As the calendar year ends, it is a good time to make sure you are taking time to care for your Sacred Self. This article will explore what caring for your Sacred Self means, look at some of the cycles that we experience in life and discuss ways we can align our self-care with those cycles.

     Self-Care has become an overused term. It is often seen as a selfish act when, in truth, it is a vital part of serving our communities. Whatever your definition of serving community is. It doesn’t mean you have to take on an official role with any group, it could be as simple as caring for your family/household unit. If you spend all your energy caring for others and do not take the care needed to replenish your stores, you cannot continue to effectively help others. “You can’t pour from an empty cup” may be a cliched statement that is also overused but there is a lot of truth in that statement. I would like to take that cup analogy one step farther and point out that if you continue to ignore replenishing yourself not only will your cup be empty, but it will also be completely broken and take even more to restore. Self-care is sacred selfishness replenishing yourself to better serve your chosen deity and community.

     I like to view self-care as taking care of my Sacred Self. That part of the self that communes with the greater whole of the cosmos, the higher self, the gods and goddesses, whichever concept applies to your personal belief system. In addition to the basics of caring for your physical body, activities that add to your knowledge base, foster spiritual growth, and deepen your understanding of yourself are all acts of caring for your sacred self. Knowing your personal limits and recognizing when certain activities are more draining than rewarding and managing those activities in balance with taking time to rest and rejuvenate is also a vital part of caring for your Sacred Self.

     Self-Care is also an extremely individualized concept. What good self-care looks like to one person will look completely different for another person. Take a minute to think about what activities bring you joy and leave you feeling recharged? The feeling of being recharged after an activity you enjoy is what we are looking for when we are talking about caring for your sacred self. Any of the examples I share are simply suggestions or potential catalysts to assist you in discovering what works best for you. Some of the things I enjoy doing that help me recharge are curling up with an enjoyable book and a comfortable warm blanket, walking the shoreline of a sandy Lake Michigan beach, taking hikes along wooded paths, and sitting down to enjoy a cup of coffee with a good friend.

     Once you find what self-care tasks work to recharge you, you can fine tune your routines to fit within the cycles that work into your personal practices. Consider what types of cycles you experience through your daily life and personal practice. Everyone experiences a day and night cycle. The moon goes through phases every lunar month. The weeks cycle into months and months cycle into years etc. As the year progresses, the Sun travels through the 12 Zodiac signs. Each one of these cycles carries an energy with it that begins, intensifies, peaks and wanes.

Daily Care of Sacred Self: These are the activities that you do daily or nearly every day

·        Meditation

·        Coloring or other forms of artistic expression

·        Setting Intentions and Expressing Gratitude (Devotionals for example)

·        Journaling in whatever form you enjoy (I personally like to brain dump at night)

·        Maintenance of the physical body: eating, hydrating, cleansing routines

·        Time set aside to just be quiet and relax (I do this with my morning cup of coffee)

Lunar Cycles:

New Moon: This is a goodtime to do something that cleanses your spirit, release what no longer serves, set a new goal

Waxing Moon: The moon’s energy is strengthening this is the time to set your plans in motion, good time to keep your energy up with physical activities

Full Moon: Emotional state check-in, allow yourself to feel the emotions and work through them (journaling may be a good idea) celebrate progress made in goals/life, good time to place crystals or other magickal tools out to be charged in the moonlight, make moon water to use in personal care/housecleaning tasks

Waning Moon: Moon’s energy is decreasing, time for inward rest, deep self-care routines, time to declutter mind and make room for clarity of thought

Seasons:

     Everyone here also experiences the cycles of the seasons. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. And in Michigan sometimes we get all of them in one day.

Spring brings a time of renewal and rebirth. Animals are starting to have babies, plants are starting to come out of their dormant stage, the earth around us is waking up. Is there something you have been missing in caring for yourself that needs to be refreshed and worked back into your routines?

Summer brings warm weather, play time, and is a time of action. The sun is up longer during the day. Summer self-care can include trips to the beach or pool, hikes in the woods, sitting around a fire at night, or whatever you need to do to refuel yourself.

Fall is the time of harvest and preparing for winter. The leaves are falling, the fields are ripe, and animals are preparing their stores for winter. This is a good time to prepare your personal space to get ready to hunker down for the winter.

Winter is usually a down time to rest and restore your energies from a busy “harvest” season. The trees are bare, and plants are mostly dormant. We start reflecting on the past year and contemplate the next year. What activities can you do to replenish yourself that support this time of rest, reflection, and planning?

Zodiac:

     Most people are familiar with the Zodiac and probably know what their sun sign is. The Sun travels through the Zodiac all year. The moon moves to a different Zodiac sign every two and a half days. The Zodiac has multiple layers of cycles, there are the 12 signs that cycle, but those twelve signs cycle through the four elements (Air, Earth, Fire, and Water) and the three modalities. Air represents the mental and social realms. Earth represents substance and physical forms. Fire represents the energy of life and passion. Water represents the emotional and spiritual plane. The three modalities are cardinal, fixed, and mutable. Cardinal signs happen at the beginning of a season and focus on new beginnings, initiating and defining individual identity. Fixed signs happen in the middle of each season and focus on stability, structure, and self-worth. Mutable signs happen at the end of each season and are flexible, adaptable, and concerned with tying up loose ends.

