Tag: Moonology

Virgo Season: Time to start planning the goals

28
Aug
2022

So, we’re going to be heading into another ‘new moon’ phase this weekend (and I’m probably going to be a day late in posting).

We’re entering Virgo season…I should be counting down the days until my birthday—but I’m not (and that’s another story for another day)…

So what are some of the things that one can do during the Virgo new moon?

  1. Take an inventory of your life. Figure out what is working and what isn’t and then figure out what needs to change for the things that aren’t working.
  2. Be of service—help out more at work (if able), do the little things that can help make someone else’s day a little more bearable.
  3. Be healthy—see what is and isn’t working in your health and fitness routines and then figure out what to fix—what new habits to start working on.
  4. Avoid nitpicking—this is where the motto “progress over perfection” really comes into play
  5. Get organized—pay bills, figure out the monthly schedule (workout, eating, so forth)—things that can make life a little more bearable going forward

While most would think that the new moon would be moving through my first house (since my star sign is Virgo), it actually moving through my 11th house (or friends’ zone), since I’ve been going with my rising sign (which is Scorpio).

Looking back at what I wrote over the past two years—my ‘new normal’ is still social distancing (with a some exceptions), wearing a mask, and really just being considerate of others…

Some of the things one can do in regards to their 11th house include:

  1. Sign up for an evening class in something you’ve always wanted to do
  2. Ask your friends to introduce to friends of theirs you’ve never met
  3. Wish on a star every night for a month
  4. Introduce a childhood pal to a friend from your life now
  5. Say ‘Hi’ to someone you see nearly every day but never talk to
  6. Thank your best friend for being there for you

Well, besides the fact that we’re still in the middle of a pandemic/epidemic—I’m not getting out that much still. Therefore, there are still several things that I probably won’t be doing in regards to my 11th house.

I’d say that there are probably only two things that I could do in regards to my 11th house: wish on a star every night for a month, or thank my best friend for being around still. I am starting to do more virtual ‘coffee/water’ chats as well.

I had lunch with a college classmate a few weeks ago, and may try to get together again sometime in September (but it depends on a whole slew of other things).

So, since I’m still in semi self-isolation, my goals for the Virgo New Moon period will include:

  1. Take inventory of various aspects of life (research/writing/editing, crafts/hobbies, fitness, and mental health/spirituality) and try to develop a working schedule that will allow me be both productive, but at the same time enjoying time outside as well.
  2. Continue with daily workouts (alternate between weight lifting and shadow-boxing).
  3. In combination with #1—organize the schedule, and block out periods of time (or set certain days to certain tasks) and see if that helps improve my productivity
  4. Work on the outlines/drafts for the following items:
    •  My LinkedIn oncology post series
    • The follow-up(s) to my LinkedIn molecular cloning series: Introduction to biofuels, Introduction to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), and Introduction to vaccine development
    • Digestion, absorption of nutrients, and the nucleic acid biosynthesis pathways
    • Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells: Similarities and Differences
    • Antibiotics and the rise of Antibiotic Resistant Microbes
  5. Continue with the evening meditations

Since the next few months are going to be extremely crazy (and that’s putting things nicely)…my motto is going to be ‘progress over perfection’…which means I need to spend a little time each week working on my other blog, doing research and starting to write on various topics (see fourth goal above).  I also am not going to let the opinions of others deter me from the path that I’m starting on, as I know it will be a windy and bumpy road.

How do you handle things when everything seems to be going to hell?

No Comments Astrologybullet journalcareerfinancesfitnessHealthLifestyle Challengesmoney saving challengesNew Moon Goalsno spend challengesPersonal Developmentprofessional development

Aquarius goals: fleshing out future goals & sorting digital files

02
Feb
2022

So the moon will be entered the Aquarius constellation either last night or Sunday night (depending on where you are in the world). This entrance into the Aquarius constellation marks the second new moon of 2022. We’ve made it through the first 32 days of 2022—and I’m not sure if 2022 is going to be a repeat of 2021, slightly better or slightly worse, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Looking at “Moonology: Working with the Magic of Lunar Cycles” by Yasmin Boland, there are again several things that one can do during this period:

  1. Detach ourselves from things that are no longer serving us.
  2. Be true to ourselves
  3. Be inventive
  4. Be charitable
  5. Be social

Well, I’m still self-isolating this spring–mainly due to the omicron variants of the virus (all of which seem to be even more contagious than the delta varaint), and the simple fact that I’d rather not catch the damn thing.

I’m also slowly working on detaching myself from things that no longer serve me–mainly the negative self-talk and stories, plus continuing to work on detaching myself frmo the diet mentality and all that associated baggage.

I’m also working on being true to myself–in terms of spiritual health, career direction, and other things. This also ties in with being ‘inventive’–as I’m trying to ‘invent’ my own career path.

