Earth Mother Moon Journal Issue 9
New Moon in Capricorn Thursday January 18
Imbolc/Candlemas February 2
New Moon in Capricorn Thursday January 18
Imbolc/Candlemas February 2
Growing with balance... My thoughts
We have entered a new year, a time where we are all looking to start fresh and begin a new! I find that growth is best balanced with some careful reflection. It is all too easy for me to pick up new activities without letting go of the old. Balance is an important lesson in my life, and I've been having quite a few lessons in that lately. I am finding that when I let go of something I've been holding on to that no longer serves me, it is a short time before a refreshing joy hits me. Now there is space for my bliss, for joy, for this new growth. I love that! But it's still a challenge the next time I realize I need to let go of something to make room for new again...
This months journal points out the importance of nurturing ourselves and others. The importance of finding, again, a balance between giving and receiving- we need both to survive. And when we are giving and receiving, can we do this in the balance of being independent, not codependent? This journal shares also the importance of creativity. When we come to a time of the year when the light is beginning to return, warmth is slowly coming, there is the realization spring will come!!!- when we get to this place, often we are ready to express ourselves and come out into the world for spring. I encourage you to read this months journal and remember that all of your expressions are important, and to let go of the judgments of others. That creativity, creative expression- itself is divine.
You, yourself are divine, as are those around you, and the world around you. I honor that light within you, and within myself by saying,
Namaste,
Calesta Ana
ps. There are some changes to the site! I encourage you to check out my new classes being offered.
We have entered a new year, a time where we are all looking to start fresh and begin a new! I find that growth is best balanced with some careful reflection. It is all too easy for me to pick up new activities without letting go of the old. Balance is an important lesson in my life, and I've been having quite a few lessons in that lately. I am finding that when I let go of something I've been holding on to that no longer serves me, it is a short time before a refreshing joy hits me. Now there is space for my bliss, for joy, for this new growth. I love that! But it's still a challenge the next time I realize I need to let go of something to make room for new again...
This months journal points out the importance of nurturing ourselves and others. The importance of finding, again, a balance between giving and receiving- we need both to survive. And when we are giving and receiving, can we do this in the balance of being independent, not codependent? This journal shares also the importance of creativity. When we come to a time of the year when the light is beginning to return, warmth is slowly coming, there is the realization spring will come!!!- when we get to this place, often we are ready to express ourselves and come out into the world for spring. I encourage you to read this months journal and remember that all of your expressions are important, and to let go of the judgments of others. That creativity, creative expression- itself is divine.
You, yourself are divine, as are those around you, and the world around you. I honor that light within you, and within myself by saying,
Namaste,
Calesta Ana
ps. There are some changes to the site! I encourage you to check out my new classes being offered.
Astrology for the Month
New Moon in Capricorn:
This month the tone is set by the new moon being in Capricorn. The energy is feminine and earthy. It encourages the need for structure, discipline and organization. It is a good time to set goals and plan for the future, tend to family business, and take care of details that involve patience- institutional activities are favored. This sign should be avoided if you're seeking favors from authority.
Sun in Aquarius:
Quoted from Llwelleyn's 2007 Moon Sign Book:
"The Sun will be in Aquarius from January 20 to February 18. After the limitation we experienced in many ways during the past month, the desire to break free is strong. Perhaps it is the energy of Aquarius and Uranus, its ruler, that moves so many of us to take vacations in foreign destinations at this time of year. Aquarius opposes Leo, the sun's home, and we are drawn, like bees to honey, to the nurturing warmth of places where the Sun reigns supreme.
New Moon in Capricorn:
This month the tone is set by the new moon being in Capricorn. The energy is feminine and earthy. It encourages the need for structure, discipline and organization. It is a good time to set goals and plan for the future, tend to family business, and take care of details that involve patience- institutional activities are favored. This sign should be avoided if you're seeking favors from authority.
Sun in Aquarius:
Quoted from Llwelleyn's 2007 Moon Sign Book:
"The Sun will be in Aquarius from January 20 to February 18. After the limitation we experienced in many ways during the past month, the desire to break free is strong. Perhaps it is the energy of Aquarius and Uranus, its ruler, that moves so many of us to take vacations in foreign destinations at this time of year. Aquarius opposes Leo, the sun's home, and we are drawn, like bees to honey, to the nurturing warmth of places where the Sun reigns supreme.
