Guided By The Cancer New Moon – Ceremony & Personal Practice

Hi,

I'm Shannon,

And thank you so much for joining me today for this New Moon Ceremony.

Although it was recorded live earlier in the month,

Just know the themes and energy present within this ceremony are timeless.

The energy is about transforming difficult challenges that have the potential of turning into bitterness unless we shift them into something beautiful,

Or as I like to say,

Turning lemons into a delicious lemon meringue pie.

I hope you enjoy.

Hi,

And thank you so much for joining me tonight.

I'm Shannon,

And grateful to be here.

I hope everybody is doing well,

And looking forward to our celebration for the New Moon in Cancer.

How I start all of our sessions together,

We always start by lighting a candle,

And it's a way to pull our energy in for the practice with intention.

I've been inviting everybody to also light a candle for yourself.

I often use the candle to set different intentions at different times.

And so,

My intention when we light our candles is first to call in our physical self to be present for the session.

As we call in our physical self,

Then we're also calling in our higher self,

Or our angelic self,

Or our fifth dimensional self.

And when we do that,

We're also then connecting to the higher selves of everybody who's present here,

Along with all of our guides,

Ancestors,

Angels,

Master teachers,

Because our souls or our higher selves are connected to that realm.

And so,

When our physical presence is here,

And we call in our higher self,

It's connected to all of that.

And then that calls in the energy of the divine mystery of all things,

That interconnectedness.

Then we're reminded by the single candle that all of that is inside of us as well.

The energy around this particular new moon is that it asks us that spiritually,

No matter what hardships that we might have gone through in the past,

Or maybe going through right now,

The new moon and cancer,

That energy that it brings up,

It asks us,

Can we find comfort inside of ourselves,

No matter what's happening around us or in our lives?

Can we go within and comfort ourselves or find comfort or find a safe space?

So,

The mantra for this particular season is,

I am safe inside myself.

So,

You're creating a sanctuary inside yourself,

So that no matter what is going on,

You always have a safe space to be in,

To make good decisions for yourself.

So,

It takes consciousness to be able to do that by being conscious about your choice of how you're going to handle those hardships.

Because we have a choice,

Right?

We can be resentful,

Angry,

It can turn into bitterness,

Or we can take it,

Those hardships,

Those difficulties,

And turn it into a lemon meringue pie that's delicious and yummy.

But all the ingredients are there,

Right?

We just have to craft them differently in order to create something that's beautiful out of something that could make us bitter.

The story behind the cancer crab is actually a surprising one.

The crab was actually a protector of ocean life and would use its hard shell and fearlessness and caring nature to look out for those around it.

While protecting a fellow sea creature,

The crab was crushed and he died there on the beach.

To honor the crab for its bravery and loyalty,

Its shell was scattered in the sky and created the constellation of cancer.

So whenever we look up to that constellation,

When we're entering cancer season,

It reminds us of that fearless nature and that protection.

We too can stand up for those that we love.

And it also reminds us that although the crab is not the largest or biggest creature in the sea,

It's not about that size.

It's more about that inner strength.

I found this quote and it's from Karen Sullivan.

Her book is Bitter or Better?

Grappling with Life.

And the quote is this,

In the face of adversity,

We have a choice.

We can be bitter or we can be better.

Those words are my North Star.

And so it's all about choosing how we work with those hardships in our life.

It doesn't mean that we pretend like hardships don't happen,

But instead it's we honor those spaces.

We come out the other side of it.

And how do we grow from those experiences?

And so to pull in that energy of the crab and protection,

I thought of Ganesha and his mantra,

Because in the Hindu tradition,

Ganesha is all about being the protector.

We'll sing our Ganesha mantra together now.

Ganesha Sharanam,

Sharanam Ganesha.

So what I'm going to have you do is you'll bring your hands in front of you.

And then just turn them so that they're facing up as if you're receiving,

Receiving a gift of Ganesha.

And Ganesha is also about protecting us from those burdens.

And so helping lift some of those off of our shoulders.

And then what I'm going to have you do is bring your hands in Anjali Mudra,

Which is prayer position in front of your chest,

Your heart,

Your sternum.

And then we'll just ask Ganesha to be with us and create a circle of protection as we honor the new moon.

And I'll have you take a deep breath in and exhale.

Ganesha Sharanam,

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Sharanam G Having time discerning through that confusion is part of the spiritual journey.

And so God,

Being that trickster energy or that idea of when we make plans,

God laughs.

Coyote is that image of the mystery,

Okay,

Those are your plans,

But I'm just gonna change things up.

We're going to do two sections of questions of reflection based on the energy around this new moon.

And for prompts,

We're going to use the tree keeper oracle.

So there's two cards that came out,

I'll read the card,

And then we'll do questions of reflection around it.

And then we'll do the second card.

So the first card that came out was number 28,

And it's the keeper of anger.

And the card reads this,

Anger is a sacred fire denied to many of us.

We're encouraged to be compliant and agreeable even when it's not in our best interest.

Fire is fuel for change.

Too little fire and we risk becoming listless or depressed.

Too much and we risk our peace of mind.

The invitation in this moment is to find the creative power in your anger.

What change can you invite?

Where can you let anger have its voice?

So our first question of reflection based on this is,

What is something you are angry about either now or from your past?

Now here's the thing about when you name it,

Naming the anger from a spiritual perspective,

One,

Allows you to honor the feeling,

But it also allows you to then process it in a way that you want to.

So you're allowed to have the feeling,

It might last for a while,

But then you can walk yourself through it.

If you don't name it,

Then you can't look at it.

So then it kind of sits behind the scenes.

So the second question of reflection is,

What does this situation invite into your life as an opportunity to look at?

What change does this invite into your life?

And so the third question is,

In what ways can you help yourself prevent bitterness from setting in?

