Tonight is the Full Buck Moon. It is referred to as such because July is the month when the tiny new antlers of buck deer begin to sprout from their foreheads
It's also often called the Full Thunder Moon, because thunderstorms tend to occur frequently during this month.
Also known as The "Full Moon of the Guru"... an ancient tradition in India when heavenly teachers offer powerful blessings to the human race. It is a time of opportunity for divine energy to bring new levels of compassion, joy, peace, and divine intelligence to the world.
A night dedicated to thanking all our teachers, in every walk of life; especially the difficult ones who challenge us to reach deep within to feel love and compassion. A time to celebrate the teachers in your life... your kids, parents, siblings, friends, spouse, co-workers, etc.
For years now, I've been on a journey of trying to live mindfully and not put so much importance on the material things in life. I began this frame of mind when my car died and I couldn't afford to get buy and insure another one.
For the past 4 years I have been beaten down by living a constant struggle to find employment I can access without a car. My small town has few, if any employment opportunities and I've gone after them all, mostly part-time cashier work, even though I have a college diploma.
WIth my self-esteem eroding more with each passing month, depression and a taste of defeat I've never known before, I stand and wait for city buses that drive by irregularly and infrequently to transport me to a part-time, usually night job and work for minimum wage. Walking through snowstorms, pouring rain or sweltering summer humidity, I try to stay positive, I try to put money away, even if I can only afford $20 a month in hopes of reaching that forever unattainable dream of owning another car.
For my dream board this month, I want to acknowledge and celebrate the "teachers" and "gurus" in my life.
My altar with my Buddha, where I sit mindfully and try my best to be thankful for being able to provide what I can for my daughter.
My father (who is deceased), and taught me great lessons in work ethics and being thankful for any car... as he himself could never afford his own new car until all his children were grown and living on our own. Before that, he always drove what he could afford to pick up used, and fixed it himself. I thank him for his resourcefulness, and how it rubbed off on me.... a quality I never even realized I possessed until I became a parent myself.
And finally I acknowledge whatever universal force may be trying to teach me something?... may be leading me in the direction of moving to a "bus community" where I can access employment opportunities? OR maybe my car is on it's way to me as I write this?
But mostly, I thank my hatchling who is such a brave and resilient kid. She never complains, never feels self-conscious that we are perceived as "poor" in our community. She never complains that it takes us a whole day to shop for groceries on buses, never complains if we have to walk in a snowstorm to her dance class, or a dentist appointment. Never lets it get to her that I can't be "one of the mom's" who drives the kids to the movies. She is the most optimistic, non-materialistic, most enlightened, most precious teacher I have in my life. And one of the few non-shallow teenagers in today's world.
I dedicate my dreamboard to the teachers in my life, my gurus....