Then I turn to see what zone (or house) the moon is moving into in regards to everything. Remember there are basically three ways to determine which house/zone the moon is in for any new/full moon: your star sign, your rising sign, and your moon sign. I usually go with my rising sign, which is Scorpio.

So this means that the moon is entering into my fourth house, or the home and family zone. So this can also be a time when one can spend cleaning (getting rid of things), possibly moving, and spending more time with family. So there are several suggestions from “Moonology” on what one can do during this time:

  1. Have a garage sale
  2. Hug your parents
  3. Sort out your photo albums/digital photo files
  4. Invite friends over
  5. Renovate or redecorate so you’re more comfortable at home
  6. Sell your home and/or change locations or even countries
  7. Ask your grandparents about your family’s history

So, there are several things from the above list for my fourth house that probably aren’t going to be happening this year:

  1. Hugging my parents–we’re not really the overly affectionate type of family. We hug–but since we see each other daily–hugs dont’ happen all that often
  2. Inviting friends over–hello, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic; if I’m going to be meeting up with friends, I’d prefer a ‘neutral’ location that neither of us has to clean
  3. Both sets of grandparents are deceased, but we do have some family history from my father’s side (my grandfather had started putting together a family tree), and I have a letter he wrote me back in the late 1990s that talked about life during the Depression, ‘Dirty Thirties’, and fighting in World War II.
  4. No garage sale–because, again we’re in the middle of a pandemic
  5. No selling or relocation–again pandemic, plus my parents own the house, and I’m still working on figuring out the whole freelance and/or remote working gig here

The two things I could focus on:

Sorting all my digital photos (since probably half the computer memory is going towards pictures) and semi-rearranging/redecorating my bedroom.

Therefore if I were to make a list of goals for the Aquarius new moon, they would include:

Sorting and editing the large amount of digital photos on the computer

Going through and sorting the large number of clothes and deciding what I want to keep and what I’m willing to part with

Setting up an area for reading oracle/tarot cards

Continuing to work on my three-to-five/ten year vision/plan

Continuing to develop my personal/professional brand

Finally remembering that no matter how slow I may need to go, this year will be a year of growth, creativity, and curiosity that will lead to happiness and prosperity.

What are a few of your goals for this new moon?

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Review of Libra goals: two parts personal & one part professional development

03
Nov
2021

So we’re going to be entering the next new moon phase this week—for those within the US, it will be on Thursday, November 4th; and for others it could be on the fourth or the fifth. That means there will only be 58 days left in 2021. It seems that time is starting to ‘pick back up’ after ‘dragging’ last year. Though this reminder is a few days early—for those of us in the US, we should remember to turn our clocks back an hour before going to bed on Saturday.

The next new moon will be within the Scorpio constellation, but before looking ahead to setting up goals for the Scorpio new moon, I should look back at the goals I set for the Libra new moon and see how I did with each of them.

The goals that I’d set for the Libra new moon included:

  1. Unplugging at night. I’m basically going to try to set a boundary of not being on the computer after eight pm.
  2. Continue to work at regaining my identity; slowly work at resolving/healing the unhealthy diet/exercise mindset that I’d developed voer the past couple of decades.
  3. Figure out how to launch a freelance/remote/contract business. This is facing a ‘fear’ and would start first as a freelance/remote/contract writing business before adding in possibly data analysis, project management, and/or product management.

So how did I do with each of them?

In terms of trying to unplug at night:

I’m starting to get a little better at ‘unplugging’ from the computer around eight every night. Usually I will quickly check my email, and then various social sites and depending on whether or not there are messages/comments to respond to—I will put the computer to sleep for the night.

I’m still working on trying to ‘unplug’ for part of the weekend. It was easier the past week or so when our modem and router were dying and the Wi-Fi signal for the house sucked. Now that things are starting to work better, I will be devising a better plan for ‘unplugging’ on the weekends.

In terms of resolving/healing my unhealthy diet/exercise mindset—baby steps are being made. It isn’t like a ‘switch’ can be flipped and I no longer feel guilt or ‘beat’ myself up over not following a workout schedule or slightly overeating at lunch or dinner. I’ve realized the areas I need to work on: getting more protein in during the day, eating more fruits and veggies (that I actually like eating), hydrating enough, and figuring out a fitness plan that I can actually ‘stick with’.

I’m getting better in terms of the protein—I’m trying to start varying what I have for breakfast (as this is the meal that I usually don’t get enough protein at), and figuring out protein-rich ideas that aren’t also heavy in the cholesterol and bad fats.

In terms of starting my own freelance/remote/contract writing business—I’m in the beginning stages. I’ve decided on the three main ‘niches’ that I’d like to write within (personal/professional development, health/wellness, and science/medical education/communication), now I just have to decide on a few sub-niches to focus on, draft some examples, and start reaching out to potential clients.

