Tag: Astrology

Two Full Moon Goal Reviews–in One

08
May
2020

So the moon will be entering the full moon phase over the next day or two (depending on where you live), and it will be the last super moon for 2020. I’ve realized that with the way my mood was last month—I didn’t post my review for my goals for the March full moon, and I didn’t post my goals for the April full moon. So I’ve decided that I would do a duel review—how I did with my goals for March, and what goals I would have set for last month (since I never really got around to finishing that post).

So in March, the moon was passing through the Virgo constellation (which if I go with my rising sign, it highlighted my 11th house or my friend zone). During this time I set only a few goals: meditating, trying to set up a daily schedule, and networking more effectively in terms of both job searching and trying to set up informational interviews.

In terms of how I felt I did with each one of them:

In terms of meditating nightly, I’m getting better at it. I’m trying to set aside time roughly around 9pm to sit and just “be”. This usually allows me to quiet my thoughts (or at least the ones I’m conscious of making) and slowly relax for the night. I am also trying to reframe negative thoughts (again at least the ones I’m conscious of making) into positive thoughts—though this has been a little more difficult during the pandemic.

            In terms of setting up a schedule—I think I do better when I have a to-do list with things broken down on that. As I haven’t really been planning out the past several weeks—I do like having to-do lists where I can check or mark something off as done.

            In terms of reaching out and networking more effectively—this is something that I’ve fallen down on the past month. This is mainly because I’m back to being somewhat indecisive of which direction I want to be going in terms of my industry transition. It seems that the guidelines are that companies want “experts” and not “jack-of-all-trades” in terms of knowledge areas. I’d be almost fine with that but once I feel like I’m an “expert”—I want to move on to something else, but if I’m a “jack-of-all-trades” and constantly learning on the job—I’m happy. So this is my sticking point—how to find something that will let me seem to be an “expert” while also being a “jack-of-all-trades”.

So I managed to start getting back on track for certain things (namely meditation), and realized that I’m still feeling slightly uncomfortable with a job transition that would require me to only show part of who I am (the “expert” side, and not the “jack-of-all-trades” side). I also realize that I like to-do lists better than schedules as the to-do lists can be done in any particular order and at any time of the day, and even possibly merged with another task as well.

Last month the moon passed through the Libra constellation (which is highlighted my 12th house, or my secret zone). It also had a couple of questions that allow for reflection. In terms of the questions:

1) Have I been too concerned with appearances in general?

            I’ve never been one that has kept up with the latest fashion. I’m usually happiest wearing nice comfortable clothing (jeans, leggings, sweatshirts, t-shirts, tank tops, sweats) instead of being dressed to the nines (I really don’t care for wearing nice clothes unless I absolutely have too). I do realize that moving forward with my job transition (either starting freelance and moving into industry or vice versa) I will need to start dress more “professionally”, and am actually in the planning stages of both reducing my wardrobe (because I’m pretty certain I don’t really “need” over 40 different t-shirts), and creating a basic multifunctional business wardrobe.

2) Have I been thinking too much about others and neglecting my own needs?

            This is a slightly difficult one to answer—my thoughts have been preoccupied with what is going on in the world (global pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus), and I probably have been neglecting my own needs over the past month mainly due to feeling really indifferent about everything.

3) Have I been too easily influenced, gullible, or unable to decide for myself?

            This depends on the topic—yes, I’ve been unable to decide which direction I want to go with my transition, but only because I’m uncertain of what I want to be showcased as an “expert” in and then what areas I want to be showcased as a “jack-of-all-trades” in. I am also feeling a little uncertain due to other things (mainly anxiety, stress, and depression—three things that while I haven’t been “officially” diagnosed—I know I suffer from them due to both family history, reading on the topics). All three can be treated without medication (if you feel like you have any of the three—anxiety, stress, or depression—I strongly urge you to talk to a medical professional), but it will take time and constant work.

4) Have I been living my life through someone else?

            Do fictional characters count?? Right now I truthfully have no idea of what I’m wanting from my life (career, where I live, relationship status, and so forth)—which is why I resigned from my job back in December and decided to take a reboot break. I did join an accountability group to help in the job search (which has given me several ideas to now pursue in terms of figuring things out). But truthfully—I’ve been living my life lately through fictional characters.