January New Moon- Milk Moon
The following is quoted from the Book "Earth Time Moon Time" by Annette Hinshaw pages 77-87:
Stage: Growth
The Feast of Imbolc normally occurs during this moon. Imbolc is the beginning of spring in the old calendar. the equivalent feast on the Christian calendar is Candlemas (February 2).
As milk flows fitfully at first from a new mother's breasts, so the Earth shows the first signs of the coming renewal of spring. The Mother will nurture us. The cold may be bitter today, but a blanket of snow insulates the waiting seeds from its full force....
The energies of the Milk Moon revolve around two issues. We must find what we need to continue, not just what we need to survive, but what we need to thrive. We must also discover how to pass on the nurturing we received to a new generation, and by extension, to all humanity. This moon deals with both giving and receiving, and with the appropriate balances between them as we travel through our lives.... Most Milk Moon challenges center on the interrelationships between our own needs and the needs of others. Our first and most important task in working with Milk Moon energies is to recognize that both our own desires and the desires of others are valid, and that they are connected rather than separate. In the worlds of John Donne, "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main...' We have to begin with nurturing ourselves, and with learning to distinguish between what we must have to thrive and what is mearly our desire. As a starving person has no energy for spiritual matters, so we cannot nurture others until we are whole enough to build resources beyond our own requirements for physical and emotional surivival. When we fail to distinguish between our own needs and what we merely desire, we also fail to make valid judgements as to what resources we have available to help others.
If you tend to neglect self-nurture, practice being selfish. Remind yourself again and again that you are as worthy of time and resources as others are. If you tend to the self-indulgent side, you may have to remind yourself that we're all in this together. On a broader scale, our sense of wholeness and identity arise from our relationships with those around us, and, by extension, the whole human community... As in many human experiences we have an endless, chicken-or-the-egg situation. We are able to love because we are loved; we are unlikely to receive love unless we offer it.
The knottiest issues associated with Milk Moon energies revolve around the changing mix of giving and not giving to nurture growth from dependence to independence. The most obvious place for this pertains is with children, but the same pattern occurs in many other place. Any adult who encourages inappropriate dependence from another adult, or demands inappropriate support, displays this imbalance. Such relationships can develop between marriage partners, friends, or coworkers. Disentangling from such affiliations requires discipline, and sometimes a hardened heart.
Questions for yourself this moon: How do you nurture yourself? Are the means you use sufficient to renew your physical and spiritual energies? What nurturing do you receive from others, do you need it and want it? Do you take responsibility for communicating your needs and desires to others, and is what you ask for what you really want? How do you nurture others, and how do you know what you give is what they need and want? Do you ever offer to give what you cannot afford to give- if so, why and what actions can you take to avoid overdrawing your resources?
Creativity
My creative expression is expanding, and has been since early last year. I've realized that for me as a human I need to go with this instinct, flow with it, in all it's many forms. I am creating as a way of being- as a way of connecting with the divine around me and in myself. I am finding myself opening up completely to the idea of being a creative human being, needing to create, and allowing that expression to come out in so many ways. It's funny, because one lesson I learned this month is "just because you are good at it doesn't mean you are meant to do it". I heard this several times in response to a music class I could take that would likely not give me the pleasure I was getting in many other venues. The reason I wasn't having fun was the atmosphere of pressure... when, to be honest, I've gotten very used to my women's world of support and uplifting each other. I wanted to be able to combine both music and this sense of nonpressure, and support. Someday I may be able to create this environment, but for now, I'm leaving the door open and focusing on the work in front of me. Which brings me back to that saying- that I didn't have to do something just because I was good at it. I wonder if the reverse is true- just because you aren't good at something doesn't mean you aren't meant to do it. Hmmmm... makes me think... And what does not being good actually mean? According to who? I have to thank a group of local artists who recommended a book to me, showing me that artists really are everybody in our own ways. The following quotation is from that book "On Becoming An Artist, Reinventing yourself through Mindful Creativity" By Ellen J. Langer, P. 118-119, and then again on page 43. I hope you find it as inspiring as I did!!
