Happy New Moon, Lunar New Year, Imbolc! Some Pretty Flowers and a Yummy Recipe for You

This time of year is truly exciting for me as the bright, sweet faces of crocus, hyacinth, ranunculus, and many other dainty flowers line the garden store shelves, almost as if in defiance of the freezing temperatures and harsh rains. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Earth laughs in flowers,” and how true! After brutal freezing winds and ice she busts out a bouquet of fragrant eye candy, perhaps to lift our spirits.

Last year I made an official commitment to honor my indigenous-human roots and seriously begin tracking Earth’s seasons, natural holidays, movements of sun, moon, stars, and identifying/ connecting with local trees, flowers, and wildlife. I love celebrating the solstices and equinoxes, and am becoming more familiar with and celebrating cross-quarter days, such as this week’s Imbolc – the exact halfway point between winter solstice and spring equinox. A fellow nature lover recently said that when we create ritual on these natural holidays we cultivate greater internal balance within ourselves and in our relationship with Earth. Seeing as how we and Earth are one, inseparable consciousness what better gift to give than celebration and ritual to the very energies that make life possible?

Even turtle is reminding us that all the patterns of life, from the ocean to heavens above, are interwoven.

My husband, who recently plunged into studying Ayurvedic medicine, expressed interest in becoming more attuned to these natural rhythms of the cosmos. Ayurveda (life science) is an ancient form of healing – over 5000 years old! One might say it is the parent of all medicine in its original, wholistic form.
“Very well,” I told him, “how about you choose an Ayurvedic recipe that’s dark like the new moon?” And so he did and he baked up a tasty batch of “Cinnamon Black Bean Brownies”, a recipe found at Talya’s Kitchen (link at end of blog). They turned out so yummy, yet have no granulated sugar or flour. Don’t they look like little new moons? With each bite you kind of feel like you’re eating the solar system. LOL

Should you decide to make this recipe please note he found it necessary to cook it longer than Talya said; closer to 45 mins. The end result is still very malleable so once cooled I was able to roll them into bite-sized sphere shapes.

To know the position of the moon also entails knowing what effect its current position in the heavens has on our emotions and mental processes; this is where a seasoned astrologer comes in handy. Lately I’ve enjoyed listening to youtube channel, “Raising Vibrations”. Below are some helpful questions and contemplations I took away from Simon’s show regarding this current moon phase:

“Are you sacrificing your days, energy and time for another’s dreams.. we are crossing a threshold and structure on the outside is failing. If your personal power was held outside of you this time may feel as if your world is breaking. It’s time to wake up and express yourself. Ask yourself what empowers you? Give yourself time, maybe a year or two and allow yourself to reprioritize. Find your power from within. Devote time each day to what you value. Ask yourself, ‘Where am I not valuing myself and instead telling others how I need to be valued?’. Detach from what disempowers you and step into the unknown. Here you will experience freedom of expression, new values, letting go of old versions of yourself. You are your own savior. Breathe fire into the essence of your heart!”

As I finish this blog we are officially 10 minutes away from the New Moon here in the pacific northwest. Imbolc (astrologically speaking) will occur on Thursday, Feb 3rd at 12:37 pm. Hope you find the joy, inspiration and new you in this new year!

Talya’s Kitchen of Ayurvedic recipes:
https://www.talyaskitchen.com/ayurvedic-chocolate-desserts/

YT channel, Raising Vibrations
https://www.youtube.com/c/RaisingVibrations