Autumnal Equinox Plant Sanctuary.

For this Autumnal Equinox build yourself a plant sanctuary in and around your home. This can be an ongoing and steady project…one that I have been working on for a while now…I find most of my plants at grocery stores and places like Home Depot. You can find some fairly cheap plants anywhere and they really do brighten up your life. I’m becoming obsessed with turning my home into a garden…and every corner I find joy in decorating with plants and adding charms and things around them. Take a look at what I have so far…and get inspired to make this your Autumn project!

Details. Add charms around your little plant sanctuaries…like tiny trees (these trees were made by my mom), bunnies, and butterflies.

Add iron wall decor that has plant elements to them for an extra dynamic to your plant sanctuary inside.

Use a side table to sit your plants on in front of a window…and put your plants in pots inside of pots to catch the water instead of a water plate. (I typically water my plants on Sunday…some I stretch out water times like cactus…read the care for each plant).

Make tiny little altars in your home surrounded by plants.

Bring light into your home. OPEN your windows!

The mantel isn’t completely done…but I’m working on it! I’m trying to add earthy elements like potted plants, tree branch candle holders, a wooden flower piece, and my favorite dragonfly picture from Katie. This one I’m still working on! (well the whole house really!)

Use store bought flowers to make inexpensive arrangements in your home. (These were left over from my little sisters second reception.)

Make little corners interesting with plants and if you can find one, get an earthy light fixture! I found this one at Home Decorators online.

Decorate your pots with charms like this sun!

Use old vintage decor to frame your plants. These were old relics from my childhood in Germany…they were made in the USSR.

Add bits of fun to your outside porches. Keep in mind that when it gets cold you’ll have to protect your plants!

Decorate your pots with stones that circle the plant.

And at the end of the day…light some candles and build you a stately castle.

Love & Moonlight,

Kelly

8 Things To Let Go of…at Any Moon Phase.

  
Last night was the FULL MOON, BLOOD MOON, HARVEST MOON, SUPER MOON…and I didn’t even try to look for it…well I did right before I went to bed, but it was way before the Eclipse and the clouds were out. But after a weekend full of events…I was just tired to wait up.

I got to thinking last night…I seem to have this need to be perfect all the time, and I’ve proven to myself each time that the worry and stress that I generate from this “need” only makes me even more unhappy. So I made a list of:

8 Things to Let Go of…at Any Moon Phase.

1. Being Perfectly Perfect. Yeah, that doesn’t exist. I’ve been the victim of my own perfectionistic expectations and I’ve got to say…it doesn’t feel good. For example, I wanted to write last night about the Blood Moon when the Blood Moon was happening, I felt like I needed to…needed to have a perfect blog with aligning it with the perfect moon phase and yada yada yada. But life happens and you get tired. And that’s okay. So sleep when you need to and let the worries of perfection drift away.

2. Self Limiting Beliefs. All the time you spend not believing in yourself and making up excuses as to why you “can’t” do something…is time spent that you could be spending on whatever it is you wanted to do in the first place. No more excuses…do it! It may take time and effort (and money)…but NOTHING is impossible, except a genie in a bottle granting you a wish for having a particular person fall in love with you…Haha.

3. The What Ifs. This is a death sentence thought process. Do not let the what ifs get in your head. You can’t possibly be missing anything because RIGHT NOW is only RIGHT NOW. The whole “what would life be like right now if I would have, could have, should have?” nonsense is null. You are exactly where you need to be right now…and if you aren’t happy with the situation you are in right now…GET OUT.  

4. Clutter City. Get rid of it. Get rid of the junk in your house. Get rid of the junk thoughts in your head. Make your very own oasis at your house…and get rid of the junk you don’t use and don’t need. Go room by room and do a make over. You’ll feel better once you do it. Strange as it may be…having a clutter free house really does brighten up your mood.

5. Guilt. Stop feeling guilty. Don’t feel guilty if the dishes need to be done but you didn’t have time to do them. They will get done. Don’t feel guilty because you wanted a candy bar and didn’t want to share with your kids…you deserve candy too. And if something happened…it happened. You can’t change the past so move on. Stop worrying or feeling guilty…learn from it and move on. 

