A few years ago, I needed to make a massive change to the way I was living. I was so out of touch with my feminine side that I was constantly in pushing and striving mode, which lead to burnout and adrenal fatigue. This is when I began using the natural cycle of the moon to guide me. Since I started following the moon phases and syncing into the natural rhythm of the moon and the energies that comes with each phase, it has allowed me to live a life with much less stress and hustle and way more ease and alignment.
Using the Moon as a guide for my regular journaling practice, has helped me to become more grounded, more mindful and to practice sacred self-care every day in a way that feels really good.
There really are so many benefits to a Moon journaling practice and it is a very easy ritual to build into your self-care routine to start harnessing the moon’s energy to plan your days and weeks in a way that is gentle and in flow.
The best thing is that it’s easy to get started with lunar journaling, even if you don’t yet know much about the lunar cycle and have never followed astrology before.
This is what you need to get started with your own lunar self-care journaling ritual:
A Lunar Calendar
The best way to start learning about the moon phases and to begin getting into alignment with the lunar energies is to use a lunar calendar that shows the Moon’s phases as they cycle through a full lunation from New Moon to Full Moon and back again over a 29.5 day cycle. I share about the Moon’s phases and what you can expect energetically while the moon is in each phase in this blog post.
There are a few ways you can get a lunar calendar. You can use the website www.moongiant.com, a Moon phase app on your phone, or my preference is to use a printed calendar which you can stick into your journal or planner as an easy reference.
Start following the lunar calendar and noticing which phase the Moon is in each day, and make a note of the zodiac sign it is in too. This will change every 2.5 days or so, causing a shift in energy depending on the sign and whether the Moon is waxing or waning.
I have included a printable 2021 lunar calendar in this free lunar planning printables packet that you can download by entering your details below.
A Lunar Journal
An obvious item for Moon journaling is to find yourself a journal to use especially for tracking the moon. You will use this journal to record the phases, zodiac sign, your mood and energy and to write daily reflections.
You can use any lined journal or bullet journal system that you love which will be used specifically for your lunar journaling practice.
I personally use and love the My Unstoppable Life Daily Journal which I have created which was designed especially for lunar self-care and provides daily structured ritual pages for tracking and recording what’s coming up for you energetically and with your mood. It also includes lunar mapping pages for New Moon intention setting and full moon releasing.
Another handy section of the journal is the tracking wheel here you can track your mood and energy levels with your menstrual cycle as well as the lunar cycle so you can observe any trends. You will notice that there are some days when you might feel more motivated, and certain zodiac signs which are super-charged for you. You can then start to make plans around when you notice you feel most energised or less focused in alignment with the Moon.
Moon Phase Cards
To help guide you to know what to focus on in your journaling for each Moon phase in the cycle, you can use the Moon phase reflection cards in the printable pack I have created (get your copy of this PDF packet by entering your details below!). These cards include prompts that you can use when the Moon is in each phase to help you to tune into the particular energies of that phase.
I have also included moon phase affirmation cards which provide an affirmation which is related to the energy of each phase. You can then write this on your daily ritual page in your journal to help you to harness the energy and mood you could notice on that day.
Through using these prompts on the cards you can start to connect with the unique energies that we might experience as the the Moon cycles through the phases. When you start journaling and tracking daily for a a few months, you will start to become aware of the Moon phase energies and you can then begin planning your life and business goals around this.
In the My Unstoppable Life Journal there is a calendar spread page which can be useful to mark down the Moon’s main 8 phases and to then to map out what self-care practice you will focus on during each phase with the awareness your daily lunar journaling has provided.
In addition to a daily lunar journaling and tracking practice, you can also make time on the New and Full Moons when the lunar energies are at their strongest, to do a moon ceremony.
You can use the Moon Mapping pages in the My Unstoppable Life Journal to do special journaling rituals harnessing the potent energy on the New Moon and Full Moon. The prompts on these pages can be a great guide to start your new moon and Full Moon lunar journaling and the blank pages can be used for longer reflection or making notes about any oracle or tarot cards you pull as part of your Moon ceremony.
The new moon is a great opportunity to set intentions and the full moon is for releasing. Journaling your wishes and dreams and what it is you want to let go of and release makes it a very powerful practice.
Sacred Space
I highly recommend creating a sacred space which can be yours to make into your own private sanctuary for doing your journaling. This can help to keep your energy clear and your mind focused so you don’t get distracted. It can simply be a comfy chair, or a corner with cushions, or roll out your yoga mat in front of your altar. It doesn’t have to be fancy but should be comfortable and have all your essentials for journaling nearby.
There are a few objects I recommend having in your sacred space. Candles are a fantastic tool for boosting the energy for when you write, as are crystals- any that your connect to and resonate with are perfect. To set the mood before you journal, burn sage or palo santo and move in a clockwise motion around your space to clear any negative energy, and you might like diffusing some essential oils or lighting some incense (I like White Sage, Frankinsence and Lemon Balm).
I recommend starting your lunar journaling practice on the new moon as this phase is like a fresh start and new beginning that we get every month, and is the perfect time for starting new things and setting your intentions.
There is no wrong or right way to do your journaling- the most important thing is that you get started. Set aside time every day to do your self-care journaling ritual and make it a part of your daily routine. It only has to be 15 minutes. I like to journal at the book-ends of the day, taking time in the morning before I start work on the computer to journal and then again at the end of the day before bed as part of what I call Magic Hour.
For your morning lunar journaling, begin by noting down in your journal the Moon phase and zodiac sign, then refer to the moon phase cards and the information page provided in the My Unstoppable Life Journal to note down how you want to harness the Moon’s energy on that day. Then make an affirmation to guide you through the day.
In the evening, take note of how you felt through the day, how well you connected with your affirmation and the moon’s energy, and also do your gratitude list at this time.
When you spend 15 minutes for this mindful me-time practice every day, and if you can make this a practice that you follow for 3 months, then you should start to notice a shift in how you move through your days and notice that you are living in more of a natural rhythm and greater alignment.
This practice is one that will help you to explore and understand yourself better. It is very empowering to live your life from a place of awareness and self-knowledge and in which you are connected with the natural rhythms that are around us that can be so easy to forget about when we are living our busy lives of hustle and bustle.
Lunar self-care journaling has made such a positive impact on my life, and I hope that you are now inspired to give Moon journaling a try.
If working with the Moon and the natural cycles and rhythms is something you want to explore further, I invite you to join the Moon Membership, my lunar-guided community where we have online New Moon and Full Moon retreats every month as well as focus on the Moon’s phases and signs and what these mean for you each day and week. This is a super-supportive group where you can learn daily practices to integrate lunar self-care into your life and start living in alignment and flow with the Moon!
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