January Full Moon Dreamboard

Well, a new year and a new way of doing my dreamboards...

A lot has happened since December's Full Cold Moon...

I had a natal report done, where I discovered many things - not least that I was born under a full moon! Maybe a reason why I deeply connect with this practice! 
I'm not sure what I really think about astrology, but the descriptions of what heavenly bodies were in what houses at the time of my birth almost 50 years ago does make very interesting reading, and Sherry described many of my personal traits rather accurately!

Also, I bought an e-book from Amy Palko called Bloom by Moon, where she gathers four traditions of moon lore - Astrological, Celtic Tree, North American and Global Perspectives - and poses journal question for each. 
I have actually printed out the whole book, and gathered the pages into the respective lunar cycles, and put them in a ring-binder.  I've been working through some questions for this first lunar cycle of 2014 since the New Moon on New Year's Day.

I'm naturally drawn to Celtic Tree lore, which calls January's Full Moon a Birch Moon, where the focus is on new beginnings. Birch branches were used for brooms, so the journal questions Amy posed were: What am I making space for? What am I ushering in? What is dying to be born?

On the left-hand page are two photos from Country Living - one of a frosty field, the other of a bunch of sage (which for the American Indians is a cleansing, purifying herb). Below those are two images from old We'Moon diaries - one of the Goddess of the Wheel of the Year showing the 8 pagan festivals (copyright Sheila Brown 1991); the other, a stunning painting by Toni DeMello called Ascend (2005), which the editors used one year to represent the 'Stillpoint' of this lunar cycle.

Finally, there is an image from last year's A Woman's Diary by Susan Seddon Boulet of her painting Calling the Eagle (1986) with the quote:

Your own words are the bricks and mortar of the dreams you want to realize. Your words are the greatest power you have. The words you choose and their use establish the life you experience.

Sonia Croquette

And underneath are the words 'The closer we look, the more we discover' from a Aptamil  baby's milk advert(!)

The right-hand page shows Lady Birch - a favourite tree from the the end of the road where we used to live, the word FOCUS, a picture of woman meditating from a Harper's Bazaar holiday ad on which I've written the journal questions, the words 'Express the essence of you' and 'What better time than now?' both from different magazine adverts. Finally, a photo of a very Bloomsbury-style sitting room (I cannot remember from where I clipped it), and a photo of several stacks of books!

If I were to interpret these images, based on the journal questions, I'd say I'm clearing space to think and focus and meditate, because I'm trying to find the words to express my inner essence, which eventually I hope to publish in book form... 

I know this year is significant in so many different ways - I turn 50, we celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary, our son leaves school after completing his A levels, and our daughter takes her GCSEs. A dear friend is getting married in April, and another dear friend is visiting from the US in May...

And I want to be in the best possible spiritual place to experience all this to the full, for these days will never come again!