Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass
the world is too full to talk about.
~ Rumi

Wonder

Wonder
Katy and the Pacific

Thursday, January 20, 2011

A Wolf Moon

The full moon of January is called the Wolf Moon, for Native American peoples believed wolves became restless in January. 

I'm feeling a bit restless myself today.  I notice when the moon is full my sleep is disturbed and I feel like howling.  Just kidding about that last part.  Crabby might be a better adjective for how I feel.  Winter is long where I live, January can be filled with a grayness that begins to seep into my soul.  I forget what sunshine on my skin feels like.  I forget that January has it's purpose too, the cold stillness is a ripe time to reflect, to do nothing, to let one's self settle.  Difficult tasks for me.  I'd rather fast forward to March and start playing with seeds.  January is about the acceptance of longing, the acceptance of the grayness of now.

I wonder what the wolves have to be restless about?  Are they hungry?  Are they feeling amorous?  Do they tire of the long night?  Do they long for green grass and insects to chase?  Perhaps restless is more like adventuresome and motivated - game animals are growing tired and hungry, it's a good time for hunting and filling one's belly.  A wolf can always rest in the lazy days of summer; winter is a time for work?

I'm going to honor my gray mood and take a little better care of myself in the coming days, as the moon begins to wane again.  Chocolate and massage may be necessary, yoga is essential.  February is the Snow Moon ~ I'll need my energy.

Here's a poem for today (as Garrison Keillor would say :)

The Wolf Moon
by Penny Pollock

The weather chills, 
the night is  long,
wolf lifts his head 
in lonely song.
His notes float high,
his notes drift low,
mournful in the 
moonlight glow.

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