FULL MOON // LET THE TRUTH SINK IN

As Chani Nicholas so flawlessly said this month, "If your self-care system is any good at all, it will not protect you from your growing pains.  If your self-care system is built to last, it will reveal your truths without apology."

Revealing the Truth is what this month has been all about.  The deepest truth of who we are, who we want to be, what we need at the core to live a (just and kind) life that really matters, and the ACTION we need to take in order make that happen.

There's a lot going on personally and collectively with this Moon. It might be a little gnarly.  It might feel a little raw.  Your wounds might reopen.  But it's because this Moon wants you to get it.  It wants you to gain conscious awareness around what's been going on for you.  

It wants you to be real when it comes to your virtue and your values and to see where you're in line and where you need to course correct.

Then it wants you to let the truth sink in even deeper.

Pisces can dive deep into the emotional realms, which is good, but this Moon asks you not to go too far down the rabbit hole. It wants you to be vulnerable but stay objective.  Not to get caught up in the story of it.  Not to relive the drama or the trauma.  But to look it in the eye and choose the truth.  To see the lessons and meaning behind the events that have unfolded over the past month or continue to do so.

This Full Moon we have the Harvest Moon (a sight to behold) which is the time of year the ancients would (and farmers still do) take stock of the harvest.  To see what was reaped and sowed and review the rewards for their blood, sweat, and tears up until this point in the year - so that (in the Western Hemisphere) they could plan accordingly for the oncoming seasonal shift into darkness.

So on one hand, this Moon wants you to take stock over your life.  To take stock of your growth and your evolution, your gains, your boon and your bounty so that you can use this time to plan for the months ahead.  Who do you want to keep becoming? What do you need to do to make that happen? Take time to give yourself credit where it's due.  Celebrate your wins and acknowledge your losses.

Because not only is it a Full Moon, a time of Illumination, Awareness, Completion of the past month which included an intense series of Eclipses, it's also a Pisces Full Moon with Mercury and Mars rearing their truthful and fiery heads as they fall dangerously close to where they were astrologically when we hit the last eclipse, which can re-trigger the emotions of the past month.

Add that to Mercury going direct (aka revealing what might have been hidden during the past month while it was retrograde) and we have a lot of potential for individual evolution or devolution.

IF you've been avoiding your truth, your self-care or compromising yourself in some way or resisting the lessons as they appear on the path, then this Full Moon could be super intense for you.

IF you've been doing the work (and depending on how you keep showing up to do the work) if you can continue to stay objective and reflect honestly, then this moon could afford you some huge opportunities for evolution. 

Whichever side of the fence you fall on, know that evolution isn't always (that is a kind way to say, rarely is) comfortable.  In all honesty, it's usually pretty intense and uncomfortable. But if it was easy, everyone would do it, and that's why it takes so much courage to be who you really are.

So I repeat: If your self-care system is any good at all, it will not protect you from your growing pains.  If your self-care system is built to last, it will reveal your truths without apology.

The more you're willing to witness whats coming up for you in the form of pain, shame or resistance, the more you'll be able to swim with the current of change instead of struggle against it.

The biggest challenge is not to get caught up in the repeating of unconscious or unhealthy patterns that might have been triggered for you over the past month or might be getting re-triggered with this Full Moon.

This Moon says, KEEP YOUR EYES WIDE.  Let your perspective take it all in, bring awareness and curiosity to what arises instead of judgment.

As the always wise Danielle LaPorte says:

"Lightwork can be a fight. If you think being on the “spiritual” side of progress guarantees you harmony, then either you haven’t been at it long enough or you’ve been playing it safe. Harmonizing, healing, serving, shining…it’s messy work. Beautiful. Worth it. But messy."

If you’re working for the Light you’re going to face some darkness — a resistance that’s beyond you.

If you believe that everything is energy, then be prepared for equal and opposite reactions to your expansion.

If you understand that we’re living in a multi-dimensional universe, then know you might contend with other forces, policies, narrow-mindedness. And there will be friction.

