CREATIVE PROMPTS FOR THE MONTH OF JULY

On July 20 1969, we set foot upon the moon for the very first time. Which feels fitting, considering that Cancer—one of the signs of July—is ruled not by a planet, but by the moon. 

This wasn’t just a magic moment for Neil Armstrong and the other astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission. Nor was its impact felt by just NASA or even those within the United States of America. It was a moment for the collective ‘we’. For humanity as a whole and for our enduring fascination with the lunar cycles. 

What is it about the moon? Her pull upon the tides of our oceans and our insides. Her mystic presence, as she hangs light in the night sky. Or her way with the crops, influencing a plentiful or a poor harvest as if doling out agricultural blessings. Whatever it is about the moon, many throughout history have found comfort in her rhythms.

In JANE Issue Five, editor-in-chief Annika Hein spoke in conversation with Leigh Patterson of Moon Lists. ‘Through cyclical patterns and rhythmic dependability, nature often offers us a way to fall back into step through rites of passage that draw us closer to the Earth,’ Annika wrote. ‘The tide, the sunrise, the seasons: commemorative indicators inviting you to take note… For photographer Sam Abell, it was the moon that aided his act of contemplation, offering both him and his wife a way to “reconstruct the past.”’ Also to begin constructing the future.

Diving timing. An opportunity to pause and reflect. 

Last month, for our inaugural Chapter One, Srna Vuckovic of Srnaverse wrote about the Full Rose Moon and how to connect with your sense of adventure. This month, as we settle into the swing of things with Chapter Two, we invite you to map the moon across the skies of July. To watch her phases shift over the course of the month and feel into how that sits in your body, your emotional tides, and your creative practice. 

To use the moon as a marker. 

1. Start somewhere, anywhere

   What shape is the moon?

2. Map the moon for one month

What changes do you notice in the sky?

In your body: 

Emotional self: 

Creative practice: 

3. Watch the flowers

What do they do when the moon is full?

4. Let yourself howl in hope

How do you feel when you let go of control?

5. Spend some time gazing at the sky above

Create what comes to you

6. [Visual meditation]

Imagine you are the honeybee

Visualise yourself flying through the cosmos

Draw what it is you wish to pollinate

7. Plant something with your hands

Feel the soil

Be the seed

8. Write down what comes to you, stream of consciousness style

---*soul opening exercise 

things that expand the horizons

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fill out the blanks until you feel soulful