Full Moon for May will be BIG! Time for a CEREMONY!

Astronomers tell us the full moon this month will appear very large and intense. What does this mean for those of us who work with moon cycles as a guiding force in our lives?  May's energy invites us to explore our Home Element in our Collective Aspect and our Mind Element in our Personal Aspect.  May is also about listening deeply to our deep inner voice. 

I am aware in my own life of times when something gets really big and obvious before I am willing to see 'it' for what 'it' is, rather than what I want 'it' to be.  This month, ironically, HOME issues and MIND processes are deeply connected for me.  We (our family) are currently deciding where we should live in the coming year(s) and my mind is trying desperately to sort out facts from fears, old experiences from new possibilities, and struggling to determine what is wisdom from what is whim. Yes, I think I need a really big light to shine on all of this to help me see where my thoughts and beliefs are coming from and to surrender to the wisest path. 

I can use this month's larger than life Grandmother moon to support what needs to manifest for my and my family's best good by doing a simple ceremony: All that is required for this ceremony is a source for some water-I'm lucky enough to have a hot-tub that I will use for my cleansing ritual, but a large bowl of water,  pool, or lake or pond would also work. The idea is to have the moon light reflected in the water. First I do simple cleansing just by taking some time to sit with my face toward the moon and invite the moon to illuminate (bring fullness to) all my senses. I feel my connection to the earth and to the moon.  I use my breath  breathing in the light of the moon, imagining it flows down through my spine and with my out breath, into the earth.  I breathe in this way until my mind acknowledges a willingness to see and accept the best movement for my life at this moment. 

Now I do a 'verbal journal'.  I say the date, and begin to speak what I am aware of regarding my willingness and all that I see, sense and feel that impedes my stepping forward.  I use one breath cycle for each acknowledgement.  This is not about criticism or judgment, the breathing in of light is an energetic and intentional enlightenment toward change, transformation and movement.

When done, I use the moon energized water to intentionally wash away all that impedes me.  I immerse myself in the moon energized water (or if a bowl of water is used splash it on my face hands and feet).  Symbolically, I can be one with the moon.. I remember that I have my own cycles just as the tides of water on the earth.  I am in alignment with the cycles.  I can trust my movement forward. 

I was also thinking that I would set an intention for this big moon energy and light to wash over my home, removing all discord and confusion and keep our home 'light'.

I'll let you all know!

HOPE ever flowing freely from the heart/well of LOVE

There is a theme that is is so very strong in my life right now:  HOPE.  I came across a fragment of poem I had copied on a sticky note-Emily Dickinson's poem 'Hope is a thing with feathers' .  I had copied it months ago when I borrowed a colleague's office to see a client suffering with loss and grief.  There was the poem, just in time for what my client needed.  I brought it home to my own cluttered desk where it promptly disappeared, until yesterday it showed up,again.  Hope came up in a meeting on Friday, and in the readings from today's church service. I heard the word HOPE in so many venues over the last few days, I couldn't NOT notice. Then, when I opened my emails this morning, my friend Catharine had this in her morning blog: I share it with her permission. She in turn was inspired by a friend's blog, Cheap, Crappy Hope (Part 1 of 3). drkellyflanagan.com. 

allwillbewellperiod.blogspot.com

HOPE

Emily said it well

In three stanzas.

Hope is the thing with feathers.

It never stops singing.

Pretty much our hopes are small,

Always too small,

Even when we*ve glimpsed

Bigger things:

Bald eagles

Soaring in circles

High over Lake Superior;

Those same majestic birds

Roosting in trees

Along the Mississippi,

The river everyone knows and names,

Except perhaps the Nile

Or the Amazon.

We think these

May be the biggest hopes possible.

They are visible

Known

Heard

Soaring

Roosting in trees.

These are the hopes

We have seen

These are the hopes

We have heard

Those things with feathers

Singing

Soaring

Roosting in trees.

Even these feathered hopes

Thank you, Emily,

Are just

The bare beginning.