     As we look at each of the signs notice how the modality and element of each sign affects the energy. 

Aries: Aries is the cardinal fire sign; this is a good time to start something new that you are passionate about. Aries brings an energy of passion and motivation, use that energy to try something new in your self-care practice. Aries also likes to push boundaries and test limits. Is there something that you have been wanting to start doing but hesitate because “others” may not approve or understand? Aries is a great time to do that thing.

Taurus: Taurus is the fixed earth sign that reminds us to ground ourselves and get down to earth. Taurus is concerned with sustaining and maintaining physical and material aspects of life and with our sense of physical and material self-worth. Now is a good time to add in a self-care activity that makes you feel good about yourself. Taurus energy is also good for getting out into nature and refreshing yourself.

Gemini: Gemini is the mutable air sign and focuses on healing our mental facilities. Gemini is very comfortable with the abstract concepts of life, is very curious and thrives in social situations. During Gemini season it is a good time to check in on your social calendar and make sure the activities you participate in are mentally and socially fulfilling. This is a good time to explore new subjects that you have been wanting to learn about, delve into new hobbies, especially ones involving keeping your hands busy or starting a new mindfulness practice.

Cancer: Cancer is the cardinal water sign. Cancer is concerned with creating an emotional and soul identity. Cancer seeks to strengthen emotional connections. This is a good time to check in on your emotional well-being and do activities that support healthy emotional connections in your life. Cancer season is a time of nurture and protection. Consider activities that lead you to feel nurtured and secure as well as activities where you nurture others in your life.

Leo: Leo is the fixed fire sign. Leo is concerned with self-worth and identity. Leo energy encourages you to express yourself freely and be the center of attention but is also generous and giving. This is a good time to look at your beauty routine and play with stepping it up a little to look your best. (whatever that looks like to you, me personally I am happy if I stay on top of moisturizing my face) Leo likes to shine in the spotlight, take time to feel pride in your accomplishments, allow yourself to brag a little and accept compliments about your achievements. This is also a good time to share a creative project with others.

Virgo: Virgo is the mutable earth sign. Virgo has strong analytical skills and enjoys using those skills to aide in the betterment of themselves and others. Journaling and using task lists are very Virgo activities. This is a good time to embrace and love all of who you are by embracing what you see as imperfections and re-frame your perspective.

Libra: Libra is the Cardinal Air sign. Libra is concerned with finding and maintaining balance within relationships and seeks harmony with a strong sense of justice. This is a good time to seek out activities that involve both physical and mental skills. Look at your social calendar and make sure you are engaging in social activities that recharge you and avoid participating in events that leave you drained. Libra season is a good time to ensure there is balance and equality in your partnerships (not just romantic ones) as well as setting boundaries that protect your independence. The aim is to be of service to others without being too much of a people-pleaser.

Scorpio: Scorpio is the fixed water sign. Scorpio is concerned with connecting with others on a soul level and healing spiritual wounds. Creative self-care activities are a good idea during Scorpio season. This is also a good time to look at your emotional and physical needs and make sure they are cared for. Scorpio Season is also a good time to explore the Occult and things that are unseen, tune into your intuition, and work with your psychic abilities. Shadow work that explores parts of self that have been neglected is also powerful this season.

Sagittarius: Sagittarius is the mutable fire sign. Sagittarius is concerned with the completion of identity, reconciling its place in the universe. Sagittarius is comfortable exploring philosophy, spirituality and religion as well as physical pleasure. Sagittarius relates to our ideas about justice, fairness, and our personal beliefs. This is a good time for self-care activities that explore new concepts and physically dynamic activities. Studying philosophy and religion and allowing yourself to be open to new experiences or ideas can be helpful this time of year.

Capricorn: Capricorn is the Cardinal Earth sign. Capricorn is concerned with success and creating a tangible, durable and concrete representation of its identity. Capricorn focuses on honoring traditions of the past and learning from our elders. This is a good time to look at your workload and delegate tasks if you are overloaded. Examine your sleep routine and ensure you are getting enough rest to prevent burnout. Looking at your responsibilities and how much you have matured in the past year is helpful during Capricorn Season.

Aquarius: Aquarius is the Fixed Air sign. Aquarius is concerned with self-worth in the terms of social, mental, and intellectual facilities. Aquarius has a desire to break free from social norms, likes to march to the beat of a personal drum and set personal standards. This lends strength to working in Humanitarianism and Activism as Aquarius seed that sometimes what is best for the group requires systematic change. Aquarius is also very community focused and wants to use individual talents to improve the community. This is a good time for goal setting, especially if some of the goals include working within your community. Aquarius Season is a good time to be willing to think outside of the box and try new things.

Pisces: Pisces is the Mutable Water sign. Pisces is concerned with completing one cycle and beginning the next. Pisces is about returning to the source, healing and transmuting negative emotions, and focusing on spiritual connections between individuals and the universe. This is a good time to examine your self-care practices and make sure you are recharging yourself before expending all your energy caring for others. Pisces Season is a great time to do an in-depth mental-health check and ensure you are maintaining good boundaries and including grounding exercises in your care routines.

     In conclusion, ensuring that you take time to care for your Sacred Self is important. Taking the time to make sure your Sacred Self is well taken care of honors the spark of Deity within you. Taking advantage of the energies of the different cycles in life can help you fine tune your self-care and prevent routines from becoming stale.