Aries New Moon Mandala
April 1, 2022
On this Journey to ME:
“Who Am I Be-ing?”
~Donna Iona Drozda
“What you do makes a difference,
And you have to decide
what kind of difference
you want you make.”
~ Jane Goodall
The word ‘anti-aging’ has to be struck.
I am pro-aging.
I want to age with intelligence, and grace and dignity,
and with verve and energy.”
~Jamie Lee Curtis
“Intention is simply allowing the will and the mind to
align and move in harmony.
May I always focus on the Highest.
My intention is that all God’s wishes for me come true.”
~The Wild Offering Oracle: 52-Card Deck on Giving it all to God,
Tosha Silver
“You must be present to win.”
~ Deborah Hurt
“I’m the best I’ve ever been
But not the best I’ll ever be
I have faith in the things I can’t see
On this journey to me…
I’m a work in progress.”
~ Work in Progress by Allie Colleen
“He is not here, but he has been raised!”
Luke 24:6
“…You are the delicate light of heaven’s eternal gaze
~ you aren’t the pain
~ you aren’t the anxiety
~ you aren’t the regret
You are the moonlight on the water…”
~ John Roedel
For days it had been raining. Grey… wet… and cold. But on this day, the day of the Aries New Moon, April Fool’s Day no less, the beginning of a new lunar cycle and, indeed, a new natural year, I opened my eyes to a room filled with light. I pulled up the shades to find a robin, a well known harbinger of Spring, looking for worms out on the lawn and in much need of a nest. In the fullness of pregnancy it was a wonder she could stand on her own two feet without losing her balance. So pregnant with possibility was she.
On new moon days I typically light a new pillar candle appropriate to the cycle and place crystals that support the energy of the cycle around its base. I use the candle throughout the cycle for prayer time first thing every morning. For this cycle I chose a red, courage candle and crystals of Garnet, Red Jasper, Rose Quartz, Carnelian and a Herkamer Diamond. Aries is associated with the 3rd chakra so I added the Energy stone from a Chakra set I own as well.
The light of the candle was quite dim when first lit but grew stronger as the wax melted. The flame grew and brightened. Some of the melted wax flowed down the pillar and puddled at the base. I didn’t get the message the first time so it did it again, after I had take the picture above. Hmmmm… I wondered. Then, “Oh…. I understand,” I thought to myself, “Like the candle, what do I need to let go of so I can burn brighter?” I sat with it a bit and then went about my day.
The season of Lent has been well celebrated. We continue the Easter celebration for a total of 40 days to complete the season and continue its song every Sunday at Mass and every day as we live our lives in faith. Alleluias ring “He has been raised.” The natural world around me announces its rising as well.
Spring appears to be such a delicate time… or perhaps we like to think it is so? All the lovely little buds and blossoms appear to be just so tender and so sweet! Birds sweetly singing as they build their little love nests. But in reality, Spring is filled with tremendous tenacity. All one has to do is look at those precious little blooms sitting there in the snow, the cold and the wind. You can almost hear them say, “Ready or not, here I Am!!!” No apologies… no “pardon me, excuse me, pardon me, I know I’m early, etc.”… just full out present. “I am here” with firmness of purpose, single-mindedness, strength of will, and persistent, determined perseverance. The Spring-Winter tug of war continues, Sprinter they’re calling it… and yet…in the cold… in the warmth… in the snow… and in the rain… here. They. Are. Here. They. Be.
Two different classes encouraged me to begin a meditation practice during this cycle. I have had an on again off again relationship with meditation for years – Centering Prayer as I know it. My favorite prayer word is Beloved. I have, in the past, incorporated breath-work into this word as well… “Be” on the inbreathe, “loved” on the out breath… later changing to Be – Love. I know meditation to be the best medicine I’ve ever taken and yet I do fall away from time to time. A Breathing practice also made its way into my life this cycle. As I recall it, too, has ebbed and flowed in my life experience. Breathing brings us to the present moment and connects us to Spirit. To find our authentic voice, our authentic way of being, stillness is required. I know this to be true.
“The breath and the meditation are practices that you will want to cultivate in advance of the moment that you need access to your intuition. This is all developmental. We need to develop these (techniques) so that our bodies know where to go in the moment when it is really needed.
