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Upcoming New Harvest Moon 2024
The next New Moon will be a ‘Harvest Supermoon’, and what a time to be breaking down old things, and preparing to begin anew! We are in the midst of cleaning out and packing up ahead of our sale of our coastal home… for a move towards mountains in mid-October. At the same time, I continue addressing chronic health issues, and not the least – my goal of assessing and culling practices in my spiritual life.
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Inward Bound
I am thinking quite a bit about the Osho quote I noted in my last post. A number of other spiritual concepts have since surfaced (one that was rather starkly predicted in a card reading before the new moon). I am willing myself to be open, and to follow the Dao / Spirit wherever she leads me. At this juncture, I am inclined to turn inward in my spiritual life, and return to a more eremitic/monastic lifestyle.
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The Lotus Moon 2023
The incoming lunar phase of this period, according to Chinese Daoist tradition, (Deng Ming-Dao, The Lunar Tao), is the Lotus Moon. It is known primarily in the USA in its fullness as the Buck or Thunder Moon, and the latter certainly makes the most sense for my region: this is usually a time of some wild storms here on the Southeastern Coast! For this 2023 Lotus Moon period, I hope to spend time evaluating my lifestyle and practices to see if they are really in alignment with the three Daoist treasures of Simplicity, Compassion and Humility. Am I ‘following nature’ and ’embracing virtue’? I fear that I have been responding…
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First Illumination, 2023
February 2023 began today. It is a time of many different, Spring-yearning celebrations and observances, including Imbolc, Candlemas, St. Brigid’s Day, Groundhog Day, and leads to the Chinese node of Spring’s Beginning, and the Lantern Festival. Because so much emphasis is placed on beginnings, inspiration, and new life and light, I may just sum it up by calling it ‘First Illumination’.
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New Beaver/Frosty Moon 2022
Though I am a touch belated, I am happy to have celebrated this new October-November moon tonight. I felt a strong urge to return to these lunar rites – and to renew my commitment to becoming a much more devoted priestess. I have needed to get my health under better control, and to set some new goals for mind, body and spirit. Tonight was excellent.
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Retreat and Ordination – April 22, 2022
I was ordained as a Daoist priestess on Earth Day, 2022. This was one of a number of coincidences, or perhaps ‘synchronizations of the Dao’. Traveling up to the incredible Black Mountain Retreat Center in Cazadero, California, were six of us Daoists from various home states. The drive became rainy, dark, and nerve-wracking as the road narrowed and curved continually back and forth up the mountain. Even with the white-knuckled journey, one could not deny the absolute beauty of this place.
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Front Facing
I have completed a wonderful solo retreat. There were many moments of inspiration, and deeper reflection that really broke through tough ground. In addition to progressing with my Daoist meditation, I am working through a self-awareness course. These are things that go together well; a synchronous retreat integration. One of the parts of retreat that I try to leave time for is free-flowing journaling. This is an attempt to catch wayward thoughts and questions. Excerpts from this retreat: Who am I now? I don’t think I know. I have spent so much time basing it on the idea of who I was. I’ve spent so much of my time trying…
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New Pink Moon 2021
I am very grateful for Spring. Being outside in the yard is absolutely rejuvenating. As I wrote in my latest report to my teacher / Shifu, I feel as though the past year has been one very long winter… and we’re only now emerging from it. Tomorrow night is the New Pink Moon, and being out of spiritual/mental hibernation is good.
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New Wolf Moon 2021
It’s amazing to me that I haven’t provided an update since last May. I believe it was one of those situations where there was so much happening, there wasn’t much time or energy to share it all. 2020 was a historical year across the world. I don’t believe I have anything especially poignant or special to say about what has happened – I only have a ton of gratitude and awe for those on the front lines of the pandemic. I am grateful that both me and my spouse are still employed, and have been trying to be at least moderately careful.
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Flower Moon & Summer Begins (Long)
The “Beginning of Summer (Li Xia)” – the Chinese calendar node for May 5th. The Full Flower Moon will be on Thursday, May 7th. I have been doing quite a bit outdoors at our home since the New Flower Moon, and am hoping to finish at least my current projects by Thursday, when the moon will be full. Being attuned to the seasonal shifts is something important to me, particularly in such an unusual time. So I gardened by the moon cycles, too. It started right before the New Moon, with me cleaning up and weeding as much as I could ahead of time. I told myself to focus on…