Welcome to the Last Quarter Moon phase. How did your “share” go? Who did you talk to about your reveal? More importantly, how did you inspire them? Through sharing, you are given the opportunity to sort through important details. When you told your story, which part of the story did you get really excited about? What part did you rush through because it was too boring? Yadda, yadda, yadda… What part made you take a moment to pause and reflect? And at what part did you see your listener’s jaw drop open?

Sharing your story and your creative process helps you to identify the “magic” bits and pieces. Important cues are being delivered to you through the energetic exchange of conversation. It is your job to pay attention, record, and contemplate this valuable feedback. Keep in mind that feedback is not limited to how the other person responds. How you provide yourself with feedback through your feelings as you experience the sharing process is just as valuable.

… and so goes the Waning Moon phase. The Waning phase from the Full Moon through to the next New Moon is all about clarification. This is the time to edit, to refine, to tie up any loose ends. It’s time to do what needs to be done in order to put a project to rest. Especially at the Last Quarter, the energetic nature is about change, possible conflict, and ultimately a significant shift of some kind.

What is the shift you could be experiencing right now? Take a few moments to think about it and the answer will surely come to you. It will feel deep inside your body. Perhaps it’s happening in your heart where you feel something getting lighter and lifting. Maybe you are experiencing the shift in your gut where strength and stability are replacing a once wobbly feeling. Or the shift could be occurring inside that deep dark part of the brain that feels like a light bulb just switched on. The shift is what happens when you make a commitment to yourself. It’s the moment you say, “yes, I choose this new experience that feels right and good, over the experience I used to have that didn’t feel right.” You may need to keep reminding yourself of this commitment in order to get it to truly stick. Old habits are hard to break. What you are used to can feel misleadingly comfortable. That is only because it is more familiar, not necessarily better. Commit to choosing what feels better. Make your choices so they are in alignment with this new shift that is occurring. The shift is an important step in your personal evolution. It is when one door closes and another one opens. When you are faced with a decision, forget about how you might have done things in the past, and focus on what the new evolved you would do. Choose in alignment with the shift.

I have so many examples I can share from my own experience about recognizing these shifts as they occur. I have always been sensitive to these energetic changes within myself. Born an introvert, I have been on an extraordinary journey towards becoming an extrovert. None of them seem to have happened in large jumps, but more like a million tiny shifts. One of the more significant shifts occurred when I decided to change my business from product-based to service-based. This internal shift happened when I was at an uncomfortable place emotionally. I was feeling very isolated and alone in the world even though I was taking care of my two children full time. Just as they were making their own personal little shifts towards independence from me, learning to walk and talk and feed themselves, I was beginning to look ahead to a time when they wouldn’t need me anymore.

Parenthood is that ultimate journey of letting go incrementally to something that you are more desperately attached to, an attachment so profound and tight that it sometimes feels like a death grip. The process of letting go of that attachment is at times excruciating, but your inner-wisdom just keeps gently nudging you, “it’s okay, you can let go.” As these little heart-breaks occur with every tooth that emerges, every step that is taken, every new word that is uttered, there begins to re-emerge a long lost sense of self. I remember when my first son was born and how I remarked that, “carrying him around in my arms felt like carrying around my own leg.” How strange that connection felt, as if he were an extension of my own body, even though he had a completely formed body of his own.

Over the years, as I incrementally began to separate from my children, I began to realize that I was indeed a separate being. I also was reminded that I have a purpose beyond bringing these new people into the world. Little by little, as I was letting them go, I was coming back to myself again. It made for a powerful time of self-reinvention, as many, many tiny “shifts” began to occur. As I began to explore these various shifts, all seemed to be leading to one larger shift.

I wanted to be out in the world working with people, helping them. I was exploring ways to take this astonishing new-found talent for nurturing others and exploring ideas about how I could use it to help people. I also realized that I was done with working alone in my studio exclusively at producing artwork. I knew that creating art would always be a part of my life, but I would become less focused on selling it and more focused on ways I could be of service to others.