I’ve already applied for a few freelance positions, but wasn’t selected for them—probably due to my pricing (I think that the particular group/company had a set budget and didn’t feel like trying to negotiate down to their price), and very small portfolio.

One goal now is to have at least two pieces within each major niche written and posted within the specific tab by February 2022 (that is three months from now). I’ll write other pieces that will be blog posts, but might ‘reference’ back to the niche page. I may also look into offering slide deck preparations as well.

There was progress made with all three goals from the Libra new moon. None were ‘full’ completed, because only one had a ‘finish’ line to cross (starting my freelance/remote/contract writing business), and the other two are a continuous journey with no ‘real’ end in sight. Therefore, I met my aim of ‘progress over perfection’ and slowly starting the next chapter of my life.

I’m starting to enjoy this windy and bumpy road that will lead me to a beautiful destination—will it be the beach, mountains, a city, or just a nice little apartment?

Where is your favorite working spot?

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Time management plus planning, and more planning: Aries Full Moon Goals

20
Oct
2021

So the moon will be entering its eleventh full moon cycle for the year tonight (or possibly tomorrow night or even last night—depending on where you are in the world). This means there are only eleven days left in October, and then only sixty-one days (two months) left in 2021. Considering how ‘bouncy’ this year has been—I’m leering to see what 2022 is going to be bringing.

So the moon will be moving through the Aries constellation—which means that astrologically we’re ‘starting a new year’ since Aries is the start of the Zodiac calendar. It is the time to reassess, redesign, toss, and make new goals if one is inclined.

So what are some of the questions we can reflect on during this time?

            Have I been hotheaded, selfish, or argumentative this month?

            Have I been going too fast or been impulsive this month?

            Have I been brash, blunt, or too competitive?

            Have I ignored other people’s finer sensibilities?

            Have I had enough fun?

So, if I numbered the above questions one to five, my answers would be as followed:

  1. I don’t think that I’ve been hotheaded, selfish, or argumentative this month. We’re still dealing with the pandemic—which means that for the most part, the only people I’m around on a continuous basis is family. I try to stay out of any and all ‘arguments’ on-line pertaining to anything related to science, politics, or just general life. The main reason is to protect my health (specifically my mental health).
  2. I don’t think I’ve been going to fast or being overly impulsive this month. While I have decided to go in the direction of freelance/remote/contract writing—I’m doing it at a slower pace, only to ensure that I don’t work myself to the point of almost having another mental breakdown.
  3. One thing I’ve realized over the past few months—there really is no need to be overly competitive with other people. You can be overly competitive with yourself (a nice way of pushing yourself to reach for the goals)—but there is enough success to go around for everyone. Since I’ve been self-isolating for the past eighteen months, I’ve been trying not to be as brash and blunt with people (unless we’re talking about how vaccines are good and they can help get us out of the pandemic—then yes, I will be as brash and blunt as needed).
  4. Again, I don’t think I’ve been ignoring people’s finer sensibilities—I actually think that it would be nice if people would start expressing a little empathy towards each other. There has been one thing that people keep saying is essential for moving forward with any career these days and that is emotional intelligence. One aspect of emotional intelligence is empathy—being able to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. That is something I think a good portion of the world needs to work on—developing (or expressing) empathy. I understand that the past eighteen plus months has been difficult for everyone—but if people sat at home like they were told last summer, we wouldn’t have as many deaths from the virus, and we’d be a lot closer to being done with the pandemic. Now, we’re just trying to stay one step ahead of the damn virus.
  5. I looked back at what I wrote for the Aries full moon last year (which occurred at the beginning of October)—the US only had a little over 7.4 million cases (now, we’re at just under 46 million—that means we’ve had basically 38.5 million more cases of the virus over the past year). We’ve surpassed the death total from the Spanish flu pandemic. Therefore, I’m still working on ways of adding ‘enjoyment’ into my day-to-day routine.

Looking back at what I wrote last year—while I stated that I’m ‘happier observing than participating’—that doesn’t really mean ‘wallflower’—it could also mean that I’d do well in consulting positions (where one needs to ‘observe’ to figure out the problem and brainstorm potential solutions). I’m still working on networking more—I’ve been ‘slow’ only because I’m trying to also be ‘focused’ and network in directions that I think I’d be interested in pursuing at some point in the future.

Aries is moves through my sixth house (or my daily work and health zone). This house is where we can sit and reflect on who we are (both in terms of professional/work and personal/health) and decide to work on those aspects that we don’t like.

