Waning Gibbous Moon

Photo by Alan Gillespie

Now the moon is waning - getting smaller - until it is new again. During the waning moon, the moon's energy changes, and we move gradually into the yin phase - slow down, go within, and focus on inner work. I back off a bit on actively pursuing my goals, and allow the ease of being a loving, thoughtful person to carry me towards my dreams. 

The work of intentional Being, rather than Doing, is life changing! When I slow down I can see what my hard work has produced in the world and in myself, and I have the leisure to notice, absorb, and expand.

The 2-week cycle of the waning moon looks like this:

• Waning gibbous - Receptivity, generosity, gratitude
• Third quarter (waning half moon) - Cleansing, self-care, renewal
• Waning crescent - Surrender, take stock, find purpose

The waning moon is not a passive time, but rather an enthusiastic dive into being open-hearted, fully alive, and aware. Now, at the gibbous moon, it's time to practice being open to receiving blessings, feeling and expressing gratitude, and being generous with giving (towards others AND with myself).

Agenda today:

1. Journal queries

2. Gratitude journal

3. Write thank you notes

4. Generosity practice

Prepare for the Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is in two weeks, on February 12th this year. I enjoy having this second opportunity to celebrate a new year, and I think of this one as the "Happy and Lucky" celebration.

In China a whole month is spent in preparations- cleaning, cooking, and decorating the house. All of the things displayed at Chinese New Year are symbols of the ideal life- tokens and reminders of the good things we hope for: Luck, wealth, long life, and happiness.

Agenda this week:
1. Housework
2. Nian-hua and good-luck calligraphy
3. Forced Blossoms
4. Make Jiao-zi dumplings 

Full Wolf Moon

Photo by Alan Gillespie

Tonight is the full moon. The full moon of January is called the Wolf Moon because of the hungry packs of wolves that used to roam for prey at this time of deep winter. 

I've been paying close attention to the cycle of the moon this month, starting with the new moon two weeks ago. We are now at the peak of the high-energy yang phase of the waxing moon, and will soon begin the low-energy yin time of the waning moon.

But today it's time to CELEBRATE! The full moon is a time of fruitfulness, creative energy, and completion, and also strong (sometimes overwhelming) emotion - this month I feel joy, relief, and hope, along with grief, anger, and trepidation. I want to acknowledge and embrace the whole spectrum of my emotions. 

Today I will celebrate how far I've come and give thanks for the lessons learned and the blessings received.

Agenda for today:
1. Journal queries
2. Celebrate stillness

3. Life-long learning intentions

4. Mountain pose meditation

5. Full moon ceremony

Tu B'Shevat

Tu B’Shevat (too b’sch VAHT), the Jewish New Year for Trees, begins tonight at sunset, because the moon is full. This is the season in Israel when the earliest-blooming trees start a new fruit-bearing cycle. In contemporary Israel it’s celebrated with tree planting ceremonies and a focus on ecological awareness. Many also share a seder (ceremonial meal) of tree fruits.

Agenda: 
1. Tree of Life visualization
2. Plant a tree

3. Climate justice intentions
4. Share a seder meal

Waxing Gibbous Moon

Photo by Alan Gillespie

The waxing gibbous moon is the not-quite-full moon: Waxing means getting larger, and gibbous means humped or protuberant.

This phase of the moon has the high-energy that provides a push towards completion. In four days, at the full moon, we will turn again towards the yin time of inner activity, so I make an effort in these next few days to finish my tasks that require greater physical effort.

• Waxing Gibbous - Reevaluation, refinements, creativity

Agenda:
1. Journal queries
2. Visualization

3. Year of Discovery

4. Art explorations
5. Housework

Babinden

The Slavic holiday Babinden

(bah-bean-den) happens each year on January 21. This my first as an actual grandmother!

Baba is "grandmother", and the in is possessive; den is "day", so the meaning is "Grandmother’s Day". It’s also called Midwives Day.

Babinden is an ancient festival, still celebrated in Bulgaria, to give thanks and show respect to the women (or men) who have helped in the child-birthing process, and for all the other skills and knowledge the grandmothers have: Growing food, cooking, herb lore, looking after their grandchildren, and teaching folklore and traditions. 

The roots of this festival, however, are in fertility rites. In Bulgaria, a house full of healthy and beautiful children is a basic value, and this is the underlying focus of the rituals on Babinden.

