By Jim Two Snakes
Have you ever made a New Year’s resolutions and failed? Have you failed twice? Three times? Five times? A Dozen? Well we have a New Year coming soon, have you thought about a resolution again? What if I told you that you have already failed before you have begun? Does that make you angry? Sad? Or did you on some level nod your head and agree?
It’s not that you have failed before my friend but HOW you have failed. You have trained yourself to set a huge goal, a big expectation and to fail. You have conditioned yourself to failure when it comes to New Years resolutions. But what if we could change that?
In 2020 I want you to consider NEW MOON resolutions. You will choose to follow the cycle of the moon, of nature as each month your goal will grow from dark to full, and back to a new beginning. You will be able to look up into the sky and see how close you are to your month being complete. Science tells us that if we can make a habit of anything for 30 days we are more inclined to make the permanent changes we desire, and since Ancient times we have measured cycles not by the sun, but by the moon.
And the beautiful part is you don’t even have to choose them all right now. As a matter of fact I am encouraging you not to. All you need to do is choose one or two, even just one small and reasonable goal that you will work on to begin. Make those small goals part of a larger overall theme. So perhaps your larger goal is to do what many people choose; to be healthier in the new year. Your first goal could be to begin your day with a glass of clean water and some basic stretches. Small. Accomplishable. At the next new moon you will reevaluate and adjust as needed. “I want to continue water in the morning, but instead of or in addition to stretching I am going to do a short sprint walk every morning.” Perhaps the month after that you decide the sprint walking was not fun or satisfying and that you want to change the morning stretching into a quick Qi Gong routine. Flexible goals. Adjustable goals.
Don’t discount the value of having a coach or mentor either. Many times the people in our lives are actually very resistant to our attempting to change because it pushes at their own shadows and insecurities. Often it’s my first job as a spiritual coach to help you break down your expectations, and set step goals just like the new moon goals. And then to be that outside voice helping with ideas and accountability outside of the expectations of friends and family.
What will your first New Moon resolution be? Your first begins on January 25th.
New Moon 2020 Dates
January 25 ———- July 20
February 23 ———- August 19
March 24 ———- September 17
April 23 ———- October 16
May 22 ———- November 15
June 21 ———- December 14
Jim Two Snakes is a Shamanic Practitioner who has been trained in lineaged Peruvian shamanism, based in Jackson, Michigan. He has been serving his local community for 28 years. He hosts the podcast Around Grandfather Fire, and holds Q’ero (Peruvian) Fire Ceremonies and teaches workshops and classes throughout the year. Find out more at www.jimtwosnakes.net
