Outlier: The Moon as Guide to Source and Stillness
A Poetry Collection
by
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Chapter One Hunger Moon New Moon They called it the Hunger Moon, the Algonquin of long ago, tracking the season of scarcity with this thin and lonesome name. Acknowledge this. Honor the cycle of the lean. It is necessary to the plenty. But we tend not to trust this, the lean time. We worry we got it wrong. Again. We believe the inner voices: I’m alone . . . my talent is meager . . . success happens to outgoing people . . . money is not spiritual . . . We believe these voices until we actually stop and watch the flesh tear, tracing it back to the original damning. It’s brave To say This is happening . . . Quiet the racing heart, hear the breath. For there will be times of lean. But the lessons that pace alongside these moments are oddly tender. What matters is tapping the unexpected warm spring close to the heart. What matters is creating space within the resources we have. What matters is courting the bone trust, not just the fleshy ways of ease. What matters is meeting The Mystery with an invocation of courage that cries and stumbles, but rises again, tear-stained cheeks meeting the cold and bite in expectant silence. For this life is too beautiful in its shards of cold, cold light to look away any longer. Collect the twigs that feed the humble fires. The lean times reveal. Hunger is a mighty teacher. Waxing Moon Oh Hunger Moon, reveal a singular mystery tonight. I am weary and longing for rest, But I am of an instinct to know you. In the milky cast of half-light, In the hush. In the spaces between, And the quiet sighs past midnight. May I know another silence. The one that is not lonely. Full Moon Stand in the searing light. The full Hunger Moon. Enter the paradox. Fully lean, the thick-set scarcity. Primal core. Turn toward that which cannot be borne, with nothing but the knowing that it matters to do so. Speak the spell. See with wide eyes the creative wreckage, the hollow marriage, the icy loneliness. Trek where the demons lead. Learn their wail. Know their sorcery. I am my own jailer. It stings to catch this on the wind. Light the inner landscape. Seize the key. Waning Moon Our journey with the Hunger Moon is drawing to a close. This moon, in her last quarter phase, is winding down. Releasing. Bringing the wisdom home. We have spoken of turning toward that which haunts us. It doesn’t mean we give up. But right action only flows from a spaciousness, a less-charged atmosphere. When in overwhelm, say it: This is bigger than I am . . . The body will soften. Sound and scent will return. Right then. Right there. Court the answer from the Void. It is trustworthy.
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About the Book
Lori Green has always felt a strong connection to the moon—that majestic, pale creature that floats on the outlying edges of the night sky. While perusing an old copy of Farmers’ Almanac, she learned that each cycle of the moon is thematically tied to the rhythms of the natural world. She wondered if she could use the moon as a guide to deliver her to a larger sense of wellness. Outlier: The Moon as Guide to Source and Stillness is a collection of her personal discoveries—a year’s worth of poetry and lists, prose and memoir, which records her apprenticeship with the moon. Tracking the seasonal wisdom of each lunar passage, Lori reflects on a thematic intention (new moon), feeds its promise (waxing moon), embraces the fruition (full moon), and surrenders once again into the arms of life (waning moon). Similarly, this observance of the moon’s rhythm and flow invites readers to get in tune with the world around them and listen to their own bodies and hearts to detect ways in which they may need greater balance or awareness. Lori’s collection has the power to deepen one’s experience with the gifts of this moon-based sensibility, a perspective offering both spaciousness and connection, just like the moon itself.
About the Author
Lori Green holds a Master’s degree in Depth Psychology, with an emphasis in Jungian and Archetypal Studies. An author, speaker, and consultant, Lori helps individuals live more conscious, soulful lives. She lives in Wyoming with her family.