The moon is a constant in our lives. We see it with so much regularity, that sometimes it floats into the background of the night sky.
Over the next few blogs, we are going to learn about how the moon affects us and how we can best harness the power of the moon. But first we need to get a clarity on what the phases of the moon are.
We learn about the moon in science class, and yet we don’t always remember that the moon has so much power over our earthly plane. The moon is a repeating pattern. It is a cycle.
The four parts that are easiest for me to remember are the New Moon (completely dark) and the Full Moon (it is all lit). The quarters can be tricky because when someone says the first or third quarter they are speaking in terms of the moon's full cycle. Then there is the tricky stuff, waxing and waning. Waxing means to become larger and waning means to get smaller.
The full cycle goes like this: New Moon (fully dark), Waxing Crescent (¼ of the right lit), First Quarter (right half of the moon lit), Waxing Gibbous (¾ of the right side lit), Full Moon (fully lit), Waning Gibbous (¾ of the left side lit), Third Quarter (left half of the moon lit), Waning Crescent (¼ of the left lit) and back again to the New Moon.
Oh boy…that was a lot of sciency stuff (hopefully you kept up).
Now for some fun facts!
A full cycle of the moon is 29 and a half days. Which is why we typically see a full moon once a month, with some months having two. That is when we get our Blue Moon.
There are some differing definitions of a Blue Moon. Most people think of a blue moon as any calendar month that has two full moons, but that is just one of them. The other definition is called a seasonal Blue Moon. A seasonal Blue Moon is when there are four Full Moons in an astronomical season. If there are four Full Moons between the Summer Solstice and the day before the Autumnal Equinox (the first day of fall) you would have a seasonal Blue Moon. This can happen in any of the astronomical seasons.
The seasonal Blue Moon is pretty rare, so I really celebrate by lighting candles and send blessings to the moon.
See you next time as we talk more about the power of the moon!
xo -Sarah
Join my Facebook group Women Finding Freedom in Your Feminine Power for more on this journey. We are a fun community of women supporting each other on our journey to shine their true light for the world.
Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution, and been so excited about it, only to quit before January was even over?
If you said YES, then you are not alone.
So many of us make resolutions every year, only to find ourselves feeling defeated and unable to keep those resolutions. You might just put them off, and then never really start or maybe you started and then ‘life’ just got busy and they fell by the wayside.
No matter the reason, it happens and it is time for a change.
So this year, instead of making a resolution (that we know we won’t stick to), let’s take an honest look at our lives and set a goal for where you want to be at the end of this year.
Seem overwhelming?
Stop thinking about the ‘how’, and just think about what you want in your life. Do you want to be healthier this year, practice more self-care or even just spend more quality time with your family?
OK, now that you have some ideas for goals let’s make them SMART!
If you work in a career that does any type of goal setting, you might have heard of this.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound
Let’s break it down and talk about each part:
Specific: A specific goal is really digging down deep and getting to the nitty gritty of the goal you want. Here is an example of a specific goal, “I want to lose 50 pounds.” In a non-specific goal you might have just said to lose weight.
Measurable: To be measurable, you need to be able to have something that can be quantified. When you say you want to lose 50lbs you can measure that and you know how many more pounds you need to lose to get to your goal.
Attainable: Something that is attainable can be accomplished or achieved. Do people lose 50lbs, and is this something that you can do the work in to do? Making this a realistic goal for you will help you stay on track and meet this goal. Will you be able to do this goal? If you aren’t sure, it is ok to set a smaller goal, and then once you hit your goal you can make another goal.
Relevant: If your goal is to lose 50lbs, you need to stay focused on that, and not deviate. Look at your life, and set your goal based on what is happening with you. Then double check to make sure that it is suitable for your particular purpose. For the example of losing weight, you may want to check in with your medical doctor, in order to really get connected with your goal.
Time-bound: When your goal is time-bound it is a way to keep yourself accountable. When you do this be very specific with what dates you choose. If your ultimate goal is to lose 50lbs by the end of the year, you might even break that up with smaller goals to hit throughout the year. If you take 50 and divide that by 12 months, you will need to lose 4.2 pounds a month. So you could round it up, and have a goal to lose 5lbs a month. That way you have some wiggle room in case some months are a little less.
SMART goals can help you reach your desires and make your goals attainable. It’s ok if you need to set smaller SMART goals, just to prove that you can do this. You can always set a new goal next month or even next week!
You’ve got this!!
