Nothing remains constant, except for change that is a constant. Phases come to go, to return to go, to return, again and again. However, every phase brings its own uniqueness, in terms of lessons and celebrations. Learning happens when unlearning is accepted. For unlearning creates the space for the challenge, for the opportunities, for shifts. When we hold onto the old ways of thinking and acting based upon the patterns we have built out of repetitiveness of a habiting our habits, we become stiff, we lack creative enthusiasm, we lack the spunk and spark. We are bored and we are boring company.

The beauty of every phase in our life is the uniqueness it brings to us. Every phase is an opportunity to discover the self, going beyond the limitations set by the mind, intellect and ego.

While many claim that the phases of the moon affects our mental and emotional well being; which in effect has an impact on our hormones; I feel we can use the disciplined phases of the moon to affect our mental and emotional well being, which in effect shall have an impact on our hormones.

The beauty of being a human is that we are blessed with the ability to dive into faith, as well as the sharpness to reason all things out. We can surrender to beliefs, as well as calculate the risks involved when required. We are scientifically, natural beings of faith and light. We are light beings immersed in the science of events.

We are blood and flesh, water and earth, solid and liquid; and yet ether is the thread that makes us exist on this plain. This implies that we are fluid, and yet rooted; we are simple, and yet complex; we are creative, and methodical; we are inventive and destructive; we are happiness and sorrow; we are compassion and anger; we are love and jealousy. We are made of 2 extremes that find balance in the core of out being.

While the sunlight for me is all about activity, life-force, energy, existence, knowledge, intellect, mind, ego; the moonlight is the search, the inspiration, the balance, the harmoniser, the seeking, the wisdom, the soul, the journey.

The night for me is the time to rest my mind, intellect and ego; and delve within the depths of my being to allow the wisdom to dawn. The wisdom that takes me through the toils of the day immersed in sunlight. 

During one of my meditations a couple of years ago I felt a voice instruct me to maintain a moon journal. The voice revealed, “Every New Moon night write down an intention, and through the phases till it returns to the night before the next moon light; allow yourself to be led to the manifestation. Note in the moon journal every thought that flows towards manifesting whatever your intention is on the New Moon night. This will be your guidance. This will teach you how the moon affects your mental, emotional and hormonal well being.”

Well, for one I am not the type to blindly follow anyone, not even my voice. I don’t plunge into things allowing the blissful ignorance to blind me. For then, the noisy intellect shall keep disturbing me. I like to search the method in the madness. So, the next morning I woke up to see when the next new moon is supposed to appear; or rather not show itself. 

It was 4 days away, which meant that I had enough time to understand the science and calculations of the moon phases. I delved as deep as my intellect took me, figured out that an entire moon-cycle travels through eight phases, in span of 29.5 days. However, there is no uniformity in the duration of each phase. 

I browsed through every image and diagram, to understand each phase. The intellect was fascinated by all this information. The more I fed it, the more silent it was getting, and was allowing me to feel the excitement to embark on the moon journal diary.

If you want to dive into something new and enjoy every aspect of it, then indulge the mind in thoughts of optimism, the intellect should be romanced with the science and calculations, the ego relaxed with confident tidings. 

What created the intellectual orgasm that led it to rest calmly, was when I came about an article that mentioned that while each phase of the moon may last for an average of 6 days; yet the fact is that as soon as the moon enters into a phase, it transits instantly from there. There is constant movement, in what the intellect grasps as steadiness. The naked eye cannot capture the moon-on-the-go. The eye captures what is within the limits of the intellect to grasp – the 8 phases of the moon, as seen from night-to-night.

I think it would be impossible to capture the infinite nano-phases of the moon! Lets enjoy being human, and look at it as eight phases, through 29.5 days, with a transition happening every night.

In my observation, I saw the phase from New Moon to full Moon as growth of smiles, and the phase from Full Moon to New Moon as reduction of sorrow.

To wish for something, means making space for it, means letting go of that, which occupies unnecessary space. Letting go is painful. This is why most people begin enthusiastically towards creating road-maps towards manifestation. However, when one comes to know that adjustments of varying kinds and degrees need to be made, they give up.