Agenda today:
1. Journal queries
2. Hand-washing ceremony
3. Gifts for my grandmothers
4. House cleaning and blessing

First Quarter Moon (Waxing Half Moon)

Photo by Alan Gillespie

At the First Quarter Moon we are one-quarter of the way through the moon cycle. The moon is waxing - getting larger - until it's full again. Now is the time to show full effort for priorities.

• First quarter (half moon) - Full effort, obstacles, flexibility

Agenda today:

1. Journal queries

2. Make a full effort plan

3. "Leaning in" practice

4. Find balance

5. People's Inauguration ribbon

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today I am reminded again to honor the ongoing struggle for freedom, equality, and dignity for all people, and share in the efforts.

Agenda today:

1. Journal queries

2. Study

3. Freedom Ribbon project

4. Virtual March

5. Index to MLK Day projects

Waxing moon

Photo by Alan Gillespie

Now the moon is waxing - getting larger - until it's full again. During the waxing moon, energy remains high; I focus on persistent action, and find the motivation to accomplish my priorities and follow through with my intentions: I gather information, study, create, and exercise.

The 2-week cycle of the waxing moon looks like this:

• Waxing crescent - Growing energy, observation, first steps 
• First quarter (half moon) - Full effort, obstacles, flexibility
• Gibbous - Reevaluation, refinements, creativity

Agenda today:

1. Journal queries

2. Set more intentions for action

3. Remember my intentions

4. House blessing ritual and prayer

Pongal

Pongal is a four day harvest festival celebrated in India, beginning on January 13th or 14th. The word Pongal means “overflowing and abundance”. It's celebrated as a shift in the season- the end of winter- the day on which the sun begins to move northwards.

The sun is a symbol of wisdom, divine knowledge and spiritual light, and now it turns towards us and blesses us with life and energy.

Each day of Pongal has a slightly different focus and theme: 

Today is called Bhogi Pongal, which means "enjoy abundance"; it's a day to honor the rain god, Indra, for providing rain for the harvest. Today farmers anoint their plows and sickles with sandalwood paste to bless them, then bring in the fresh harvest of rice and sugar cane.

 

The second day is called Surya Pongal, named for the sun god, Lord Surya. On this day people cook sweet rice at sunrise, and watch for the rice to bubble out of the clay pot. The boiling over symbolizes good luck and prosperity for the family.

 

The third day is Mattu Pongal, focusing on the cattle who pull the plows. (Mattu means "cow".) The cows are cleaned, decorated and fed treats.

 

The fourth day is Kanum Pongal. Kanum means "to view": It's a day to visit friends and family.

Agenda for Pongal:

1. House cleaning and blessing
2. Have a fire
3. Make a rangoli
4. Make Pongal Paanai (Sweet Rice)
5. Recite the Surya Mantra

New Bitter Moon

The last new moon of the Chinese calendar rose this morning; it's called the Bitter Moon, because this is the month of the bitterest cold. 

I've used the moon cycle energy in a pretty haphazard way for many years, and this year I plan to be more intentional. I know that each moon phase has a different energy, and that it's useful to tune in to that energy for both my inner work and outer activities. (And whether or not you believe in the moon's power over our energy, it's helpful to follow a cycle such as this in life, to help balance yin and yang, and move through the natural phases.)

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.

My theme this month is Stillness, so today I'll get on with the work of stillness!

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.

 

Agenda:
1. List my goals

2. Identify my essential intentions

3. Set intentions for action

4. Pick a theme for the next month

5. New moon meditation and prayer

Plow Monday

Plow Monday (the first Monday after Epiphany) is the traditional day in Europe for men to restart their farm work. 

Our garden isn't large, but I think of it as my miniature farm. Normally, it's too wet at this time in the Pacific Northwest to do any digging, but many other tasks are possible, and it's good motivation for me to have this set date each year to start my “farm work”. 

Agenda for today & this week: 

1. Journal query
2. Tool blessing ceremony
3. Sort seeds
4. Daily garden visits
5. Make plough pudding

Prepare for the new Moon

 The moon today is a waning crescent , which is a time for contemplation, yielding, rest and restoration. 

The January new moon is a few days away, and that's when I set my intentions for the month ahead. Before that time arrives, I'll open to curiosity and attention, and contemplate what I might want in the 30 days ahead. 

