Are you a luna-tic and luna-lover?  Many of us at The Acorn are.  If you are not – read on with curiosity and see if this resonates.
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The root of the word lunacy is ‘lunaticus’ (Latin) which translates as ‘moonstruck’ and there is clear evidence to show that in addition to influencing the water on earth, human bodily functions, behaviour and mental states also widely, and sometimes wildly, fluctuate with the moon cycles.  ​

A lunation, or lunar cycle, runs from new moon to new moon, and occurs every 29-30 days.  Oceanic tides are governed by the moon’s gravitational pull, going in and out every 12.4 hours.  Paying close attention to the ebb and flow of our own energy during a full lunar cycle helps us understand that like the moon we fluctuate, we wax, and wane.  This is knowing is incredibly empowering and reassuring and shows us that it is ‘natural’ to not be productive all the time and that it is a vital part of life to rest and recharge.  There is evidence of the moon impacting on humans statistically too.   Women are likely to birth and ovulate at full moon.  Violence and outdoor crime increase at full moon.  We sleep less at full moon.  Anecdotally libido increases at full moon and we can feel more sociable.  At new moon we feel can feel more tender, introverted and intuitive.

Harnessing the power of moon cycles is a useful wellbeing and spiritual practice.  Grandmother moon is the closest celestial satellite to earth and without her it is unlikely that life on earth would have evolved and been sustained.  She is a living giving, benevolent presence and working with her energies is transformative, as her cyclical gift to us is that with her we can continually evolve throughout our lifetime, shedding old skins, ways of being and behaviours, so we can expand and allow our authentic, soulful self to shine.  

This video to accompany this video outlining the two 5-minute practices you can repeat every month of the year; one for setting intentions at new moon and the other for giving gratitude, harvesting, and reflecting on what needs to be surrendered and let go of at full moon.  We are also offering you a downloadable PDF 2021 lunar calendar with this blog, so you know when the full and new moon is each month, and so you can calendar yourself when to create 5 minutes to do these rituals.  This offering to you is to support you to try these practices and experience your own moon magic.
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We would love to hear about your thoughts, feelings, and wisdom in relation to all of this. 

​This winter has shown me that ..

• Noone - up there or out there - is going to save us ... and by us I mean humanity and the earth.

No earthly (or heavenly) father, patriarch in Westminster, psychiatrist, headteacher, banker, multimillionaire, celebrity, professor, guru or archbishop.

Neither is any earthly (or heavenly) mother acting as, enmeshed with, gaining from or co=dependent on such a father.

• No external institution or system - out there - is interested in changing ...

because change means challenge, deconstruction & change to those up there at the top who gain from them staying as they are.

Took me 50 years to get this and fully accept it.

So .... as I look to the horizon and new shoots of spring ..

I've made the commitment to exploring & sharing more about the alternative - in & through - in this next growing season.

​This winter ... I grieved. I raged. I despaired.

And in the absence of 'faith' in the external systems I found a mature spirituality - a tangible divinity - within the mundane, the pain, messiness & ordinariness of being human.

What did I do? I became a more humane human & a humanitarian - engaged with human life - focused on collective liberation from oppressive systems.

Revelations Awakenings Realisations

These end times are disorientating, fear filled & destabilising - especially because we are seeing globally & nationally, so clearly & well documented for the first time, that it is 'up there' & 'out there' (see previous post) - societal systems & institutions & their 'management daddies', 'leaders' (including their 'god/goddess' of choice) & the privileged who gain from how they are currently set up - who are the abusers, tyrants & origin of trauma & oppression.

And of course that feels terrifying.

But the systems (& privileged) can't (& don't want to) change themselves.

Only the #grassroots #bottomup solidarity & resistance of individual bodies can & will do that.

And a note about the Church of England ...

Having watched parts of the livestream of this year's @thechurchofengland Synod (which is kind of like Church parliament) with the particular focus of seeing responses to & handling of the institutions very public failings around responding to child abuse & inadequate safeguarding I echo again what I said at Winter Solstice ...

The Church of England is rotten at the core, has harmful theology, doctrine, administration & practices ...

& I will now add - based on the external safeguardinging review reports I've read & behaviour of Church leaders .. the Anglican Church is a dangerous & unsafe place for children & the vulnerable.

And speaking back to the power & influence this institution holds both in England & globally is where I am putting my energy this growing season.

Plus the vision of an alternative to it.  

Coming next ...

Embodiment and Liberation Spirituality and Community Spiritual Support

I have a lot of concepts and ideas for this coming spring and summer (see above) but I'll repeat what I said at the beginning...

Those of you committed to collective liberation and humanity ...

Please reach out, email or DM me ... what support can I offer you? what do you need to act? how can I offer spiritual and community care?

I'll be back in the spring with the next newsletter. 

