Leo is ruled by the Sun, a planet that signifies the self and our awareness of this self.

And one of the most powerful ways we learn about and express who we are is through what we create.

While this is super duper useful, it also makes it verrrry easy to conflate who we are with what we create.

This can take the form of incessant productivity (feeling like we’re never creating enough) or perfectionism (feeling like what we’re creating is never good enough)…

…which in turn can feel like a reflection of who we are: not enough.

This New Moon, I’d like to offer a simple ritual that can bring your relationship to creativity into greater balance.

I call it the Let Go, Didn’t Do Ritual.

While most of us understand, intellectually, that there’s only so much time and energy to go around, we often have inner parts who believe that we should be able to do it all, whatever “all” is for us. If we’re not, we’re failing.

In recent months, as I’ve worked with more of my inner parts related to my creative process, I’ve been confronted with just how limited I am, time and energy wise.

This might sound like a major bummer…

…and to some of my parts it certainly is, because they equate how much I can create with my worth, but to my capital “S” Self, there’s a peaceful surrender to it all.

Like instead of resisting what is, I can just be with it. Nothing to change or fix–it just is.

And within those limits, I’m finding my creativity blossoming.

Instead of trying to “do it all,” I’m consciously choosing what I want to focus my finite time and attention on, and this gives me more bang for my energetic buck.

With this comes choosing what I’m not going to do–and there are lots of things that fall on that list!

If I slip into the perspective of inner child parts who think I’m never doing enough…

…I can easily end every day, every week with the feeling that I failed. That I should have done more.

And I can carry that over from week to week to week…

Cue the Let Go, Didn’t Do Ritual.

This practice, which I like to do Friday after work (feel free to do it anytime) helps me release built-up energy that might otherwise end up in a shadow bag of guilt and shame that I’d be lugging from week to week.

Step One

Choose a song that helps you get into the releasing groove. Sometimes I want something loud and headbangy, other times I need something ethereal and heart-melting. You do you, boo.

Step Two

Choose your location. I like to do this in the same place every week: in front of my altar. The consistency helps me get into the proper headspace more quickly.

Step Three

Crank up the music and let yourself move however you like, shaking off energy, swaying back and forth, jumping up and down, rolling around on the floor (did you know that’s actually a Reiki practice called Reiki undo?), hugging yourself–whatever feels right!

Step Four

Intend that you are releasing anything you didn’t do or finish this week. All of it! KThxByyyye…

Any projects, conversations, thoughts, you name it. Let it go! You might imagine energy streaming down and out through the soles of your feet into the earth, blowing away in the wind, washing away like water, etc.

You can always come back to this stuff next week if you like, but for now, you’re releasing your grip on the energy. You don’t need to carry it around “just in case.” If you need to pick it up again later, you can.

Step Five

Finish with this affirmation: “I love myself just as I am, right here, right now.”

The energy of unfinished to-do lists, unmet expectations, unrealized ideas–that shit can add up!

And here’s the thing: We will never reach a point, as long as we’re alive, where everything is all done. We just won’t.

It’s tempting to think, “After I finish this project…” or “I just need to answer one more email…”

…then we’ll feel okay taking a break, but the truth is, that permission has to come from within, because there will always be more we could do.

Honoring that you have finite time and energy is a profound act of self-love.

Why not start today? Happy New Moon.