This write-up is about the moon because, really, I cannot get enough of a good thing. And of course, you’ll find a poem and more when you scroll down.
***
I know many people make resolutions at the beginning of a new year, but I’m not one of those people, and I feel that to promise myself to stick to something for a whole year is indeed hard work– too hard and a tad bit constricting.
What I do, though, is set new goals for myself every full moon. And many times, I smile big when I see (more often than not) that I’ve completed what I set my mind to do the previous month. It works for me.
For many years, I’d only buy calendars with the moon’s stages at the start of the year. Exclusively. Yup.
I found these calendars to be just the right size for one particular wall in my kitchen. The fact that they provided enough space to jot in relevant appointments, birthdays, and things of that nature, was perfect. And more importantly, my children and I were able to see and compare the moon up in the sky with the picture on the calendar. We enjoyed it.
Today, an empty nester, I find I no longer like those oversized calendars on my wall. I still hang a new one every year, but they’re much smaller. I’ve downgraded. These smaller ones are inexpensive and I find that I’m okay even with the ones without the moon phases.
I do not use the calendar on my phone but I use my phone to check on the Nasa* website about the goings-on out there in the cosmos.
What about you? Do you use your phone calendar &/or hang one on your wall? If so, what kind of calendar is it?
As for the resolutions I make at every full moon, they are the simple kind: smile more, exercise, stop keeping score, read more, clean out that closet, finish something to the end– small things like that.
Of course, I have projects that I’m passionate about– like my writing and blogging. I stick with those. But I don’t count these projects as ‘resolutions.’ My writing is like my pulse: Vital. It just is. And I feel that the more I give into my projects the better my heartbeat rejoices. It’s a no-brainer. A win-win.
October 20th, 2021: Full Moon
A couple of days ago, I gave you a heads-up about the glorious week to enjoy the Harvest Moon, but today the moon is at its fullest. Hope you enjoy what my muse and I came up with for her:
Moon waves dancing on the surface of the sleepy water titillating, tousling Wind from its slumber rouses caressing, swelling like an expectant lover syncing with her as her mirror grows This night the gossipy stars in absentia turn a blind eye to the golden lovers down below Lovelight elongates, spills until it touches the shoreline Moon starts her ascent slowly-- the water moans, forlorn Gaining momentum, the lovers separate: she heeds her own reflection and so, gathering her skirts she ascends higher miracle laden radiant, resplendently engendering awe and adoration from above and down below. *** © 2021 selmamartin.com
It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases; the four major phases being New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, and Last Quarter.
Between these phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous, and Waning Crescent.
If I didn’t find this interesting, I wouldn’t share it, but hope that you find this interesting as well. Please scroll down to the section on the current moon phase and use the tool there to get a feasting of the Moon today and its phases.
Credit: NASA Science
Additionally: November 2021 Lunar Eclipse
I’ve also been led to this site to appreciate the moon further– something to keep in my pocket, and I want to be the first to tell you about the ‘almost’ total lunar eclipse of the Micro Beaver Full Moon next month. Watch it LIVE! ( On Nov 18-19, 2021)
This eclipse is part of an “almost tetrad”—a series of four big lunar eclipses in two years. Three of these eclipses are total, while the November 18-19, 2021, is a deep partial eclipse. So deep that it is almost a total eclipse.
Do let me know if something here adds value to your day, as that is my hope. Glad you read to the end.
Sources: Nasa Science, Solar System Exploration,
and, Time and Date Website, Lunar Eclipse
Photo Image: Image by _Vane_ from Pixabay and
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Thanks
Happy moon-gazing, and I wish you miracles.
- Day 19: NaPoWriMo 2024–Stop Hunting Me - April 19, 2024
- Day 18: NaPoWriMo 2024–in my next life let me be a dust moat - April 18, 2024
- Day 17: NaPoWriMo 2024–Total Eclipse of The Heart - April 17, 2024
We’re sooo similar when it comes to the moon😅😄!! Thank you for this post…I loved this…and happy to know that a person like you exists !!!🥳
I’m happy to know you are there too. Under the same sky. Looking at the same moon.
An aside: half an hour ago I saw a falling star. It was precious. Haven’t seen falling stars in a long time. Gosh. I feel blessed.
Thanks for reading and engaging. You’re precious to me. Thanks a bunch.
Loved the poem too
Aww. Thanks. ♥️
Wow what a gorgeous poem! “gathering her skirts
she ascends higher
miracle laden
radiant,
resplendently
engendering awe and adoration
from above
and down below.”- loved this part greatly!
