Mental Health and Creativity in the Lunar Cycles

Whether you can associate your own physical or emotional responses to the lunar cycles, there’s no denying that the moon is responsible for the natural rhythms that we are surrounded by, connected to, and a part of. As the tidal waves change, the seasons shift, and the kingdoms of nature ebb and flow, we, too, are physically & mentally motioned into rhythms by the lunar cycles. As a woman, I know how the moon relates to my own personal cycles. Similarly, as a gardener, I know how it relates to plant life. Ultimately, as a human, I understand how it relates to my creativity.

Plants, People, and Mental Health and Creativity in the Lunar Cycles

We follow what’s called a biodynamic gardening calendar to harmonize our relationship with the garden. The goal is to achieve the quality of produce we’re after by timing our activities with the moon’s rhythms. By following the lunar cycles, we can choose optimal dates for sowing root, leaf, flower & fruit crops throughout the year. Each requires varying lunar circumstances. So what does biodynamic gardening have to do with creativity? We tend to the garden based on the lunar cycle, but we also ARE the garden.

New Moon

The new moon is an ideal time for seeding, as the rooting force is most significant. This time of darkness is when we are asked to go inward, find calm, tap into our creativity, and set goals. This is the time to prepare your mental soil and plant your intentions.

Waxing Crescent

At the waxing crescent, energies gain momentum, and plants want to reach up. This makes it a great time to work with above-ground crops. This energy is asking us to put our new moon intentions into motion. This is a time to take creative endeavors from the planning phase to the sketching, brainstorming, and outlining. All while honing in on your vision and moving your concept from an idea to something tangible (to concentrate on what you want the ‘fruit’ of your project to look like).

Full Moon

With its greatest luminosity and fullest power, the full moon has energy levels soaring. During this time, the garden makes leaps and bounds in growth, and it’s a great time for transplanting. This time encourages flowering. While this time can result in heightened emotions, fatigue, or disrupted sleep cycles for humans, this intense energy should be the culmination of new moon goals & fruited ideas.

Waning Crescent

The waning crescent is a tremendous growth period for root vegetables. This time of transitioning back to the new moon is considered a time of release, closure, and ending to our new moon intentions. Here we are asked to focus less on the creative output and more on the creative process as a whole. If we think of a writer publishing a book during the full moon, the waning crescent moon will reflect on how the project moved from A to B and what that writing means.

Cycles of Creativity

To summarize how humans engage with creativity during the lunar cycle, it moves from an inward idea into an outward projection and then into reflection.

The new moon asks us to clear our minds so we can listen to the quiet energy coming from the root of us. Ultimately we put those ideas or projects out into the world as the energy builds through the full moon.

Then we are given space to reflect on our creation, to look at the bigger picture and what the pieces of this creative experience will be helpful in informing the next cycle of creativity.

We move through the moon phases 12 times over the course of the year, which are then associated with the 4 tides.

Spring equinox to summer solstice: the growing tide
Summer solstice to autumn equinox: the reaping tide
Autumn equinox to winter solstice: the resting tide
Winter solstice to spring equinox: the cleansing tide

These tides reflect the cycle of nature but also echo the movement of self through growth- be it internal, in our relationships, or through creative endeavors. As we move with these tides, we are being supported and guided through our growth.

Using a Lunar Technique for Creativity

While the world has its seasons, your life does too. The law of rhythm states that the nature of life is cyclical, and all of the natural world moves through seasons of change. The key to forging your connection to the energy flow of the lunar cycles is to understand your phases and embrace the tide.

Sometimes you must be bold & bright, bringing others into the light of your creative project. Comparatively, other times, you need stillness and quiet.  Here, you can hear the internal bubblings that propel you through change or creativity. These two ways of being are not in opposition to each other but the completion of oneness. Together, they make up the whole arc of the creative process.

During the resting and cleansing tides, we may feel like we haven’t done enough or made enough progress, but that’s because the progress will be internal & subtle. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t on course to your ‘Moon Shot.’

Sometimes I remind myself that I share fingerprints with no one else. The stars guide whales on massive journeys. The sun ripens harvests. Similarly, the moon, as far away as it is, controls the tides both in the ocean and within us! Considering that, maybe recognizing the lunar cycles isn’t some far-reaching idea. It might just be something we are all creatively capable of if we humble ourselves to be guided by nature.

Sources

Cycles of the Moon and How They Can Affect You
Farmers Almanac
The Green Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock
Stella Natura: Biodynamics