Introduction to the Moon of Value or Protection

This moon began last Friday and laready it has shown a few things concerning what certain people around me value within their lives. A friend showed pretty dramatically that she did not value me, but that was fine because I valued myself and my happiness. It is all about noticing what we are grateful for and what we complain about.

The same events failed to rouse even a smile from her but yet I tried new things (which I always love, learning and experiencing is great), met some nice new people, had a beautiful meal and spent time with friends exploring new to me places. I value all those things much more than I value being miserable.

In amongst the day were some beautiful moments. I have a good friend who is staunchly Christian and has a great deal of faith, she struggles with my beliefs because she can not reconcle them with her own, but yet she is the only one of that group of friends I talk about spiritual things with because we both value talking to someone we care about who shares a connection to spirit than we value being offended and uppity about such things. Conversion is not part of it, we are very willing to disagree.

So there we stood in the street waiting for people to recongregate (the group had become a bit like a herd of frogs at this point), wrapped in my shawl together, happily disagreeing, looking for the common ground. And then she pointed out to me that Gulls were flying over our heads, down the streets like canyons, lit up by the lights below like beautiful white ghosts. It was a beautiful moment for me. She knew that the Gull was one of my totems when she pointed them out to me.

I am considering buying her a bible version translated directly from the Aramaic sometime. I read a few passages online and these versions seem to have so much more poetry to them. Maybe reading a different interpretation might help her to see that what I believe doesn't have to be seen as bad within hers. Even if it doesn't, I think she would enjoy the simple beauty of the words....

So this moon, not sure it is an easy one to get a handle on in some ways. i sometimes feel with these moons that there is another word in another language that would explain the moon perfectly but we don't have these words, the concept that has been a little lost in our society. I think this moon is one of those. But it is all about protecting our positivity by being grateful and valuing the things that bring us joy.

Wheelkeeper has written some posts on this moon here and here.... And I particularly like Lisa's post on Marriage. Value within relationships feels pretty important right now and I consider myself very lucky. Weddings, Marriages and Honeymoons all feature heavily for me right now and I am sat here feeling pretty contented.

So what has this moon meant to me in the past? I don't remember too much about being 4, perhaps I remember valuing my Mum quite a lot *grin*. She worked at my Playschool and I liked having her there. Books were very imprortant too, we would go with her to the library to pick out the books for playgroup and I always liked this. At 17 I was in my second year at college and I met my first love. We got together on my birthday and split up shortly before my following birthday. I will always remember him fondly, he was a good man and if I had been older and ready to settle down and not moving away from home, I suspect things may have ended differently.

At 30 I worked for the Police , I think this year was more about the Protection side of things - it was a year of service to protect others in my own little way. Not something I could have done long term without becoming hard. It made me very much more self-aware. I also worked part time for much of it.

This time round, I can already tell that relationships are a focus, but not just my own, that web of relationships all around us.

I also had a dream, part way through the night so I didn't get to write it down. I came to briefly after it and I remember thinking, 'well I guess my totem for this moon is the Heron then, I didn't expect it to be that easy and clear.' When I woke finally in the morning all memory of the dream was gone except for that thought. I am going to run with that thought because it was so clear and definate. It was on the night of the full moon. I think the Heron very much wanted to make sure I could call on it's support right from the beginning of the month...

Heron is all about Self-reflection and finding our own path. Herons are aggressive in defence of their territories and very much in touch with their own harmonious flow. When an opportunity comes they sieze it instantly. They are well balanced and have the ability to evolve and develop. They must be able to stand on their own and have a tendancy to dabble and become jack's of all trades. They seem to me to be a very good totem to help with Value and Protection.