Until then sending you best wishes,

Kay x

​So, I'm wondering, have you ever stopped & asked yourself what it is I'm truly seeking? And, why?

Or, what questions am I trying to answer?

Have you ever reflected on which needs you are trying to meet by reading a book or religious text, taking a course or attending this workshop or retreat, doing a particular practice, act or ritual, saying a specific prayer, affirmation or mantra, following a 'celebrity', 'influencer' or 'guru', going to a place of worship, community or group, and paying money, following a prescribed dogma, set of rules or worldview ....

Have you enquired about their origin & purpose or the background & motivation of the teacher, leader, belief system ...

What's your discernment process around choosing who or what to trust, listen to, follow?

Have you assessed the outcome of your search? What's your measure of success? 
I'm interested in your views before I share my research findings, professional & personal experiences below. 

So, before continuing to read think about journaling on these questions and then .... read on and/or watch the accompanying videos!

During this recorded event, you'll journey into the blue spectrum of Goddess – activating your voice and boundaries.

This 1.5 hour workshop will offer trauma-informed somatic and energy medicine practises that support you to anchor into your embodied Sacred Womanhood, alongside wellness education to support the cyclical nature of your body.

You will become ever more conscious of dismantling PATRIARCHY and power over dynamics that perpetuate harm for you, other humans, and the earth. As Goddess rises, shared power becomes the norm – a culture where everyone can live and speak from their own truth.
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To complete you will do a short Somatic Shamanism journey to soul retrieve your inner Wise Woman.
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The body – particularly the body of woman – remains firmly in the grip of the Patriarchy. Controlled, blamed, and ensnared in the narrative of The Fall, the fleshy encounter is deemed unholy and entirely separate from divinity.
 
Making Love with the Divine starts the process of unravelling and undoing this insidious and false programming, showcasing and story-telling the sacred, erotic, and ecstatic experiences of today’s ‘ordinary’ women, narrating and reflecting upon their accounts of day-to-day communion and union with the Divine. Inspired by their sharing, practises are offered in each section of the book for the reader to begin to forge their own unique and direct pathway of lovemaking with the Divine.
This book sanctifies the human mammal – our animal journey of ‘in and through’ and is an antidote to the poisonous lie that the Divine is ‘out and up’ and accessible only through religious or spiritual instruction. Making Love with the Divine bridges the schism of sacred and mundane and reinstates the extra-ordinary nature of everyday living and existence.
 
"Making Love with the Divine invites us to explore our experiences of the erotic current that animates our bodies and our lives. A current whose natural flow and vitality is often stifled, distorted and shamed within patriarchal culture. This book seeks to open up the conversation by asking us how we experience our own sexuality and eroticism, and how this flow of aliveness can be a portal to feeling the divinity inside of us, and beyond us. Based on her research and clear devotion to this path, Kay Louise Aldred has created a supportive year-long workbook that provides a practical framework for anyone who feels a call towards liberating their body and deepening relationship with their sacred erotic aliveness."
-Carly Mountain, Sex and Relationship Therapist and author of Descent & Rising.
 
This book is free on Kindle today as our (Girl God Books) Valentine's Day gift to you!
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Understanding trauma is liberating. Healing trauma is revolutionary. Speaking about trauma is political. Women and their bodies are no longer willing to be silent to or be the secret store of patriarchal abuse, control, and power. Goddess is showing the way, cell-by-cell, emotion-by-emotion, sensation-by-sensation. Healing trauma is a portal for freedom and a gateway to societal and collective change.

Re-Membering with Goddess is an anthology of women's experiences of trauma—trauma as a result of patriarchy; trauma perpetuated by patriarchy; and how through personal healing of trauma the Goddess is re-membered, re-embodied and resurrected.

As repeating loops of trauma restriction release--in the mind, body and nervous system—Goddess is re-embodied and rises... and the patriarchy falls.

"Gift this precious book to your friends, family, and colleagues and particularly your young adults both female and male. This needs to be discussed in our homes, streets, schools, and courts so that as a people we address this for once and for all. Enough!
​When we Re-Member that we have a voice. When we call out disrespectful behaviour. When we band together in solidarity then the sea change that is required can happen globally and in the major systems of our western world spreading out like the ripples in a pond to encompass everywhere."
-Dr. Karen Ward, Ph.D., Shamanic Therapist, Supervisor and Teacher. Co-founder of the Slí An Chroí School of Irish Celtic Shamanism and Author of Change a Little to Change a Lot.

Its Children’s Mental Health Week and here at The Acorn we are committed to supporting everyone on their journey.

Are you or is someone in your home experiencing extreme hopelessness, anxiety, depression, anger, meltdowns?
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Yes?  Try this Young People’s Mental Health SOS exercise, designed to bring the body, mind and nervous system into containment and a more manageable state.