New Moon Self Compassion, Comfort, and Love

 Nurturing Personal Truths & Self Compassion in the Kiva Heart of the Soul: An allegory for our time

A New Moon Eclipse signals a time to explore the Inner Sanctum of Self Compassion, Comfort and Love. Before we can help others, we have to help ourselves. First of all, we all wear Public Masks, labels given to us along the way. Furthermore, our Private Face, our Soul Truth, is something to be protected, honored, and nurtured like seedlings in a garden. Much as the Hopi climbing down the ladder to enter the sacred round Kiva carved into the womb of the Earth Mother, the world below, this New Moon calls us to enter the dark, quiet space of our heart of hearts, where we discover, birth, and develop our Personal Self.

Last week I saw the amazing play, ‘In of Of Itself’. The story reveals the illusion of one’s identity, his labels and truths, in a brilliant modern allegory. Derek Delgaudio, a one man alchemist, shows the audience new ways of seeing the unseeable as memories from yesterday, amazing events right before our eyes today, and imagined possibilities for tomorrow, blend together in mystery and paradox. Labels and Truth bring the audience into his world of illusion, magic, and mystery.

When I first entered the deep, dark, cool, staircase going into the heart of the theater, it reminded me of  the Hopi Tribe, climbing down their ladders into the round womb Kivas of Mother Earth. One by one, the audience gathered in the intimate bar below, drawn like magnates to a wall of possibilities. In stark white on black were hundreds of squares each declaring ‘I AM…’, followed by choices like I Am a Unicorn, I Am a Producer, or I Am a Problem Solver. A second ritual walk down dark, winding corridors, led to a another wall holding real cards. A sign directed us to pick an ‘I AM…’ card in order to be seated. I found deep feelings stir inside me. Who am I really? There are the labels given to me by others, but it’s almost as if I have to leave those behind to truly find all that I Am inside. Illuminations of Self come one Truth at a time, as I learn to be aware in the moment.

I’ve always hidden my Private Face, protecting it, nurturing it, never overexposing it to the world at large. Many ‘out there’ had such black and white views of life. My Inner Sanctum is one of magic, alchemy, secrets, and mysteries, yet I had to find a Face to wear out there. Art has been my portal to bring through my Sacred Heart hidden treasures, a bit at a time. Teaching has allowed me to present Art, insights, rituals, knowledge, and philosophy as combined fragments of all that I experience. They are dots to connect, to combine, and to build a rich, full life.

So therefore, I chose ‘I Am an Artist’. Like the Hopi emerging from the Kiva, I bring inspiration from the inner world, to the Public Face. As this New Moon calls me to focus on compassion, comfort, and love for my Self, I pledge loyalty and faithfulness to my Inner Sanctum. Secondly, I will honor the privacy of my Sanctuary of the Soul as I grow into my truest self. Most of all, I will take time to know and engage in Actions I personally need to fill me. As a result, I’ll see my vulnerabilities, what triggers me, and find ways to heal them. Hence, I plant the seeds of independence, freedom, connection, and emotional security. In conclusion, I will protect my sparks of inspiration as I find my place in the Universe. Above all, I will intimately look for illuminations from inner insights, outer resources, and diverse disciplines, to combine many paths to continue to grow, discover, and empower the great quest of my own becoming as a person who leads a good life.