So for example,

I might journal about my experience so that I move through all of it and find closure within myself.

Or I might do an art piece,

Or I might write a poem so that I speak to the situation.

So what's a creative way for you to take what we're talking about and prevent it from becoming something that makes you bitter,

But instead helps you create something beautiful?

So the second card that came out through the Treekeeper Oracle is number 26,

And it's Boundaries.

The Keeper of Boundaries.

Standing your ground is essential.

The Treekeepers knew that know is a necessary magic.

Use it often to free the bound,

Liberate the oppressed,

And honor the sacred inside yourself.

Do not be swayed by achievement,

Approval,

Or secondary satisfactions of pleasing others.

Think of your truth as a secret inside of you that deserves protection.

Once you have admitted the truth inside of you,

It's time to embody it by speaking it.

Allow it to be protected by the ferocity of self-kindness.

To thine own self be true.

Learning to hold our ground and protect our precious resources makes all our relationships more authentic.

The secret irony hiding inside your willingness to say no is that it allows your yes to be more resolute and ecstatic.

And so I have two questions of reflection for this particular card.

What is sacred to you that needs protecting?

The first question of reflection.

What is sacred to you that needs protecting?

So taking the second question is this,

Taking what you named as sacred to you.

What is a boundary that you can place that will help protect it?

Taking what you named as sacred to you.

What is a boundary that will help to protect it?

And I'll have you take a deep breath in.

A couple weeks ago,

I stumbled across a song that I was like,

Oh yes,

This would be great for this ceremony.

And what I'd like to do is say the person I learned it from is David Little Elk.

And he is from the Lakota Sioux Nation.

It's called The Red Road to Peace,

And it's about facing those challenges,

Going within and doing the spiritual work to create those boundaries for ourselves.

So I contacted David Little Elk and asked him if we could have permission to sing this song.

And he said,

Yes.

So he's sharing this song with us.

And so one of the practices of this song,

Really why it resonated so much with me,

Is The Red Road to Peace in the Lakota tradition is all about healing your inner self to create change on the outer.

And it's the same precepts that happen,

I teach Reiki,

And those are the same precepts in Reiki.

As I am healed,

Then the world around me is healed.

The words of this song in the Lakota tradition are Wakan Tonka,

Makasei Tomei,

Wauahualia,

Tayank Deilohe,

Wakan Tonka,

Tan Mahel,

Wauahualia,

Tayank Deilohe.

Translated,

It means,

O great mystery,

All over this earth,

Let there be peace.

O great mystery,

Deep within me,

Let there be peace.

I hope you enjoy this song now.

Tayank Deilohe,

Wakan Tonka,

Tan Mahel,

Wauahualia,

Tayank Deilohe,

Wakan Tonka,

Makasei Tomei,

Wauahualia,

Tayank Deilohe,

Wakan Tonka,

Tan Mahel,

Wauahualia,

Tayank Deilohe.

O great mystery of this earth,

Let there be peace for us now.

O great mystery deep within me,

Let there be peace for us now.

Wakan Tonka,

Makasei Tomei,

Wauahualia,

Tayank Deilohe,

Wakan Tonka,

Tan Mahel,

Wauahualia,

Tayank Deilohe,

Wauahualia,

Tayank Deilohe.

Let there be peace for us now.

Let there be peace for us now.

Wakan Tonka,

Wauahualia,

Tayank Deilohe.

I'll have you take a deep breath in.

So the card that came out moving us into our Reiki session is from the Fairy Wisdom Oracle,

And it's card number five,

And it's called the Jewel of the Sea.

The mysteries of the sea expand our awareness into the mysteries of life.

The sea is a reminder that there is much we still do not know about our own world.

Allow yourself to open to the unknown and to explore these depths.

Dive deeply into the adventure of life.

Don't just sit on the sidelines,

But get out and try new things.

Be aware in all that you do.

Let the mermaid guide you to the jewel that lies within you.

Water represents that emotion,

That stuff of life,

That essence.

So imagining that when we do this Reiki drumming,

That you go deeply within to connect to just caring for yourself,

Your physical body,

Your mental body,

Your emotional body,

Your spiritual self,

And just allowing that wisdom and energy of your higher self and your ancestors and your guides to be with you during the drumming as you receive the Reiki session.

I'll have you now set an intention either for yourself or for someone that is near to you.

So moving into this Reiki session where I'll be drumming,

Is there an intention that you have that you'd like to be held in this space?

I'll have you name that now.

With Reiki energy,

How it works is the energetic world can assist us,

But only if we either ask for it or allow it.

So when I channel Reiki energy to send to you through the drumming,

In order to receive it,

Because we have free will,

You just need to say yes that you'd like to receive the energy.

So for this part of receiving the energy,

I encourage you to move into a space that's comfortable for you.

So you can be seated or if you want to move into a lying down position or whatever is comfortable for you,

I'll have you do that now.

And then when you're ready,

I'll have you just close your eyes.

The intention is that the drumming will uplift the intentions that you've set,

As well as create energy around you that's supportive,

Soft,

Compassionate,

Loving,

Protective.

So I'll have you close your eyes and begin by breathing in deeply and exhaling.

And with each breath that you take,

Connecting with the earth,

With the new moon,

With that energy of softness and protection.

And just allowing yourself to receive the energy that comes to you now,

And even once we close our practice,

That it continues to connect with you in a way that supports you.

I'll have you take a deep breath in.

And exhale.

And thank you everybody for joining for our new moon in cancer ceremony.

So I hope everybody has a beautiful rest of your week.

Be gentle,

Be kind,

Set your boundaries,

Take care of yourself,

Take care of your friends and family.

And I'm grateful that you joined me.

Goodnight everybody.

Love you.

Namaste.