Third Quarter Moon of early February

Kitchen God I drew a few years ago.

Today is called Little New Year - it falls one week before Chinese New Year. Little New Year is also known as the Kitchen God Festival because this is the day that the Kitchen God, Tsao-wang, and his wife, Wang Bo-jia, leave to report to heaven. A picture of these two gods, printed or drawn on rice paper, hangs in a niche just above the stove in a Chinese home.

This holiday always falls on the waning Third Quarter moon of January or February. Today's waning third quarter 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, renewal, and self-care.

Agenda Today:

1. Read from the Creativity Book

2. Renewal plan

3. Evaluation House

4. Monthly journal brainstorm

5. Kitchen God Good-bye Ceremony

5. Surrender, rest, recuperate

1. 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 11: Study One Blade of Grass. "There is no doubt that can think indoors, and if creativity were just about thinking we could live in a pickle jar on life supporting keep on producing ideas." We need inspiration from being in the Natural World.

When we give attention to one thing - a blade of grass, or a single word, or a feeling or quality - we will awaken our wonder.

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.

Winter is the season for renewal! This week I'm recovering from a really bad cold, so I'm trying these renewal ideas:

1. Short Daily Walk: Walk with Artie, with Sadie, with friends.
2. Simplify my schedule: Be clear on my priorities and cut out whatever is extraneous.
3. Inspiration: Take time for daydreaming and writing about my artwork plans.
4. Witness: Continue my weekly journal to plan how share my leadings with love and passion.

3. 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.)

4. 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.

5. Kitchen God Good-bye Ceremony: 

Each Chinese New Year I put up a new portrait of the kitchen god and his wife, and they hang all year in my kitchen. 

Tsao-wang and Wang Bo-jia watch the daily life of the household and keep a written record of everything that goes on - whether the family is tidy or messy, honest or sneaky, thrifty or wasteful. It’s a little like having Santa watching all year, to see if you’ve been good or bad!

These god images are a visual reminder to me to have integrity in my home life. 

Today I will send them off to heaven to make their report, which requires a special ceremony to honor the two. 

Thoughts about this: I practice this ceremony with kids so that they will have a visceral understanding of another culture. I make it clear that it's symbolic: We are setting the intention to be the best persons we can be in this new year.
  

My ceremony:

Kitchen God on his way to heaven.

1. I light candles and incense near the Kitchen God’s picture. 

2. I picture in my head all the good things that have happened in our kitchen over the year - all the family dinners, tea with friends (not so much lately), kid art projects, and mindful meals I have prepared.

3. If I'm celebrating with kids, we offer the gods fresh fruits and sticky cakes, and put honey on their lips. (This is to give them sweet thoughts so they will say more about our good deeds and less about our bad deeds!)

4. I then take down the picture, make a fire outside, and burn it. The gods fly skyward with the smoke, and I say a silent prayer of thanks for the compassionate spirit of love acting in my life.

After Little New Year, we leave the niche empty for seven days. During this week, the family feels free to be self-indulgent in the kitchen. We can cook many sweets and deep-fried goodies, because the Kitchen God isn’t watching!

6. 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!