the first full moon of 2016: slow down + start your howling

i can’t see the full moon this month. and that feels a wee bit disappointing to me. i mean, it is the first full moon of 2016. i wanted to have this great big beautiful amazing magical moon hanging over my head as i gazed out into the winter’s night sky filling me with wonder and inspiration during this first full moon event for this year.

but, no.

however, just because i can’t see that great big beautiful amazing magical moon, doesn’t mean that she’s not there. so, really. no worries. and nothing changes.

in fact, not seeing the moon is somehow actually speaking to memory powerfully right now. it’s forcing me to do what this cold, wintery, january moon wants us to do.

go within.

and going within is the perfect thing to do right now as january begins to come to a close.

if you’re like me, things have been full speed ahead. perhaps even a bit topsy turvy. maybe not in a bad way, but just in an excited way.

the new year always finds me raring to go. prepared to go full throttle. wound up. psyched. chompin’ at the bit. pumped. to use a few cliche phrases. but, seriously, the new year always fills me with this kind of intense energy of excitement and anticipation, and i find myself ready to get down to business. to make all those dreams come true. to get started on making all that shit happen. to get busy on following my bliss and get moving on creating that life i want.

but, tonight. as the moon reaches her fullness and stays hidden from my sight, i am reminded to slow down a bit. to tune it down. relax. reset. and just let things be for a while. besides, there’s no hurry. no need to rush.

since i can’t stand at my window, as i love to do, and gaze out at the moon, getting lost in the moonbeams. instead, i rest in the fact that she’s up there, behind those snow clouds that are piling up. and i can calmly, quietly, and slowly light a candle, sit under a blanket, and just trust in her presence. and, instead, i stop for an evening to listen to my heart and soul.

and that gives me a chance to reflect. it gives me a chance to not get ahead of myself as this new year is beginning. a chance to wonder and ponder what i really want. if the course that i have tried to set for this year is the one that i want to really be on. because, what seeds i plant now, will yield fruit as the months pass by.

not that i need to change anything. but, i may want to adjust, balance, and remember a few things. and i may want to recommit myself to some ideas that may have fallen by the wayside as life has excitedly spun through me these past few weeks.

what i find, as i sit here now, is that i am super satisfied with how this year has started. my path that i am creating as i go feels just right, right now. i am humbled. overwhelmed. and i remain excited. however, slowing all of the excitement down also gives me a bit of perspective on those things that i do not want to lose or leave behind. those parts of my life that i will have to fight to keep in the forefront, on the table, and a priority.

it’ll continue to be a learning + growing process, discovering the new balance in my life. but, the message in the stars with this moon tonight is reminding me to be living the life that i want to live. to never compromise the vision that i have, the bliss that i have found. even if the life that i choose to live looks a tad bit different. even if others just don’t get it. it is time, once again, to let go of the idea of doing what i should do, listening to what others say or think, and to simply keep moving in the direction that i choose.

bottom line: it’s all about slowing down for a little pause in the frenzy of a new year to ask myself, to ask ourselves, what we really want out of life. and then, to be brave enough to follow through on what we feel or hear that our answer is. staying true to ourselves above all else.

you know, native americans call january’s full moon the wolf moon. during this month, they could often hear the wolves gathering in the woods, in the dark, cold, snowy nights… howling at the moon. it is a haunting, wild, and beautiful sound. something that is so raw and soulful. 

perhaps we can fill our lungs, draw our heads back, close our eyes, and howl at the moon from wherever we are. we can howl from the depths of our very being, from our souls, the dreams that we have. sending out to the universe + up to the moon all of our intentions, our feelings, and our visions for the life that we want to create. committing ourselves to our own personal vision. to being brave and wild and true to our nature, just as the wild january wolves.

the magic of this weekend’s cold, wild january moon is to give us this time to just be. to slow our pace for just a moment, and to let all that has started with this new year, just sink in for a moment. to plant the seeds of our dreams. to pause on the path that we are creating, to make sure that this is the path that we want to take. then, to gather up all of our courage – and just start walking.

the seeds we plant now. the intentions we make this month, will guide + direct us during the next 11 months. and, organically, the year will unfold right before our eyes. let’s make sure that the path that we walk, is the one that comes from the deepest, truest part of who we are. let’s feel the power of the moon up above us; and from deep within, gather all of our inspiration + dreams, lean our heads back, and howl to the moon  – this is who we are. this is the life we choose. this is how we will live. true. real. authentic. wild. honest. 

oooowwwwwww!

full moon blessings. xoxo. liz.