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The last five months have been a whirlwind, a nightmare, hell. Whatever you want to call it, it's been tough.
As we emerge from lockdown, many of us are looking for guidance on how to navigate the inevitable challenges ahead, and the spiritual souls among us are increasingly looking to the universe for help.
Tried tarot, spent a fortune on crystals and got lost in numerology? Moonology, a term author and astrologer Yasmin Boland uses in her bestseller to describe the study of the moon, might well be next on your list.
Based on the theory that it’s not just the tides of the sea the moon affects but your emotions too, moonology is where we’re looking for our answers.
Moonologers believe that by tapping into the lunar cycle and "moon manifesting," you can take action and achieve your goals.
"Once you start to think about which phase and sign the moon is in, you’ll find life starts to click into place, because you’re living in alignment with nature and the planet," Boland says.
The moon goes through eight phases, but the most important are the new moon and the full moon. And this week's black moon (August 18) signalled an excellent time to start, according to Boland. "Every new moon brings a chance to start all over again. But this week's new moon in the sign of Leo is, one could argue, doubly special.
"For one thing, it's a black moon - the third new moon in a season with four new moons, giving us extra chances to make wishes before summer ends. For another, it's taking place in the bright and shining sign of Leo - we only get a black moon every 33 months, and a new moon in Leo every 12 months. So make the most of it!"
During a new moon, you should set your intentions, "even if you don’t believe in astrology, setting goals once a month is very good practice, once you make a promise to yourself you have to back it up by taking action."
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Each new moon takes on a "flavour" of the zodiac sign it falls in, which you can use to guide your wishes for that moon.
Start by writing down at least three wishes of how you'd like to shine in post-pandemic 2020.
Ask yourself: What do you want for yourself between now and the end of the year? In which parts of your life do you intend to shine between now and the end of the year? Where do you want to feel more confident? Where you can be more generous between now and the end of the year? "These are all qualities you can harness under this new moon," she says.
Narrow your wishes down to five maximum, then choose your number one, and follow Boland's three steps:
1. Visualise it. Feel it as real. What would it look like? How would it feel? If you can believe it, you can achieve it. If you can't visualise it, you need to work harder on your belief in yourself. If you're really serious about manifesting, you can also create a vision board – create a collage of images which remind you of whatever you're manifesting and keep it somewhere you can see it.
2. Turn your number one wish into an affirmation and write it down. For example, if you want a better job where you can shine, your affirmation could be "I love my new job – I'm blitzing it!" If what you want to manifest now is a better love life, your affirmation could be "My love life is sparkling these days! I love love and love loves me!" Say this affirmation to yourself throughout the month ahead.
3. End your manifesting session by declaring to the Universe "this or something better now manifests for me, under grace in perfect ways!"
And then? "Go about your business," she says.
Moonology is a form of self-care. Time to switch off from your phone and tune into the planet. Worth a try, right?