The fact that you don’t hang huge calendars on the wall anymore makes me wonder, perhaps the “moon phase” obsession was just a phase? 😉
Oh no— That was not just a phase. I’ve downgraded on the size of the calendars (and price as well as they were a bit pricey). They offered great space to jot down important notes and such: mostly things concerning my kids. Notes were jotted down for me and for the kids to reference as well.
The one I have on my wall now is smaller. I still need it on my wall. But now I keep a desk planner to jot down stuff I need to remember.
I keep on with moon phases through the NASA website. I adore it.
Thanks for commenting, Sam. So glad you liked that last part. Lunatic that I am… stay sweet. I bless you.
BTW, I just witnessed a falling star. Oh my! It’s been ages since I saw a falling star. Made a special wish, of course.
No lunacy! It’s a lot of love towards a celestial charm.. 💞 WOWW!! Falling star! How miraculous! Wish they bring you miracles. I’ve never seen one in my life. How exciting! 😀
You gotta be looking up— as if expecting them. Tonight I was looking up at Luna. And that’s when it happened. Yes, miraculous. Check it out tonight. And let me know how it goes. 👏 😘
Okay, so you live in East Asia. It’s still only 5:52 pm here. Will check out at night 😉
Japan is home.
Ik 😉
I love your country Eventhough I haven’t even visited 🇯🇵🤝🇮🇳
Love the post & the poem. 💗
I use a wall calendar. I also have a desk calendar & a planner. I like writing important things & notes on them. Using a phone calendar just isn’t the same for me. ☺️
Right?! The phone doesn’t do it for me. I love my wall calendar. And my planner.
Thanks for the comment, dear Jennifer. Stay sweet and keep up the amazing work on OctPo 👏
Amazing piece, Selma. Love it.💕
Thanks, sweets.
My pleasure.💕
This is beautiful. (PS We have a unicorn) 🙂
Aha… you like unicorns. Nice! I bless you, dear friend. Forgive the delayed response. xoxo
I don’t make any New Year resolution either, I just try my best to be better each day 🙂
I use phone calendar and hang one in my wall as well, my phone’s for reminder for important dates and the one in my wall is just a normal simple calendar where I mark my day off’s from work 😅
Beautiful poem Selma, I really loved it. The moon is quite inspiring 🤗💝
Daphny, forgive the late response… I know you understand. So you hang one on the wall as well as your phone reminders. I see. Sounds very professional to me. All the best, my sweets. Glad you liked the poem. xoxoxo
No worries Selma 🤗 And thank you so much ❣️😊
Always love your poems ❤️
I do love the moon, I feel like it’s very auspicious and a blessing. I don’t keep track though. I just get surprised. 😥
You like surprises, huh? I can relate. Thanks for the comment. I bless you.
I’m thinking of having a calendar made from my photos (for the first time ever). Thank you for reminding me to put the moon cycle on it. Every full and new moon I fast for 24 hours. Just because, you know, of the water flow. I love your resolutions too. Happy full moon!
Manja, what a fantastic idea to made a calendar of your photos. Wow, you’ll need to pick and choose which photos. I think they’re all phenomenal photos so I see you having a hard time choosing. I do like it that my post gave you the idea of adding the moon cycle. So cool. Be well my friend. Happy Halloweening and Living. xo
Luckily every month I post 20 favourite photos from the same month in the previous year. 🙂 That should help.
Setting goals every full moon is a wonderful idea: that way you can refresh them with each new appearance 🌝
Yes, refresh them and gauge progress. All this energized by our faithful moon. (though nothing that looks like what I see your progress to be, dear one. You wow me). Thanks for commenting on this post, dear Ingrid. Stay sweet.
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement Selma 🙏 have a wonderful day!
Gorgeous, Selma. I love the idea of the night’s gossipy stars and the moon gathering her skirts, the lovers separating as she ascends…<3
Sunra, aww. thanks for liking those parts. I like them too. *smile* Thanks for the visit. Happy Halloween. xo
You’re most welcome, Selma 🙂 Happy Samhain to you too <3
David and I just got back from moongazing. The Moon’s refection on the ocean waves was hypnotic and the air perfectly refreshing. I use my phone calendar plus have wall calendars – one in the kitchen and a small one in the dining nook. I choose the wall calendars for the pretty pictures and write important reminders on the kitchen one.
Oh, you just got your moon kisses (from the moon is what I mean) Lovely. I got mine last night. And I happened to witness a shooting star too. How cool is that? — put me in a good place. And then right after that my youngest son called to tell us he’s coming to spend a week with us. Jeez, that Luna must be happy with something I did. TYVM.
Calendars: A small one on my wall, a desk one and a planner get me organized now. But I love the pretty ones. I tend to choose flowers or bird-eye scenes of our lovely talismanic earth.
