Waxing Gibbous Moon

Photo by Alan Gillespie

The waxing gibbous moon is the not-quite-full moon: Waxing means getting larger, and gibbous means humped or protuberant.

This phase of the moon has the high-energy that provides a push towards completion. In four days, at the full moon, we will turn again towards the yin time of inner activity, so I make an effort in these next few days to finish my tasks that require greater physical effort.

• Waxing Gibbous - Reevaluation, refinements, creativity

Agenda:
1. Journal queries
2. Visualization

3. Year of Discovery

4. Art explorations
5. Housework

1. Journal queries:

Right about now, things in my life might feel like they are aligning into a good order, and I will clearly see those things that are out of alignment. It's a good time to take a new look at my goals, reevaluate and refine them, and adjust my plans.

Do I still want to complete all the goals I listed at the new moon?

Which can appropriately be savd to complete in the waning phase, and which should I make an effort to finish now?

Which can be put off until next month?

What new habits will help me to nurture my ideas and projects? What creative shifts in thinking or acting can I take now?

2. Creative visualization:

At the gibbous moon, my last push for action, I call on the practice of visualization to help bring my goals to fruition. Today I'm choosing my top three action goals to shine a light on:

Underpainting for "Hike at Mt. Pisgah"

1. Get my new sewing shelves stained and mounted on the wall, and move supplies onto them.

2. Paint another abstract landscape, find frames, and post new paintings online.

3. Prepare for the annual Meeting retreat, and get all the details managed.

Creative visualization is a technique that uses my imagination to create change. It has three steps:

• First, center and relax each part of my body; count from 10 to 1, then open a connection to Spirit. Feel a soft warmth begin to grow and spread through me, until I am radiating quiet energy.
• Second, create a clear, detailed picture in my mind, as though the objective has been reached. Paint a vivid mental image of exactly how my sewing shelves will look on my wall, and how it will feel to see them, and put as much positive energy into the image as possible. 
• Lastly, affirm that this is what I want with a short positive phrase in the present tense; for example, "My new shelves bring order and ease to this corner of my life."

The thought-image is like a signal-flare that guides the physical thing or deed to manifest in my life (or it's just a good way to keep my intentions in my mind). I will carry the vision of the completed goal with me, and focus on it often during the day, in a gentle manner.

3. Year of Discovery:

Each year I pick a theme for the entire year. Last year it was "Gestation", the year before it was "Living in Virtue", and this year it's my "Year of Discovery"!

Discovery is "the act of detecting something new, or something previously unrecognized as meaningful". Because I'm caring for an 8-month old right now, I observe discovery every day: 

(Oh, when I purse my lips in this way and blow, I can send spit out at an amazing velocity! Cool! ... and it works for squash too? Wow!)

At 64, I'm still capable of new discoveries; they are acquired through observation, using all my senses, and asking questions. I've set myself some discovery goals for the year-  

• Discover and commit to one climate action each month. 
• Find new creative income sources.
• Find a balance of simplicity and abundance.
• Study and discuss anti-racism.
• Discover my mature painting style.
• Learn a process for talking to people I disagree with.
• Seek teaching and painting inspiration.
• Reconnect to my playful, spontaneous, adventurous nature.
• Go on adventures (with Aldo and alone).
• Reconnect to the wonder of nature with awareness and curiosity.

4. Art explorations:

This month I've been writing intentions for my core values and testimonies that capture the possibility of daily right action and will be useful in any situation that arises in daily life. I write my intentions in present tense, and I use this model: action + definition + deepest reason. I wrote this one for creativity:

I intend to be creative, expand my perspective (think outside the box), have the courage to take creative risks, and express myself with words and art, because my creativity is from and of God, and is the voice of my soul.

I took some time off from painting (as usual) in December to work on Christmas projects. 

"Coming Home - Snow on Coburg Hills"

It's sometimes difficult to find my creative energy after a break, but I've gotten back into the flow of painting very easily and quickly this year.

My traditional starting point is to choose a working theme to explore or a title for a series, and this month I've settled on "Abstract Landscape", and I painted this piece. (It's intentionally buecolic, to counteract my climate chaos paintings of last fall!)

5. Housework: 

I'm finishing up a month of cleaning away the mold and mildew in my house, and this week I'll work on the bedrooms:

• Monday: Vacuum and dust, especially under and around the bed.
• Tuesday: Wash the bedding.
• Thursday: Clean the mildew from the walls and windows with detergent and warm water, then use a solution of ¼-cup bleach in 1-quart water. Wait 20 minutes and repeated. Wait another 20 minutes. Applied Borax solution and don't rinse, to help prevent mold from growing again.