Mark Twain once said, “Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side that is never shown to anybody.” Even if you do not follow your planetary charts, you will see and feel the effects of the lunar cycle.
This month, we experience a full moon on Jan. 20, and a lunar eclipse shortly after. With so much cosmic energy to begin this New Year, this is a great time to talk about how we can achieve our dreams.
Let’s start with the coming full moon. Whether you’re looking in the Farmer’s Almanac or a Pagan calendar, you’ll find each full moon has a story associated with a moon name, usually associated with gathering or hunting.
This month, our full moon is called the “Wolf moon,” and is all about howling confidence! This is the time of year when, during colonial times, wolves would hunt and call to the moon, striving together through the cold, winter months.
How much does the full moon actually affect us? High crime rates, medical emergencies, squirming energetic children and irritated emotions have all been proven NOT to correlate with full moon cycles.
If you happen to bleed out once a month accompanied by a hormone overload, you may feel differently about the notion of humans being affected by full moon.
In Native American culture, moon time is also defined as a period of menstruation, according to experts. Native Americans believed women are either more powerful, or more contaminated, during menstruation.
Women would commonly gather in red tents during “moon time,” separated from the tribe. This was not a time of exile; this time was spent sharing hardships and life stories, and learning skills passed down from generations.
“This is a year where we as a collective consciousness are asking for more. We’re asking ourselves to break free and allow change to come forth in our communication, how we love, and what we can achieve when we work together.”
— Cheryl Weatherford
For all of us, the time right now, when the December’s full moon dissipates to the darkness of the new, is a good time to look within with calm, slow energy.
But that doesn’t mean opening up the Haagen Daas and turning on Netflix! Rather, it’s a time to dig deep into our psyche and soul, look at the darkness that is within all of us, explore our relationship to the divine, and explore what we’re looking to grow as the next full moon approaches Jan. 20.
Try the following to manifest your goals for the New Year:
• Take a hike. Being with nature allows us to see and feel all of its energetic changes. Scavenge rocks and foliage as you, taking care not to step off paths or cut from a living being.
• Write out your intentions for the year using paper, pens, crayons and other fun material. Try not to use language such as “should” or “shouldn’t.”
• Grab some soul sisters and/or brothers for a pagan gathering, perhaps including a potluck. This signifies a feast shared amongst tribes to welcome warriors home. Alcoholic drinks are ok, but for clear intentions, meditate and write BEFORE imbibing!
• Visit a local Apothecary, where you’ll find blends of herbs and oils for your drinks.
• Build a fire. Gathering the wood, and tending the flames, are communal acts. A fire is also a spiritual cleansing tool. You can also write out what you need to let go, and place it in the flames.
• Take an intentional bath or shower. Water cleanses our energetic field and as the water goes down the drain, so do our negative attachments. Set the mood for pure intuition with a guided meditation, or instrumental music.
Welcome to 2019! This is a year where we as a collective consciousness are asking for more. We’re asking ourselves to break free and allow change to come forth in our communication, how we love, and what we can achieve when we work together.
There is a time, and the time is now.
