Third Quarter Moon in May

Photo by Alan Gillespie

Today is the Third Quarter Moon: This waning moon energy is yin - quiet, internal, heart-driven, intentional Being-ness. At this phase we can ease off a bit on actively pursuing goals, slow down, go within, and attend to inner work and self-care.

Agenda today:

1. Read The Creativity Book

2. Renewal plan

3. Evaluation House

4. Monthly journal brainstorm

5. Surrender, rest, recuperate

1. Read The Creativity Book:

I'm reading this book by Eric Maisel (one of my favorite writers). The subtitle is "A Year's Worth of Inspiration and Guidance." Who doesn't want that?

The third section is Make Time. This is every creativity coach's favorite topic. Maisel says, "Time is the issue, because it stand for so much." ... having too little time because of other responsibilities, having too little energy, and blaming time for what is really "motivational malaise". "We can carve time out of thin air, or we can fill up even infinite stretches of time with nothingness. These are our choices."

The exercise that goes with this section is to Make an Hour. He says, "One of your jobs for the coming year is to make at least one good hour magically appear every single day as early each day as possible".

I do that already by getting up at 4:30 to write! What I need is for another hour to magically appear later in the day, so I could paint too.

2. Renewal plan:

I try to renew all four dimensions of my life (body, mind, heart, and spirit), as Stephen Covey taught: I spend about an hour each day on a combination of physical, mental, and spiritual regeneration activities, plus work to improve my social skills and relationships. Today's waning half moon is my opportunity to review how I'm doing, and make note of new ideas for the month ahead.

From my journal: I'm doing better with walking, garden time, and artwork. (The sun helps.) Actually, what I want to give attention to in the next few weeks is self-expression, defining my message, and how best to share it.

3. Evaluation House:

Today I get to reflect back on the first 3/4 of the Peony Moon lunar cycle that I'm passing through. My theme has been Joy and Self-Expression. 

I reviewed the intentions I set at the new moon and drew a house with 2 rooms: 

• A room for celebration of all I have accomplished already this month.
• A room for discerning what to do with the unfinished parts (Some of these I will finish in the next couple days, some I will save for next month, and some I will release because they have become irrelevant or didn't go as planned.)

3. Monthly journal brainstorm:

At the new moon (next week) I will transition from one focus to another, and a whole new field of opportunity. This week I'll take time to write down my goals, dreams, and exciting ideas for the next 30-days. This exercise has three parts:

Part 1 - collect information. Brainstorm goals, dreams, and exciting ideas for the next month without judgement - include at least a few crazy, improbable notions.

Part 2 - reflect. Have a little chat with myself on paper about the next month of my life, and what my best month would look like, moving me in the direction of my most important reasons for living.

Part 3 - weigh the possibilities. Take a break for a few minutes. Get a fresh cup of coffee or go outside to look at the sky, then come back and read what I wrote. Write a very brief synopsis of the next month of my life.

4. Surrender, rest, recuperate: 

This next few days is a time to be empty; the time for striving is past. As the moon’s light fades into darkness I get to relax and surrender to the universe. 

Some things will always be out of my control. As the moon's appearance dwindles, I let go of useless beliefs, unreasonable expectations, grudges, defensiveness, projects that don't fit into my life, and anything else that isn't working for me. I turn these all over to the Divine and give thanks, my way of opening to receive new intentions in the new month.

Then I give myself permission to rest!