New Moon Intentions

1. My intentions are always high. I don't always make good on them. But every time around, I evolve a little more.

2. I had intentions of spending this evening connecting with my highest self and honoring the new moon cycle with ritual. Instead I could only manage to connect with a movie on Netflix and a bowl of freshly made [our apple trees are ridiculously abundant this year] applesauce. With almond butter.

3. I had intentions of writing a really awesome blog post about my New Moon intentions. I had intentions of going to bed early and getting 8 hours of sleep.

4. Do you see that, over there? The way the fog drifts into our little valley with the setting sun. Do you see the multitude of grays and blacks as the earth turns in the fading light? My children's delighted screams ring through the air, drowning out the song of the winter wren. I am sitting alone, blessedly, taking a still moment to reconnect with myself. The cool evening air and the beauty of it all bring me back to center.

5. I find that my new moon intentions follow a similar pattern: connect with my root [spirit]; release myself from my own expectations; live in the moment; make decisions that nourish.

6. I am in constant awe of the messages that flow through me, daily, when I am open to perceive. When I can open my mind up to every detail and see its place in the whole, blessed picture. Small lessons, personal revelations, mistakes made and learned from. How glorious that our experience can be a constant road of evolution and enlightenment. I feel gratitude.

7. I intend to be sane. I intend to be relaxed. I intend to be playful. I intend to let go. I intent to be patient, to be gentle. I intend to be full of passion and creativity. I intend to nourish myself so that I might be the greatest person I am capable of [I intend to inspire others to greatness].

8. I intend to keep singing and dancing and painting leaves and stringing beads and keeping sight of what's important. I intend to gently reject the feeling that there is more to do than I'm capable of.

9. I am very, very capable.

10. I intend to meditate and light a candle before I go to bed, so that all ritual is not lost.

11. I intend to write more blog posts.

12. I intend to see my mistakes as the blessings they are and to move forward, ever towards the light.

13. I intend to go to bed early. Tomorrow.

*Blessings*

A New Moon Ritual and Prioritizing My Joy

Saturday was the new moon. Here we are, back at the beginning [or at least, another beginning].

I love marking time by the moon. Her gentle rhythm is comforting and supportive. And as a Capricorn, I like the organization she brings to my life. For me, the new moon is a time to think about projects I want to accomplish, intentions I want to set. Celebrating the new moon with a simple ritual focuses my energy and connects me to Spirit. This is how I celebrate:

Before I begin my ceremony, I take a moment to reflect on what I want to manifest in my life. I think about my health, my creative endeavors, my relationships, my home and garden, my spirit. I write down all my intentions in a little book that lives on my altar. When I first started doing this, I set way too many intentions. It was like an impossibly long to-do list; maybe appropriate for a whole year, but definitely not a month. Since then, I've learned to limit myself to a couple of intentions for each aspect of my life.

Usually I wait for everyone to be in bed, when the house is dark and quiet [and all mine!] I light candles on my altar and smudge myself with sage to clear the energy. I then say a little prayer to the four directions [facing each direction as I go, and smudging the direction with a feather wand]:
"I send my love out the the East and the air that is my inspiration. Thank you spirits of the East for being with me tonight.
I send my love out to the South and the fire that is my passion. Thank you spirits of the South for being with me tonight.
I send my love out to the West and the water that sustains our life. Thank you spirits of the West for being with me tonight.
I send my love out to the North and the Earth who is our mother. Thank you spirits of the North for being with me tonight."

I continue on with a prayer that is my version of a traditional Navajo prayer:
"Love above me, love below me.
Love in front of me, love behind me.
Love on my left, love on my right, love in my center.
I walk a path of love."

I then ground myself with my daily meditation. And so cleansed, grounded, and surrounded by Spirit, I set my intentions. Reading each one aloud, I breathe the intention into my body, hold it in my womb space for a moment [source of creation], and then release it out into the universe.

When I have finished, I end my ceremony by releasing the spirits I have called to me. Facing each direction, I say, "Spirits of the East [South, West, North], thank you for being with me tonight. Stay if you please, go if you must, I love you and I thank you."

And then I go to bed.

There are many ways to celebrate the new moon. I encourage you to find a ritual or ceremony that resonates with you. Connect with yourself and the moon.

I do try to hold my ceremony on the actual new moon, but if I'm off by a day or so, I don't sweat it. If you missed out on Saturday or haven't yet set any intentions, it's not too late to do so.

Of the intentions I set this new moon, there is one I see as the big mama intention. It is prioritizing my joy. Making my joy a priority. This is an idea that I got from [I'm sure you know what I'm going to say by now...] Wild Feminine by Tami Lynn Kent. It seems so simple and obvious, yet how often do we really put our joy above everything else? It's so easy to get caught up in all the obligations of our lives that we forget what life is really about: enjoyment. Living in joy. I find that even when I'm doing the things I love, I'm often on automatic and not truly enjoying them.

This is my joy

Living in joy is about living with awareness. Living with awareness is about connection to Spirit. For me, that is what life is about.

Playing in skirts on a sunny day is what life is about.

So my focus this time around is on manifesting my joy. Taking time to stop and feel joyous about life. Making sure I am doing what makes me happy.

I hope you do the same.

Anthony brings me joy, and so does our new greenhouse!

*Blessings*

Our First Spring Planting: The Cycle Begins Anew

A few days ago, the new moon blessed us right before she slid over the horizon. We could see her whole form, dark in the sky, with just a tiny slice glowing bright. The time of the new moon is a time of new beginnings. The time of the new moon is a great time for starting our garden.

Spring appears to be here early this year. It was the first day of February when I noticed the first daffodils pushing their way out of the cold ground, and now things are budding all around us. My dad has been very busy in his greenhouse, starting tray after tray of new seeds. He gave us a whole beautiful flat of little peas, so strong and hopeful.

Yesterday we took advantage of a balmy, sunny morning to transplant our pea starts into their garden beds. The ground is still so wet that the only place to plant them is in a raised bed. We prepared the bed by raking some homemade fertilizer into the soil. The recipe is from my personal gardening bible.

Jai is a very enthusiastic and helpful gardener. I love working with him, but gardening with children does require one to be flexible and not too concerned about doing things perfectly right. It is a good time to practice deep breathing and to trust that all will be well.

Yasmina also delights in helping us in the garden. She loves the dirt - getting it on her hands, her face, all over her clothes.... thankfully she's over the phase of loving to eat it. She also prefers to pull the plants out of the ground rather than put them into the soil. Remember, deep breath.

She did discover that it's fun to plant them, too. 

I love sharing the wonder and miracle of life with my children. The garden is such a natural and satisfying place to do that. We talk about how the plants grow from the energy of the sun and the nutrients of the earth, and we in turn grow from the plants. A miracle, indeed.

Yesterday it was sunny and warm, and our peas got planted. Today it is cold and snowing. The peas look out bravely from their bed.

May our peas grow tall and strong. May they be nourished by the sun and the earth, and may we be nourished by the peas.     *Gratitude*