Friction creates turbulence. Which creates focused strength…for lift off.

Challenges on the cusp of your success aren’t always “self-sabotage”. Sometimes it’s a cosmic call to arms, an opportunity to prove your devotion. An initiation that can come in the form of back attacks, derailed plans, shocking political upsets."

Chances are (if you're human like the rest of us) something this month came up for you in the form of anger, a mistake, a fuckup OR you had a significant experience that caused you to make the call; and you know that was the right thing to do, but there's some feeling of uncertainty or shame still lingering under the surface that's masking the ability to own your integrity in relationship to it.

But this Pisces Moon says: be aware of your thoughts, actions, "patterns" and what you view as "mistakes" ... are you getting caught up in your same story, or are you able to step back and take stock of the bigger picture?  

Sometimes mistakes lead us towards our truth.

Sometimes fucking up is what wakes us up.

Sometimes breaking down is what allows us to break through.

The biggest question to ask yourself during this Harvest Moon as you take stock of the quality of your life is, are you making choices that lead you deeper into your virtue?

Virtue, otherwise known as morals or values aka how you show up in life in relation to WHAT MATTERS TO YOU.  The choices you make, the thoughts you think, the way you move through the world is all related to your virtue.

But first things first, you have to identify what virtue means to you.

It's very difficult to make choices that keep you in alignment if you don't know what you're aligning with.

So allow this Full Moon to be a review and an inquiry.

Are you on track? Have you taken a path that's veered you off course? Maybe you're stumbling, flat out falling or what really matters now is new for you.

The most important thing is to get firm on what you want, what's true for you, and how to take action that keeps you moving towards your values.

And it's not to say you won't fuck up or feel the pain because you definitely will. And that's probably what this Moon is about for you.  But pain and mistakes are all a part of the cosmic learning curve. Learning how to rewire your patterns is a part of the process.  The most important thing to do, despite the discomfort or drudgery, is to remember you're human, to keep giving yourself the courage to feel and to KEEP GOING. 

More specifically with what Femme Rising stands for, the call to action this month is to check in with your body and your sense of self. How are you doing with both?

What is draining your life force? Where are your energy leaks? How well are you honoring your body and your health (physically, emotionally, sensually, sexually)?

How's your body Confidence? Your self-confidence? Your sense of purpose and fulfillment in the world?

Where are you compromising yourself? Where are you compromising your desires? Where are you compromising your nourishment?

If you need some help getting back to your body, giving yourself permission to feel and to experience sensual comfort and confidence in your body, stay tuned for a special announcement coming in the next few days (and make sure you're signed up for the newsletter if you aren't already because all those ladies get first dibs)!

"Make sure that no matter what you are faced with, no matter what choices you have to make, you choose the road what will reveal the most about you.  Choose the path that is the most healing for this point in your life.  Choose the path that helps you clarify your beliefs and put them into action. Choose the path that helps you honor your feelings and the wisdom they bear." Chani Nicholas

Whatever has come up for you in the past month or during this Moon has done so to get your attention.  It's likely done so to be an entry point for your highest good, the question is whether or not you'll see it that way.

This Moon wants to strip you down.  To get you vulnerable.  To not shy away from your truth or what you need.  Most of all, this Moon is bigger than you.  Yes, it's about you, but it's also about your ability to stand strong in your own truth so that you can stand up and speak up WITH A SENSE OF VIRTUE for all the others whose voices are trying to be silenced. 

These days call for mindfulness in faith, action, and virtue.  They call you to get real with yourself so that you can be a force to be reckoned with.

Keep going. Don't back down. This world needs what you've got.

To the friction, we need to make this world better place for all of us,

Ashly

PS. This month's playlist is here to help you move through it. Physically MOVE YOUR BODY and emotionally move your emotions ... and don't miss the to the 2 songs by Burgs.  Get it HERE.

NEW MOON | SOLAR ECLIPSE IN LEO // FIERCE LOVE

I'm in Barcelona (en route to commence a pilgrimage to the Divine Feminine through Southern France) and yesterday at the Cathedral, I bought a red candle. 