But Is It Art?
The philosopher George Dickie has argued that "art" is whatever the art world takes to be Art. Is our definition of Art really so dynamic and inclusive? I think that pragmatic concerns tend to govern us in insidious ways. If there is limited space in museums and galleries, limits are necessarily put on what we call Art at any point in history. But when we build a new museum, the prevailing criteria still tend to hold. Similarly, what we consider a disease is in part determined by insurance companies, based on their ability to fund treatment. If our symptoms are not part of their definition, we may suffer more than just the absence of reimbursement. We may question whether the symptoms are real, as many did who suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome before it was legitimized. When space opens up in a museum or critics look for something new in the art world, Marcel Duchamp can buy a snow shovel, ,title it In Advance of the broken Arm, and it is deemed Art. We too are able to engage the world around us mindfully. We can look for and find aesthetic value in almost anything, and we can appreciate it as Art. We need not be limited by the opinions of 'experts' who in turn are limited by what they perceive to be limited resources."
And so, reading this... if we realize what we are wanting to do is art (any type of art now, I mean writing, music visual, gardening, designing, moving, etc. for my husband this is doing work on the computer, or work with his hands building, for each person our art is unique), because it is expression of ourselves and our world- then what keeps us from doing it or sharing it?
"The most common reason we hesitate when presented with the opportunity to express ourselves creatively is our fear of other people's negative opinions. studies show that people form evaluations based on their own needs, but we tend to accept other people's evaluations as though they were objective. It's not easy to try something without knowing the outcome, but mindfulness can teach us that not knowing the outcome is actually preferable and that, regardless the evaluations of others- both good and bad- are not really objective and needn't shape our choices."
That's my encouragement for you this month. Get out there and express yourself- create are knowing that all art is an equal expression... forget (for a moment atleast) the judgments of others, remembering that expression is simply divine.
HERB of the Month: Blackberry
This month I chose an herb that was considered sacred to the Goddess of the month, Brigid. The following is from the book "Cunnigham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs" by Scott Cunningham pages 57-58:
Blackberry
Folk Names: Bly, bramble, bramble-kite, bumble-kite, cloudberry, dewberry, goutberry, high blackberry, thimbleberry
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Deity: Brigit
Powers: Healing, Money, Protection
Ritual Uses: Blackberry was considered to be sacred to some of the old Pagan deities of Europe, and was used in worship.
Magical uses: The blackberry leaves are used in spells of wealth as are the berries themselves, and the vines are protective if grown.
The blackberry plant is also used to heal scalds by dipping nine blackberry leaves in spring water and then laying them against the wound gently, while saying the following chant three times to each leaf (27 times in all):
Three ladies came from the east,
One with fire and two with frost
Out with fire, in with frost.
This is an old invocation to Brigit, the ancient Celtic Goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft.
Goddess of the Month: Brigid
This Goddess is perfect for this time of year! Her sacred festival is this moon month (the lunar date falls on the new moon of January 18th, the solar date is on February 1 or 2). She is a Goddess of creativity as well, which is an important part of the journal this month, and a part of all of our lives. Here is a bit of information on Brigid:
"She had her chief shrine in Kildare where her vigil fire was kept perpetually burning, tended by a group of unmarried priestesses know as Inghean an Dagha, Daughters of Fire. With the Christianizing of Ireland, Brigid became St Brigid and her holy offices were taken over by nuns. The nuns continued to tend the sacred flame until the late thirteenth century, when the Bishop of Kildare decreed that the custom should be suppressed because it was Pagan, as indeed it was. However, it was not until the sixteenth century that the flame was finally put out- but not for long. Irish religious sisters based in Kildare have revived the custom and are holding celebrations on Brigid's feast day at the beginning of February as part of an annual conference on justice. Conference delegates of all spiritual traditions and local people attend the Brigid rituals." (from "A Woman's Guide to the Earth Traditions by Vivianne Crowley")
I wrote a webpage about Brigid last spring which you can review here if you like more information: http://earthmotheryoga.com/brigid/
I wish you the best during this Moon Time:)
Feel free to email me using the contact form.
