89: GOTTA GIVE IT UP GOOD
FRI 24 JAN 21.42 - Mooning Monthly gently abstaining.....
Dear Mooners all
The first new moon of the decade sits in the sumptuous silken shadows of Aquarius this Friday evening. Friday night tradition suggests a good proportion of us will be out celebrating the weekend's arrival with a touch of sensory permissiveness. Whatever your tipple or titillation this moon has more than a tinge of exuberant indulgence about it and, despite the faithful, but already fading, memory of well-intentioned new year's resolutions, abstinence may suddenly not seem such a pressing priority.
In astrology speak, the run up to a new moon is a propitious period in which to set clear intentions for the future. Under a new moon, without the illuminating light of the reflected Sun, we are scrabbling about in the darkness (often used as an allegory for the subconscious) searching for direction with only our intuition to guide us. We are liable to shadowy (self) deception until we learn how to trust our inner intuitive voice to the exclusion of all other seductive distractions. New moons are the best time of the month to reinvigorate that vital inner dialogue and fall in love with the sound of our own true voice if we haven't already done so. Once attuned, the intuition rarely takes a wrong turn.
Under this Aquarius New Moon any resolve to do 'the right thing' may be sorely tested. Aquarius is imaginative, intellectual and idealistic tempered with a tendency for self reflective paranoia. In the next week we may find ourselves searching forlornly for a utopian vision that does not and can not exist. Everything and everyone (including ourselves) is likely to fall short of our unrealistically high expectations - expectation being the shortest route to perpetual disappointment. Nothing and no one is likely to meet our Aquarius influenced, slightly competitive, high moral and ethical stance. Such intense self righteousness then raises the demonic spectre of a contradictory, resigned determination to "fuck 'em" by capitulating our capacity to care, embracing the herd mentality with a vindictive, rebellious passion whilst still claiming moral victory. If you can't beat 'em.......join 'em and beat 'em! Not to be recommended. This is a week to consciously ignore the marketplace and find value in the soul.
The lingering duality of recent moons manifests this week in a tension between youthful desire and mature reflection. A young wine might be a cheap and easy way to get pissed but the hang over can be debilitating. In contrast, a mature vintage may provide a more subtle, unhurried, sensually refined experience with a joyful, gently lubricated finish or, as we at Mooning HQ prefer: a happy ending. The message? If we can find a way to circumnavigate the immediate temptations of the next fortnight, the longer term rewards could be dramatically enhanced. Certainly, the need for pain killers, of any sort, may be avoided.
During a period in planetary history where recent humanity's inability to give up anything has led to rapid environmental collapse, intuitive alarm bells should be ringing each time we reach for another over packaged product we don't really need. We can but hope that our gluttony as a relatively youthful species may yet give way to a more grateful, caring, parsimonious maturity..... but we do need to grow up, and fast.
Here are some vaguely mature Do's and Dont's to help give it up good this Aquarius New Moon:
DO use this week to quietly reaffirm or instigate new year resolutions with a view to improving your life and the lives of others. These are intentions of the highest order. DON'T undermine these intentions with doubt, complications or provisos. Keep the message clear (write each intention down in one short sentence) and commit.
DO be careful with your language as you define what you intend to manifest. Negative statements attract negative outcomes as surely as positive statements attract positive ones. DON'T feel obliged to tell anyone else of your good intentions. Let the evidence of your actions speak for themselves. Surprise yourself.
DO switch off your Social Apps (Insta, FB, Twatter et al) from Wednesday to Monday this week. Turn them off for longer if you can bear it. DON'T engage in empty speculation about anyone else's 'perfect' life as a reflection of the more or less than perfect life you think you're leading. Envy won't help anyone.
DO look after your body by taking it easy. Permission to nap is still high on this new moon's agenda. DON'T believe blindly that there is gain in pain nor flog yourself in midwinter marathon runs unless you really love it; the muscles and tendons don't respond well to the Northern Hemisphere cold. If you are going to do some serious exercise make sure you warm up and warm down properly.
DO intuitively indulge your healthy dietary whims. Roam the aisles of your local organic grocery store (we believe other non organic food outlets are available) and exercise your intuition. Under the baying desire for instant sugary gratification, what does your body crave? We'll wager it will mostly be unprocessed, green and clean. Act on the intuition. DON'T buy that sugary processed shit. It is the Devil's work.
DO eat less. Try a weekly intermittent fast. Eat a full lunch one day this week then resolve not to eat solids until the following lunchtime. Drink plenty of H2O - maybe lay off the mid morning Jägerbomb. It's easier than you might think and gives the whole metabolism a well earned rest. You'll immediately feel the benefit in heightened energy levels, clearer thinking (hopefully less Aquarius paranoia) and better sleep. We find things taste so much better the day after a fast - so savour the flavours. Repeat next week if it works for you DON'T eat that sugary processed shit. It's why your metabolism needs the break.
DO take a week off the hooch. We won't need any alcoholic encouragement in the coming fortnight to start slagging off all and sundry which can be unsavoury in company.....or worse, alone. DON'T think confronting addictive behaviour patterns has to be difficult. Compared with coming off the sugar, the other dependencies are a piece of piss. In clinical trials, animals preferred and became more addicted to sugar than cocaine (article here). From the last full moon in Cancer to the approaching one in Leo there is a very powerful Pluto influenced window through which we may jettison our most destructive habits more easily. This is therefore a great lunar month to satisfy the urge to purge.
DO drink loads of water. Aquarius is symbolised by the Water Bearer although it is in fact an air sign. The gift of water endows life and creativity and needs to be pure to give of its best. If you haven't already done so, invest in a gravitational water filter and fill your eco-flask with deliciously toxin free water to your heart's content. We think this particular brand of filter is best and the filter is everything in these systems. You can find plenty of cheaper stainless steel bodies online - those are all pretty much the same in our opinion. DON'T buy water in a plastic bottle again - unless filtered or purified, bottled water will be loaded with toxins and contributes to the ongoing plastic nightmare.
DO sit down quietly for a few minutes this weekend and concentrate specifically on your breath to the exclusion of all thought and distraction. Some call it mindfulness, meditation or even prayer. Don't worry if you get distracted - it's natural. Simply acknowledge the distracting thought, its providence, and then return your attention fully to the breath. Repeat.....and enjoy until you've had enough. Call it what you will, this a cross cultural, time honoured contact point with your intuition. Make a date with yourself this way. Don't swipe left. It's potentially the greatest love affair of your life. DON'T beat yourself up if you don't initially witness your own intuitive voice. Keep making the dates. Keep turning up and tuning in. One day, when you least expect it, you will recognise an attendant presence bearing great riches in reward of your patience. You were here all along...
DO let things go. DON'T overthink.
DO dance - gently. DON'T miss the opportunity to give it up good with Marvin. Get this on weekend repeat: (Spotify link)
You got to get it Got to give it up Keep on dancin' Got to give it up
'Got to Give it Up' Marvin Gaye 1977 (Spotify link)
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With Love 'til next time....
What's going on Marvin?