Maiden Moon

The Full Moon of this time appears in the sign of Leo, with the Sun in Aquarius. During this Moon we celebrate Candlemas.

Maiden Moon Tasks

In the Seed Moon, I established where the seeds of what I want to achieve during the year are already present in my life. Now it's time to start playing around with those things, to creatively think about how they can develop. Most of this is inner work, still, as the world is still in darkness for most of the time.

In the Maiden Moon of 2002, I intended to play with the Elements and with the Goddess. Initially, I took that very literally: flying a kite, making a bonfire, splashing in puddles and making mud cakes. That would have been good fun, and would no doubt have taught me lots about Elemental energies, but it didn't work out that way.

I did play a lot, though. I played with my camera and I made the initial pages of this web site. I also played with my new textbooks and taught some really fun lessons with them. And I played around with some new concepts, like a Celtic chakra theory, and fitted it around the Wheel.

I also discovered that, if I wanted to pay attention to the Elements as they appear around me in my life, I must be really aware of everything that goes on all the time. I must learn to live really consciously. And that I find really difficult.

A third thing I realised was that I can't expect the Elemental energies to come and help me from outside of me somewhere. I have to go and find the qualities I need to shape my life within me and allow them to grow from deep inside. As I ask for the Goddess's blessing, I have to be aware that I am Goddess, and the blessing of the Universe is already mine. All I have to do is become open to it.

At my Full Moon ritual, I celebrated the awakening of Bride, stirring deep inside the Earth and waiting to show herself. I asked for the qualities of joy and playfulness. My personal life was a little difficult, and I needed a lighter touch.

I hope that in the coming Moon I will manage to link up all my activity with the Elements again. I hope that the qualities I showed in my playful activity will become nurturing energies that I can draw on to complete my task.

Maiden Tide

Every Moon has its own Maiden Tide, when the Lunar cycle moves form New Moon to Waxing Moon, and you can see a thin crescent in the sky at sunset. This is a playful time where I try out the ideas I have had for the Moon. Anything is possible. The world is full of promise for my work.

Every human life also has a Maiden Tide. They are the years of puberty, between the ages of 7 and 13. Children are becoming more independent. Their parents and teachers are no longer the centre of their lives. They look to their peers for values and validation. Ideally, they should learn through play how to deal with other people and with the world. It is essential for children this age to be allowed to play spontaneously, outside organised clubs and activities. Just to let their imagination carry them away to other worlds. Playfulness is so much harder to learn when you are older.

Maiden Moon 2002

In contrast with the Seed Moon, this Moon was wet and windy. Storms lashed the land and there where plenty of flood warnings. This meant it also got quite a lot milder. The water and the higher temperatures encouraged things to start growing.

Spring really does begin in January, February at the latest. All the photo's on this page were taken during the Maiden Moon, and no, I didn't wait till the last day to get them. The snowdrops were out just in time for Candlemas and in late January, the buds on the almond tree turned pink. I can't wait for what will come next!

At Candlemas, the Earth turned form the Nothern Quarter and the Earth Element to the Eastern Quarter and Air. I'm finding it quite hard to move from very heavy and solid to light and airy. But as I am writing this, I am only at the very beginning of my relationship with Bride. I'm sure that soon she will teach me how to fly.

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