Tag: moon

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Full Moon in Libra with an Eclipse Twist

Lunar Eclipse Photo Series taken by Tyler Leavitt
Lunar Eclipse Photo Series taken by Tyler Leavitt

Tyler Leavitt’s photographs of last night’s full moon moving into a total lunar eclipse are stunning. I am reminded of how immense this Universe truly is. AND how every part of this vast Universe interacts and cycles to the rhythms of a magical melody.

This April full moon is in the sign of Libra, which means that relationship, balance and equality issues get activated and may come to the forefront in our lives this week… So, don’t be surprised if you experience “interesting” conversations and dynamic shifts with your lover, spouse, best friend, or business partner!  AND Mars is also hanging out in Libra right now, amping up the male / female relationship dynamics even more.

With the moon in Libra, it is the perfect time to take some action to restore balance and harmony within your most important relationships – focus particularly on emotional balance. And please don’t forget about your relationship with Mother Earth, the one who nourishes us and provides this beautiful home.  I love what shamanic practitioner Lena Stevens shares on her web site about this full moon time:

“This Moon in Libra is closely aligned with Ceres (exactly) and Vesta fully illuminating our relationship to our Mother planet and the gifts of nourishment and support she provides and reminding us to hold these feminine manifestations as sacred.  This is a major theme of the eclipse/Full Moon not to be taken lightly… ” ~Lena Stevens, The Power Path

Now is the time to look for new ways to connect with Mama Earth. Now is the time to help our Earth to cleanse and restore balance. With Earth Day rapidly approaching – and isn’t EVERY day actually earth day?  – now is the perfect time to focus on rebuilding a sacred, loving relationship between ourselves and Gaia, the original mother of all life on this planet.

Lena Stevens also writes about another subject near and dear to my heart, the power of spiritual connections to ground and calm us in these crazy times.

Tapping into our spiritual connections will help us avoid and balance the chaos and fear that can come from those around us when they lack an anchoring relationship to truth, love and power. When we experience an eclipse, it is an opportunity for reset.  A portal of alignment is created where new influence can take precedence over the old…”  ~Lena Stevens, The Power Path

How about renewing your spiritual connection to Mother Earth this week?  No elaborate ritual is required; just a clear intention and an open heart.

Try This: Spend a few moments outside this week, reconnecting to mother earth. Revel in Spring! Sit on the ground and connect down into the soils of the earth, the dirt that grows our food. Breathe in the air that the trees create for us. Drink the water that this beautiful blue wet planet showers us with.

Breathe it all in with gratitude. Ask Mama Earth how you can help her. Then listen for her response.

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In Rhythm with the Moon

Shifting Rhythms of the Moon
Shifting Rhythms of the Moon

Where is the moon tonight?  

Is she up yet? 

What aspect of herself is she showing?

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 These are the questions that come to mind when I gaze at the night sky.  Maybe it’s because I’m female. The ancients claimed that all women are creatures of the moon. Or maybe it is because I was born in the early morning hours before dawn, just as the moon became full. And on that night many moons ago, the moon rose in the sign of Scorpio, the keeper of the night and the dark mysteries of life, death and rebirth.  I am a moon baby.

For whatever reason, I have been fascinated by the moon for as long as I can remember. My ancestors used the cycles of the moon to track the passage of time. And I still do the same  – in fact, it stuns me that the Gregorian calendar in use all over the world is not linked directly to the cyclic movements of the earth and moon. That’s why we have a silly Leap Year day every 4 years – we need to “correct” the errors in the Gregorian calendar!  Whoever thought it was a good idea to ignore astronomy when creating a calendar?!

In every solar year (the time it takes mother earth to go all the way around our sun), the moon goes through 13 cycles. There are 13 lunar months in each year, not 12. And within each lunar cycle, the moon slowly shifts from the dark phase of a new moon, gradually showing more and more of herself (waxing) until she  complete reveals herself at the full moon. Then she slowly wanes, showing less and less of herself in the night sky until she is not visible at all. Then the moon cycle dance begins again.

These cycles where the moon is constantly shifting and dancing with how much she reveals of herself seem quite female to me. There is nothing linear about the moon! And I find that women are typically more changeable and moody and rhythmic than men, whether we care to admit it or not.  🙂

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 
a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant,
and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up; 
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance…”

~Ecclesiastes, King James Bible

Our ancestors planned their sacred rituals around the cycles of the moon; they knew that each moon phase holds a specific power. So, when the moon was fully revealed in her full moon state, the ancients celebrated and worshipped the divine feminine energies of birthing  and completion. Even today, wise midwives plan their schedules, knowing that many, many babies are born when the full moon exerts her pull on pregnant wombs! Full moons are times of completion.

In contrast, when the moon is hidden from view in her new moon state, the ancients saw it as a potent time to plant the seeds for new projects and begin new ventures.  Even the timing of farm planting and sowing was tied to the moon cycles in ancient times; not so silly when we realize that the waters and tides of planet earth feel the pull of the moon as well.

The next time you’d like to start a new project, try starting it during the dark phase of the new moon. And when you are ready to celebrate an accomplishment or rite of passage, hold your celebration during full moon time. Synchronize with the rhythms of the moon and see how much potency organic timing can add to your life.

I love watching the moon go through her dance from dark to light and back to dark each month. I am definitely a moon baby! And I plan to continue my love affair with the rhythms and cycles of the moon until I leave this earth. It keeps me connected to the cycle of the seasons in a deep meaningful way.

