“Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risks
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm
for your soul senses the world that awaits you.”
Sunset reflections…
Hello… as I sneak back into your inbox. I know it’s been awhile and what a year it has been. So much has transpired in my own life, our nation, and the world…
ups and downs,
sickness and health,
a threshold time.
And while it’s a time like never before,
perhaps all times since the beginning
have held the tension
of light and dark.
Misty winter morning…
Thank you to all who have reached out… to check in. The emails, cards, Instagram messages have all been appreciated, whether I was able to respond or not.
In November, I came to the realization that I needed to release any expectations of writing for peace in December… I chose to dwell in the darkness, to shelter, to allow myself the space to rest. Even writing here to say “fear not, I’ll be back” was more than I could muster.
I set some dates for myself…
write to everyone on solstice
on the last new moon of 2024
the first day of the new year
a full moon would certainly bring the needed energy to reach out…
and yet, each of those milestones came and went…
Knowing that if the first new moon of the year, the beginning of the lunar year which happens to be today, was not inspiration enough, I would then have my answer.
You ask, but what is the question….
should I continue to write for peace?
should we continue this community committed to peace?
given the state of the world, does any of this matter?
stillness at the lake…
During my days of relishing the dark days of December…
rising early to sit in stillness and
watch the night give way to the day,
I sat empty,
void of expectation…
open to possibility.
And today, on this day of the first new moon of the new lunar year,
I am here.
“Hello to here…”
Swirls at dusk…
With each daybreak arriving just a bit earlier…ushering in more light, I knew it was time…
John O’Donohue writes “soon you will be home in a new rhythm”
And with this new moon, it’s a new rhythm I offer to all of you.
Project Peace this year will look different… I’m calling it project PEACE 2025…
it’s for anyone… yes, knitting will still be present and I have plans for a new pattern (or maybe two) yet my musings coupled with photographs will focus on ways to cultivate peace in our daily lives.
I’ll write about creativity (knitting for sure!), food and health, some mystics, and travel… using my encounters with the ordinary and extra-ordinary as writing inspiration. I’ll be headed to some familiar and new island spaces this year that might be of interest to you.
And yes,
thoughts, words, actions of peace
they matter.
Peace for self, families, communities, the land and sea
they matter.
I’m craving a new rhythm in my life…
the opportunity to expand and contract,
to ebb and flow,
to wax and wane.
The moon is our inspiration as she’s been doing just this since the beginning of time.
Will you join me?
Are you ready to focus on cultivating peace in your daily life?
Peace for self, others, and the Earth?
Partly cloudy… partly clear
The moon will be our guide.
With each new moon, I’ll send an email with a word and a link to the blog post that sets the intention for the lunar cycle. I’ll provide a few prompts with each post in case you are inspired to journal and keep a log on your thoughts and actions pertaining to peace in conjunction with the new, full, and final crescent moon
Perhaps you’ll want to watercolor or make a paper collage, or embroider…
Or maybe it’s just a comment here for others… to co-create this community of peacebuilders.
A bit like the days when we had 21 days of Project Peace in December… and now it’s expanded to bring our attention to peace throughout the entire lunar year.
And as we proceed, perhaps I’ll post more frequently, or create a peace intensive during the summer months, and maybe the 21 days of December…
for now, let’s see how this unfolds.
Here is this month’s peace word:
RHYTHM
Prompts for reflection:
How might the moon inspire you to find a new rhythm that fosters peace in your daily life?
Describe how a practice of ebb and flow during your day might cultivate peace?
And as a reminder, our working definition of peace is “to cultivate right relationships with self, others, and the Earth.” ~ The Earth Charter
Peace… with each stitch, word, and step…
Christina
PS - As always, Please leave a comment to share with others to co-create our community of peacebuilders
PSS - if you are interested in having a lunar calendar as a way to enhance your connection to the moon, a google search will provide lots of options. Here are a couple of suggestions:
All sorts of sizes with lots of detail downloadable copy for a nominal fee.
A poster-sized lunar calendar made by friends Anna Brones and Roshni Roberts
Free links with lots of information about the new and full moon and day-by day details