Dear Friends:

We'll be experiencing the last of the three super full moons of 2025, a "9" year signifying completions and endings. It is halfway through the Scorpio New Moon Cycle for those doing the 30-day commitment of doing one small thing towards your desire.

The moon is conjunct Antares, one of the four royal stars located in the "heart of the scorpion." Because of its deep orange-red glow, Antares is associated with Mars. Next to the Moon this lunation may feel intensely emotional in the need to release, accept, and forgive.

This full moon also bends the nodes of fate, meaning the Sun in Sagittarius opposite the Moon in Gemini at 13 degrees forms a 90-degree angle to the North Node in Pisces and South Node in Virgo. This is another intense configuration that speaks to the tension of culmination and moving on, what we have known and what we are ready to release. This is breakthrough energy and Antares provides the courage.

Both Saturn, the planet of time, lessons, and structure, and Mercury, the messenger, traveler, learner, have finally stationed direct. Although we feel a bit lighter, it's difficult to articulate all the changes we've recently experienced.

I'll be hosting a lunation ceremony tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. to provide a sacred gathering place to celebrate all we've experienced, and clear space for new possibilities. I'll teach a little about sigils and what a powerful tool they can be in transitions. We'll also create our own "Arrival" calendar, which I have written extensively about in my free Substack. It's a twist on an old ritual and I provided daily prompts for each day on the countdown to Christmas, if you celebrate, or 30 days if you don't.

Here are the first 10 days as an example:

A Devotional Advent Calendar

Each practice is structured as:
​Theme — Action — Reflection — Resonance

DAY 1 — Descent

Action: Name the one dream you have avoided.
Reflection: Why now?
Resonance: You begin the underworld journey.

DAY 2 — Shadow Honesty

Action: Write down five patterns that siphon your energy.
Reflection: Which one hurts your self-respect the most?
Resonance: Scorpio begins clearing.

DAY 3 — Quieting the Noise

Action: 24 hours of reduced inputs: no social scrolling.
Reflection: What thoughts rise when the noise drops?
Resonance: Mercury purifies perception.

DAY 4 — Body as Oracle

Action: 20 minutes of intuitive movement or somatics.
Reflection: What truth appears only when you move?
Resonance: The body becomes your compass.

DAY 5 — Your Personal Underworld

Action: Identify one emotional pattern from childhood that still influences business or creative choices.
Reflection: How do you overcompensate?
Resonance: You stop outsourcing power.

DAY 6 — Clearing Contracts

Action: Write the outdated roles you still perform for others. Release one.
Reflection: Who asked you to carry this?
Resonance: A new identity forms.

DAY 7 — Mercury’s Question

Action: Journal: What am I misunderstanding about my own calling?​
Reflection: Where do you minimize your mastery?
Resonance: New intellectual clarity.

DAY 8 — Threshold of Desire

Action: Name your true desire without softening it.
Reflection: What does it demand?
Resonance: Scorpio intensifies purpose.

DAY 9 — Energy Audit

Action: Track energy peaks/valleys throughout one day.
Reflection: Where does your natural genius live?
Resonance: Aligns with your real rhythm.

DAY 10 — The Death Pile

Action: Remove 10 items from your environment associated with an old identity.
Reflection: What identity are you done performing?
Resonance: Space for your next form.

Creamy Mushroom Soup (Vegan & Mouthwatering)

This is the soup I'll be serving during our Full Moon in Gemini gathering. It is my most requested recipe, so I'm including it here. It's from Jessica in the Kitchen and has only 8 ingredients. The secret to its creaminess is a secret.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

This creamy mushroom soup is made from scratch & only requires a few easy-to-find ingredients! Vegan, gluten free, & loaded with flavour.Course SoupsCuisine American Prep Time 15minutes minsCook Time 27minutes minsTotal Time 42minutes mins Servings 4 servingsCalories 272Author Jessica Hylton​

Ingredients

Creamy Mushroom Soup (Vegan & Mouthwatering)

• ½ tablespoons olive oil or vegan butter
• 16 ounces mushrooms sliced (including mushroom stems) (454g) or 5½ cups
• 8 cloves garlic minced
• ½ large onion about ¾ cup, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt & 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 cups high quality vegetable broth​
• 1 can coconut milk 13.5 ounces, about 1 ½ cups (383g)
• 4 sprigs thyme stems removed

Instructions

Creamy Mushroom Soup (Vegan & Mouthwatering)

• In a large, deep pot over medium high heat, add the olive oil or vegan butter to heat.
• Add the mushrooms, garlic, onion and salt and pepper. Stir together and sauté until mushrooms begin to release their natural juices and become fragrant, about 8 minutes.
• Pour in the vegetable broth and the coconut milk. Add in the thyme. Stir together and bring to a boil, then a simmer for 15 minutes.
• Scoop out two cups of soup (with some mushrooms) and pour into your blender. If you have a glass blender, ensure it cools down a bit first!
• Press the soup setting or blend until fully blended out. Pour back into soup pot and blend one more time.
• Serve the soup and top with your favourite toppings and enjoy!

Notes

This soup lasts about 4 to 5 days in the fridge. It freezes very well. To freeze allow to cool completely. You can freeze in a freezer safe tupperware container, or flat in one serving portions in a freezer safe zipped plastic bag. It will last at least 2 months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 272kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Sodium: 1307mg | Potassium: 641mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 423IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg

Creamy Mushroom Soup https://jessicainthekitchen.com/creamy-mushroom-soup-vegan-gluten-free/ February 8, 2021

The Best Part of the Holidays

Gabe came home the week of Thanksgiving and we spent hours catching up, reading, co-working, eating, and cooking. Our Thanksgiving was small and simple so we could focus on being present and resting. He has so many projects, freelance jobs, performances, and social activities he is fitting into his last year at the University of Michigan.

