Pam Bustin
creator, editor, story tender
Shake and Bake 70 – Wrestling with Resistance in the Belly of the Beast
Shake and Bakes are my quarterly check-ins (CHICKENS!). They happen in line with the moon. I use these posts to … shake out the happenings of my work and my life in general in an attempt to Shake off the bad and Bake in the good. It’s about … gratitude, paying attention and living by the moon. I began this ritual after spending time with Havi at fluentself.com and I’m also grateful for Astrological insights I’m gaining through April over at bigskyastrology.com
Full Raven Moon – A time of full on flow in the energy realm… And yet I find my Resistance peaking as well….
Ain’t it often so?
And ain’t it also true that if we pay attention – the answers/comfort/kick in the arse we need will present itself?
A writing cohort of mine – the fabulously talented Lia Pas – put me onto Steven Pressfield’s fabulous wee book called Do the Work.
I’d heard his name before, of course. I LOVE his book The Legend of Baggar Vance. I’d even gone over to scope out his site and looked at his books on writing… I just hadn’t taken the plunge.
This was my SECOND recommend from a fellow creator and I knew it was time to listen. So I bought Do the Work – and I am entirely glad I did. I wept my way through it. And I laughed my way through it. So close to my own heart’s despair. So clear and honest and true. And also… so freaking encouraging.
If you’ve been coming here often, you know that this year I experienced a BIG CRASH with my Novel in Progress, Sanctuary. I was at the place where it just…. seemed….to….. SUCK. And so… I despaired for a while and then I rolled up my sleeves and tackled the problem – heading right back to the drawing board…. tearing down and reworking the whole timeline/structure thing and now… now I am hip deep in the reWrite – heading for a second draft.
The way Pressfield describes this exact PLACE in his book – took my fricken breath away. As he says – it is when we are here, in the belly of the beast that:
We are too dumb to quit and too mulish to back off.
That’s right where I’m at, me lovelies.
It’s good to find out I have a lot of COMPANY.
OK – on we go with the chickening….
~~o~~
Reviewing Intentions
The full moon in VIRGO calls us to review our intentions for this moon to see if they are practical, useful and reasonable.
Θ (theta) earth – home – touch
- The intention to simply keep my head down and work step-by-step on Sanctuary is sound and I will continue.
Φ (phi) air – relationships – scent
- The intention to Be Kind is always practical, useful and reasonable. May I always be so.
Χ (chi) fire – work – vision
- Ok… so here’s one to think on. The intention to BURN through this baby bit by bit is a gooder – but the self imposed deadline of completing a 2nd draft by March 28 looks a taaaaaad unreasonable at this point. I am up to 17.3K and working steadily but I think I need to reset that deadline.
- So… OK… The new deadline shall be…. April 22nd (Last Quarter of the April Moon). I honestly think that is Do-able. Time will tell.
- If I make this deadline – I shall dance for joy and let myself well and truly rest come the Dark Moon of April.
Ξ (ksi) water – health – taste
- The intention to BE THERE… to get my butt into the chair and be open for the FLOW is sound…. it shall continue.
Ψ (psi) quintessence – spirit – hearing/listening
- AM Meditation Sits have been good… but I continue continue continue to struggle with a PM sit.
- I debated giving them up for a month and trying again next moon. Then… I came up with a compromise – I really do want to sit TWICE in the day, but I realized that I don’t have to be TOTALLY rule bound about it. So I’ve chosen a time for my PM sits. I have set some alarms/reminders to bing at me when the time comes each day. And I plan to just sit for 1/2 hour.
- I hereby screw my determination to the sticking place to do this for ONE WEEK. I shall report back at Last Quarter Moon.
~~o~~
Things to Release?
Doubt and Fear are still here…. palling around with Resistance.
But they ain’t gonna beat me this time.
I GOT BACK-UP!
~~o~~
And there tis…. my full moon post for this raving Raven Moon.
Sending wishes for a lovely full moon time for you. Here’s a great post (Full Moon in Virgo: Practical Magic) on the virtues and magic to be found in a simple round of cleaning up around the house today. You don’t need to do a LOT to feel great. Clean one drawer, tidy the bathroom… file one pile… your inner Virgo will rejoice.
Thanks for popping by.
And…here’s a lil BRUCE to keep you going til next time! No retreat, baby, NO SURRENDER!
Go easy ~p
2 Comments on “Shake and Bake 70 – Wrestling with Resistance in the Belly of the Beast”
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Pam Bustin 
Oh Pam I had a wonderful jollies reading your post and yes I keep you company in being too dumb to quit and too mulish to back off! But! But! I take no responsibility! It is all my wonderful obsessive muse’s doing. Here it is the Blood Moon and all the psychic energy that comes with it
Hear! HEAR!