This was a pattern I followed, as I feared success, as it always meant letting go of comfort, making a shift, breaking an old pattern. Too much to do, so why do anything anyways. 

Moon journaling has helped me come a long, long way. Through each phase of moon journaling I have been able to break old habits and inculcate a new healthy habit. I have been able to see through tasks; I have overcome many challenges. Most important of all, I am more in touch with myself. I am more aware of the functioning of my being.

I am an enthusiastic, constant work-in-progress, that keeps progressing through setbacks, hormonal upheavals, challenges, failures, depression, insecurities, hurt, pain, betrayal, hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia, the regular menstrual cycle, and the terrifying irregular cycles. 

I confess that moon journaling is not a constant with every moon cycle. I take to it only when I feel I need to. I get bored easily if I am pushed into a monotonous routine. Therefore, I used various tools of empowerment, based on the requirement. I wholly agree with the adage that variety is the spice of life, and more makes it merrier; less makes it boring, restrictive and definitely not thrilling, nor exciting.

Anyways, what I am going to share with you here is, how I created my moon journal, and what moon journaling revealed to me the first time I ever began maintaining such a journal.

So, once my mind, intellect and ego gave me permission to explore myself through moon journaling, I felt I needed to prepare the journal mindfully. So I took a sheet of cardboard and folded it to make a folder. I attached rings that would hold the sheets of paper I would insert each night; through the various moon cycles I would feel guided to journal. I then took a black sheet of paper and covered the back and front of the folder. I drew on the cover 28 phases of the moon, marking the 8 known phases. 

Then from that new moon till the moon returned to the night before the next new moon, I sat at my study table at 11.30 pm (you can choose any time that you can commit to for 28 nights), every night, and let the thoughts flow. 

Below is what the 28 phases of the moon revealed to me…

        Night 1 – New Moon – The blackboard: The blank sheet of paper in front of you is an opportunity to pen whatever you choose to achieve. Blankness is the empty space for you to fill. It is not the void, but simply hollow and empty calmness that breathes the lesson to be learnt, the wish to be fulfilled, the intention to be achieved, the pattern to be broken, the habit to be dissolved, the lifestyle change to be imbibed, the new regime to be inculcated, the change to be made, the resolve to be made. Anything old to be thrown out, or anything new to be brought in. Make it simple. Allow one to occupy the space on the blank sheet of the paper. The first intention that flows, is your journey through this moon cycle.

  Night 2 – The First Night of the Waxing Crescent – The Beginning of the journey: While every image shows a vertical crescent, I felt guided to look at the moon phase as a horizontal crescent formation. And, here after all phases came to be represented as horizontal formations. This probably was influenced by what I had heard and read many-a-time; if the moon can impact the tides, then there is no doubt that it can affect our mind and emotions; which influence or maybe are influenced by the hormones in the body. 

This night is the smile, and confidence that assures us that we are capable of achieving our goal that we wrote the previous night. The smile represents the unravelling of the strength and power within to mindfully and effortlessly work towards achieving goals. This night is important to allow the roadmap to form on the paper – the action plan of manifestation. Note down the first step that needs to be taken in the day ahead.

Night 3 – The Second Night of the Waxing Crescent – The Inspiration: The toughest step is always the first step that is shrouded in ifs and buts. However, when you take that plunge you feel inspired to move along. You feel motivated. Tonight is about the inspiration to move ahead. From a single step in the day gone by, it’s time to take a few baby steps further towards manifestation. List those steps that need to be taken through the day to come.

  Night 4 – The Third Night of the Waxing Crescent – The Motivation: The tiny steps has empowered you to take strides, to walk tall, to talk confidently. So, now that you are motivated, churn out the action plan for the day ahead, which consists of 3 strides you need to take towards manifestation.

Night 5 – The Fourth Night of the Waxing Crescent – The Confidence: From standing up, to the first step, to the baby steps, to the strides, your confidence is rising; the faith in yourself is multiplying. You raise the bar of your self-esteem and your self-worth. You are all charged up to climb the ladder, even if you slip a few times, you surely shall climb your ladder. List tonight the rungs of the ladder you need to climb in the day to come.