Here is Emily Dickensen's poem

"Hope" is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—

I've heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of Me.

 www.poetrysociety.org/psa/poetry/poetry.../hop_is_the_thi_wit_fea/

I am grateful for this 'thing' call "hope". I am glad it is singing so loudly just now!

Fully Experiencing Full Moon Energy

My experience with this month's full moon is as if I have been jettisoned in a hundred directions. I could feel the preparatory movement happening shortly after this cycle started, and becoming very strong in the middle of the waxing moon phase. The waxing moon is connected with doing the prep work for manifesting what you are are working with in your life. I have been working simultaneously with elements of all four aspects. I didn't consciously plan it that way, but my life is moving in ways that every aspect of myself is being affected in some way (it's all good).  As the moon neared it's fullness, I could feel some fullness within myself pressing for a new opening, requiring myself to yield old ways of doing, being, and thinking.  I have yielded to changes long overdue in my personal self, and immediately, abundance and work possibilities have shifted, renew relationships opening up for me, and new things in my collective aspect are coming into form (perhaps more will be revealed about that next month). 

When everything changes all at once, and energy and life is moving very fast (like my jettisoned feeling) it can be hard to stay clear.  What are the best practices to stay present and grounded?

Spend some time in meditation, dong a centering exercise, or in prayer in the mornings to set a tone for the day.  Even if you don't have time to journal, this quiet time will remind your Self of your intentions.

Share what is going on with someone who knows how to listen, is not a naysayer, and can refrain from giving advise.  The idea is for you to get a chance to hear yourself speak your experience out loud.  You need a good listener.

Review your Vision, your intentions for this month and the months to come for your Circle of Self year.  If you can see how these changes are supporting your direction, it can be easier to stay with them, avoid sabotage and overwhelm.

I am thinking of the serenity prayer:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.  Looking at everything happening in my life right now through that point of view, makes everything amazingly manageable!

In this season of Passover and Easter, may you be the recipient of many blessings.

Short Meditation for Embracing and Creating Your Future

Last weekend I was looking for a file in the chaos of my computer documents.  My curser slipped and I inadvertantly opend a document entitled "moving schedule"  from the May 2010.  It wasn't the moving schedule I had written for moving my household two summers ago-but it certainly was about moving my life!  The piece of writing that opened before me was a meditation I had been inspired to write-wrote and then it disappeared and I could not find it, regardless of how  much I had searched.  I am sure some of you have had that experience!

Now here it is again, perfect timeing.  I share it here and it will be posted on the website http://www.circleofself.com .

Meditation for Circle of Self Year

The 13 moon cycles of my Circle of Self gives me the time necessary to explore and embrace all the Aspects and Elements of my Self.  As I hold my commitment to myself and this work, I will gain knowledge, grow in hope, and bring balance to the whole of my life.  From this knowledge, hope and balance I will be able to bring my intentions into manifestation and experience the change for which I have longed.

As I evaluate my personal life I will begin to understand the connection between physical well-being, mental health, emotional balance and spiritual support. Each Element nourishes the others.  From here the health of my whole person is enhanced.

As I embrace my relationships, with friends and colleagues, children and family, and my partner, I may find them to be outer expressions of different parts of my inner-self.  Here I will find guidance to heal, resolve grief, create safety, and understand the meaning of forgiveness.  I can complete my Circle of Self process with a more open heart, and more fully able to be in my relationships in healthy and satisfying ways.

As I explore my Creative Self, I move from the self-limiting extremes of perfectionism and fear, and experience the life giving flow of my innate creativity. I experience this flow in my work and my leisure time, in the flow of abundance in my life and in the ways in which I am able to be in service to others and to the world.

As I engage the Elements of my Collective Self, I will find ways to create a home which shelters body, heart, spirit and soul.  I will strengthen my connections to the natural world and to the community around me. My role as a citizen of the world develops in alignment with my life purpose.

This, My Personalized Circle of Self, is my invitation to live my life to my full potential.  My hope and prayer for myself is that I may embrace my life and live my life fully, as is my birthright, without fear, hesitation or regret, but with joy, hope balance and possibility!

