New Sleepy Moon

Tonight is the new moon. The Chinese call the third new moon the Sleepy Moon, because the drowsiness of spring is in the air. 

On the first three days of this moon, the Chinese in Beijing celebrate the birthday of Hsi Wang Mu with a temple festival. Hsi Wang Mu is the Grandmother Goddess of the Western Heaven, also called the Great Yin. She controls the cosmic forces of time and space, determines life and death, and controls disease and healing. She watches over the tree of the peaches of immortality.

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 and set intentions for the next phase of my year.

Agenda today:

1. Retreat Day

2. Read "The Comfort of Crows"

3. Choose a month theme

4. Set intentions

5. New moon altar and meditation

1. Retreat Day:

If at all possible, I schedule a day of retreat on the new moon, or near to it: I do less talking, less business, and more personal thought and action. I'm having a morning retreat to catch up on reading and writing.

2. Read "The Comfort of Crows":

I'm loving this pretty book by Margaret Renkl (2023), subtitled "A Backyard Year"; it includes a reading for each week of the year; this week is Spring - Week 3, The Names of Flowers.

She talks about stickywillies and service berry trees - natives in North America - and how they have been displaced by flowers and trees that have evolved for ecosystems in Europe and Asia.

3. Pick a theme:

At the new moon I choose a theme, and begin to give attention to it. My theme this month is joy -- that's contentment, serenity, harmony, and living with a wide-open, unbiased attitude of appreciation for life. A childlike quality of joy supports my spontaneous, innovative, creative spirit. Also, my joyous mood is infectious and brings success with my relationships.

Joy goals might be to experience more harmony and happiness in my life, to exercise my creativity muscle, to be more flexible with friendships, or to explore and develop my playful, intuitive qualities.

Like compassion, joy is a limitless quality. I train in it by noticing the moment it arrives and the moment when I shift away, into disapproval or sorrow. When that happens, I just notice the shift without acting on it or repressing it; I hold my feelings of "not joy" softly so that the barriers to joy might come down.

Besides attention, two other supports for a joyful mind are curiosity and humor. When I am in a joyful mood, I feel relaxed, expansive, and spontaneous, and I can turn a problem into a creative challenge.

My joy practices this month:

• Adventures, garden explorations, and play with Grandsons.
• Contentment in the garden, with daily planting and care, and time each day to be quiet and aware with nature.
• House embellishments - kitchen quote, bathroom butterflies, shed mural, Sanctuary sign... 
• Make fun and happy things with my hands: Fabric butterflies, quilt blocks, garden art, birthday gifts...

3. Set intentions:

Last week I brainstormed some wild and crazy ideas for the next 30 days, and today it's time to narrow it down a little, to the priority items that I could possibly focus on this next month. This isn't a list of the practical things I need to do this month; rather it's my top actions, studies, and growth goals that fit with the "taste" of this month of my life.

After I list my top 10-20 goals for the next 30 days, I'm ready to set some intentions for action. This is a 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 embrace joy and optimism, and live with harmony and appreciation, because a joyful attitude supports my creative spirit and nourishes my relationships.

I intend to finish some sewing, painting, and other creative hands-on projects that express our Beliefs (specifically this week I will start my butterfly giveaway project for Earthweek, and a quote project for the kitchen), because making things is a prayer and one way I express my Unity with the Earth.

I intend to find contentment in the garden, with daily planting and care, and take time each day to be quiet and aware, in unity with nature. I intend to practice my Earth-Quaker habits (ground with the Earth and sit in silent listening) because my spirit needs attention and care in order to grow, and I especially want to grow my connection to the Earth and the Sky, as a little part of nature myself.

 

4. New moon altar and meditation:

It's time to clear my altar, and discern what to put on it for the next 30 days. (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?

I left from last month:

• a robin - promise of new beginnings, happiness, and renewal

and added:

• an orange candle - for joy and creativity
• An origami crane - for peace
• a basket of small eggs - for life and potential

Today I will light a small white candle on my altar. I'll 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.