This is about knowing what we need to let go of + how…

It’s about GETTING OVER IT, and how to moving forward can begin by learning how to shed our fears, our shadows, + shining light on whatever has been holding you back – but you didn’t notice it.

It’s about shifting the dead weight: and I’m not talking about other people, but of ourselves.

You don’t really have to get rid of anything. You just have to remember who you are. Some of you will be well on it with this, and know already that Full moon is an ideal time for letting go.

I’m going to try my best not to get too woo-woo, but whatever you’re into .. or otherwise.. the full moon is about letting go. Including your excuses! When we reach full moon, this is the moment the entire face of the moon is illuminated by the Sun’s rays from our view from earth. It is totally lit up and can be so bright that it can keep you up all night tossing and turning in bed . It turns some people crazy (particularly if you’re female). In the past, it was common to think that many forms of mental illness were caused by the Moon, hence the name lunatic. The peak of full moon marks completion as the lunar cycle is complete. And it is this completion that I’d like to talk about. What are we completing on? And where do we go afterwards? Once the moon has waxed to its brightest and most full, we enter a time of waning, of letting go. If you are reflecting at all on your life at the moment, this is not the time to be setting new intentions or new goals. Now is the time to let it go. Including your excuses! So what are your excuses? Do you even know what your goals are?  This is about getting clear on what excuses we are using that stop us sitting down and putting our dreams into motion. This is about knowing what your obstacles are so that you can make a plan to get around them and overcome them.

So grab a pen and paper or just read. I truly hope that this will give you some guidance and some inspiration to move forward with your goals. And perhaps you’ll realise that you’ve known exactly how to do it all along. 

Very often when I’m working with clients, speaking to mates or even looking at my own situation, we have no idea what our goals actually are. So let’s get clear on what our goals are. You can do this exercise working with one goal, or as many as you like. Pause this as and when you need. I am going to use examples. And I’m going to use a disclaimer here – they may or may not be personal to me! So what are your goals? Write them down:

– Is it to create a successful online business? How exactly does that look to you, because to simple say “a successful business” is really not clear enough. What are you offering? Where do you live? Who are your customers? How are you helping people>

– Is it to feel body confident? To say “lose weight” or “lose fat” is not clear enough. How do you want to look, how do you want to feel? Yeah, if you’ve kept the jeans you used to wear in the 90s because you’d like to fit back into them then get that down on paper. Obviously if you were born in the 90s, this should not apply! Make sure your goal is realistic and healthful.

– It might be to have clearer skin

– It might be to learn: what do you want to study?

– Perhaps your goal is financial. Any financial goals should be quantified – so please write down the amount you desire to earn, to save up or to be able to spend. Be realistic but don’t box yourself in either.

– Maybe you want to get married, live in a big house in the country and have kids. Write it down.

– Perhaps the goal is to get your bestselling book written. That would be awesome. We all have a story to tell.

Now pause, and reflect on your list. Come back to me when you’ve finished. By the way, you might have already attained some of these goals and want to up your game, or maintain something you’ve achieved. That can be a goal too – but define it in some way using a target weight for example, and the date by which you’d like to reach it. If you don’t set a target, you’ll never really have a gauge to let you know you’ve actually reached your goal. I do’t know if that’s why so many of us lose a tonne of weight but don’t know when it is time to stop.

You should have at least one goal written down. Now it’s time to identify what are your obstacles keeping you from getting there. Once you know what your obstacles are, you can make a plan to work around them, and get to wherever it is that you want to go.

So the obstacles. What are they?

I’m living in the wrong place.

I don’t have the money.

Don’t have the time, the motivation, the knowledge, or the inspiration.

I’m with the wrong person.

In the wrong job.

I’m in the wrong country .. or lifetime.

My lover is in the wrong country.

I have no money to get there.

It is out of my control.

I don’t know what I want.

I feel I am overweight.

If you’re in love with someone who’s married.. write that down.

Perhaps you’re unhappy. And you cannot understand why.

Put everything that comes to mind down. Pause this if you need to. Just get everything that is a stress or a worry onto paper so that it can reside outside of your head for a moment.

Now, time, or a lack of, often tends to be one of the big ones. Notice already, that if you are reading this, and not taking the time to write your goals and obstacles down, then no wonder you’ve been using “no time” as an excuse. Please take this time. It took me 20 minutes.

Ready? OK. Next to each and every obstacle, can you write down something that you need or could have that would help you work around whatever it is that’s in your way. If you don’t know enough to reach your goal, then where will you get the knowledge or the know-how? Do you need to study? Which course? Do you need to find the money? Even if you don’t have an answer, write it down. Highlight it. You can come back to that later when a solution does come to mind. And it will.

