Moon Rituals

The other day I found myself leafing through Pema Chödrön's book, Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change (which is a must-read always, but especially right now), and rereading the pages I have dog-eared.

I was reminded of a beautiful moon ritual that she wrote about that I thought I would share since there is a new moon tonight:

“There’s a practice in Buddhism called Sojung that gives us an opportunity to reflect on where we are in terms of refraining and, when we feel that we’ve really made a mess of things, to put that behind and start anew. Traditionally, Sojung takes place twice a month, on the full and new moon days. The day before, each person reviews the preceding two weeks and reflects:

• What have I done with my body?

• What have I done with my speech?

• What about my mind: is it steady or all over the place and never present?

As much as possible, we explore these questions without self-criticism or blame. At Gampo Abbey, on the day before Sojung, we come together and talk about what we’ve been working with over the past two weeks. We share our insights about what helps and what hinders.”

Lovely, right?

So tonight, I will light my Lunar Phases candle and do some reflecting.

Happy new moon in Taurus, friends. 🌑