New Harvest Moon

So here it is September already, leading into the last three weeks of this sun-baked summer. September’s color is golden-yellow for the ripe grain, success, and balance at the center.

My late summer garden.

September is an unpredictable month. Many people are preparing to go back to school, but my teaching cycle is just ending. I get a couple weeks of break from teaching, so now I have free time to work around the house and yard, finish projects, and tinker with new ideas. 

I will spend some time this week sorting out the notions that come to me, holding each up to the light to see if it’s a keeper. Where is the Spirit leading me now? As I visualize the possibilities my world will expand. I want to remain open, centered in myself, and ready to respond to whatever life brings me.

The Chinese call the eighth new moon the Harvest Moon. 

The new moon is my monthly time for “seeding” intentions. I write down what I hope to focus on in the next 30 days or so, and then give my ideas a period of gestation, like seeds in the soil, before I take action. Having this regular time each month to focus my goals has helped to give me clarity of purpose.

Agenda for today:
1- Journal:
What are the possibilities?
What might give my life more wholeness?
What would I most like to do in life that I'm not getting to?


List my intentions for the next four weeks in these areas-Self, Friends and Family, Teaching, Artwork, Writing, Home and Garden, Work/Business, and Volunteer work.

2- New Moon Meditation:
Light a small white candle. Center, and feel myself fill with thankfulness for all I have now in my life.

3- Plan:

As the moon waxes, I expand-- plant seeds, make connections, and begin new projects. Today I will plan my first small steps.

4- Practise at my theme:
Today I added a dark blue candle to my altar, for depth, purpose, and persistence; this is the color of deep water flowing, reminding me to seek my true course. I dive into my own depths as I explore my life path. The path is always mysterious, and leads to unexpected challenges and deviations. Like water, I am persistent and sincere, and I keep flowing. My intentions for this month are to:

• Evaluate my teaching program and make improvements; open to new teaching possibilities. 
• Return to a morning writing practise, exploring and clarifying my intentions for fall.  
• Study and practise abstract painting; renew my passion for painting. 

5- Work in the late summer garden:
The summer has been dry, but with the rain we got today, our garden has new pep. With a little effort now the garden will shine for two more months with fall blooms and tasty vegetables.

1. Weeding: It's time to get all the weeds out. If weeds survive now they will produce enough seed to last for years!
2. Planting: I will plant bok choy this weekend, and next I need to put in a cover crop of fava beans in some of the empty beds.
3. Harvest green beans, tomatoes, raspberries, chard, peppers, and potatoes! I’m also going to gather nasturtium seeds (They need to dry for a week before I store them).
4. Store seeds: Once they are dry I will put all my seeds into zip-lock bags in the refrigerator, near the bottom, away from the freezer. (Note to self: Next spring, take bags out but keep them closed until the seeds warm, so moisture in the air doesn’t condense on the seeds.