The first, instinctive part of the cycle finds its completion with the full Moon, when it stands opposite the Sun in the sky, receiving and reflecting back the full light of the Sun. The flower has finally blossomed! This phase is a time of fulfillment if we have worked hard at the previous parts of the cycle, a time when the seed potential begun at the new Moon matures. Since the full Moon begins the second part of the lunar cycle, this is the time when we develop objective awareness. Now we begin to become conscious of our purpose, of the meaning of what we have created. Psychologically, this phase offers us the possibility of consciously pursuing our life's purpose by fully integrating the polarity of the Sun and Moon, of inner and outer, of self and other. It is the internal balancing of these opposites that brings us the clarity and objectivity and self-awareness of this part of the cycle. When we learn to bear the tension of opposites, we discover that a third way, which Jung called the transcendent function, opens up. It is a result of each side understanding the importance of the other.
The Sun's spiritual purpose is accepted by
the Moon’s soulful reflections, just as the Sun accepts that the vehicle for
expressing and achieving its purpose is the Moon-shaped personality. It is the alchemical marriage of the Sun/consciousness
and the Moon/the unconscious which engenders a time of revelation and
illumination, of creative fullness and conscious awareness. It is always a time to engage ourselves out
in the world, to experience the fullness of life, especially through our
relationships. We have entered the phase
where we must think before we act, so that our actions are considerate, caring
and meaningful.
After the full Moon,
the Moon starts on its journey back to reunite with the Sun. The light begins to decrease, and the plant
to bear fruit. During the disseminating
phase of the Moon we live out the meaningful life purpose that we became aware
of during the full Moon. Now we can
communicate to others what we have learned during the first part of the cycle,
the meaning of our experiences and what we value because of them. This is the phase when we learn to walk our
talk. Our lives are changed and we now
can teach others how to do the same.
This phase opens us to working with like-minded people, sharing information
and experiences and creating possibilities for group action.
When we reach the dark
and mysterious last-quarter Moon that rises around midnight, we find ourselves
contemplating what we have learned and deciding if we still believe in it. This phase provokes a crisis in
consciousness, a time to confront our belief system and question our assumptions. In the plant cycle, it is the time after the
harvest when whatever remains is left to decompose and go to seed. Psychologically, it represents a time when we
let go of old ways of thinking about the world that no longer serve us. The energy forces us to confront our old
belief systems and discover if they are still viable. If not, we need to let go of them; if they
are, we save them like seeds for an unknown future. We have to let go of the past and begin to
orient ourselves towards a new cycle. It
is time to invest in the future.
The very last phase of
the soli-lunar cycle is called the balsamic phase, the old crescent moon that
rises just before sunrise and later disappears completely. This final phase of the Moon become a bridge
between the old and the new cycle. This is a time to distill what we have
learned in the cycle, and to transform it into a vision that can seed the next
new Moon. Psychologically, this is a
time when we can release and transform old energies. This phase is a wisdom
phase, when we have to use both our instincts and our intellect to finish up
old business and clear the decks for a new cycle. Living a new vision in the midst of an old
collective or personal reality is the lesson here. This is Lady Wisdom manifesting fully. Otherwise, we refuse the lesson and get so
stuck in old wounds that the world bears the blame for our refusal to let go
and die. You could say that collectively
we find ourselves in this situation today – our old way of life no longer
works, and instead of distilling its wisdom and envisioning a different future,
the powers-that-be hang on for dear life and create death all around
instead.
It is important to pay
attention to these lunar cycles and understand how they affect your body, soul
and spirit. Pay attention for a few
months to your dreams, especially around new and full Moon. See what comes into your life during the
waxing stage and then understand what meaning it has for you during the waning
phase. What new wisdom have you
discovered? After a few months, look at
your astrology chart and see what houses are affected by the monthly
cycle. This will tell you what aspect of
your life is being worked on. Compare it
with your experiences and see if using your chart helps you understand yourself
better. Making this cyclic rhythm a part
of your life is one way to take your standpoint on the Moon, like the Woman
clothed with the Sun.
During this soli-lunar
cycle, as the Sun and Moon's relationship to each other changes, the light
itself is changed. Fierce golden
sunlight is received by the Moon and transformed into a cool, silvery light, a reflective light. The Moon implies the art of reflective
thought and is certainly a metaphor of the consciousness that sends us our
dreams every night, reflecting back to us our daytime reality in the form of
objective dream images. Our dreams give
us the images that compensate or complement our ego reality. Through the light of lunar consciousness, we
begin to see different aspects of ourselves and how they interrelate. The dream gives us a perspective on our lives
that is greater than our ego perspective; it gives us a symbolic vantage point
from which to view our own individual story.
The Moon symbolizes a reflective mirror with which to view ourselves and
our attitudes, our problems and our joys.
This soft light promotes inner growth and evolution, just as it induces
plant growth.
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