I thought I'd light it at the Cathedral (in front of Mary Magdalene's spot, obv) but then I realized you aren't actually allowed to light real candles inside (?) so, this being a pilgrimage, I thought maybe I'd light it during my daily prayers, but realized this morning that it needed to go as an offering at Las Rambalas instead.

So today, I walked towards it, not knowing exactly how to get there but headed in the general direction.

I went South West, towards the sea, and I arrived, not knowing from any other way than feeling. I was still a few blocks away, but at an intersection, emotion started to well up inside of me (divine guidance for me is a very feeling thing), so I realized I was close.

I crossed the street and walked a little further through a big square to see the first memorial. There was a group of Islamic families with children and Spaniards chanting peacefully together.

I stopped for a moment to observe and then kept walking across the main intersection to see the memorial at the end of the famous pedestrian esplanade.

I politely made my way to the front, set down my candle and kneeled to pray.

I cried just as much as I prayed and with my tears wet and my prayers complete, I went to light my candle with a small box of matches from my hotel.

And it wouldn't light. 

I thought about the upcoming eclipse: how ironic.

I tried a few more times.  

No dice. So I started re-lighting others that had gone out instead. There was Jesus with his radiant heart, tea lights everywhere, something basic someone brought from home. They all lit with my matches just fine. 

So, I then try every remaining match on my candle until I got down to the last one. And at that moment, a woman kneels beside me and asks in Spanish if I have a light. 

I smiled and nodded and give her my last match. 

She lit her candle with ease.

She said thank you, we made eye contact and smiled somberly at one another as she rose and departed.

I held my red candle and once more prayed to my Gods and Goddesses, to all those I hold divine, but this time, instead of a match, I picked up another candle to light my own.

It ignited with ease.

You know that quote, a candle never loses its light from lighting another candle?

Well, it was quite apropo - and it's poignant for what's going on in the world (and inside all of our own radiant hearts) right now.

We quite literally need OUR LIGHT to LIGHT (and re-light and re-light) each other's LIGHT.

Similarly to many other parts of the world (the US ranking high on the list) the emotional climate in Spain is pained but united.  The recent wound is fresh, and as it is in the States, there's a level of fear and uncertainty.  But similarly, to the US and other places of unrest, the depth of the wound is being revealed and re-dressing it isn't an option anymore.

But in the wake of the wound, there is kindness here, and it is palpable.  The feelings of solidarity (as they are in the US) are real.  The people genuinely care for one another, as I've personally experienced being a stranger here at a strained time.  In my soul, I know the heart of humanity is good, and despite the present undercurrents of pain, its beat here proves to keep pace and its rhythm is steady and strong.

But it's true, hearts do get broken.  We do get wounded.  And a healthy heart is only as strong as its ability to heal.

These acts of bigotry and hate are only calling us louder than ever to the immense need to recognize and heal our personal and collective wounds: because the world-heart-wound must be fully revealed in order to be healed.

What happens when we try to hide our shadows or avoid our wounds?  As my best friend Katie says, if you don't heal your own wounds you end up throwing them at others.

This what's happening now. This is the epic reveal.  And those unwilling or unable to heal or deal with their own wounds, are either chucking them at others or checking out (as in leaving Earth) in epic numbers.

There's a lot being said about bypassing the reality of what's happening by "sending love and light".  And I get that.  Of course, any statement (especially this one) is empty without the action to back it up.

Because things are not okay.  Last week my cousin was spat on for being Jewish.  In a Starbucks.  Some man asked if she was Jewish, she said yes, and he SPIT on her. 

So yes, my family is "white".  Yes, my family is "privileged".  But my family is also Jewish.  This hate isn't just about color lines.  It's about *pervasive* hate and inequality.

This hate isn't somewhere else, it isn't in someone else's town or someone else's country. It's here and it's real and it requires our action to stand united solidarity to against it. 

