Capricorn New Moon Mandala

Capricorn New Moon Mandala
January 9, 2016
I Use and I Achieve

What a roller coaster this cycle has been! Whew! (as she wipes her forehead!) So glad to be on the back end of this one! But feeling SO blessed for having had the journey!  Coming into this cycle I was absolutely exhausted! I had a very stressful year behind me and was looking forward to a more relaxing future! I had also been feeling under the weather and on the first day of this cycle, I woke up with no voice. This soprano woke up singing BASE! Unfortunately, I was scheduled to sing a funeral that day so I called in and gratefully a sub was found. So, I began the cycle with no voice, which symbolized to me that I needed a new or different way to express myself or communicate, or to actually start communicating my needs because life as it was, was not working. In any event, a much-needed change was in the air.

The Mandala

Another beauty created by Sandra “Sunny” Moseley! I always enjoy coloring and working with her mandalas.  Again, you can find them  here: http://zodiacarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2016-Aquarius-mandala-to-color.pdf  No doubt, the new one will be up so it will be a different pattern.

There’s a lot going on in here! It just overflows with possibility! So let’s take a look…

At the very center is a tiny cross with a hole
Most notably connected to Christianity perhaps, the cross is actually an ancient symbol used by many cultures. This style of cross, in connection to the rest of the symbols, speaks to me of the intersection of heaven (the vertical line) and earth (the horizontal line.) The hole in the center represents a portal from one plane to other. The four criss-crossed lines suggest rays of light, similar to the Glory Cross, or a directional like a compass, the rays and the cross then point in every direction.

6 + 4 Ovals = Possibility, promise, new
There are no other circles in this mandala, other than the outer ring and the center of the cross. They’re all ovals/eggs! 10 of them in total! Ten 1+0 = 1 so brimming with newness or as 10, of beginning again but at a higher level.

The egg is a symbol of fertility and creation. Alchemically, the yellow yolk is symbolic of gold, and the sun (light, vitality, virtue, life male). The albumen signifies silver and the moon (supportive, clarifying, purifying, female.) In Christianity the egg is symbolic of Christ’s Resurrection (breaking forth from the tomb of death as a chick breaks out of an egg’s casing.) It is also a universal symbol of promise and potential. Within any egg, at any given time, there rests dormant the possibility of life – and within any possibility is life in its overwhelming diversity. (~What’s Your Sign.com) What will this new life look like?

Six of the eggs are presented in three sets of two, again in a cruciform or cross like shape – one pointing to heaven, the other level with the horizon. I colored the very center in gold tones and the eggs in brown as the white was just too bright for this time of year – we’re still in the dark moving toward the light.

The four ovals in the center meet at the two beams of the cross. In conjunction with all the egg shapes they remind me of yolks – so nourishment for growth.

Eight-pointed Star = Redemption or Regeneration
Along with the eggs is a large 8-pointed star, “the Star of Redemption or Regeneration.” (~religionfacts.com) In the conjunction with the other symbols, this star speaks more to me of Regeneration or resurrection.

Four Triangles = Union and Change/Transformation
Covering four of the star points are 4, offset, triangles with intersecting, bulging bottoms which enclose the cross. At first glance, I thought of the Greek Letter Chi, which often represents the Christ. In researching the symbol , I find it represents a great many things. For this mandala, I like to think of it as a symbol for the union of two things (echoing the heaven and earth theme) and as a symbol for change and transformation. ~ http://www.theopenscroll.com/theEsotericLetterX.htm

Five Squares = progression of growth of something new
The 5 Squares presented in this fashion symbolize a progression of growth. From the smallest square in the center with concave lines out to the large bulging square at the perimeter, each square becomes larger. To use a pregnancy analogy, from the first trimester, “just conceived – a whisper of an idea” to the 9^th month, bulging and ready to burst! But not yet born. Square almost always speaks to me of the material or physical plane/earth and Five speaks to me of manifesting – so something new.

Over all, this mandala is divided into four sections, which always look to me to be a targeting devise helping us to focus and zero in.

Summary
There is sense of something new, magical and wondrous beginning to  come to life.  There is also this sense of being in secret…of being created in the dark as the eggs are not yet open. So tiny it is just but a whisper, but is blessed by and rooted in the divine and has tremendous potential for growth.

The Month

The key phrases for this cycle are “I Use” and “I Achieve.”

I began this cycle with a new lunar tea from Moondance Botanicals. The ritual action this cycle was noting the “heart warming” moments of my day. Not only was the tea nourishing, but, unbeknownst to me,  this practice was beginning to thaw an emotional block I had been  carrying. My body had known for some time that something was up, but my conscious mind had NO clue! I just knew I didn’t care.  Never a good thing.

The Internet is an amazing tool!  I use it all the time and during this cycle I enjoyed two online retreats.

A few weeks ago I felt it was time to make additional changes and decided to remove sugar and processed foods from my diet.  Last year I began developing arthritis and started the process of removing inflammatory foods from my diet. Last July, I removed gluten from my diet. I will tell you, it makes for a challenging Communion Procession, which is made easier by better communication on my part! The arthritis “knob” on my index finger is greatly reduced and I have no pain.

This cycle, I watched and listened to the Fat Summit on line with Dr. Mark Hyman as he “separated the Fat from Fiction” with the various health experts he interviewed. I decided to make the commitment to make the shift away from sugar and refined/processed foods to a whole foods diet and haven’t looked back. Within two days of this change in my diet my skin, hair and nails, which were becoming try and brittle, showed improvement, I have more energy and feel SO grounded and I crave nothing. No small achievement!

In addition, I was blessed to be a participant in the 100 Mandala’s Inspired Year Mandala Retreat. I had gone through another process at the end of 2015 to obtain a guiding Word for the year as I have done for the past several years.  Back in December, I had settled on the Word JOY but was curious about the process for this online retreat.   Through this wonderful process, hosted by Kathryn Costa, I realized that Joy was actually my challenge word – to be Joyful in the chaos. In retrospect and drawn on January 1st, this mandala was a great representation of Joy in chaos!

 

Through the Inspired Year Mandala Retreat I came to recognize the word my spirit truly craved for me. We auditioned words, went on a Scavenger Hunt, prayed over a word list, took stock of what we wanted more of and what we wanted less of and created a Dream Wheel and then unpacked its meaning. I’ve done many vision boards over the years, but this process has that beat!

Oh, my new word? Luscious! A Luscious Life! Makes me smile every time! Through this process I began achieving peace of mind and a vision for the year with specific things to focus on. I highly recommend you put this retreat on your bucket list next year! (Again, artistic ability is NOT a prerequisite!) As Kathryn is fond of saying, “All are welcome in the circle!”

During this cycle, I slowed down and my self-care solidified. Simple, established routines became more defined and celebrated as sacred times. I also had an emotional breakthrough that was holding me hostage. As mentioned above, my mind is always the last to know! The importance of this rest or Sabbath time was crucial to allowing the space to let my emotions bubble up where they could be seen, felt and processed. I am in a much better space now… mentally, physically and spiritually. I am more balanced, more grounded and truly a different person (singing a different song) for having had these experiences. I know that I will continue to protect these sacred nourishing times in my schedule. They are crucial to how I walk in the world.

For those who celebrate the lunar year… Happiest of New Years to you! This year we celebrate the Yang Fire Monkey where playfulness, mischievousness and cleverness abound. I am predicting some wickedly masterful and playful pranks on April 1^st! Have fun! Or at the very least…you’ve been warned! 🙂

Love, Hugs and Blessings,
Lynn xoxxx

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