Between the Moon
By THE MOON IS MY CALENDAR
Between the MoonFeb 22, 2024
17. Unbroken: I Ching and Cycles of Change with Benebell Wen
On today's episode I have the pleasure and honor of speaking with beloved author Benebell Wen about her process and inspiration for writing her most recent book: I Ching the Oracle - A practical guide to The Book of Changes.
Benebell shares about the the spirit intelligence of the I Ching (as it differs from other tools for divination) as well as the creation myth that connects with the binary code of yin yang. She also talks about the distinction between the "broken" and unbroken lines that form the trigrams and 64 hexagrams of the I Ching.
I loved listening to her stories about how she intuitively worked with the I Ching as a mode of communication with ancestors (her grandmother) before confirming that this was a part of its shamanic origins all along.
In this playful conversation, Benebell shares a correspondence between the eight trigrams and the eight phases of the moon. This insight into the lunar phases serves as a reference for understanding the energetic qualities and polarities of the trigrams and their three lines of code as they relate to the lunar phases.
I am grateful for how she illustrates this correlation between Fire, Thunder, Wind, Water, Mountain, Earth, Heaven, Lake and the 8 phases of the moon because when you are learning something new, it helps to have something familiar to connect with (like the moon).
This was so eye opening for me - and I hope it helps create new neural pathways for you as well!
We also touch on the lunisolar calendar and timekeeping as it relates to cycles. She shares about the specific hexagram that corresponds with this year of the Wood Dragon, and speaks a little bit about the qualities of that particular hexagram and what that may foretell about the energy of the year.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of a vast subject, so I invite you to receive the generosity of all that Benebell shares through her work.
If you love this conversation and want to support this podcast, please leave a 5 star review - thank you!
Links:
Benebell's Website:
https://benebellwen.com/
Free Companion Course for I Ching the Oracle: https://benebellwen.com/i-ching-the-oracle/a-companion-course/
I Ching and the 60-Year Lunar-Solar Calendar Cycle
Post about how 2024 corresponds with hexagram 43 when you superimpose the lunar-solar calendar over the I Ching https://benebellwen.com/2024/01/05/i-ching-and-the-60-year-lunar-solar-calendar-cycle/
Asian Wheel of the Year: Lunisolar Astrology: https://benebellwen.com/2022/10/28/asian-wheel-of-the-year-the-lunisolar-agricultural-calendar/
Website. http://www.benebellwen.com
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/c/BenebellWen
Twitter. https://twitter.com/benebellwen
Instagram. http://www.instagram.com/bellwen
Chocolate Dragon Cafe (in Oakland - not Berkeley like I say in the episode): https://www.chocolatedragoncafe.com/
Book: The dragon : nature of spirit, spirit of nature / Francis Huxley
THE MOON IS MY CALENDAR
2024 Moon Calendars available in the shop https://themoonismycalendar.com/
16. Reinventing the Wheel of the Year with Bronwyn Simons
In today's episode with Predictive Astrologer Bronwyn Simons - we explore structures of time and the natural impulse to reinvent, and in this vein we delve into reimagining and reinventing the Wheel of the Year.
We look at the "why" of the energetic correspondences between the lunar phases and the solar stations over the seasons and how we might bring more inquiry and creativity to this relationship.
There's a big shift coming, the undertone humming vibration of Pluto is moving from Capricorn to Aquarius this Saturday January 19th and will take us in a new direction for the next 20 years!
This conversation sheds light on how we are currently straddling the worlds of what we have inherited (social structures, legacy of time aka Capricorn) and what will serve humanity moving forward (aka Aquarius) so that we can live in more harmony with life's cyclical nature in new and innovative ways.
Doors are opening soon to Lunar in Nature: Reinventing the Wheel very soon, so hop on the waitlist if you haven't already!
https://astrologygoddess.mykajabi.com/lunar-nature-waitlist
This is a solilunar mystery school that invites us to learn and vision and create and experiment, to honour tradition and hold space for innovation, to live into and deeply embody Lunisolar cycles for a whole expansive and beautiful Year together.
If you love this conversation, please like and subscribe so that it can reach more people who will benefit from the topics we explore.
15. Drawing Inward: New Moon Meditation with April McMurtry
Today's episode shares a meditation for settling the nervous system to find a sense of inner calm supported by the cyclical nature of life and the moon.
The new moon offers a time to reset and bring awareness to the inner cave. That hidden place where the moon goes each cycle and is no longer available or visible to the outer world.
