Nights when you want to move forward but can't. The 'no need to rush' time taught by the first quarter moon

For those nights when you've decided to do something, but your feet just stop

A small goal written in a notebook on the night of the new moon.

“I'll do my best with this this month.”
“This time, I'll really change.”

I was so excited when I decided that. Yet, after a few days, for some reason, my feet stop moving.

I should have the motivation, but my body won't move. I want to move forward, but I'm too anxious to take that first step. I get lost wondering, 'Is this really okay?' and end up getting nothing done.

On nights when only the monitor's light illuminates the room, don't you find yourself blaming yourself again?

“Why am I so indecisive?”
“I'm no good because I can't do what I decided to do.”
“Everyone else is moving forward so much more smoothly.”

Clutching your smartphone in bed, you feel down just like that.

But please, wait a moment. If you look up out the window, the moon might just be in its half-shape, the 'first quarter moon'.

This period is a time of natural 'friction' that occurs on the way from the new moon to the full moon.

So, spinning your wheels doesn't mean you're no good. It's just a bit of rattling, like when you shift gears on a bicycle.

Recently, in a new game I started with a close friend, I learned to love this 'rattling'.

Today, I'd like to talk about how to gently ride out this 'first quarter moon' phase🌙

I, too, used to blame myself for 'not being able to move forward'

With my HSP temperament and perfectionist tendencies, I would immediately blame myself whenever I couldn't smoothly proceed with something I had decided to do.

Every time I set a goal on the new moon, I would repeat the same thing.

I'd decide, 'This time I'll really do it,' and things would go smoothly for the first few days. But after about a week, for some reason, I'd suddenly feel like I'd hit the brakes and couldn't move.

• I can write on note every day, but when I try to start a new project, my hands suddenly stop

• Thinking too much because I want to make it better, I become unable to take the first step

And then, I blame myself again.

"Why am I so indecisive?" "I'm no good because I can't properly carry out what I've decided."

Ever since I experienced a major failure in the past, the fear that "I might make a mistake again" has always been deep in my heart.

That's why, if I feel even a little bit of anxiety, my feet stop. If I don't have the "confidence to do it perfectly," I become unable to move.

However, since I started becoming aware of the moon's rhythm, I've realized something.

This "period of being unable to move forward" is usually around one week after the new moon. It overlapped with the time when the moon becomes a half-moon, the "First Quarter Moon"🌿

The First Quarter Moon is a time for "adjustment" and "course correction"

The First Quarter Moon is the moon about 7 days after the new moon, in a state where only half of it is shining.

Light and shadow are clearly divided in half.

As this shape symbolizes, it is a period when the "desire to do something (light)" and "feelings of anxiety (shadow)" are struggling against each other in the heart.

• "I want to try it" but "I'm scared"

• "I want to move forward" but "I lack confidence"

• "I want to change" but "maybe staying as I am is fine"

In astrology, this period is said to be a time for "challenge" and "adjustment."

What happens on the path from the new moon to the full moon

The approximately 14 days from the new moon to the full moon are a "time of filling."

• New Moon (Day 0): A new start, sowing seeds

• First Quarter Moon (Day 7): Challenge and adjustment, reviewing the direction ← We are here now

• Full Moon (Day 14): Completion, achievement, filling

The First Quarter Moon is exactly the halfway point.

Is it really okay to continue as is with what was started at the new moon? Is the direction correct? Is there a better way to do it?

It is a time when such "re-evaluations" happen naturally.

This conflict is not happening because you are weak.

It is a state where the seeds sown at the new moon have sprouted and are being exposed to the winds of reality. Your heart is checking in, asking, "Is this really the right direction?" or "Am I pushing myself too hard?"

That is why feeling lost during the first quarter moon is very important.

"Feeling lost" is not "stagnation," but an "adjustment" to move forward carefully💫

What a game taught me about loving the "wobbles"

Recently, I have been trying an FPS game for the first time with my best friend.

I don't dislike games themselves, but this is my first time playing an FPS, and I have always been bad at player-versus-player games.

