Naming the moons of your own personal cycle

Hello, everyone. I thought I'd share these reflections.

A number of Indigenous cultures "name" the moons that wax and wane throughout the year. So I thought I'd give a name to my own personal cycle in this moon. I'm naming it the Moon of Rebalance.

I've been out of balance for the past few months, nothing serious but it has been a result of a recent relapse of CFS/ME (chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis).

This finally came clear for me when I took a walk through the woods with my dog today. It explains why I have been feeling so bored with my life; why I've been feeling like I've got nothing to get purposeful or excited about. And it came to me; I've been living out of balance. I've been scared of the recent relapse and how my energy and strength has diminished because of it, so I've withdrawn from doing much of anything. And that has put me out of balance.

As I walked, I was reminded that I was given this gift of life to live with purpose and meaning, and that I needed to, and I quote a favourite line from a movie I love (Shawshank Redemption): "get busy livin', or get busy dyin'". Now is the time for me to make the choice only I can make for myself.

So I made a list of some projects I now want to undertake to start feeling excited and purposeful about my life again. There has been an instructional kit for learning basic Ojibwe sitting unopened on my shelf for a year - I am going to open that package up and start learning. The handles on my Eagle feathers have deteriorated - I am going to make new handles. And I miss painting so much, so I am going to paint a prayer to the Buffalo Spirits for my sister, who is drawn to the Buffalo. (But first I need to welcome an actual image into my mind, but it will come - and in the meantime I'm getting the canvass ready: a piece of hide stretched out on an oak branch frame. She loves the Oak tree too.)

And when this moon empties out, and a new moon begins to grow, I hope to move into a new phase of taking action in my life.

We'll see what name I can give to the next moon cycle! Thank you for allowing me to share this.