How wonderful is it to have a 13th moon, a Blue Moon, at the start of the new year?!

The 13th Moon, in addition to being the traditional Blue Moon, is also a symbol of women in menopause, that time when we leave behind our mother responsibilities for individual children and take on our Wise Women aspect, caring for all.  It is a time of deepening our own understanding of philosophical concepts that may have been no more than words up until we take our Wise Woman time to contemplate and meditate upon them.  Words like “love,” “connection,” “power.”

It is a time of moving away from “oughts” and “shoulds;”  moving away from stories we have inherited from family, peers, culture.  Now is  our time to write or rewrite our own story so that it makes sense grounded in our own unique experience.  Now is our time to choose the word or words which will guide us through the coming year.  Now is our time to truly recognize the power of choosing, claiming out loud and putting our attention to following the energy of our word, or anything really, with focus and clarity.

While New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are just human concepts, there is something sacred about a ritual around renewal.  Creating a small ritual today to carry through the coming year will remind you that each moment is, in fact, new, and renewal can begin right now, whenever that might be.  Don’t be fancy or elaborate – that tends to go by the wayside and/or become just another “should.”  Instead think in terms of portable.

Breathe is always with us.   Let’s say you choose to breathe in your word and breathe out a blessing for all.  That’s it:  a simple in/out.

Let’s say you create your ritual in peace and gratitude, now, when you have time to do so.  Pay attention to how your body feels as you choose this word, to the quite spaces in your mind or the spaces that open up when you say it out loud.

Let’s say you remember this ritual any time life starts feeling a bit chaotic (new things coming!) or out of tune.  Just that simple.  Anywhere, anytime:  focus on your memory of the quiet/open spaces and remember how it feels to be bigger when all you want to do is curl up in a ball and be small.

How better to start a new decade?!  How better to celebrate Once in a Blue Moon?  You’ll have to wait until August 31 2012 for another one!

I would love to hear of your rituals, your hopes, your plans for the coming year.  Won’t you share with us?  Either leave a comment in the comment section or leave your own blog’s link here in the Mr. Linky widget – an easy way to share your blog with everyone.  You never know who’s waiting to read your words – go ahead.  Step into your own 2010 Wylde Wise Woman’s power  – share!

Wild Women’s Wisdom:  I don’t know exactly what a prayer is./I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down/into the grass…/how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields….What will you do with your one wild and precious life?  Mary Oliver , The Summer Day

p.s. Thanks for your patience as my website and blog got resituated on a new host.  It has been a true adventure, one that will enable me to help others contemplating the same thing in my coaching classes.  Through it all, being aware that I was learning all the things I was learning for a reason was very comforting.  Having a lovely group of women to share it with?  Priceless!  Enjoy!

p.p.s. Funny – I know it all works, have previewed it, etc., and still find myself worrying over the “publish” button!  Aren’t we humans funny?!