This is turning out to be a very yin season, as we all "shelter in place"... How can we help each other stay healthy, body and soul?
Agenda for today:
1. Journal queries
2. New Moon Meditation
3. Plan
4. Have a yin kind of day
New moon:
Agenda:
1. Pick a theme for the next month
2. New altar
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, prepare, and set intentions.
Today I choose a theme for the month, and begin to give attention to it.
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?
3. List my goals and set intentions for action:
I have a two-fold task today: Plan some new goals, and set some intentions for the days ahead. Though lots of writers use these terms interchangeably, I am clear about the differences:
Goals are a plan for the future that help us stay on track with who we are becoming.
Intentions are a pledge for action in the present; they remind us of who we are now, and our deepest, most essential, most passionate reasons for living. I write my intentions in present tense, and I use this model: action + deepest reason.
After I list my top 10 goals for the next 30 days, I'm ready to set some intentions for action. This is a very 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.
4. New moon meditation and prayer
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.
The New Moon invites us to start a new cycle, to renew promises, and set intentions. Today I will write down the dreams I have for this next few weeks, and then give my dreams a period of gestation, like seeds in the soil, before I take action.
My focus has been on strength and resilience this month, and today I'll focus on the strength of Yin:
My focus has been on strength and resilience this month, and today I'll focus on the strength of Yin:
How can I honor the yin energy (reflecting, waiting, non-doing) in my life?
What am I dreaming of, and what am I going to do about it?
What non-doing am I forgetting?
How can I prepare better for my death?
List my intentions for the next weeks in these areas-
What am I dreaming of, and what am I going to do about it?
What non-doing am I forgetting?
How can I prepare better for my death?
List my intentions for the next weeks in these areas-
Self, Friends and Family, Teaching, Artwork, Writing, Home and Garden, Work/Business, and Volunteer work.
5. List my goals and set intentions for action:
I have a two-fold task today: Plan some new goals, and set some intentions for the days ahead. Though lots of writers use these terms interchangeably, I am clear about the differences:
Goals are a plan for the future that help us stay on track with who we are becoming.
Intentions are a pledge for action in the present; they remind us of who we are now, and our deepest, most essential, most passionate reasons for living. I write my intentions in present tense, and I use this model: action + deepest reason.
After I list my top 10 goals for the next 30 days, I'm ready to set some intentions for action. This is a very 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 eat well (more vegetables and smaller servings), exercise (walking and squats), and get enough rest because I want to be strong and energetic enough to be able to play with and care for my grandson without feeling exhausted.
I intend to continue to celebrate Lent by exploring my relationship to the history, culture, and ecosystem of my valley, the indigenous peoples and how I connect to them, and by accessing my sense of wonder and discovery, because a strong and intimate connection to this land is what will fuel and support my climate activism.
I intend to continue to practice groundlessness and embrace ambiguity (meaning, I will notice when I seek security and comfort, and try to let go of my need to react in a defensive way), because this is how I will become a useful elder, and transcend the suffering of being human.
Shivratri is the darkest night of the month; it's an opportunity to give myself the experience of the vast emptiness that is the source of all creation.
Tonight I will light a small white candle on my altar. I will center, give attention to each of my intentions, picture each one accomplished, and feel myself fill with thankfulness for all I have now in my life. And I will ask Shiva to strip away my striving for comfort and safety, so that I can be open to the infinite possibilities.
2. New Moon Meditation:
Light a small white candle. Center, and feel myself fill with thankfulness for all I have now in my life.
Meditate on the Great Yin - all that is dark, quiet, soft, and mysterious- and how grateful I am for this energy in my life. Do this each day until the candle is gone.
3. Plan:
As the moon waxes in the next days, I expand-- plant seeds, make connections, and begin new projects. Today I will plan my first small steps.My new moon intentions:
1. Finish my taxes now, even though the deadline has been extended, because what if I get sick later?
2. Finish the duck coop extension and get our new baby ducks!
3. Continue to prepare for a grandchild: Crochet baby leg warmers and buy a baby cot.
4. Print prayer flags for the earth and for it's inhabitants.
4. Have a yin kind of day:
Remember that being a spiritual person does not require self-improvement; I am already the perfect me.
Nothing to seek … everything is here.
If we try to get rid of something,
it will naturally remain.
If we try to weaken a habit,
it will naturally remain strong.
If we try to push away our thoughts,
they will naturally return.
If we try to get rid of our pain,
we will suffer all the more.
This is the secret of our path:
gentleness and flexibility bring the results
that force and rigidity fail to achieve.
(Chapter 36, Tao Te Ching)
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