Illuminated By The Knowingness Of Who You Are

​Last week we had the first full moon of the calendar year 2022.  I didn’t celebrate it in any way, I didn’t perform any ritual, I wasn’t in ceremony, but I did put out filtered water to be charged by lunar energy.
 
I was however, in thought and in feeling.  I was in my Shadow and in my Light, curious about what I was ready to release not only during the full moon, but over the course of the next few months leading up to my 55th birthday.  Well, I guess one could say I was in a ritual of sorts.
 
Do you work with the cycles of the moon?  Are you the kind of person who sets intentions during the darkness of the new moon and finds release during the brilliance of the full moon?  Yeah, me too.
 
In my practices of curiosity and introspection, it became abundantly clear what I am truly ready to let go of.  Finally, and fully prepared for the release of a few core-related, limiting beliefs that I am sick and tired of carrying around.  Stories that belong to someone else that I’ve used to keep me playing small and in a loop of distraction and self-sabotage.
 
But that’s not why I write to you today. 
 
The cycles of the moon give us the opportunity to know ourselves more deeply, more truly, more authentically.  The cycles of the moon give us the opportunity to be more of who we really are.  Through the cycle of the new moon, we set intentions.  In the process of intention setting, we recognize and acknowledge those things we want to put in motion.  Intentions help us shift in the direction of what we prefer in our lives.  They guide us in creating new habits and spiritual practices that are in alignment with who we prefer to be.   In turn, helping us to know ourselves more deeply, my truly, more authentically.  Intentions help us to be more of who we truly are and who we prefer to be.
 
Through the cycle of the full moon, we are offered a chance to release aspects of ourselves and our lives we no longer need, those things that are no longer in alignment with the current version of ourselves.  In the process of release, we more easily recognize and acknowledge those things that are worn out, outdated, those things that no longer serve us.  The act of releasing guides us inletting go of those things that are no longer in alignment with who we prefer to be.  In turn, helping us know ourselves more deeply, more truly, more authentically.  The act of releasing helps us to be more of who we really are by letting go of who we are not.
 
Yes, the moon influences us but in truth, we use the moon as a permission slip.
 
A permission slip is ANY technique, tool, ritual, object, discipline, practice, ANYTHING in physical reality that you believe will help you become more of who you are, to be more of who you truly are, to know yourself more deeply, more authentically.  It is anything that you give yourself, to give yourself permission to change because you believe it will help you do the things you do and make changes you need to make.  You understand that “With this assisting me, I believe I can change.”  Permission slips give you a broader sense of what is possible for you.   
 
Mediation, tarot, mirror work, affirmations, statues of deities, rituals, introspection, relationships, journaling, nature, enrollment in a course of study, coaching, booking a session with a spiritual teacher, yoga, and the moon, are all examples of permissions slips.  Ultimately you realize you are the permission slip, and you can change in any way, shape, or form that you prefer, at any time, without necessarily needing a ritual or object to make it easier for you to do so.