Tag Archives: new moon

Deepening Darkness, Preparing Us For The Light!

Astrology, Elemental Forces Of Creation, Inspiration, Spirit, , , , , ,
cc by 3.0
cc by 3.0

 

It’s dark so early here now. The sun was setting as I was driving home around 3:30pm yesterday. It’s probably not quite so drastic where you live, unless you are one of the few souls in the world who lives farther north than me (Edmonton is the most northern city of over a million people in the world!)

Anyway, this deepening darkness makes me sleepy. I feel this urge to slow down, to crawl under warm fuzzy blankets and hibernate, with cat/husband cuddles and Netflicks. I’m OK with this, especially now that I know that it’s only natural to have the desire to turn inward and slow down as we approach the darkest, longest night of the year. The challenge has been that my work schedule at the restaurant goes into overdrive at this time of the year with longer hours, crazier shifts, more hauling of furniture. It’s always tough, but this year, the light at the end of the tunnel  has been that by the end of this week, I’M DONE and I never have to do it again!

I QUIT, I QUIT, I QUIT, I QUIT!!!!

2 more days, and I’ll be hanging up my apron and tie for good. I’ll be waking up on the morning of the Solstice no longer employed my favorite fine dining establishment. After 12 years in the hospitality industry in one form or another, working evenings and weekends, eating at odd hours, smiling outwardly while cursing the ignorance of some people inwardly, I’m finally moving on.

I still have my work as an Artist in Residence, with Dani Alitiere Inc, teaching gymnastics, dance and acrobatics at elementary schools in the city, which is part time, contract work, but now I’ll have the room in my life to focus on my own projects like finding a publisher for my book(s) and building my business, Dancing Into Being Movement and Healing Arts.

The timing could not have been more organically divine.

I wound up giving my notice on the last full moon without realizing it. The full moon is the perfect time to release any old energy, and to give up whatever is no longer serving you. This creates room in your life for all the fresh new energy and experiences you’re ready to bring in.

December 21st this year, my first day as a free agent rather than an employee, is also the perfect day to begin my new life. It’s both the winter solstice, with the sun and new moon moving into Capricorn. The solstice is a potent time to plant the seeds of what you want to create with your intention throughout the coming year, and the new moon is always a fantastic time to set your intention for creation as well. These two energies coupled with the earthy, builder’s archetype of Capricorn make for the powerful window for creation we’ve seen (and will see) for quite some time!

This all lined up for me without my conscious intention, which seems to happen more and more since my training with the elemental forces of creation as a coach and priestess with Lisa Michaels, who offers an amazing variety of programs sharing nature’s creation secrets for life and business success (hint: there’s lots of dancing involved)   I laugh every time I notice my life is in step with the natural rhythm of the wheel of the year, because I felt separate from nature for so much of my life. Finding myself inadvertently in harmony with it all makes me feel divine, infinitely supported. Adding my conscious intention to these forces makes me feel like a magical being, it’s amazing what you can accomplish when you work with the elemental forces of creation!

To take full advantage of the power of creation during these next few days, I’m spending my time dreaming as much as I can about what I want my life to look like. Then on Sunday and Monday, I will take these dreams and turn them into seeds with my intention. I will plant them, my hopes, dreams, goals and wildest desires, deep within my heart and soul. Then I’m going to breathe, sing, and dance them into being using the ecstatic energy of the New Year’s festivities to add extra oomph to my creations. As the new year begins, I plan on ceremonially honoring my new life and all the gorgeous energy 2015 brings.

This next year is going to be a stellar one.

So even though you might be busy as can be this week, why not take advantage of these dark times and their potent creation potential?

Slow down as much as you can, dream your dreams in the dark stillness. See it clearly in your mind. Set your intentions; write them down, or draw them. Light a candle, drum or dance. Honor yourself as a vessel through which the universe creates beautiful things. Know that you light up the world with your radiance as you joyfully share your gifts! It’s time to let your light shine!

