Ever felt January 1st was forced and unnatural? specially if you live in Northern hemisphere – to force a new beginning in the middle of a winter? If you ever felt that, congratulations! that was the inner wisdom inside you tapping you to bring attention back to the natural beings we are and alignment of our lives back to the cycles of nature.
Before Jan 1st
Before January 1st. People lived with moon cycles, solar cycles, and seasons. Because that is what they experienced. So what they experienced became part of their lives. But during Roman empire, Mr. Jules forced Jan 1st as starting point to consolidate chaotic calendars and make things easy for him with laws, admin work, coordination and expansion of empire. Those are great things that have helped us be where we are at now.
Now that we have lived years and years with arbitrary checkpoint for man-made systems’ up keeping – we are starting to feel the disconnected effects. Cycles have become linear, rhythms have become urgency, and harmony has become productivity obsessions. Our powers have shifted from nature to institutions and inner timing to external schedules. It is time to use the platform we created and get back to align and use the help of natural rhythms to liberate our lives.
The Moon as Living Cycle
If we pay close attention to life around us, we can see so many things in our existence is in sync with moon cycles; ocean tides, menstrual cycles, plant growth & sap flow, animal behavior, sleep cycles, human body fluids, emotions and energy intensity and ancient calendars.
New Moon = Reset, intentions, inwardness & seed stage
During new moon energy is subtle and inward, which is a fertile ground to grow. This time is best for planting and setting intentions for a journey or small steps in our lives such as: new additions, practices, tasks into our lives.
Waxing = Growth, effort & building
During waxing moon, energy is rising and it align with growth cycles. This time is best for taking action on those intentions and building momentum, launching projects. Or things that need nourishment and consistency.
Full Moon = Clarity, reflect & completion
At full moon energy is at peak, emotions and mental activities get amplified. This is great time for awareness (Not time for stating things) It is the time to celebrate the completion of stages of process. It is time for gratitude, reflections and insight of what you have started.
Waning = Integration & releasing what did not work
During this phase energy moves outward and downward — this is ideal for shedding what did not work, letting that go, wrapping things up.
And that completes a cycle of intentions, growth, completion, and integration. Then you repeat in next cycle and make progress cycle by cycle — not forced but in alignment and with the help of nature!
Equinoxes: Nature’s True “New Year”
Many ancient cultures from experience and observation have used equinox as starting points to solar cycle. During this time in Northern hemisphere, this is the point where sun starts its northward movement, it is the time when dormant plants start rising above ground, ready to start a new beginning with the help of forces of nature. Why not Solstice? because solstice mark extremes and nature does not start at extremes, it pivots there.
Equinox is the best time to recalibrate our lives and set larger intentions for the growth for the solar cycle. It signals outward energy.
We once were in alignment with this solar cycle, until it was forced away from us for the convenience of few. Now is the best time to use this platform to re-align our lives with the spring equinox anchored solar cycle.
Alignment Over Superstition
Both moon cycles and solar cycles are, in nature supportive for us, and our ancestors used that to support their lives. This support is like the tailwind for our lives. But it is not the engine. Conscious awareness is always greater than timing. These natural cycles are there to help push us when we need a little help. Utilizing these natural cycles is not controlling. It is not forcing an arbitrary start with misalignment.
Simple Ways to Live Cyclically
Using these cycles as feedback loops instead of rules can be tremendous help to move our lives in the directions we seek. These are few tools I found useful to bring this alignment into my personal life, while keeping the static calendar for coordination, taxes and other admin tasks.
- Google Phases of Moon Calendar: Go to google calendar settings > Add Calendar > Browse Calendars of Interest and search for “Phases of moon” — this will add moon phases into google calendar.
- LifePress is a WordPress calendar based journal plugin I developed. In the latest version 2.2 I have added lunisolar calendar view with moon phases, moon month anchored to new moon and solar year anchored to spring equinox. It also shows solar information like daylight, constellation and time to solstice and equinox.
Reclaim Time as Living Experience
Our life is a combination of time and energy. No matter what we do time keep ticking away. It is time we create a relationship with time instead of just measurement. Life as we knows will flow better when our actions meets readiness. Aligning our lives with nature will bring clarity, sustainability and calm momentum.
“The sky never stopped speaking — we just stopped looking up”