setting intentions Archives - Owl Medicine: Shamanic Healing

New Moon in Aries

In only a couple hours, we will experience a New Moon in Aries. As we know, a moon is considered new when it is conjunct, or exactly lined up with, the sun. And the sun just entered Aries last weekend.

A new moon in Aries is considered especially auspicious and powerful as far as initiating new endeavors and becoming aware of (and seizing) new opportunities. Beyond noticing what short term goals we might want to set and implement, this particular new moon, being in the initiating sign of Aries, may be especially powerful in marking the beginning of a new two and a half year project.

It’s intriguing to ponder what seeds we might plant today (Friday, April 1, 2022) that may either run their course or only come into their fullest expression by June 2024. It just feels like there’s so much volatility and potential for change all around us.

Will we manifest the change so many of us yearn for deep in our hearts?

Blue Heron & Goose – Photo: L. Weikel

Creek Visit

All of which reminds me that I only managed a ‘drive-by’ of the Tohickon today, which is where I go when contemplating time – past, present, and future. When I turned onto the road that passes within feet of the creek I immediately noticed two Great Blue Herons having a chat on a boulder amidst the flowing waters. Of course, as soon as I pulled up to the side of the road (albeit as slowly and unobtrusively as I could – in a car), they took their leave. One seemed less irritated with me, though, and seemingly teased me by only moving a dozen or so yards upstream.

It hung out with a couple Canada Geese and I wondered if it was going to try spearfishing one of those ginormous carp that – surprisingly – were still hanging out in that same spot I saw them last week. (I saw much less evidence of the snakes, though. Or maybe I didn’t linger there long enough for them to surface.)

Yes, we had a chat – Photo: L. Weikel

Instead of pondering my intentions for this new moon, I had a silent chat with this Great Blue Heron. It was obviously aware of me as I playfully stalked it with my iPhone. I love the shot I got of it landing on a rock a bit downstream, its wings outstretched and magnificent.

I’m thinking the message of this new moon may be honoring the need for self-reflection, which is the key concept attributed to the Blue Heron in the Medicine Cards. There are so many ways we can honor Blue Heron’s nudge to engage in this activity. I think it may be time for me to cultivate and offer new opportunities to myself and others who may want to join me to do just that over the next couple of years.

Set those intentions! And maybe even, perhaps, join me in embracing Blue Heron’s urge to know ourselves even better?

Great Blue Heron taking flight – Photo: L. Weikel

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Tohickon Creek 3 April 2019 – Photo: L. Weikel

Getting Psyched for the New Moon

The moon will be ‘new’ at 4:50 a.m., EDT, on Friday, April 5^th. When a new moon occurs, as I’ve mentioned before, it’s a perfect time to launch a new project, set intentions, or implement changes you’ve wanted to make in your life, etc.

The new moon that will occur on Friday will be especially powerful with respect to moving forward into something new and powerful because it will be in Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the ram. This will be the first new moon since the spring equinox – so there are just heaps and heaps of initiating energy bursting forth at this new moon.

What Seeds Do You Want to Sow?

I’m mentioning all of this now so you might actually give yourself a day and evening to seriously contemplate what new seeds you would like to plant in your life, now that we have the first full quarter of 2019 under our belts. Surely you want to take all of the energy associated with this new moon and ‘carpe diem.’ Take into account all of the life and circumstance review and reflection you engaged in over the past three weeks while Mercury was retrograde.

Personally, I had a day today that held so much magic in it, I have to admit that I am still contemplating what happened and deciphering the precise message(s) I received. Amazingly, most of the exact same messengers who showed up in my life throughout March made unexpected guest appearances today. And they were accompanied by truly some of the most spectacular winged messengers that I’ve ever encountered.

I will elaborate more as the days unfold.

Prairie Dog (Rx) / Dragonfly

In the meantime, I just want to let you know that I chose Prairie Dog reversed today with Dragonfly underneath. And the mood I was in when I chose these cards was, shall we say…dark. Indeed, I was so distraught within my own self that I could barely read our chosen cards out loud today without bursting into tears.

I am not one to cry easily.

I managed to keep it together, though – at least initially – getting the dishes done from the night before and then heading to the creek, my Tohickon, my life-long refuge when existence gets too hard to handle.

I parked in my favorite spot, put down my car’s window, and sat about four feet from the bank, the water rushing past on its way to merging with the Delaware (Lenape Sipu). After surrendering to my mood, shifting my gaze into neutral, and allowing myself to be bathed in the sound of Mama Tohickon’s voice, I started writing out my fears.

A Duck That Wanted to Play

My first visitor. Photo: L. Weikel

Within the time it took to write a paragraph, the first visitor arrived. A beautiful duck that chose to just drift along following the current – then shot the rapids. Mind you, the ‘rapids’ might not be perceived as such by you or me – but for a duck that size? They were a wild ride. So much so – and so apparently much fun – that when it shortly flew back upstream, I wondered if it would drift by once more and ‘shoot’ them again.

He did, and he did.

But that was just the warm-up act. Oh. My. Goodness.

I’ll save the rest of that tale for tomorrow. As I said to Karl on our walk this evening, this was one of the single most magical days I’ve ever experienced. And trust me: that’s saying a lot.

The ‘rapids’ he shot. Photo: L. Weikel

Spirit Heard My Call and Held Me

As for my Prairie Dog reversed? I made a point of stepping back from all the tasks I had written in my Day-Timer that I wanted to accomplish today. I needed to retreat from the world before I created an illness that would ‘take me out.’ I needed to listen– and ultimately, I needed to be shown the illusion (Dragonfly).

I needed guidance. I needed perspective. I needed hope.

I received all of that and more. More than I had a right to even hope for, much less expect (but am oh-so-grateful to have received).

In my photos, you have to look closely to see my rapids-shooting duck, because all I had was my iPhone. I did manage to video him shooting the rapids – but it’s a video – and I’ve yet to figure out how to upload that somewhere where I can put a link to it here in the blog. (Oh technology, you foul temptress.)

I’ll try to identify him. Just not tonight.

Don’t forget to mull over your intentions for the new moon arriving Friday morning…

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