New Moon in Virgo, 30th August, 2008

Hi everyone,

I cannot believe another summer is nearly ended. Yesterday I smelled autumn in the air for the first time, but I feel ready too - it has been an excellent summer. Hope yours has been great too!

Calling the circle
As we contemplate this new moon, imagine that we are together, summoning the spirits of the East, spirits of Springtime, new beginnings, new starts. Element of air, first breath, cool dawn. The power of life, springing forth. We call the spirits of the East. We call now to the spirits of the South, spirits of summer, warmth, clarity, motivation, energy, movement. Element of fire, bright fires lit at midday. The power of light, illuminating us. We call the spirits of the South. And we call to the Spirits of the West. Spirits of deep feelings, strong emotions, a sunset over a calm ocean, a still lake reflecting back the sky, the still waters that run deep, deep within. Element of water, power of love, true love. Spirits of our intuition and our empathy. We call to the spirits of the West. Now we call the spirits of the North. Spirits of midnight, dark moonless skies in winter, places where truths are told. Element of earth, grounding us. Power of law, karma, ancestral wisdom, we call to the spirits of the North. And we call to those spirits above us, angels, starts, heavens, light beings everywhere, those souls not yet incarnate. And we call to the spirits below us, to the earth that grounds us and keeps us steady and to the lava beneath the crust that impassions us. Finally, we call to the spirits of the center, where all the directions meet and merge and where they meet and merge in each one of us. The central flame. This circle is closed, a safe and sacred circle where everyone is welcome and free to express herself.

Where is the Moon?
The moon is in Virgo, and it is a really great time to clear out the old, take stock, center, and ground. This moon has me focusing on those little things that are both easy to overlook and impossible to overlook. It is a great time to clean out all of the closets: physical and otherwise!


Talking stick
I have been away this weekend and got to have a great meditation while lying on the ground looking up at the moonless night sky, which is a rare treat for me – although it seems it should be easy for me to make that happen more often. Still, lying there I was able to contemplate the theme of this moon, which isn’t hard as I’ve really felt its energy for numerous reasons. Owen is going back to school in a few days. Gary is going back to school in two weeks. I am working a great deal and in a kind of fast and furious way lately. I have all these other business responsibilities looming that really need my attention. But that night it still felt like summer with all of its carefree, in-the-moment energy. I feel the autumn winds ready to blow but I just want a few more days before I focus on them.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the little things, as I mentioned above. When I say little things I don’t actually mean trivial things; I mean those things that in the grand scheme of things are not life or death, they are the ordinary things that we need to work through as we go along – some more consuming than others. If it were the last moment of your life you might regret having spent so much time thinking about them and worrying about them. Those things. Yet they do make up a big part of what I am focused on, particularly lately, and like it or not, they are there. Virgo is always a bit of a detail-oriented and sometimes perfectionistic time for me so I am bearing that in mind, but whatever the reason, I find myself running the next month over and over in my mind and trying to figure out how I’m going to make it all add up. I have this idea that if I focus on those things too much then they will become something more than they are. They will become more and more empowered and I really don’t want that to happen. At the same time, I am hugely tempted to just stick my head in the sand and hope they go away and, having tried that approach a few times, know that it won’t make a difference. So, I have reached this compromise: I am going to wait until Owen starts school this week, then spend the very first day of it facing up to all the business administration issues, taxes, paperwork and otherwise scary and hopelessly dull stuff that has been cluttering up my desk for the last few weeks. And I will make it right and probably will find that it isn’t as bad as I thought it was. At least I hope that’s what happens!

Despite this sort of loose anxiety, I am feeling really grateful for our summer, which was so relaxing and fulfilling on many levels. These last two weeks I have been particularly forced to slow down and relax, having rather embarrassingly sprained my ankle while trampolining. I am particularly struck by how much Owen has changed these last six months. He has become so much more independent in every possible way. At the beach with friends yesterday there were seven children, and I saw him for about 15 minutes the entire day. Later, he and I took a canoe out onto a small lake, and I found myself so grateful for the time alone with him. There was a time when I wondered if he would ever let go of me, and now it is all I can do sometimes not to hold onto him sometimes. It is the way it should be, and I’m just so proud of his growth, but it is intense and new for me too. I’m sure he will not always be so brave and independent, but more and more of the time he is, which is wonderful.

For the new moon this month, I think this: I love this life we are living with all of its richness and abundance and I need to remind myself of that often. My goal is to love and support both of my men as they embark on new adventures, and to try to reign in my worries by facing them head on!

