Life is full of different view points, perspectives and experiences. A common ground though is that no one is immune to the experiences of life. Some of us will have moments where we are in a deep dive of darkness. Some of us have moments that elevate us at a level that assures us that life is full of joy, love, and serenity. Some of us won’t experience much more than what sits on the surface. Some of us will disassociate from all that is being offered. Some of us will experience things I can not even comprehend. Some of us will embrace this wild dance and stand on the ground of deep trust and continue to rise regardless of what life is offering.
Whatever experience you are perceiving will be deeply impacted by the inner and outer world. For me, establishing clear intention boundaries fueled from your own light deep within your heart or essence allows us to traverse these sacred grounds.
If you went to the dictionary to look up the definition of boundary it would give you two perspectives. One on the side of indicating a line of limitation and another explaining the greatest possible degree of something. Evidence that duality can sit in the eye of the perceiver. Sometimes we need boundaries to limit, protect or insulate our engagement and well, sometimes we need boundaries to remind us of our amazing potential. Bottom line, boundaries keep us safe, insulated and allows us to create optimal relationships with our life and those with whom we live.
We have the boundary of our home, walls and a roof, some windows, all to house our intimate engagements in life – eating, sleeping – you know, basic survival needs. Then there is the boundary of the year that we frame our life – anyone celebrating another year of life this year? Our birthday marks the moments we entered this world relying on our own ability to receive the breath of life. Each year is marked by a journey around the sun with one accumulating after another. In addition you can break it down into seasons, months, weeks, days, even breaths. The boundaries give us a point of measurement to reflect back and have a direct experience with what we are perceiving, conceiving, even believing. Our skin is even an amazing boundary as it keeps all of our insides inside. What’s happening on the inside is part of the whole and determines what pulls us or calls us to step forward in life. When you initiate that path with the light of your innermost intrinsic self having clear boundaries and practices to support your souls light and growth will guide your way on in a way that feels aligned and inspired, bringing forward meaning and a sense of purpose.
While we tend to measure and schedule our life based on the light of the sun, the moon is also a deeply potent way of connecting to the experience of our life. The moon reflects the light of the sun and orbits around the rock we know as Earth (thank you Dr Dukes for that astronomy class back in college and the handsome boy that asked me if I had ever watched the moon rise) and also gives great evidence of the ability to renew our energy.
The sun is a big ball of fire constant in our sky, steady, ever present and allowing for the creative expression of the sustainability of humanity. Humanity orients its engagement with each other based on the vitality of the sun alongside the fluctuation of the sacred breath. The Earth continues to orbit around the sun because of so much including a powerful steady rock. This rock is the moon which symbolically reflects our own potential in a great vibrant display of pure beauty. The moon reminds us that when all is deeply aligned you can be can guided through the darkest night. Living with the lunar rhythm is the boundary of the moon. Her cycle is the line in which we can contain our great capacity to expand and renew our sacred essence.
There are some great teachers that I have studied with over the years. What they have all reminded me is that the moon is the reflection of the inner light, and each phase provides reflective guidance in the ways we can tune in and remember and express own potential.
The great astrologists will look to the moon to understand how to anchor your emotions and understand how you love, nurture and care for yourself and this life. In my own life the moon fascinated me from the first moment I saw her in the sky. Always traveling with me and I spent many a nights talking to the moon long before I ever knew all I know now. Now, here I am sharing with you how much I orient my life with this rhythm in the hopes that you can tune into a cycle that honors you, and allows you to stand in your light as well.
The many different examples of life that parallels the cycle of the moon. A women’s menstrual cycle, the food seasons, the gestation of a human being, even our breath. All of this is just more evidence in the renewability. The way to attune our life to a rhythm that provides purpose, productive, pause and poise is reflected in the cycle of this rock that keeps our planet encircling the steady fire that provides life itself.
If we are willing to allow the cycle of the moon to create boundaries and direction based which surface every month, through every season, again and again so deeply consistent, your life will radically transform with a greater purpose, sense of fulfillment and deep satisfaction. You won’t feel so lost or confused as there is always guidance to lean into to help guide you in the moment, so you can stay the course.
This intentional way of living gives you space to step inward and tune into the light and guidance within you comfortably as you can trust you are being held and guided by a source greater then all else. We find more patience and ease with the ways life fluctuates and in the moments that appear so dark we know we are actually being held by the great light of consciousness. This cosmic guide book is available to anyone and everyone that is interested in grounding their light in the daily unfoldment of the mundane. I deeply believe that the universe is the handwriting of God and am incredibly grateful for the night sky as it has helped me on so many occasions.
One of the biggest results I have experienced in living this way, the seeds I plant in life come to fruition in a way that bears great joy and also allows me to honor closure, good byes all the while tending to my own sacred soil and those around me. Farmers plant this way with great success as well.
These words barely begin to convey the renewal of energy that becomes available to you. It only taps on the surface of how much more aligned your life becomes and really is just an introduction. But if I keep unpacking all that is possible living with this rhythm, I mine as well write a book!
There are 8 phases of the moon but for simplicity and manageability we will start with just the four major points of a lunar cycle. It is easier to conceive and usually parallels our regular weekly flow making it easier to incorporate into daily living. The universe holds so much depth but lets just start by paying attention and mindfully noticing the great beautiful light of love guiding your way on.