<< Previous Moon Journal Entry
Next Moon Journal Entry >>
The following is quoted from the Book "Earth Time Moon Time" by Annette Hinshaw pages 77-87:
Stage: Growth
The Feast of Imbolc normally occurs during this moon. Imbolc is the beginning of spring in the old calendar. the equivalent feast on the Christian calendar is Candlemas (February 2).
As milk flows fitfully at first from a new mother's breasts, so the Earth shows the first signs of the coming renewal of spring. The Mother will nurture us. The cold may be bitter today, but a blanket of snow insulates the waiting seeds from its full force....
The energies of the Milk Moon revolve around two issues. We must find what we need to continue, not just what we need to survive, but what we need to thrive. We must also discover how to pass on the nurturing we received to a new generation, and by extension, to all humanity. This moon deals with both giving and receiving, and with the appropriate balances between them as we travel through our lives.... Most Milk Moon challenges center on the interrelationships between our own needs and the needs of others. Our first and most important task in working with Milk Moon energies is to recognize that both our own desires and the desires of others are valid, and that they are connected rather than separate. In the worlds of John Donne, "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main...' We have to begin with nurturing ourselves, and with learning to distinguish between what we must have to thrive and what is mearly our desire. As a starving person has no energy for spiritual matters, so we cannot nurture others until we are whole enough to build resources beyond our own requirements for physical and emotional surivival. When we fail to distinguish between our own needs and what we merely desire, we also fail to make valid judgements as to what resources we have available to help others.
If you tend to neglect self-nurture, practice being selfish. Remind yourself again and again that you are as worthy of time and resources as others are. If you tend to the self-indulgent side, you may have to remind yourself that we're all in this together. On a broader scale, our sense of wholeness and identity arise from our relationships with those around us, and, by extension, the whole human community... As in many human experiences we have an endless, chicken-or-the-egg situation. We are able to love because we are loved; we are unlikely to receive love unless we offer it.
The knottiest issues associated with Milk Moon energies revolve around the changing mix of giving and not giving to nurture growth from dependence to independence. The most obvious place for this pertains is with children, but the same pattern occurs in many other place. Any adult who encourages inappropriate dependence from another adult, or demands inappropriate support, displays this imbalance. Such relationships can develop between marriage partners, friends, or coworkers. Disentangling from such affiliations requires discipline, and sometimes a hardened heart.
Questions for yourself this moon: How do you nurture yourself? Are the means you use sufficient to renew your physical and spiritual energies? What nurturing do you receive from others, do you need it and want it? Do you take responsibility for communicating your needs and desires to others, and is what you ask for what you really want? How do you nurture others, and how do you know what you give is what they need and want? Do you ever offer to give what you cannot afford to give- if so, why and what actions can you take to avoid overdrawing your resources?
Creativity
My creative expression is expanding, and has been since early last year. I've realized that for me as a human I need to go with this instinct, flow with it, in all it's many forms. I am creating as a way of being- as a way of connecting with the divine around me and in myself. I am finding myself opening up completely to the idea of being a creative human being, needing to create, and allowing that expression to come out in so many ways. It's funny, because one lesson I learned this month is "just because you are good at it doesn't mean you are meant to do it". I heard this several times in response to a music class I could take that would likely not give me the pleasure I was getting in many other venues. The reason I wasn't having fun was the atmosphere of pressure... when, to be honest, I've gotten very used to my women's world of support and uplifting each other. I wanted to be able to combine both music and this sense of nonpressure, and support. Someday I may be able to create this environment, but for now, I'm leaving the door open and focusing on the work in front of me. Which brings me back to that saying- that I didn't have to do something just because I was good at it. I wonder if the reverse is true- just because you aren't good at something doesn't mean you aren't meant to do it. Hmmmm... makes me think... And what does not being good actually mean? According to who? I have to thank a group of local artists who recommended a book to me, showing me that artists really are everybody in our own ways. The following quotation is from that book "On Becoming An Artist, Reinventing yourself through Mindful Creativity" By Ellen J. Langer, P. 118-119, and then again on page 43. I hope you find it as inspiring as I did!!
