I see the moon and the moon sees me.

God bless the moon, and God bless me.

– Nursery rhyme

Life is a series of rhythms, happening on different scales. The cycle of breath – inhale, exhale. The cycle of the day – the sun rises, the sun sets. We awaken, we rise, we are active, we go to sleep, we dream. The cycle repeats itself. Awake, asleep. Growing, fading. Birth, death. The cycle of the seasons, from cold to wet to hot to dry to cold again. And on and on.

One cycle which always mystified and mesmerized me as a child was the cycle of the moon. I remember paying attention to the moon in the sky long before I learned about her phases in grade school science. Even now, I find there is so much more to learn about the moon and her rhythms, and my own connection to them.

It so happens that I was thinking about the upcoming new moon – which occurred today, February 18 at 3:57pm PST (and the upcoming moon cycle – which takes us from February 18th to March 20th, when a solar eclipse will occur on the same day as the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere) – at the same time I was contemplating a promise I made to a friend to commence a 30-day blogging challenge. Both he and I have the intention of writing more, and he suggested we could support one another in these efforts. I had planned to start this week, upon my return from a trip to Peru with Digital Democracy. But what day should I begin? Ah, the day of the new moon. Just as the light will grow in the sky as the moon waxes towards full, I will devote a part of my day to creating a piece of writing, drawing, photo or poem to share on this blog. By linking this project to the cycle of the moon, I hope to honor the greater rhythms running around and through me. By paying attention to the moon as it waxes and wanes, to the sun as its rays lengthen towards springtime, I hope too to shed light on my own creative process, to honor the greater beauty and wisdom that also flow around and through me.

Any good project needs clear guidelines and boundaries; here are mine:

• I will post one thing every day, whether a few words or many.
• I will pay attention to the moon phase at the time of each posting, but won’t limit myself to lunar subject matter.
• I will experiment with form and function, allowing myself to be playful with the creative process.
• I will write about whatever feels most ripe and relevant on a particular day. It may be about work, it may be about food, about bodies, about nature, about an interesting book I read, about a piece of music that inspired me. I’ll write about what feels alive and what moves me.
• I will set a timer for 30 minutes and attempt to post within that time. If I feel energetic I will allow myself a little longer on some days, but the goal of this project is to get in the flow of easy posting without focusing on perfection of craftmanship.

And, so it begins. Now I’m going to go dance to celebrate the new moon. It is an auspicious time – the Chinese New Year begins shortly, today was Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent in the Catholic Tradition, and this is the last lunar cycle that will bring us to the Equinox, the return of spring and the lengthening of sunshine in our days. It’s a time that reminds me of the joy of being alive. It’s a good time for me to write, and share with you, dear readers, wherever you may be.

Wishing you a poignant new moon,

Emily