Shedding the Mask to Reveal Your True Self
What would happen if you stopped playing the role you’ve outgrown?
This 5-day soul assignment helps you let go of old masks, outdated roles, and false expectations so you can show up as your luminous, unfiltered self, just in time for Leo season.
The Energetic Landscape: Leo Sun Meets Waning Moon
The week of July 21–27 ushers us into a compelling dance between the Leo Sun and the Waning Moon in earthy Taurus.
On one side, Leo encourages bold self-expression, raw honesty, and heart-led radiance.
On the other hand, the waning moon whispers: Let it go. Shed the skins. Simplify.
This is soul work at its finest, equal parts fire & softness. You’re not being asked to become something new. You’re being asked to remember who you were before the world told you who to be.
Whether you’ve worn the mask of “The Responsible One,” “The Chill Girl,” “The Caregiver,” or “The Perfect Mystic,” this is your permission slip to take it off. Not with shame. With reverence.
This Week’s 5-Day Journal Assignment: Unmasking the Moment
This sacred sequence is designed to be done over five days, one layer, one truth, one release at a time.
Each day includes a mini-assignment, a journal prompt, and a few friendly reminders that serve as encouragement. Think of it as a cosmic spa day for your psyche.
Day 2: Mirror Work + Affirmation
Theme: Acknowledgment
Focus Word: See
Find a quiet space, a mirror, and a candle. Light the candle. Look into your own eyes. Not to judge, fix, or analyze, but to witness.
Speak this aloud:
“I honor the parts of me that kept me safe. I release what no longer feels true.”
If you feel called, say the names of the masks you wrote down yesterday. Then say:
“I’m ready to let you go.”
Optional Tool: Hold a crystal, such as labradorite (for transformation) or clear quartz (for clarity), as you gaze into the mirror.
Friendly Reminder:
Your reflection isn’t asking for perfection, it’s asking for presence. Even just a moment of honesty is enough to shift your energy.
Day 1: Name the Masks
Theme: Awareness
Focus Word: Reveal
We begin not by burning anything to the ground, but simply by noticing. Take out your journal or grab a stack of sticky notes. Write down every role or label you’ve carried that feels performative or outdated. These might be cultural, familial, or self-imposed.
Examples:
The Good Girl • The Overachiever • The Peacemaker • The “I’m Fine” Friend • The Mom Who Does It All • The Invisible One
Journal Prompts:
Which of these roles have I clung to for safety or love?
Which feels heavy, like armor I never take off?
Which ones no longer fit the person I’m becoming?
Friendly Reminder:
You are not your coping mechanisms. You get to grow beyond them. Today, you simply name what no longer feels like truth. Naming is sacred.
Day 3: Wind Writing OR Earth Burying
Theme: Let It Be Carried
Focus Word: Release
Instructions:
Go outside if you can (or sit by an open window).
Write down the roles, beliefs, or habits you’re releasing on small slips of paper.
Read each one aloud. As you speak, breathe deeply and imagine the words becoming lighter with every exhale.
Either:
Tie them with twine or thread and hang them on a branch for the wind to take over time.
Tear the slips and bury them in soil or a potted plant (return them to the Earth).
Add-on: Use your breath to blow over the papers as a symbolic gesture of release.
Friendly Reminder:
What once defined you can now return to the wild. You’re not erasing your past—you’re composting it.
Day 4: Letter to Your Unmasked Self
Theme: Speak Her Into Being
Focus Word: Reveal
Instructions:
Write a letter to the version of you who no longer wears the old masks. Use rich, poetic, or heartfelt language. Let it be like a love letter or a welcome-home note.
You can begin with prompts like:
“Dear True Me…”
“I see you when…”
“You are free to…”
“You no longer have to pretend to…”
“I trust you to…”
Optional: Roll the letter into a scroll, tie it with a ribbon, and place it on your altar or tuck it into a journal pocket. You could even read it aloud into a mirror or record it as a voice memo for future you.
Friendly Reminder:
The unmasked self isn’t a stranger; she is your original voice. Welcome her home in your own words.
Day 5: Integration + Altar Time
Theme: Anchoring
Focus Word: Root
Create a sacred little altar to honor the version of you that is emerging. This can be temporary or permanent, elaborate or minimal.
Include:
• Your journal page - This represents your progress and makes your inner work visible.
• A Mirror - This represents your willingness to witness yourself fully and honestly. It honors the work you’ve done all week to look inward and unmask lovingly.
~ Tip: Place it so it reflects light, like a candle or sunlight. This symbolizes allowing your truth to be seen.
• A Candle - Represents Inner Fire, Illumination, Presence
Candles are a classic spiritual tool, but here they hold a special meaning:
The flame represents the sacred spark within you.
Lighting the candle marks a new beginning
Choose a color that resonates:
Gold or yellow (Leo season, radiance)
White (purity and clarity)
Deep red (self-rooting and courage)
A phrase that grounds you - This becomes your anchor.
Examples:
• I am enough as I am. • My truth is my power. • No more performing. Just presence. • I am the woman beneath the mask, & she is luminous.
Symbol of Leo or the Sun -Courage, Authenticity, Vital Life Force
This week, we step into Leo season- the sign of heart-centered self-expression, creativity, and bold presence. Include a small lion charm, a sun illustration, or a yellow candle.
Leo says: Show up, not as a performance, but as your authentic self.
A Natural Element – Softness, Cycles, Connection
Add a feather, flower, leaf, or a small bowl of water to represent the ever-changing, organic nature of you.
You’re not meant to stay static. This item reminds you that shedding and blooming are part of the same sacred cycle.
• A Crystal - Amplification, Clarity, Grounding
Clear Quartz - Amplifies clarity and intention
Labradorite - Supports transformation and new beginnings
Carnelian - Encourages confidence and bold expression
Smoky Quartz - Grounds and clears lingering energetic residue
Integration Practice
Sit before your altar. Light the candle. Place your hands on your heart. Say this aloud: “I honor who I was, and I welcome who I am becoming.”
Then speak or write:
“Going forward, I will show up as…”
Let your next chapter flow out in your own words.
Write in your journal:
Going forward, I will show up as...
What I want more of in my life is...
I feel most like myself when...
Friendly Reminder:
You’ve peeled away the noise. What remains is your essence, and it’s radiant. This is not an ending. It’s becoming.
Why This Work Matters, Especially in Midlife
If you’re a woman from Generation X or in midlife, chances are you’ve played many roles in your lifetime: fixer, nurturer, high-achiever, peacekeeper, badass, quiet good girl. Maybe all of them at once.
But the beauty of this life’s chapter is that you don’t have to be everything anymore. The real glow-up isn’t external. It’s internal. It’s when you finally say, “This is who I am. Take it or leave it. I’m not here to audition anymore.”
This assignment isn’t just about shedding what no longer fits.
It’s about remembering what always has.
Want More Like This?
Sign up for Moon Mail, or explore the Shadow & Light Journal section of the blog for more weekly rituals/journal assignments, and creative ways to connect with your inner self through the lunar and seasonal cycles.