But Is It Art?
The philosopher George Dickie has argued that "art" is whatever the art world takes to be Art. Is our definition of Art really so dynamic and inclusive? I think that pragmatic concerns tend to govern us in insidious ways. If there is limited space in museums and galleries, limits are necessarily put on what we call Art at any point in history. But when we build a new museum, the prevailing criteria still tend to hold. Similarly, what we consider a disease is in part determined by insurance companies, based on their ability to fund treatment. If our symptoms are not part of their definition, we may suffer more than just the absence of reimbursement. We may question whether the symptoms are real, as many did who suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome before it was legitimized. When space opens up in a museum or critics look for something new in the art world, Marcel Duchamp can buy a snow shovel, ,title it In Advance of the broken Arm, and it is deemed Art. We too are able to engage the world around us mindfully. We can look for and find aesthetic value in almost anything, and we can appreciate it as Art. We need not be limited by the opinions of 'experts' who in turn are limited by what they perceive to be limited resources."
And so, reading this... if we realize what we are wanting to do is art (any type of art now, I mean writing, music visual, gardening, designing, moving, etc. for my husband this is doing work on the computer, or work with his hands building, for each person our art is unique), because it is expression of ourselves and our world- then what keeps us from doing it or sharing it?
"The most common reason we hesitate when presented with the opportunity to express ourselves creatively is our fear of other people's negative opinions. studies show that people form evaluations based on their own needs, but we tend to accept other people's evaluations as though they were objective. It's not easy to try something without knowing the outcome, but mindfulness can teach us that not knowing the outcome is actually preferable and that, regardless the evaluations of others- both good and bad- are not really objective and needn't shape our choices."
That's my encouragement for you this month. Get out there and express yourself- create are knowing that all art is an equal expression... forget (for a moment atleast) the judgments of others, remembering that expression is simply divine.
HERB of the Month: Blackberry
This month I chose an herb that was considered sacred to the Goddess of the month, Brigid. The following is from the book "Cunnigham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs" by Scott Cunningham pages 57-58:
Blackberry
Folk Names: Bly, bramble, bramble-kite, bumble-kite, cloudberry, dewberry, goutberry, high blackberry, thimbleberry
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Deity: Brigit
Powers: Healing, Money, Protection
Ritual Uses: Blackberry was considered to be sacred to some of the old Pagan deities of Europe, and was used in worship.
Magical uses: The blackberry leaves are used in spells of wealth as are the berries themselves, and the vines are protective if grown.
The blackberry plant is also used to heal scalds by dipping nine blackberry leaves in spring water and then laying them against the wound gently, while saying the following chant three times to each leaf (27 times in all):
Three ladies came from the east,
One with fire and two with frost
Out with fire, in with frost.
This is an old invocation to Brigit, the ancient Celtic Goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft.
Goddess of the Month: Brigid
This Goddess is perfect for this time of year! Her sacred festival is this moon month (the lunar date falls on the new moon of January 18th, the solar date is on February 1 or 2). She is a Goddess of creativity as well, which is an important part of the journal this month, and a part of all of our lives. Here is a bit of information on Brigid:
"She had her chief shrine in Kildare where her vigil fire was kept perpetually burning, tended by a group of unmarried priestesses know as Inghean an Dagha, Daughters of Fire. With the Christianizing of Ireland, Brigid became St Brigid and her holy offices were taken over by nuns. The nuns continued to tend the sacred flame until the late thirteenth century, when the Bishop of Kildare decreed that the custom should be suppressed because it was Pagan, as indeed it was. However, it was not until the sixteenth century that the flame was finally put out- but not for long. Irish religious sisters based in Kildare have revived the custom and are holding celebrations on Brigid's feast day at the beginning of February as part of an annual conference on justice. Conference delegates of all spiritual traditions and local people attend the Brigid rituals." (from "A Woman's Guide to the Earth Traditions by Vivianne Crowley")
I wrote a webpage about Brigid last spring which you can review here if you like more information: http://earthmotheryoga.com/brigid/
I wish you the best during this Moon Time:)
Feel free to email me using the contact form.
<< Previous Moon Journal Entry
Next Moon Journal Entry >>