Some of these obstacles might simply be something that is causing you grief or a pain in the neck. If you have any extras, and I’m talking any – kind – of – worry – or – stress. please write them down now too. We are putting pen to paper so that your mind no longer has to hold on to these things that you may or may not be able to control. We have 60,000-80,000 thoughts per day. As many as 70% are angry, not productive and don’t serve us.  Write them all down, because we are going to let them go.

And when it comes to self-love do not abandon or reject yourself based on somebody else’s opinion or because you have forgotten who you are whilst running around looking after everyone and everything but yourself. The very fact you wake up, brush your teeth and put on your favourite hoody is an act of self-love. nMy teacher ShantiMayi taught me that. Don’t dramatize it if you’re unable to go for your bi-weekly facial because you can’t leave the house. That’s somebody else doing the work for you anyway. Self-love is much more simple than that.

Pressure to tick a ton of boxes or fear to be someone else makes us a prisoner on this planet. Get really clear about who you are and whatever else happens, that can’t be changed or challenged. Even if it’s that you feel fatter than you think you should be. or want to be richer than you actually are. This is about the important stuff. Forgive yourself for any goals and challenges, necessary or otherwise, that you’ve set that you didn’t attain. Forgive yourself for any goals or challenges, necessary or otherwise, that you did attain but you didn’t stop to think “is this what I really want?” Holding onto something, whether it’s anger, disappointment, fear or frustration is like connecting yourself to it with an umbilical cord. It could be to yourself or to another person who may have let you down. But allowing all of your personal identity to drain out of you and into something or someone or someone’s concept of who is not you? Forgive this. And set yourself free. Just take a big set of scissors and cut whatever it is that has been causing you pain.

For many people the full moon can bring a crazy energy. If you’re thinking about doing some sort of full moon ritual tonight, to harness the power of the full moon, use your ritual time to ground and practice acceptance. Use breath. Please know that you are already total moon energy. Lunar energy is the feminine.. as men and women we are made of both the feminine and the masculine. But if you are a woman, often it can be that we feel so affected (?) during full moon, because the feminine lunar energy is even stronger for us.

If you’re struggling to sleep at this time because it’s full moon, to try to ignore it (ie tossing and turning if the light of the moon keeps you up at night!) might not help. 

Acknowledging this energy would be beneficial, with or without any sort of ceremony.

You could do something simple:

• Sit or lie down in a sacred space (in nature would be enough)

• Pen + paper (write down the list of things that you wish to let go

• You could use Crystals (harness the energy, and also pretty!) The peak of full moon can be high energy, some people like to place their crystals outside at this time for a cleansing – or cleaning – practice. 

• Perhaps light a candle

• Make some moon water if you feel it would be a nurturing thing to do for yourself over the next few days!

I’m no expert I just hope this gives you a few ideas! The full moon is about clearing (even detoxing) and reflecting on your progress. 

You can pop any crystals you have outside under the moon to be “cleaned” in moonshine if you wish!

Full Moon is not the night to set new intentions, rather that which you wish to let go. Weight, expectations, frustrations, disappointments, anger, sadness, stress… so now return to your list, and ask yourself “what is holding you back from reaching your goal or your dream?” Let Full Moon be the night to let it go.

Remember that if you feel weird (or crazy!) or struggle to sleep over these 3 days, the effect of the full moon can be strong on both a physical and subtle level. Go with it, don’t fly off the handle if your partner upsets you.. give it a few days first!

And remember, the moon is ALWAYS full ? it’s never half or incomplete.. it’s just that now the sun is shining on it for us to see in this way. Full. Whole. Apparently. … but shadow is on the other side, we just don’t see it. That’s ok too. It will be 2 weeks before the new moon. After full moon, the moon starts to wane and shadow begins to cover the moon again (from our view from earth). The moon’s light wanes. Know that this entire phase might just be a time of letting go. However dark or big the shadows may become.

Guys, if full moon is a time of letting go, you have 2 weeks to prepare for New Moon:  This is the time to set new intentions when the light of the moon will begin to wax again and grow. If you’re setting goals without letting go of the crap holding you back, then you’re slowing yourself down. Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m not a big fan of slowing down.

If somebody approached me last year to tell me that this would happen, I wouldn’t have believed them.. I’d have backed away very slowly. Nobody else can define how you are experiencing what’s happening in your world. But if you can become clear, you can handle anything.

My teacher Dharma Mittra would say to us in yoga to “go as far as you can imagine”. I’d be holding a pose thinking how could I possibly go any farther, And then I’d imagine. And then there I’d be. So “go as far as you can imagine”. Even if it’s only as far as your living room.

Like I said at the beginning, this article is about knowing what you need to let go of which will help you figure out the HOW.

It’s about GETTING OVER IT.

Moving Forward by shedding our fears, our shadows, + the idea that anything could be holding you back at all. (I have friends who created incredibly successful business that people thought would instantly fail.. and who’s laughing now).

It’s about shifting the dead weight: and I’m not talking about other people, but of ourselves.

You don’t really have to get rid of anything. You just have to remember who you are.