The moon has always called to me, pulling my gaze up to the night sky, to remind me that I am also made of cycles. For centuries, her phases have guided farmers, storytellers, healers, and dreamers. She marks time, not with the numbers on a calendar but with the light and shadows of the waxing, full, waning, and new moon phases.
I admire the wise ones of astrology, those who read the universe with such depth and understanding. They speak of Virgo moons, Libra seasons, and planets in retrograde. Their language is layered and complex, and while I understand pieces of it, I often find myself lost in the vastness of their knowledge. What I have come to know is this: you don’t need to be fluent in astrology to let the moon guide you. Her phases alone are enough. She rises and recedes, brightens and dimes. She is constant, yet always changing.
The moon is not asking us to wander with her from a distance; she is inviting us to move in rhythm with her, to let her cycles become reflections for our own self-care. The new moon arrives in darkness, hidden away in the dark sky. I let this be my time to rest, pause, reflect and reset. As the moon waxes and her light grows, I feel my own energy returning, rising slowly, I set intentions, focus on growth and goals. When the moon is full, bright and beautiful, I feel her power urging celebration. I embrace this time to release negativity, connect to inner-self, honor and celebrate my intuitions. And when the moon wanes, I remember the wisdom of letting go, slowly preparing for rest again. I sit in introspection, release that which no longer serves me, and embrace the power of surrender.
The moon’s rhythm is simple, yet it transforms the way I tend to myself. I no longer push in straight lines. Instead, I allow my self-care to exist in circular cycles: to rest, to rise, to shine, and to release.
Wisdom of the Leaf: Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow has a long history as a healer of wounds. Yarrow’s leaves have been used fresh to stop bleeding, and flowers brewed into teas to ease fevers, colds, and digestive upsets. Yarrow is known to support circulation, calm inflammation, and bring balance to the body when heat runs high. In folk traditions, yarrow was often carried as a charm for protection, and yarrow’s medicine still carries that same steadying presence today.
Like the moon, Yarrow's ability to heal reminds us of cycles: what opens must also close. Though Yarrow carries the gentle energy of Venus, she has long been welcomed into moon rituals for her protective nature. She often grows where landscape boundaries meet at the edges of paths. Her white umbels glow like clusters of tiny moons in the summer, reminding us that transitions hold their own sacred power of protection.
Where Yarrow grows, you'll often find California Mugwort (Artemisia douglasiana) growing nearby, their roots sharing the same banks and paths. Mugwort is more directly a plant of the moon, long revered for its gift of opening the way to intuition, vision, and dreams. Paired with Yarrow, who offers protection and guidance, the two create a lunar allyship. Mugwort invites the spirit to wander into the dreamscape, while Yarrow stands watch to keep the journey safe.
CRONE Reflection
Self-care is not only about tending the body, it is also about timing. The moon teaches us that there is a time to plant, a time to rise, a time to celebrate, and a time to let go. Too often, we expect ourselves to shine constantly, to stay in a full-moon state without pause. But the truth is that our bodies are lunar. We are meant to ebb, flow, and rest.
When I first began aligning my soaks, teas, and journaling with the moon, I felt a deep exhale inside myself. Suddenly, my tiredness at the dark moon made sense. My bursts of energy during the waxing moon felt welcomed. My excitement under the Full moon was celebrated. My need to release in the waning days felt less like failure and more like wisdom.
To live with the moon is to live with compassion for your own rhythm. To stop demanding constant productivity and instead honor the sacred cycles of beginning, growing, celebrating, and returning inward.
Nature Connection
The end of Summer is a time of gathering and preparing, when fields are full of what has grown all season. The Harvest Moon in September is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox. It is a moon of abundance and clarity, shining longer and brighter than most, guiding farmers late into the night.
Step outside and find the moon in her fullness. Let her Harvest light spill across your skin. Hold a sprig of Yarrow, if it grows near you, or simply stand with any plant that thrives in your bioregion. Whisper gratitude for what has grown within you, around you, through you.
If you feel called, gather a few sprigs of Yarrow and Mugwort. Tie them together into a small sachet or bundle. Place it by your bedside and let the scent remind you that even in sleep, you are cared for, guided, and protected. This is self-care too, the care of your inner, dreaming life.
About the Author
I’m Rachel Watkins, herbalist and founder of CRONE. I share this story of the plants and practices that balance me in hopes they might balance you too.
“Guided in wisdom, nourished by self-care, walking in healing, always.” CRONE
