June 14/Full Moon

a confrontation, a declaration, an ask

As those of you who have been following along know, I post on the phases of the moon. Thanks to all of you who read, like, comment, subscribe and a few of you beloveds who are paid subscribers. It all helps me continue and grow what I’m doing. Today I post on the Full Moon. You are welcome here. Subscribe and join me for my newsletter journey. I hope it is a journey for all of us, that despite everything, all that is difficult and all that is too easy, we end together in a better place than where we begin.

Everything will be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it is not yet the end

- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

For the last full moon I was in Barcelona. Here is a photo of that full moon from our hostel’s balcony.

Today’s full moon caught me unprepared. I haven’t yet coordinated a moon walk. I have been coordinating other things and the moon fell by the wayside. The writing of the newsletter calls me to take it up again.

Travel was busy. There was a given trajectory each day. And much to stay on top of in order to take care of myself and my stuff. And the periodic mistakes, confusions, reroutes that required my full engagement were part of the busy-ness. But now that I am home again, its busy-ness has a different flavor. The bottomless todo lists. Unfinished projects. And reconnecting with the people. Plus the Open Houses for all the grads. The weeds and the dishes. The fact that exercise is not built into the sight-seeing and making your travel connection. And then there is always the distractions. I italicize that because I mean the medias. The keeping up on your feeds. The news. The email. The pure multitude of choices feels groundless.

So all that’s to say, full moon has arrived today. Ready or not, here it is. And that is what a full moon feels like to me. I often register a rushing energy during this time, a sense of overwhelm, and I use journal writing to pause to remind myself to observe. And ask myself what do I want to use this extra energy for? What do I do this for?

The full moon is a time to actively claim energy. Confront what is actually going on and embrace it. For example, perhaps you are a legislator who has been caught in a lie, and instead of trying to save face and hold on to power, you use the energy of this moon, to find the courage to confront the truth, admit you went along with the others and it was a mistake. Instead you could start finding common ground with your full cohort in order to provide help for real people of your constituencies that are struggling and being pressed by so many things right now.

I want to bring the honorable harvest in here, but my mind is on the gaslighting that followed the January 6th Insurrection and the kind of personal weaknesses that are highlighted when someone just goes along with something even though they know it is a lie. Why would they do it? Because they are in power and they want to hold on to power? Or because it would be too embarrassing to acknowledge the truth of their fealty? Or because the others are bullies and you’ve been traumatized by bullies so it’s just easier to go along? I don’t know, I am just trying to imagine. What makes it possible to live a life where the ends justify just about any means?

And just to bring in another truth here, that is something Jesus would never do.

And I want to go on the record about Biden. If you are blaming him, you are also just going with the flow. You’re looking at the wrong things. Be grateful that he has filled the cabinet and government positions with brilliant people, that these experienced folk are a diverse group, and their voices are providing guidance to the administration. Biden’s specialty has always been foreign policy and he worked to strengthen NATO just in time for Europe to hold together in the face of Putin’s war on Ukraine. Biden is an experienced politician that has deep connections that he is willing to call on. These may not be sexy skills but they are truly the skills that matter at times like these. We all really need to be paying attention with discernment right now, there is a lot at stake.

There are a bunch of worthless obstructionists in congress. When a country is as divided as this one is, being able (and willing) to work with others is essential work. And whole lot of leadership is required. Leadership is easy when you use anger and fear — we know all too well what that looks like. But the leadership that inspires right action requires something of its followers. A discipline around attention. The fortitude and support to practice self-care. The bravery to do the right thing.

Our attention is divided in so many ways right now. How do we know what to pay attention to?

Let me share what I have been doing: I tune into my gut constantly and listen to what it tells me. I set my intention to benefit others. I try to be mindful of what is happening in each moment and why. I remind myself that I am not here to please people. I’m here to tell the truth as well as I can and hope that it changes the balance a little bit and heads us on a path towards healing. That is what I want the moon to emphasize. I am claiming its energy for speaking to you right now.

If you are not already a subscriber, please become a free subscriber. Joining my list, reading along, liking and commenting are all a big help as I build my community. If you can do more, consider becoming a paid subscriber to help me keep doing what I do here in this newsletter. All my posts are initially free, and as time passes, I put a pay wall on some of them. Please click through to the Substack site and look back at the archives to see what’s there. I face life and the process of dying alongside putting voice to what it means to be living in this world today. It all started with my mom and her decline with Alzheimer’s and has continued through travels, the phases of five moons, my dad’s health and so much more. I do this from a perspective that would create a better future for all of us if we took it on together. Please join me. More soon.

Much love, Tina.