FaceBreak - January 27, 2013

I love Facebook and I will never forget how much it helped me while I was ill and in the hospital and how that connection with friends has continued to help me these last 14 months. The support has been incredible and the comments and notes uplifting. Not to mention that I found a page for Lymphoma support that gained me new friends that I connected with on my personal page. I visit that page every day to learn new things or to offer support to others affected by Lymphoma. However, lately I have had a low tolerance for things on Facebook. I’m not sure exactly why though I think it’s a combination of elements. Without going into great detail we experienced a heartbreaking loss in my family in the past week and I haven’t been in the mood to post or do much on there. But every day it’s part of my ritual to scan through and read what everyone is doing. I mean, I always do this – if I’m away from the computer or not home for a few hours, I will later set aside time to scroll down and read everything I missed for that day. I care about my friends there and I want to know what’s going on in their lives. But this feeling I’ve had the past week hit me so hard late last night and when noticing the beautifully brilliant full moon, for fun I looked up info on the full moon and found the following:

Full Moon in Leo January 26, 2013

The first Full Moon of the year will occur on Saturday January 26, 2013 at 11:38 p.m. Eastern Time in Leo at 7 degrees. With the Sun in Aquarius, there may be a tug of war going on between the needs of self and the needs of others. It could also signal a time for you to step out of the crowd in order to reach your potential. This Full Moon will also focus on love and creativity.

Wolf Packs and Lion’s Pride

The early Native American tribes in what is now the Northern and Eastern United States, referred to January’s Full Moon as the Wolf Moon due to seasonal conditions. During this period, winter’s cold and snow often resulted in hungry wolf packs howling outside tribal villages.
Love and creativity are a focus during this Full Moon period. Leo rules the heart and loves drama, art and romance.
Wolves form clans and travel in packs, so let this serve as an image for your during this period. Are you hungry for something in your life? Is your soul crying out for more fulfillment or excitement? Also think about your relationship to your “clans” of family and friends. Do you yearn for more closeness or more independence?
In addition to the wolf metaphor, this Full Moon takes place in Leo, the sign of the lion. We often associate the word pride with lions, both real and symbolic. This Full Moon will serve as an opportunity to develop your own individual pride and self-esteem. Ironically, lions are also part of groups known as prides.
This period will challenge you to focus on yourself while understanding your connections with others. Are you looking to be more original and stand out among the crowd? Or perhaps your pride is getting in the way when it comes to relationships and group dynamics. The light of this Full Moon will help you see these areas more clearly so that you can take charge and move ahead.

Spotlight on Self

Leo is a fire sign and reminds us about all the qualities of the Sun. This Full Moon will reflect those features of warmth, creativity, enthusiasm and confidence. Leo is regal, kingly and loves to take center stage. This is your chance to step into the spotlight and focus on yourself.
If you followed the last New Moon in Capricorn, you probably set some serious goals for yourself. You may have looked at the past and resolved to become more responsible and structured in certain areas of your life. Now is the time to bust out and express yourself to the world! It’s okay to say, “Hey look at what I’m doing and achieving.” Take pride in what you are working on, even if it’s only in the beginning stages.
As you shine the spotlight on yourself, you may notice some friction with others. Watch out for envy, jealousy and negativity from those who may not fully support your freedom of expression. They may also complain about their needs. Don’t let it discourage you. This Full Moon will help you balance your needs along with other’s demands.

Hearts and Art

Love and creativity are also a focus during this Full Moon period. Leo rules the heart and loves drama, art and romance. Use this transit to prepare yourself now for Valentine’s Day. Get in the love spirit early by focusing on those you care about. If you’re looking to rekindle a romance, this Full Moon can help you get in the mood. Be daring and express your feelings.
Finally get your creative juices flowing during this period. Get inspired by visiting a museum, going to a concert or seeing a play. If you’ve had any artistic visions or longings, now is the time. Pick up that paintbrush or instrument and have fun. Start a new hobby or revisit an old one.

Enjoy the energies of this month’s Full Moon. Let it help you find your authentic self and proclaim it to the cosmos!

My first reaction was “Wow”! I am a Leo and this really hit home. Now whether you believe in any of this or not - and even though I read horoscopes for fun, just so you know, I don’t alter my day or life by reading one, I have to say this really spoke to me. I decided this was the perfect impetus to get me to step back from Facebook for a few days – maybe even a week and take a breath and, like that said, get my “creative juices flowing”! I am not putting a time limit on it and I have a few exceptions to my break – two friends’ birthdays this week (I checked before signing off) so I will sign on those days to wish them a Happy Birthday (but that's all I'll do) and there's someone I’ve been writing to about helping them with their business project so I need to go on to get that info and possibly write her or get her e-mail to write her off Facebook. So I’m going to blog about what I may or may not accomplish during my Facebook time off. I hope I can detox a bit so I can return feeling refreshed and less annoyed about things – and though there is no time limit on grieving (as I recently learned from a dear friend), Facebook isn’t working as the distraction or means of grieving. I need to just step away from things for a while but I’ll be back because the good of Facebook so far for me, far outweighs the bad. Sometimes you have to take a break from things you like just so you can continue liking them. :-)

So here we go….:

Facebook Break Day 1

It’s 5:30 p.m. and I already feel better. It helps it’s a Sunday and that people tend not to post as much on Sundays. So far today I worked on knitting my next hat while watching one of my favorite classic TV shows, “The Dick Van Dyke Show” – knitting and laughing – sounds like a great combo to me! Later tonight, more mindless TV with the SAG Awards – I’m a sucker for the awards shows – my guilty pleasure so so what, right?! We all  need those!