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Use the New Moon As a Clean Slate

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new moon

There’s nothing better than a clean slate.  Perhaps clean sheets.  A clean plate.  A clean kitchen.  Clean clothes. A shower after physical exercise.  The New Moon signals a new beginning, a turning point, both the end and the beginning of a cycle.  You can use it as a catalyst for a fresh start.

The New Moon is a perfect time to begin anew

Since we are made up of over 50 percent water, it makes sense that the moon affects us just as it does the tides.  The first step to using the power of the new moon is to notice how the moon affects you.  You may not have the same response I did.  Notice when you are at your peak and when you are in rest mode.  Plan your life accordingly.

Once I realized that I come to a slow crawl as the moon wanes and that I whip into a full gallop when the moon increases, I began to use that organic timing to support my choices and my actions.

Perhaps you journal your wins during the month along with a date.  Note the difficult places along with the date. Look for a pattern and notice the stages of the moon.  Look for the pattern and use that insight to guide your choices.

Check in with yourself 

On the day of the New Moon, do the introspective work that’ll identify your starting place.

How do I feel right now? Check all levels – mental, physical and emotional.  Be honest with yourself.  This is your barometer, your starting place.

What happened in the last month?  What new insights did you uncover? What friendships did you deepen?  What did you accomplish that felt especially good? These are the gifts you were given over the past month. Offer gratitude for the gifts. These were the lessons you were given.  Give gratitude for the lessons.

What worked and what didn’t work?

The more you can distance yourself and see the patterns you’re drawn to, the more adaptable you become and the more powerful the changes you can make.

As I continue to study shamanism, I find that some types of journeys are more powerful for me than others.  Some of the ways to offer the work are more appealing than others. I get to notice that and pay attention to the work that calls to me on all levels – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

What new idea called to me? How does that align with my overarching place of service?

In shamanism, there’s an inner work transfiguration process of learning to simply radiate light from within and see and feel it moving throughout our world.  It’s very powerful and I’ve added it to my daily spiritual practice.  As I work with it, I begin to get ideas of how I can share it with others.

It may be all inner work, it may be physical-plane work with a small internet group.  It may be one-on-one work. This transfiguration work may be focused on cities and countries or a species or element.  I get to choose.  And I need to keep choosing until I find what fits me – my needs, my time, my gifts.

It’s unfolding. I watch.  I explore. I choose. And I repeat.

Release, Replace, Renew, Acquire

At the time of the New Moon, ask yourself what you need to change.

Release.  You obviously will want to release what’s not working. It could be an action or an attitude.  It could be a demanding friend or a limiting belief or a habit you want to change.  What do you need to release that’s no longer supportive of you or the direction you’re going in?  Take active steps to do this so you have room for what will replace it.

Replace. In my case, I need to replace “little movement” with “more movement.” What will that look like?  When will I do that?
Renew What have I let slide this month?  How do I put them back in?  Or do I want to?  Even though I’d like to do more vLogs, studying shamanism seems to be my priority at the moment, so it’s not yet time to renew those.

Acquire:  The more I learn, the more there is to do. So I have to choose. What’s important to me?  Where do I want to put it in my life?  What does that replace? I’ve immersed myself in the study of shamanism for nine months now.  There’s another nine-month course I can take.  Something is going to be replaced as I learn new things.

The time of the New Moon is a good time to be reflective.  What is new? What do you want to release, replace, renew and acquire?  Make a short list and let things unfold.

Tune in to what shows up in the coming month

We don’t know exactly what’ll show up in the coming month. I’m still at the “trying it on for feel” stage.  I have to leave room to explore the new opportunities that present themselves.

Figure out a gentle measuring stick for what shows up.  How does this feel?  Do I have the time?  Do I have the skills?  Will this be a more impactful way to do my work than what I’m currently doing?

Don’t be in your head too much. Allow your inner voice to guide you in exploring the new opportunities and choices that show up.

Set an overarching goal for the coming month

Perhaps you mind-map an overarching flow for the coming month. Perhaps you brainstorm ideas on your computer.  Check in with your feelings, notice the place you’re in now, and choose three steps that have a beginning, a middle and an end, steps that you’ll recognize as being completed.  Beside the steps, note how you would feel about completing these steps.

Mine, for instance, might be:

1. Continue to let the practice of shamanism unfold and be open to the doors it opens.

2. Consciously add more physical movement and more time in nature to each and every day.  Congratulate myself when I do.

3. Be open to making another one-on-one connection with a fellow light worker online.

4. Make room/time to explore whatever shows up and calls to me.

Make the objective broad rather than specific.  Then let it unfold…

Build a ceremony around your choices and set new intentions around the New Moon

This introspective work is a major part of your preparation for the New Moon.  You can ritualize it and seal your commitment if you create a Ceremony of Intention.  As it’s dark at the New Moon, you can’t go outside and make a promise to a big moon but you can light a candle or sing a song or drum or rattle or dance.  Or simply sit quietly in focused meditation. Do whatever calls to you that helps you set an intention for the month to come.

