The Most Positive New Moon Of Winter Is Here

If you've been craving a vibe shift, you're in luck. The new moon in Cancer will arrive on June 28, blessing us with a clean slate for the next month. As always, new moons are a time of heightened emotions and releasing stagnant energy, but this month, it's time to focus on one thing: gratefulness.

Iva Naskova, astrologer at the Nebula app, tells Refinery29 that we should practice feeling grateful for what we have, how far we've come, and prepare for even greater things in the future. If you're struggling with recognising your accomplishments — big and small — a productive exercise for this new moon would be to write everything down that you're proud of or grateful for (yes, even your heater on a cold winter's day). Looking back at this list for the next few days while the new moon's powers are potent will help energise you for the month to come.

Because this is the first lunar event of the winter, it carries a strong initiatory nature, says Narayana Montúfar, senior astrologer for Astrology.com and author of Moon Signs: Unlock Your Inner Luminary Power. "It’s time to set a new foundation for ourselves and be ambitious when setting new goals that will take us into the fall," she says. "The luminaries will be clashing with Jupiter in Aries, reawakening our ambition to succeed." While we'll be ready to speed full force ahead, Montúfar says it's key that we remain realistic and grounded. "Squares to Jupiter can activate blind spots, driving us to overcommit to our goals if we are not careful."

Although the new moon may have us, well, energised, it's also important to remember that Cancer is the sign of the home — and not just our physical home, but those who feel like home, too. This luminary touches on our relationships, both familial and romantic. "It is a spiritually powerful time when we are able to connect with the people we love on a deeper level and realise that life is better when you have the people you love close to you," Naskova says. "We should use this moon to give forgiveness, let go of past pain, and prepare to start fresh, energised, and liberated from toxic traits and energy." Say "I love you" loud and proud this week — you may just turn someone's day around.

This new moon will be conjunct the asteroid Black Moon Lilith, according to Lisa Stardust, astrologer, and author of The Love Deck. "When Lilith is in Cancer and in conjunction with a new moon, it is giving us a rebellious energy," she says. "We will want to go against the norms of society and rebel against our family in ways that we didn’t see coming. This means that we may want to skip out on a lot of traditions that our brood holds near and dear in an effort to create our own. This is the time of letting go of the past, confronting trauma, and healing ourselves. Pushing taboos is a must. As long as we are willing to step in to our own vision, then we will thrive."

Overall, this lunar event is one of the most positive of the winter, but be prepared — it will stimulate deep feelings at both conscious and subconscious levels, says Montúfar. "During this time, we might become aware of certain emotions that have been lurking under the surface — this is especially true with this lunation overlapping with Neptune going into retrograde," she says. "As hidden emotions and new realisations come up, they will instigate a new way of approaching relationships and feelings." Change and newness aren't things to be afraid of here — it may actually turn out pretty nice, thanks to the positivity of Venus in Gemini forming a sextile with Jupiter.

The vibes are even more immaculate when you remember that this is a Cazimi moon. If you're unfamiliar, this refers to planets that are close or in conjunction with the Sun — aka, that means this moon is side by side with the Sun. "The term Cazimi is Latin and means ‘in the heart’ of the Sun, which is said to be a strengthening factor," says Leslie Hale, psychic astrologer at Keen.com, adding that this doesn't occur too frequently. She says this moon is a powerful one, and can be considered a lucky time to start new projects or opportunities.

For the next few days, remember the words powerful, positive, and productive: It's all the things that this new moon is, but what you can also aim to be. Set your intentions for the month ahead and move forward — you may find that it's easier than you think.