Ritual Support
What better way to sink into a Cancer new moon than to create a radically cozy and caring space for yourself? The ritual support for this new moon is simple: take radical care of yourself, get curious about how you might create more care for yourself and others, and consider using the prompts shared below to explore these themes more deeply
This ritual can be sweet to do with a friend or a loved one. Consider swapping foot or back rubs, doing each other's nails, or giving a scalp massage. As always, adjust this ritual as needed to make it work for you.
You'll need:
30-60 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time
Cozy clothes and anything that makes you feel cozy
Optional: candle, crystals, tea, snacks, and anything else that feels supportive
1. Begin by preparing yourself and your space to create a cozy atmosphere. Consider wearing your favorite and most comfy clothes, grab your favorite comfort beverage and snack, and set the space with items that make you feel cozy. Take your time with this. If this feels difficult, imagine setting up a space for a beloved friend or family member who is visiting and needs some love.
Invitation: Before you decide to purchase anything to set up your cozy space, consider stretching your imagination and creativity to discern if you can create an ideal environment with what you have on hand or by asking a friend or loved one.
2. Take any time to cleanse the space energetically or call in spiritual support in a way that aligns with your practice.
3. Look over the prompts outlined below or notice what themes of home, family, and mothering are arising within you. Consider journaling or pulling cards to explore these themes.
4. Pamper and care for yourself and/or a friend or loved one for as long as your heart desires.
5. Remain open and curious about the ways that you might extend more love, care, and coziness to yourself, your beloveds, and your community.
6. If you opened this ritual in any specific way, consider closing with intention and gratitude.
New Moon in Cancer Prompts
Utilize these new moon in Cancer-inspired prompts to journal about or with your favorite tarot or oracle card deck.
What people and places make you feel most cared for and comfortable?
What does home mean to you?
How do you mother and/or care for yourself? How do you mother and/or care for others?
What would radical care look like for yourself, your loved ones, and your community?
What barriers prevent you from caring for yourself and others in the way you want to?
Imagine three ways you could creatively create more care and comfort for yourself and others alongside these barriers.
What feelings arise for you as you tune into these themes?
In an over-culture that consistently devalues the role of mothering and caregiving, this new moon is a loving reminder that everyone needs care and a place that feels like home. It's our sacred task to imagine what a radically caring world looks and feels like.
In radical care,
Cassie
Taurus New Moon: Anchoring into your Senses
As a fixed earth sign, the Taurus new moon anchors us into the changing season (spring for the Northern hemisphere and autumn for the Southern hemisphere).
The question for this new moon is clear: How deeply can you go into and be with the body? Explore ritual support to connect with your body and access the power and wisdom of your senses.
As a fixed earth sign, the Taurus new moon anchors us into the changing season (spring for the Northern hemisphere and autumn for the Southern hemisphere). It is a reminder to be with your body and the body of the earth, two sides of the same coin.
The corresponding sign for Taurus is Venus, which brings a welcomed sensual nature to the sturdiness of this sign. This new moon invites you to examine the riches of your body, senses, and the earth. Of course, what those riches are will vary from person to person.
Your body and the body of the earth are the keys to accessing the medicine of this new moon.
This is a slow and steady new moon, not one of those new moons to jump on a new project. This one is all about feeling. Maybe it is time to reorient towards something new in your life, rather than planning. Imagine what it would feel like to reorient in a new way. What would it smell, taste, look, sound, and feel like?
Keep reading for a ritual to work with the elements and your body to get your senses going.
New Moon in Taurus Themes
Themes: the body, earth, slowness, sensuality, intentional movement, embodiment, the senses, claiming or creating one's desires
Shadow themes: stubborn, unfeeling, lethargic, unresponsive
Corresponding planet: Venus
Element: Earth
Modality: Fixed
Quote: "Supremacy and oppression does not want us to slow down, connect or have space for our uncomfortable emotions to land because doing so is a threat to systems of violence." -Thérèse Cator
New Moon in Taurus Ritual Support
There are many simple ways to be with this new moon. Embodying a slow and sensual way of being while walking, eating, dancing, or taking a bath would all be excellent ways to explore its energy.
Below, I outline a malleable ritual for you. As always, please take what you like, leave the rest, and make it work for your practice.
Consider practicing this ritual with a trusted friend or lover if that sounds supportive and fun. The best time to practice this ritual is on the day of the new moon or up to two days after.
I adapted this ritual from a practice I learned from Kalah Hill.
For this ritual, you'll need the following:
A quiet and uninterrupted place to be with your body, inside or outside
A physical item representing each of the four elements (examples: feather for air, candle for fire, water for water, and food for earth, or favorite scent for air, lava stone for fire, rose for water, granite for earth)
Optional: any other items you want to explore physically or have near you for the ritual, pen/pencil, and paper
Gather your supplies and prepare your space (inside or outside), making it as cozy and comfortable as possible.
