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If you’re like me, you’re overly ambitious. And if you’re not, you can skip this last secret. Read it only if you’re plagued by a desire to be the best at whatever you do. Which for moon practice means you want to travel on a moonbeam, connected to Luna by a fine intuitive thread, your pores permeated with the essence of each moon phase and sign. But there it is. Again and again, you forget to notice her. You have no idea which sign the moon is in today; it’s been weeks since you checked. And the last two Full Moons you didn’t have time for a ceremony. Or you did, but being honest, you hurried through the motions and nothing special happened.
If you’re like me, you might also feel "less than" whenever you hear This One’s potent story about drawing down the goddess or how That One gets special messages from Luna herself. Psychoanalyst Bruno Bettelheim once suggested that adults who believe too much in magic (including astrology!) were probably deprived of it prematurely in childhood. I once had a therapist who suggested those whose beliefs are too fervent often swell like puffins because underneath they’re actually full of doubts and insecurity. I’m not saying this is true of all zealous moon lovers. It’s just that if you’re tempted to get too crazy or dreamy about your moon practice, it may be that it has nothing to do with the moon at all.
The first and smartest thing I ever did was to make my moon practice mundane. I simply took my monthly household chores and re-scheduled them to the rhythm of the moon. For years now I’ve celebrated each New Moon by throwing out my old kitchen sponge and unwrapping a new one. When I lived in California, with an automatic sprinkler system and plants always lush and blooming, I would fertilize my orchids and roses every two weeks, at New and Full Moons. Later, when I moved to Oregon, and I had to water our few precious plants by hand, with water from a well that was quite weak, I used the moon’s cycle in a new way. Since plants absorb water more efficiently during water sign moons, I would schedule my watering for the days when the moon was in Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces.
The algae cleaner for my pond is supposed to be added every three to four days, so I add it on the day the moon changes sign (which is every three to four days). I look for air sign moons to light my scented candles. I like to air out bedding on air sign moons too. I schedule my haircuts and facials for Libra (the "beauty") moon. And if I don’t achieve perfection, it’s only mundane stuff. I let myself off the hook. It’s a moon magic that’s undemanding and ordinary, which over time, has become quite special to me.
May it be the same for you!
And
here’s my favorite "ordinary" moon practice: Everyday,
after my morning shower, I apply one of Sue Morris’ fabulous
astrology oils. There’s one for each sign… I love how
they keep me in tune with the daily moon. And Sue has agreed to
make them available at a discount to MoonCIrcles visitors.
