So we are well into January and 2019. Today (or tomorrow depending on where one lives) makes the first full moon of the year, and a lunar eclipse as well. The lunar eclipse will be visible possibly from where I live (depending on the clouds), but since I’m not really a night owl I don’t know if I’m going to be awake to see it or not. Aside from that little tidbit, the moon has also moved into the Leo constellation, so what does that mean for us?

There are several things that one can do during this time, and that includes partaking in some self-reflection. One of the books that I love that has good questions is: “Moonology: working with the magic of the lunar cycles” by Yasmin Boland. This book is where I grab the questions that I reflect back on during the evening of the full moon (or the day before or after, depending on my schedule).

Top questions one can ask themselves during this time (taken from “Moonology: working with the magic of the lunar cycles” by Yasmin Boland) include:

            Have I been too self-centered, egotistical or proud?

            Have I been treating the people around me like minions?

            Have I been arrogant, vain, pushy or pompous?

            Have I been expressing myself creatively enough?

            Have I shown myself enough self-love?

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 self-centered, egotistical or proud lately. There is nothing like realizing that you’ve only made baby steps (but progress none the less) on certain goals that you set out for yourself the year before. I’m someone who is happier sitting in the background and observing people than being at the forefront (though I know I will need to get use to that if I want to slightly climb the ladder in industry).
  2. Nope, as much as I’d like to have my own minions—cats don’t take orders very well. It’s easier to do stuff at work on my own (I ask for help if I know I’m going to be out—either sick or taking time off), and everyone at home would love to minions around to do the cleaning I think. But—nope, no treating other humans like minions.
  3. This can also go back to #1. I have more tendency to downplay my accomplishments then to play them up (which I’ve realized is problematic when trying to write a resume, and you can only think of one or two highlights about a position that you’ve held for over a year). Also it’s much easier to ask for forgiveness than permission at times when doing something.
  4. This is something that I don’t spend enough time doing. I realize that I miss my morning walks at Boomer Lake (it has been either really cold or rainy or some other form of winter weather in the morning), and need to get out and do my morning photography shots again. Also I need to spend some time working on my afghan—I’m hoping to have it finished this year. In addition I want to start making my own jewelry as well this year. Both as something fun to keep me occupied, but also as a potential source of income as well.
  5. This is one area that I will probably always be fifty-fifty on (and only if I listen to the more negative voices in my head). I realize that with fitness it will take quite a bit of time for me to lose the weight that I keep gaining back (had been doing good for awhile, then October hit, depression sank in for a while and now I’m slowly trying to climb back out the hole). I just have to be kind to myself and realize that it’s okay not to hit goals set every day (like not hitting the step goal today), but as long as I don’t keep doing that day in and day out, things will start to get better. All it takes is a small step in front the other to start the journey.

When the moon enters the Leo constellation it is also entering my 10th house or my career zone. This is the time when one can reflect back on how things are going with your career and where you want to go next with it. It is also the period to try to figure out how to have a work/life balance (something that a lot of people now a days are lacking—and at times I’m one of them).

If I were to reflect back on my career—it definitely hasn’t gone in the direction that I thought it would. After getting my PhD, and still being on the fence about staying in academia, I did two postdoc positions, but then instead of taking enough time to really figure out what I wanted to do, I have taken two staff positions within my alma mater.

I have realized over the past year or so that I need to figure out what I want instead of just floating through a series of different jobs and trying to hold out until Friday and the weekend. One thing that I have realized is that I want to get back into research and that I’ve actually started to miss it a little. So, now I just need to decide (or pick a couple of companies in both) if I’m going to stay in biomedical research or switch to say agricultural or maybe go cosmetics. I realize that there are different paths for everyone and that I need to start re-forging mine to get back on the path that I should be on.

So what are my goals then for the Leo full moon period?

  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.

Change is necessary for growth, and can be scary–one just needs to take it a day at a time, and remember that there will be days that one slides backwards, but they just need to stand back up and continue forging ahead.