Circling In

I love how every 29.5 days we are afforded a darkened sky, to bask in the twinkle of a silent star party, the shine of a couple planets. Mostly, I find it gratifying to land on the meaning given a new moon, waning energy, and then stillness, and now, the tipping towards potential. Especially, I love an autumn new moon cycle. Time to plant bulbs, burrow down. To rethink, reset and rest, to ready for the swell of a quarter moon. It's a time for "renaming," our goals, our lives. What new roots do you want to send down?

Stretched in the sun on the dock at the lake or curled on the couch under blankets, I welcome this new moon in Libra. I welcome the month of October, the time of year I associate with honey and harvest and harmony. What do you associate with the month of October?

Creativity Prompt (30 minutes)

~ Take a blank sheet of paper and draw a small circle shape inside a larger one. In the center circle write the word October.

~ Now set your timer for 5 minutes.

~ In the larger circle, write all the things you associate with the month. What sorts of things do you see in October? What sounds do you hear? What tastes and smells? What textures? What do you do in October? How do you feel? What memories do you have of this time?

~ Try not to overthink as you brainstorm. Let the thoughts, words that want to come to come.

~ When your timer goes off, look back over everything you wrote. Circle the words or phrases that grab you, an image, a sensory detail, or a memory that pops, or hurts, or helps. In the spirit of the Gateless Writing Method, I call this mining the genius, or collecting the gems.

~ Now choose one of these gems. Take a blank piece of paper and write that word or phrase or memory at the top.

~ Set your timer for 15 minutes, then write or draw or paint or collage a piece, expanding on the word choice you made.

~ When you’ve finished, if you’ve written, perhaps you’d like to create an image to go with your piece. If you’ve made an image, perhaps youwrite about what you created.

If you find this prompt helpful, and want to let me know, I'd love to hear from you. Or join one of our online groups that meets regularly to create together.

~ Jodi xo