5) Have I spent enough time beautifying my life?

            Yes in a way I have—I’ve decluttered my room, got some new storage units, and finished my latest afghan. I’m going to be teaching myself how to cross-stitch over the next few weeks, and then also doodling and possibly ordering the supplies to turn one of the doodles into a painting (or maybe I’ll turn it into a cross-stitch pattern).

The Libra moon was also going through my 12th house (the secret zone), which is where we should try to take time for ourselves—meditating, yoga, or doing something else that allows us to find some balance in our lives.

I never actually made any goals for the Libra moon last month, but did try to continue with meditating nightly (and I usually managed about four to six nights out of the week). Basically what I need to do is make both a schedule and to-do lists so that I can become a little more productive than what I’ve been the last few (say four to seven) weeks. I know that I need to work on controlling how I react to the current world situation (I’ve let my anger, and disappointment in people control me and that had me off my routine for the past again four to seven weeks)—if I can just acknowledge that there are numerous ignorant, evil, greedy people in the world and that they’re the reason for the current situation, and that I’m doing all I can—I may actually be able to become somewhat productive again, as I enter week 8 (or possibly 9, or is it 12?) of the self-isolation period for dealing with the pandemic.

No Comments AstrologyFull Moon GoalsHealthPandemic2020Reflections

Review of Libra New Moon Goals

26
Oct
2019

So the moon will be transitioning through it’s new phase again this weekend and it will be going through the Scorpio constellation. Somehow we have less than a week left of October, and then only sixty-one days left in 2019.

So before I think of addressing the Scorpio new moon (and it’s goals)—it’s time to look back at the goals I had made for the Libra new moon.

Those goals included:

            Meditate nightly—I have some nature CDs on my iPhone that I bought via iTunes—they’re calming (at least for me) and no one is talking.

            Practice yoga—there is a little yoga in one of the workouts that I’ll be doing over the next few weeks.

            Regain my identity—this doesn’t have anything to do with unhealthy co-dependency issues (unless you consider all my jobs to this point have been in an academic setting)—but try to figure out whom I am and what I want to do with the next half of my life.

So how did I do with these goals?

In terms of meditation—I only really managed a few minutes (especially since I didn’t feel like always having my cell phone and ear buds out right before bed). I know it is a slightly silly reason—but I am trying to avoid using my phone after I turn off all lights. I do have a white noise maker, so that helps a little; but mainly I need to quiet my thoughts and emotions (usually anxiety and stress) so that I can focus on my breathing. So again—this is an on-going practice and something that once I get better at it, will help with the anxiety, stress, and depression.

In terms of practicing yoga—this didn’t happen. I have the hybrid workout schedule all made up, but by the end of the day—I don’t feel like doing anything. Now I know that it can basically be considered mind over matter, and that I will probably feel better once I start to workout—but right now, the more lazy thought pattern is winning over the productive thought pattern. I am at least striving to hit my step goal for the day and week—and will be hitting my yearly step goal again this year. Negative thought patterns are easy to identify, but rather difficult to break—so this is something else that I’m working baby steps towards again.

Regaining my identity—I’m slowly working on this (I actually have at least one blog post almost ready to share on the topic). As I’ve told a couple of people—I have several ideas of what I may enjoy doing—I just need the time to focus and work through things (hence one of the reasons for the reboot break). I’ve also realized that I currently feel like a boat adrift in the sea (no working motor or sails), and the reboot break is going to feel like I’ve found an island that I can land on and slowly start fixing my boat—then I can be in charge of the direction I go in life, instead of just allowing myself to be pushed by the currents of others.

Things haven’t been perfect, and some things haven’t moved forward at all—but there has been progress in each area. That progress has been as little as admitting that there are roadblocks and that I need to develop an better plan to either remove said roadblocks or find a way around them.

As I move into the last two months of 2019, I’m going to keep with the mantra: Progress over Perfection.

No Comments AstrologyNew Moon GoalsPersonal Development

Cancer New Moon Goals

03
Jul
2019

So the moon is entering the first new moon phase for July and is transitioning through the Leo constellation today and tomorrow. July has officially started, and there are only 183 days left in the year (I’d personally like to know where February and March went).