Meditation
Imagine yourself lying on the ground beneath a craggly ancient oak tree. Its branches reach all around you as rest beneath it. The ground is soft, the air is cool, but comfortable and smells of the approaching autumn. As you breathe in and out feel that you are breathing in time with the gentle breeze around you, that you are a part of the setting that surrounds you. Then allow yourself to imagine that you are getting smaller – smaller and smaller until you are so small that you can stand up and walk into the oak tree that you were lying underneath. Walking into the tree, looking up, note the vast branch system, how tall and high it is, looking down, note the vast root system, reaching down into the earth farther than you can see. Then, notice that one of the roots is larger than the others, and resembles a spiral staircase. Imagine then stepping onto the 13th step, the step of transformation, then spiraling down and around and inward to the 12th step, then down and around to the 11th and the 10th, spiraling down and around and inward to the 9th, then the 8th, then around and inward to the 7th and the 6th step. Then, pausing on the sixth step, note that as you look up you can no longer see the top, and looking down, that you can no longer see the bottom. You are standing in the middle of the spiral, in a moment of infinite perfection. If there is anything that you are carrying that you don’t want to take with you on your journey, you can leave it on this step. Continuing then to the 5th step and the 4th, spiraling around to the 3rd and the 2nd and then finally the 1st step, then stepping into a clearing with four doorways, each pointing in one of the four directions. Imagine yourself walking down the pathway that heads south.

When you step through the doorway, you are greeted by a guide who has come to accompany you on your journey. It may be a person, a spiritual energy, an animal – but it is a guide that you know well and with whom you feel very safe. You step out into the light of day together, heading across a vast field, toward a hill in the distance. The sea is to your right, crashing against the shore, and the hills are alive with animals and insects. You talk freely with your guide about anything on your mind as you walk toward the hill. As you get closer, you are aware that you are heading to a dwelling, both ancient and familiar; the home of your wise woman.

When you reach the door, your guide moves to the side to wait for you. As you are about to knock, the door swings open and you are greeted by your wise woman. She leads you to the kitchen where she is cooking for you, and the two of you sit and chat for a few moments, catching up about anything that is going on in your life, asking her any questions that you may have or just asking for her general advice.

When you are ready, she leads you away from the kitchen, down a hallway with many doors. You reach out for the doorway that calls to you and walk through it. In the centre of the room is a mirror – one that you have seen before. It is the mirror that reveals your true self. As you look at yourself you are able to see all of who you are – those things that you love and embrace and perhaps some things that present challenges to you. Then, as you watch yourself in the mirror you are able to change the vision of yourself to exactly who you want to be. Adding anything that needs adding, taking away what is no longer needed. When you are happy with the image, your wise woman joins you. As you watch together, the image shifts to the person that you will become if you follow that path – the one that you created. You can see yourself in some place in the future and are able to speak to yourself about the changes that you made, where you are heading, where it has brought you. If you have any questions, you can also ask your wise woman for help. As you ready yourself to go, your future self offers you one piece of wisdom, something to carry with you on your path. Once that message has been conveyed to you, the image fades and returns to your self. When you are ready, you leave the room knowing that this is a place to which you can always return.

You get up, leaving the room, walking back toward the front of the house, sharing any last minute conversation with your wise woman. She leads you to the door, says goodbye, offering you one word or phrase to help you to create your heart’s desire. You give her a big hug, then open the door, greeted again by your guide, who leads you back down the path, toward the doorway that you walked through. You make your way back along the path, until you are back at the doorway.

Stepping back up onto the first step, spiraling upward and outward to the second step and the third, and upward and outward to the third step and the fourth. Then spiraling around to the fifth and the sixth step, and pausing now on the sixth step, retrieving anything that you left behind before, or just leaving it behind in that perfect moment in infinity. Climbing now to the seventh and upward to the eighth, upward and outward to the ninth, then the tenth, and around to the eleventh and the twelth and then finally to the thirteenth step, the step of transformation, then back into to the tree. Stepping out of the tree, you find your place beneath it, again enjoying the sweet air and safety of the old oak. Then feeling your consciousness return to the space you are in, and, when ready opening your eyes.

Prayers for our circle
Much love and support to all of our children, in particular those little ones starting school for the first time this year. And for all of the moms and dads that will have to cope with their loss!

Much love to all of you!!
Tara