First Quarter Moon

Tonight is the First Quarter Moon; we are one-quarter of the way through the moon cycle. The moon is waxing - growing in light and energy, creating a time for decisive action. I use this end-of-April quarter moon's energy to express myself, and find joy in just being alive.

Agenda Today:

1. Journal queries
2. Make a full effort plan
3. Write a mission haiku
4. Read the Creativity Book

1. Journal queries:

Today, at the first quarter moon, I prepare to give full effort to my priorities. My theme this next month is joy, which requires me to live with a wide-open, unbiased attitude of appreciation for life.

I remember that for each opportunity in life there is a challenge. The challenge to joy is limitation; if I feel restricted in any way, I cannot be truly joyful. I will practice opening doors and stepping through.

 

Which of my priorities am I having the most trouble acting on this month?

What do I need (tools, information, allies) in order to best practice the habits of joy (contentment, creativity, playfulness, curiosity, and humor)?

What do I need to do or learn in order to express myself fully?

 

From my journal: I am feeling that boost of energy that comes with warmer weather, and I'm motivated to get things done. And the next three weeks will be filled with major opportunities for joy and expression: First Day school, my grandson's 3rd birthday, and Quarterly Meeting children's program to name the biggest. I want to remember to balance my planning and preparing for wonderful events with daily play, art, and time in the garden.  

2. Make a full effort plan: 

Full effort  requires attention: You remember your intentions - what it is you want to do and your deepest reasons why - and also notice your emotions, energy, challenges, etc.

My full effort plan is to create a Daily Dose of Joy checklist:

• Name my desire (to live well and serve a purpose). 
• Brainstorm. Figure out how to reach my desires. 
• Feasting for my spirit each day: Observe the rituals of festivity; open my appetite, my senses, my mind, and my heart to be moved and inspired by the wonder and joy of life.  
• Give thanks: Create a small ritual of thanks to end each feast.
• Relax in the garden and plant one plant or seed. 
• Create something, artwork, or sewing, or …
• Move my body; dance, running, blowing bubbles... 
• Laugh 30 times a day; seek out laughter situations, laugh at myself, and hang out with people who laugh....

3: Write a Mission Haiku:

My missions are my various big projects or directions in life. Today I'm going to look at the habits of joy (contentment, creativity, playfulness, curiosity, and humor) because when I remember these habits EVERYthing goes better. 

I'll write it as a haiku, because a poem has a unique ability of getting to the core of a Truth. Here's the steps I use:

1. Write a brief, evocative sentence or two describing this top mission in my life, and the significant issues that surround it:

The habits of joy require attention to the present, mental flexibility, love and equanimity.It helps me to remember and write about joy each morning.

 

2. List the most exciting or pleasing verbs that describe what I want to do with this mission:

Remember my desires, feast and celebrate, play, create, laugh, dance

 

3. Next, list some core values that go with this mission:

Love, Equanimity, Creativity, Celebration and Play

4. Turn these sentences, verbs, and values into a haiku, an unrhymed poetic form consisting of 17 syllables arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (or a Cinquain, which is five lines, with 2, 4, 6, 8, and 2 syllables), that gets to the core of my mission, and gives me a framework for my actions.

Surrender to joy;

celebrate the sun and earth;

play, laugh, plant a seed.

4. 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? This seems like a good time to give it a second chance.

The introduction says to pick a creative project before you start the first section, something big, to work on for the next year. The book is a companion to this work, but not a step-by-step guide. Instead it will guide you to experience doing some odd activities that "amount to a creative education."

Week One is Make Creativity Your Religion, "because creating is soulful work. When a person loses herself in the creative act she suddenly participates in the mystery of life. Second, creativity allows a person to really manifest her potential. ... when you create you get to use your overflowing heart ..."

Exercise One is to write a 2500 word autobiography (Now I remember why I didn't finish this book last time!) I'm going to modify that to write a poem in 7 parts:

1. Small town girl. Self-absorbed dreamer. Crawl under hedges and climb trees. Paint in the attic. Read all the books. 
2. Romantic and angsty. Walk on a windy beach. Join the theater. 
3. Leave home. Study hard. Fall in love. Get married.
4. Flee the state to get some space: Big Sky and Little Egypt.  
5. Home again and penniless. Sell my plasma, my artwork. Barely make a living. 
6. Big break: Painting pottery. Have a baby, then another. Mommy-time, barefoot in the garden. Become a Quaker. Buy a house. 
7. Empty nesting; start to paint again, and write. Become wise.