So what are some of the things that one can focus on during the Cancer new moon?

            Family time (check in with relatives)

            Banish insecurity

            Get in touch with your caring and nurturing side

            Review your goals

            Take a hot bath

I also need to look to see what house the Cancer moon is moving through over the course of the new moon. Looking at things, Cancer is going through my ninth house (or my big picture zone). This is about adventure, travel, and personal development.

So what are some of the things that one can do during this time in regards to the ninth house?

            Find a way to explore the world.

            Read those books you know you should be reading.

            Do a personal development course.

            Manifest a new spiritual teacher.

            Think about what you have faith in—and what you don’t.

            Make a cyber pal on the other side of the world.

            Have something you’ve written published.

I think that it’s fitting that the universe is nudging me to continue to do personal development. I’ve realized over the past few weeks that one of my biggest roadblocks to doing anything is that I don’t like confrontations. I usually go out of my way to be a team player, and to fly under the radar. This could be from childhood, where I decided it was better to keep quiet than have a teacher correct my pronunciation of words (and I’ve realized that this is a massive trigger for me now as an adult). I know that I’m not happy with my position, and that change is needed—but at the same time I don’t want to rock any boats on my way out either.

So in terms of the things that one can do during this time in regards to the ninth house:

I am trying to plan a solo vacation abroad for the fall (possibly around my birthday). But I’ve only gotten as far as thinking about it. I would like to try to brush up on a foreign language (that way I can possibly travel somewhere where English isn’t the main language).

I am slowly working my way through my huge to-be-read list of books that cover both personal and professional development.

I have several different e-courses that I am going to slowly be working through (some are personal development areas, and others are professional development).

In terms of spirituality and what I have faith in—currently on hold.

Making a cyber pal on the other side of the world—I’m in several different groups that have people all over the world, so I think I’m good on this one.

Having a blog counts for publishing right?

Therefore my goals for the Cancer New Moon period are going to be:

1) Review, edit, and update my 12-month goals/plans for the different areas that I set out back under the Aries new moon.

2) Meditate nightly (even if it’s only for a couple of minutes).

3) Do a daily tarot/oracle card reading (even if I don’t share on social media right away).

4) Read at least one more non-fiction book (two-three would be great)

5) Start working through some of the different e-courses that I’ve bought over the past two years.

No Comments AstrologyNew Moon GoalsPersonal Developmentspirituality

A review of Gemini New Moon Goals

02
Jul
2019

So we’re halfway through the year, and the moon will be transitioning into the Cancer constellation today and tomorrow and starting a new moon phase. July is going to be an interesting month, as there will be two new moons—today (which was also a total solar eclipse—but one you had to be in South America to see), and then again on the 31st.

So it is time again to look back on the few goals that I set for the Gemini new moon phase and determine how I did with each one, and what I can do to continue striving for improvement in those areas.

So my goals for the Gemini new moon include:

            I’m going to put making a financial plan back on the list. I’ve realized that I’m not getting any younger, and that there are still things that I either want to do (travel more for leisure) or will need to be doing (moving for a new job) that will require having a decent amount of money saved and/or invested.

            Try to get back into meditating nightly (I got out of the habit last month, and I need to try to get back into it again).

            Read at least three more non-fiction books (out of the large list that I have going).

So how did I do with the goals?

In terms of making a financial plan—I’m trying to put about half a paycheck into the savings (which accounts for about 1 paycheck a month), though sometimes it isn’t quite that much. I know that I need to speak with a financial consultant about my meager retirement account (especially what to do about it when I leave my current job), and also how to go about getting it a little higher.

I’ve realized that I don’t need to be making seven figures a year to be happy—I’m pretty sure that I’ll be happy with a nice low six figure income that covers my monthly bills (and it may include a mortgage for an small house or an condo), and still leave me enough to save/invest and even travel.

I’m trying to get into the habit that less is actually more (especially when it comes to certain things like clothes, movies, and similar things). So one long-term goal is to get my belongings down to where I could live comfortably in a small apartment.

I still need to make a better long term financial plan, one that will hopefully account for one move, travel, and living in a decent size city.

In terms of meditating nightly—I probably managed it about eighty percent of the time. There were just a few evenings, where I was running behind on doing things and decided just to chill and read for a while before bed instead of meditating for a few minutes and then reading before bed. It does help my sleep at times when I do meditate—so a goal for July will be to hopefully meditate before bed every night.