He was able to get his coveted fujifilm x100vi, which has been out of stock because of TikTok, at Precision Camera, so we went to the Wizard Academy to shoot. We also saw Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas" light extravaganza at the Wildflower Center and Wicked for Good at Movie House and Eatery. I posted a few photos on IG, even though I'm trying to get off social media.

How did your Thanksgiving go? Did it feel different his year? What are your traditions?

The Heroine's Quest Progress

As you know from previous newsletters, I committed to working towards my dream business on the Scorpio New Moon Cycle, which began last month and happened at the same time as the Mercury Cazimi signaling its rebirth at the "heart of the sun." The moon cycle lasts 30 days, the Mercury cycle lasts 117 days and every day I do one thing that moves me closer to my vision.

Whether or not I start the business at the end of the 117 days, the purpose is to find out who I need to become to have it.

When we practice guided visual meditation, vision boards, affirmations, and active imagination, we are putting ourselves in states where we can feel, hear, touch, smell, and simply "be" in our desired place and doing our hoped-for thing. The more realistic and vivid it is, the better, whether that's building a business, joining in relationship, buying the dream home or RV, or traveling to the glorious destination.

If we happen to receive the thing we've been wanting, but we're not ready for it, our nervous system may reject it and we'll do unconscious things to push it away or not even notice it. Our goal in growth is always simply to expand our capacity to receive and respond, to experience without freaking out. But if we practice acting "as if" we already have it, then when it arrives, we'll recognize it and know what to do with it.

Besides reading the stack of books about building a farm stop, working on the financials, business models and structures (cooperative, L3C, B-corp, non-profit, LLC, S-Corp), funding mechanisms and square footage considerations, I've been putting my body in the places where I can feel what I'm building.

Recently I visited a property that I've been so excited about and have been peeking in the windows of every time I pass by it. It has been empty for nearly two years despite looking newly renovated. I imagined where the farm stop meats and produce would be in a specific room, the displays for local provisions and artisan goods, the handcrafted tables and chairs, the kitchen and apothecary on the first floor, and the bookstore and co-working and class spaces upstairs. I sat on the picnic benches outside and imagined the events on the patio. I was trespassing and don't recommend it, but I stayed only as long as I could integrate the sensations within my body.

The place turns out to be for sale. But for $2M, which would be an unwise investment while starting my business. More importantly, it doesn't have enough parking and that is a huge consideration in welcoming in a successful volume of traffic.

I'm not discouraged. Instead, I was able to gather what I want and don't want and introduced new things to my nervous system for next time I'm excited about another location.

I have more photos of the property and more details in my Substack if you want to read more. Some of you already subscribe, so I didn't want to duplicate too much reading.

Some Useful Things

Protection You Didn't Know You Needed

For those building businesses and need some helpful legal templates (for your website, client & vendor contracts, payment agreements, etc.), especially if you're a coach or therapist, my friend Sam Vanderwielen, whom I've written about previously, is an attorney and has a bundle that makes being professionally legalled-up easy. This is an affiliate link, but you can also go to her website if you don't want to use it.

One Page Life Design

I designed this template last year as a simple 3-step process for visioning your year. Feel free to use it to plan out 2026.

If you'd like to attend my weekend retreat in Wimberley, TX (or a daylong version) on January 9-11, 2026, you can find out more details here. The 2026 Compass of Devotion is a whole-human retreat to plan your next endeavor in an aligned, coherent, and sustainable way. It includes your personalized astrology, cosmic maps, and intention tools. It's for people who need time, space, and structure to invest in their vision.

Know Thyself

Why invest in understanding yourself and strengthening your own intuition? So there's relief and validation in knowing the things you are struggling with have been written in the stars. It goes a long way in knowing there's nothing wrong and that the same system that reflects you, has the keys to your pathway to fulfillment. You can book an astro-tarot session that includes human design and business strategy here. Until December 31, 2025, I'm including 30-minutes added time in any modality to any session. I have a few spaces I've opened up for mentoring here.

Courageous Words

Many of you in my community know my friend Shaill. She has recently published her book of poetry entitled Unbecoming with a stunning cover. She will be doing a book signing this weekend, December 7th from 2-4 p.m. at Casa de Luz. Come celebrate her achievement and courage!

A Time for Pain-Free Peace

Since my unexpected ER visit, I've been focused on my health by honoring and paying more attention to my body. Besides foregoing coffee/caffeine and sugar, I've been steeped in learning vestibular movements, efficient joint exercises, and neurological movements. Engaging the eyes, the brain, and the Vagus nerve along with the cardiovascular and lymphatic systems have been life-changing. I'm amazed at how these movements nearly eliminate pain. I have been incorporating these and more mobility exercises in my Sunday 6 p.m. Kripalu Gentle Yoga & Sound classes at The Yoga Common Studio.

Thank you for reading this far and for your support of my work.

In this busy holiday season, I'd love to know how you are. As I wean myself off social media, I also feel less "connected" with what is happening in your world and if there's something you don't want me to miss, please reach out.

If there's anything you'd like me to cover in a future newsletter or have any questions, please let me know.

With love and gratitude,

Monica

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