Waxing Moon-Spring into Cleaning Inner and Outer Clutter

I began cleaning and resetting my sacred space and my office on Thursday's new moon.  Resetting my altar space was easy this month, as I am continuing to focus on my Creative Aspect. In resetting my sacred space. I carefully dusted each piece that I had previously placed on the altar and reset and updated my intentions for this moon cycle.  I expressed gratitude for my wisdom council, and reconnected with them in my heart.  I added a symbol representing the growing number members of Circle of Self virtual community. 

Spring Cleaning my Office, which is also my sacred space is taking more time-but at least everything is set in place-just not organized or totally sorted.  I've had this room for two years.  It is the sun room of our home, and what I have noticed is the every season I am changing the direction my desk faces.  I hadn't thought about this until I was sorting the stack of papers which had accumulated on the desk and spilled over onto the floor.  I had been struggling to get some writing done, and was having major writer's block. So, more as an act of distraction, or perhaps a push from my subconscious, I shut down the computer and proceeded to rearrange the furniture in in my office.  Afterwards, I sat down and began typing-no problem!  Then I realized I have done this every three or for months in the two years that we have lived here.  I will be more intentional about being in tune with any deeper meaning about this.

Internally, this is a spring of resolution.  After many years of resentment and ongoing distress in several personal relationships, feelings of gratitude and prayers for blessings are coming from my heart-without being coerced or forced.  I am doing a daily review this month, observing this process, which began spontaneously about three weeks ago.  I can not tell you the immense lightness I feel as these old patterns are releasing and being cleaned from my heart.

I wish you many blessings and support in your spring cleaning journey

New Moon, Conceiving Something New

This is a pretty special new moon for me.  My hope is that it is a special new moon for a number of you as well as you begin your Circle of Self program with this new moon.

Last week, after a LONG gestation,the official birth of http://circleofself.com// occurred.  Only with the support of a community of many was I able to achieve this accomplishment. It has been a labor of love.
This morning, I reset my sacred space, both the room in which I work as well my altar space.  I set my intention for continuing to work in my Creative Aspect in my Work Element: being present for the ongoing growth of Circle of Self.  I invite any and all of you to share what you are comfortable sharing about your intentions and focus for this current moon cycle.  Our mutual support benefits all!

Just as I finish helping in the birth of one project, I am helping to support the gestation of another project which is happening today http://conceptionday2012.com.

I wanted to share about the Conception Day 2012 event--which will be attended by thousands (some virtual, some in person-I'll be in the virtual group!) of people from more than 120 countries.  I have been part of this group (albeit a quiet part) for about a year now, and I feel blessed to be a member of this group whose focus is to help create a world that is peaceful, sustainable, healthy and prosperous.  Check out the website and the Conception Day invitation. It is open to all and without cost. 

Waking up to the First Full Moon of Spring

The full moon in Glen Ellyn was obscured by clouds and came in with a bang and left us in the dark.  Somehow a transformer near our house blew last night. It nearly threw my 17 year old out of her bed from the fright of the sound! The end result was that all of our clocks were wrong and we all scrambled to get out the door on time.  Rushed, not fully prepared, not looking our best because there was not time for a shave or shower or make-up. 

All of this seems quite relevant coming just after my last post using the metaphor of pregnancy.  I stayed to long in the womb of my bed.  I was not so aware of the rhythm of the day calling me awake and dependent on the alarm, I was late.  Regardless, I enter my day-prepared or not, and into a household where everyone else was also late and trying hard not to be crabby with one
other.

Here is where having a commitment to work with a daily inspirational reading helps me. It takes less than a minute for me to read mine. Today I'm reading Earth Medicine, by Jamie Sams (My Book Store). My reading asks if I am ready to look at the places in my life where I would like to improve my reactions or responses, reminding me that I can change my reactions and responses for myself.  I'm the only one who can do that. What will follow is needed inner serenity.  I reset my inner perception.  Suddenly I have time to write this blog and take a quick shower and be just on time (no make-up though, that was sacrificed for the blog-priorities). 

Be Blessed, Everyone.