Day 15: A slow shift under the guidance of 2017’s last new moon

New moons are for beginnings. And, even though this new moon is appearing as 2017’s last new moon of the year, making it feel more like an ending than a beginning, what I feel inside of me is only potential. The potential to transform + shift into the next year, the next phase,and  the next step in living a more present + conscious life.

But, there’s no need to do this hurriedly. No need to think that everything shifts right now. Today. All at once. The moon, herself, slowly waxes + wanes every month… growing from the dark new moon to a bright full moon, and back again. Over + over. Month after month. Repeating. Cycling. Adapting. Transforming. Being born. Dying. Being re-born. Ever shifting. Never changing. Always present.

Yes, I feel the shift. I feel the ending of this year, of this era of the past 3 years in my life. But, I am in no rush. I feel the need to take it slowly. To let the shift unfold naturally, instead of forcing change to be completed, all at once, after today. There are 2 whole weeks left until the new year dawns. Two very busy weeks in our everyday lives; but two potentially very powerful, magical weeks for our souls, should we find the discipline to ground ourselves + allow the shift to slowly unfold.

Imagine what it would feel like to slowly ease our way into the new year, into a new season, into a new phase of our lives instead of thinking that the shift, the change, the transformation, happened suddenly. Imagine if we relaxed into the process of it all. And imagine if we took the pace of nature. Slow, deliberate, intentional, trusting.

They say that new moons are the perfect time to set new intentions. In the dark sky, the moon is seen to be “born again” every month as we march from one new moon until the next full moon -which, in this case, just happens to be right at the beginning of 2018 on the 2nd of January.

So, perhaps my only intention with this new moon is to slowly, reverently, and consciously move through these next 2 weeks, letting the shift of the season, the shift of the new year, and the shift of my own personal + spiritual journey evolve + unfold throughout these next 15 days.

Easier said than done? Maybe. But, I truly believe that nature teaches us how. From the phases of the moon to the seasons of the year, time and again, nature plays the part of the muse.

Right now, it is the darkest week of the year in Sweden. The nights are long + stretch well into the day. I find myself shutting down at about 1:30 every afternoon. I can’t focus. I long to walk home + wrap myself in blankets. I ache to just be cozy + not do anything. And, you know what? That’s ok. It really is. My body, my mind, my soul is trying to sync with mother nature.

So, even in the midst of an 8 hour work day, I try to honor both my body + mother nature as much as possible. I light candles, take more breaks, sip coffee, and I try to set a slower, calmer pace in everything I do from listening to someone, to leading a class, to how I express myself, to answering emails and other administrative tasks. I get it all done, but I seek to do it all without creating extra stress or worry for because the day, my lovely students, and even my colleagues (and me) already have enough.

But, when I am not at work, that is when I can really dig deep. Just being honest. And so I try to only use candlelight + starlight. I only watch a certain amount of tv. I bask in the heavy silence of the dark. I read. I write. I meditate. And I dream.

Tonight, with this new moon, dreams + mystical things are the focus. Tonight, nature reminds us that it is the perfect time to pause + to gaze back throughout the year, noting what has been learned + accomplished, what has been challenging + transforming, and what needs to be released + set free. And, after a few moments of gazing backwards, then it’s time to root ourselves in the present moment. And to begin to cast our vision forward; based on the whispers, muses, feelings, and inspirations that are welling up in our soul.

Remember, no need to hurry through this. No need to be “done” with it tonight. No need to feel that this is just another holiday task to add to the long holiday to-do list. This is just the beginning. This is just the moment, this dark evening, that marks the beginning of the shift.

Can you feel it? In the quiet + the dark, can you feel the yearning of your soul, the calling of the spirit, to just be. To just sit. To just breathe. There is nothing to do. There is only to be. The magic is present at all times, whether we acknowledge it or not. The shift will come on it’s own. It’s simply up to us to decide whether we will be mindful of it all – and how our lives can be changed + used – as we move slowly forward. Evolving + becoming who we already are.

Just sit, wild one. Commune with the new moon. Commit to being present, really present, over the next two weeks. And watch how magic + meaning fill our days in ways that we’d never imagined. Begin to say goodbye to the year has been, with all of her joys + sorrow, all of her moments of life + death, all of her endings + beginnings.

Ease into the new year. Slowly. Grounded. Rooted. Because before we know it, as a new year dawns and a new phase begins, we will begin to rise from the ground, like sun rises from the horizon. And we will shine + radiate + become the light that we were always meant to be.

end-of-the-year new moon blessings. xoxo. liz.