Thanks for reading and commenting JoAnna. I bless you. IWYM.
That is VERY cool that you got to see a shooting star, too! And it brought good news! 🙂 Thanks for making me smile. 🙂
Hi Selma! Oh what a gorgeous, heartfelt post and poem to read. I love how you set goals every full moon; that certainly feels more manageable than a full years resolution. All those small goals you mentioned are so important. I was admiring that full moon last night. Thank you so much for sharing and have a beautiful week ❤
Glad you read, my lovely. Thanks for the support and encouragement.
Yes. The monthly updating of small goals work for me.
You too have a splendid rest of the week. XO
oh wow! Now here is a poem that is so full and ripe and luscious and deliciously erotic! Such is the moon! And what’s absolutely superb about this poem Selma, is that it SHINES – it’s radiant with such captivating lines and images – and I suspect it’s because you wrote/speak from the heart – with rapture and abandon, with love and light, as well as the delight of being witness, as well as the longing of … being a lover. Exceptionally marvelous! I think this is one of the best of yours that I’ve read yet (although, to be fair, we’re still “newbie friends” so my knowledge of your poems and pieces is rather on the thin side). But wow! yup, yup – you’ve absolutely captured something extremely magical and mythical in this poem!!
As for “small goals” made with intention before/during a full moon? Why not? Some say it’s actually supposed to be done at a new moon, because that’s a beginning and full is the culmination, but that’s just a matter of “tomato – toe-mah-toe” – the slice, the doorway is lean, and an ending is a beginning etc. etc. So yeah, makes absolute sense – and I admit, I sort of follow the same camp – when I remember to be more conscious of it. Mostly I just marvel. But the idea of trying to set small goals builds more resilience, more practice and makes things easier to digest – as well as work towards. Larger, broader “big” resolutions at a year’s start often mean failure for most people. And what I especially like about your process is that it allows you to reflect and evaluate more often – check in – and even better, it allows for re-adjustments – i.e. shifting or changing notions, plans. So every little step is more fulfilling than a grand gesture, no matter how well intentioned. You’re indeed a wise woman 🙂 Must be all that moon bathing you do 😉
And I read that you say a falling/shooting star – how magickal is this??? Awesome!
As for calendars? I don’t own a cell/mobile – heh – imagine! – so nope. Don’t even use the one on my computer. Paper calendars are hard to come by now a days – certainly pricey for it too – so I scrounge about and make do. I general jot down a few things, but most of the time, I have to double check what day it is …. and honestly, even the year. Everything blurs itself into a smear.
Bright Moon and other Blessings ….
You make me feel better than I think myself to be. I just adore your support and encouragement, my WiseChild. You’re so in sync with life. Don’t change a thing. I bless you from across the ocean and wish you many more miracles. Always and forever.
oh – you’re such a lovely person, so generous and kind – indeed, truly a miracle and special 💖
it’s my pleasure to be encouraging and supportive – we all can use helping hands and pep talks, besides, I think, for as insane and mean/ugly this world can be, if we act with a true heart (including when we follow our passions/creativity) then surely something good must happen …. so I’ll “pep pep pep” and rally …. (some may call me a fool, that’s part of the charisma – court jester – 😂 – I am) but it costs nothing to share, really … Bright Blessings, Joy, Miracles and all good things for the week ahead
💕: Bright Blessings, Joy, Miracles and all good things for the week ahead to you too 💜 🤗
what a great post & beautiful poem! I find that I’m too attached to being toasty warm indoors, especially once I’ve eaten dinner. however, every time I do actually see the moon, I think to myself how much more I should do it lol to my mind, “lunacy” should mean sanity
Lunacy is Sanity 😂 🤣 Correct!
We have one of those big family organiser type calendars that has a column for each person – currently showing screen-free days remaining for one son after some particularly unacceptable behaviour, and for my daughter days since she put some eggs into an incubator. But for myself I use my work online calendar attached to my email etc.
Lovely poem.
I was thinking of writing something about the moon recently, having come across a few poems that had non-physical things like full moons rising in the middle of the night. Maybe it’s time for a post about how the phases of the moon work. If you’re interested, this is my last moon post: https://anotherkatewilson.wordpress.com/2021/01/04/cold-moon-distant-earth-tanka/
I am in love with the image of her lifting her skirts and ascending the staircase as her petticoats are ruffling and rustling in my mind and the music of it complements the symphony of the night sky!
Aww, Jaya, so thrilled you liked that section and the words you added here are just a lovely symphony that showcases your generous soul. Thanks for the visit. You rock… xoxo