Dark Moon

Old Ways – Day 733

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards by Cher Lyn – “Transformation”

Old Ways

As I mentioned last night, the new moon will happen tomorrow night (technically at 12:07 a.m. Sunday morning for those of us on the east coast of the United States). There’s a lot of stuff ‘closing up’ and coming to an end, on scales personal, local, national, and global. If you glance around (or look within), you may recognize old ways of thinking and being, old ways of doing and believing that just don’t fit into our present reality anymore.

The time of the new moon is when we finally let go of those last vestiges of whatever it is we know we need (and often want) to finally excise from our life. As a result, it’s also when we dangle a bit in a limbo of not knowing, of emptiness. It’s the time of the Dark Moon.

The time of the Dark Moon is when the sun and the moon are perfectly aligned (together, on the same side of the Earth), creating a situation in which the moon is not in a position to reflect any of the sun’s light. It ‘goes dark.’ This time of the Dark Moon, as it is called, is a most fertile and abundant time. It is in the dark, moist, fecund soil of the new moon that we plant the seeds of what we want to manifest in our lives in the coming days, weeks, months, or even years.

Obviously, every seed we plant at the time of a new moon is not going to ripen and achieve its fullness in two weeks. The cycle of what you plant at this new moon may take an entire month, three months, a cycle of an entire year or perhaps even longer to come to fruition. Every project or intention has its own unique cycle. It is possible, however, to coordinate with the natural rhythms of Mother Earth, Grandmother Moon, and Father Sun.

New Moon Watchwords

Most of us are still going through some major transitions, including the challenge of navigating and hopefully keeping ourselves safe from the exploding Covid-19 infections. I don’t know that any of us can kick back and relax at this particular point in our evolution. We’re still in the thick of a lot.

So I decided to choose some cards for us from our trusty Mystic Art Medicine Oracle. Sitting with the deck and shuffling it, I blew into the cards my question for us: What concepts should we keep in mind as we plant our new seeds this weekend?

Transformation/Creation

The primary card I chose was Transformation. This card, this concept, has been shadowing us for a while now. It was underneath (the ‘foundation’ card) back on the night of October 21st – giving context to and laying the foundation for the primary card of Perseverance.

Transformation – “Egyptian Magic”

“ (…) All things form and transform within the mysterious cycles of birth, life, and death. Instead of fearing the darkness you can bless it, learn from it, and embrace it. It is both your humanness and your light. The shadow you fear is powerless without the interpretation of your beliefs, thoughts, and desires. The power of Transformation lies in your ability to find the light within the shadow and make the connection, infusing focus on its light quality instead of the darkness.

Everything you think, feel, and do creates your lessons in the world you live in. Inside you great intelligence, wisdom, and love are ever present. It is the beliefs you have been taught that are the hindering factor here. Let the fire in your heart inspire you for Transformation. Perfecting your character and at the same time helping you let go while allowing any pain, sorrow, or difficulty to just be there. Allow the alchemical change to unfold and evolve you in its own time as you journey through your world with the power of intentions.

The Transformation card suggests that you be in touch with both your shadow side and your spiritual side. True Transformation can only happen in connection with your heart. Setting in motion authentic spiritual alchemy you will see a change in you, like base metal into gold. Essentially shifting your whole perspective.” (emphasis added)

But it actually made its first appearance in another deck – The Ocean Oracle, by Susan Marte – on the night of July 10th of this year. The top or main card from that deck was Flow (Stingray), with Hidden Gifts (Jellyfish) and Transformation (Sea Glass) forming the foundation of that oracular message as well.

So. What are the chances that Transformation would form the foundation of two substantial ‘picks’ I made, months apart, from two separate decks?

What Does It Mean

We’ve had Transformation stalking us since July – and now, on the eve of a new moon in the passionate, life/death/rebirth transformational sign of Scorpio, it takes center stage. We are on the cusp of transforming all our lives, as well as the life of our country and quite possibly the world.

I’m going to leave you tonight with the words that speak to me most powerfully from the Transformation card, which I quoted above. And while I will include below the image of the Creation card, which was the foundational card of this ‘pick’ for us, I will hold off on writing about it until tomorrow. It feels important that we really sit with the ‘Scorpionic’ aspects of this Transformation card and ponder precisely what it has been asking us each to discern within our own lives: what aspects of our lives have run their course, what old ways need to fall by the wayside, and what ideas or rays of light need to be given the opportunity to germinate now.

What within each of us needs to transform from base metal into gold?

Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards by Cher Lyn – “Creation”

(T-378)

Another New Moon – Day 617

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Photo: L. Weikel

Another New Moon

Ah yes, tonight is yet another new moon, another new beginning in the lunar cycle that definitely and peculiarly influences us, whether we realize it consciously or not.

There is a period of time each month known as the ‘dark moon,’ when the night sky is the darkest because no portion of the moon is illuminated. The ‘upside’ to the time when Grandmother Moon is invisible is the way her absence allows our eyes to take our star-gazing to a whole new level. In the darkness, we’re actually able to see a whole lot more of what’s really out there.