In terms of reading (or finishing) at least three non-fiction books—I managed to finish one. The one I finished was related to finances and was called “The Latte Factor: Why You don’t have to be rich to live rich” by David Bach and John David Mann.

It’s a book that shows you how to focus on what you’re spending your money on—that way if you know what you’re spending money on, you have ideas of where you can start saving money. A book review will be coming in the next few weeks.

Over the past year, I’ve been keeping track (more or less) of how I spend money and I know where I splurge. My goals now are to 1) figure out a better way of dealing with stress (that doesn’t involve buying candy), and 2) reminding myself that I should work through several of the different little e-courses that I’ve bought over the past two years before I buy any more.

Reading has always been a pastime of mine—now I just need to figure out a way to incorporate more non-fiction books into the reading mix (lately I’ve been going with fiction as a escape tool against reality).

While I did okay on my mental and financial goals during the Gemini new moon period, I’ve realized they’re things that I should be constantly working on, so I’m going to try to focus on my mental and financial health during the next new moon period.

No Comments HealthLifestyle Challengesmoney saving challengesNew Moon Goalsno spend challengesPersonal Development

Review of Scorpio Full Moon Goals

16
Jun
2019

So tomorrow, the moon moves into it’s full moon phase for June. We’re a little over halfway through the month, and there are only two weeks left before we’re through the first half of the year. Therefore it’s time to look back on the goals that I set during the May full moon, and see which ones I managed to work into my schedule and which ones I forgot about.

The goals for the May Scorpio full moon included:

            Getting back on track with my fitness and nutrition.

            Working on my transition and “reboot break” plans.

            Trying to meditate and do a daily tarot/oracle card reading.

In terms of the fitness and nutrition goal—I’m trying to make sure that I hit (and hopefully surpass) my step goal at least five out of seven days. I’m also trying to do at least one walk around Boomer Lake on the weekend (depending on the weather). I’ve realized that my mental health isn’t the greatest right now—when I fall into my depression funks, I’m never to the point of hurting myself—I just get to the point where I don’t care about things (working out and eating properly usually tanks first).

Therefore I’m happy to note that I have managed to probably lose about 2-4 pounds over the last month (I’m not sure of the exact number since I don’t weigh myself constantly—I’m just stepping on the scale currently to actually figure out how much the puppy is gaining weekly). I’m also cutting back on the sweets that I get on campus (last week I only went and got them one day, and the week before that it was only two days—so I’m slowly cutting back on that as well).

In terms of my transition and “reboot break” plans—the reboot break will be happening before the end of the year (especially since I now realize how close to complete burnout I’m getting), and may actually happen before the end of summer. I know people will scratch their heads at the idea of quitting a job without another lined up (especially since that means that you don’t get unemployment—but I think it will work out better this way—I’m not on someone else’s timeframe for finding a new job). My only potential worry is that my parents may charge rent (and how much).

The reboot break is needed, especially since I’m been thinking about just packing some clothes, my laptop, camera, e-book reader, phone, & chargers and flying off somewhere without really letting anyone know about the plans. I’ve never taken the time before to try and really focus on what I want to do with my life—I’ve just gone (for the most part) a straight path of public school to college (undergraduate degree to graduate degree) to work (academic post-doc to academic post-doc to staff position 1 to staff position 2). I love science, but I really need to figure out what I want to do in relation to both science and my other passions as well.

In terms of meditating daily and also doing a daily tarot/oracle card reading—I’ve been probably an even fifty to sixty percent of the time. I know where the inconsistency in regards to this goal is coming from—my blah mood. I usually can meditate nightly, but doing the card reading is something that I just can’t force myself to do (and I’ve also realized that I’ve lost several followers on instagram because of it as well). I’m hoping to get back into the grove of doing nightly readings (I don’t do them in the morning—mainly because I don’t want to get up any earlier than what I’m already doing), and posting them to social media.

So it wasn’t one hundred percent on the goals this past month—but at least I was making slow forward progression with each one. I know where I need to try to focus first—my mental and physical health (and if you are struggling—know that you aren’t alone, and if you need to see professional help—please do so (personally I’m stubborn and not really one to talk about their feelings and thoughts with others)). I know that when I get those two aspects of my life back on steady ground, everything else should hopefully also start falling into place.

