New Moon

I learned that Friday September 2 was a new moon in Virgo, leading up to a full moon in Pisces. Also, a Mercury in Retrograde. Somehow, Chiron, the archetype of the wounded healer, is implicated in all this.

I don't know. All I know is I'm digging it.

I heard that the three annual Mercury-in-Retrograde cycles can be excellent invitations to slow down. They remind us to re-examine our communication and also be attentive to what information we are digesting and internalizing. Leading up to this September 2 event, I was invited to "clean out communication, eat stable food, meditate, make altars, and ground down."

So I went to a cabin in West Virginia.

No communication, apart from conferring with Kevin about who would pump the water.

Very stable food. We brought several mason jars of rice and beans. Reheated them for most meals over the Cookman camp stove. Brought a pecan pie. Ate it by the fire. Often, several times per day. A couple of peaches to ward off the scurvy.

Buffalo creek creates the border of Redbud Farm, the host to our small cabin on a hill. We canoed a bit in the creek. Kevin almost stepped on a turtle (they've been crossing his path frequently of late. I think it's a message to slow down). The creek bed was filled with river stone. One afternoon, we spent a few hours making cairns. Most of Kevin's were architectural, jenga-ascensions, a few of which tumbled. Mine were a bit more traditional, smaller, but well chosen.

I made them because I was reminded of this invitation in a new moon to slow down and think of what I'm creating. To think of how I'm communicating and being present.

Our cabin was also filled with folk art and the owners invited all visitors to make something. I figured stone cairns along the creek were also an offering of art to this particular space.

I was reminded that Chiron is the archetype of the wounded healer. Water serves him, as it reminds of the fluid nature of pain and compassion.

I made lists of what I do, how it sustains me, how it grows, and what paths stop. I made decisions. I decided to let a few projects go so I could feel more balanced and less time-starved. I decided to create some space for less rush and more intention.