New Moon, New Beginning

On this seemingly random - though intentionally chosen - Wednesday in October of 2025, I have decided to get back to blogging. When we first moved out to our new home in Manitoba in 2015, I had started a blog to share funny stories and life on our farm. So much life has transpired since those early, naive times. I wish there was some simple synopsis I could give that would bridge the gap from there to here, but I'll instead simply say welcome to this phase of my life and if you're interested I will try to fill in the blanks as we go. This blog is intended to give a glimpse into everything that is me and Rumination Textile Studio. Sometimes the rumination seems as though it has precisely nothing to do with textiles, until I step back from the finished project see all of the common threads of my life interlaced.

We are in the season of autumn. In the past, this time of year has filled me with dread; the darkness returns and the bitter cold follows shortly thereafter. The animals now line up in the mornings to remind me to come feed them as they are no longer out on lush, green pasture and must be fed their hay and grain. This year I've gained a new perspective on this time of year.

Cyclical processes draw me in and this year I have felt the pull of the Wheel of the Year. I bought books to help understand traditional ways of marking the eight dates through the year. I turned the idea over in my head for quite some time. Being raised Roman Catholic, it felt sinful to recognize "pagan" holidays. But at my core, it feels most humane to mark time this way. The Wheel of the Year acknowledges the trials and tribulations of human existence in ways the calendar year does not. Feast and famine, life and death, fertility and decay all have their place in its spokes. Some recent revisiting of my bookshelf led me to discover that Samhain, celebrated halfway between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice, could be considered the start of a new year. This timing feels so correct to me, and I've yet to put my finger on why. It feels as though this is where we are tucked in by the imminent blanket of snow and drift off to the dream space of darkness and winter.

In more recent months, the cycles of the moon have piqued my interest. It started with a combination of my interest in astronomy and a recommendation from my therapist that structure in my life, specifically my creative practice, would benefit me greatly. I tried a few different methods of structure but found none I could successfully incorporate until I came across the idea of setting and accomplishing intentions with the lunar cycles. It sounds wholeheartedly nuts to me too, but the mere act of turning my attention to the phase of the moon on a given day has given me a better understanding of my own cycles of energy, rest, and creativity. I love being able to rattle off that today's moon is a Waning Gibbous or a Waxing Crescent.

Central to this new way of moving through the world is ritual. Specifically, for me right now this means I have taken some time to myself to visualize and list all the things I intend to bring to fruition between this New Moon (last night's New Moon in Libra) and the next one (November 20th's New Moon in Scorpio). I've gotten over myself and started making vision boards again around the themes of the associated sign. For now I'm focusing on new ways of bringing greater balance into my life as this is the theme of Libra. I created a mind map around the theme of balance and brainstormed the areas I may want to show greater intention. All of this is to say: this is the process I'm currently using and how it led me to decide to start blogging again today. I will mention where I am at in the cycle as reference, mainly for myself, but it could be fun to follow along if you are also looking to build in some more structure. I intend to make a post daily through this cycle to capture some of my creative process. If you made it this far, thank you for your time and attention. I feel truly grateful to be here sharing a bit of my inner world with you.

My vision board for this new cycle beginning with the New Moon in Libra. The vision board is always more cryptic than my brainstorming but the intentions are contained within each.