Pretty soon it’s going to be time for me to step out of my comfort zone in order to figure out what I want to do with my life. As much as I want time to slow down, I know that it isn’t going to—which means I need to start actually trying to live my life for myself, and not staying in the shadow of others.

No Comments AstrologyfitnessFull Moon GoalsHealthPersonal Developmentprofessional development

Review of Taurus New Moon Goals

02
Jun
2019

So the moon is transitioning into Gemini tomorrow, as it marks its new phase. We have entered the last month of the second quarter of the year. Somehow June is a month that both crawls and speeds by at the same time. Now it’s time to look back on the goals that I set for the Taurus New Moon.

My list of things to try to focus on during the Taurus new moon included the following:

            Making a financial plan. I’ve realized that I’m not getting any younger, and that there are still things that I either want to do (travel more for leisure) or will need to be doing (moving for a new job) that will require having a decent amount of money saved and/or invested.

            Continue working on my transition plan—since I know at least one or two of the cities that I’m willing to relocate to (Boston, and maybe Washington DC, Chicago, or St. Louis) now I need to start looking for say three to four companies within each area that I think I could work for and start trying to network for informational interviews.

            Try and finish the following two books: “Next Gen PhD: A Guide to Career Paths in Science” by Melanie V Sinche and “Reboot Your Life: Energize your career and lie by taking a break” by Catherine Allen, Nancy Bearge, Rita Foley and Jaye Smith.

            Box (or bag) up the t-shirts that no longer fit well for donation (or selling online).

            Get back into a workout routine (go between weight training and cardio).

So how did I do with each goal?

In terms of making a financial plan—I have a decent amount in my savings. I’m leery of putting money (other than what my employer does for my retirement account) into the stock market, due to the current political climate. What I need to do is look into a short-term investment (CD or bonds) and decide how much to invest into something like that. I want to be comfortable whenever I retire (not super rich, but not struggling either), and that means I need to find the time to focus on that in the coming months as well.

In terms of the two books: “Next Gen PhD” and “Reboot Your Life”—I finished both of them (though I do need to go back and finish some of the exercises in each one. But by finishing “Reboot Your Life”, I’ve realized that I’m in dire need of a “reboot break”, and that one will be occurring at some point this year (possibly before my current job contract is up).

Working on my transition plan—this is going to be getting melded in with my “reboot break”. I’ve realized that currently I don’t have the time or the energy to focus on doing the job search/transition correctly. I know I will need to travel (in part to show that I am willing to relocate, and also to network), but I need to be strategic in where and when; currently I have no idea on the companies that I would like to possibly work for. This makes it difficult to strategically network for informational interviews. So I need to get my mental and physical health back on track, and then the job search/transition should fall into place.

The getting back into a workout routine and de-cluttering my clothes (and other possessions) are also going to be getting melded in with my “reboot break”. I’ve let stress and irritation from work overwhelm me to the point that I’m close to hitting either my low or just a point where I don’t really care anymore about certain things.

So the Taurus new moon period wasn’t the greatest in terms of reaching my goals—though I did finish two books and came to the conclusion that a break is needed (how long of a break—that is still undecided). I’m sure that there are people who will be shaking their heads saying that it doesn’t sound like anything has changed—but little baby steps (or even crawling) is better than nothing—it means I haven’t totally given up. Anxiety is a bitch to deal with, and my has been at a record level the past couple of months—so I’m happy with the little progress I’ve made and the fact that I’ve admitted to myself, that stopping to take care of myself for awhile probably isn’t that bad of an idea.

The moon will be in Gemini tomorrow, and that will be time to set some new intentions and goals for the beginning of June. The biggest intention is going to be to continue moving forward, no matter how slow it seems to others.

No Comments AstrologyHealthNew Moon GoalsPersonal Developmentprofessional development

Update on the April Full Moon Goals

17
May
2019

So the moon is going to be entering it’s latest full moon stage tomorrow, and actually should be within the Scorpio constellation. I will admit that this year has totally confused me on which constellation the moon is in and when, since there have been a couple of times that it seems to have transitioned quickly back into the same constellation it was in the previous month. So it looks like I’m going to have another chance on working on my goals for a Scorpio full moon, as that is the constellation that it will be going through tomorrow. That means that it’s time to look back on the first round of Scorpio goals and see how I did with each one.

