Dearest friend,
I’m writing to you early on Thursday morning. Piping hot coffee beside me. Candles flicker on the kitchen table where I sit with my computer. The Christmas tree lights twinkle beside me. And a gorgeous full moon, just over my left shoulder, shines so very brightly in the clear, pre-dawn sky, illuminating the ice crystals on the winter, ushering in the cold, dark winter.
I draw in a long, deep breath. Settle my soul. And feel the magic of this December morning.
It’s here. The season for reflecting.
December’s full moon has arrived. And she is the last full moon of this year. And, for me, that is the signal to begin my end of the year reflections.
This is the last time that the moon moves through her monthly cycle of waxing and waning. And that feels important to me. It feels like being called to gather in all of the lessons, moments, illuminations, and revelations of the past year. To hold them all for just a moment more, soaking in and remembering that which I will carry with me forward into the new year. But, then, to open my arms and release everything else.
This December full moon is also known as the Cold Moon, because of its nearness to the winter solstice - the longest, darkest night of the year. And these days leading up to the winter solstice (December 21) seem to urge me to surrender to a deeper level of being.
The last moon cycle of 2022, which passes through the darkest, deepest, most sacred days of winter, invites me to reflect. It is right now, in the darkest time of the year, with the last full moon energy in the air, that I can drop down into my own soul to explore, ponder, feel, intuit, listen, and release all that no longer serves me. Under the light of this full moon, filled with everything from the past year, I can begin to empty myself and prepare for what comes next. A new cycle, light, hope, rebirth, and a new year.
Today’s full moon provides me the perfect light to reflect on all that has happened and release all that I no longer need. Then, as the days move on through December, I can settle into the solitude of the darkness. As lonely + frightening as that sounds (and is), it is in the stillness, the quiet, the helplessness, the emptiness, and the desperation of endings that I believe that we experience the truth. The truth of who we are, where we have been, what we have experienced, what gifts + magic we have to offer, and how we want to live our lives.
This morning, under the Cold Moon, as I reflect and write to you, I feel both nostalgic and excited. And I realize I need the pause of this full moon remind me to slow down + take in all that 2022 has brought to me, all that I have accomplished in 2022, and all that has either broken or healed my soul throughout this year. I feel a strong sense of nostalgia as I mark the last moon of the year and prepare for 2022 to come to a close. But, I also feel excitement for all that is to come. It’s all a blank slate, a fresh start, and completely unknown. I feel a slow pull toward the new year and a new cycle.
First, though, as the full moon begins to wane after today, I surrender myself to these dark days and nights. There is no need to rush forward. I need embrace the slow, deep energy that carries me all the way into January. It is the season for wisdom, restoration, intuition, and hibernation now. And, even if I still have to be active in my everyday life, carrying on with my responsibilities and chores, I can choose my pace, my attitude, my energy. And I can carve out these quiet, reflective pockets of solitude to help me release + prepare.
Mostly, though, I just want to be here. I just want to drop into my life. Day by day. Right in the middle of the dark. Aligning myself with the phases, cycles, and rhythms of nature. And she’s quiet now. She’s resting. Being. Rooting.
So, wrap up. Stay warm. Settle in. ‘Tis the season for reflecting, my friend. Sending full moon blessings your way.
xoxo. liz.
Here’s a little full moon meditation that you just might want to try over the next few days.