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Me, being all shiny in Bali. Photo by Cadencia Photography

 

 

Using the Virgo New Moon

Astrology, Elemental Forces Of Creation, , , , ,

Johfra-Bosschart-Virgo

The new moon is always a potent time to plant the seeds of creation, and today the new moon happens to be in Virgo (with the Sun in Virgo as well). Double Virgo must be why I’ve been so incredibly productive today when it comes to checking things off my list, and getting practical, administrative business details dealt with. That’s usually not my favorite jam, but after a 3 hour dance rehearsal today (for my new job which I’ll tell you about soon), I sat down an my computer, turned on a Spotify working playlist (Spotify where have you been all my life?? Seriously, how did I just start using this?), and worked for hours on a bunch of loose ends I’ve been needing to tie up. I also created a new facebook page for this website and my workshops, which you can like here.

I had actually forgotten it was the new moon completely, but boy have I been tapped into the Virgo priestess energy. The Virgo priestess archetype honors the sacred in the mundane daily tasks that need to be done. She’s a pro at getting things organized. In fact, very little thrills many of my Virgo friends more than making lists and checking things off them. It goes deeper than just crossing off tasks. Way deeper. According to Kari Samuels, intuitive counselor and happiness coach:

With the sun and moon in earthy Virgo, this month is all about reinventing your lifestyle so you can create a life that is pleasing to your senses as well as your soul. This new moon is particularly powerful because we have a conjunction of Mars (passion) and Saturn (practicality) that comes only once every two years. When these two powerhouses come together you get a marriage of desire-fueled ambition with common-sense action. Together, they help you build your dreams from the ground up.

I’m in the middle of changing my lifestyle and my livelihood right now, so I am going to ride this energy as hard as I can. That new job I mentioned is a super exciting game changer for me. I’m going to be an artist in residence with Dani Altier Inc, offering gymnastics, acrobatics and dance residencies at elementary schools starting this fall!

If you had asked me even two years ago if I would be interested in working with kids the answer would have been a no. Ten years ago, it would have been a HELL no! My how things (and people) change!

It all came about in a magical way as well. My hours at the restaurant were dropping because of how slow it is in the summer and I told the universe to bring me some other income making opportunities where I could share my gifts with the world. Then a few days later, I ran into Dani with my hoops at the Art Walk. She was with some friends of one of my friends, having a dance party to the techno music playing in the park with this gorgeous little girl. I went over to say hi and wound up hoop dancing for this lovely year and half year old with the most amazing blue eyes. She was mesmerized and had a great time when I let her play with my hoops. This chance encounter seems even more magical when I learned Dani had been asking the universe to send an someone her way. Someone who could teach her units proficiently but didn’t have too much experience (so they would still need her). Her online job posting says “The right candidate is the rare mix of part Artist, part Educator and part Entertainer.

The universe definitely conspired to have us cross paths! It’s funny, even thought my hoops brought us together, this isn’t a hoop dance adventure.

It’s going to be an exciting new chapter in my life, and I can’t wait. We started with rehearsals today. It will be an interesting transition as I juggle staying on part time at the restaurant, with these new residencies and balancing my own workshops and healing practice, but I have the tools to stay on track. Working with the wheel of the year, the sun, the moon, and the elemental forces gives me the structure to take  grounded, rhythmic steps to integrate all of these separate elements and dance my dreams into being.

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Cancer Sun, Cancer New Moon… Musings On Flow, Nurturing and Wu Wei

Astrology, Elemental Forces Of Creation, Hoop Dance, , , , ,

You might be finding this time a little intense if you have busy lately and haven’t had much time to relax, and just be. If you’ve been bottling up feelings, they just might be leaking out, and that’s OK, (although I know it may not seem like it). With both the sun and the new moon in the watery sign of Cancer, you might need to take a little extra care of yourself today. Cancer is the most nurturing of all the signs, so it’s the perfect time to honor your needs (especially when it comes to the feeling realm).

