Dark Moon: Less is More

Molly Hall About.com
Dark Moon: Less is More
Wednesday October 6, 2010


The Dark Moon is a suspended moment, when it's wise to calm the mind, and tune in to a deeper part of you. Sometimes I feel pulled away from the worldly matters, and find it hard to get much done.

This is a point in the lunation cycle to take a less is more attitude. Less talk, less busyness, less clutter in mind and spirit. If you're in the car, turn off the radio. If you're on a break at work, go for a walk to clear your head. It's a natural point of surrender to the unknown, and the healing, wisdom or just rest, that comes from the descent into the dark. We're in the dark or Balsamic Moon phase 'til the 7th (Thursday) at 2:44 pm edt at the New Moon Libra.

Molly Hall, About.com
Balsamic Moon Personality
Your Moon Phase

•On the Lunar Calendar: 10 ½ days after the Full Moon, up to the New Moon

•Degree: 315-360 degrees ahead of the Sun

•Inner Directive: completion, preparation for new


If this is your Moon phase, you see in the dark. You're at home when enveloped in mysteries, especially the ultimate mystery - death. Your life purpose is to tie up loose ends, and create a nutrient-rich environment for the new to germinate.

You may feel unreal, and in the shadows, since much of what's taken as culture is old hat to you. As a youngster, you might feel like you're going through the motions, that nothing satisfies. You don't sink into current culture, because your role is to distill it into the new.

Your nature is to mix it all in the cauldron, and with the heat, busting open seeds for the new. You live with one eye on the future, and are often detached from current events and culture. Your role is to vision the future, out of what's fermented from the past.


Initiation

Just as a shaman straddles two worlds, so do you. You may be drawn to the healing arts, and be especially intuitive. As an artist, you create original works that give a first glimpse of the emerging future. Your Moon phase is about ending, but it's there in the womblike dark, that the new is birthed.

Your Moon phase is an initiation into new ways of being. The old and new overlap, as you resolve past karma, and wrap up relationships. You may have a lot of brief ties with specific work to do, before moving on. As the old is completed, you catch sight of the new. You may be a visionary seer that is a guide for others across that bridge.

The Dark Moon
Molly Hall, About.com


When is the Dark Moon? :


Also known as the "dead" Moon, this is the time when there is no solar reflection, leaving the lunar face in darkness. The dark lasts about three days before the new crescent appears.


Is this the same as the New Moon?:


For many, the new Moon begins at the moment of the Sun-Moon conjunction, but for others it remains the dark Moon until that crescent is in view. As the Moon wanes toward those final days of darkness, there's often a turn inward. In those contemplative moments, the inner reality is presented through dreams and waking visions. It's fertile ground for the new Moon intentions to be conjured.


How does the Dark Moon differ from the New Moon?:

The dark of the Moon is the most powerful time psychically. It seems to lure us toward the deepest self, the longings of the soul, and restful listening is a great way to receive these messages. It's been compared to the dormant seed under the winter snow, or the cocoon holding the butterfly. You might feel tired, or crave quiet solitude. It's important to make space for the unfolding of the spirit at this time. Like death itself, it's preparation for the new beginning that begins with the crescent.


The Dark Moon and Women's Cycles:

You've probably heard about the "menstruation hut" of matriarchal and so-called primitve cultures. The dark of the Moon was one of those times when women gathered together to draw wisdom from the powerful psychic energy afoot. Often there was a merging of women's cycles -- as there is now when women live in close quarters -- and this created an amped up collective power. In the hut, women could share visions, divine messages and open to higher wisdom.


The Dark Moon and grief:

Whenever we experience a deep loss, we are changed profoundly, which is a kind of death. This is considered a dark Moon phase, and lasts as long as it takes to fully integrate the experience. Sometimes others are made uneasy by our personal confusion, melancholy, soul angst, etc, and try to prevent us from fully dwelling in the dark. But taking a cue from nature, we can see that everything dies for a time, before coming alive again in a new form. Just like that, there are times when we die to our old self and are reborn to a new life.


The Dark Moon and the Seasons:

During the Winter Solstice, when the days are short (in the Northern Hemisphere), it's an inward time with a cozy intimate feeling. It's always a surprise to see the green things come to life again after being stripped to such a bare state. The growth at this time is underground, hidden, but powerful because it's often the base, the roots.


