A Year of Unfolding: August's dance with Ikigai
- continuing our Year of Creative Envisioning | New Moon in Leo | Power Word for August - Ikigai | prompts | reflections | crystals | colours | essential oils
We begin each month of Creative Envisioning with a guiding power word. This month’s power word is Ikigai, and I share herein a few journalling prompts and creative making ideas for you to play with … please feel free to meander your way through in whichever way feels good to you.
(Our Creative Envisioning year begins in February, but you are most welcome to join us at any time of the year ~ it is a cyclical process, so you are never behind!)
IKIGAI: our guiding power word for August
“a reason for being” (Japanese)
That unexpected treasure you stumble across that feels perfectly timed - as though the universe whispers, “Here … this is for you.”
A deep, soul-rooted purpose – uniquely yours.
That quiet knowing that your presence, your joy, your service, and your gifts matter.
This month, our guiding power word is Ikigai - a radiant, resplendent yet fully grounded invitation to reconnect with the why that fuels your days. There’s no need to have it all figured out … instead, why not consider it as an invitation to ‘uncover’ - or treat it as a remembering - of the little things that remind you of why it is so good to be alive.
Ikigai reminds us that meaning lives in the in-between: in morning light on your hands as you journal, in sharing your gifts (big or small), in conversations that fill your cup, in the work that feels like love made visible.
As we move through August - from the golden, expressive energy of Leo into the earthy clarity of Virgo - we’re invited to first shine, then refine. Leo stokes our creative fire, while Virgo helps us gently shape that spark of creative fire into something nourishing, sustainable.
Let Ikigai guide you: come home to what matters most. Let your Creative Envisioning practice be a quiet reckoning with your heart’s deepest yes.
🌑 Leo New Moon: 4 August 2025
A soul-lit space to honour your joy, your creative essence, your why. A moment to declare: “I choose to live on purpose.”
A Year of Unfolding: Leo New Moon
As we wave goodbye to the tender, heart-soothing waters of Cancer season — a time of sanctuary, softness, and nurturing our roots — we now rise into the radiant glow of Leo.
🌕 Aquarius Full Moon: 19 August 2025
This moon expands your personal purpose outward - inviting you to ponder on “how might I share what lights me up?”
Exploring Ikigai
This is your invitation to gently explore your unique purpose, through the lens of joy, service, creativity, and meaning.
Take a moment to reflect on any, or all, that call you:
what do I love so much that time seems to dissolve when I do it?
where do my talents naturally flow - the things I do effortlessly, joyfully?
what does the world around me (friends, community, clients) often ask me for?
what parts of my life give me a sense of meaning and connection?
what feels like a sacred yes in my body?
Allow your creative pages this month become a constellation of clues. Collage with intention. Sketch your heart-map. Write what makes your cells sing. Create a vision page for a life led by meaning, not just momentum.
Power prompts for July
With Ikigai as my power word this month, I choose to explore:
what does Ikigai mean to me, in the unique language of my own life?
where do I feel most alive, most myself?
which daily rituals bring me quiet joy and satisfaction?
where might I be doing things from obligation, rather than alignment?
what micro-moments have reminded me of my purpose lately?
how does my creative practice connect me with meaning?
what did I love to do as a child? how might that bring me joy now, as my adult self?
what in my life feels like love-in-action?
where am I being invited to align my outer life with my inner truth?
when I truly, wholeheartedly believe that I matter deeply to the world, how might I choose to live?
how may I honour both joy and service in how I show up - at home, at work, in all kinds of ways?
what might I gently release to make space for more aligned living?
Creative Envisioning practice
Let your Creative Envisioning page (your vision board or journal spread) reflect the tender strength of Ikigai. Map your joys. Honour your gifts. Envision a life that feels deeply and wholly yours.