I know I’ve been feeling a little run down, needing some extra rest and relaxation, but it’s my fiery nature’s first impulse is push on, keep going and just keep doing all the things! Fortunately the universe has been on my side, and even though I was supposed to work a double, I was cut for both of my shifts. However, instead of being grateful for the opportunity to rest, I thought I should get as much running around done as possible, so I would have more time to rest tomorrow! That doesn’t really make much sense when I break it down though, since I need the rest right now and I don’t want to do anything!

Thing is though, when there are things I could be doing, I always feel guilty spending time just chilling out. I start “shoulding” on myself. You should do this, do that, etc, etc.

I forget that sometimes you need to do nothing, to be able to do everything. I know from experience how if I take the time to relax, my energy to do all the things comes rushing back to me, but I still forget, or perhaps, refuse to believe that I need some downtime. I have a deep seated fear of being lazy and not accomplishing anything.

New moons are a potent time to plant seeds of intention, so today I am choosing to accept and honor my need for chill time, releasing the guilt associated with ‘doing nothing’, and remembering that recharging my batteries is a completely acceptable way of passing time. It’s not ‘being lazy’, it’s spending time nurturing myself!

I choose to align myself with the element of water that surrounds me today and float along with the current, rather than struggling against it (good advice if you’re ever caught in a rip tide, by the way).

I choose to delve back into my love affair with Tao, and the principle of Wu Wei (effortless action), which coincides so beautifully with my love of the flow arts. Flow is effortless action, and it’s what we aim for when spin our props and what I try to do in the rest of my life as well. Flowing effortlessly, with grace and ease, allowing what is to simply be, surrendering to the moment, rather than fighting to control actions or outcomes. I know when I do this when I’m spinning my movements become a graceful dance that feels better than anything I else I’ve ever experienced. The same holds true for when I relax and flow with the way life takes me.

Resistance creates tension, wheras relaxation and surrender create both peace and strength!

The story I remember most vividly from my Taoist studies in university is about the strength that comes from Wu Wei. Our teacher asked us, which is stronger, rock or water? Rock may seem like the stronger material, heavy and unyielding, but place a boulder in a river where the water just flows around it (taking the path of least resistance, effortless action), that water will eventually wear the boulder down to a grain of sand.

Today, rather than doing all the things that I “should do”, fighting my feelings and desires, I’m just going to float and let myself feel the way I feel, nurture myself, body, mind and soul, and maybe take some extra time to play.

Photo by Cadencia Photography
Photo by Cadencia Photography

Compassionate Pisces- Softening My Gaze

Astrology, Wisdom from Within, , , , ,
New Moon, cc by 2.0
New Moon, cc by 2.0

We’re moving into a soft and dreamy Pisces new moon while the Sun is also in Pisces. Double the Pisces, double the love!

Pisces is the sign of the compassionate Bodhisattva, where the highest ideals of service to humanity are expressed. It’s the last sign of the zodiac, and the one with the highest vibrational attunement. Working in the Pisces realm means working with absolute divine love, Christ Consciousness and the ascended masters like Quan Yin, the goddess of compassion. Basically with our double Pisces energy right now, we’re being bombarded with universal love.

I know I can feel it… I’ve been pretty hard on myself lately for some reason, falling back into my perfectionist tendencies, and I’ve been beating myself up for these perceived imperfections. I know better, but that just becomes another reason to judge myself harshly :”You of all people should know better!” exclaims my inner monoluge! I had been berating myself for weeks,  but finally had a respite and I felt my inner voice soften over the last day or two. Suddenly I was able to see myself with the compassionate gaze I had been missing for sometime. My heart softened and I recognized that more than any harsh words, what I needed more than anything was loving compassion. I spent some time today sending these loving, compassionate and appreciative thoughts to my heart and to my body. It felt fantastic, as though a knot of tension I’d been carrying for weeks just melted away.

