Indigenous People's Day and Third Quarter Moon

Happy Indigenous People's Day! Some people celebrate the second Monday in October as Columbus Day, but many of us prefer to honor instead the people who were here in the Americas for centuries before Columbus "discovered" it. 

Many cities are finally making the name change official, adopting Indigenous People's Day to celebrate the people and their culture, and also to reflect on their ongoing struggles in this land. The celebration today includes powwows, drumming, dancing, Native American foods and crafts.

And 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, renewal, and self-care. This isn’t a moment for starting new projects but for finishing up old ones, making peace with the past, and preparing for a fresh start at the next new moon.

Agenda:

1. Read "The Sweet Spot"
2. Fall Cleaning and Home projects

3. Pumpkin School plans

4.

 Ritual for Release and Realignment

5. Meditation and Evaluation Journal

6. Monthly journal brainstorm

7. A note about appropriation

1. Read "The Sweet Spot":

I'm reading this book by Christine Carter (2015), about "How to Find Your Groove". The thesis is that when we hit from our sweet spot we have optimum power and the greatest ease. Chapter 4 is Cracking the Habit Code, a "habit-crafting intensive." 

I'm working on a basic exercise plan  - some simple stretches and abs, a better than nothing daily routine that might build into something bigger. I've drafted a detailed script, with triggers and a built-in inherent reward. I'm starting really, really small - I just move my chair and do a rag doll stretch every day, and more if I can. The goal is to create a habit that doesn't depend on willpower, doing something so small that the habit begins to initiated and the groove is formed. It's been working for several weeks now! I've got a daily habit forming.

Tip #11 is pre-decide as much as possible. Make a plan and commit to it in advance - which video I will do each day, for example, and what I will do when a challenge arises. And structure my environment to support me - my chair, my clothes, etc. 

Tip #12 is comfort yourself. I know that stress is going to push me away from exercise, so find ways to comfort myself in advance. For me, that might be getting in my full 2-hours of writing, and eating a granola bar - that might be enough to make feel easy with a few minutes of stretching.

Tip #13 is get enough sleep. Make sure I've had at least 7-hours of sleep to shore up my willpower: Low energy equals low willpower. 

2. Fall Cleaning and Home projects:

Monday is my day to reset for the week and get my ducks in a row - make some plans for health and home, and prepare for Grandson fun.

Fall cleaning has an entirely different feel and focus than spring cleaning. In the fall we finish up, pack away, and "batten the hatches"-- we put away all the outdoor stuff, air out the sweaters, and prepare for winter. 

This week I will fall clean in the bathroom and studio. I plan to:

• Replace the caulk along the bathtub.
• Make room for the final pile of stuff on the studio floor.

And we are trucking right along on our big renovation project. We have a mostly-built shed, and a new window coming Wednesday. My next steps:

• Make a plan for storage in the new shed, and order shelves.
• Choose a handrail for the back and order that.
• Help to clear out the big work area and get rid of the big saws.
• Remove thimbleberry and dirt from the hot tub site.

3. Pumpkin School plans:

Our fall schedule includes a two day pre-school, with coloring pages on a different theme each week, related outdoor projects, field trips, and art. I want to focus on nature awareness, process art and basic art skills (drawing, painting, cutting, glueing, etc.).

This week the theme is pumpkins.

1. Field trip to the pumpkin patch.
2. Pumpkin coloring pages - drawing faces.
3. Count pumpkins in the neighborhood.
4. Carve a jack-o-lantern.
5. Plant pumpkin seeds outside.
6. Paint pumpkins on black paper and add faces later.

4. Ritual for Release and Realignment:
This phase of the moon is for releasing and cleansing. This month I want to release my impatience with my own self-growth. I plan to set a daily "growing wise" intention, then acknowledge every evening how I have grown.

5. Meditation and Evaluation Journal:

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 spiritual balance. I ask myself, What lessons have I learned in the last weeks? What has been completed? What has shifted? and what can I set aside?

I sit with these queries and write in my journal in a reflective way: My insights, emotions, and the clarity I’ve gained during the last lunar month and how I’ve grown. 

I review the intentions I set at the new moon, and write about what I've accomplished. I also write about 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.

This reflection will prepare me for moving forward with grace and purpose.

6. 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 write down my goals, dreams, and exciting ideas for the next 30-days, including at least a few crazy, improbable notions. 

-Start with a list of seasonal themes and celebrations, vacations, and other events.

-Write about my biggest priorities this month, how they might fit into my life, and how they connect to my values and principles.

-Write about possible obstacles and factors such as the weather, upcoming schedule changes, or money problems.

-Write about the parts that excite me and the parts that might be hard to find motivation for.

7. A note about appropriation:

When I was teaching art classes, I taught Native American crafts and culture often, because it was relevant to my students, and I always included historical and contemporary images and information. (Go to my sidebar to see the National Art Education Association position statement regarding cultural appropriation.)

But I also sometimes borrow symbols, techniques, and ideas for my own use. Borrowing from someone else’s culture happens all the time. Artists and craftspeople have always been inspired by symbols and images of other cultures. This practice is called cultural exchange. In cultural exchange, there is mutual sharing and mutual respect.

Cultural appropriation, on the other hand, is “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.” It's when we borrow without permission, and without acknowledgement to the victim-culture’s past.

 

As Taté Walker says in 

4 Ways To Honor Native Americans Without Appropriating Our Culture

:  "There is a fine line between appropriation and appreciation." Most of us intend no harm - we like the style or the symbolism; we like to appear worldly or exotic - but it's time to stop being boorish, insensitive, racist white folks and learn what is appropriate and what isn't. 

Queries:

Am I using items or ceremonies of a minority culture in order to make it a part of my own culture, or to appear worldly? 

Am I creating crafts from a minority culture in order to sell them to make a profit?

Do I know the history of the people, and understand the cultural significance of the item or custom?