Lunar Cycles + A Favorite Winter Outfit

Jessica Sturdy wearing Illesteva tortoise sunglasses, a fur collar from Paris, white Old Navy ribbed tee, and a green J.Crew blazer with a Michael Kors watch.

Hi friends! Today’s post is going live a bit later because I’m on the west coast. I flew into LAX yesterday and made the drive to the Palm Springs area last night! I’m currently staying at the Miramonte Resort in Indian Wells and writing this with the most beautiful backdrop of palm trees, a pool, and mountains against a bright blue sky… Does it get any better? Such a wonderful way to kick off a new month! I would say, “Can you believe how fast January went by?!” because that’s usually the case with time speeding right on past, but didn’t January actually feel like it was 3 months long? Or was that just me?! 😂

Chicago lifestyle blogger Jessica Sturdy wearing a green J.Crew blazer, an Old Navy ribbed tee, a fur collar from Paris, Rag & Bone skinny jeans, and Vince Camuto bronze booties with a Louis Vuitton monogrammed handbag, Illesteva Milan tortoise sunglasses, and a Michael Kors watch.

We’ll get to this outfit in a minute or three (it’s one of my favorites this winter!), but I want to chat about something that’s at the top of my mind today… The Super Blue Blood Moon yesterday! Did you read about it? Check out this post to learn more about why it was such a rare occurrence.

I mentioned a lunar podcast I listened two a few weeks ago in this post and I remember marking my calendar for the 31st. I’d never done any sort of moon ritual before, but I felt a desire to give it a go this time around! I knew I’d be in LA or Palm Springs, but I wasn’t exactly sure where I was staying yet.

I quickly looked into full moon rituals and read about burning ceremonies. It seemed easy enough… And for whatever reason, I envisioned myself outdoors (under the full moon) with a fire, writing down things I wanted to release, and dropping a sheet of paper into said fire. That seemed highly unrealistic, especially since I was traveling, but it was a thought that was clear in my head.

As the next few weeks went by, I nailed down my plans to stay at the Miramonte for Wednesday night. (It just kind of flowed… A meeting with an Australian hotel sparked the conversation and it was just odd timing that I would be in Palm Springs a night earlier than the rest of my friends.) I really hadn’t given the full moon another thought, but I kept seeing it on my calendar and remembering that I did want to doย something that night, but I wasn’t really focused on it. Maybe a new moon yoga class? It’s LA, so I figured there had to be something like that, right? 😂

Jessica Sturdy wearing a green J.Crew blazer, an Old Navy ribbed tee, a fur collar from Paris, Rag & Bone skinny jeans, and Vince Camuto bronze booties with a Louis Vuitton monogrammed handbag, Illesteva Milan tortoise sunglasses, and a Michael Kors watch.

Probably due to the full moon, everything was running a bit behind on Wednesday. By the time I was done in LA and ready to head to Palm Springs, it was rush hour. So I decided to grab dinner at Urth Caffe (my fave! you can see more recommendations for LA in this post!) and wait for traffic to die down a bit. I was looking into full moon rituals and they all involved candles, sage, etc and it just seemed too complex to try to pull together. I was on track to get to Indian Wells around 10:15pm so I figured I’d just meditate outside at my hotel or something. And maybe just think of some things I wanted to let go of? Better than nothing, right?

To give you a visual, the Miramonte Resort is a pretty big property… Multiple buildings and villas surround a vast central area of pools, lawn games, sitting areas, etc. But mind you, it was dark when I got here and I didn’t really know what the property looked like. I checked in and drove around to the building I was staying in and figured I’d explore to get the lay of the land in the morning. I got into my room, put my bags down, and opened the curtains to see I had a little patio… Awesome! I opened the patio door and LO AND BEHOLD there was a fire pit about 30 feet away. There was a man sitting by the fire peacefully playing his guitar (I couldn’t hear it from my room until I opened the door!), and I was like, “HO-LY SHIT! I literally manifested this.”

I did a quick meditation in my room on my Headspace app to get in the right mindset and then ventured out to the fire pit with a notebook. The guitar guy had just left and I had the fire pit area all to myself. (It’s about 11pm at this point.)

I sat down in one of the comfy chairs, admired the fire, looked up at the full moon overhead, and also then realized that I was surrounded by a rose garden. (Roses are very symbolic to me, I can explain more on that later!) I honestly couldn’t have painted a more perfect picture… It was literally what I had randomly envisioned in my head weeks ago. It gave me goosebumps and made my eyes well up, too.