Prepare the space:

  • Give gratitude for the gifts you’ve been given
  • Set your intention for the coming months
  • Ask for insights and guidance.  Then stay silent and listen. These nudges and ah-ha’s can show up at any time.
  • Seal your intention with a promise to nurture your intention for the next 30 days.

You could do intentional ceremonies at the Full Moon too.

Add a Moon Progress Process to Your life. 

I have included a Deeper Song Process for Moon Evaluation and Intention-Setting. As I happen to love to journal, I put it at the beginning of each month so I can track, evaluate and shift.

If this seems like too much, simply circle the good days on your calendar and at the end of a moon cycle see where the high points were clustered.  Then use that knowledge to become more productive.

The New Moon gives you a fresh start, a clean slate.  What will you write on this coming month?

Deeper Song Process

Moon Evaluation and Intention Setting

What worked this month? Add dates and its place in the cycle of the moon

What didn’t work this month? Add dates and its place in the cycle of the moon

What new idea called to me? Add dates and its place in the cycle of the moon

Notice and record the pattern.  When is your most productive period? Work that knowledge into your schedule. 

What do I need to:

  • Release
  • Replace
  • Renew
  • Acquire (Learn)
  • What belief or expectation that I hold now do I want to change?

My overarching focus for this next moon cycle is:

Another quick way is to simply circle the good days on your calendar and then look back over the pattern.  

To Sing a Deeper Song Consider:

No Timetable, No Destination

Our Work in the World

How to Hold the Space for the New Vision to Emerge

The Unfolding Vision Board

Magic is Simply  a Change in Consciousness

How to Create a Fertile Field for Positive Change

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Life is a cycle of continuing changes. You can’t force change, but there are specific steps you can take to create a fertile field that will encourage positive results.

Become more self-aware

You have to know what you want. You have to know where you want to go. Take time to become more self-aware. Take time to become more reflective. Know yourself. Accept yourself. Understand yourself Begin to examine your circumstances and opportunities more closely – uncover what, how, why, who and when? What do you want? Who nourishes you? What talents do you want to develop? Knowing these answers will help you make informed choices that create the fertile environment for those changes to develop.

Enjoy the detours

Keep your mind open as you explore new options. I would never have arrived at the serenity of my current life without all the detours I’ve made in my life and the lessons I learned during my journey. I question what I discover before I decide to embrace the concept and move on, or I discard it as not being aligned with my personal path. Each time I explore a new idea I have to question the concepts I currently value. Have I grown? Have I changed?  How are my circumstances different? What choices can I make that help me move in the direction I desire? You progress by consciously building on the distance you have come and the detours you made along your journey.

Learn to utilize what you discover 

Studying a concept is just the beginning. Living it, learning to apply it to your daily life, makes you own it. Sometimes a word or phrase holds such intense appeal that it stops me in my tracks. They spark an idea or a question that I choose to explore more deeply.  What does that mean? How do I add that to my life experience?  A great deal of my writing is my way to figure out what an idea means to me and how I might embrace it. For instance, this article is written to help me figure out how I personally can build a more fertile field for positive change. Notice the ideas that call to you. Take time to figure out how you might absorb that concept in your life. Go exploring. Question what appeals to you. Select what aligns with your vision and figure out how to express it in your life.

Embrace a willingness to change

You cannot prevent yourself from changing. Change is going to happen whether you want it to or not. Begin to notice how you hang on to the old ways, keep the familiar close by, and reject anything new that shows up. Hanging on to the familiar, the past, the outdated, is hard work and only makes the natural on-going process of change more difficult. When you embrace change, when you accept change, when you are willing to let go of the safe and familiar in order to go exploring in whatever shows up, you will find unexpected insights, welcome support, and the peace that comes from allowing life to organically unfold.

Re-choose your values and principles

As you grow more experienced and become better at defining yourself, you may elevate new values and principles to guide you. “Mindfulness” is a quality I’ve often thought about along my journey, but only in the past years have I made it one of the top qualities I embrace. The principle of “unfolding” is turning my life around as I learn to let go and simply shape things as they come. What values and principles are relevant in your life today?

At every crossroads tale time to rethink

A major change always calls for a re-evaluation. When I retired, I had a difficult time redefining myself. I was no longer my business. Then who was I? How can I express my life purpose in these new circumstances? What values and qualities do I want to have at the forefront of my life for this next portion of my journey? It’s important to do some soul searching when you begin a new cycle of change to see what you have and determine what you want. There are cycles within cycles. Identify where you are and watch for the crossroads where great change is possible because of the opportunities you see and the choices you make.