Take 5-10 minutes to be with your breath and body to allow space to arrive in the present moment.
One at a time, move through each item that you brought to work with for each element by exploring it tacitly. Tune into the item and element it represents for guidance on how it wants to be experienced or felt.
Slow way down and be playful. For example, gently and carefully move items over sensitive parts of your body like your face, neck, or the backs of your thighs. Try to spend 5-10 minutes with each item.
When you finish with each item, pause and notice how you feel and which senses were most utilized for each item. Spend a few minutes tuning into your body and breathing before moving to the following item.
Once you're finished moving through each item, tune into your body and breathe again. Notice how you feel and what sensations are arising. If you have time, lie down and be with your body for a while before moving to something else.
Consider journaling about the experience. Find some journaling prompts below.
New Moon in Taurus Journal Prompts
How does it feel to slow down and give yourself time to be with your body?
What is your relationship with pleasure? In what ways do you cultivate pleasure in your life (sexually and non-sexually)?
What kinds of sensations would you like to cultivate more of in your body?
What riches have you discovered by engaging with your senses, body, and/or the earth?
As you move through this new moon, may you be reminded of the power of your senses and your ability to cultivate pleasure within your body. See and feel it in the beauty and wisdom of the earth.
Blessed new moon!
Cassie
Aries New Moon: Claiming Your Power
The Aries new moon initiates us into springtime. As the earth begins to wake up, the cardinal fire sign associated with this new moon can infuse you with passion and focus that can anchor you into your deepest creative desires.
In essence, Aries energy is about your power and how you’re wielding it.
In a world where power is often violently distorted and misused, it’s only natural that you may feel a sense of trepidation about utilizing yours. This new moon is a place to explore that, too.
The Aries new moon initiates us into springtime (or Autumn, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere.). As the earth begins to wake up, the cardinal fire sign associated with this new moon can infuse you with passion and focus that can anchor you into your deepest creative desires.
In essence, Aries energy is about your power and how you’re wielding it.
In a world where power is often violently distorted and misused, it’s only natural that you may feel a sense of trepidation about utilizing yours. This new moon is a place to explore that, too.
As so many continue to see and experience the harm of mishandled power in our world, I encourage you to remember that not all power is power over, power can also be used in collaboration to support yourself and others from a place rooted in love, creativity, and justice.
Power is helpful and healing, if handled properly.
In this post, I’ll offer gentle support to navigate this energized new moon. If you’re reading this in 2025, this new moon coincides with a solar eclipse! Eclipses can be intensely illuminating. Be tender with yourself!
Aries New Moon Themes
Themes: Initiatory, active, discernment, passion, creativity, focus, courage, warrior archetype
Shadow aspects: anger, rage, destruction, violence
Element: Fire
Modality: Cardinal
Quotes: “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” -Alice Walker
“Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear and punishment.” Mahatma Gandhi
Aries New Moon Ritual Options
This ritual is aimed to help you identify where you’re currently placing your power and if you’d like it to shift, where your power is placed. New moons are a time of curiosity and openness, so this support is aimed at being curious around where your power is placed rather than taking action.
As always, take what you like and leave the rest. The ideal time to work with this new moon is the day before, the day of, or the day after the new moon.
What you’ll need:
Something to write with and on
20-60 minutes
Space to move
Optional: music, candle, oracle or tarot cards, any other items that feel connected to the themes of this new moon, and food and drink to ground post ritual
Gather your materials and create sacred space for yourself. This could involve lighting incense or a candle, getting into comfortable clothing, turning on supportive music, and/or calling in helper spirits or guides.
Spend a few minutes connecting with your breath, body, and the moon. If it feels aligned, set an intention aloud or in your mind to connect with this new moon and themes of power and action.
If you are working with a candle and have not lit it yet, do that now.
Begin by exploring the prompts below in the next section by contemplating them, journaling about them, or drawing oracle or tarot cards based on them.
After spending time with these prompts, tune into your breath, body, and the moon again. Notice if there are any shifts.
Check in to see if you feel complete in your new moon exploration or want to continue.
If you want to continue, and it feels accessible, move into the body for an intuitive movement practice to work with your relationship to power. This might look like noticing where you feel power in your body and moving with it, turning on music that helps you feel empowered to move with, gazing at your candle flame to connect and move with the element of fire.
Stay with the movement practice for as long as you’d like. When you feel complete, give yourself time to tune in with your breath, body, and this new moon again. Notice how you feel and what arises. Journal or draw if it feels supportive.
Close your practice in a way that feels good to you. This could include thanking yourself, this new moon, and any guides or helper spirits you called upon.
Eat and drink to help you ground if it feels supportive.
Aries New Moon Prompts
Enjoy these prompts for card readings or journaling:
Where are you currently focusing your power and strength?