“Meditation also lets us get comfortable with the ‘Holy I don’t know’. It builds a gap… a breathing space… a place where we can observe without reacting. The more we cultivate these practices the better.” ~ Jane Chandler, Eden Living. Jane also taught us about the Trinity to Conscious embodiment by connecting our Thoughts, Feelings and Actions through the Asterisk Technique. Taking it a step further, and for the first time, I understood the connection between the Voice and Action energy centers.
I am currently enjoying the spring offering from Donna Iona Drozda called Emerge n See, continuing to play with the Artist’s Alphabet, growing into a way of being in the world – truly what it means to Be ME:. During this session I put down on paper my ideal day. It is not a laundry list of things to do, but rather a way of being. The ability to grow and change and to see the truth rather than react requires work… space… observation… community, and this is one of the best communities it has ever been my pleasure to be a part of. I learn so much, not about art, but about myself and how I am be-ing in the world through this loving, nurturing circle.
NOTE: ME: is an alchemical symbol. This particular iteration is, ME:, is my symbol for my highest, truest nature which includes all the me-s I have ever been, the Holy Helpers and Mighty Companions, Grandfather Sun, Grandmother Moon, Father Sky and Mother Earth, and, of course, the elements.
Mandala Symbols
Asterisk flower in the center (Thoughts, Feeling and Actions) reminds me to breath full, complete breaths and take my daily meditation medication
The Seven leaves around the flower encourage a free flow of inspiration through these practices of stillness and breath.
Nine eggs, symbolize the current dream visions. Nine is the number of endings and, in this case, beginnings. I chose Robin eggs to honor my very pregnant visitor on the first day of this cycle. The eggs are also the color of the 5th Chakra, the voice chakra.
Diamond is the gem associated with Aries. I decided on two crossed diamonds to celebrate the season of Easter. A wooden cross turned, through time, heat and pressure (yes, it takes millions of years but think metaphorically with me here 😉 from wood… to coal… to diamonds. Think life experience… Time. Heat. Pressure. To get to a place where it can embody faithfulness, love, purity, innocence and relationships filled with love.” Diamond is truly a “love-bearing” gem – as are we also love-bearing “gems.”
One Large Egg. In past years I have colored robin eggs, white eggs, red eggs to honor Mary of Magdala. This cycle The Black Egg spoke to me as “the epicenter of truth – the birthplace of our voice.” p.197 from The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Guidebook by Kim Krans, a further reminder to practice mediation and breathe work to cultivate that gap… the space… the place of the witness… the place between thought and action.
Eight is the number of the Son and the Sun… here 8+8, and the blue sky of the day.
Five concentric circles emanating from the center spoke to me of communication, the energy of which was white (purity) and pink (unconditional love) which always symbolizes God-like energy to me, but I didn’t like the pink so decided to bump the pink up a few levels to red, the color for the Christ, the Spirit and interestingly enough, Aries.
So what did the candle know that I didn’t know? During this cycle I came to know that I am not the pain, anxiety nor the regret that re-surfaces from time to time. It knew that it was time to let go of it all, to develop the tools I needed to heal and move on. Through my participation in Emerge n See and Eden Living I was encouraged to meditate and breathe… to build a gap to witness rather than react. Tools for change were offered and modeled. I was encouraged to develop my tools for change… tools for tenacity… encouraged to mother myself… to take a peek at the shadow self… encouraged to Do My Be-ing. To do my authentic Be-ing… which I know to be very diamond like.
I sat down this morning to meditate. I noticed that a lot of wax had fallen during this cycle – more than usual. All cycle long it was saying, “Let go… let go… let go! You are moonlight on the water! Remember?” The wax had surrounded many of the crystals I had put at the base and almost completely covered the Herkimer Diamond… almost, but not completely. There’s some really great symbolism there that was not lost on me. God has such a great sense of humor! The messages keeps coming until we pick them up.
Once again from Jane Chandler:
“May my thoughts be blessed with clarity.
May my feelings be blessed with peace.
May my actions be blessed with inspiration.”
I wish the same for you as we journey together… on this way to ME:.
Love, Hugs and Blessings,
L xoxxx