Waxing moon

Photo by Alan Gillespie

Now the moon is waxing - getting larger - until it's full again. During the waxing moon, energy remains high; I focus on persistent action, and find the motivation to accomplish my priorities and follow through with my intentions: I gather information, study, create, and exercise.

The 2-week cycle of the waxing moon looks like this:

• Waxing crescent - Growing energy, observation, first steps 
• First quarter (half moon) - Full effort, obstacles, flexibility
• Gibbous - Reevaluation, refinements, creativity

Agenda today:

1. Journal queries

2. Set more intentions for action

3. Remember my intentions

4. House blessing ritual and prayer

1. Journal queries:

Today, at the waxing crescent, I give attention to my level of energy, and prepare to act on my priorities.

What are my top priorities for action this week? Are these priorities truly leading me on the right path?

Is my energy really growing? Where do I feel resistance to action? What information or help might I need to ease the way?

What are my first steps? Do I have supplies to gather or calls to make?

2. Set more intentions for action:

I'm writing a few more intentions today. Remember, intentions are a proposal for the present that remind me of who I am now, and my deepest, most essential, most passionate reasons for living. I write my intentions in present tense, and I use this model: action + deepest reason.

• I intend to prepare myself for the anti-racism book group, because equality is an essential value for me, and I'm determined to change my way of thinking about my complicity in racism.
• I intend to reconnect to nature (be aware of the season, visit wild areas, and take winter walks with my grandson), because nature's strength and peace heals me, teaches me, and gives me the motivation to continue the fight for climate justice.
• I intend to clean mold in each room because this is one way I can make my home a sanctuary, a sacred space of refuge, for myself and my family.

3. Remember my intentions:
The first step towards giving full effort to my priorities is attention; I want to remember my deepest, most essential, most passionate reasons for acting on my intentions, every day, and hold my intentions with gentle awareness all day long. 

I use several strategies to give attention to my intentions:

• I review my intentions first thing in the morning, turning my essential reasons into shorthand mantras. For example, my three intentions above become: 
• Study anti-racism; determined to change.
• Take a winter walk; heal myself.
• Clean mold; create sanctuary.
• Later I will take my intentions for a walk and speak them out loud to the trees.
• I have a grid of my priorities on my phone that charts out the one's I intend to act on each day, and I check it often to motivate myself to complete one more important action.

Remembering my intentions throughout the day is a mindfulness practice; it creates energy and excitement for my priorities, but I have to take care to hold my intentions gently, not obsessively. If I begin to worry about completing my intentions, or think about them in an aggressive way, I try to back off a little. Even though I fully intend to take these actions, life sometimes shifts under my feet; and it is not my intention to feel self-loathing or anxiety. 

4. House blessing ritual:

This week I've completed the physical cleaning of my living room, entryway and porch, and the mold on the windows, and I've tidied the shelves. Today I'll take care of the emotional "dirt" that needs clearing, lingering psychic odors of angry words and melancholy thoughts, and the bad vibes of political debate heard on the tv.

I use a twofold approach: Salt water and sage smoke.

1. Set the intention to clear out bad energy and invite in blessings.

2. Light a candle, and from that ignite the sage. Once it catches, blow it out so that it smolders. (Leave the candle lit, though.)

3. Walk around the room and waft the smoke into every corner. As you walk, think about the intentions you set.

4. Pour a little salt water into a small bowl, dip your fingers in and lightly sprinkle it as you walk around the room a second time.