My controls are still shaky, and I panic when I encounter an enemy. I can't walk straight or I end up facing the wrong way. I am always holding my teammates back.

At first, I almost fell into my usual habit of feeling down, thinking, "Maybe this really isn't for me" or "Am I being a burden?"

But my very skilled best friend didn't blame me for my "inability" to do things.

"Everyone is like that at first."
"Even if it doesn't go well, let's try again."

They said that and taught me carefully. They were enjoying it with me, including the parts I couldn't do.

Touched by that kindness, I suddenly realized something.

"Wobbles" aren't something to be blamed, but something to be smoothed out while laughing together.

At that moment, I thought, ah, this is what the time of the first quarter moon is like.

Even if you can't do it perfectly, even if you wobble, that is also part of growth. Hitting a wall is proof that you are trying to move forward.

The feeling you get around the first quarter moon,

• the feeling of your feet stopping

• the feeling that something just doesn't fit right

• The frustration of not being able to move forward smoothly

That is surely the same as the first few hours of a game.

It is not material to blame yourself by saying, 'I'm still not good at this,' but rather,

it might be an important sign to gradually adjust by asking, 'How should I shift gears from here?' 💫

A gentle way to spend time during the first quarter moon

If you feel like you 'want to do your best but can't move forward' right now, please try spending your time like this instead of forcing yourself to step on the gas.

1. Make it a time to 're-evaluate' your goals

Gently check if the goals you set during the new moon still suit who you are now.

• If they are too big, it's okay to make them smaller

• If you feel the direction is wrong, it's okay to change it

• If you want to quit, it's okay to quit

Goals are not meant to bind you, but to help you. If they no longer fit, you can adjust them at any time.

2. Try counting the things you 'have accomplished'

Even if you feel like you aren't moving forward, you may actually be taking small steps.

Please try writing down just three things you have accomplished between the new moon and today.

• 'I was a quitter, but I kept it up for three days'

• 'It's great that I even just opened the textbook'

No matter how small, that is 'proof that you are moving forward'.

3. Try talking to someone about what you 'can't do'

If there is someone you feel safe with, please try telling them, 'I'm having a hard time moving forward right now.'

Sometimes, just sharing your burden with someone instead of keeping it all to yourself can make your heart feel a little lighter.

Even just sending a single word in a chat is an act of 'courage to ask for help'🌿

4. Say out loud that 'it's okay to be lost'

Thinking 'I shouldn't be lost' is what makes it painful. Just accept it by saying, 'This is a time for being lost' or 'I'm currently in the adjustment phase.'

'I'm a bit shaky right now.' 'But, I am trying to move forward.'

That's how you can gently forgive your clumsy self.

It's okay to blame the first quarter moon for it too🌙

The first quarter moon is a time when you don't have to rush.

Even if things you started at the new moon aren't going smoothly, please don't blame yourself.

Around the time of the first quarter moon, everyone goes through a period of being a little 'shaky'.

That isn't because you are weak, but proof that your heart is 'thinking things through properly'.

Being lost is not a sign of weakness, but proof that you are proceeding with care. Stopping is not a retreat, but proof that you are making adjustments.

Even if you don't progress perfectly, and even if you are shaky, that is all part of 'growth'.

When you watch the lunar cycle, you might realize that there may not actually be a single day where you 'continue to move straight ahead'.

• The new moon is 'a day to start from doing nothing'

• The first quarter moon is 'a day where it's okay to worry while moving forward'

• The full moon is 'a day to pause for a moment and receive'

• The last quarter moon is 'a day to let go and rest'

Every one of those is properly a part of the moon.

Both 'nights when you are worried' and 'days when you can't move forward',

I think it's all part of 'your cycle'.

Once you pass the first quarter moon, you will be able to move forward little by little toward the full moon again.

There is no need to rush. You can just move forward slowly, at your own pace.

Perhaps the moon is whispering that to you🌙

Please look up outside your window and try to find the moon.

What shape is today's moon?

If you see a half moon, it's a sign that 'now is a time for adjustment'.

It doesn't have to be perfect, and it's okay if things are a bit shaky.

The moon is surely watching over those clumsy steps of yours gently💫

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