Be guided by the moon to slow down and deeply listen. Listening to the whispers of the intuition.
This meditation draws on the wisdom of nature to connect with all of life through the expansion and contraction of the breath. If you love this meditation, please consider leaving a glowing review and subscribing to the podcast.
Thank you for being here, your presence is a gift!
14. Translating the Light of Solar and Lunar Consciousness with Bronwyn Simons
On today's episode of Lunar Currents Bronwyn and I explore the unique qualities of solar and lunar consciousness and how many of us have been trained to be more solar without knowing the difference.
We even catch ourselves trying to understand and talk about aspects of the moon on the sun's terms! Practicing self-study and lunar tracking helps loosen this and be able to see from another perspective completely.
This conversation is a candid and though-provoking musing that covers a lot of fertile ground. There is a whole wisdom transmission happening between the spoken words.
Notice if you can sense it.
Links mentioned:
Lunar in Nature Waitlist
https://astrologygoddess.mykajabi.com/lunar-nature-waitlist
2024 Astrology Forecast and Planning Retreat
Use Discount Code: LUNARCURRENTS for $27 off
https://astrologygoddess.mykajabi.com/a/2147720910/iqyGRbij
Maeg Keane: The Sun, Our Unfixed Star
Looking at solar consciousness from the lunar perspective
Shout out to Alexandria, A Woman with Flowers for flower attunements!
13. Lunar Currents: Eclipse Alchemy with Bronwyn Simons
Lunar Currents is a moonly conversation with April McMurtry and Predictive Astrologer Bronwyn Simmons about embodying the living sky, exploring how astrology helps us enter into the mythic nature of our life story, and musing on our relationship with time, creativity, intuition, and many other magical connections.
This episode explores the significance of the eclipse season (October 14th solar eclipse in Libra and Oct 28 lunar eclipse in Taurus) as well as what the lunar nodes may be showing us about the longer arc of our life story.
We dive deep into the themes and Bronwyn offers a simple and profound technique for personalizing the degrees of the eclipse towards the end of the show.
Links from the episode:
website: https://astrologygoddess.mykajabi.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/moon.wisdom/
Website: https://themoonismycalendar.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/themoonismycalendar/
Anne Ortelee Pinball Approach
https://anneortelee.com/the-pinball-approach-to-understanding-your-natal-energy-flow/
12. Deep Time and the Sacred Feminine with Liz Childs Kelly
Today's guest is my dear friend and colleague Liz Childs Kelly. Liz is a writer, host of the Home to Her podcast, Sacred Feminine researcher and educator, community builder and initiated priestess in the 13 Moons Lineage.
This episode celebrates the 1 year anniversary of the release of Liz's first book: Home to Her and the recent launch of the Home to Her Academy.
Together we discuss our relationship with time, the moon, lineages, praying the rosary, creativity, trust, the sacred feminine... and so much more.
Liz speaks to the challenges of using the word "feminine," which has many negative associations due to gender stereotypes and historical marginalization of female-identified bodies.
She also reflects on how yoga and mantra practice has helped her connect with the sacred feminine, despite upbringing in conservative Christian tradition.
We examine the irony of decontextualizing spiritual practices from our own lineage, acknowledging the complex history of conquest, trauma, and genocide that exists within this European heritage.
We also share about our relationship with self-study in relationship with cycles and the importance of developing a subtle awareness through lunar tracking on the New Moon Calendar Journal. You can purchase you copy of the 2024 edition in the shop: https://themoonismycalendar.com/
Links and mentions:
Liz's website: https://www.hometoher.com/ Honoring the Wisdom of the Sacred Feminine
Home to Her Academy: https://www.hometoheracademy.com/
Way of the Rose: https://wayoftherose.org/
The work of Lynne Twist https://soulofmoney.org/
11. Season Finale: The End is Also the Beginning with Wilka Roig
In today's episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with my dear friend and colleague Wilka Roig. Wilka and I met about five years ago, and the synchronicities of our connection continue inspire awe in me:) I am grateful to get a chance to share this conversation with you - it's so profound and explores our relationship with dreams, endings, the lunar cycle, eclipses, and redefining grief.
Wilka is a transpersonal psychologist, she is a death doula, a grief counselor, a dream worker, an educator facilitator and an artist in many mediums. She's the president of the Foundation in Central Mexico for the work of Elisabeth Kubler Ross (EKR México Centro) as well as an end of life doula and instructor and the co-chair of the BIPOC Advisory Council for the International End of Life Doula Association, or INELDA. Wilka is a coordinator for curriculum and faculty for the Institute of International Studies with the Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath and Death. And she's also been a part of reviving green burial practices in Mexico.
