"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion." — Albert Camus
Here we are at the threshold of a new year. I always find January a curious month—culturally we’re meant to be brimming with fresh energy and grand resolutions, yet the natural world is still deep in its winter rest, asking us to conserve rather than expend our energy. Perhaps this tension is exactly what makes January so useful: it teaches us to hold both the impulse towards action and the wisdom of waiting.
As I write this, I’m thinking about values—not as abstract ideals we aspire to, but as the lived principles that guide our choices when things get complicated. Values are most visible not in the easy moments, but in the difficult ones: when staying quiet would be simpler than speaking up, when going along would be more comfortable than standing apart, when fitting in feels safer than being true.
This month’s energies seem particularly interested in that question: How clearly do you know the values that guide you? Not the values you think you should have, or the ones that sound good when you say them aloud—but the ones that shape how you move through the world. Before reading on, you might like to pause for a moment. Not to answer the question — just to notice what it stirs.
Photo by Caleb Falkenhagen
The Wolf Moon – 3rd January
Photo by Caleb Falkenhagen
January’s Full Moon, known as the Wolf Moon, falls on 3rd January at 10:04 GMT. Its name comes from the howling wolves often heard on cold winter nights—a sound that speaks to survival, strength, and the fierce bonds that sustain us through the hardest seasons.
This moon represents introspection and endurance during the darker months. With the Wolf Moon in Cancer this year, a water sign connected to emotions and belonging, there’s an invitation to honour our feelings without being ruled by them. Cancer knows something about the difference between genuine security and false safety—between the shelter that truly protects and the fortress that isolates.
Wolves howl to communicate, to call their pack together, to claim their territory. But they also know when to go silent, when to conserve energy, when to wait. This Full Moon asks: where do we need to make ourselves heard, and where might silence serve us better?
Gate 38 — Opposition: The Fighter
As the Wolf Moon rises, the Sun illuminates Gate 38 in Human Design—Opposition, also known as The Fighter. This gate carries a fierce and necessary energy: an individual stands against perceived untruth, claiming their right to personal freedom.
Gate 38 understands something essential: sometimes we have to fight—not from aggression but from integrity. There are moments when going along would betray something fundamental in you, when keeping the peace would cost you the truth, when fitting in would require abandoning what you know to be right.
This Gate holds a paradox: whilst we’re fighting for our individual right to freedom, we must also remember that we are One. The potential shadow here is seeing ourselves pitted against the whole world, fighting every battle, standing alone against everything. The gift that emerges through perseverance is discovering that standing for truth doesn’t require standing against people—it requires standing for something that ultimately serves freedom, not just our own.
Line 4—Rejoining—offers particular wisdom: there comes a point where you turn away from isolation in the face of adversity. Trusting our own processes, we discover that we can receive assistance during seemingly impossible situations. We don’t have to do it all alone. We can stand for what’s true whilst remaining connected to others who are also finding their way.
The dilemma underneath? Habit. How often do we keep fighting simply because we always have, keep opposing simply because it’s what we know, keep struggling simply because we’ve forgotten we could choose differently?
Bottle C2 — Sacral Chakra (Gold/Orange)
The Colour Mirrors system pairs beautifully with this energy through Bottle C2—Sacral Chakra, with its potent blend of gold and orange. This bottle speaks to where we’ve lost our power, where we’ve been diminished or made to feel small, where trauma has convinced us we’re not safe to be fully ourselves.
Gold and orange together are fierce colours—they ignite creativity, boost ideas, settle the nervous system after shock. They ask us to reclaim what’s been taken, to remember our inherent right to exist fully, to trust that our creative expression matters.
Where Gate 38 teaches us to stand for truth even when it’s difficult, Bottle C2 soothes the fear that standing up will cost us everything. It reminds us that we can be both powerful and safe, both authentic and protected. We don’t have to choose between being ourselves and being secure—our deepest security comes from being genuinely, unapologetically ourselves.
Together, they offer this teaching: we have the right to be here exactly as we are. We have the right to claim our creative power. We have the right to say no to what diminishes us and yes to what honours us. And we don’t have to fight the whole world to do it—sometimes the most radical act is simply refusing to abandon ourselves.
Working with January's Energy
Notice what already guides you:
Rather than analysing your values, observe them. How do your choices reveal what truly matters to you?
Track where your energy goes:
What do you consistently say yes to? Where do you draw the line without needing to justify it?
Sense your belonging:
The Wolf Moon in Cancer asks where you feel at home — not out of habit or loyalty, but because something in you settles there.
Stand for something real:
Gate 38 invites you to notice what you’re willing to stand for, even when it would be easier to stay quiet or blend in.
Reclaim your power gently:
Bottle C2 asks what part of you is ready to feel safe enough to be fully present again — creative, embodied, and unapologetically alive.
Hold the deeper question:
How clearly do you know the values that guide you — not the ones you inherited or admire, but the ones that are genuinely yours?
Book Corner
This month I’m recommending The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. Drawing from ancient Toltec wisdom, this book offers a powerful code of conduct that can transform our lives: Be impeccable with your word. Don’t take anything personally. Don’t make assumptions. Always do your best.
The first agreement, being impeccable with your word, speaks directly to Gate 38’s teaching about standing for truth. Ruiz shows us that personal freedom comes not from fighting against the world, but from breaking the agreements that keep us small. It’s a book about reclaiming power whilst staying grounded in integrity, which makes it a perfect companion for January’s energies.
These questions don’t always resolve themselves in isolation. Some of them deepen when we allow them to be held, gently and without agenda, in the presence of others.
The Inner Forge — New Moon Circles 2026
Starting on 18th January 2026, I’ll be gathering each month with my colleague Kit Mills and my son Mark Stevens for our New Moon Circles via Zoom (7:00–8:30pm GMT).
These evenings are for those moments when standing in your truth feels clearer in company than in isolation — a space to pause, listen, and orient yourself around what genuinely matters, in the presence of others doing the same.
If you’d like to register interest or book your spot, we’d love to see you. You’ll find details here:
Final Thoughts