Last year I had made the ‘commitment’ to push play daily on streaming workouts. This year—I’ve made the commitment to intentional movement. That is where I move around at least five minutes a day, and acknowledge the fact that housework can also be considered a ‘workout’. I’m slowly readjusting my relationship with not only food but movement as well. I’d also decided I’d renew my Beachbody-on-demand subscription at least one more year, and do some of those programs—but mixed in with other intentional movements. Therefore, I’m not going to beat myself up if I ‘miss’ a Beachbody workout—usually those days will either be recovery, or I’d decided to be outside doing some yard work or going for a walk.

This time last year, I stated that I didn’t feel like I was close to where I wanted to be in terms of my reboot break and transitioning into industry. I stated that part of the problem was the pandemic—but the larger part (and it was the part I was ignoring) was I still ignoring the fact I was burned out on everything.

I’m slowing coming to terms with the burn out, and figuring out ways of dealing with various warning signs of burnout—that way once I start really moving forward in terms of freelance/remote/contract writing/consulting/data analysis, I’ll be able to acknowledge and work through the warning signs instead of blindly ignoring them and almost hitting that ‘brick wall’.

While I know most people mean well with advice and everything—I’m also going to be trying to stay in my lane and only seek advice when I really need it. I have an good idea of what I need to be doing in terms of heading in the ‘freelance/remote/contract’ direction, and now it is a matter of realistically dividing those larger goals into more manageable goals—and not throw everything on the plate.

Last year I had the goals of continuous personal/professional development, reviewing/editing/reassembling my 150+ goal list, and writing/posting ‘notes’ to myself as a remind of when I felt I could check email/social media.

This year, my goals for the Aries full moon will include:

Better time management, by doing the following:

  1. Making use of the Self-Control App again. This is a time management app that allows you to block access to certain websites for a specific amount of time. I have it block me from social media (Facebook & Instagram) and the news.
  2. Put my phone on airplane mode for a set amount of time (particularly when I’m trying to do computer work [research/writing or working through an e-course), so that I can’t randomly check social media. Also have it set across the room.
  3. Have the kindle off and charging (again across the room). This way I won’t be tempted to read or play games.

Personal/professional development is a never-ending journey. Therefore, I will specify that I will work through the rest of the 30-day hand copy challenge from the write your way to freedom course, and hopefully also watch at least two-to-three other videos in at least one other personal/professional development course that I’ve bought over the years.

Finally, try to draft the ‘master plan’ that includes reworking the blog/website (for the remote/freelance/contract writing), hobbies, personal/professional development, and life in general.

The main ‘note’ that I will be posting on my laptop will be: ‘Progress over Perfection”

I’ve more or less stopped reading the last chapter of my life, so I’m slowly working on writing the next one (possibly with the bad habit of trying to ‘edit’ as I write).

What small steps are you going to take towards a personal/professional goal during this full moon period?

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Reviewing Virgo New Moon goals: Some were derailed and some were met

05
Oct
2021

Well, we’ve entered the month of October—less than 90 days left in the year and we’re going to be heading into another ‘new moon’ phase tomorrow. That means before I look ahead to the October Libra New Moon, I should look back at the goals I set for the Virgo new moon and see how I did with each of them.

So what were the goals that I set for the September Virgo new moon? They included:

  1. Taking inventory of various aspects of life (research/writing/editing/publishing, crafts/hobbies, fitness, and mental health/spirituality) and trying to develop a working schedule that will allow me to be both productive, but at teh same time enjoy time outside as well.
  2. Continue with daily workouts (either weight lifting/shadow-boxing or starting a second round of MM100)
  3. In combination with #1–organize the schedule and block out periods of time (or set certain days to certain tasks) and see if that helps improve my productivity
  4. Work on completing the third and fourth goal from the Leo New Moon goal list:
    • Determine the top five to ten types of freelance/remote/contract writing that I would like to do and start drafting examples of each. Also start drafting my ‘own’ medical content pieces.
    • Determine the top five to fifteen items/sponsors/affiliates and so-forth for the other three ‘blocks’ of my business foundation.
  5. Continue with evening meditations and start trying to incorporate them into the mornings as well.

So how did I do with each of them?

