Blue Moon

You saw me standing alone...

The world feels pretty lonely right now, doesn’t it. And pretty broken. And a little more hopeless than it has. And this full moon today, this Sagittarius Moon, this Blue Moon, is once again supposed to help us drop our old patterns, let go of what isn’t working, and move into a new era.

For those of you who follow astrological happenings at all, doesn’t this sound familiar? In fact, hasn’t this been the same message over and over and over for as long as you can remember: This big shift is coming! It is going to change everything! Whether it is a new moon or a new year (we had high hopes for the Fire Horse, just like every other new year since at least 2020... maybe since Y2k, if I think about it), we keep being told that this year, moon, eclipse, trine, alignment of 27 planets from this and other dimensions, are going to realign everything.

I have begun to think that being an astrologist is a better gig than being a meteorologist. Not only do you not have to be right, but we’re all so desperate for life to get better somehow, that we are willing to forget the last 62 predictions and keep believing that this alignment of whatever is finally going to be our salvation. What a bunch of shit.

Two things are going to change your life: (1) How you think about it; and (2) What you do about it. That’s it. I mean, I believe in Grace. And Grace has definitely shown up a few times to save me, or to drop a surprise gift in my lap. But Grace showing up in our lives is kind of like Inspiration showing up for an artist. As a writer, if I sat around waiting for Inspiration or Grace to put words on the page, I wouldn’t have produced much to share with you.

So yes, admire the Blue Moon, believe in Grace, believe in magic, but also, change what you can, including how you see the world. Look yourself in the eye and call bullshit on what you need to. Look your fears in the eye and watch them transform into roadmaps. Then look at yourself again and see all the magic and beauty that lives there inside you. Not in the planets. Not in the moon. Not in what some interpreter of maladies has said will happen to you when x planet crosses paths with y. You are not alone in your struggles. And also, you are not at the mercy of the Moon or Mercury.

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If you don’t believe me, listen to Jillian, then. Jillian is counseling Maggie over her latest breakup and her feelings that she is cut adrift in the storm once more. Jillian uses her remarkable insight and observation skills to deliver her brief but powerful wake up lines:

Here’s what I think. I think it’s possible you use relationships as a place to hide from love. They are stopovers between longing and heartbreak. And I think you hide there, inside the house of a relationship, until restlessness starts playing her guitar on your front porch. Until that moment when you know you can’t hide there anymore. You simply can’t stay in bed a minute longer.

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If you are curious as to how it turns out for Maggie or Jillian, or the rest of the crew, you can order a copy of Waking Up at Rembrandt’s now.

If you have not read Waking Up at Rembrandt’s, there’s never been a better time to start the three-novel journey than with this remastered edition. And if you have read it, but it has been a while since you went along for that ride, I think it is a story worth revisiting, especially if you want a refresher before the third and final installment arrives.

You can pick up a copy of both novels, as well as the collection of essays Happiness Is an Imaginary Line in the Sand wherever books are sold.

This includes direct from the publisher Wayfarer Books or from Bookshop.org