The moon is new on November 30^th  at 10:21 pm  and Full on December 15^th at 01:01 am in the Pacific time zone. All times taken from https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/phases/

This is the second New Moon in November (11/1 and 11/30) December’s New Moon will be on 12/30/2024

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your support and encouragement. I’m so blessed to hold the space of peace, love and expansion, as well as facilitate healing on behalf of this planet, for others and myself. This connection is my joy.

Every year Thanksgiving Day in the US is the fourth Thursday in November. Because November first fell on a Friday this year, it made the fourth Thursday the last week of November. I don’t know about you, but this late holiday makes the Christmas/Holiday season seem very compressed to me. There seems an urgency to get through this year.

Over the years my family has had to change the day we celebrate our holidays due to shift work. I worked many years in a hospital or hospice and my husband worked as a paramedic/firefighter. Both of us worked many holidays; this never got in the way of celebrating, we never made it about a calendar day.

As I was reminiscing about holidays past, when my children were young and my extended family was mostly in one place, an interesting thought came to me; what if we didn’t celebrate holidays by the calendar?

National, religious and secular holidays are culturally ingrained in us from the time we’re born. I grew up in a more spiritual and secular, than religious household; Santa and the Easter Bunny were more prevalent than stories of the birth of Christ or the resurrection, though we were taught the Christian foundation of these holidays through Edgar Casey’s, Association for Research and Enlightenment, vacation bible school and church youth groups.

In my childhood we spent many holidays with big family dinners and celebrations, but sometimes just our family of five and my maternal grandparents gathered. Independence Day was also my grandfather’s birthday and was as important in our family as Christmas. But, to get back to my pondering; what would life feel like if as a society we didn’t celebrate these major holidays? Would we still gather for special meals, to exchange gifts, and create family traditions? Would we send messages and cards to express our gratitude for each other? I’d like to think we would choose to gather together.

It’s been my experience that holy days and sacred celebrations must be created and cherished, not just observed because a calendar says it’s time. What the calendar and cultural traditions have given me, is an opportunity for a shared experience a few days each year; a special meal with family and friends, a chance to celebrate each other and take a break from day-to-day life. Even without the calendar, the change of seasons provides a rhythm and flow for life, and a pull to celebrate the gift’s given by our Creator and the Earth.   

My wish for myself, and for you, is to choose to set aside time each day to nourish and rest, to be of service and experience childlike wonder.  I want to make time to gather frequently with family and friends to celebrate the gift of being together—without the need for a “holiday”. Let’s step outside of time, let the world stop for a little while, and savor our personal and Divine connections.

The next 15 Minutes of Love video will be posted on Wednesday December 4^th. I’ll be taking the rest of the month off to rest and have some inward and family time. The next New Moon will be on December 30^th and will be a wonderful time to plant new seeds for the coming year.

With Love,

Deborah

In the Pacific Time Zone, the New Moon occurs on November 1^st at 05:47 am and is Full, on November 15^th at 1:28 pm. All times taken from

https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/phases

To me, this November’s New Moon feels full of opportunity for change and transformation. This year the New Moon falls on the Celtic New Year, All Saints Day and Día de Muertos or Day of the Dead. All of these holy days speak to the “veil being thin” giving all who choose to venture in, the ability to experience the Other Worlds, and the honoring of ancestors. This is a time to gather wisdom from the old and plant seeds for new ways of Being; new ways of relating to each other, and to our environments.

What will you let go of to make room for more joy, love and laughter? What new skills will you garner, what existing skills will you hone, to be of service to your community, both local and beyond? Let’s support each other in what we choose. Let’s share our dreams and visions for a world that supports life versus death, freedom versus slavery and wear the mantle of responsibility for lives. It may seem frightening to share your true thoughts, but this feels like a time to be Real, without the need to mold your outer ‘you’ to fit someone else’s expectations. Exposing the ‘Inner You’ puts you in a vulnerable place but I’m learning that this is truly a place of beauty and growth.

I’m taking time over these next few days to reconsider everything—including what I offer in this space. All things eventually come to a conclusion allowing other things to sprout and grow. I’m ready to tend my life in a more authentic way. I’m asking myself—am I using and developing the gifts that I’ve been given to the best of my ability? Am I able to let joy and love flow through me and flow out of me, no matter what’s going on around me?

I recently had a conversation with a friend about embracing “the lusciousness of life”. When I reflected on this conversation, I was grateful to have the insight that I’ve put up walls and placed myself in a sort of isolation that has kept me from fully nourishing myself from the sweetness of life. I’ve jumped in; this is not a place for baby steps, this is a time for boldness and living from my heart. This is my wish for you and every living being.

In the Pacific Time Zone, the moon is new at 05:37 am on June 6^th. The moon is full at 6:07 pm n June 21^st and the Summer Solstice begins at 1:50 pm on June 20^th.  All times taken from https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/phases/

May seemed to fly by for me. It was a time of putting more of the ideas that were visioned during the Spring Equinox into physical form, both personally and professionally. June with its promise of warmer, sunnier days is fueling my mind, body and soul. I’m feeling nourished as we move into the season of growth and transformation.

June in the Inland Northwest is very unpredictable weather wise. It can range from cool and rainy to hot and dry. But it always brings the Solstice—the longest day of the year. The Solstice invites us to bring fire/light back into our hearts and minds, to be playful. It’s a time to cultivate the beauty and joy of the natural world. As we approach the solstice, I like to ponder my childhood feelings of wonder and anticipation of summer; savoring the possibilities for new adventures, playing outside late into the evening until the last rays of sun have left the sky.

Recently, I was using The Sacred Forest Oracle Card Deck from Denise Linn and pulled card number 20-Frog Spirit: Renewal. This seemed so appropriate for this time of the new moon and approaching the summer solstice. A quote from this card that stood out for me, “…what has occurred does not need to mandate what will occur. You can start off fresh and new. However, if you do what you have always done, you will get what you’ve always gotten. In order to reboot your life, you need to do things in a different way. Abounding good luck is activated and awaiting you!” This was a confirmation of the personal work that I’ve been doing and again, brought up for me the childlike enthusiasm and joy for new ways of being. I’m grateful for the synchronicity. 

The following is a meditation that I’ve created for myself. If it resonates with you   feel free to use it too.

I envision a perfect summer day that lazily stretches into a warm, peaceful night; I make this as real as I can. I feel myself walking in the sunshine, eating juicy, ripe fruit, watching the birds and butterflies. I smell the flowers and feel the breeze on my skin. I imagine laying down in the cool grass looking up at the stars as twilight gives way to night. I remind myself to dream bigger than ever, filling myself with love, joy and discernment for what’s truly mine to do, what’s real and what’s not. I feel myself surrounded by people that I love and who love me. There is lots of laughter and smiling. I hear my higher self say “You have all that you need— you have stepped out of suffering and into a life that you love.” I feel these words deeply and KNOW that this is true. I see myself living each day, no matter the weather (physical or metaphoric), no matter what challenges come, with my face to the light, taking in and radiating out the gifts that have been placed within my Being. I am truly blessed.

Below is a link for the oracle deck I referenced.

https://www.hayhouse.com/the-sacred-forest-oracle-deck