So goals for this full moon period are going to include:

            Getting my fitness and nutrition back on track.

            Working on my transition plan.

            Practicing gratitude/happiness/keeping a positive outlook daily.

So how did I do with each one?

            In terms of fitness and nutrition—this didn’t really happen, though I am trying not to buy as many sweets on campus. Now that our wifi/internet is hopefully back to it’s normal speed and not disappearing at the drop of a dime I will hopefully try to get back into doing a workout daily.

                        I’ve realized that at times I get bored with the workout because I’ve done it before and then I lose interest in the entire program. I’m thinking that I’m going to have to push myself to get through a program and try to lift a little heavier each week (if possible) in certain exercises and see if that can help propel me through various programs.

                        In terms of nutrition, I need to figure out a better way of dealing with stress and irritation—currently it’s going to buy some type of sweet/candy that I know I don’t need but I usually eat it anyway (or I save it for the weekend at home). If I can avoid getting the sweets (and the extra coffee) in the morning/during the day—besides losing some weight I will also be saving some money.

            In terms of working on my transition plan, so far the only book that I’ve finished reading so far has been: “Reboot your life: energize your career and life by taking a break” by Catherine Allen, Nancy Bearg, Rita Foley, and Jaye Smith. This book has shown me that its fine wanting to take a break from things, and that it’s even expected that people do that (I had no idea that companies like Google and Genetech actually support employees doing this).

                        So this is something that I’m seriously thinking of doing. I know that I have enough money saved (one nice thing about my current living arrangements), and that this is the perfect time for me to do so. Therefore sometime by the end of the year I’m going to embark on my own “reboot break”.

                        I’ve also joined another subgroup within a professional group I’m in—this one focusing on different aspects of scientific writing (but focused on non-academia areas). There are two other books that I’m currently reading (and hopefully will be finishing within the next full moon), and they are: “The Renaissance Soul: How to make your passions your life” by Margaret Loensteine and “Next Gen PhD” by Melanie Sinche.

Listening to a teambeachbody podcast this week (and currently I forget which April one it was), but one thing that stuck with me was—working the personal development that I need to be working on for myself and not what others think (or I think I should do to be like others). Listening to some of the podcasts have been reminding me that I really haven’t been working on me for me; and that is another reason why I’m leaning towards doing a “reboot break”.

Finally in terms of trying to practice happiness/gratitude daily—this is a hit and miss. I realize that the part of my day that I’m currently at times the unhappiest is when I’m at work. One reason is that we’re getting into the nicer weather and I don’t like being stuck indoors all day. I think that I’d almost prefer a job that had flexible hours/schedule to where I could work from both an office and then from home (or a park or somewhere I could take a break and get outdoors). I’m trying to find things to be happy/grateful for daily, and it boosts my mood for a while—but if others are in a bad mood that seems to spread around everyone and it’s hard to stay upbeat. So that is yet another nudge I need for taking a “reboot break” so that I can figure out what the next stage of my career is going to be.

Things were hit and miss this last month, and I’m not sure if it was just because the semester was winding down or if I was going through another small bout of depression (or both). Since we’re going to be cycling back through Scorpio, I will have the chance to modify the goals and figure out the best plan for moving forward again—since the moon in Scorpio will also mark the start of the full moon going through all my houses (from the first).

No Comments AstrologyFull Moon GoalsPersonal Development Challengestransition plan

Pisces New Moon Goals: A review

04
Apr
2019

So we’re officially through the first quarter of the year. April is here, though winter weather seems to be willing to pop back in every so often (as we’ve had several chilly mornings). Since we’re going to be having a new moon in a few days, it’s time to look back on the goals that were set during the Pisces new moon and see how I did with them.

So the short list of things to work/focus on during the Pisces new moon period included:

            Continue working on the transition plan—namely making sure that my linkedin page is good, and continue networking and adding value (plus start really trying to narrow down the companies and locations).

            Continue with my daily oracle card readings

            Work on my afghan or start making some jewelry

            Continue reading personal and professional development books.