   Night 6 – The Fifth Night of the Waxing Crescent – The Joy: You reached the top of the ladder, no matter how challenging the ascent. You climbed, you slipped, you effortlessly, yet mindfully moved up again. The challenges gave you wisdom, the climb gave you motivation. You are a warrior of your life. Note a treat you owe yourself for coming thus far in your journey towards your intention. Let the day ahead be a celebration of all that you have achieved in this quarter of the moon cycle.

  Night 7 – The First Quarter – The Balance: Your heart has expanded with prayer for insights to take you further into understanding the wisdom behind the intention you mindfully set. It is time to allow experience to bring you light, as there are possibilities of obstacles, as brightness increases. You have be prepared for the light that emerges. For, if you lack in preparation, it could blind you with the folds of the mind, intellect and ego. Let humility guide the way hereon, for the closer you move towards manifestation, the bolder the intellect and ego chooses to become. Humility is a a fine cloak that comforts both monstrous aspects of the personality. Tonight allow to flow on paper gratitude, so that tomorrow you may find wisdom in naturally enacting random acts of kindness.

Night 8 – The first Night of the Waxing Gibbous – Modification: Now that the heart is filled with compassion, there is scope for modification, improvisation, a new skill, a fresh way perspective. Note tonight on your sheet of paper a new perspective of your intention, in order to bring in freshness in the way you journey to the manifestation. What refinement can be brought to the process. Let the day ahead lay the foundation of something new, a modification to make the manifestation even more alluring.

Night 9 – The Second Night of the Waxing Gibbous – Correction: When the process of modification is in progress, you may feel jittery, your confidence maybe shaken, because you are moved out of your comfort zone to make things better for the manifestation. This may have caused you to make some mistakes. Mistakes are the lessons we learn, in order to polish ourselves towards manifesting our intention. Tonight bravely list the mistakes you feel you need to correct in order to make space for confidence. As the light gets brighter, you may began to feel overwhelmed. You may feel like giving up by deriding yourself towards the dungeons of guilt over a mistake that simply needs to be corrected. When you accept the mistake you are empowered to rectify it. Allow the day ahead to lead you towards remedying the mistake you write here. 

Night 10 – The Third Night of the Waxing Gibbous – Forgiveness: A person, or a situation may arise from the bank of your memory, distracting you away from your intention. You may feel the burden of the pain this person or situation has caused you. The light brings to you the power to forgive – neither the person, nor the situation! It empowers you to forgive yourself for allowing the person or situation to cause you pain. When you forgive yourself, you actually break free from the shackles of guilt and shame. Allow yourself to write all the situations or persons that seem to distract you and break the bone of your confidence. Allow the day ahead to be filled with energy empowers you to compassionately forgive yourself, so that you feel free to journey towards manifesting your intention.

Night 11 – the Fourth Night of the Waxing Gibbous – Compromise: There are times when you need to make-do with what is in order to keep on track, time and quality. Many-a-times you go through discomfort when you need to accommodate someone, or something that does not belong to your comfort zone. That is when you are called to compromise. You negotiate your way to protect yourself and ensure all goes well. Tonight is about writing the compromise you feel you have to make towards manifesting your intention. The day ahead shall lead you through the path of accommodating your part of the compromise, while the Universe accommodates its part to ensure manifestation of your intention happens in this moon cycle.

Night 12 – The Fifth Night of the Waxing Gibbous – Relief: The lighter is almost in full strength, the comfort after the toil is overwhelming, yet there is a sense of incompletion. However, the heart is all set to ease out, and soak in all the positivity gratefully. Appreciation dawns, lightness is the being, gracious is soul. It’s time to soak in the breath of calmness. Tonight note how would you soak in the calmness brought by joy of all the activity that takes you along the journey of intention manifestation. The day ahead shall breathe in soothing energies that is balm to all the bruises endured, thus far in this moon cycle.