I hope you enjoy this conversation and that it sparks your own curiosity about your relationship with endings and beginnings!
Links mentioned in the episode:
Visit Wilka's website to learn more about her offerings with Dreaming, Healing, and End of Life: https://wilkaroig.com/
Death, Dreams and Yoga: https://www.ccld.community/events-1/death-dreams-and-yoga
Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, and Death: https://birthbreathanddeath.com/
Center for Conscious Living and Dying: https://www.ccld.community/
The Institute Ireland Trip June 13th – 22nd 2023 https://retreats.behumanitarian.org/product/exclusive-ireland-retreatjune-12th-22nd-2023/
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation México Centro http://ekrmexico.org/
10. Decoding the Lunar and Harvest Cycles with host April McMurtry
In today's episode we explore parallels between the lunar cycle and the harvest cycle. Let's feel into how the phases of the moon inform and map onto the twelve houses of the natal chart. I give a taste of each of the houses and how they may connect with the phases- this is all just the tip of the iceberg!
Working with the moon is working with our inner landscape. Working with the Harvest Cycle is working with the movement of the sun through our birth chart throughout the solar year. The lunar cycle is like a mini-year. Both wax and wane, grow and release light and life.
Listen and learn about what is possible when we weave these two cycles together. May this episode bring you into closer relationship with being in season with yourself.
If you love these theme you are invited to join me for the Harvest Cycle Incubator: https://themoonismycalendar.com/harvest-cycle-incubator
Mentions:
Book of Houses by Robert Cole and Paul Williams
The Moon is my Calendar https://themoonismycalendar.com/
9. Reimagining our Relationship with Winter with guest Natasha Deganello Giraudie
What if the grips of winter were the gifts of winter? What if our human rhythms were more like the rhythms of the seasons?
In today’s episode I am joined by filmmaker and nature practice teacher Natasha Deganello Giraudie. She is a dear friend and colleague and someone I've had the pleasure of connecting with through being guided by the moon, seasons, and nature. Natasha has worked with the New Moon Calendar Journal for the past six years as an integral part of her work and personal practice.
We talk about her creative process in bringing Opening to the Medicine of Winter to life and what is possible when we develop a deep trust of our intuition. Natasha mentions a book called “The Book of Houses” by Robert Cole, Paul Williams which is an amazing tool for connecting us with our own personal harvest cycles.
In our conversation we explore the theme of how to become more receptive and available to the gifts we know are there for us during the cold dark months of winter.
I love all the insights Natasha shares about our well being, the earth’s well being and the well being of future generations… especially in the way it relates to anchoring into rhythms and going against the grain of the discordant environments that rupture this rhythm.
I have the pleasure and honor of being a part of Opening to the Wisdom of Winter and sharing my winter, new moon, and eclipse stories. Don't miss the chance to explore these beautiful themes in community in Opening to the Medicine of Winter with a diverse group of women from a variety of perspectives and backgrounds to help us experience the more of the nourishing, soulful side of the cold season.
Visit bit.ly/medicine-of-winter-nature-practice to find out more about Opening to the Medicine of Winter which begins Nov 27, 2023.
You can find Natasha’s work on her website: www.rosaguayaba.earth and on instagram: @rosaguayaba www.instagram.com/rosa.guayaba
8. The Eight Year Venus Rose with host April McMurtry
You are invited to come dance with Venus as she weaves her beauty in the sky and on earth. In this solo episode I explore the dates and themes of the eighth year rose that is completing with formation of the upcoming star point on October 22nd, 2022. As you listen you may notice the vibration of abundance and love that Venus transmits.
The orbit of Venus is rhythmic and creates a rose or a five-pointed star by returning to the same points over and over throughout our lifetimes. These points of the Venus Rose are formed each time Venus aligns with the Sun and Earth every nine months or so. The points also shift ever so slightly around the zodiac, and we are about to experience the movement from Scorpio into Libra and what this could bring up.
The Venus cycle plays a significant role in timekeeping for many cultures around the globe. Her dual nature from morning star to evening star and back again has been predicted and written about by Mayan astronomers as well as on ancient cuneiform tablets of Babylonia dating back to the first millennium BCE. Venus and the Moon also interweave their cycles together and offer context for practicing self-study in relationship with cycles.
Mentions in this episode:
Venus Star Rising by Arielle Guttman
The eight year lunar cycle is called an Octaeteris in Greek.