This shift when it happened felt huge. It brought me to tears, as I thought of myself as a child, shy and afraid to express myself. I thought of all the beautiful creative souls out there who I could share my stories with and who might say, “yes, I’ve felt that way, too!” I thought of all the experiences I’ve had in my life and how all of them revealed new things about who I was and what my purpose here is. I thought of my own children and the legacy of my life that I would one day leave behind for them. Something clicked inside my heart, my gut, and that deep dark place inside of my brain, and the light that switched on was so bright that it radiated throughout my entire being and began to spread to everyone and everything around me.

To this day, I continue to make choices so that they align with that significant shift. Everyday, it feels a little more second-nature and I have to think about it less. But in the beginning it wasn’t easy. Even though I had had this powerful revelation, it still took work and effort to stay in alignment with who I knew I was meant to be. There have been plenty of setbacks, but I’ve managed to keep moving forward. I learned to forgive myself for not being perfect and this allows me to continue to look ahead and strive to work toward that shift of serving others.

On this Last Quarter it is becoming evident to me through my own personal journey with this Moon Cycle that the shift I chose to nurture years ago continues to deepen. I am beginning to understand that through giving, there is always receiving and the many ways in which I can give only expand the many ways in which I can receive.

I hope you all are enjoying this process as much as I am. My wish is that you are receiving something from these posts and exercises and that you are beginning to feel the many energetic shifts that are available to you right now. Your creativity is responsible for so much more than just creating things, it is how you solve problems. Your creativity is the energy that dares you to be that catalyst for positive change in the world. Your creativity is the magic that turns every new challenge into an opportunity for growth. Your creativity is what provides you with your unique voice, your expression, and your contribution towards the benefit of all who enter your realm of influence.

Creating Exercise – Last Quarter Moon

Take a piece of paper and fold it in half. Open it up again and draw a line down along the center crease. Think about the shift that has occurred for you over this moon cycle. On the left side you will paint your “before” expression and on the right side you will paint your “after” expression. As you paint each side keep the paper folded in half so as not to be influenced by the other.

Start with “before.” Immerse your thoughts in how you used to do things… The choices you used to make when faced with a challenge… The emotions you used to allow to consume your life. When you are finished, turn the paper over and draw on the other half.

This is where you will paint your “after” the shift. How are you seeing the world in front of you now? How does this feel different? What makes this choice the better choice? There could be words, colors, symbols, anything that expresses what you are feeling in your heart, in your gut, or in that deep dark part of your brain. Whatever it looks like, just get it out onto the paper. It can be as simple as two different color fields, or two different textures, or two different ways of writing the same word.

Once you have drawn on both sides, open the paper up again and compare the two expressions. Pay attention to any feelings that might be coming up for you. Now at the top, write the words Before, Shift, and Now.Hmmmm… kind of looks like that celestial body up in the sky tonight! Pin your drawing up somewhere where you will see it over the next few days. Take some time to notice any feelings that come up as the shift settles in. You could experience a range of emotions over the next few days and that is perfectly natural. Be forgiving with yourself and know that the future will always bring you more opportunities to work with your new awareness of who you really are.

The Half Moon phases can feel uncomfortable because there is always the potential for conflict. With these conflicts come many opportunities to master your creating skills. Whatever happens, never fear, because the Waning Crescent Moon phase is coming, also known as the Balsamic Moon phase. Check back on April 3^rd for my final post in this eight-part series about Your Creativity & The Moon Cycles.

Congratulations on your shift, you just elevated!

Your Creativity Coach,

P.S. Oh, did I forget to mention this was an upward journey? xox

Bonnie Kelso is the creator of The ABCs of Conscious Creating. She uses energy healing and creating exercises to connect people to their higher “creative” selves. For more information about her services read about her ACCESS! program or to schedule a consultation please contact her at creatingyourexperience@gmail.com. Are you ready to vitalize your creative life?