I'll look at the great winter world for inspiration and take it inward, to incubate.

  

Agenda:
1. Monthly journal brainstorm
2. Evaluate my core values
3. Review my priorities

4. Housework - clean the living room

5. Go on a hike in the rain

Home Blessing Saturday

The Orthodox Church has a tradition of blessing homes within a few weeks after Epiphany. The family prepares by cleaning the house, and then a priest comes to sprinkle holy water and pray for each family member, living and dead.

So what is a blessing? The Church recognizes a blessing as a statement or prayer that invokes God’s favor and power, and prepares one to receive grace, or in the case of a house blessing, prepares the space and those within it.

My own understanding is that the act of cleaning itself is a blessing on the house, and that sitting still in a newly cleaned room is a good way to remember that we are each blessed, always and forever.

But I love a good ritual! My custom is to bless each room this month, first by cleaning it, then with a ritual, and then by remembering the blessings of life.

Agenda today: 

1. Kitchen blessing ritual

2. Kitchen blessing prayer

Distaff Day

Woman with distaff in left hand, and spindle in right hand.

Distaff Day (January7) is named for the distaff, the stick-like tool that held fibers while a woman used a drop spindle to spin thread.

Spinning and weaving were never-ending chores for pre-industrial women; most women and girls would spin thread while also cooking, caring for children, or minding the sheep. Because women were seen always with a distaff in hand, it became the symbol of “women’s work”. 

But during the Christmas season women took a break from spinning. January 7th was the traditional day for women to start back to work, and so was called Distaff Day.

Agenda for today & this week:
1. Journal queries

2. Spindle Meditation
3. Start a fiber project

4. Housework - clean the kitchen

Epiphany

January 6th is Epiphany, the final day of the Christmas season. This was the day when the three Magi arrived in Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus, and recognized that he would grow up to be a great helper of people.

Epiphany comes from the Greek epiphania, meaning manifestation, or moment of recognition. The Magi had an epiphany- a moment of recognition, when the truth became clear through something simple and striking.

Agenda for today:
1. Journal queries
2. Bake a King's cake

3. Make a crown

Twelfth Night

The evening of January 5th is called Twelfth Night, the Eve of the Epiphany, the night that the three Magi traveled to Bethlehem to see the newborn baby Jesus. In Italy, the Befana (short for Epiphania) was busy sweeping her floor that night, when the Magi stopped at her house. They invited her to come along with them on their trip to see Jesus but she said she was too busy. 

Later she changed her mind and decided to follow, but she couldn’t find them. She continues her search each year on Twelfth Night, flying on a broom, going from house to house and leaving gifts.

Agenda:
1. Journal queries
2. Sweeping
3. Make Focaccia della Befana
4. Leave gifts

Final Days of Christmas

We have three days of Christmas left! By now, most people are fed up with holidays and ready to get back to "normalcy" - but not me. I'm holding on for my full 12-days-worth.

I'm also transitioning into the celebration of my birthday, so these final days of Christmas take on an introspective, self-focused quality.

Agenda:

1. Me meditation and journal

2. Finish my Ideas Poster

3. Healthy habits plan

4. Birthday pampering plan

Kakizomi Day

Kakizome means "first writing". Today people all over Japan will take time to use a brush and sumi ink to write out a favorite quote or phrase- the first calligraphy of the new year. 

Kakizome is a way to express your positive wishes for the New Year. 

Agenda:
1. Practice my calligraphy
2. Make an omamori

New Year's Day

Today is the first day of a new year in my part of the world. I celebrate many beginnings throughout my year, but January 1 has emotional importance because it’s the New Year of my childhood.

January gets its name from Janus, the two-faced Roman God of gates and doorways. January is a month to look back with reflection and forward with hope. I stand at the doorway of this coming year with my mind open and curious, without fear or judgment, and with hope for the gifts that the year will deliver.

As I stand here, I remember that not all gifts are rosy. I thank the Spirit for the shadows and mysteries, and potent gifts of sadness. When I live in the reality of the moment more than in my hopes and expectations, I can receive the riches that are hidden within my most challenging experiences - the gifts of compassion, self-awareness, creativity, wisdom, patience, love, strength of character, and integrity.

Agenda for today:
1. Kwanzaa principles

2. January journal queries

3. Set the tone for the New Year
4. Eat Hoppin' John