Your natal moon phase tutorial on the blog: Natal Moon Phase themoonismycalendar.com/articles/natal-moon-phase-tutorial
Join me and Susan Lipshutz, LCSW this Saturday Oct 22nd for an online gathering workshop called Venus Gateway: Anchoring the Jewel of Your Heart themoonismycalendar.com/events/venus-workshop-and-gathering
If you are interested in learning ore about personalizing the Venus cycle, check out the upcoming course Know Your Venus themoonismycalendar.com/know-your-venus
Thank you for listening!
7. Ancestral and Bioregional Naming of the Moons with Megan McGuire
In today's episode I'm sharing a very special conversation with Megan McGuire aka @forest.whisperer. I remember seeing an Instagram post that she made a while back with Moon names, and this list really spoke to ancestral connection to land and place and seasonal activities especially to parts of Europe where some of her ancestors are from.
This episode is in honor of what's often referred to as the Harvest Moon - or the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. And as you'll hear, there are many other names for this seasonal moon.
I got to know Megan more through this conversation and really appreciate the work that she does that is about connection, reconnection and belonging and exploring mythic time and creating Bioregional wheels of the year.
Megan is a biologist and she works for the federal government and designs ecosystem restoration projects to rehabilitate the Mississippi River that her ancestors have long cherished. She lives on Dakota land in the Twin Cities, Minnesota and her ancestors were Polish and Finnish and German, Irish, French possibly English and from the Saulteaux and Wyandot tribes.
She is also a mother and a permaculture gardener and works with ritual in daily life and I love how she talks in this conversation about weaving that in otherwise mundane activities in a very easeful and creative way.
I love this conversation. I hope you do too! Visit Megan on Instagram @forest.whisperer and her website: www.mythictime.com.
Mentions:
Farmer's Almanac began publishing names for full Moons in the 1930s based on what Colonial Americans adapted from Native tribes including the Algonquin people on the Eastern Coast. These names have become widely known, but even though they now seem standardized, they are not universal.
Venerable Bede was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter in the Kingdom of Northumbria who lived in the 7-8th century. He wrote On the Reckoning of Time which references calendars and lunar time.
6. New Moon in Virgo Magic in the Mundane with Susan Lipshutz
In today's episode, I have the pleasure of sitting down with Susan Lipshutz from Everyday Medicine Woman to discuss and explore the themes of Virgo season and this particular Virgo New Moon. We look at the personal and universal expressions of the archetype and address some of the labels and stereotypes of the Virgo energy.
When considering the inquiries for this mutable earth sign in combination with the upcoming Mercury Retrograde, you might consider asking:
What's the health status of my relationships?
What do we need as a remedy for what's going on?
What wants to support the healthier practice of my life?
Susan and I also do a kind of planetary roll call of checking in with Mercury and Venus in particular towards the end of the conversation. You can find Susan at her website: www.everydaymedicinewoman.com or on Instagram @susanlipshutz.
Susan Lipshutz, LCSW has been a pioneer trailblazer in the field of Integrative Psychotherapy, women’s empowerment and soul level mentoring for over 35 years. Consultations are tailored to the needs of the individual offering a blend of her training in a wide range of clinical therapeutic approaches with a deep exploration that widens our understanding of the greater self via an astrological, spiritual and mystical perspective. Devoted to building meaningful communities that reawaken and integrate the sacred feminine into daily life, Susan invites a reclaiming of each woman’s ancestral wisdom, inner guidance and innate understanding of true beauty via a weaving of practices and teachings inspired by many years of dedicated work with global wisdom keepers and evolutionary teachings.
5. Anchoring into Presence by Engaging Energetic Basics with Ishita Sharma
In today's episode I have the pleasure of being in conversation with mentor and modern mystic Ishita Sharma. Ishita Sharma serves as a mentor, mirror and activator to those who wish to better our world starting from within.
She was born in Haridwar in northern India and came to the US as a teenager and began to study as a physicist, then turned to architecture and design, evolving into a multidisciplinary artist. Through it all, she felt that she was looking for an even deeper framework to explain what felt obvious to her: that we are all connected.
In 2016, she established Come to Center to share the joy and freedom of living an awake, connected and fulfilling life. She holds space for life in all of its abundant complexity, from the highest joys and miracles to the deepest suffering and sorrows. Her work points people back to their own inner harmonic and wholeness.
