New Sleepy Moon

Tonight is the new moon; the Chinese call the third new moon the Sleepy Moon, because the drowsiness of spring is in the air. 

On the first three days of this moon, the Chinese in Beijing celebrate the birthday of Hsi Wang Mu with a temple festival. Hsi Wang Mu is the Grandmother Goddess of the Western Heaven, also called the Great Yin. She controls the cosmic forces of time and space, determines life and death, and controls disease and healing. She watches over the tree of the peaches of immortality.

Agenda for today:
1. Journal:
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.

How can I honor the yin energy (reflecting, waiting, non-doing) in my life?
What am I dreaming of?
What would make me more whole?

List my intentions for the month of April 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. 

Meditate on the Great Yin- all that is dark, quiet, soft, and mysterious- and how grateful I am for this energy in my life. Do this each day until the candle is gone.

3. Have a yin day:

Spend one day in yin mode, not doing, but rather being. Hang out in the garden, relax in my home, drink water, read a book, daydream, go for a long walk, take a bath, take a nap, linger over dinner, and go to bed early.

4. Set my theme:
My theme this month is balance- the balance of yin and yang, concentration and mindfulness, action and study, social and alone time, yearning and resistance. 

It's spring, and I am ready to give myself passionately to life, refreshed and renewed after the long winter. I'm ready to say YES with vigor, and enjoy the surprises, confusion, and chaos. At the same time, I want to retreat- to be still, write in my notebook, read a good book, think of nothing and do nothing. 

I need balance- somewhere between emptiness and chaos is the state of just enough. Balance is about knowing what I really want out of my life, making a commitment, and sticking to it. It’s an ongoing dynamic process, a balancing act! My intentions:

• Seek clarity in the chaos- what are my next steps?
• Move forward with steadiness and calmness on the path I choose. 
• Roll with what comes- life is an adventure! 
• Connect to the Spirit outside myself and within. 
• Notice (again) how satisfying it is just to be alive!

5. Plan:

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