 

 

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Bone Songs and Moonlight

 
 
Flaming Night
 

I am the moon goddess casting a silver net over this night

I am the brooding black raven asleep in the dark wood

I am the dreamer and the fox who guards the dreamer 

I am the windswept plain where lost dreams can be found

I am the bone songs of my ancestors playing on the wind

I am the heart of the ancient sycamore crumbling into dust

I am green leaves capturing rays of sunlight as they fall

I am the lone crane, standing watch near the shore

I am the jumping salmon crane silently waits for

I am the dance of flickering flame consuming it all

I am Phoenix reborn from the ash of what came before.

~Nancy Lankston

 
☾ ☽
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Feminine Wisdom of Creation

Saraswati Painting by Durgada Krishnappa
Saraswati  by Durgada Krishnappa

Saraswati, the Wise and Flowing One

In the beginning there was chaos. The Universe was in a formless, fluid state. “How do I bring order to this chaos?” asked Brahma. “With Knowledge,” replied Devi as she emerged from Brahma’s mouth riding a swan as the Goddess Saraswati, holding sacred texts in one hand and a stringed instrument in the other.

Under Saraswati’s tutelage Brahma acquired the ability to sense, think, comprehend and communicate. He began looking upon chaos with eyes of wisdom and thus saw the beautiful possibilities that lay before him. Brahma discovered the melody of mantras in the cacophony of chaos.

With Saraswati’s Wisdom, Brahma Learned How to Create the World 

The sound of mantras filled the Universe with vital energy and everything began to form: the sky dotted with stars rose to form the heavens; the sea sank into the abyss below, the earth stood in between. The sun rose and set, the moon waxed and waned, the tide flowed and ebbed. Seasons changed, seeds germinated, plants bloomed and withered to the new rhythms of life.

Saraswati was the first being in Brahma’s world. And Brahma began to look upon her with eyes of desire. Brahma could not control his desire and his infatuation for the lovely Goddess grew. He gave himself four heads facing every direction so that he could always be able to feast his eyes on Saraswati.

Saraswati moved away from Brahma, taking the form of a cow. Brahma turned into a bull and followed her. Then Saraswati changed into a mare and Brahma gave chase as a horse. Every time Saraswati turned into a bird or a beast, Brahma followed her as the corresponding male animal, thus giving life to all the creatures on earth.

Saraswati is commonly shown seated on a white swan, flowing calmly down the river of life. She is the Goddess of creativity, wisdom and the arts.

Saraswati on Swan
Saraswati on Swan
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Snowflake Wisdom

St. Vrain in Snow

February has never been my favorite month. The weather can be cold and  brutal. And snow is expected here in the Colorado Rockies today. Winter can seem endless in February. But a little story in  The 13 Original Clan Mothers stopped my winter grumbling and gave me a way to actually enjoy February.

The period of days from one new moon to the next is a moon month. According to Native American teachings, every moon month is watched over by a different Clan Mother.  Early February is within the 2nd moon month of the year; Grandmother Wisdom Keeper watches over this moon cycle. Wisdom Keeper holds the knowing that the entire history of this planet is held within the stones of Mother Earth. And that every part of nature helps hold our history.

One day in February, Grandmother Wisdom Keeper was out walking in nature and a little snowflake spoke to her.  Here is an excerpt of the Wisdom Keeper legend from Jamie Sams’ book:

“…On the Rock Person’s surface was a perfectly frozen snowflake. The intricate pattern of the snowflake seemed to float above the blue-gray of the stone’s surface.Wisdom Keeper bent closer, being careful that the warmth of her breath did not melt the frozen web suspended in the early morning frost. “Oh Snowflake,” she whispered to herself, “what a genuinely rare gift of winter you are.” 

The snowflake surprised Wisdom Keeper by answering her whispered thoughts, causing the Clan Mother’s heartbeat to quicken.

“You may call me Ice Web, Mother. When Grandmother Spider wove the web of Creation, she created Snowflakes to represent the webs of dreams that would travel from the Dreamtime to Earth, becoming living, physical experiences.”

Wisdom Keeper had never encountered a talking snowflake before. In her curiosity, the Keeper of Earth’s Records felt impelled to ask Ice Web further questions in order to fully understand the roles that the Great Mystery gave the Ice-beings of winter. “What an extraordinary mission you have, Ice Web. Will you tell me more about how your Medicine assists our Planetary Family so that I may hold that understanding for the Two-leggeds?” 

“Of course I will, Wisdom Keeper. I was preserved in frost so that my passage through your life would not go unnoticed. You must record the purpose of my role in nature so that every Child of Earth will know how her or his dreams and visions aid the spiritual growth of the whole Planetary Family. 

Mother, every one of the Children of Earth has feelings and dreams according to his or her place in the scheme and balance of nature. When combined, all of those dreams and feelings make up the needs of the Children of Earth. The snowflakes are the messengers of those needs because our bodies hold the patterns of each individual dream. When Grandfather Sun’s warmth melts our bodies into water, the feelings of the collected dreams are poured into the Earth Mother’s soil, giving her the understanding of her children’s deepest desires.”

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I LOVE this view of the world where every part of nature has a purpose and wants to help us! A world where tiny snowflakes hold our most precious dreams for us. They hold and cherish each tiny seed until our dreams can sprout and grow in the warmth of spring.

Here’s wishing that many, many snowflakes fall today. I’d like one to hold and cherish each one of my winter dreams, please!

Snow on Front Range