New Dragon Moon and Abundance Retreat

Tonight is the new moon; the Chinese call the fifth new moon the Dragon Moon. Chinese dragons are a symbol of cosmic Chi, good fortune, and new beginnings, but the time around the Dragon Moon is strongly yang, with bright sunlight and moist heat. The Chinese consider this to be a dangerous and unhealthy season and they have customs to protect against the excessive yang energy.

I feel strong and effective when I am able to harness my yang energy to get stuff done, but I like to remember that yang's best aim is to protect yin, and yin's best function is to nurture yang; life is good when I have each in a kind of dynamic balance.

This week I will make an effort to bring a balance of restorative yin energy to my life: Slow down, rest well, drink more water, and practice ‘discipline of purpose’.

Agenda:

1. Retreat Day plan

2. Read "It's a Meaningful Life"

3. Mantra practice

4. Choose a month theme

5. Set intentions

6. New moon altar and meditation

7. Blessings Walk

1. Retreat Day plan:

The new moon is the start of the lunar cycle, a time of high energy and clear thinking. Historically, the new moon is when women took time to be alone; it's a time to retreat, set intentions, and initiate something new. If at all possible, I schedule a day of retreat on the new moon, or near to it: I do less talking, less business, and more personal thought and action. Here's my plan for today -

• Start with reading from It's a Meaningful Life, by Bo Lozoff.
• Choose a mantra, to center me.
• Take a long bath with bubbles and candles, and write about the abundance I want to invite into my life.
• Light incense and dedicate an hour to the act of creation.
• Take a Blessings Walk.

2. Read It's a Meaningful Life: 

I've been re-reading "It's a Meaningful Life; It Just Takes Practice," by Bo Lozoff (2000). Chapter six is Lucky Breaks and Fractures, about reacting to trauma or tragedy with humility, or with defeat.

Bo talks about facing challenges in our lives instead of running from them, and of the unknown gifts that our challenges bring us.

"We cannot always choose what happens to us, but our lives will unerringly reflect our choices of response. However great our tragedies, we can choose a response that ennobles the human race rather than diminishes it, a response that humbles us rather than defeats us".

3. Mantra practice:

Bo suggests mantra practice as a way to prepare for presence of mind during a crisis; as a way to become a person whose reflexes turn to the spiritual at a time of crisis, rather than fear, rage, or denial. Mantras are a spiritual focusing technique that we can practice anyplace. 

You can choose a classic mantra, such as a name for God, or something personal or contemporary. After you choose a mantra, the next step is to invest it with meaning, by repeating it slowly for 10-minutes or so and letting the shades of meaning sink in, until you feel deeply connected to it.

Next, practice with it often during the day - just bring the mantra to mind, especially when you get triggered or caught up in something challenging."Let the mantra remind you of your deeper views, your cosmic humor..." If you make an effort to remember to use it, a mantra will become a comfort and a companion, and will help you to respond to crisis with some degree of equanimity and grace.

I've decided to use "BUTTERFLY" as a mantra this day and this week, to remind me to be open to transformative power. When I think or say BUTTERFLY, my body becomes lighter and my mind floats for a moment - I remember to be gentle, agile and flexible with my thinking.

4. Choose a month theme:

Today, at the New Moon, I choose abundance as my theme for the next month. Abundance is like a gentle wind of blessings blowing with determination into my life. The wind is all the fortunate influences that shape my life - my friends, family, society, and outside forces and situations. 

Abundance blows steadily, and over time will influence and shape me. I need to maintain integrity and awareness to avoid being swayed or blown in the wrong direction, but I achieve the greatest success by yielding to prospects brought on the wind. 

My abundance goals might be to become more open and accepting of opportunities and alternative ways to proceed, to find ways to draw in more cash and other less tangible kinds of wealth, to become clearer about my finances and what I value in my life, to be more generous and giving of my time and resources, or to better show thankfulness for the flow of blessings and prosperity in my life.

My abundance practices this month are:

• Mantra practice;
• Blessings walks;
• Steady garden work to grow an abundance of food and flowers, and steady harvest;
• Generous community service and committee work;
• Seek a balance of abundance (of activity, people, stuff) and simple living (spontaneous summer freedom)

5. Set intentions:

Last week I brainstormed some wild and crazy ideas for June, and today it's time to narrow it down a little, to the priority items that I could possibly focus on this next month. This isn't a list of the practical things I need to do this month; rather it's my top actions, studies, and growth goals that fit with the "taste" of this month of my life.

After I list my top 10-20 goals for the next 30 days, I'm ready to set some intentions for action. This is a time-consuming but important process. I'm going to choose a few to write today - those I might act on today - then work on a few more each day this week.

I intend to live with simplicity and to simplify my home, using only my share of the earth’s resources, because each person and being in the world, and the earth itself, deserves to live with basic needs met. At the same time, I intend to invite abundance into my life, and into the world, by cultivating an abundance consciousness; that is, I will acknowledge the blessings I have already, find a multitude of ways to express my gratitude, get clear about what blessings I want to see for the world, and challenge myself to help to create them, because if I can truly believe that there’s enough for everybody, I will find ways to make it so. 

 

I intend to provide generous and persistent garden care - weeding, watering, and planting for lush abundance - because our garden is our sanctuary and a gift to our family, neighbors, and many other species, and also my connection to the Earth and her Spirit.

  

6. New moon altar and meditation:

It's time to discern what to put on my altar for the next 30 days or so. (For my thoughts on altars see About Altars). I generally keep it simple and choose only things that speak to me and feed me, and reveal what I believe in. I ask, what quality of Spirit do I want to invoke?

I'm keeping-

• a dragonfly - for change, transformation, adaptability, and self-realization.
• a dragon - for good fortune
• a sun - for clarity and yang energy

Today I added-

• a purple candle - for abundance and gratitude
• a flower - for the earth's generosity

Today I will light a small white candle on my altar. I will center and give attention to each of my intentions, and picture each one accomplished. Then I'll let go of expectations, and feel myself fill with thankfulness for all I have now in my life.

7. Blessings Walk:

This is my Blessings Walk Practice, as I walk my dog some mornings:

1. Blessings: Begin my walk, and concentrate on my blessings: The fresh morning air, my health, my family, my friends…. Continue this for 1-2 blocks.

2. Intentions: Turn a corner, and focus on what blessings I hope for now. Create a clear picture in my mind of what I intend to do today, how I want to live, how I want my home to look, what adventures I want to have... Continue this for 1-2 blocks.

3. Service: Turn another corner, and envision what I can do to be of service today to my family, friends, my community, the world... Continue this for 1-2 blocks.

4. Prayer: Turn the last corner, and speak a prayer out loud as I’m moving; feel the power and energy move through me. Say “Spirit of the Universe, I am open and receptive to blessings from expected and unexpected sources. I am a limitless being, accepting from a limitless source, in an infinite way. I am incredibly blessed.”