Is This a Metaphor?

I don’t know why, but this new moon I am more acutely aware of the darkness than I’ve been in a very long time. It feels like we’re cloaked in darkness at the moment – our country, our world. And yet, at the same time, precisely because we’ve plunged into this darkness, we’re seeing things that have been there all along, but we’re only just now allowing our eyes to adjust enough to really see.

As I’ve written about a number of times before, at the time of the new moon, it’s a time of new beginnings. I’m usually enthusiastic about the opportunity a new moon gives us to plant new seeds, to set the intention of what we want to start cultivating in our lives over the next month or year, cultivating as our future.

Something’s Different

I feel a need to shift my focus a bit this month, take a bit of a different approach with this new moon. Yes, I want to set some intentions and call in new energy. I want to infuse new life into some of my greatest hopes and cherished goals. Absolutely.

But for some reason or another, I feel like the power of this new moon lies more in its ability to reveal a whole lot of stuff that’s been lurking behind the scenes, hiding in plain sight, but remaining unseen because we’ve been blinded – or at least distracted – by the light. And it feels like it’s time. It’s time to stop for a moment, in this Time of the Dark Moon, and take stock of what it is that’s right there, right in front of us, being revealed for us to finally see.

Because right now, if we don’t take the time to look and see what’s been there all this time – and deal with it – it will be a huge missed opportunity. Why? Because nothing we plant at the time of this new moon will flourish the way it could, the way we hope it will, if we don’t act on what’s being revealed in this darkness and get rid of that which either never or no longer serves the highest good.

Photo: astrologyally.com

What Light Nurtures?

It’s important to remember, sometimes, that the light that’s been distracting us hasn’t even been ‘Light’ – meaning light that originates from its own source – light that’s generative, warm, and nurturing. No, it’s been reflected light. Illusory light. Light that can seem pretty bright and even dazzling at times, but doesn’t warm us, doesn’t feed us, doesn’t coax us to grow toward it.

So I am finding myself contemplating this a lot the past few days. Yes, the full moon is usually when we realize the completion of things, the realization that some aspects of our life may have reached their peak and need to be released.

But the new moon, with its attendant darkness, is also an opportunity to let go. It gives us the chance to see what’s been hiding in the light, hoping we’ll be entranced by the brightness and fail to notice the stuff that perhaps doesn’t have our best interests at heart but wants to remain undetected.

Perhaps, in our own lives, these cloaked beasts are lies we tell ourselves about situations or people, lies about our fears or our weaknesses. They hide in the dark. But maybe this is the window when we can see them and face the truth.

Bring Them Into the Sunlight

If we bring those hiding saboteurs into the sunlight, everything can change. The entire landscape of where we plant the new seeds of our desires and intentions is cleared.

Take a look at what might be lurking in the darkness. Don’t be afraid to see it and call it out for what it is. Only then can we plant the Seeds of Our Becoming without fear of the distractions of a false light.

(T-494)

Lughnasa  – Day 262

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Lughnasa – Photo: janebaileybain.com

Lughnasa      

I was going to write tonight about the Festival of Lughnasa, a Celtic holiday traditionally celebrated on August 1st. Lughnasa celebrates and honors Lugh, the God of the Sun, and kicks off the season of harvest.

Lughnasa is one of the four seasonal holidays, the other three being Samhain (celebrated on November 1st), Imbolc (February 1st), and Bealtane, (May 1st).

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, today (tonight, actually, at 11:11 p.m. – a moment on the clock near and dear to my heart) was the New Moon, and I believe also a ‘Black’ ‘SuperMoon’ thereby making it particularly powerful as a result.

New Moon and Lughnasa

It is intriguing to me that that a new moon is the time of planting seeds to bring forth something new into our lives. And here we are, also celebrating harvesting, in the form of the holiday of Lughnasa.

Seems to me that this could portend that the seeds we plant at this new moon could, in fact, manifest instantly and therefore call for immediate harvest.

I’d say that ‘coincidence’ bodes well for the people who have had sessions with me over the past two days, too. This is a very powerful time right now and people having sessions with me generally want to effect major change in their lives. Thus, the seeds we plant in their newly cleansed energy bodies will thrive and manifest much more quickly than might otherwise happen (and things manifest pretty quickly on the slower days, so…).

Taking Stock

So, as I contemplate this night of the Dark Moon, I urge you all to join me in taking stock of what you are sowing. Personally, I have a lot going on right now, including major shifts to the way I’ve ‘always’ done things, as well as gauging and tempering my reaction to certain situations. I have a deep-seated yearning to respond from a place of patience and gratitude.

It’s easier sometimes than others.

At this time of total darkness, the time of the Dark Moon, I ask Lugh to come and shed a whole bunch of light on some of those situations. And I’d love to harvest the abundance that I know can come out of them.

Right now, however, I’m going to plant the seed of sleep.

May all your harvests be plentiful and free of blight.

 

(T-849)