Greetings,
Friends,
And welcome to this New Moon meditation.
When the New Moon is above us in the sky,
The night sky is at its darkest.
This is a beautiful time to create new beginnings and fresh starts.
It's also a beautiful time to set goals and intentions for the forthcoming lunar cycle.
And just like the night sky itself on New Moon night,
This practice will be a very gentle,
Calm and quiet practice to give you a chance to reflect,
To rest and retreat.
So perhaps we've already begun to allow the body to settle into a restful space.
Perhaps we'll close the eyes or let the gaze be soft.
If it is possible for you to see the night sky from your resting place,
Feel free to let your gaze drift off into the night sky or simply imagine in your mind's eye,
A sky that is deep and dark,
Like soft indigos,
Navies and blacks.
Soft velvet colours absorb the light,
But the stars still sparkle.
Somewhere above us is the faint outline of the Moon,
Still there,
Still watching over us,
But resting,
Resting in the dark.
As we begin to allow our body to relax even deeper,
Let the muscles soften and the body calm.
You are safe in this peaceful place,
Safe to relax,
Safe to surrender into the support beneath you.
As we relax here in this space,
The breath becomes calm and unhurried.
And in our mind's eye,
We'll envisage ourselves resting in a place of nature,
Whether that be a soft grassy hill,
Underneath a tree leaning against a great tree trunk,
Resting on soft sands of a beach,
Or sat safe and comfortable in your own back garden.
Allow yourself to envisage this place of nature,
In which you are resting comfortably on the earth.
You are wrapped up in warm layers,
You feel cosy and warm.
Beside you,
In this comfortable place,
You possess a flickering flame.
It may be a candle held within a lantern.
It may be an oil lamp,
Or a bonfire within a beautiful metal bowl.
Allow yourself to envisage whatever flame accompanies you in this space in nature.
The light flickers and casts shadows around you and upon you.
The light is bright and warm,
And in contrast with the great expanse of dark night sky above you,
Where just the outline of the moon can be seen on this new moon,
This dark moon night.
And though it may be dark,
You are not afraid.
You enjoy this darkness as a time for rest and reflection,
A time to retreat into darkness,
Stillness and calm,
So that you may recharge,
Regroup and rest.
In this beautiful space of nature,
Under the dark night sky,
Take some time simply to reflect on the month that has occurred and the month that lays ahead.
What intentions may you have for the coming month?
What dreams and goals do you wish to cultivate?
And of the month that has passed,
What do you wish to let go of?
How have you grown?
We will take a few quiet minutes where you can reflect on these ideas in your safe space with your candlelight or your firelight keeping you company.
There is no hurry as you reflect,
Reorganise and revisit ideas to let go of and new ideas to embrace.
Thank you.
As our time of reflection comes to an end,
Know that you can return to this idea of the new moon any time during the lunar cycle,
But it is particularly special on New Moon Night.
As the time comes to gently move the body and open the eyes from our meditation,
Take time to think back on your intentions,
Your goals and the things you wish to let go of.
If it's of use to you,
As you gently come back to the world,
You can take a little time to write down,
Perhaps on one piece of paper,
Everything you wish to let go of as we move into the next lunar cycle,
And one piece of paper for all you wish to achieve and explore in the coming month.
Take all the time you need to reflect at this special time.
And for now,
I wish you happy new moon.
I will see you soon.
