New Beginnings
This lunar cycle offers a fresh start with a new season
I live in Northern Virgina just outside of Washington, D.C. We are blessed to have a cherry tree in our front yard, the same kind that surrounds the Tidal Basin around the Jefferson Memorial. I love watching her come alive each spring with the palest of pink blossoms that eventually flutter to the ground like some sort of fairy snow. It’s so magical.
Spring is one of my favorite times of year here in Virigina. The cherry blossoms and magnolias are absolutely stunning. Daffodils and forsythia are in full bloom. Azaleas light up the neighborhoods with vivid colors. Birds sing their mating songs. Trees bud and with new leaves, a sign of hope for what’s to come. Crisp mornings invite me outside to greet the day with coffee in hand and a prayer of gratitude.
Inspired by Robin Wall Kimmerer, the piece below shares a blessing I offer each morning after I spend a few moments witnessing and connecting with my nonhuman kin. Feel free to adopt or adapt it as your own.
The spring season is not quite in full swing where I live, but it is coming soon. This new lunar cycle beginning today, Wednesday, March 18th, with a New Moon in Pisces holds the container in which we transition from winter to spring officially as we celebrate the Vernal Equinox with equal amounts of day and light on Friday, March 20th. The moon waxes to fullness on Wednesday, April 1st. The Full Moon in Libra is called the Pink Moon named for the pink flowers in bloom at this time of year, specifically wild pink phlox. This lunar cycle calls us into a season of reflection, rebirth and renewal.
Pisces New Moon
As we transition from winter to spring, this watery new moon invites a period of reflection and going inward. Think of it as a time to soothe, cleanse and renew. Trust your intuition and flow with any emotions that arises like water running through a creek bed. There is a healing quality to this invitation to embody the element of water as you flow with what arises within you.
Journal Prompt: What might be ending within you to create a new beginning?
After your period of reflection feels complete, I invite you to spend some luxurious time daydreaming. Pisces carries a mystical quality as the keeper of imagination and dream making. Your imagination may feel more awake in you than usual during this time. Use it to your advantage. Let yourself daydream. Go big!
Journal Prompt: What would you do if anything was possible and everything was perfect?
Pisces is symbolized by two fish swimming in opposite directions which invites a grounded, action-oriented energy to balance the dreamy imagination. This is not about leaving it all up to the Universe to take care of it for you, but rather an invitation to take action to make your dreams come true.
Journal Prompt: What is the next right step needed to bring your vision to reality?
Pay close attention to your sleeping dreams during this time. Pick out a character from your dream and replay the dream from their perspective in first person as if you were them. What wisdom might come from that new perspective?
Celebrating the Vernal Equinox
As we officially welcome Spring on March 20, 2026 in the Northern Hemisphere, I invite you to create a bit of ceremony and ritual as way to celebrate and literally plant new seeds with intention. Below is a suggested practice, but you are invited to make it your own as you co-create with the sacred Earth.
Supplies needed:
Seeds of a plant local to your area that symbolizes the qualities you would like to embody. You might choose a fruit or vegetable for their bounty, or a flowering plant to add beauty to your life. Choose seeds that benefit from being soaked in water before planting.
Moon water made by charging water under the moon at night while you sleep.
Flowers, feather, or any gifts from Mother Nature gathered from the land and gifted to you for this purpose.
Equinox Ceremony:
Begin by charging water under the moon overnight. You may choose to do this outside or in a window. You do not need a specific moon to charge the water, any moon phase will do. Think about what feels best to you. I plan to use the water from tonight’s New Moon for this practice as I want to infuse the imaginative qualities of Pisces into the water.
Next, place your seeds in a bowl and cover them with your moon water to soak them. Determine how long your seeds need to soak. It may be 6-24 hours depending on the plant you choose.
On the day of the Equinox, find an appropriate spot to plant your seeds. Ask the Earth for permission. Listen in your body for the answer before you begin digging. Once you have prepared the hole, speak a blessing over the seeds, add moon water and cover them up. Decorate with earth with the natural elements you have gathered in a gesture of gratitude.
Continue to nurture and speak blessings over the seeds as you watch them grow. Note how the intention you set is also growing within you. Be well and frolic on.
Seeds of intention,
carriers of possibility,
I bless your becoming.
May what begins here tonight
blossom in its own right time,
through care and nourishment,
and the gentle guidance
of Grandmother Moon.
May your unfolding
bring renewal to my life
and goodness to the world around us.
May it be so.
Barbara Doane is a writer, speaker and founder of Find Your Frolic, where she helps humans unlearn societal conditioning to step into their soul calling. Her work weaves together decades of executive leadership with intuitive guidance, nature‑based practices, and gentle ritual to support deep personal and professional transformation. Work with Barbara to reconnect with your inner wisdom to build a career (and a life!) you love. Let’s frolic.
Beautiful suggestions for rituals to honor this new moon and the coming of spring!
PS… I love the earth mandala made by our mutual friend, Jennifer!
Love it! Beautiful ceremony suggestion—thank you.