What’s motivating your action?
What are the effects of where you’re focusing your power and strength right now?
Is the focus of your strength and power contributing to yourself, family, and community in the way you want?
Are there any ways you want to shift where you’re putting your power? If so, what might this look like for you?
As with all new moons, the sun is in the sign of Aries until mid next month to help you carry this energy through this moon cycle. Notice how your relationship with your power, and how you exert it shows up as the moon waxes towards full.
New Moon in Capricorn Ritual
The new moon in the cardinal sign of Capricorn is an invitation to explore themes of building supportive and nurturing foundations. This timely Capricorn new moon usually falls around the new year on the Gregorian calendar, where you may already be exploring goals or new paths for your year ahead.
The new moon in the cardinal sign of Capricorn is an invitation to explore themes of building supportive and nurturing foundations. This timely Capricorn new moon usually falls around the new year on the Gregorian calendar, where you may already be exploring goals or new paths for your year ahead.
The energy of Capricorn reminds you to pause and reflect on how you may need to nurture and care for yourself to grow in new ways. Because Capricorn is a cardinal sign, it carries an energy of initiation. This doesn’t necessarily mean taking direct action towards your goals but instead pausing to ensure that you have taken the necessary steps to build a structurally sound and sturdy foundation in which you can build upon.
If you enjoy this ritual, I invite you to share it with someone else who might benefit from it as well.
Themes for this full moon: Structure, stability, building foundations, planning necessary steps to begin a new phase, nurturing yourself
Element: Earth
The ideal time to perform this ritual is the day before the new moon, on the new moon, or the day after the new moon.
You’ll need:
20-30 minutes of quiet and uninterrupted time
Comfortable place to sit or lie down
Pen/pencil and paper
Any grounding crystal or stone from outside
1. Create sacred space by grounding yourself and connecting with your breath and body. If casting a circle or calling in the quarters is in your practice, you could do this too.
2. Sit or lie down, close your eyes, and begin to connect with your breath and body. Place your grounding stone in your hands, on your lap, or somewhere on your body.
3. Take a few moments to reflect on something you’d like to initiate in the coming weeks or months. Because this sign calls you to build a strong foundation, this is an ideal time to reflect on something that may feel daunting or big to begin.
4. Once you have something in mind, place your hands on your grounding stone and notice its weight, solidness, and structure. Think about the new adventure you have in mind to initiate and what you would need to feel supported, nurtured, and held as you begin taking action towards it.
5. As ideas come to mind, imagine sending them into your grounding stone upon which your hands are resting. Allow yourself to think of as many supportive and nurturing things to support you in this new endeavor. Don’t worry about how feasible any of them are. Simply allow yourself to feel into this space of being held and supported.
6. When you feel ready, slowly come out of the meditation. Take a few moments to write down suggestions or ideas that came to you around feeling supported and ways to build a strong foundation for any new endeavor.
7. Close your ritual in a way that feels good to you. Thank any guides, spirits, or ancestors who came through.
8. Ritual follow-up: Place your grounding rock on top of your paper under the new moon. Keep your rock with you as a reminder of all the nurturing and supportive ideas that came to you. Consider placing your list somewhere you’ll see it regularly so you can begin adding these ideas into your days.
This new moon ritual can be adapted or used for any new moon or new moon in Capricorn. As always, take what you like and leave the rest. xoxo Cassie
New Moon in Leo: Cultivating Joy
The sign of Leo calls for full self-expression, play, creativity, and showing your full and true self to the world. Every new moon is a time to be open to spirit for new opportunities, guidance, and growth.This new moon is an invitation to tune into spirit around how you can step more fully into expressing yourself in a way that feels joyful and aligned. Read on for a ritual I crafted for you to enjoy anytime during the new moon.
The sign of Leo calls for full self-expression, play, creativity, and showing your full and true self to the world. Every new moon is a time to be open to spirit for new opportunities, guidance, and growth.
This new moon is an invitation to tune into spirit around how you can step more fully into expressing yourself in a way that feels joyful and aligned. Read on for a ritual I crafted for you to enjoy anytime during the new moon.
Additional resources:
New Moon in Leo Ritual Support
1. Create a sacred space. Sit, close your eyes, connect with your breath and body. Root into the moment.
2. Optional: Light a red, yellow, orange, or white candle. Hold it in your hands, infusing it with the intention of being open to spirit for guidance in the lunar cycle ahead.
Additional resources:
Learn more about candle magick here.
5. Using your favorite tarot or oracle card deck, ask the following questions:
How am I being called to express myself?
What’s blocking me from expressing myself more fully?
How can I move past what’s blocking me from fuller self-expression?
How will me living more authentically change my life and the lives of others?
Additional resources:
Shop the Journey Tarot here.
