Tenth Day of Christmas and Third Quarter Moon

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. Christmas retreat

2. Read from the Creativity Book

3. Creativity goals

4. Renewal plan

5. Evaluation House

6. Monthly journal brainstorm

7. Surrender, rest, recuperate

1. Christmas retreat:

I am again making the 12 Days of Christmas into a mini-retreat for myself, and doing some reading and writing every day, focusing on my priorities and what I'm called to do (or not do) next in my life. My plan is to contemplate, honor, and practice a different one of my life priorities on each of the 12 days, and set some goals and resolutions for 2024.

Today I am honoring Creativity-

What creative ideas do I have to improve my house, my relationships, my faith community, my neighborhood, and my community?

How can I use my art and writing to enlighten and project my creative vision into the world? What themes are calling out to me to express this year?

How can I use craftivism to spread a message of peace, social justice, and environmental responsibility into the world? 

How can I develop and expand my playful, joyful, spontaneous, creative qualities and share these with my grandson?

2. Read the Creativity Book:

A few years ago I started but didn't finish 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? 

I'm on Week 10: Use Your Brain. It's about how we are not taught to be critical thinkers, because no one in our life likes to be argued with or criticized, and besides, we don't really enjoy it. "The culture says, 'Quick, what's your opinion?' Our brain says, 'Look, it's too troubling and confusing to think about matters deeply. Let's just make a choice, arrive at a conclusion, and get on with things.'"

Critical thinking - like how to compare and contrast, how to evaluate and describe your choices in life - is an important part of creativity. I need to be able to critique my artwork and judge whether my writing is making sense. 

3. Creativity goals:

My theme for today is creativity and self-expression. Creativity is a way of thinking and being: A creative mind is relaxed, expansive, and spontaneous. When I am open to creativity and inspiration, I can see original answers to any question. 

The childlike qualities of joy and curiosity support my innovative, creative spirit. I use my creativity to make things, and express myself, and also to solve problems. Creativity goals might be to increase my curiosity and wonder, to explore and develop my playful qualities, or to express my deepest messages.

My ideas for creativity and self-expression goals for next year so far are:

• Make art that grows organically from the seasons and my life, and expresses my love for nature and my urge to be in unity. Finish some old paintings and hang them up!
• Explore water media, pastels, collage, and other eco-friendly supplies with my painting class; also, focus on finishing, hanging, exhibiting.
• Continue to develop my Unity Art process, and offer a few classes, as one way to witness. Use craftivism to spread a message of peace, social justice, and environmental responsibility into the world; figure out ways to use art to educate my Meeting.
• Develop seasonal themes for my grandsons for fun projects that build on each other; collect pre-school art ideas, and remind myself to play when we make art together. Write about kid art and post monthly.

4. 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.

January is the season for renewal! I'm trying these renewal ideas:

1. Daily Walk: Walk with Artie, with Sadie, with friends.
2. Discernment: Take time to open to leadings and seek clarity on my goals for the New Year.
3. Attention: Read from the Book of Awakening, plus outdoor observation.
4. Witness: Make a plan for how share my leadings with love and passion.

5. Evaluation House:

Today I get to reflect back on the first 3/4 of the White Moon lunar cycle that I'm passing through. My theme has been Stillness. 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.)

6. 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.

Because this is also a year-end transition, I'll take a few days, and a thorough approach:

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

-Start with a list of seasonal themes and celebrations, vacations, and other events.

-Next, write a list for each of my top priorities - anything that that comes to mind that I want to do or need to do, as long as it fits with my priorities;

-Also, read back through my journal, circle ideas that make me feel the excited and energized right now, and add these to the list.

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:

-Write about my biggest priorities this month, how they might fit into my life, and how they connect to my values and principles.

-Write about possible obstacles and factors such as the weather, upcoming schedule changes, or money problems.

-Write about the parts that excite me and the parts that might be hard to find motivation for.

Part 3 - weigh the possibilities. Take a break for a few minutes (or days). 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.

7. 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!