New Bitter Moon and Soyal

Today is the New Moon, and the start of Soyal. This last new moon of the Chinese year is called the Bitter Moon, because we are into the month of the bitterest cold.

Soyal is a Hopi ceremonial period that begins at the new moon closest to the Winter Solstice and lasts for 16 days. Soyal is short for Soyalangwul, which means Establishing Life Anew for All the World. It's a sacred time of peace and preparation. During Soyal, the Hopi follow a special way of acting and being, to help turn the sun back toward its summer path, establish the right mood for the coming year, and reach a unity of everything in the universe.

Agenda:
1. Settle into the Soyal Way of Being:

• Be quiet and be respectful. Use nice words. 
• Move slowly and as silently as possible, for all life is germinating in the mother's womb. 
• Strengthen my bonds with my family. Be helpful and caring.

2. Journal:

At Soyal, I review the Divine Laws, as I see them. I reflect on the past year, my own conduct and the conduct of people as a whole.

How far have I strayed from the Divine Laws? Where can I make improvements?

The new moon is my monthly time for “seeding” intentions. I write down what I hope to focus on in the next 30 days or so, and then give my ideas a period of gestation, like seeds in the soil, before I take action. Having this regular time each month to focus my goals has helped to give me clarity of purpose.

Because it's almost the new year, I list my intentions for the next year and the next weeks in these areas-
Self, Friends and Family, Teaching, Artwork, Writing, Home and Garden, Work/Business, and Volunteer work.

3. Make Prayer Feathers:

At Soyal, Hopis make prayer feathers for their family and friends, for personnel well being, for the increase of animals and crops, and for any other purpose they can think of. At the Soyal ceremony, they breath their wishes and prayers on the feathers, then hang them up.

Supplies: 1-3 feathers, small piece of leather, string, beads 

1. Like many objects of prayer, the making of prayer feathers is a prayer itself. Before you collect your feathers into a bundle, focus your thoughts on your prayer and remain in a prayer state as you work.

2. Gather a small bunch of feathers and cut the leather to just fit around the feather stems. Cover the leather with glue then wrap tightly around the stems. 

3. Tie with string. Add beads if you like. Leave a loop for hanging.

4. Take your prayer feathers in your hand and whisper your prayers, dreams and hopes to the feathers. Hang the feathers in a tree branch or someplace outside where Brother Wind can touch them. Each time Brother Wind moves, your feathers move also, and your prayers are carried to the sky.

4. New moon meditation and prayer:
Today I will light a small white candle on my altar. I will center, and feel myself fill with thankfulness for all I have now in my life.

Ask the Spirits to bring the rain of loving care down upon the whole world.

Hopi Prayer: Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice. Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people. Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy ---Myself--- Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.

5. Altar:

It's time to discern what to put on my altar for the next month. (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? 

Photo of South Sister from Moraine Lake

I am keeping-

• my straw doll, for luck and protection
• Kwanzaa candles

Today I add-

• a turquoise candle for thought and study
• sun, for the returning light after the solstice
• a picture of a mountain, for stillness and meditation
• my beautiful new handblown glass, open to receiving spiritual guidance
• the rune "isa", ice- for the stillness of a frozen day, the development of concentration, and curbing of emotional outbursts

6. Work at my theme:
My theme this month is stillness. This month I plan to spend a little extra time in study, reflection, and meditation; I will use this time to absorb and integrate my daily experiences. When I build quiet into my daily routine, I honor the full rhythm of life- the yin time of stillness balances my yang actions. 

This week I am starting with these topics of study: 

• "The Way of Silence" by Steindl-rast
• How to stay calm through conflict
• How to keep good habits
• Tai chi form

Albert Einstein said, “Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.” I've found that simply studying the wisdom of others isn’t enough; I have to think through ideas myself, and seek out information that contradicts my views.