How to Embrace your Inner Wild.
The Agenda. Team

Welcome back to your New Moon Renewal with The Agenda. Period on how to embrace your inner wild! Think of this as your personal retreat to pause and center in, and see how you are really doing. An average woman’s hormonal cycle is 28 days, just like the average moon cycle. Historically new moons have been linked to a woman’s period. Whether or not your period lands on the new moon, doesn’t matter for these renewals. This is for the new moon each month in your life. Where you need a little light, a slight pause. To bathe in the stillness, and remember who you are. You can do the renewal below whether or not you are bleeding, regardless of your beliefs.

First, set the mood: 

Do you need to head out to the park by your house, or climb into your closet or cozy bed? Grab a journal and some coloring goodies. Even burning a candle or incense can help your mind signal to your body that you are allowed to relax and settle in.

Centering:

Take a couple of minutes to sit in quiet. Music can also help set the tone, Ocean by Thomas Newman has been my favorite lately. Check-in with yourself. How does your body feel? Try to breathe from your stomach instead of your chest. By placing your hands on your stomach it is easier to know when you are breathing deeply, as your hands will move with your breath. Any thoughts that come into your mind, acknowledge them and let them pass. Give yourself permission to just be in this moment, and not have to do for anyone, including yourself.
 
When you feel centered in your body you can read on:

Question to mull: 

Do you embrace your inner wild, or apologize for it?
 Journal:

When have you been told that you were too much or not enough? Who said these things? When have you felt this way?

Creative Endeavor:

Many times when we feel like we are not enough or too much, it’s because of outside opinions. What we need is a coffee filter of truth to filter out what is true or not when people share with us or when we think our own thoughts. These filters are comprised of questions we can use to figure out if it’s welcome in our space. Questions like, ‘does it resonate? Is this kind? Is this true? Do they care about me?’
Draw yourself on the paper, and draw a circle around you, as your energetic sphere. What is welcome inside this space? Draw it in! Maybe it’s love, encouragement, compassion, growth, etc. What isn’t welcome inside? Draw that on the outside. Maybe it’s judgment, rude, harsh criticism, or bitterness. Now, imagine your coffee filter of truth. What does it look like? Maybe it looks like a shimmery blue shield, an actual coffee filter, or a ticket taker. What questions is your filter comprised of? Draw your filter and questions on your paper. 

Things to think about:

Looking at your paper, how does it make you feel? What is one way you can utilize your filter in your life this week? What needs to be filtered out? Anything surprising?

Closing: 

Sometimes the expectations of others or ourselves can feel overwhelming. You can still embrace your inner wild around others. Take a pause this week and month when you feel that pressure build and take the time to filter it through your coffee filter and see if that expectation really belongs with you, or not.

Book recommendations:

Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown
Boundaries by Dr. John Townsend and Dr. Cloud

Each month we’ll release a New Moon Renewal for you to discover something new about yourself, learn about your cycle, and take a moment to pause, breathe, and reflect.

Aj Smit who runs www.TheJoyWeaver.com writer, ritualist, and joy facilitator
Aj Smit is the author of the book Red Thread: Weaving an Embodied Life of Joy, speaker, glitter enthusiast, and professional weaver of Joy. She is a military spouse with a pup, house plants galore, living in S. Korea. Aj has led various Red Tents, retreats, and workshops internationally over the last ten years to help others discover how to weave creativity and curiosity into their lives. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram at @TheJoyWeaver and at TheJoyWeaver.com