Aligning with the boundary of the moon: New, Waxing, Full, Waining
New: When the moon is traveling with the sun in the sky. It rises with the sun and sets with the sun so we are unable to see the moon at all when it is new. It marks the beginning of a cycle and assures us that when we take time to care for ourselves, slow down, rest, and tune into our own sense of vitality and source that sustains us, all will be well. It is a beautiful time to not engage as much with the world as all the external distractions block the whisper of our hearts. Tuning into our own innate wisdom at this time will create a powerful intention to guide us for the next 28 days (and six months, and sometimes depending on the lunar season years to come). Each month we are reminded to get clear on what matters most to us and breath newness into any area that is calling for change, shift or transformation.
Waxing: This is where the moon stays its course and creates distance from the light of the sun. You can catch the waxing crescent just after the sun sets which is the perfect time to anchor and clarify any intention for the cycle. Many years ago this moment was greatly celebrated as it promised hope of renewal seeing as the moon could not be found the night before. Each night the moon will linger in the sky a little longer assuring us the great light continues to be steady and our own expression of this light is being supported to stand on it’s own. In this phase you have the waxing crescent, first quarter and waxing gibbous. Each of these remind us to stay the course regardless of the bumps we encounter, hang out with those supporting and encouraging our dreams, reflect on what is and isn’t working, adjust accordingly without loosing sight of what matters most – right now, this cycle so that you can enjoy and receive all that is coming into alignment. As the moon moves towards FULL the energy just before is really charge. It’s like the moon is being cheered on by all the other stars in the sky as it is about to reach the deep depth of it’s journey.
Full: When the moon rises at the exact same time that the sun sets and will then set at the exact same time the sun rises. You probably have been struck by a moon rise at some point in your life when it speaks boldly to even the biggest skeptic. It is when the earth stands between the sun and moon and the moon is far in the sun’s shadow illuminating the dark night in a very sweet, soft and radiant way. Talk about alignment. Receive all your efforts, the powerful breakthroughs, and that you are at the peak of creativity for this cycle. Because the moon reflects our inner being, is associated with the emotional landscape, what ever emotion is strongest right now will dictate your experience. You may not be out howling at the moon, but people tend to do things without thinking them all the way through or creating enough space to feel what sits beneath the surface in our unconscious and well, you just might end up in jail or in a puddle of tears on the dance floor or your bathroom. It is a beautiful time to celebrate, honor, offer up deep appreciation on all that has come to fruition in this relatively short time and embody all that you are in this moment – feel all the feels, nurture deeply and lean into your intuition! This culmination offers powerful insight to what is wanting to be celebrated and then in it’s full radiance gives deep insight into want wants to be healed.
Waining: The moon almost gets sleepy rising later and later in the night and lingering in the early morning. You have the waxing gibbous, third quarter and waxing crescent in this phase of the cycle. When the moon begins to fade, the energetic momentum begins to slow down calling us to a space of renewal and nourishment. During this phase the energy of the moon reminds us to ease up on any expectation, forgive ourselves and others, surrender to the greater flow of life and renew. The moon after all reflects the way we love, so this is a serious time for self love, self care and nourishing. You were able to feel all that you needed to feel and now it is time to heal all that needs to be healed. Rest, relax and renew some more so that you can remember the great journey you’ve embarked. This will help you own what is holding you back and how you are engaging with that energy. It is an invitation to release what is no longer working, reorganize, see what you have gained and how you want to grow and evolve moving forward. When the night appears dark once more you can deeply trust in your intrinsic worth and that you have been invited once again to be held in the great light of your own heart and the great light of consciousness. This is a beautiful time to clean up, see the opportunities for growth, ease up on your schedule and know that so much more is working in your favor though it appears the cycle is coming to a close.
Void of Course: The moon travels through the different signs of the zodiac every lunation. Yes all 12 signs, always the same pattern every year, and within the cycle it travels through each sign as well every 2-3 days. It is really really fascinating, incredibly abstract and totally logical, but I am not going to unpack that right now. Rather just know that the moon every few days invites us to turn in as we are on the journey regardless of what phase we are in. Commit to getting quite, listening to the wisdom within and intentionally choose to not overly engage beyond basic needs with the world around you. Meditate, shower, read, journal, sleep, dream, spend time in nature, create some art – regular renewal sessions that support you as ultimately you hold authority in the way you dance through life.
When we look at the moon and these four basic aspects we see a beautiful song to dance to in our life, we create emotional awareness that feeds our own emotional intelligence. These emotions reflect the song of your heart and the boundary of the moon allows you to honor your own rhythm. It creates a sense of belonging and a path back to peace.
Wildly it is incredibly scientific and deeply spiritual at the same time. Many religions orient holidays around the cycle of the moon. Easter, for example, happens after the first full moon of the astrological calendar, this is why it is different every year. Rosh Hashonah happens on a new moon to mark the Jewish New Year and there are many more examples as well. If you were to look at your astrological birth chart, your own moon sign can even hold more insight than the commonly discussed sun sign. While I am a Gemini Sun (I love to communicate!) I am a Cancer Moon (I love to nurture and guide with deep love) which is why I have always looked to the moon to remind me of the great love in life.
By being in a stronger dialogue with the moon’s phases we can feel a boundary to feel safe as we engage with our own inner light. What I am so deeply committed to is helping you trust in your light at a level that you can own the sacred essence you are, embrace the miracle of life and elevate the deep appreciation of being true – being you!
If you want to join me in a journey of the moon this month I’ll be sharing lunar updates in the facebook group MINDFULLY YOU. Come join this private group and feel deeply supported on your journey of life. You are also invited to email me and even leave a comment regarding what you love about the moon bellow.