Night 13 – The Sixth Night of the Waxing Gibbous – Awareness: Your cup is almost full to the brim. Your consciousness has taken a quantum leap, and only an element or two needs to be taken care of before the harvest of your intention begins. You can feel the dynamic change within your being; however, you are still one step away from harvesting the fruits of your labour. Note tonight, what is it that you need to be aware off – the thorn that pokes the heart. Once the awareness dawns, the day ahead shall remove the prickly thorn/s, so that you may enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Night 14 – The Full Moon – Fruitage: While tonight the sun and the moon are opposite each other, facing each other, conflict reigns supreme in the face of the reaping of your fruits of labour. The light is brightest, the overwhelming felling is encircled by an anxiety. For not every fruit will be ripened, nor every fruit palatable. Some need to be disposed to fill the basket with worthiness. Tonight is about gracefully accepting the harvest, as is, and calming the fragile mind. Write out all that disturbs the mind, ever so frantically. Discard it all upon the sheet, for they are either the unripe or the over-ripened fruits of the ungratefully mind, intellect and ego. The day ahead shall burst every bubble that dampens the spirit, as it begins to harvest the fruits of the seeds of the intention.

Night 15 – The First Night of the Waning Gibbous: Sharing – When the cup is filled to the brim, it needs to be emptied out so that a freshness is poured in. A tree full of fruits, needs to be plucked of its produce, one-by-one, in order to prepare it for the next produce. However, the joy of fruition is in sharing the fruits. The more you share, the more it multiplies, joy multiplies when it is share with others. Tonight, allow your soul to guide you towards ways in which to share the fruits of your intention. Allow the day ahead to be filled with opportunities of kindness.  

Night 16 – The Second Night of the Waning Gibbous: Compassion – While you spent the day sharing with others, you need to open your arms compassionately to spread your arms to heal others. There maybe people or situations you have ignored, and yet in backdrop they have been part of your life’s journey. Spreading you smile and love to them, can heal away their pain. Tonight upon a sheet of paper allow the names and situations flow that need your healing love and attention. Allow the day ahead to guide towards healing them with your presence, one way or the other.

Night 17 – The Second Night of the Waning Gibbous: Generosity – Sharing time, spreading compassion and generously gifting, are ways in which to empower the self by empowering others with your loving kindness. Gift others smiles to enjoy the smiles in return. Tonight write on a sheet of paper all that is within your capacity that you can gift to someone or some others. Allow the day ahead to empower you gift somebody or some people something that would bring a smile on their face.

Night 19 – The Third Night of the Waning Gibbous: Empowerment – As the darkness increases and the light recedes, empowerment is the need. One needs strength and power to face the darkness, and seek the wisdom. Wisdom increases when knowledge is shared. Experience brings wisdom, when the learning is with awareness. On a sheet of paper tonight write how you can empower someone you know, and allow the day ahead to inspire you to empower them. 

Night 20 – The Fourth Night of the Waning Gibbous: Courage – The light depletes itself behind the cover of darkness, the fears stem, and anxieties surface. Fighting fear expands it, fleeing from anxiety inflates it. Being aware of it, diminishes its stature. Tonight note on a sheet of paper the fear that terrifies you. Look it in the eye and release it on the paper, and allow a prayer to follow it. A prayer that is sung by your soul within. Through the day ahead allow your soul to sing the prayer to fear, diminishing it to the point of no return.

Night 21 – The Last Quarter – Let Go: One fulfilled intention makes way for the next one. Right now, as you experience the fulfilment of the intention, to enjoy to its fullest, you need to let go – release that which rejects the intention. Whatever it maybe, release it on the paper tonight, and as the day ahead unfolds the path shall be laid to cremate it.

Night 22 – The First Night of the Waning Crescent: Relinquish – De-clutter, discard, remove all that blocks you from emptying the cupto make space for a new experience. De-cluttering can begin from the physical space and extend its influence on the internal space of the mind, intellect, ego. Tonight note what needs to be de-cluttered from your physical space, and in the day ahead, as you discard all that needs to be discarded, be aware of the thoughts that filter through your mind, and allow yourself to discard the blocking emotion, anxiety, fear, or sadness.