6. Anger and Resentment. Can I get an amen? Let go of anger…it leads to resentment and NOONE wants to habor that feeling…whether you are the one doing the resenting or receiving it. Look again at what you are angry about and ask yourself….”but did I die?” And if the answer is no…learn to change it or accept it. Don’t be angry about it. Change it or change your thoughts. 

7. The Three C’s: Comparison, Competition, and Consent. What you need to work on is yourself and what makes yourself happy. Don’t you dare compare yourself to anyone else…give yourself credit for being who you are…accentuate your best you! Stop competing…And whatever you do…don’t try to keep up with the Joneses…it’s just tacky. Lastly, don’t give ANYONE the consent to make yourself feel less worthy. No one should be given that power…because you are worth it!

8. Judgement. Instictually we want to judge…in fact we do it even when we aren’t realizing it…Literally within a few seconds of meeting someone we are already judging them and ourselves…even comparing ourselves to them. That instinct may not really ever go away, but when you find yourself judging or comparing stop for a second and find compassion and understanding. You can only vouch for yourself…and what does it matter if someone else does things differently than you? It doesn’t matter. What matters is how you spend your time and thoughts. 

If I ever question anything…my last question is always “But did you die?” And if the answer is no…then I learn to accept it or change it. Period. The end. Amen.

Love & Moonlight,

Kelly

P.S. You can do any of these at any moon phase…there is no special moon phase for creating space for happiness and moonlight into your life. If you want to make “letting go” special for a particular thing…then plan for a “release party” at the full moon…and let it go then!! 

She Pulled Her Own First Tooth!

  
This girl…is amazing! She pulled her own tooth…all by herself! She couldn’t believe it popped right out! Hahahahaha! She said now she looks like a six year old…she’s still only five! Slow down youngin! She’s so excited she did it herself! And she keeps saying she looks so different! Hahahaha 

Only Uma Kathryn would pull her own first tooth!

Happy Autumn!

   
   
Highlights from today! Cleaned my back porch screens…took a pic with my new light…and currently sitting on my back porch with my mom…drinking Cigar City Maduro…listening to Doris Day. And it feels like fall! 75 degrees I love you!

HAPPY AUTUMNAL EQUINOX!

Love & Moonlight, 

Kelly

P.s. Tomorrow I’ll be posting about making that indoor plant sanctuary!!! 🙂

From a Friend…

photo by Kelly Walden of The Walden Moon

My friend Katie shared this with me today…I felt it.

“She’s coming into her power…

She spent years not realizing who she was.
She doubted her beauty, her intelligence and her power.
She was one who always felt that she didn’t quite belong
because when she came into this life, her ties to the world of spirit remained far too strong..

She was confused and lost throughout her youth, unable to see herself much less accept and appreciate herself.
As a result she was like a ship bobbing in the ocean without a rudder and without the sails of confidence to direct her towards her own promised land.

She was one who bereft of her own acceptance, hungered for it and searched for it through relationships with others.
She was a people pleaser as a result,
she would not risk confrontation in order to support herself,
she succumbed to being influenced by the opinions of others even though she had already received her instruction from within.
She allowed her truth to be sublimated,
she allowed herself to be controlled…
Her need to be accepted and loved was such that she wasn’t prepared to step on or over any toes.

It took her years of being taken for granted,
ruled and overlooked before she put two and two together,
had enough and got the message.
Her suffering forced her to step out of the status quo that had always been too tight for her in the first place…
she became an avid seeker, searching for answers…
She needed to know who she was, she needed to know why she was here.
She needed to find a way to free herself from fear

She travelled far and wide,
She sat at the feet of a master,
She became a Yogini of an ancient lineage
and applied the teachings to her life,
She grew strong,
She awakened her heart
She awakened her shakti,
Her third eye opened as a result…
Her potentials started to be unearthed rapidly because the veils had parted and she recognized who she was,
She also recognized who everyone else was behind their socialized facade
and because she had seen through the myth of idealized perfection,
she could appreciate the actual perfection of the imperfections in herself and in others that she had once resisted and rejected.