The Dark Moon and Growing Older, Dying:

In our own lives, there's a dark Moon phase toward the end as we prepare to enter the mystery of death. Often there is a convergence of memories, making time seem to run together. So many traditions believe the spirit carries on, but to where? This is the great unknown, and a dark Moon period that is taken on faith, with the hope of new life to come. The dark Moon is associated with the underworld, a seperate plane where the dead and almost born are together.


Are we living in a Dark Moon phase?:

In her book, Mysteries of the Dark Moon, Demetra George presented this concept. We live on a dying planet in the sense that her form is changing, from the rainforest floor to the air encircling her. Part of the dark Moon is a break-down of old systems, and letting go, and there's some review going on of how we've been living, what we believe, our relationship with the natural world. The new seeds are being planted, but there's still a lot of uncertainty and fear -- darkness. Seeing this time as a dark Moon period can put it in a broader perspective, with hope for a new beginning.


The Power of the Dark:

The dark Moon is private, intimate, richly renewing and full of depth. The waning Moon is a time of letting go, and as you're stripped of what you've known, there's a moment of standing naked, not knowing who you are. This might be what dying is like, an awesome mystery that makes us feel fully awake at that final moment. What comes next, we wonder?


I've found the dark Moon to be the most powerful time for organically unfolding soul-searching. The inner Self starts to grow in power, and make its presence known. Ideally, you can listen, integrate, and set intentions that will bring you into harmony with yourself during the waxing Moon.


Stillness is the key word for the dark Moon. Restful, rich solitude gives you the chance to hear that inner voice. With the lunar face hidden, the intuitive-psychic self takes over. Make space for a clearing of the mind and spirit, so that you can be ready to recieve.


There's a historic pattern of fearing the dark, and denying death. But it's a fact of nature, and if embraced, can be met as the winding down before the next new beginning. The Moon is associated with women, and many Goddesses like Hecate, Kali, Lilith, represent her dark aspect. The dark Moon reminds us of nature's cycles of death and rebirth. The grave and the womb become the same place, a transition when you're held in the mystery beyond physical existence.


Each dark Moon is a chance to be renewed, to experience unknowing, and to gain timeless wisdom. The dark Moon opens a door to the past, and it reaches back far into the collective memory. Make it a sacred time for yourself each month, a time to connect to the great mystery of life.


Source: This is original writing, the foundation of which came from the works of Vicki Noble, Demetra George, Judy Grahn, Starhawk and Elinor Gadon, to name a few.

I feel really drawn to this topic. There is much parallel to my life in the words. The dark moon can be a powerful force that shifts the energies around us allowing us to bring new experiences into our lives through change. Ironically just last night I was inspired to cull my wardrobe because alot of the clothing in it does not feel like me anymore. I also had the inspiration to sell the things that I don't need cluttering my space. I hold onto many things with a 'maybe I'll need it one day' attitude. But the percentage of those things that ever truly becomes useful is very low. There is alot to learn from observing our patterns. As I look around me I see things that I have bought on impulse simply to have them and not because I needed them. I try to remain conscious of this fact now when I shop. I have cut down on impulsive buys that just add to the clutter of my living space and leave me guessing at where the real me is buried underneath it all.

Kat ,

You got ALL that from the DARK of the Moon. " The Dark Moon " Excellent My Dear "

But on a KEY NOTE here, your last words were,

Quote GothiKat:
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the real me is buried underneath it all.
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You go girl, go un-bury her and set her FREE, just to BE, Who You truly Are. ALL-ways .

Don't BE afraid. You notice the word afr-AID has the word AID in it, good Back-UP measures, I call them.

I have Great Warmth in my HEART & SOL to share with you, I k-NOW that your going to LOVE what you. SEE, FEEL and find after you On " EARTH " Her . It's like a dis-COVER-y and you have many gifts, talents and teasures to go and find under all that Symbolic Clutter.

This is why the Great Wamth inside ME for You, I just Loved this part of the journey.

You said it !! !!

SEE less can BE more " DARK MOON "

I feel stuck (emphasis on the UCK!!!). I just can't move. It's overwhelming. Like a small child, I throw a tantrum and turn my back on what I have to do. Now I carry a knot in my neck that prevents me from being comfortable or relaxing. I sit here at 5 o'clock in the morning unable to sleep and certainly not enjoying being awake in physical pain because of this ongoing struggle.

I've been receiving guidance in the form of dreams. They have been deeply emotionally cleansing dream releasing past emotional hurts and situations that left me feeling powerless or robbed of my true self. That is the inner house clearing going on. Still the outer house clearing awaits my effort. All these clothes and books and knick knacks and confusion...instead I throw myself back into my studies to avoid having to deal with it and this leaves me even more dissatisfied and stressed. What is the big block??? What am I not ready to let go of? It makes me think of death. I feel my body tense whenever I go to clear my space and yet I can't identify the source. I just want to cry.

