Full Moon 16 January 2014
La Luna will provide occasional ‘moon cycle reports’ as they come to her here at the moon-bower…
Symbolism
The moon symbolises the feminine side of the human being, characterised by grace, cycles or transitions, wisdom, perception, illumination. She is both teacher and guide within us, she is hidden from view without the light of the sun.
This is where the full moon this week in Melbourne gets interesting – she is being revealed by a fierce hot sun. The first full moon of 2014 is becoming visible through heat. As the moon element is water, and her colour silver, the alchemy is fractious.
Meaning
What this may mean is, subtly since the new moon and more strongly as we approach the full moon, our emotions may be intense – anger, frustration, despair, doubt may be very present. We may find ourselves lacking the clarity of thought to make sense or meaning to what is a transition within. For Melbourne dwellers there will be a tinder box effect – a dryness building to fire – the emotions unchecked will have the potential to ignite. This could end with confrontation or it may create a burning away of old samskaras, old patterns of behaviour that no longer have any validation in our lives.
Practice
Take care in this time. Call to compassion for self, love for self and increase your meditation time.
Try this ‘swaahaa’ or ‘so be it’ meditation. A meditation of offering, a releasing or letting go into fire.
- Settle in a comfortable seated position, choosing a mudra for yourself
- Commit yourself to a time, you may choose to set a gentle timer
- Close the eyes bring the focus to the breath – observe only
- Shift the breath around the body so it is as if you are breathing in through the crown of your head, neck, shoulders, heart centre etc and breathe out the same spot you breathed in x 3 breaths per body section
- Settle the breath to an inhale down to the heart centre – or wherever it lands down through the body and working with your diaphragm on the exhale release up through the crown of your head, continue for at least 6 breaths until this flow is natural to you
- Check in with your self here, are thoughts distracting you? Consider how in all those thoughts, throughout your entire body and in all living things and matter there is shakti, the energy of the divine consciousness – release those thoughts to the understanding that everything that comes up for you is infused with shakti
- Once you have welcomed the thought of shakti in all things introduce ‘swaa’ to the inhale to the heart and ‘haaa’ to the exhale.
- Continue with the movement of the breath and your mantra
- When you finish take time to let the meditation settle so that the offering is released – restoring the true calibration of the moon within as calmness and grace.
- Know that there will be an easing with the illumination of the full moon and you may be very tired by the end of the week.
The above meditation was inspired for use at this time by Sally Kempton and her current Freedom, Ecstasy and Awakening Telecourse