Some feel called to act in certain ways that others don't, and this makes some feel stuck between a rock and a hard place, because for some with sensitive nervous systems or those who experience a re-triggering of trauma from current events (and yes, many do, whether they know it consciously or not) action and involvement can be too much.  But even if that's the case there's still much you CAN DO.

So, 

1. Tend to your own wounds (aka own your shit and do what you need to do to heal). 
2. Know that your voice and your money and your presence are all incredibly powerful forms of currency. 

You can donate your time, money or social media presence to causes that matter (the ADL and ACLU are two organizations that need support now more than ever). You can use your voice to speak up against injustice if it happens in real time. You can smile more, practice kindness towards strangers, give everyone in your life just a little more time. You can take personal responsibility for yourself and do the work you need to heal.  You can remember your spiritual practices.  You can deepen your breath when you feel the stress set in.  You can take care of yourself while you love and defend your neighbor.  And you can pray (daily and often) if you do that sort of thing.  

The biggest thing NOT to do is to give in.  Don't give into the fear or cynicism, that only dims the fire in your heart, and on this New Moon in Leo being complemented by a Total Solar Eclipse, this world literally needs your light. And it certainly needs your love. Because this sacred war certainly can be won without both. 

So, onto how this factors into the eclipse: we know that Eclipses are astrological events that invoke present day awe and wonder. 

The ancients held a variance of beliefs around eclipses: but Solar Eclipses tended to evoke fear; the light being crossed by darkness took on a very literal meaning for people who lived by the sun and loved by the moon.

Today, we may have more science, but the general population is less consciously aware of the impacts of Eclipses.

There's obviously the electrical. Power grids and those states that use Solar will be particularly affected.  Energetic particles in the atmosphere will shift, affecting photon levels.

There's obviously the physical. Plants are affected by brief but powerful lack of light. Animals become confused and erratic. Birds are known to fall silent, Orb spiders take down their webs, bees return to their hives. If outside and in the "path of totality" our circadian rhythm can shift due to the brief but significant shift of light. Locations in the path of the shadow will likely experience noticeable temperature drops.

There's obviously the astrological. The patterns of the planets can give us some insight for the personal and societal affect of what happens when the moon crosses the sun in conjunction with all the other celestial forces floating about.

And so yes we have our science and our stars, and yes these things provide insight into how Eclipses affect us. But the biggest, and most unrecognized element of an Eclipse is the impact of how all of these things make us FEEL.

Because THE IMPACT IS EMOTIONAL.  

The combination of elements (the physical, electrical, astrological) makes us FEEL certain ways. 

And as we've seen in the world recently, emotions are high. 

What wasn't visible is becoming visible, and now we have the opportunity to see what was still being obscured.

But eclipses are not only one moment events. They (and the events that lead up to them) can have a lasting effect for months, sometimes years. 

So, soon, the moon will cross the sun: the subconscious, emotional elements of the Lunar deity will blot out the light of the conscious, energy of the Solar deity. The light will literally go out and for a moment, we'll be covered in darkness.

Astrologically, here's what my fav babe astrologer Chani Nicholas has to say about the cosmic convergence:

"... this is a time of deep introspection as we go into the shadowlands of our lives." 

On Monday, August 21st, the total solar eclipse will occur, throwing its unique shade across America. This entire eclipse season is revealing our shadow selves. Our eclipsed selves. Our personal and collective underworld journeys.

These are complex days. Dense with the personal homework assigned to us. Loaded with the personal significance of each mission. Ladened with the opportunity to set new patterns for ourselves, our work and our lives. Whatever we do during eclipse season has an incredible staying power attached to it. We cannot control what happens, but every time we choose our integrity over our fear, we choose what is life-affirming over what is life-constricting. Every time we choose our integrity over our fear, we choose what is growth-enhancing over what keeps us bound up and unable to access our agency. Every time we choose our integrity over our fear, we choose to commit a little bit more to our path and divest a little more energy from what prevents us from fulfillment."

So how do you handle yourself during challenging times? 

