July: Healing Your Inner Child

The Sun shines brighter with each passing day, illuminating what lives in our hearts core and imploring you to shine a light on the shadow filled inner corners that exist within. July is a month of joy, celebration, creativity, and abundance.

The skies are Sun-lit, nature is teeming with life to reach new heights, and so are you. As you linger in the watery energy of Cancer season, and step into the fiery energy of Leo season embrace the magic that each sign holds.

Cancer season invites you to embrace introspection and look within yourself. Where are your wounds? What is your emotional core trying to share with you? What do you need to feel well nurtured, secure, and safe? Cancer is ruled by the Moon, being an authority over our emotional selves, so you may find yourself being especially intentional about tending to your emotions and needs during this time. Cancer also rules over the 4th House of family & the home, so Cancer season can cause you to feel pulled towards your loved ones, or to reflect on nostalgic moments from your past.

As Leo season takes a hold July 22nd, Leo invites you to exit from your safe cocoon and step out into the world. Cancer season allowed you to build the strength and courage to create boundaries that allow you to stay safe so when Leo reaches their hand out to pull you towards the rest of the world you are confident and ready to radiate. Leo is ruled by the Sun and rules over the 5th house of creativity. This can instill an invigorating feeling of enthusiasm for life. You might feel more passionate, ready to lean into your artistic interests and curiosities. You may also find yourself ready to embrace this exuberant energy and spend your time creating new memories and moments that fill you with joy. Leo season brings forth an openness that can allow you to rediscover your vitality.

All and all, Cancer and Leo are collaborating this month so you can witness your wounded inner child, provide them with the safety, security, and love that they deserve so they can show up in the world fully embodied, authentic, and self-assured. Leaning into the vibrant, expressive nature of Leo can be overwhelming for anyone, but especially for those who were taught to lessen themselves. Cancer season says "you, your feelings, and your needs are never too much and deserve to be honored" and Leo joins to say "in fact, you, your feelings, and needs deserve to be seen and known!" Cancer provides that foundation so you can feel comfortable advocating for yourself.

Advice for Healing Your Inner Child:

 Tending to your inner child can feel like an overwhelming task. Reflecting back on your past experiences and how they've shaped you can be painful, bringing forth the weight of emotional unrest you thought were put to bed. It's important to remember that while your conscious self may not be constantly aware of your emotions, your inner child doesn't have the same luxury of putting their experiences in a box, and they deserve to be acknowledged.

Sit With Yourself:

Emotions can be hard to pin down, especially if we've grown accustomed to avoiding them. Create space at least once a week to sit with yourself and invite your emotions to come forth to be witnessed. Reflect on hard moments in the last week, month, year, life. Whatever feels most relevant to you is welcome to be seen. As these emotions rise up, full embrace and accept them. Avoid dismissive language and intellectualizing your way out of being vulnerable with yourself. If you aren't sure how to acknowledge your feelings without dismissing them, try this phrase: "regardless of my ability to handle this experience, how long ago this was, and how I coped in the moment, this hurt/was stressful/was overwhelming." Emotions are not made to be locked away, they exist to share information with us. Emotions are not devoid of logic and by dismissive the symptoms of discomfort you only prolong your discomfort.

Forgive Yourself:

In a society that teaches us that emotions are inconvenient, distracting, and unimportant we in turn teach our inner child as inconvenient, a distraction, and unimportant. These are deep wounds that need to be addressed. If unsure of how to take this step, try this phrase: "I did my best with what I knew, but it wasn't what you truly needed. I am sorry for not tending to you with better care, but I know better now and will earn your trust by being consistent and present." Remember, an apology isn't enough without action. To truly take the path of self-forgiveness, you must also make a conscious and active effort to follow through. Be intentional about your emotional needs, pause and listen when emotions arise, and create a strategy for self-tending.

Create A Plan For Care:

Make a list of actions, activities, and phrases that make you feel safe and nurtured. Reach for this list in moments of distress rather than dismissing feelings or drowning in an emotional experience with no life raft. Some examples are:

• Use a dedicated journal to write down your thoughts, feelings, and processing
• Express your emotions creatively by drawing, painting, or singing
• Take a long shower or bath
• Adorn yourself in soft, cozy fabrics
• Listen to music that feels familiar or coincides with the emotions you're experience to invite in a release
• Go to a private place to breathe or cry if needed whilst validating any emotions that arise
• If you are in an environment that you are unable to fully release in, such as work, create some validating phrases that you can silently speak to yourself or think for 5-10mins
  • "I may feel scared/angry/overwhelmed but I am safe with myself and trust I will get to the other side of this"
  • "I only have 5-10mins right now, but I absolutely will tend to this feeling fully with as much time is needed when I get home. In this 5-10mins, cry and express how you need to. This emotion is hard, but safe to have."

Embrace Play:

In a society that trains us to believe that all of our actions should have an output, it is so important to reject that sentiment and make space for uninterrupted pleasure that centers your wants. Remind yourself what it means to be playful. As much as your inner child wants to be emotionally validated, they need to release energy through joy as well. Carve out dedicated time in your week that is just for play. Whether that is singing badly in your living room and dancing to your favorite songs for 30mins, crocheting something you're excited about, or spinning around in a circle till you fall, any form of play provides a fundamental release of energy that reminds us that we don't exist to care stress, we exist to live.

The month of July is about being honest with yourself about your needs and wants. Being a human is about so much more than the tangible things we are taught to prioritize, it is about living fully and joyously. Your dedication to living the life you know you deserve allows your inner child the safety they need to feel all of their emotions fully, and express their wants that are fundamental to your life force.

When you feel lost or uncertain, ask your inner child what their needs are. You were born knowing how to tend, but somewhere along the way you were shamed, invalidated, or dismissed. Repair this damage my being a listening ear.

Healing your inner child is a life long task. This relationship is forever, tend to yourself with the patience, presence, and empathy you not only deserve, but required.