Here are some ideas to inspire your August visioning experience:
Create a Ikigai vision page
You may wish to explore and/or use imagery such as:
glowing embers, rising suns - the fire that calls you forward
hands at work - creativity in motion, life purpose and life vision expressed
blooming lotus or wildflowers - gentle growth from deep roots
intersections and circles - the beautiful meeting place of joy, service, and skill
… … …
Sketch, collage, or paint
create your own Ikigai Mandala: a visual map where love, skill, need, and sustenance intersect, or
illustrate a “Day in the Life” of your dream-aligned self: how do you begin your day, how and when do you move, how do you give, how do you receive, how do you rest, how do you connect?
… … …
Mindful writing
Write a piece titled: “I Feel Most Alive When …”
Let your body speak first. What images, memories, or actions rise?
Then write another: “My Purpose is Not a Destination … It’s a Glorious Way of Being”
Let your pen dance with the truth that you don’t have to “find” it; you are already living it and breathing it, moment by moment.
… … …
Sacred space ritual
Create a Ikigai Altar, perhaps with these items as inspiration:
a photo or symbol of something that lights you up
a candle to represent your inner flame
a written affirmation of your gifts
something from nature to remind you of a sense of seasonal purpose, and what that might mean to you
Return to this space whenever you feel disconnected, or lost. Let it guide you back to centre.
… … …
Breathing practice
Practice the Breath of Purpose:
Breathe in: I am aligned with what brings me joy
Breathe out: I share my light with the world
Let each breath clarify and solidify your why … and soften your how.
… … …
Nature connection
Walk with the intention of clarity. Choose a path you know well and look again with fresh eyes.
Gather one small nature treasure and ask:
what does this remind me about my role in the world?
what am I being called to nourish, to offer, to grow this month?
what inner rhythm is asking to be honoured?
… … …
Capture and celebrate
Take a photo or write a reflection about a moment where you felt in flow. Pin it to your board, your mirror, your altar.
This is Ikigai in motion.
… … …
Soundtrack for the soul
Create an Ikigai Playlist: songs that make you feel rooted, grounded, lit up, inspired, clear.
Music that reminds you of who you are, and why you are here right now, in this space, in this time.
This month, let Ikigai guide your senses, your creative wanderings, and your invitations to magic.
May your days be filled with curious pauses, quiet finds, and joyful recognitions of the beauty already waiting for you to notice.
You are both the seeker … and the life-force.
Weaving elements together
A few additional elements you may find as useful add-ons to your Creative Envisioning and self-nurture practices for the month of August:
:: COLOUR: Gold
energy: abundance, success, and empowerment
symbolism: gold mirrors late summer’s richness; it encourages manifestation of goals while promoting inner strength
use: decorate with gold accents, or visualise golden light during meditation to attract abundance
… … …
:: CRYSTAL: Citrine (alternative: Peridot)
themes: abundance, positivity, manifestation
energy: Citrine attracts prosperity and joy while clearing negative energy that blocks creativity. It is excellent for manifesting goals
use: keep Citrine in your wallet or workspace to amplify abundance
… … …
:: ESSENTIAL OIL: Grapefruit
energy: joy, abundance, and confidence
properties: Grapefruit uplifts the spirit and clears negative energy; it aligns with late summer’s vibrant energy of abundance
use: add to a diffuser or mix with carrier oil for a refreshing body mist
… … …
:: RESOURCES TO READ / WATCH
How to Ikigai: the Japanese secret to a Long and Happy Life [video, Tim Tamashiro - TEDx Talk]
The Philosophy of Ikigai [Positive Psychology]
The Japanese Secret to A Joyful Life [JapanGov]
Book: The Ikigai Way [book by Hector Garcia]
Book: Ikigai: giving every day meaning and joy [book by Yukari Mitsuhashi]
you may also be interested in a Mindscaping session with me (60 - 90 minutes) - please message me for more information, I’d love to share this wonderful mapping experience with you
So there we have it … your Creative Envisioning Power Word and prompts for August - I’d love to see what you dream up and create.
Please feel free to tag me (@CreaTEAvityStudio) on Instagram, or add to the comments below!
Wishing you the most marvellously-magical and breathtaking August xx
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