  1. I’ve realized that one of the things I’ve really been struggling with is setting aside enough time to do the research/writing and editing for various writing projects that I have on my plate. Why? Mainly because I haven’t prioritized them, and unlike the bird pages, I haven’t done a lot of ‘batch research’ (looking for papers on different topics on PubMed at the same time). So, this is something that I’m going to be working on (in addition to making sure that I schedule in enough time for fitness as well).
  2. September was a roller coaster month (one of the younger dogs developed hemolytic anemia after getting an allergy shot—so there were several vet visits, and a lot of worrying), and I didn’t get into an fitness routine. I also decided I’d renew my Beachbody-on-Demand subscription one more year, so I will actually be figuring out the best time to schedule in my daily workout (probably going to start with a second round of Morning Meltdown 100).
  3. Organizing the schedule is still something I’m working on—I’m going to make use of my larger bullet journal as a planner and over the upcoming weekend see how many pages will be required for a monthly/weekly/daily spread.
  4. In terms of the freelance/remote/contract writing areas: I published a post earlier this week mentioning how I’d decided that I was going to be a ‘multi-niche’ writer/blogger. I decided that the three ‘main’ niches were going to be health/wellness, science/medical education/communication, and personal/professional development. In addition, I would still be doing posts on photography, travel, book reviews, and various other things as well (though they may be shorter in length compared to topics from the three main ‘niches’). While those areas are still extremely broad, I’m slowly working on narrowing down to say three to five areas within each one (for example within personal/professional development I’m interested in learning more on personal finances, minimalism, time and project management, and online learning). After choosing the three to five (possibly more) areas, I’ll slowly be writing longer posts/pages for those areas and publishing them both on the blog, possibly LinkedIn, and other sites as well. In terms of the other three pillars (advertising, selling photographs and jewelry), I’m still working on determining those top five plus items (though I’m also thinking of possibly trying to sell my cross-stitch projects as well).
  5. I’ve been doing really well with the evening mediation (or sometimes just sitting quietly), but haven’t really been able to get into the habit yet of doing it earlier in the day.

Okay—so I managed to possibly get two of the five goals met during the Virgo new moon (meditation and slowly figuring out the main ‘niches’ I am going to migrate towards for starting a freelance/remote/contract writing business. I’ve also decided that the best thing to do will be to have polished examples on the ‘tabs’ (the main ‘portfolio’ pages), and then additional posts within the blog. So this means that I will really need to get on top of developing a editorial calendar, and making sure that I’ve got my ‘key words’ for the different niches narrowed down and picked out (something else to put on the to-do list for the weekend).

Luckily, we hopefully caught the hemolytic anemia in time, and our younger dog will be making a ‘full recovery’. It may be another month on the high dose of meds until the allergy shot is totally out of her system, and then a gradual tampering down on the dose of the two meds.

Hopefully it will be somewhat smoother sailing for the rest of the year (as long as there are no more medical emergencies—either animal or human, or any other problems). Minor progress is still progress, and trying to develop a schedule has always been a minor problem for me (I don’t really like trying to totally plan out my days/weeks to far in advance).

But tomorrow, is another new moon—which means it is another chance to set a series of new goals, but also to continue working on the goals that have been previously set—but not totally met.

As I’d mentioned at the end of my Virgo New Moon goals—I’m going to be focusing on progress not perfection, slowly starting to write the next chapter of my life, and not allowing the opinions of others to deter me from the path that I’ve started on. It is usually the bumpy and windy roads that lead to unique places.

Though I am curious: when is your favorite time to meditate?

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Working on crafts, & updating the website: Goals for the Pisces Full Moon

20
Sep
2021

So the moon will be entering its latest full moon stage either tonight or tomorrow night (depending on where you are in the world). This full moon is also falling on my birthday, marking there are only ten days left in September, and then only three months left in 2021 (slowly peaking around the corner to see what may be coming towards us in 2022).

So if I looked to the book “Moonology: working with the magic of lunar cycles” by Yasmin Boland, I’d see that there are five questions that one can ask themselves during this time:

Have I been dreamy to the point of not getting enough done and making silly errors?

Have I been overly sensitive and too easily hurt?

Have I been acting like a martyr? Or too easily led?

Have I been meditating every day, and if not, why not?

Have I been in touch with my intuitive side? Following my dreams and hunches?

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

  1. Well, I haven’t been too dreamy—I’ve been at times too distracted, too upset, semi-depressed, and totally irritated to the point of not getting enough done. But then again—the idea/concept of being super busy, productive, and always getting things done—that can be a determent to ones mental health. Therefore, while I may have been slightly less productive the past month (in terms of trying to get my freelance business up and running), I have been more productive in terms of managing my mental health.
  2. No, I haven’t been overly sensitive and too easily hurt. But then again—we’re still in the pandemic and I haven’t been interacting with a lot of people outside of family (and what other interactions I have had have been online, and its easy to block the trolls and haters).
  3. Nope.
  4. I’ve been getting better at meditating, or at least sitting quietly for a few minutes every night. Now the goal or challenge will be trying to introduce meditation/sitting quietly to the morning and possibly early afternoon routines as well.
  5. I’m trying to get better at this—I’m good at being in touch with my ‘analytical’ side, but had spent years ‘ignoring’ my intuitive side. That is something I’ve been working on correcting over the past year or so. In terms of trying to follow my dreams and hunches—I’m slowly working on moving away from the bench, and towards a more independent ‘career’ of freelance/remote/contract writing/data analysis/project and/or product management style career. This is because due to the pandemic—I think it is more important to have a career that is location independent, and semi-company independent as well.

