Purification Moon

During each lunation this year I am going to be choosing a different area of focus for myself. I will begin most or all of them with some form of fasting during the new moon (more about that as each one comes). During the full phase of the moon, she shows her full beauty and light, but during the new moon phase she hides her face, perhaps to rest, perhaps to cleanse herself and prepare for the next cycle. As I've pondered over what felt like an appropriate way for me to observe each new moon, I concluded that I wanted to use it as a cleansing time for myself. In some months it will be a physical cleansing, in others it may be a mental or emotional...I will evaluate my own needs as each one approaches.

In the midwinter, many ancient cultures named this moon the Hunger Moon because it was a time when food was scarce and they (of necessity) ate less food and less variety of food. At least one culture called it the Purification Moon, because the hunger--even fasting--of winter was seen as a form of purification.

After the dietary excesses of the Christmas holidays, I find myself feeling lethargic and craving sugar. I know it is because I have consumed too much of it these recent weeks, and so I am spending the new moon of my Purification Moon in a fast from sugar. This doesn't mean I'll be eating sugar substitutes either. My intent is to clear my system of sugars, so I'll be avoiding fruit juice along with candies and cookies, and drinking only water. I'll also be avoiding white flour and yeast breads  (though not quite as strictly). After my week-long fast, my body will have regained a better balance, having subdued the cravings, and I will be able to allow myself sugar in moderation again. (I have done fasts of this nature before, and the first few days are hard as I have to actively battle the cravings, but it does get easier, and in the long run it's always worth it.)

On the non-physical front, I will be utilizing this Purification Moon to evaluate other aspects of my life, such as how I spend my time, or how I interact with my family, and to make goals for improving myself in those areas.