Third Quarter Moon of Late September

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 September, when autumn is upon us (and my foundations are shaking), my focus turns to equanimity and tying up loose ends.

Agenda:

1. Read "The Power of Now"

2. Renewal plan

3. Evaluation House

4. Monthly journal brainstorm

5. 

Surrender, rest, recuperate

1. Read "The Power of Now":

I'm reading from Eckhart Tolle's book which has the subtitle, "A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment". The overlaying theme is to free myself from obsessive thinking, from the voice in my head that constantly "comments, speculates, judges, compares, complains, likes, dislikes, and so on." This voice belongs to my conditioned mind - the result of my history and my inherited cultural mind-set. It creates a distorted view of life and it cannot be trusted.

"The present moment holds the key to liberation."

I am an analytical being, thinking about my intentions and my next steps each day, and daydreaming new creative projects. But I also get sidetracked with angry inner dialogue and mental numbness. How can I harness the Power of Now to still my inner dialogue and side-step emotional paralysis, but maintain my connection to discernment?

"Enlightenment means rising above thought ... In an enlightened state you will use your thinking mind when needed, but in a much more focused and effective way ... when a creative solution is needed, you oscillate every few minutes or so between thought and stillness, between mind and no-mind."

He says that I create from the place of no-mind, from inner stillness, not from thinking - and that makes sense to me. 

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 months ahead will be a test to my resilience. I've got a pretty good self-care plan in place:

• Meet with friends to vent - letting go, even just a little, can make me feel lighter and more in control.
• Journal here about my experiences.
• Delegate tasks to friends and family: transportation, shopping, meals...
• Move: dance or take a walk to release built-up stress.
• Celebrate small wins: acknowledge and appreciate the positives.

I plan to continue with my Morning Routine and my afternoon "Being-ness" Routine, to ground me, and continue to study simplicity, creativity, being in the now, and nature-culture. 

3. Evaluation House:

Today I get to reflect back on the first 3/4 of the Harvest Moon lunar cycle that I'm passing through. My theme has been Balance and Resilience. 

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. 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!