I sat for a while, writing down things I wanted to release, focusing on intentions, and soaking up the energy of the moment. About 45 minutes later, I tore the page out of my notebook, dropped it into the fire, and sat for a while longer watching it burn.

I can’t even explain it, but I instantly felt lighter. I headed back inside, did another meditation to soak it all in, and hit the hay. And, you guys, I shit you not… I woke up this morning feeling the most at peace I have in months. I washed my face, applied sunscreen, and headed out to get coffee. (The hotel has a Koffi coffee bar!) I walked around the resort sipping my iced coffee, snapping pictures of the scenery, gushing over all of the roses (the whole property is covered in them!), did a workout on the treadmill, meditated outside, and had a healthy breakfast alfresco before settling in to work and starting on this post. Truly, if I could bottle up the perfect day, this would be it.

Have you ever tried any sort of (full or new) moon ritual?! This was my first one, but it’s definitely something I want to continue to learn about and incorporate into my wellness routine!

Anywayyyyy… Let’s talk about the clothes, shall we?! (That is, if I haven’t lost you yet! 😂)

A blazer, booties, and skinny jeans is typically my go-to look for work meetings! Cute, casual, and pulled-together… That’s the name of the game for me.

I picked up this fur stole when I was did my extended stay in Paris in October of 2016. I couldn’t tell you the name of the boutique, but it was on a little side street in Saint Germain. It’s the perfect piece to add a little personality to your jackets and blazers! It looks sewn on, yeah?!ย It’s a great option if you need another accessory to spice up your winter wardrobe over the next few months.

Jessica Rose Sturdy wearing Vince Camuto bronze metallic booties with Rag & Bones skinny jeans.

Get the Look…

J.Crew Green Wool Blazerย (similar style here!)
Old Navy Ribbed Tee
Rag & Bone Jeans
Fur Collar (similar here, here, & here)
Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Monogram Handbag
Vince Camuto Bronze Metallic Booties (on sale here!)
Illesteva Milan Tortoise Sunglasses
Michael Kors Watchย (similar here, too!)

Jessica Rose Sturdy wearing a fur collar from Paris, a green J.Crew blazer, and an Old Navy ribbed tee with Illesteva tortoise sunglasses in Chicago.

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12 Comments

  1. 2.1.18
    liz said:

    Love everything about this look Jess! The green color, fur detail, the glasses — it’s all so good.

  2. 2.1.18

    I’m a Cancer (hello, emotional haha) and I don’t even know where to start when it comes to this moon/my horoscope/the changes happening in my life RIGHT NOW. It’s insane how spot on everything is! I need to have a little ceremony to rid myself of a few things I’ve been holding on to. Love that you’re talking about this here! Have fun in CA ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. 2.1.18
    Jodi said:

    Love this post and glad you’re giving zero fucks – live your life! I’m not into meditation/lunar stuff but could totally see myself learning more and getting into it. Feel like we need all the help we can get finding peace these days!

  4. 2.1.18
    Jackie DeBlieux said:

    Iโ€™ve been going through the same thing! Iโ€™ve recently become somewhat interested in astrology, and I used to think it was a huge sham. Not that I would swear by it now, but I definitely think it generates positive and negative energies in your life. If I would have said that to myself a year ago I would have thought I was nuts, haha! Interested in learning more about your experiences!

  5. 2.2.18
    Rena said:

    This outfit with the fur collar is so tasteful and elegant!
    xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
    http://www.dressedwithsoul.com

  6. 2.2.18
    Rach said:

    I did not realize yesterday was the Supermoon! And omg how crazy that the ritual just happened! Hmm, maybe I should try it out one day? Anyways, I love fur stole on your coat. So chic!

    http://www.rdsobsessions.com

  7. 2.2.18
    Marta said:

    Gorgeous outfit! The coat is absolutely beautiful. I had never heard of moon rituals but reading your post makes them seem really interesting. I’ll definitely look it up.

  8. 2.2.18

    Oh I love those sunglasses and that fur!

    Xx Taylor
    http://www.lightscameracatwalk.com/

  9. 2.2.18
    Natali said:

    J Crew is one of my favourite brands! Your jacket is fantastic.

    https://lartoffashion.com