So how did I do with each goal?

I continued to slowly work on my transition plan—I didn’t spend as much time on linkedin as I should have—but between readjusting to day light savings time and getting over a mild case of the flu—I think I did okay (not great—but okay).

I only missed one week of doing my daily oracle card readings (and that was the week I had a mild case of the flu and didn’t feel like doing much of anything). I will be doing a review of the deck and some of the readings that I did as a blog post later in the week.

In terms of the crafts—this didn’t happen. I did look at my beads and things for making jewelry—I just didn’t finish the bracelet. The afghan is still about a third of the way done, and depending on how things go it may stick that way for a couple of months (I don’t usually work on knitting projects in the warmer weather).

I managed to finish one book this month (but I also managed to start like another four or five different ones). March was one of those months where I was more in the mood to read fiction than non-fiction. When I started the first 101+ goal challenge last year I think the book list started out at about fifty books—now it’s over 200 books. Though I will say that I’ve managed to read 29 out of the current 242 books on the list.

No Comments AstrologyNew Moon GoalsPersonal Developmentprofessional development

Virgo Full Moon Goals: February’s Super Snow Moon

19
Feb
2019
Tonight’s moon is suppose to be the brightest for the year….

Well today marks the second full moon of the year, and technically the brightest one as well. Which figures, since as I’m writing this, the sky is overcast and there is suppose to be a winter storm coming into the state sometime today (which means that sky will probably be overcast tonight as well and I won’t be able to see the full moon). Today marks the second time this month that schools have closed due to winter weather (we already had an ice day earlier this month), but we will have to see what comes through today in terms of this winter storm.

So the moon will be (or has already) entered the Virgo constellation today. So if I look to Yasmin Boland’s book: “Moonology: working with the magic of the lunar cycles”, I will find a series of five questions that one can reflect on during this time.  The questions for the Virgo full moon are:

            Have I been too picky, pedantic, or critical of myself or anyone else?

            Have I been humble to the point of underrating myself?

            Have I been of service to others enough this month?

            Have I been worrying and complaining too much, and thus attracting negativity?

            Have I paid enough attention to the details that I need to this month?

So if I were to number the questions 1-5, I think that my answers would be as follow:

  1. I don’t think that I’ve been picky, pedantic, or critical of others or myself this month. And I will admit to learning the definition of a new word (pedantic—someone is showing off book learning or trivia, especially in a negative way) this month; which is funny since I’ve read (and re-read) this book numerous times and this is the first time that word popped out at me. I’m trying to keep the mindset that I do my best each day, and at the end of the day I let everything go and start fresh the next day. While this mindset is still a work in progress for me (especially when I’m at work & realize that if things aren’t close to perfect, I will get some criticism from my boss; and it isn’t always constructive).
  2. I probably have been at times a little too humble to where I’ve underrated myself and allowed others to take credit for things that I’ve done. This is something that again I’m trying to work on more (speaking up for myself and taking credit when due).
  3. Yes, I think I’ve been of service to others this month (as that is a key part of my 9-5 job). Though, I might not have been of service enough to others through the blog, but that is again something that I’m trying to work on being better at.
  4. Of the two traits that can attract negativity, I will admit to worrying too much, and at times complaining about things. The complaining usually is directed towards the current political atmosphere of the planet, and other then exercising my right to vote (and hope that it leads to beneficial change), I know that there is little I can do (I could try to get involved in politics, but I currently lack the disposition for it—I’d be calling too many people idiots to their faces in terms of those that don’t believe in basic science concepts (such as the world is round, climate change is real, GMOs are beneficial to the world, and vaccines don’t cause autism or other topics). So I know that I need to try to worry less about things (my main worry right now is trying to figure out the proper positions to try to transition into, where I would be moving, getting there (which includes figuring out the best way of acclimating an almost 10 year old cat to yet another new place). Also I know that I need to complain less about the current state of politics, but at the same time this one will be a very hard one to break.
  5. In terms of wondering if I paid enough attention to the details I need to this month, I would say I’ve been fifty-fifty in this area. I try to be mindful when I’m at work on my tasks (as I’ve been told numerous times that I need to watch what my hands are doing), so that in theory I don’t make that many mistakes (but I am human after all, and mistakes will be made). In terms of working on my transition plan, I’ve made a little more headway, though I still have quite a ways to go before I’m able to try to set up informational interviews. Then in terms of personal development & having a work/home balance I’m still working on this as well.