This is a powerful time to practice awareness and tune into your capacity to stay sensual.  To use your senses.  To actually allow yourself to FEEL what you are feeling through the sensual experience of being in a body.

When shit hits the fan: do you shut down, bypass, numb out, does become too much for your nervous system to handle (which can manifest as anxiety, energetic sensitivity, get overloaded with a feeling like you can't function, or perhaps you any other host of other "symptoms")?

Or does it fire you up and get you angry?

TUNE IN, see what triggers you, see how you respond, observe your go-to preprogrammed responses, tend to your wounds.

Then, take action based on what is in your highest interest. Seek out that which keeps you in ALIGNMENT with yourself and your highest good.

I know that it can feel overwhelming but don't give into feeling powerless. Taking action with you voice, your example, and getting involved in your community are the some of the best ways to stay in your power.

Whatever you do, please don't add more fuel to the fire: fear seeks to control by creating more fear.  This is when you have to take control for yourself and with awareness: step back and (again) tend to your own wounds.  

Because wounds surface to be healed, so see what's surfacing for YOU in all of this.

The big choice faced by humanity at the time of this eclipse is will we each take responsibility for our personal wounds, will we consciously choose to heal ourselves to heal the world ... or will we keep throwing our wounds at others, denying responsibility (and therefore LOVE) for ourselves and others?

And I know: healing wounds, seeing and feeling the truth is uncomfortable. It's not all sunshine, unicorns, and rainbows, that's why people avoid it so much!  It's FUCKING HARD. It hurts. You fall down. You struggle. You get back up and fall back down again. But healing is also called growth and evolution and it's how you transform.

Metamorphosis is always naturally destructive (it is the Kali Yuga after all) and things probably need to fall apart significantly more before they can fall back together as broken hearts and broken systems heal.

For what it's worth, I think it's important to remember that we are on standing on a precipice for which many have already fought and sacrificed for.

History has an unfortunate way of repeating itself and I've taken some solace in those who have fought for us to get where we are today as I've reflected on the history that's led us here, knowing that ALL of it has led us to this moment.  To this choice.  This ability to RISE together as ONE people who all have hearts that bleed the same red.

As we move forward into this age of uncertainty, let us remember that history is always written by the winner. Eclipses carry significant historical weight (do some research, it's pretty interesting), so let's choose (really consciously choose) to let love win by each taking personal responsibility for healing ourselves and the world we want to live in. In the words of the great Dr. King, let us remember:

"Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

So be fierce with your boundaries and be fierce with your love, because like Mama Durga riding her Lion into battle, we need you and your very human heart strong for this fight and we need your light to wage its way through the dark. 

With a radiant heart,

Ashly

If you need support: join the new Femme Rising Facebook Group where I've been teaching Breath of Fire, a very tangible tool for calming stress, stabilizing the nervous system and keeping your energy strong.

GODDESS DOESN'T DISCRIMINATE // WOMEN SHAMING WOMEN

As recent as 2015 (when I started Femme Rising) no one was using the word FEMME and very few were using the word RISING.  I knew I had to trademark it immediately because things would shift (and I'm glad I did because now these words are widespread).

At the time, the need I saw for healing and embodiment around sensuality wasn't visibly being met anywhere else (sexuality was starting to, but not sensuality itself) and I became aware that  there was a void for women to heal or awaken with their bodies and psyches in a soft, innocent and cyclical way.

I know women are out there and have been out there doing this work for a long time (women who paved the way for me in this lifetime as well as the women who have been for thousands of years / since the beginning of time) but it wasn't really in the media or in the mainstream's minds.

A few women were starting to make some big waves (my immense gratitude to Psalm Isadora for being one of them) but generally (from news to social media memes) it was much quieter.

And it was quieter ... but the seeds were sprouting ... which is why we are beginning to see it so much everywhere right now.

