Happy New Moon - the first in 2016.
As you know, we have been closed since Winter Solstice. Mary and I are in a planning meeting today and we will open the shop and send parcels tomorrow. Thankyou for keeping the orders coming in. We are really grateful for your support.
Mid January opening is sooner than usual for us. Generally, we wait until the second New Moon after Solstice, which happens to be Chinese New Year, but since that would take us to mid-February this year we have decided to open a little earlier.
We will be sending parcels from tomorrow, and we truly thank you for your support and patience, but will not yet have any open days, online sales or new courses yet.
So why, when there is so much focus on to setting goals and leaping into the new year, do we not join in? Why is it so important to go into retreat at Solstice and not rush out on 1st January
The 'New Year' is simply a calendar date - based on the Gregorian Calendar. It is a human construct, introduced in the sixteenth century and adopted in many parts of the world, but it has no basis in the reality of natural cycles. While we are encouraged to set resolutions then get out there and start being active, Mother Nature is still resting. It isn't yet a new year for her. When we align with natural cycles of Sun, Earth and Moon, life becomes much easier. When we don't, it's like swimming against the tide.
We are not meant to have one single pace throughout the year and months. There are times of increasing energy, as spring approaches and as the moon rises to full, with which we can align ourselves with to create and be active. There are times when energy decreases, as the energy of summer wanes and autumn approaches, and as the moon wanes, when we need to reduce outward activity, slow down, become more inward. The words - We are all One - are now spoken and written very often, but the reality is seldom honoured. We are not separate from the Whole and we need to align with the natural flow to be well.
This year I've heard many people say that they feel exhausted - not ready to take the leap into the new year. I've read that these feelings indicate something being wrong with their lives and change is needed. While this may be so in some cases, it may also be that we are becoming less able, or willing, to push against the energy of natural cycles.
I know that people have to go to work, college, school etc., and that our collective systems currently do not align with natural law and encourage both rest and action, but even within the existing structures we can still choose to moderate our behaviour and expectations to some degree.
I plan to enjoy stillness, bare trees, chilly days and warm fires, woolly socks for a few more weeks. In that time, the dreamseeds planted at Winter Solstice will begin to swell and expand. When the seeds shoot, buds begin to open and new life begins to emerge, that will be time for us humans to emerge into a new year too.
Now to crystals.
What crystals am I feeling right now? The one that I'm most attracted to this month, so far, is Petrified or Fossilised Wood.
Petrified or Fossilised Wood.
Petrified wood is wood that has become stone. Ancient wood became buried beneath volcanic ash or sediment, and was preserved because no oxygen was available to break down or decompose the wood. Mineral rich water gradually deposited the minerals in the organic cells, and eventually replaced them, keeping the original shape and structure of the tree.
Energetically it is gently grounding yet it also reaches up to Spirit. It holds the energy frequency of the original blueprint of evolution, and reminds us that, as humans, we are an intrinsic part of the beauty and harmony of nature and can always choose to return to the pattern of perfection. It is perfect for connecting with our close, and distant, ancestors.
I find that Petrified Wood encourages stillness and patience, so it is perfect for now.
We buy it in beautiful, polished slices, fascinating little 'twigs' with the bark patterns visible, polished pieces an various shapes and some jewellery. It is mostly shaded of brown but sometimes has green or pink areas.
Find Petrified Wood here
CRADLE OF HUMANKIND STONE
Another crystal that I'm currently very drawn to, and actually wearing as I write, is Cradle of Humankind stone. These dark grey stones are from the area of South Africa where the earliest evidence of human and protohumans has been found and can help with deep ancestral healing - personal, collective and planetary.
I’m enjoying wearing this stone. It feels very soft, smooth and easy on the surface but I’m aware that it is working at a deep, below consciousness level.
Find tumblestones here
