The September new Moon is at the final hour of Tuesday, September 19th. At 23:30 Mountain time, Moon enters the first tithi (phase) of the waxing half, closing the door on the last cycle. Amavasya, or the new Moon, is a seed planting time- ripe with potential and possibility. Release and letting go must take place in order for you to plant your seeds in the cycle to come. What is it that you are letting go of- in preparation for the new, the ripening and harvest to come?

This new Moon occurs in Virgo where Sun has newly entered. Both Sun and Moon will be in the latter half of the Phalguni constellation- Uttaraphalguni. This is a constellation ruled by Aryaman and the ancestors. As a god of resources, sustenance and health, Aryaman brings support for marriage and that which pleases the ancestors- like perpetuating the lineage and honoring dharma.

The Phalguni constellations are notorious for ripeness, fertility and giving the fruits of your efforts; they are symbolized by a bed- a place of creation, rest, rejuvenation and pleasure. These stars correlate to love, sexuality, sensuality and relationships. Purva phalguni connects more to the lower half of the body, while Uttara phalguni correlates to the upper half of the body as well as the future and lasting results. Fruitful outcomes occur through the Phalguni constellations. It is a powerful time to create contracts that you want lasting support and results from.

In the waxing cycle to come, it's powerful time to gather your harvest for the past season. What are you taking with you? What are you leaving behind? What is still digesting and integrating? What are the new needs showing up? What grief are you still carrying that needs to be released and digested?

Movement, expansion and momentum come in the weeks ahead. Make changes that help you align with new nourishment and growth. It's time to move forward and be bold with your desires. Make sure your actions, choices, words and desires match your long term expectations. What are you moving towards? What needs to be released in order to make room for the new? Where are you holding grief, clogging the channels and keeping you from deeper receptivity?

Digest, release and integrated grief from the past cycle. This is a cycle of healing and preparation. Don't move too fast. Slow down and be methodical with your steps- as tempting as it may be to rush. Move towards new nourishment and make room for the new by clearing and releasing the unconscious terrain that keeps you stuck and striving but never arriving. What stories of lack are in your way of abundance and deeper love?

This new Moon kicks off a powerful cycle of transformation and release during the Navaratri celebrations. The nine days of Mother Divine begin just after the new Moon on September 20th. Equinox arrives two days later on the 22nd. Fall equinox for the Northern Hemisphere and Spring equinox for the Southern Hemisphere.

Nava means nine and ratri means night in Sanskrit. Each day and night of this powerful junction point, correlates to the epic battle between the goddess Sri Devi Mahatmyam and the demon Mahishasura. Maha Devi Mahatmyam is connected to both Durga and Shakti, powerful forms of divine feminine energy that awaken, clear, transform and heal. Sri Devi is understood to be the supreme creation power of the universe, the Tridevi, or triple goddess, as she expresses the creation, sustaining and destructive energies that perpetuate all forms of life. In the sacred text known as the Sri Devi Mahatmyam, composed between 400 and 600 CE, the many forms of the goddess are expressed.

"She is presented, through a language of praise, as the one who dwells in all creatures, as the soul, as the power to know, the power to will and the power to act. She is consciousness of all living beings, she is intelligence, she is matter, and she is all that is form or emotion." - Via Wikipedia

During the nine day and night Navaratri celebration, the battle between light and dark forces enlivens, ending on the 10th day with Victory Day, Vijaya Dashami. This  battle between light and dark, good and bad, masculine and feminine, transformation and healing, is taking place within all beings at this sacred junction point. It is a time to heal and integrate polarities within.

Read more about Navaratri.

Full Moon is at 08:53 am MST while Moon transits Leo and Uttaraphalguni, the constellation of the ancestors and powerful creative life force energy. Aryaman rules this portion of the sky, offering resources like love, marriage, family, children, and that which perpetuates the ancestral line. Life force energy is enlivened here, which brings to life desires and helps them arrive into manifest form. What seeds are you planting right now?

With three planets in gandantas (powerful gaps of uprooting and change) there is much to be released before your seeds can truly take root. Saturn is transiting Mula, Rahu is transiting Magha and Mars is in Ashwini until March 19th. These gandantas notoriously cause knots in the mental and emotional bodies to be removed through transformation, upheaval and change. Often uncomfortable, these are portions of the sky that open new doors, slamming old doors shut. As we linger here in the in-between, physically and within our shadowed self, there is an opportunity to also stand in much greater possibility and potential. 

Deep transformation and turmoil is taking place with this full Moon and in the cycle to come. A new clarity is emerging, but not until you pull up all the weeds and uproot the parts of yourself that are holding you back from greater empowerment. There may be confusion about your power and purpose, but now is the time to create a clear path and let go of the parts of yourself that hinder you from stepping into your power more fully.

Dream big! Allow yourself to expand what you think is possible for yourself. Where are you limiting yourself? What stories have you been telling yourself that keep you stuck and playing small? What is holding you back from full manifestation of your goals, dreams and desires? These mental body stories stuck on repeat in your unconscious mind, must be brought to the light, released and transformed in order for you to step into a more powerful future. These stories are keeping you from powerful action steps.

Gains come when you radically release your scarcity consciousness, your lack, the parts of yourself that don't yet feel deserving or capable of greater power. How long has this painful story been on repeat? How long will you keep playing it? Use the cycle ahead to get radical, clear, focused and determined to confront your goals head on. Use this cycle ahead to get radically clear about what is in your way of accomplishment and greater power. Uproot the old weeds in  your mind and plant new seeds of life and nourishment.

This Full Moon also marks the Holi celebration in the Vedic calendar which often roughly coincides with the vernal equinox and the arrival of spring (for the Northern Hemisphere). The equinox arrives on March 20th this year. Holi is a Vedic fertility celebration, sparking immense life force energy, potential and creative power to enliven. Step into your Divine Feminine power!

No matter the hemisphere you are in, both spring and fall are considered "sandhi" times of year- or in between seasons. These are sacred times, when the veil is thin, sensitivity is heightened, and in Ayurveda we attend to necessary physical rituals that help the body cleanse and purify. Holi comes at this sacred junction and is a time to "plant seeds" so to speak. It is a celebration of fertility, abundance and the awakening of Shakti within Nature. This full enlivening of Ma, the Divine Mother, is celebrated during Vasant Navaratri- the nine days of Mother Divine beginning March 28th this year. We can consider this her "kick off" celebration as we plant our desires and create our fruits. Let this Full Moon bring you a sense of spring and possibility.