And the focal point for all my angst is this one bloody assignment that is now overdue for uni! It's a simple one that involves designing a three session parent education program about one of the stages of childhood. I have chosen to do supporting school age indigo children through middle childhood. There's the real me that has to rear it's head in my science course whether the lecturers like it or not lol. Why do I keep putting it off? Why do I keep questioning my motives for even doing uni?

I don't know, but the pain in my neck is getting worse...

I'm sorry for venting this here. The real reason I can't move is that if I am to be authentic then I know I cannot live just as one - I am a multiple being. There has to be room in my life for all my intelligences to express themselves. That's not happening at the moment. I am entrenched in the role of being a responsible parent and provider for my family. This leaves no space for play. I miss just being able to have fun without any deadlines or duties. Everything is so serious.

Soul Is the Best Word

Soul Retrieval, a primary part of my energy healing work that I'm particularly drawn to, is an essential part of healing.

"Soul is the best word we have for that essential part of ourselves that seems to have preceded our entry into this world, yet also endures beyond our lifetime. For the Laika (elder wise ones) the soul, retains the memories of all the many incarnations we've had prior to this one and also contains the potential for who we can become," states my teacher, Alberto Villoldo, in his latest book Soul Retrieval.

Herein lies the power of the soul retrieval for ultimate healing. Recently I spoke of journeying as the unique tool that shamans use to assist their clients.



We use journeying to look into the energetic parts to help release that which is no longer needed or is actually impeding one's well being. We also journey to help promote and foster our potential in the future, sometimes called destiny retrieval. I'll address destiny retrieval later.

Where Does My Soul Go?

Now, please understand, one doesn't lose their "soul." It is actually a part of one's self that becomes "stuck" in the energetic realms because of some sort of major trauma.

For instance, if you were abused as a child, in this lifetime, it is quite likely that a part of you broke off and continues to exist as that child, at a particular age.


I'm working with a client now who easily slips into a feeling of absolute rejection and worthlessness when her beloved behaves in certain ways. She says she feels like she is about 4 or 5 years old. This may be past life material or it may be mostly from this lifetime. Our soul retrieval will tell us.

Getting Stuck & Unstuck

One of the reasons that I am so attracted to this process is its parallel process in depth psychology. As a student of the psychological sciences for many years, I learned that personality chunks get stuck at a particular age due to felt trauma. The individual continues to be vulnerable to those painful emotions and often feels as though it is out of their conscious control. They can't stop the instantaneous regressions and the subsequent immature behavioral responses.

Of course the most dramatic show of this phenomena is the multiple personality. The treatment is to retrieve those personality parts and help the individual integrate that part into present time. This is what we do in shamanic healing, but by operating more at the energetic level.


Soul Retrieval
by Jeffre TallTrees Ph.D.

http://www.shaman-tantra.com/shaman/soul-retrieval.htm

The Three Worlds


To understand how and why a Soul Retrieval works, it's necessary to understand how shaman's view the three parts of the world.



The upper world is the energetic realm of Spirit, it is where our own individual spirit (soul) joins with greater Spirit when we transition from this physical plane. The Q'ero call this the Hanaqpacha (above the earth).

The Middle World is the world as we know it in present time. Known by the Q'ero as the Kayapacha. The Lower World, the Ujupacha, is the domain of the unconscious, the trusting, innocent feminine aspect of ourselves. It is where parts of ourselves reside, having been abandoned or taken from us because of childhood trauma. To function and to feel safe as a child, the wounded self (part) was left behind.


Soul Retrieval Purpose

The overall purpose of Soul Retrieval is to bring back those parts to heal the soul and bring wholeness to the person. The shaman journeys deep into the underworld (lower world) of the psyche, the unconscious, to meet the soul part in its own domain.

This is the deepest place where talking and living in the everyday world can't get to.

Unlike psychotherapy, we don't analyze and dissect these findings, we bring these soul parts back to acknowledge them, heal them and reintegrate them back into the whole of one's being.

This may be difficult work, and it can be life changing. Reclaiming your wholeness may demand dramatic change in your life and how you look at life, love and relationship. Most people seek soul retrieval when in crisis, either physical or psychological. At these times, the soul is crying out for acknowledgement and reintegration. The key to avoiding physical and psychological crisis is to recover the lost part(s) before the crisis.


