Today is a Total Solar Eclipse New Moon. New moons always represent a time for new beginnings and cycles when we are able to leave behind anything from the past that no longer serves any purpose in our lives, and then take a step forward on a new path.

However, in astrology, this Cancer new moon is especially powerful for us, as it also marks the start of our new eclipse season that will last until December 26th. Cancer is a feminine sign that rules the moon and also represents home, family and intimate relationships. Additionally, Cancer is the sign for the mother, the Divine Mother and often represents the place our own mother holds within our lives.

So, this new moon is all about us learning how to mother ourselves, no matter what kind of mother we had in our childhood. It is also all about us taking responsibility for ourselves and our lives in a maternal way. We learn to love and nurture ourselves, we learn what we need and how we can take care of those needs.

And, in keeping with that notion of caring and nurturing myself, I choose two strains that helped me fulfill most of my needs this week-one strain propelled me upwards and the other took me down, hard and fast. My first strain was Lemon Crack. Born from the union of Green Crack , a heavy handed sativa and Lemon Haze, a moderate sativa strain, Lemon Crack is your go to strain for getting your stuff done. This strain will make you feel like you’ve just imbibed several shots of Espresso and despite an initial spike in energy, which can be a bit intense, the effects become more mellow, helping you to let go of stress while still remaining focused and clear headed.

In every hybrid strain, one of the parents seems to be more dominant than the other. This strain is really close to Green Crack, which used to be my go to strain, when I first returned to the land of cannabis a couple of years ago. However, I found that Green Crack often made me feel jumpy and a bit anxious. This strain still produces the same energizing effects without any of the jumpiness or anxiety, which I experienced with Green Crack alone.

The flavor and the aroma of this strain however are all from its Lemon Haze parent-with a really lemony aroma and flavor with some notes of diesel, which make it more interesting. So, it goes to show that even in the land of weed, parents make a difference. But, in our case, we can choose to become our own parents, going beyond our parents’ limitations and become our own unique selves, despite our genetics and our upbringing.

They say “what goes up must come down” and that was what I needed from my next strain, Lava Cake. Lava Cake, also known as Lava Cake #11, is a strain that was crafted by Tahoe Hydroponics Company and is a cross between Grape Pie, an indica dominant hybrid strain and Thin Mint Cookies, a lighter indica dominant hybrid. The results is a really tasty, heavy handed strain that will erupt in your brain and is known for putting users on the couch. That being said, this strain did its job-it put me to sleep and quickly.

Lava Cake is known for its sweet aroma and smells just like a cake coming out of the oven. It’s flavor is also sweet with hints of vanilla and almonds. But, it’s effects are what will get your attention. Rarely do i have a strain which almost instantly puts me to sleep. And, that is how this story ends with me nurturing myself with good weed, which helped me to get a good night’s sleep. By the darkness of our New Moon, allow yourself to be your own mother and take the time to care for and about yourself, today and every day that follows.