Third Quarter Moon of August

Today is the Third Quarter Moon: This waning moon energy is yin - quiet, internal, heart-driven, intentional Being-ness. At this phase we can ease off a bit on actively pursuing goals, slow down, go within, and attend to inner work and self-care.

On this last week of August - before the transition time that Labor Day brings -  I will give gentle attention to my art and my garden, and to tying up loose ends.

Agenda:

1. Read "The Creativity Book"

2. Renewal plan

3. Evaluation House

4. Monthly journal brainstorm

5. Do the smallest thing

6. Surrender, rest, recuperate

1. 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? 

I'm on to Week 17: Buy Bewilderment. This section is about going deep as a creator, and taking the risks that go with that: The risk of answering hard questions; devoting years; facing inadequacies; starting over. 

"Every creative journey is marked by patches and even long stretches of bewilderment as, disoriented and upset, you realize that you don't know what to do next."

Maisel counsels against doing something easy, or clever, or false, because these shortcuts prevent us from creating deeply. Instead he suggests we embrace bewilderment: Go forward; enter the darkness; say, "I don't understand but I refuse to be frightened"; say, "I will enter the chaos and create there." 

2. Renewal plan:

I try to renew all four dimensions of my life (body, mind, heart, and spirit), as Stephen Covey taught: I spend about an hour each day on a combination of physical, mental, and spiritual regeneration activities, plus work to improve my social skills and relationships. Today's waning half moon is my opportunity to review how I'm doing, and make note of new ideas for the month ahead.

My plan: The month ahead is a major time of transition - I will draw inward, work on self-cultivation, and "witness from home". I plan to continue with my Morning Routine and my afternoon "Being-ness Routine", to ground me. I want to study Inner Peace and Intuition, and how to be more inspirational with my writing. And I want to schedule many one-on-one meetings with friends, especially walks. 

3. Evaluation House:

Today I get to reflect back on the first 3/4 of the Hungry Ghost Moon lunar cycle that I'm passing through. My theme has been Depth. 

I reviewed the intentions I set at the new moon and drew a house with 2 rooms: 

• A room for celebration of all I have accomplished already this month.
• A room for discerning what to do with the unfinished parts (Some of these I will finish in the next couple days, some I will save for next month, and some I will release because they have become irrelevant or didn't go as planned.)

4. Monthly journal brainstorm:

At the new moon (next week) I will transition from one focus to another, and a whole new field of opportunity. This week I'll take time to brainstorm my goals, dreams, and exciting ideas for the next 30-days, without judgement - including at least a few crazy, improbable notions - and write a very brief synopsis of the next month of my life.

5. Do the smallest thing:

This month I set an intention to work with attention and tenacity on many creative projects and to finish things I start.

Doing the smallest thing helps me to succeed - I make a list of small things I need to do for my current projects, print it, and assign one or two per day.

Some of my small tasks this week:

• Visualize the essence of "forest".
• Collect fortunes, images and papers for Forest collage.
• Study and plan a collage-gluing practice, and begin to glue Fortune for Forests. 
• Bark rubbing with grandsons.
• Collect more tree cones.
• Finish forest collage with grandsons.
• Finish and launch my new website!
• Chickadee collage: Photos and post online.
• Sun collage: Seal and add more paint. Make stars.
• Finish edges for Small Forest appliqué, and find a frame.
• Write craftivism tag for forests
• Print and cut forest tags; prep string, and make some hanging cones to share.

6. Surrender, rest, recuperate: 

This next few days is a time to be empty; the time for striving is past. As the moon’s light fades into darkness I get to relax and surrender to the universe. 

Some things will always be out of my control. As the moon's appearance dwindles, I let go of useless beliefs, unreasonable expectations, grudges, defensiveness, projects that don't fit into my life, and anything else that isn't working for me. I turn these all over to the Divine and give thanks, my way of opening to receive new intentions in the new month.

Then I give myself permission to rest!