Shake and Bake 87: Back in the Saddle Again

Shake and Bakes are my quarterly check-ins (CHICKENS!). 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. Much thanks to HAVI over at the Fluent Self for inspiration and to APRIL at Big Sky Astrology for her monthly Working with the Moon booklets.  This is Shake and Bake #81 and because it is a New Moon post – it is more about intention than the shaking and the baking.

~~o~~ New Moon (in Virgo) ~~o~~

September’s Moon is Traditionally known as:

• Harvest  (Algonquin, Colonial America, Neo-Pagan)
• Singing Moon (Celtic)
• Fruit Moon (English)
• Barley Moon (Medieval England  And Wiccan)
• Nut Moon (Cherokee)
• Mulberry Moon  (Choctaw)

I hereby dub this moon…. Leaf Turning Moon.

Sorry Darlings….It is sad, but true.

I returned to my regular walks down the lane yesterday, and though the leaves aren’t turning QUICKLY…. I did find some lovely orange leaves scattered along the road.

And today – an entire bush had turned RED overnight.

The view across the river is still green green green.  But my moon’s end (Sept 23), I envision a riot of colour.

I apologize for having fallen far far “behind” on my moony postings.  August’s Berry Ripe Moon phases came and went without much comment from me.

I was watching, though.

I swam in the river under the light of the full moon – with the Wild Women from across the Bay.  There was a sauna and a swim and good talking late into the night.  And, perhaps best of all, there was Birthday Cake for breakfast.  My first ever “sleep over” on the Bay.

I was on the road when the Berry Ripe Moon hit her last quarter.  Heading back from a wonderful adventure in Quebec.  Good walks, good talks, good friends…and books and books and books brought back.

And now…. home…. and back online… with the feeling that I am terribly “behind” in LIFE – and yet a smile as big as the all out doors for the joy of friendships and time spent in “the Real World”

Let us chicken…

~~o~~

The Hard:

• Θ tired in the body… so tired.
• Φ difficult thing I claim Silent Retreat on.
• Χ feeling screamingly BEHIND on the work front.  YOIK.  And now I’m heading into the 3DNC (3 Day Novel Contest) so this week is…. toasted as well.
• Ξ more smackedy-smack-smack emotional empathy going on.  The emotions of others continue to slam into me so hard, lately.  I am, however, getting moooch better at identifying when the emotion is coming off of someone else – so hooray for that!
• Ψ as mentioned in my previous post – I’ve been a bit of a headless chicken the past few days.  Feeling behind and disconnected.  Not taking the time to sit and LISTEN.

The Good:

• Θ The warmth of sun on skin and muscles moving in the heat of the day.
• Φ visiting with friends, hearing from my mom
• Χ getting blog posts done…. does that COUNT as work?  Feels like it.  Heh heh
• Ξ that river…how I love that river… it slows me down and gets me to listen and watch and rest
• Ψ the inner voice who spoke up yesterday and said, “STOP and Listen.”  Slowed me right down and got me back in touch with the important things that needed doing.

~~o~~

Habit/Practice we are currently playing with on Sea Change:

This is the last week of “Tossing our Expectations into the Sea.”

Because Sea Change works on the solar calendar, we’ve fallen all “out of sync” with the moons.  But hey…. I can play any way I want, and I like my loony lunar way of working so…. instead of “Week ONE, Week TWO ect…. let me rename the weeks to match up with the moon phases and…. continue on my merry way.

I shan’t confuse us all with revamping the entire system here – let us just… begin where we are.

Week of the New Moon – Θ (theta) earth – home – touch – body

• New Moon to 1st Quarter (renewal, cleansing, planting, setting goals and intentions).
• Focus on the doing – which for me, this week, means:
  • noticing when an “Expectation” is causing me to suffer
  • taking a breath, sinking down into the ocean of…. all is well
  • and letting the waves of awesome wash it away
  • and knowing that, in each moment, I begin again…and again… and forever again.  There is no “failing” here  There is only…. the practice.

May I see people, the world and mySelf as we are, not as I wish us to be.

I think that is one DAMNED FINE New Moon intention.  Don’t you?

~~o~~

Good to be back in the saddle again.

Thanks for popping by.

Go easy ~p