Night 23 – The Second Night of the Waning Crescent: Resign – If it does not work for you, then simply walk away. The problem is that you hold onto it out of the guilt of what will happen if you turn your back on it. Well, its toxicity in your life is damaging you, so then what is the point of keeping it within your auric space. Cut the chords, and move on. Let them play out their drama, according to the role they have chosen. You cannot live for them, but for yourself. Tonight, allow yourself to bring into awareness what you need to walk away from. Allow it to flow on the paper. The day ahead shall encourage you to write out your resignation letter to the toxic person, or situation. Handover this resignation letter to The Universe by tearing it and throwing it into the garbage can.

Night 24 – The Third Night of the Waning Crescent: Renounce – The art of renunciation entails abandoning that which does not allow you to experience the happiness, which is the core of your being. In spite of being so close to your intention manifesting, yet there is a part of you that seems to shake and shiver, and feel undeserving. Allow this night to bring to surface that element of the mind, intellect or ego that makes you feel so underwhelmed that you would rather shut the door on your intention that is at the doorstep of being manifested. The day ahead shall lead you away from this element, so that you renounce and are ready to take the leap of faith.

Night 25 – The Fourth Night of the Waning Crescent: Unleash – You are like a dog tied to a lamppost, waiting to be untied. The master has un-looped the leash, but out of habit the dog continues to sit there, believing they are still bound to the post. Well, such is your situation, tied to a pattern, that actually is a figment of your imagination, created into a fixed notion. It is time to unleash yourself from this notion, in order to completely enjoy the fruits of your intention manifestation. Tonight the sheet of paper, release this notion. The day ahead shall lead you to smashing to smithereens, this fixed notion. Enjoy the freedom of unleashing yourself.

  Night 26 – The Fifth Night of the Waning Crescent: Rest – The mind, intellect, have been overworked in the process of intention manifestation during this moon cycle. Undoubtedly the trio have held onto so much garbage all these years, probably all these lifetimes; yet we need to respect that it can be painful for the three musketeers, and so they need to recuperate. They haver played their roles well, they have not resisted the washing out. It’s time to allow them to relax, and only acknowledging them will relax them completely. Point-to-note, as a suggestion – a hobby tends to help the tri relax. Tonight on a sheet of paper, allow a hobby, creative project, etc., to flow on the paper, which would excite the mind, intellect, ego to rest and relax. The day ahead shall open the doors of encouragement to help you imbibe in your daily routine time to enjoy a creative, or any activity that promotes mental and emotional wellness.

  Night 27 – The Sixth Night of the Waning Crescent: Surrender – This moon cycle has guided you to manifest your intention. It has guided you through challenges and obstacles, it has helped you de-toxify your mind-body and emotional-body. It is time to surrender to the beauteous and bountiful nature that supports our journey each moon phase cycle, through each lifetime. Surrender is empowerment. Prayer is the truest form of surrender. Tonight allow the prayer to nature flow on the paper, and repeat till you fall asleep. The day ahead shall have every cell of your being vibrate with this prayer, empowering you to celebrate you. 

Night 28 – The Seventh Night of the Waning Crescent: Wisdom – There are lessons learnt, and yet there are learning un-learnt. The most important aspect of going through this moon cycle mindfully is to expand in wisdom. Tonight before you sit to note the wosdom reaped through this moon cycle, meditate for a few moments. Sit comfortably with your eyes closed and with each mindful deep breath in request the wisdom of this moon cycle that led you to your intention manifestation. When you open your eyes whatever thought guides your pen, write it mindfully, and yet effortlessly. This is what your soul wishes you to be aware of. This is a power you have gained from mindfully, flowing through this moon-cycle, with the need to manifest an intention.

Every intention manifested leads to a new one that needs to be manifested. However, the wisdom it brings enlightens your being, and brings you closer to yourself. 

Mindfully travelling along the moon-cycle can alleviate the burdens of living, and bring in the lightness of existing.