Soul Work - Deeper Moons

My previous two posts have been about going for the Moon - going after and living one's dreams. I have explored my Moons, or those things that give me joy, and I have examined factors that influence whether I choose the easier path of playing it safe or the more satisfying path of going for the Moon.

My Moons include the following:

• ART: Having and playing a piano in my home again, exhibiting a series of my art work, publishing small books based on writing I've done
• EXPLORATION: Driving the Ring Road in Iceland and visiting the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont
• HOME-MAKING: Giving theme parties
• GOD: Studying the Bardic materials of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids

Although I recognize Moons that give me joy, I often choose instead to take the easier path of playing it safe because of these fears:

• Being exposed as shamefully incompetent
• Feeling others' disapproval for promoting myself and showing off
• Being selfish
• Feeling the anxiety and discomfort of change
• Being injured, especially in a painful or incapacitating way
• Losing all my money
• Losing my solitude, whereby - as an introvert - I replenish myself
• Losing my free time and plans by being called upon unexpectedly

I determined that I might choose to follow and live into a Moon because the Moon has the following characteristics:

• Fills me with joy
• Promotes health and healing for my soul
• Connects me with God
• Encourages others in some way

In this post, I will go deeper. I will examine what soul work I may be called upon to do in this life. I will consider not just my individual soul but also my family soul. The family soul is a concept I explored in a previous post of August 24, 2009, titled "Frank Schaeffer's Memoir: Insight - The Family Soul." In that post, I showed how Frank Schaeffer carried further some of the soul work that his father had done and how Frank's son carried this soul work further still. I explored the idea that we may be able to advance soul work that our parents and ancestors have carried to a certain level and that we may be able help heal family soul wounds.

In observing the family in which I was raised, I can identify these areas of family soul work:

• Goal of getting from here to the grave as safely and painlessly as possible - Live fully and joyfully
• Hostile worldview - See the world as gracious
• Scarcity mentality, leading to hoarding - Develop an abundance mentality, leading to generosity
• Judgmental attitude - Develop compassion
• Avoidance of service - Serve in appropriate ways
• Secretiveness - Be honest in appropriate ways, especially in taking responsibility for one's actions and feelings
• Excessive busyness - Spend time being rather than constantly doing
• Anger - Act from a place of calm centeredness

It seems that there is a word for each of the above points: Enjoy, Thank, Give, Love, Serve, Show, Be, Relax.

That's still a lot to grasp - eight words, eight concepts. Well, I think I can group them into three categories:

• GOD: Enjoy, Thank
• OTHERS: Give, Love, Serve
• SELF: Show, Be, Relax

These are the deeper Moons for me to live into. The specific actions I take are far less important than the deeper attitudes that my actions are expressing. In other words, it is not so important that I get and play a piano or drive the Ring Road in Iceland or give a theme party as it is that I deeply enjoy my life with a spirit of thankfulness.

It is clear that my Moons in my "What are My Moons?" post of July 23, 2010 focus on things that I enjoy doing. In light of my deeper Moons, I think it is important for me to choose a few of those enjoyable Moons - particularly ones that do not involve large expenses in light of the current economic crisis, ones that truly enrich my life, and ones that encourage others in some way. It is also important for me to take delight in living into Moons that involve giving, loving, and serving.

My next three posts will explore the three Moon areas I have identified: God, others, self.