I want to invite you to soften your gaze as well, and see yourself through that lens of loving kindness and compassion. See just how beautiful you really are, and how you’re doing a such wonderful job. You’re learning exactly what you came here to learn, and you are perfect in your gloriously imperfect humanity.

I find it easy to see the rest of the world through this lens. I adore and admire every person on this planet for being brave enough to come down to this difficult place to learn all they can. Turning this loving gaze inward is what’s hard. I often hold myself to impossible standards that I would never set for anyone else. But today and in this new moon window, I’m trying! I’m feeling the freedom that comes from releasing myself from whatever unloving thoughts and self talk I was holding and replacing them with love. Nothing good comes from judging ourselves harshly.

As soon as we are all able to soften our gaze with loving compassion, we begin to really love ourselves  exactly as we are. This unconditional self love allows our inner radiance to shine more brightly, which in turn inspires others to do the same and makes the world a more loving place. It’s one of the easiest, yet most challenging things to do in the world, but we can take advantage of this new moon energy to plant the seeds of loving compassion everywhere we need in our lives, including our perceptions of ourselves. This is one way we can effect real change in the world, by starting right at home, by loving ourselves.

Me in Bali- photo by Cadencia Photography
Me in Bali- photo by Cadencia Photography

Virgo New Moon: Activating Priestess Energy

Adventures, Astrology, Spirit, , ,
cc by 3.0 by Traveling the cosmos
cc by 3.0 Traveling the cosmos

Today is the tail end of the 3 day Virgo new moon window. The sun is also in Virgo right now giving us a double dose of this amazing earthy energy. It’s the perfect time to work on organizing the details in your life, which is great timing for everyone back to school, or back to work in September here.

The Virgo archetype is one celebrating dedicated sacred work. This is the priest/ess energy which is serves the world though honoring and understanding the natural rhythms of life, and all the details surrounding it. This energy is dedicated, organized and practical. There is a deep commitment to serving the world through their work.

This is unfamiliar energy to some of us. There has often been a deep separation between the sacred and the mundane in our culture. The Virgo  priest/ess energy imbues a sense of sacred within all those mundane, practical details of life. There is a deep sense reverence for everything that occurs in nature, and in the life cycle and a deep connection to the divine feminine mysteries.

This energy has been somewhat lost and misunderstood over the years, but we’re returning to it now. There is a deep awakening of this energy happening on the planet, and many people are feeling a deep desire to reclaim our connection to it.

For many years now, I’ve identified with this priestess archetype. Everything I’ve read of the priestesses honoring the divine feminine, worshiping and serving the Goddess has resonated with me deeply. I remember flashes of past lives where I served in temples and dedicated my life to this sacred work. I feel a deep connection to this divine feminine energy that leaves me with a sense of longing for more it in my life. I know when I work consciously with this energy I feel whole.

It’s with great excitement that I am choosing to bring more of this energy into my life. I’m activating the Priestess archetype within me by going through a ceremonial initiation called The Priestess Process with my dear teacher Lisa Michaels. Here she has written 10 blessings Received from Becoming  Priestess, to give you some idea of why I’m doing this.

We began the initiation process yesterday during this new moon window, and we will finish on Beltane (May 1st), and emerge as Priestesses. I am so thrilled to begin this journey of actively embodying this archetype within myself. Every woman I have met who has done this ceremonial energetic activation has this amazing energy running through her. It’s powerful and I can’t wait to experience it again (I know I’ve done this before, in many lives). I’m also so thrilled to be living in a time when it’s safe for women connect to their divine feminine power. It’s always been our birthright, but the pendulum of culture had swung far to the other side, celebrating the divine masculine mysteries almost exclusively.  I believe we’re spiritual whole only when we are able to unite our divine feminine and masculine aspects within ourselves, in a sacred marriage. Without both, we are incomplete beings.

If this is something that resonates with you, you still have time to join us (until Sept 27, 2013). We’d love to have you along for the journey for  The Priestess Process

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