But it’s easy to forget to rest. Fortunately, nature has it mapped out for us. The moon, in her 28-day cycles, can become your natural rhythm, helping you to remember to periodically take that necessary breather. Just as the NongLi agricultural calendar has been used in Chinese history since 500 BCE, the Jewish, Hindu, and Islam calendar also observes the moon. Easter falls on the first Sunday after or on the first full moon following the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere. “Taoism patterns itself after nature,” Deng writes, and “asks us to look in the world around us for the answers to our spiritual questions.” By meditating with the moon, we follow nature’s cycles and wisdom. This is an “echo of our evolutionary past,” Cambridge researcher Michael Hastings tells Scientific American. “If you were a hunter-gatherer on the African savanna, you may want to be out hunting at the full moon.” But lunar phases definitely affect animal behavior, from lion prey to dung beetle navigation to birdsong. Here’s what aligning with the moon cycle might look like across different areas of your life: Conversely, moving toward the dark moon, you might wish to wind down your sprint and begin reflecting on what’s worked and what hasn’t. I reflect and journal on lessons and refine my game plan for the month ahead during the dark moon. I love forming new connections and being more of a social butterfly during the waxing moon. But during the nourishing waning phase, I am more selective about who I give my energy to. I also use this time to audit my social sphere, for instance, honestly considering whom I’d like to keep in my life and culling my phone book. “Being aware of heightened emotions on the full moon [can help] us align with our own natural rhythms,” astrologer Mystic Medusa also tells me. “Not doing so is like being a sailor and not paying attention to the tides and currents. Life is so much easier when we go with the flow, not against it. The moon maps this natural course for us.” To me, the moon is the easiest way to master our time, cycling between the yin-yang of rejuvenation and acceleration. We cannot have one without the other. She has been featured in Elle, Forbes, and Business Insider and has previously worked with Olympians, business professionals, and individuals seeking to master their psychological capital. She works globally in English and Mandarin-Chinese via Skype and Facetime, blending cutting-edge neuroscience, psychology, and ancient wisdom.