Today, Ishita works with contemporary visionaries, spiritual seekers and healers, therapists and coaches, CEOs and incarcerated youth to create futures that are free of past limitations to help them embody power, pleasure and show up in service, while rising beyond ego-centric paradigms. Ishita’s work is the expression of her deepest realizations, and an invitation into your own. Her unique approach integrates non-dual awareness with its embodiment, subtle energetics and relational dynamics to free the core of personal and systemic hindrances.
In this episode we explore the mechanics of anchoring into presence and noticing our habits of attention to become more skilled at navigating our relationship with ourselves and others.
To learn more about Ishita's offerings including Murmurations and Basics visit cometocenter.com
4. Wisdom from the Missing Half of the Moon Cycle with Astrologer Bronwyn Simons
There are so many gems in this conversation! Today's guest Bronwyn Simons shares her journey over many, many moons of coming to align her work and life with the Moon and astrological wisdom. In this episode Bronwyn walks us through the Eight "Lunar Keys" that she developed to connect with the eight main phases of the moon. These simple and profound inquiries offer a beautiful framework and insight to support the practice of self-study in relationship with cycles. You will also learn the benefits of committing to being in relationship with the Moon on a deeper and more personal level, as well as the mysteries and lessons of the missing half of the moon cycle. Enjoy!
Bronwyn Simons is an award-winning predictive astrologer, psychic medium, dream traveller, mentor, and astrology teacher with a worldwide client base and a busy consulting practice. Her style is practical and embodied, with deep roots in the mystery of the Otherworld. After 40+ years of study and practice, she is truly a master of the esoteric arts.
Connect with Bronwyn on Instagram @moon.wisdom
Visit Astrology Goddess website to learn more about upcoming classes and offerings
Sign up for Bronwyn's Newsletter and access your New Moon Playbook as a gift
Mentioned in the episode: Lunar Gestational Cycle
New Moon Calendar Journal (free download of current cycle)
If you like this episode, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts so more people can hear about it!
3. Wild Power Interview with Red School's Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer
In this episode from the archives I am joined by Alexandra Pope, and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer, authors of the book Wild Power and co founders of the Red School, whose mission is: To activate vitality, creativity, and leadership, through the magic of menstrual cycle awareness and a conscious menopause. They envision a world in which the cycles of life are revered and respected as quiet orchestrators of our lives – instilling a deep reverence for the planet and everything on it.
We're also gifted with the presence of my dear friend, colleague, and collaborator Sita Rosalie Davis. She is a lead facilitator and trainer at THE MOON IS MY CALENDAR and has translated and printed the Spanish version of the new moon calendar journal since 2019. Sita and I have an ongoing practice of cycle check-ins in our work and are so grateful for this opportunity to speak with Alexandra and Sjanie about navigating the cycles of the inner and outer seasons.
Links
Red School: redschool.net
IG @red.school
THE MOON IS MY CALENDAR: themoonismycalendar.com
IG @themoonismycalendar
oneearthhealingarts.com
IG @sita_oneearthhealingarts
2. Storytelling through Ecological Illustrations with Seven Ravens Studio
On today's episode of Between The Moon, I have the pleasure of speaking with Meegan Painter from Seven Ravens Studio.
Meegan is an artist and a seventh-generation Californian and somebody who I have known for many years. We spoke in the fall of 2021 after she had said yes to collaborating on the wall calendar that features her ecological mandalas. These mandalas depict webs of connection and relationships within ecologies.
You will hear her deep love of these landscapes, plants, animals, and creatures that are all interconnected. Meegan's work has always been about storytelling and uncovering hidden connections.
I hope that you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.
To learn more visit https://themoonismycalendar.com/
Connect with Meegan: https://www.sevenravensstudio.com/
Follow Seven Ravens Studio: https://www.instagram.com/seven_ravens_studio/
1. Why the Moon? intro episode with April
The origin of the name Between the Moon comes from the latin word Interlunium inter- meaning ("between”, “among") + lūna ("the Moon"); a period of darkness during the time of the new moon. This relates to the pause between the old and new when the moon is invisible - hidden in plain sight.
Between the Moon opens the space for what is no longer and what is not yet. This liminal space of in-between and how we navigate the unknown through self-study in relationship with cycles.
The moon is an amazing guide for how to value rest as integral to life. The moon is not always full and visible, but practices regular retreat. For me this became the lesson of: You don't have to wait to get sick to slow down.
This podcast is my effort to create a container for the unfolding of a renewed relationship with our cyclical nature as beings on this beautiful life-sustaining planet, and to repair this relationship within ourselves.
To learn more visit https://themoonismycalendar.com/