So in addition to the self-reflection questions, one should also check to see what house or zone the moon is moving through as well. For me, the Pisces full moon is moving through my 5th house (according to my rising sign), which is also known as the “kids, romance, and creativity zone”.

All of the zones are still a ‘challenge’ this year due in part to the fact that the pandemic is still going and I’m still self-isolating (even though I got my J&J shot back in April—I’m a little petrified of the delta variant). Though, even if everything had gotten under control and we weren’t in the middle of the pandemic—I still don’t have the time for romance.

As I stated last year, I’m still trying to figure out my life, and part of that is determining where I may be moving (with at least one dog), and I don’t feel like trying to start a relationship with someone knowing that I’d possibly be moving at some point in the near future. Currently I’m not around ‘human kids’ (my niece is out in California, and I haven’t gotten together with any friends that have kids in well over a year), but I am surrounded by ‘furry kids’ (three dogs and three cats) daily. Though one of those furry kids is currently at the vet’s getting numerous tests done to determine what caused her to develop hemolytic anemia. Therefore I’m going to focus on the ‘creativity’ part of the fifth house.

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time lately doing cross-stitching, as this is a nice activity that doesn’t require me to concentrate that much on it (as I’m doing more abstract designs than following a pattern) and it doesn’t cause my hands to cramp as much as knitting does.

I’m still working on stretching my crafting comfort zone (which usually encompasses photography, knitting, reading, and when I have a working sewing machine-quilting), and now can add cross-stitching to that list. Next craft that I will hopefully find as enjoyable will be jewelry design/creation.

So what are my goals going to be for the Pisces Full Moon?

  1. Continue working on my third cross-stitch project, and then also start working on creating some jewelry (bracelets and necklaces to start but maybe also some ear-rings).
  2. Start reworking various pages/tabs on the website. I have a general idea of the direction(s) I want to go in, and some pages will be combined, others will stay the same, and one or two will be renamed and/or reworked.
  3. Personal/professional development and self-reflection

There are only a few goals for this full moon period—mainly because I know that I’m going to be a little distracted (at least emotionally) until we have a ‘proper’ diagnosis and treatment plan for our one dog (who developed hemolytic anemia earlier this month). My game plan is to be productive, but at the same time realize that there may be a day or two of doing nothing but creative work—and that is fine.

I’m also going to keep the following quote at the forefront: ‘progress over perfection’, and knowing that I’m slowly starting the next chapter of my life (as I’m done re-reading the last one), in addition to limiting the influence of others in terms of what I decide to do with my future.

Question time: what are some of your favorite crafts?

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Sagittarius Full Moon Goals

06
Jun
2020

So the moon has transitioned into its full moon phase and is in the Sagittarius constellation. In addition, parts of the world were able to also see a lunar eclipse today as well (this one wasn’t visible from the United States). While the energy of the Sagittarius moon is suppose to be fun energy—I’m thinking that the energy of this particular Sagittarius moon is going to be more deep, reflective, and hopefully somewhat transformative for everyone.

Every month, I turn to “Moonology: working with the magic of lunar cycles” by Yasmin Boland to get questions to reflect on for a day or two that deal with the moon in each zodiac constellation. The questions for the Sagittarius full moon are:

Have I been too flippant, or carefree to the point of being careless, irresponsible, even?

Have I been letting myself down by allowing myself get distracted and bored?

Have I been overconfident to the point of arrogance, or too preachy?

Have I been a commitment-phobe, to my own detriment?

Have I been seeing the bigger picture?

If I were to number the above questions 1-5, my answers would be as follows:

  1. The answer depends on what aspect of life we’re talking about. I will admit to buying way too many e-books last month, one of the many reasons why I’m doing a minimal spending month challenge this month. In terms of other things—I think I’m probably veering towards being to overly cautious, especially since we’re still in the middle of a damn pandemic.
  2. I will have to answer with a yes—I have been letting myself down by getting both distracted and feeling bored at times. I know that I have numerous things to keep me busy during the day that I shouldn’t feel bored—but at times, I start feeling overwhelmed and I will distract myself by re-reading a book, and then I lose track of time.
  3. Nope, I have not been overconfident to the point of arrogance or being too preachy.
  4. This answer again depends on what aspect of life we’re talking about. Am I being a commitment-phobe to myself (i.e. not doing my workouts, eating well, and so forth)? Or a commitment-phobe to someone else? If we’re talking to about the first (myself)—then yes, I have been a commitment-phobe to my own detriment. I’m working on getting better at it though. If we’re talking about being a commitment-phobe to someone else—nope (can’t be a commitment phobe if you’re not in a relationship, and I’m currently not in a relationship).
  5. Which bigger picture are we talking? Trying to figure out my life in say five to twenty years? The current societal picture? The global picture? Right now I’m actually being way to much of a pessimistic and wondering if society is actually going to survive the next few years, to worry about what my life is going to be like in say five to twenty years (and yes, I know that this is something that I need to work on).

