I Need A Moon of Compassion

 The Moon is grounding, awesome, and mystical to me!

Connecting to something so Ancient is special and humbling. It reminds me of my place in the grand scheme of life, the world, and the Universe. Moon gazing somehow helps me find myself in the big scheme of things. It makes so much of the day to day drama seem insignificant. The nights lead to the new dawn, new choices, and a fresh start.

I’ve been striving to be kinder in all my interactions this year. Compassion seemed like such a grand place to be, but I certainly can start with kindness. It has to begin with my thoughts, feelings, and imagination, especially during times of media bombardment. Doing this painting grounded me, along with my favorite music playing, and pinon incense burning. Then this appeared in my life:

“When we get depressed, worried, or pre-occupied, we can withdraw from the world of the senses and from being fully ‘in the moment’ and instead become focused on our thoughts about tomorrow or yesterday or our feelings of heaviness or the butterflies and anxiety or dread.”  Paul Gilbert.

Exactly! We have to bring ourselves back to our Senses! Our full body immersion into life is needed…the tastes, smells, feelings, sounds, doing of life. That must be what happens when I get caught up in the Moon and night sky, when I hike the woods, when I share a celebration with family, when I Do the art.

So as writer Diana Gabaldon tweets: ‘Hey, it’s almost Thanksgiving. Let’s pause for a moment to wish 2016 well, and then the long sweet slide through winter to new light.’ Let’s make this Supermoon one of Compassion for ourselves and for those around us. Gratitude begins at home. We can only be effective when we are healthy, strong, and at our best. Shift anger to excitement, roadblocks to challenges, and depression to passion. It’s an attitude adjustment.

And I for one will be buying The Compassionate Mind: A New Approach to Life, by Paul Gilbert. He tells how to train our brains to affect healthy body/mind chemistry connections in very important ways. Exercises are given to develop compassion for ourselves as well as generate feelings of safeness, acceptance, peace and contentment. Let’s all get grounded in life again. Be thankful for life, for the next breath, for those you love. So open all your Senses, look for that Moon, make something beautiful, and gather your people around you.

See a video of the making of Moon of Compassion here.