Today she walks with conscious awareness..
she no longer labels people as good or bad,
She interprets everything as fluctuating energy without a fixed assignment.
She holds space for the confusion of others because she’s been there and she still visits that place herself
she understands their hunger for love misappropriated as selfishness, jealousy and competition…
She feels their vulnerability as she feels her own…
She knows the fear reflected in their eyes through her own past terror…
But underneath all of it she can see the obscured light,
the presence of God/dess despite all the protective armor…
She’s aware of this same divine presence vibrating in her body and in her heart…
She’s not so quick to cast judgment anymore because she knows that she is not above those that she is tempted to judge…
she knows that she is not separate
And because she gives herself permission to be herself as she is,
she can accept others as they are with appreciation and compassion …

She’s not invested in changing anyone either,
she respects everyone’s chosen path because
she understands that every soul is doing exactly what they need to do in order to evolve
So it is not her place to save anyone from their own lessons…
She reveals, heals, inspires and encourages instead,
she reminds others of their forgotten divinity…
She holds up a mirror so that they can see God/dess reflected back…
She has become a midwife for the re-emergence of the Divine Feminine soul.

The shy, timid maiden has transformed into the courageous, outspoken mother of all…
She says it as she sees it confidently without shrinking back,
She’s fiercely protective of the helpless,
She’s A torch for those lost in darkness,
and she’s not afraid to take a stand for peace and love to flourish in this world…
if someone tries to persuade her against her own knowing she simply and graciously responds, “Thank you for sharing.”
and she walks away…
Because she trusts her “self”,
She knows that she is Divine Mother embodied..

She is Artemis of the wild merged with…
compassionate tara and warrior Durga…
She has traversed the journey of Inanna into the dark underworld and emerged in possession of her kingdom
She knows why she is here and she’s fulfilling her purpose..
She’s not alone, she’s among many
who have chosen to return bearing love as their message,
their path and their gift of healing.” 
© Caroline de Lisser

(found HERE)

First Quarter Moon in Capricorn. 

The Tivoli at 290 by Kelly Walden of The Walden Moon

The moon entered into Capricorn at the first quarter phase last night. 

This is your first check in point. Your first half moon…a time to look at your New Moon Goal or New Moon Mindset again. Notice how far you have come and then make a note of the next steps to take for completing you goal/mindset by the Full Moon. This First Quarter Moon phase will be in Capricorn this month! Capricorn the Sea-Goat…a creature that is both fish and goat…one that can swim in the deepest seas and scale the scariest mountains. At this First Quarter Moon phase…think about how the Capricorn has a duality. Think of your duality for being the goal/mindset and the journey to complete it.

Then look back again at your New Moon goal that was in Virgo. Here is the link back to the past New Moon post. For me…I’ve been slowly, but surely, finding myself. Finding what is important to me…and discovering who I am. And this moon cycle I’ve fallen in love with the following passage I shared at the New Moon:

“The Virgin is an image of purity. Nothing has possessed her. She is attached to nothing, wants nothing, fears nothing. Nothing holds her. She is free, unbound by any earthly drama.

Yet she is here, on the earth. What does the world offer one who seeks nothing but perfection? What can she do? She waits, aloof as the Madonna. She works on herself. And to pass the time, she helps out where she can.” – Steven Forrest

^ Virgo…my sun sign…me. 

In my next post…I’ll share something my friend shared with me…something that goes along with my Virgo New Moon goal…

Love & Moonlight,

Kelly

Mercury in Retrograde.

The Tivoli River by Kelly Walden of the Walden Moon

Ah-ha…MERCURY, you sneaky one….no wonder I’ve felt so off leading up until today. Mercury is in retrograde and is to blame…and it’ll be in retrograde until October 9th. Time to turn inward.

Mercury is the planet that governs things like thinking, communication skills, and writing. It also happens to be the planet that rules Virgo and Gemini. Being a Virgo myself…I tend to want to know everything and I think way too much. Sometimes I get so lost in thinking that I create more problems than there really are…So be mindful of that when you start to reflect inward..