Seek alignment 

When you move through life with conscious awareness, the world becomes richer. You become more observant of what you say and think and do. You understand how profoundly those choices affect your life and the responses of others. When you become more aware of how you are perceived by others you discover aspects of yourself you might choose to adjust. Question your beliefs to decide if they are still meaningful and relevant to your life. Tune in to your surroundings and monitor your responses for their appropriateness. As you align yourself with your values, principles, goals and circumstance, you learn to cherish and utilize the freedom you have to choose your own destiny.

Develop self-discipline

You are the only person who can change your life. Your decisions, your choices, and your actions reflect in the life you lead today.  If something is not working – change it. Self-discipline is about perseverance, resolve and determination. It is about taking small steps that move you nearer your goal.  It is about finding what works for you, what you are willing to do, and wanting to achieve the final result so deeply that every choice you make keeps you moving toward it.

Cultivate your fertile field

Nurture the growth that appears in your life. Cultivate it, feed it, water it, and give it room to grow. In my fertile field, I grow more patience with my own unfolding process. I have tossed aside goals and objectives and simply allow my writing projects to unfold in their own unique time. I am more aware of how others perceive me and I continue to soften some edges. I am nurturing my body, my mind and my spirit as I add, subtract, and try out new approaches to my self-nurturing process.

Each new growth has a purpose

Are there weeds in your fertile field of change? A weed is simply a plant that is growing somewhere you don’t want it to be. What makes a weed undesirable is that it chokes off other plants, it takes over, it is more aggressive than other plants. I examine each new “plant” that grows in my field and decide where it best fits into my overall field of change. Then I transplant, or prune or discard it according to the change I want to accept in my life. What are you actively cultivating in your own field of change?

The Road Taken, the Choices Made

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“Everything we do in life forms a road” says Deng Ming-Dao in Everyday Tao.  We determine our personal path by the choices we make. Our paths may cross, we may even walk a ways together, but we are not walking in each other’s footsteps and at some point, we go our separate ways. “You can only progress by building on the distance you have come.”

You can’t go back

You can’t start over.  It is useless to have regrets about what did or didn’t happen.  What’s done, is done. You cannot take a different fork in the road, your past cannot be changed.  What you have is the present and the lessons you learned by the choices you made. That is where you begin.  “Now” is the foundation upon which you build this next part of your journey.

You did your best in that moment

Whatever choices you made were determined in the moment by what you knew, what you believed, who you were and what you needed.  For better or worse, you made a choice.  If you gave thought to your choice and it seemed right at the time, you did what you should have done.  Don’t look back.  If you followed your intuition, or acted on impulse, that was the right choice at the time. Don’t wish you could change it. The choices you made are what makes you who you are in this moment.  Mistakes were your lessons.  Accomplishments built your self-esteem.  All the choices you have made in your lifetime have gone into making the present You.

You constantly choose your destiny

“Just by choosing where you stand, you alter your destiny,” explains Deng Ming-Dao in 365 Tao Daily Meditations.  “Those who follow Tao define destiny as the course or pattern of your life as it spontaneously takes shape.” Spontaneously takes shape – in the moment – not something predestined, not some goal we set out to achieve.  Our destiny is shaped by the choices we make in each moment, whether it is a spontaneous response or a choice built on past experience and foundational values.  Your past choices were influenced by your personality, how you related to your parents and siblings, where you went to school, what job you took, what relationships you had, who your friends are, how you spend your days. Every choice affects your destiny.  Destiny is not a place further ahead, destiny is in this very moment of choice.

Your choices built your foundation

If you let go of everything in this moment, what would you have left?  You would have your values, your experience, and your beliefs. You would have the skills and knowledge you have accumulated.  You would have the strength and awareness you have gradually achieved over your lifetime.  You stand on an individulized foundation upon which to build this next portion of your personal journey. Go forward from here and now.

The only reason to look back is to clarify your lessons

I recently ran across a Gratitude Book I once kept.  In it, I had written the positive things people said about me.  I was amazed and bolstered when it’s content reminded  me how positively some people saw me.  I had forgotten how I was perceived.  I had even forgotten some of the valuable ways I had contributed. It increased my self-confidence and even reminded me of ways I used to serve. But that was then.  This is now. Don’t dwell on the past, simply take its lessons and its praise and move on from here.

Make conscious choices

When I desire to gain personal clarity, I sit down and actively take stock of what I have going for me and what I’d like to change. I take a “Tao Tally” in which I answer three questions: What has shifted for me this week? What insights have I gained? What will I focus on the coming week? That focus is usually a quality like unfolding, mindfulness, compassion, serenity, something intangible but with the capacity to guide the choices I make.

Allow your life to spontaneously unfold

Your life is not predestined; it is determined by each choice you make. That means you can change direction in any moment simply by the choice you make in your words and actions.