As my family and I walk through 2026, we are doing it with deeper intentions. I'm going to be laying out a monthly guide here. This is my personal guide for making 2026 the year of embodied mastery. I'd love for you to follow along if you'd like to be more intentional with your year.
If you are reading this, the full moon likely has already taken place. So, let's just recap for April 2026. April felt like JOY without Permission. Too often I made myself hold permission before I could feel Joy. As if Joy were some reward that I needed to earn first. My 46th birthday happened the third week of April and it was a day filled with so much absolute Joy. Joy was my theme for the month of April. Although April, was not entirely joyful, it was filled with so many moments of absolute joy.
It's May. How is it May already? The Roman name for May comes from the Maia, an ancient earth goddess who presided over plants and flowers.
May brings us the Flower Moon.
The Dakota Sioux knew her as the Moon of flowers.
The Cherokee call her the Planting Moon.
For Colonial Americans it was known as the Milk Moon, because it was a time when cattle are most productive.
Me....I like her lesser used name....the Hawthorn Moon. This is more in my lane. In Celtic tradition, this was the Hawthorn Moon because it was the first full moon after the Hawthorn tree would bloom. Hawthorn is literally so near and dear to my heart. I take it daily for cardiovascular support, but it is also a beautiful emotional support for the heart. The Hawthorn tree is said to represent the Triple Goddess: blooming in white flowers in the Spring in its Maiden form, red berries in the summer in its Mother form, and then wrinkled and thorny in its Crone form in the fall and winter. It is sometimes referred to as the May Tree.
As we move deeper into the brighter half of the year, our energies become a little more extroverted, more focused on the outside world and our bodies, rather than the deep inner reflections that we tend to lean into in the winter hibernation months. In fact, if we are more introverted, we may find that we feel more at home in the winter months. It's okay to exist in whatever season feels right to you. Just because it is Spring outside our window doesn't mean that it might not still feel like winter in our hearts. I love to teach people to trust their bodies and trust their intuition.
With this shifting of seasons, we can feel a bit of a pause, as if we are at the top of the hill just peering over slightly. If you are wanting some lovely support for the pause, I recommend Great Faith Organics, Grateful Heart Herbal Tea Blend.
Now is a good time to go blossom hunting. Even if you live in a neighborhood, flowers are blooming everywhere. Gathering wild violets and pairing them with homemade lemonade is a beautiful way to celebrate May. Stinging Nettle pesto is also another beautiful way to enjoy the plants springing forth. Something as simple as making a dandelion crown or a nature bracelet can bring so much joy.
Now is also an excellent time to start eating fresh, local fruits and vegetables. Our bodies are able to start digesting more cold, raw foods as the weather warms. You may find that if you pay attention to your cravings they are actually shifting. Picking strawberries at our local u-pick farm and making strawberry jam with my kids is one of my most favorite things to do right now.
We find ourselves at the halfway mark between Spring and Summer. This is a time of increase; as the days continue to lengthen, flora and fauna grow and multiply. This is a time of celebration of all life on the earth. It's a time to explore and enjoy what it means to be alive; to breathe, to circulate, to process, and to move.
This energy is the reason that I have chosen May's intentions.
May feels like a clear voice and clean edges.
Theme: My "NO" is Holy. Honoring my limits.
Choosing my non-negotiables: Speaking clearly, honestly, and briefly. Ending conversations that don't resonate with the season I am in, faster.
How I am setting the tone: I am choosing resonance over being understood.
Anchor question: What boundary restores me immediately?
May Affirmation: I take the necessary action to create my life the way that I want it.
I chose two new stones to work with this month. I chose carnelian - as sacred fire and boundaried desire. Carnelian supports: Confidence in my voice. Clean “no” without guilt. Desire that originates from me, not others. I also chose green aventurine - it allows me to open my heart open, but only where it's reciprocated. It is heart expansion without over-giving.
Together these stones tell a story of: warmth with edges, desire with discernment, connection without collapse.
My beautiful herbal ally for this month is of course Hawthorn.
Energetic medicine: Hawthorn whispers - You do not need to close to be safe. You need to root into yourself deeply enough that nothing can take you with it.
Hawthorn strengthens the heart's container. It teaches safe connection. It teaches protection without closing. It holds and moves grief. It stabilizes "big heart" energy.
This is my favorite quote at the moment: “Mastery is no longer proving what you know, but moving so slowly and precisely that wisdom has time to arrive.”