Being that Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun…it orbits the fastest around the Sun…so fast, that around three times per year, it appears to be moving backwards, or as they call it…retrograde. From September 17th, 2015 until October 9th, 2015 Mercury will be in retrograde…this means LOOK INWARD.

This is a time to reflect on life…to think about what’s ahead….but chill. This is NOT the time to make big decisions (wait at least two weeks after the retrograde is over before making decisions you think about during this time)….this is a time to think…plan…but sit…and sit…and sit with yourself and evaluate your life. Think about what has come and what has passed. Ask yourself big questions…questions you haven’t asked yourself before…questions you are afraid of asking yourself…

This is the time for…reading this:

“I want to watch the blue mist of the night come on,

The windows and the stars illumined, one by one,

The rivers of dark smoke pour upward lazily,

And the moon rise and turn them silver.

I shall see the springs, the summers, and the autumns slowly pass;

And when old winter puts his blank face to the glass,

I shall close all my shutters, pull the curtains tight,

And build me stately palaces of candlelight”

– Charles Baudelaire, translation from Landscape, Flowers of Evil

NOW is the time…to build your stately palaces of candlelight…don’t even wait for winter to get here…from the feel of it, AUTUMN is going to be a chilly one…and with Mercury in retrograde, WE need a little candlelight..

Love & Moonlight,

Kelly

P.S. That photograph was from today…it’s the Tivoli river that runs along my neighborhood…I was headed to pick up Ava from dance and saw the sky and made a short stop to the public dock for a little photo-op.

P.S.S. MOM and DAD….hurry up and move back down south so you can kick the renters out of your house and settle back in…because I’d really love to walk on YOUR dock whenever I want…instead of the public one…I mean really! 🙂

New Moon in Virgo.

Blowing Smoke Signals by Kelly Walden of The Walden Moon

Virgo…the Virgin…the perfectionist. To put it in the best words…here is an excerpt from The Inner Sky by Steven Forrest:

“The Virgin is an image of purity. Nothing has possessed her. She is attached to nothing, wants nothing, fears nothing. Nothing holds her. She is free, unbound by any earthly drama.

Yet she is here, on the earth. What does the world offer one who seeks nothing but perfection? What can she do? She waits, aloof as the Madonna. She works on herself. And to pass the time, she helps out where she can.” – Steven Forrest

Read that ten times. Take inspiration from that when you set your New Moon Goal or New Moon Mindset.

Take the next few days if you have to…but come up with your New Moon goal or mindset! Remember a New Moon is for new beginnings…a time to start something new…or just simply plant a seed of good intention and let it blossom! See if you can accomplish this by the next Full Moon!! (Coming up on September 27/28)!!!

Love & Moonlight,

Kelly

P.S. I’m a Vigo sun sign…. wink!

September 2015 Moon Calendar | The Walden Moon

September 2015 Moon Calendar | The Walden Moon

Finally…the September 2015 Moon Calendar. Above is just a snap shot of the first page…in the PDF file you’ll get 21 pages to work with. It’ll have a calendar, description of what to do with the four main moon phases, a thematic overview of which zodiac sign the moon is in at the time with some things to think about, and spaces for you to write something down for each day with special attention to the New Moon Goal/New Moon Mindset and Full moon. To preview the file click the link below!!! You can then decide if you want to download it or print it!

SEPTEMBER 2015 Moon Calendar | The Walden Moon

I hope you like it…sorry I didn’t get it done before September 1st….BUT I did get it to you BEFORE the next NEW MOON coming up Sunday the 13th!!!! So you can plan out your New Moon Goal or New Moon Mindset and write it down!

Love and Moonlight,

Kelly

Let the Child Paint. 

Here is another installment of Uma Kathryn’s art direction. On the left is Uma’s picture of a “game” and on the right is my picture using her left over chosen paints. I’ll call mine the Painted Desert Von Uma.
 

    

Love & Moonlight,

Kelly