In the Cherokee tradition we honor both the full moon and the new moon as cycles and see them as balancing each other.  The full moon is seen as feminine, as bringing forth the fruits of all our work and actions and thoughts throughout that particular cycle. The new moon is seen as masculine, as the beginning point.  In the two weeks between full moon and new moon the movement of thought and action is inward, taking what we have learned and become and incorporating it into ourselves until it is indistinguishable from the whole and we become still and peaceful with it.  The new moon starts two weeks where we move outward into the world in this new form seeking ourselves within our next goal, next adventure, next experience.

Today is New Moon and so time to take what we have learned from the past month and move outward into the new month with thoughts of what is next for us.  Even more so we are winding up the official summer break for children and getting ready to go back to school, winding up the summer vacation period and taking that one last trip before having to hunker down for fall, and getting in all the last fun things before we settle back into routine for the next 9 months.  But what if we didn’t settle into the same routine?  New moon challenges us to look at what is coming ahead and do something different.  Instead of putting something off, try to do something today. If you always charge into things head first, stop and don’t do something.  For A-type personalities and I’m all for the old adage “don’t just do something, stand there”.

Take a moment today, when the lunar cycle is starting again, to think, where am I at and how can I do it different today?  Not even better, just different?  No need to over think it, just stop for a moment, lift your head up and let yourself image…