In addition to the fact that the moon has entered into Sagittarius, at least for me it has moved into my second house (or the cash, property, and values zone). This full moon brings about feelings of one’s financial security and stability, and self worth.

It means that we’re suppose to find a balance between various aspects of life—are we tired of working for others and wanting to strike out on our own—now would be the time to start planning it, have we been neglecting ourselves and focusing on others??

This zone is popping up at a time when I have the time to do some serious self-reflection. I am trying to lower the bills (i.e. not buy as much and pay off what I am charging), and also thinking of other ways to be earning cash (filling out surveys, selling DVDs back to stores, and other little odds and ends)—though I have also been thinking of possibly trying to start up a freelance business (either writing, photography, or data analysis) as I’m still not certain what the “new normal” will be after we get through this first pandemic wave of SARS-CoV2.

So this is the time to again (or still be) self-reflective, and think about what it is that I want to be doing with my life (job, location, and all those other little details), but at the same time thinking how I can be of help to a changing world—the world won’t heal itself, and unless we start addressing all of the issues, the world won’t be around long to support us.

So the small goal list that I have for the Sagittarius full moon includes:

            Continue to have no-spend days (and stretch those into no-spend weeks and then months). Having to pay off bills, or having standing monthly deliveries, and preorders won’t count against the no-spend challenge. If I do buy something, it will have to meet one of the following criteria:

                        It is for personal/professional development (book or e-course)

            I managed to meet a goal, and I bought (book, CD, movie, hidden objects game) as a reward

            It was something that is needed (say face mask) and it will support a non-profit organization

            Continue trying to develop a schedule for the day/week and an all-encompassing editorial calendar (personal/professional development, fitness/health/mental health/crafts, and various other things)

            Continue working through various e-courses and trying to figure out what it is exactly I want to do with my life.

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Full Moon Goals: May Super Moon

09
May
2020

So the May full moon was a couple of days ago—and it was also the last “super full moon” for 2020 as well (it was the milk super moon). As I’ve mentioned in several posts, I’ve realized that I’m not really handling this whole global pandemic as well as I thought I was—before it had been classified as a pandemic, I was a little more engaged in both personal & professional development, as well as trying to figure out what I was going to be doing with my life. Though last month, I really didn’t do a whole lot of that—there was some personal/professional development but not nearly as much as what I had been doing the month or two before hand. I’m going to try to get on top of the bad habits (which is mainly delaying doing something because I don’t feel like doing it currently—or having some other negative emotion attached to it) over the next month or so.

So while the notice has been given that things are opened—this girl is still going to be doing social isolation, mainly because I don’t believe that we’re actually over the hump of the pandemic. I won’t be surprised if there is a spike of cases daily/weekly throughout out the summer. If there aren’t spikes, that will be nice—but the virus will probably make a second showing in the fall.

So moving back to the full moon, this week it had transitioned in (and now out of) the Scorpio constellation. Since I’m doing social isolation—this is a good time to reflect on questions that we can ask during this time:

Have I been jealous, vengeful, suspicious, or otherwise behaved toxically?

Have I been living out of fear rather than joy?

Have I been brooding and dark: focusing on the negative rather than the positive?

Have I been cruel and cunning?

Am I having the sex I need to feel good about myself (of course some people need no sex at all to feel good about themselves)?

If I were to number the above questions 1-5, my answers would be as follows:

  1. I don’t think I have been acting jealous, vengeful, or suspicious of anyone. Currently I’m more in awe of people who seem to actually have their cards together and are moving forward (whereas I’m more of wondering if I’m going to have to play 56-card pick-up beforehand). But I will be honest that I have been acting somewhat toxic towards myself—mainly in that I’ve allowed myself to quit working out and have been eating way to much not-good-for-me food.
  2. Yeah, I would say that currently I probably have been living a little more out of fear than out of joy. This is in part due to the pandemic—I’m trying not to turn into a complete germophobe, and I would say that I’m currently holding at ~50% (so probably average for the current global pandemic).
  3. Again, I think this is a semi-yes and again based on the current world events. It is hard at times to find the silver lining in the clouds, when there are idiots running the show that are killing thousands of people a day.
  4. This is an easy one to answer—no I have not been cruel and cunning.
  5. This answer is also a no—but mainly because I’m not in a relationship with anyone. Currently I’m trying to get my own life in order and I’m not in the mindset to deal with someone else while trying to figure things out (the only beings I really want to have to take into account for figuring out my life are my pets and to a slightly less degree—my immediate family).