Asides being in the Virgo constellation, this is also my 11th house (according to my rising sign—which is Scorpio), and is also known as the friend zone. This is also the time to focus on putting a little more work into your social life and spending time with friends and family. This is also a time when one can try to put a little more work and effort into their networking schemes as well.

That is one thing that I know I need to work on—which is adding value to my numerous connections on the different social platforms I’m on (but especially linkedin, as that is a main one for trying to transition into industry). I know that I need to add value to relationships before I can inquire about having an informational interview to learn more about how they moved into their current position and how they like it.

So if I were to make another small goal list for the Virgo full moon, those goals would include the following:

            Networking more on linkedin (add value to current connections, and then also strategically expand my network as well).

            Getting together with local friends more often (either for lunch, coffee, or maybe walking around Boomer Lake).

            Reaching out to friends that I haven’t talked to in awhile and catch up either through email or instant messaging.

            Then also continue working on my transition plan and also trying to develop a balance between “free time” and everything else that I need to be doing.

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Leo Full Moon Goals: A Review of January’s full moon

18
Feb
2019

So we’re well into the year—tomorrow marks the second full moon (and depending on whom you listen to, it will either be back through the Leo constellation or entering the Virgo constellation). I’m going to go with the assumption that the moon is transitioning through each constellation during both the new moon and the full moon periods. That means that tomorrow, the moon should be entering the Virgo constellation.

So that means, that it is time to look back at the goals that were set for the Leo full moon period last month, and determine how I did with each goal.

So my goals for the last full moon were:

  1. Continue to try to workout daily
  2. Continue working on my transition plan. I more or less have part of my why down (why I’m in science and research in general)—I just need to work on why I want to leave academia for industry, figure out the companies, interact more on linkedin and so forth.
  3. Start working on some craft again (whether it’s photography, knitting, starting to make jewelry, or just coloring in a coloring book).
  4. Mediate nightly, and remember that if I keep putting one foot in front of the other, change will come—but I have to work towards the change and not wait for it to come to me.

So how did I do with each one?

In terms of working out daily, I have more or less managed this with the one or two rest days on the weekends. I haven’t totally gotten to where I do a different workout each day (I have realized that if I haven’t hit my step goal for the day, I’m going to put on a workout program that will allow me to almost hit the goal by the end of the workout (or surpass it)), and then I know that by bedtime I should have my steps in. I am going to try to start varying the workouts again (especially to get in more strength training), as I continue to try to be a little better than yesterday in terms of fitness.

In terms of my transition plan, I’ve realized that I have been letting indecision and fear of failure keep me spinning in circles. I have an idea of at least one biotech hub (mainly Boston) that I wouldn’t mind moving back to. I’m also thinking of possibly St. Louis or Indianapolis for the Midwest area, and then also possibly Washington DC. I know there are hubs on the west coast—but they’re about double the price of being in Boston or Washington DC—so I think I may stick east of the Rocky Mountains.

In terms of crafting, this is something that I’ve fallen behind on. I’ve been trying to do my daily photography challenge, but with cold weather and it barely getting light by the time I leave to catch the bus this has been difficult (since I decided that I shouldn’t just be posting pictures of the animals or tarot cards all the time [though yes I know that is basically my instagram posts right now]). I may try to continue working on my afghan as I would like to have that finished before I possibly move in the summer/fall/winter.

I have been trying to mediate nightly, though at times it may just be laying on the acupuncture mat for 3-5 minutes trying to clear my mind and relieve the tension in my back and shoulders before going to bed. There may gave only been one night this past month that I didn’t mediate, and that was due to be extremely sore my workout and I wasn’t sure if I could a) get down to the floor, and if I could get down b) I wasn’t sure I could get off the floor.

So out of the four goals, the only one that I really didn’t make a lot of progress on was the crafting goal. This will probably always be on the list (either on a full/new moon list or working it’s way back into a weekly habit tracker list), that way I can have a daily reminder that there should be a balance between life and work, and relaxing is actually something that is good for me.

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