Lost Your Inner Child?

I have found that many of us in this society have lost our childlike perspectives, and therefore, our ability to really play. When I journey to the Lower World, I find a small child who questions whether or not she should come back, because she isn't sure the client has the motivation to make time for her. After the soul part is retrieved, it can mature quickly with adequate attention.




The client always has a choice, but the real work and the real change takes place after the shaman has made the energetic space for that change to happen. If the soul part comes home to you, rest assured, you're life will shift, because the soul part and the subsequent wholeness will demand it.

Finding the lost part of your soul can turn the current equilibrium of your life upside down. When you are whole once more, you simply won't let yourself live as you did before. You will create a better, more rewarding life.



Soul Retrieval
by Jeffre TallTrees Ph.D.

http://www.shaman-tantra.com/shaman/soul-retrieval-purpose.htm

Soul Retrieval Examples
by Jeffre TallTrees Ph.D.

In recent pages I outlined the process of Soul Retrieval including the journeying by the shaman to the underworld. I'd like to elaborate on that and give you some examples from actual Soul Retrievals.

An Exhausted Young Woman
I recently worked with a young woman who is always exhausted. She is very bright and has done a lot of personal work. As I journeyed to the lower world, I was greeted by the Lord of Life and Death, Huascar, who guided me to the first chamber, the chamber of the original wounding. I saw a small girl, about 5, in a farm setting. Her mother had very little time for her and was after her sternly to do her chores. The little girl was sad.

In the next chamber, the chamber of contracts, the contract appeared quickly: "Life is serious. Life is a struggle." In the chamber of passions there was another little girl dressed in a party dress, bow in her hair with a big smile on her face. She said, "I'll come back if we can have fun together." In the chamber of gifts, I found a very cute and cuddly baby doll. The power animal that asked to return with us was a raven.

After the journeying, the client and I worked our way through each chamber so she could integrate the metaphors into her learnings. I gave her the opportunity to rewrite the contract. She chose, "Life is supposed to be fun. Life is abundant and easy." She liked the raven immensely. The raven is not only magic, but represents the dark mysterious feminine energy.

Relationship Issues
Another client is working on her relationship issues and how she gives away her power to the man she is living with. The first chamber was very black at first then I heard blood curdling screams. Then I saw a child being thrown into a fire. The contract was:"Being in my power is dangerous and can kill me. In the chamber of the healed self was a young Native American boy smiling, powerful. He said,"I'm connected to Great Spirit. I will return with you but I must be reassured that (the client) will listen to me." The gift was a long ceremonial spear with feather and beads. The crow wanted to come back.

We then processed the journey by letting the client speak as the figure in each chamber. She rewrote the contract to read, "Standing in my power is life giving and is where my safety and creativity lay."

Homework
I usually give some action homework to help the client take in even more the multiple levels of messages and healing.

Soul retrievals have been very useful for me personally as I have walked my path.


http://www.shaman-tantra.com/shaman/soul-retrieval-examples.htm

GothiKat wrote:

I feel really drawn to this topic. There is much parallel to my life in the words.

AMEN to those words.

Ooh goosebumps...and a very strange tingling/opening sensation at the back of my head in line with where the third eye is at the front. I am talking fully awakened by the process and stories relating to soul retrieval. Wow...(gotta breathe this all in...)...another experience related to this and the assignment: Today I let go of carrying the torch for the indigo children and picked it up for my inner child. I decided if I was going to do this assignment then I would keep it simple and I would focus on what I know, and that is what kids need to be happy and express themselves to the world. I don't feel I have turned my back on part of myself - quite the opposite. I think I found a way to heal some more and open myself to love. I love kids and I love bringing a smile to their faces and my kids love it when I sit and talk to them and give them the emotional nurturing and self-discovery tools to live as happy, loving people. We hold family meetings that are more mini workshops where we honour and support one another. We all share and learn.

I do remember how to play and be spontaneous. Studying psychology has been like wading back into the shadows hoping I don't stand on another land mine that opens up another old wound...but today I found a new light to shine into the darkness. I can use the tools I am learning to support the new kids here on the planet and strengthen them. This includes my own inner child. She is stepping bravely out of the dark moon into this bright world too and I need to nurture her.

Solane - so intuitive!! I can't believe the connection at times. You cut straight to the core of the issues coming up for me and I am so thankful. I was hoping when I posted that someone would know what to post...and Moonie, thanks for your comment. You guys rock!!!