The moon then also moved through my first house (or my Image zone), as I usually work with my rising sign (which happens to be Scorpio; my sun sign is Virgo & my moon sign is Pisces). This house/sign is focused on yourself (personal &/or professional life).

I think that this transition came around at a good time this year—I’m not really focused on myself (in regards to really either my personal or professional life), and that is something that I need to work on changing. I’ve noticed over the last month, that I get really good at finding other things to do other than the one or two things I really should be doing—chores instead of doing professional development, re-reading a particular book series instead of reading through some personal development books. This is something that I really need focus and work on over then next couple of months. I’ve also realized that it also ties back to the fact that I’ve acknowledged the fact that I’m still stuck in the fear zone.

So what are a few goals that I can work on over the next few weeks to help bring myself back towards all my other goals?

            Reflect and actually decide what I would like to accomplish over say the next fifteen to twenty years (large goals and then develop ideas on breaking them down to smaller goals).

            Set up a new 12-month schedule/planner/idea—similar to what one can do during the Aries full/new moon (but doing this since I’ve started my “new” full-house cycle).

            Meditate daily/nightly

            Get back into a workout routine. I had been doing well with Morning Meltdown 100, so I will probably start this program back up—if I stick with it, I will finish it sometime in mid-August).

And above all remember—Aim for progress and not for perfection.

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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.

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Gemini Full Moon Goals: The last full moon of the year & decade (a few days late)

13
Dec
2019

Well we’ve hit the last full moon for both 2019 and the decade this week. The moon will be transitioning through Gemini, and in less than three weeks we’ll be in 2020 (and a new decade). I swear that time goes by quicker now that I’m no longer taking classes, and having to have a set schedule daily (though with work it seemed that the workday dragged and the weekend flew by).

So what are some questions that one can contemplate during this time? Looking at “Moonology: working with the magic of lunar cycles” by Yasmin Boland, there are five questions that one can ask during this full moon:

            Have I been gossipy, superficial, or flighty this month?

            Have I been glossing over other people’s feelings?

            Have I been too quick to change my mind, or too restless?

            Have I been too much of a silver-tongued hustler?

            Have I done enough reading to keep expanding my mind?

If I were to number the above questions 1-5, my answers would be as follow:

  1. I don’t think that I’ve been gossipy, superficial, or flighty this month. Truthfully, there are very few people that I talk to on a regular basis, and that is usually to catch up with each other since the last time we’ve talked/gotten together. I do try to keep the social engagements that I agree too as I don’t get out all that often.
  2. I don’t think that I’ve been glossing over other people’s feelings. Again, there are very few people that I interact with on a daily basis (that list is even smaller currently since I’m on my reboot break), so I do try to at least acknowledge where the other person is coming from.
  3. I doubt that I will ever be accused of being too quick to change my mind—if nothing else I overthink things and become “frozen”. I actually need to develop the skill of starting to try new things without any fear of failure, and then hopefully things will go a little more smoothly in my job search/transition.
  4. Again, I doubt that I will ever be accused of being a silver-tongued hustler. This is in part due to my introverted nature (being quiet and soft spoken), and also social anxiety. I would love to get a couple of side businesses going to help bring in extra money—but they will be slow going because of the above issues—being quiet, soft spoken, and dealing with social anxiety (and other issues).
  5. No, I haven’t been doing nearly enough reading to keep expanding my mind. Currently I’ve been in a rut to where I go back and reread different romance series, just because I’ve been in the mood for more of “happily ever after” than dealing with current state of the world. This is something that I’m going to be working on over the next few weeks and months as I continue on my reboot break and start really putting more effort into my transition plan and moving into an industry position.

So I’m also going to see what house the moon will be transition through during this time. Using my rising sign (which is Scorpio), the Gemini constellation is moving through my eighth house—this house deals with “death and rebirth, reinvention and transformation”. So in one aspect it is fitting that 2019 is ending with a Gemini full moon—as I resigned from my most current position at my alma mater (so the “death” of my job), and I’m in the process of going through both a personal and professional reinvention and transformation.

So this is the time to try to find balance between slowing down, rushing to learn things, being real with people, money, and determining one’s self worth.

So if I were to make a small goal list for the end of 2019, the goals will include:

            Read at least two non-fiction books, and take (or highlight sections) notes in order to also post a book review on the blog (and possibly amazon as well).

            Continue mediating nightly.

            Start designing/creating a monthly editorial calendar—possibly start treating different areas of life as “classes”—create “syllabus” for each area (with “due dates” for specific things—treat things as “homework”).

And as I head into 2020 remember: Progress over perfection, and 2020 will be the year of change!!

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