Sensuality and sexuality is starting to be recognized an integral part of our health and wellbeing and is gaining mainstream awareness on everything from sexual identity, to gender identity and equality, recent events illustrated by the US government and these significant headlines: the leaked would be sexist and conservative "Google Manifesto" on gender and workplace diversity, the current Taylor Swift trial, and the emergence of women going public on the misogynistic male world of tech and start ups to name a few.

The Femme IS Rising. It's like 2 years ago a massive wave was sowed and we all felt it in way that was unique to us and right now, that unique expression is coming into form.

Now, FEMME and RISING are everywhere.

And it’s interesting, because now, more widely than jut these words, I've also I've also had women who claim to be colleagues in Feminine/Sexual Empowerment compliment, judge or shame me and then flat out steal my branding and my words (directly from my site).

Yes, it stabs me in the heart and it fucking hurts when someone steals my words or copies my vision. 

But in this wave of awakening, I also know that what we as women experience in awakening to our feminine power is similar, and in my heart, I know what they’re sharing is somehow an expression of what is true for them, because otherwise, why bother?

I know we feel similar things and as we REMEMBER we try our best to make sense of it: so we reach for what resonates.

But what I wish people would really grasp about what it means to "reclaim the feminine" is how unique each of our expressions are.  Yes there are similarites: they can be compared but they also can't.

For some it's a physical reclaiming.  For others it's sexual.  My making sense of it was sensual.  Reclaiming my body and my sexuality through the pathway of the senses is what led me to my feminine power and my power led me to FEMME RISING.
 
I really honestly never thought I'd be doing this work with my body or my life but what I've loved discovering along the way, is how my unique expression has become and how my own expression continues to be born from my own experience.

Which is the whole point of awakening and reclaiming!  Whatever “Femme Rising” or the words you choose to describe what reclaiming the feminine mean to you: the whole point is to allow yourself discover your own unique experience and from that place, EMBODY YOUR OWN UNIQUE EXPRESSION.

Which brings me to my main point: in a time of such collective awareness awakening, I’M GETTING TIRED OF THE SHAME AND JUDGEMENT FROM OTHER WOMEN TOWARDS OTHER WOMEN AS THEY EXPLORE EXPRESSING THEIR EMBODIMENT.

There is the rampant occurrence of women body shaming other women /// That Solange's album wasn't "black" enough /// "The Women's March was a powerful statement could have been (insert criticism)" /// Criticism that the words Goddess / Witch / Priestess are getting "so overused" /// Women saying that Taylor Swift ins’t “feminist” enough /// 

What good is any of that doing?

Yes, it seems to be everywhere.  Yes, there are of us who have been fighting for this for a long time.  Yes, some of it feels commodified and insincere.  Yes, I know.

But please, let's CELEBRATE that these things are actually happening.

That women are owning their power and using their voices. That women are remembering the sacred seeds they carry. 

That the word GODDESS is actually being used in the mainstream!

So many things are shit: the US government, hate, bigotry, racism, sexism, pain, suffering, poverty, climate change.

We obviously still have a lot of work to do, BUT LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING.

WOMEN ARE ACTUALLY RISING (and at an epic rate).

So, if you truly believe in Goddess: if you truly believe that we are all expressions of the Divine coming to know itself, how can you shame another woman for her evolution of awakening to the divinity within herself?

Big Mama obviously isn’t new, she was here before all of us and she will be here long after all of us and she definitely doesn’t discriminate.  So please, check your drama and your dogma at the gate.

Anyone who has gone through healing and awakening knows it's uncomfortable.  It's awkward.  You struggle.  It's expansive and liberating and  painful and terrifying. You stride forward and you fall back.  Anyone whose risen from the ashes into their own expression knows this.

The last thing the Feminine needs she while rediscovers her wings is judgement on how she takes off before her engines even pick up enough steam to leave the runway.

She’s been grounded for thousands of years, so give her some freaking time to remember how to fly before you step in and declare certain expressions unworthy.

Bowing down to all the women who do raise up other women, who do this work and all the ancestors who paved the way for ALL OF US to rise.

Image and words by Femme Rising, if you share it, please credit it.