April 4, 2020. Hi again! It's been a while. I hope you're all safe and healthy at home right now. I guess it's about time I add my updates here to my online journal. I shared in an IGTV video that I will be moving away from posting a blog on every major moon phase (new moon, first quarter, full moon, third quarter) because I have decided that I want to shift my focus to spend a little more of my time on creating physical art and recording it for video content. I will still be sharing reflections and compilations of my work here in this journal space so that everything I share across social media platforms can come together in one place.
Watch my IGTV video below for more details on what I'm planning for Mahealani and Back!
This shift in my content creation schedule will also allow me to have more time to write about other topics! I'm excited to be able to give all of you more ideas on things you can add to your own self-care, wellness, or healing toolkits.
The first major thing I have to share with you all is that I am going to attempt bullet journaling again! I tried it a couple years ago but it didn't work out for me because of how much time it took me to simply CREATE the spreads that I wanted. I let my perfectionist side take over and obsess about getting straight lines and symmetrical layouts--so much so that it totally defeated the purpose of the bullet journal. By the time I had created a layout that I was satisfied with, I was exhausted or ran out of time to actually do my planning and journaling in it!
I am now in a very different place in my life where I have a little more time (not just because of the quarantine stuff, but also because of a shift in lifestyle) to work towards building my own business and start doing more of what I'm truly passionate about.
Watch my YouTube video below of my new approach to bullet journaling--MOON Bullet Journaling or MooBuJo for short haha!
What is a Bullet Journal?
Before I get into how we can use the natural cycles of the moon to assist your journaling practices, I should explain a little bit about what a bullet journal is and what it can do for you.
Bullet Journal -- BuJo (n.) a notebook (typically a dotted notebook) in which the creator can fully design and customize a personal organizational assistant to document plans, to do lists, goals, memories, important dates, art work, journaling entries and much more!
What a bujo is NOT: a place to obsess over making straight lines and evenly distributed columns, all about how perfect and aesthetically pleasing you can make each spread, a competition.
With all of the beautiful bujo inspiration out there in the online community, it can be easy to fall into the comparison game--which is helpful for nobody. So if you plan on trying it out some time, please approach it from a place of self compassion. Remember that its sole purpose is to serve as a tool for you to put all of your thoughts and ideas into one place, not to look better than everyone else's.
There are tons of different options and many places that sell dot grid notebooks. Here are a few of the most recommended notebooks that can be found on Amazon (associate links provided below):
Of course you can always get your journey started in any ol' notebook you find laying around your house! That's what I did this time around. I didn't want to waste money on buying a nice, fancy dot grid notebook only to find that I don't actually want to stick with it. SO, I found a simple travelers notebook (still dotted) at home that I already had. This can also work with a blank or lined notebook as well! As far as I know, main reason the dotted pages are recommended is just because it makes dividing the page up easier when drawing in your lines.
I'm loving this new moon bullet journaling approach so much that I'm already running out of paper, so I decided to order a highly recommended bullet journal: the Archer & Olive BuJo. Supposedly the heavier paper makes it easier to create art in it... which is definitely something I'm hoping to do, so I went with this one! I'll do an unboxing and review on it when it comes in... I can't wait!
How to Use the Moon Cycles in Your Bullet Journal
So now that you know a what a bujo is (and what it isn't), I'd like to share a little more about how you can start to incorporate the moon cycles into your planning AND journaling practices.
Every phase of the moon is associated with a certain energy, allowing us to focus on a different intention as it changes throughout the month. Here is a general overview of the four major phases of the moon cycle and what it represents:
New Moon: New beginnings, goal setting, breathe, meditate, visualize
First Quarter Moon: Action, growth, movement, make a plan, strength
Full Moon: Gratitude, celebration, clarity, manifestation, transformation
Third Quarter Moon: Release, turn inward, relax, decline
I will soon do another post with a more in depth look at the differences between all of the phases of the moon and link to it here.
What I like to do is at each of these major moon phases is to check in with myself, journal to dump out all of my thoughts, worries, fears. By doing this, I can remind myself where the moon is at in its cycle and reflect on how I can mimic that energy as well.
This has been such a game changer for me--let me tell you why. I am the type of person who will stuff my schedule, fill my to do lists, and hit the ground running from the second I wake up until the moment I fall asleep. I would say 'until the moment I lay in bed' but who am I kidding, my mind is still running in circles thinking of ways I can squeeze out every last drop of productivity. This may seem like a great way to get things done and accomplish your dreams--false. It is how you burn yourself out and lose your patience for people. Once I started following the cycles of the moon, I realized just how much I was missing this flow, this beautiful, natural rise and fall of energy. I was constantly on the go until something (usually a physical illness or limitation) stopped me. Now that I'm being more intentional about how I'm spending my time and using my energy, I've been seeing so many more of my goals and dreams come to fruition. It's incredible how much we have to learn from nature. The time that I am now using to pause, reflect, and reimagine has allowed me to move forward and be even more effective in my action rather than just mindlessly checking of things from my to do list.
The same thing can be said for the opposite personality as well. If you find yourself constantly dreaming about things you might want to do in the future, or wishing for something different without feeling the urge or motivation to spring into action, then paying attention to the moon cycle (especially around the first quarter moon) will be really helpful for you! Just as constant movement and action is detrimental to your physical and mental health, constant brainstorming and imagination can prevent you from growth, improvement, and discovering your life's purpose.
The biggest lesson that I have learned from aligning my actions with the lunar cycles is that life is all about harmony--the interaction and constant shift between masculine and feminine energy. Without this shift, we end up stuck on one side or the other, which causes a lot of conflict, misunderstandings, and a lack of open hearted, open minded people.
Affirmations: I AM ________________
Another great thing to consider adding into your journaling practice is to write down an affirmation. At least one, maybe more. When we experience trials throughout our lives, the most difficult part of it all is forgetting who you are, losing sight of your values and roots. This is when our inner critic likes to sweep in and take over, attempting to influence us that we're no good, incapable failures. The good news is, if you have a consistent practice of reminding yourself who you are through your affirmations, it will be so rooted in your core beliefs that it will remain there to support you through any difficult season.
There are many ways to start off an affirmation, but the one I like best and the most straight forward is: I am ________________. You can fill in the blank with any empowering statement about yourself. The interesting thing is--you do not even have to believe it. The more you repeat it, out loud and in writing, the more it will engrain itself into your natural vocabulary in your brain and you will start to recognize things about yourself that confirm this very statement.
I am a Christian, so I like to pull inspiration for these 'I am' statements from the Bible. It is a great way for me to study the scripture and help me to relate to it on a deeper level. You can of course use any of your own spiritual beliefs or any type of general uplifting ideas to create these affirmations.
Just this past new moon on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, I wrote this down as my affirmation: I AM A NEW CREATION.
...the old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17
I wanted to remind myself, especially during this time of quarantine and physical distancing, that this is an opportunity to lean into these new doors opening. I really love this quote from Mandy Hale, "Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible." We are all being given this chance to learn something new, start on a brand new adventure and be a brand new creation. For me, this is a much more inspirational way of approaching all of the change and madness going on.
Here is the IGTV that shows me walking through my first new moon journal entry in my Moon Bullet Journal:
Feel free to copy these prompts and try them out in your own journal. Share your discoveries with me here or through social media! I'd love to hear how this approach to journaling has opened your mind.
My prayer for each and every one of you is that you are all safe and healthy in your home. I hope that this time that can so easily be seen as darkness will be used as an opportunity to shine even brighter and pull out the goodness in humanity.
Namaste,
Keila