Imbolc, Lunar New Year, and a New Moon
And Energy // 1.27.25
Monday Mettā
Mettā: Loving friendliness, goodwill, and kindness directed both inward and outward.
I breathe in energy. May I breathe in the energy of where I am right now.
An unskillful way of thinking about energy is wishing it were different. “I’m so low energy right now,” a common complaint. Or, “I wish I had more energy.” The opposite is also true— “I have so much energy I don’t know where to put it!” Another way of saying it: “My mind is racing!” And then, of course, there are “vibes.” “They have such good energy,” after meeting someone new. Or, “My energy was just off today and I was irritated by everything.”
In yang yoga (the yoga of flow), energy = prana, or breath, and energy is explored through every pose and every inhale and exhale. In yin yoga, energy = qi, explored by becoming still. In physics, energy can equal force, or velocity, or charge. In body and food science, energy = calories. In nature, energy looks like power, photosynthesis, sunlight, growth. In metaphysics, energy is… vibes. Spirit. Sensing. Feeling.
But for most of us, energy represents a state of mind and matter at any given time.
Mettā meditation deals with the understanding that we are ok just as we are right now. No need to change, force a solution, or achieve. Our energy is not for judging. It is for observing with loving-kindness.
So as your energy shifts this week, see what you can do to not judge it. This means asking the thinking mind not to come up with a reason for your energy. Instead, breathe in acceptance for where your energy is at the given moment.
✨
So glad you’re here.
Intuitive Tarot Card Reading
Use your intuition to guide you to a specific card below. Choose the card with the crystal on it that calls to you. At the end of this newsletter, you’ll see the cards flipped over, with a reading for each one. The card that you choose here will have your reading for the week.
Card 1: Rainbow Quartz Choose this card for a message on alignment.
Card 2: Bloodstone Choose this card for a message of calm (especially if you’ve recently been through it).
Card 3: Calcite Choose this card for a message about prosperity.
Wait to scroll down to the bottom of the newsletter until you’ve chosen your card!
🌑🐍🪵 Lunar New Year 🪵🐍 🌑
The Lunar New Year begins on the second new moon after the Winter Solstice. This year’s Lunar New Year is on January 29, as is the new moon. Like so many traditional holy-days that fall on a new moon, this is a time to create light. The darkness of the moon asks us to balance it with the light we create.
Many countries and cultures throughout the globe honor the Lunar New Year. According to the Chinese Zodiac, this is the year of the Snake and the element of the year is wood, which brings forward imagination and creativity.
It is also Imbolc, which falls on February 1. As I wrote a year ago, Imbolc marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It is also associated with the Gaelic goddess Brigid, and as Christianity moved through the British Isles, was renamed Saint Brigid’s Day. (It is also often celebrated as Candlemas.) Imbolc is thought to be the precursor to Groundhog’s Day, as it was a time when people watched closely to see if burrowed animals would come out of their dens, signifying the beginning of spring.
There are a lot of customs around Imbolc, including weaving and hanging beautiful crosses to bring luck to the home, doing a bit of spring cleaning, feasting, and my favorite: visiting holy wells. I will visit the various wells dotting my regular hiking paths this weekend, leaving a tiny prayer or a pine cone as a gift. I invite you to do the same.
As you celebrate the new moon and/or the Lunar New Year and/or Imbolc, light a candle with the intention spark the creative. Celebrate with candles, lanterns, strings of dried oranges and lemons, or lightness in the body through dance and breath. Start a new hobby, or one you enjoyed as a kid. Activate your imagination by reading and writing and wandering around in nature. Learn to read tarot cards!
Upcoming Workshops, Classes, and Ways to Connect
Last Call! ✨Four Sundays in February!
Boost your intuition through learning to read tarot cards.
This class is for beginners and seasoned tarot readers alike. Work with me for four Sundays in February to learn the meanings of the cards through an intuitive process.
This is not something you can glean from reading about tarot or searching for card "definitions." This workshop will facilitate your own intuitive powers to connect you with the cards and with your most creative self.
We will use targeted and specific tools and strategies, including partner work, intuitive practices, and journaling and along the way, you will gain confidence in yourself, ways to access intuition, and connection.
For more information, head to my website, or:
You can find me at Miraval Berkshires: I teach weekly in-person workshops on how to read tarot and how to practice using your intuition at Miraval, Berkshires, as well as a weekly yin yoga class. I’d love to see you there! Respond to this email to learn more.
You can visit my website for more info.
With Gratitude,
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🌱Make a micro-donation or become a totally optional paying member of this Substack. Subscribe to pay for this newsletter for $5/month or $50/year. Paying subscribers have access to my entire archive.
(Or, donate any amount below. Whatever you donate goes directly and completely to me.)
🌻Contact me for a Tarot or an intuitive reading or connect with me about learning yoga, meditation, or breathwork.
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Thank you thank you!
Much love and gratitude,
Rachel xo
PS! I make a great gift! Interested in gifting a private yoga, a tarot or an intuitive soul reading to a friend? Simply respond to this newsletter!
Your Tarot Reading, Revealed!
Card 1: Rainbow Quartz// The World
This card is telling you that you already are aligned. You are, in fact, centered in alignment. Take a moment and notice all the ways in which your day/week is going right. We can sometimes be so focused on what’s wrong that we forget to acknowledge the thousands of tiny things that have to constantly go right just to keep us in this world.
Card 2: Bloodstone // King of Pentacles
Surround yourself with objects of comfort, value, and connection. Take care of your body. Unroll your plush or weighted blanket and live under it for a while. Make sure your space is facilitating your recovery in the most abundant and comfortable way possible.
Card 3: Calcite // Four of Swords
This week, you don’t need to do much in the way of earning. Instead, incubate. Dream. Imagine. And let prosperity come to you.
Rachel Barker's role as writer and intuitive is to facilitate the reader’s introspection, awareness, and reflection. Whether to make a particular choice or take a particular action is entirely the responsibility of the reader.