By Kate Downes, LAc TCM Practitioner
Nurturing healthy relationships is an essential part of living a fulfilling life. But how often do you stop to think about the relationship you have with yourself?
Cultivating self-love is just as important as connecting with your partner and staying close to your best friends. And while self-love comes in many different forms, it all starts by getting to know you.
If you’re ready to embrace more compassion, gratitude, and love for yourself this year, start with these two simple steps.
Know Thyself, Love Thyself: 2 Steps to Cultivate Self-Love
1. Get to know and love your star signs.
That’s right – signs. Beyond your Western sun sign, you also have other zodiac signs and Chinese zodiac signs that can influence your thoughts, motives, and aspirations. Knowing how each of these plays into your character can help you better understand and nurture yourself. If you don’t know these, you can calculate your star signs here and your Chinese zodiac here.
☀️Sun Sign
Your sun sign is what most people consider your zodiac. It is determined by your birth date and tends to represent your identity, ego, and sense of self. Knowing your sun sign can help you understand and appreciate your motivations, as well as express yourself.
🌑Moon Sign
Your moon sign is determined by the position of the moon on the day and time of your birth. This is why knowing your birth time and location is important. The moon sign reveals your inner you. Who are you when you’re alone? How do you communicate your emotions? What do you need to feel loved and secure?
💫Rising Sign
Have you ever noticed that you’re slightly different from other people who share your zodiac? That’s all thanks to your rising sign. The rising sign (also called ascendant) is determined by your exact birth time, and each 2-hour period of the day is ruled by a different sign. Some astrologers argue that your rising sign is more accurate when reading your horoscopes than your sun sign. This sign is often considered the face you wear out in the world – it’s how others perceive you and how you perceive others. It can also give you insight into how you experience reality.
☯️Chinese Zodiac
The Chinese zodiac is a repeating 12-year cycle of animal signs and their attributes. It follows the lunar calendar, so be sure to check your birth year and day to get your accurate Chinese zodiac sign. Along with an animal, your Chinese zodiac also has a corresponding element and yin or yang energy. While the Chinese astrology system is deeply complex (consider getting your ba zi chart read!), you can learn a lot about your personality, strengths, challenges, and more just by getting to know your animal sign and element.
Self-Love Ritual for Your Star Sign
Grab a cup of Celestial Sun Brew tea and let’s create a star sign affirmation board. Divide a large piece of paper (or digital document) into 4 quadrants – one for your sun sign, moon sign, rising sign, and Chinese zodiac. Research the good qualities of each of those signs and write them into each quadrant. For each quadrant, write an affirmation statement that relates to how you embody these good traits or mantras that inspire you to bring these characteristics into your daily life.
2. Get to know and love your element.
Once you know your zodiac signs, you’ll also know your dominant element. Your element can help you understand how you experience the world, as well as what nurtures your mind, body, and soul best. If you’re unsure which element resonates with you most, take our element quiz!
Self-Love Ritual for Every Element
Fire
Fire signs are Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius in Western astrology, or a Chinese fire sign if you were born in a year that ends in a 6 or 7.
Fire signs are passionate and energetic. Celebrate your vivacious self with a cleansing ritual that ignites each day with confidence. Start with Pink Moon x Mo Mi Sweet Sunshine Shampoo + Wash + Bath, then put your best face forward with the Once in a Pink Moon Fire Element Collection.
Water
Water signs are Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces in Western astrology, or a Chinese water sign if you were born in a year that ends in a 2 or 3.
Water signs are intuitive and spiritual. Embrace your emotional intelligence by meditating in a healing botanical bath or by giving your skin the same love and attention you give others with the Once in a Pink Moon Water Element Collection.
Earth
Earth signs are Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn in Western astrology, or a Chinese earth sign if you were born in a year that ends in an 8 or 9.
Earth signs are reliable and have an eye for beauty. Bring out your own natural beauty with the 3-step Once in a Pink Moon Earth Element Collection and finish with a grounding gua sha ritual that melts tension and restores your calm nature.
Air / Metal
Air signs are Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius in Western astrology, or a Chinese metal sign if you were born in a year that ends in an 0 or 1.
Air signs and metal signs are brilliant thinkers and creatives. Pay gratitude to your hard-working mind with regular mental breaks and mindfulness. Listening to guided meditations while you practice your air element skin care ritual can help clear your mind. Or, let tarot cards open up new creative energy and problem-solving.
Wood
Western astrology doesn’t have a corresponding element to wood (although air can relate to wood as well as metal in some cases). You are a Chinese wood sign if you were born in a year that ends in a 4 or 5.
Wood element signs are innovators and change-makers. Honor yourself with rituals that evoke a sense of transformation, like YINA’s revitalizing face mask, or an energy-shifting movement practice like yoga or qigong.
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When you understand yourself better, you can nurture yourself better. For more self-love inspiration, follow @pinkmoon.co and @_onceinapinkmoon, and sign up for SMS love notes from us – including your monthly horoscope!
