New Moon: A time to be with what is

Here I sit on the New Moon drinking my mrrrmph cup of caffeinated tea wondering how to drop into “being with what is,” also known as “empty presence,” one of my most favorite moon practices because it calls on being rather than doing.

The whole point is to unplug externally and tune in to what's inside. We are programmed to not want to know what's inside, to avoid it at all costs, to never look at it. As a culture, our distraction tactics are many and varied. From drinking uppers or downers, smoking uppers or downers, eating uppers or eating comfort food (maybe to the point of discomfort), exercising to stimulate or laying around. We numb out with media, or also choose uppers or downers in this area to.

How often do you allow yourself to be with what is? Maybe that's why I'm a fan of meditation. In “stillness” (let's be real) I relinquish control of adjusting the thermostat to finding the perfect temperature and surrender to the process of being with what is, how it is. I don't expect to be peaceful or comfortable, enlightening or totally empty. Meditation is a practice that serves to check in and show me what's there and see if I can be with it without judging it and trying to change it.

These ponderings came to me as I realized I was putting pressure on myself today to move some projects along even though my energy dropped after leading the morning circle of Recalibrate: Summer Recharge. I'm trying to flip the switch to a more comfortable state of being — productivity — by consuming caffeine. I'm not wanting to be with the anxiety and tiredness of having a wildfire too close for comfort. I'm not wanting to nap peacefully while my husband works outside all day at his job in this draining heat.

I say Freedom is one of my values, but I'm not wanting to honor that I can do whatever I want right now and drop into what is because I won't have anything to show for it.

Or will I?

Wouldn't it be nice to be rested and grounded when my husband comes home so I can hold space for him?

If I sit with my anxiety, feel it and allow it to flow, it might dissipate and settle rather than being the well-worn doormat that all other visitors must walk over.

If I rested rather than caffeinated, I might actually fill myself up so fully that I could operate at maximum potential and power. I'd feel more joy, be more generous and loving. Speak up and hold my boundaries. I might rise up in my feminine beauty and leadership, showing there's a new way of doing through being.

How many things are you doing that are mere stories about how you need to be or feel? For one day a moon cycle, can you allow what is rather than constantly trying to change it?

As I said at the beginning, I'm sipping pu-erh as I write. This isn’t about perfection. I actually did take a New Moon bath in the middle of the day as a way of being still.

These questions are an invitation to cultivate awareness. From awareness can come intention and then action.

This New Moon is a call to acceptance of who you are, how you are… even if it’s acknowledging that you’re a tea drinking woman with an aversion to being tired while it's light out. See if you can find even a glimpse of stasis from the Judgment — Correction loop with your thoughts and activities.

THE NEW MOON

The New Moon is the void. The darkness. The lack of light ( but isn't it amazing how it allows for stars to shine that much brighter). Consider this time as an emptiness not to be filled but a spaciousness that allows you to expand and open to new possibilities. What stars appear in your darkness?

There's much wisdom in the New Moon energy, especially if you can pause, empty your thoughts and your vessel, and open to what comes. Open to receiving messages or guidance. Ask for what you need. Stay curious and see what comes.

SET INTENTIONS WITH THE WAXING MOON

As the moon waxes in the day or two following the New Moon, translate these messages into an intention. Having this intention will then help you direct and prioritize your actions.

But remember, it all starts with awareness. The void. The emptiness. It's the pregnant pause. The hole in the ground eagerly awaiting its seed. Be with what is. Be the empty vessel. You won't be empty for long.

And if that's a fear story — being empty — address it head-on and see it for what it is. There's longing to belong, to be fulfilled, inspired and alive, driven by purpose, yet the cycle of growth and life always includes time of fallow emptiness. Sit with it and see if this time can feel fertile rather than barren.

To connect more deeply with the moon, consider working with a Moon Calendar like this one I design, available in the Taming the Tangle online store on Etsy. Join my newsletter to be notified of the soon-to-launch video class series to deepen your Moon Calendar tracking and practices.

Gorgeous photo courtesy of Daniel Jensen at Unsplash.