6. Close your ritual by connecting with your breath and body again. Thank any guides or ancestors that came through to offer guidance. Consider journaling to process any.
If you enjoy this ritual, consider sharing it with someone who might also enjoy it.
NEW MOON CARD SPREAD
Every new moon, we get a beautiful opportunity for a fresh start. The new moon is the time of the lunar cycle where we get to dream, vision, and set intentions for what we would like to heal, manifest, and create for the new cycle.Cards, whether oracle or tarot (learn all about the difference between oracle & tarot cards and how to choose here), can be a powerful way to help us gain clarity and understand how to work with the whole cycle holistically. Keep scrolling for your new moon card spread and to learn how to work with the cards throughout the whole moon cycle!
Every new moon, we get a beautiful opportunity for a fresh start. The new moon is the time of the lunar cycle where we get to dream, vision, and set intentions for what we would like to heal, manifest, and create for the new cycle.
Cards, whether oracle or tarot (learn all about the difference between oracle & tarot cards and how to choose here), can be a powerful way to help us gain clarity and understand how to work with the whole cycle holistically.
Keep scrolling for your new moon card spread and to learn how to work with the cards throughout the whole moon cycle!
Cards featured from The Ritual Deck.
CARD SPREAD FOR THE NEW MOON
This is a card spread designed to help you work with the moon cycle holistically- through all of the major moon phases of the cycle including the new moon, first quarter moon, full moon, last quarter moon, and dark moon.
To ritualize drawing cards, you might like to take some time before getting started to light incense or burn other herbs, ground yourself (click here for suggestions on how to get grounded), and/or do a practice that helps you open your channels such as breathwork, a movement practice, or a visualization meditation.
When you feel ready, you can start pulling cards:
What cycle is opening up for me?
What wants to emerge, grow, be tended this cycle?
What blocks are coming up around this? (Draw one to three cards - let your intuition guide you!)
Why this block is here/the shadow underneath the block (draw one card for each blockage card)
Advice for healing these blocks (draw one card for each blockage card)
Advice for working with these energies to come back to myself
This card spread can offer some beautiful guidance for working with the phases of the moon holistically. I’m going to cover the 5 major phases of the moon below - the new moon, waxing moon, full moon, waning moon, and dark moon.
THE NEW MOON
The new moon is a time of dreaming and feeling into what you want to grow during the cycle. So during the new moon time, you’ll want to focus on cards one and two. I recommend creating an altar based around the themes of these cards.
For example, if the cards showed that in this cycle, spirit is inviting you to work with your creativity, then you could create an altar representing your creative energy blossoming. This might include lush flowers, the tarot cards you drew, anything that represents your creativity to you, and sacral chakra crystals like carnelian, peach selenite, or tiger’s eye.
Seeds are always a great addition to a new moon altar as well, a symbol of what you’re planting this cycle.
WAXING MOON
The waxing moon is the time for action. It’s an opportune time for taking the steps needed to bring your dream, your desire, into reality. During the waxing moon, you’ll want to focus on the steps that need to be taken to help card number 2 emerge and grow.
This could be internal or external! Often, I find, it’s a combination of both.
For example, say that your cards showed that this cycle is all about growing your business. During the waxing moon phase, this could be a time where you take more external steps to grow your business (like sending your newsletter, making a content calendar for Instagram and sticking to it, etc.) as well as doing an abundance ritual.
[Looking for abundance rituals to work with? Find four abundance rituals on the blog here.]
Remember to work with the sixth card, advice for working with the energies this cycle to come back to yourself, to support you through every phase.
FULL MOON
The full moon can feel like “everything all at once,” as one of my teachers says. The water in our bodies is heightened- emotions, intuition, fertility, psychic abilities. This is the last big push in the growth phase of the cycle so it’s the perfect time to do a manifestation ritual around your first and second cards, what it is you’re cultivating this cycle.
Notice any feelings or downloads you receive at this time and take note - you’ll weave them into your work through the waning part of the cycle.
WANING MOON
The waning moon is a time for shadow work, for releasing, for turning inward. It’s our invitation to work with cards three through five of the spread above: the blocks around your dream or desire, the shadow underneath the block, and the advice for healing these blocks.
This is a great time to explore the roots of these blocks and do practices like tapping (EFT) or breathwork to deprogram the stories and patterns that make up those blocks. If any of those blocks feel ready to be released, this is also the time to release them!
DARK MOON
The dark moon is the time of the cycle when the moon disappears from the sky. It’s a deeply internal time for rest, shadow work, banishing work, and cord-cutting.
If you feel ready at this time to release the blocks and work with the fifth card, the advice for healing those blocks, this is the time. A cord-cutting ceremony or banishing ritual would be ideal to help you wrap up the cycle and release these blocks once and for all.
You can return to this new moon card spread with every new moon to help guide your cycle. Want more rituals for the new moon? Click here!
