Cycles Of Earth

The Cycles of Earth
by Larry-Michael and Becky Lynn Hackenberg

Photo by Dana Wolford

A Weekly Almanac Guide
Plan, Do, Finish, Rest.
Living in Harmony With Earth
Weekend of January 28-29, 2012

In A Nutshell…

Monday evening, Jan. 30, at 10:28 p.m. in West Michigan the Moon will reach its First Quarter/Planning stage. We refer to it as a Planning Moon because the light reflected back to us by the Moon from the Sun is increasing and the energy from it, however subtle, is increasing. In Chinese Medicine it is called “Rising Energy”. Spring/Planning is the solar season/cycle of Rising Energy with plants rising through the soil to grow and flourish. Likewise, we feel that energy and can use it for our own purposes of growth.

Each lunar month contains the same cyclic pattern of rest, plan, finish, do and back to rest as the solar year. Therefore the First Quarter/Planning Moon’s rising energy can be thought of as a tiny Spring to lift our Winter spirits.

Last Weekend

January 21-22, 2012 : Rest

It was “Take a Break Time” for some togetherness with loved ones or solitude for yourself.

This Weekend

January 28-29, 2012 : Plan

Moon symbol from a watercolor by Larry-Michael
Sun symbol from photo by NASA

Daydreams are the prelude to creating plans and a Winter First Quarter/Planning Moon is the perfect time for dreaming in ideas and answers to questions. This is because the deep of the Winter/Rest cycle is a time for inward, rather than outward, work. Daydreaming was one of Albert Einstein’s ways of seeking solutions to problems. Many of his answers came to him through dreams and daydreams. Thomas Alva Edison also used this technique to refine his inventions.

When we allow our minds to drift and flow, muse and ramble on, we access a realm of thought outside ordinary “busy mind.” Ideas can come to us in a flash or, more likely, gently coalesce into coherency. Either way, we are tapping into possibilities which otherwise would have gone unnoticed because of outward focus. It is like stepping into a room you had not noticed before and finding all sorts of fascinating things.

Take some time to daydream this Planning Weekend; you may experience an “Aha!” or just see a new aspect of something you never knew was there.

Next Weekend

February 4-5, 2012 : Do

Only 44 days until the Spring Equinox. Skiers: “Boo-hiss!” Gardeners: “Yippee!”

Musing

Two Treasures--Part 4 of 4: What Actually Is Evil?

First, I would contend that evil is not natural to human beings. Rather, evil human behavior is learned.
Consider the following example. Each person is born with two great human treasures: intuition and logic. Now then, imagine a male totally rejecting his own intuitive treasure (e.g. as “too feminine” or whatever) and preferring only the imagined “male-perfect” logic. From there, it is easy to diminish anyone who expresses intuitive behavior. The next step is to use ridicule to “train” others and the impressionable young to the prejudice against intuition. Once you have a group of like-minded “intuition-fearing” people, the prejudice is on the road to becoming institutionalized. The result is a standard practice of full blown, group-supported evil against anyone considered “too intuitive”. Once a prejudice becomes institutionalized and standard practice, it becomes exceedingly difficult to unwind.
While violence is an extreme form of evil, evil is also a general discrimination designed to harm and diminish the well-being and dignity of a person, conscious acts of humiliation and destructiveness toward another human being.