Episode 52

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Published on:

24th Feb 2025

Making Room

Ghia—The winter and the new moon combine to make an awesome time for letting go, not just of material clutter but also of unuseful thoughts.

Transcript
Speaker:

Hooray!

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Gia here.

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Welcome to the Creative Spiritual

Journey Podcast, where Judy and I talk

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about those things that bring us joy.

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For me, I find joy by connecting with

nature, connecting with Jesus Christ and

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our heavenly parents, seasonal living.

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And all the bits of magic and wonder

I come across while navigating this

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remarkable journey we call life.

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Here in the Northern Hemisphere, it's

still winter, the cold, dark time of year.

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But that's okay, because every day

it's getting lighter and lighter.

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But as I'm putting out this

podcast, the moon is getting darker.

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And we'll be completely

dark in three days.

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If you've been listening to this

podcast, you know that I've been diving

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into the energy of the moon and I have

learned this dark moon or new moon is

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a time of rebirth or new beginnings.

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Can I just tell you that I love this?

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You know how some people find

motivation in New Year's resolutions?

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That's great, but it

only comes once a year.

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The new moon happens

12 to 13 times a year.

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And each of these moons is a great

time to birth something new in

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your life, a new goal or habit.

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Of course, you don't need

to wait for the new moon.

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You can start a new habit any time.

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But I have discovered that if

I'm needing motivation, the new

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moon gives me a starting date.

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For example, I have a mini

trampoline that I like to bounce on

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because I think it's good for me.

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The idea is that it helps keep my lymph

fluid from stagnating in my body, because

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unlike blood, which has a heart to keep

it moving around, the lymph movement.

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The mini tramp also is supposed to help

strengthen my pelvic muscles, which

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I am particularly aware of as I age.

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Does anyone else sneeze

and have a dribble problem?

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and I don't know about you, but I

hear more and more stories about

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women with prolapsed bladders.

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This sounds terrible to me.

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So if bouncing helps strengthen my pelvic

muscle, I'm willing to give it a try.

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but here's the truth.

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Despite the health benefits, I

go days, weeks, and even months

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without getting on the trampoline.

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I was lamenting this not long ago

when I realized that the new moon

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was only two days away and it gave

me an excellent starting date.

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So now I've been bouncing again and I

have miraculously been able to keep it up.

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So this was the first time I

have ever deliberately used The

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rebirthing energy of the moon.

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And it made me so happy.

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this idea brings me to

the topic of this podcast.

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that the new moon energy is arriving

at the same time the light of the

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sun is growing with the season.

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This makes me feel that there

is an upwelling of energy.

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Spring will be here before we know it,

and spring is a time for planting seeds.

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Literal seeds and metaphorical seeds.

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Spring is a time we

traditionally get moving, right?

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That means that winter is a

time to prepare for spring.

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We slow down, we rest

up, we nourish our roots.

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But what do those flowery

words actually mean?

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What do they look like in practice?

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Here's one idea.

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It's still winter, right?

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We aren't quite ready to bloom.

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This is the perfect time to clear

some space for what is coming, to

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clear space for the seeds that are

going to create that spring bloom.

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And we clear that space by letting go.

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Do those two words scare you?

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Letting go?

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Let me share with you a story

about this idea of letting go.

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This is a story of learning

what we can do without.

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My daughter Riley has been a river

guide in the Grand Canyon for 20 years.

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Here's what that looks

like most of the time.

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It looks like three people, two river

guides and one helper called a swamper,

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taking thirty passengers through a

completely remote and isolated stretch

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of river for seven to eight days.

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All the people and all the gear is packed

into two 30 foot inflatable motorboats.

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Let me tell you that those boats can

hold a lot of gear, which makes these

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river trips relatively luxurious camping.

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But everything needed for the whole trip

must be on the boats before they get on

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the river, because once they leave the

boat ramp, there's no place to pick up

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anything that might have been forgotten.

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Well, that's not completely true.

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It's possible to ask other trips for

something that has been left behind,

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but obviously that would mean cutting

into the supplies of the other trip.

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And it is also possible to call the

river office on a satellite phone

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and have them hike stuff down the

Bright Angel Trail, which hits the

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river about the middle of the trip.

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Both of these options require

inconveniencing someone else

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and admitting your mistake.

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There was Riley on the

first night of the trip.

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She was busy helping passengers

when the swamper walked up and

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asked her where the big box was.

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Riley was confused.

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The boat is full of big boxes.

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When she fully grasped that the

swamper was telling her she couldn't

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find the kitchen box, Riley said her

brain went black and she had to go sit

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in the back of the boat and breathe.

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The kitchen box is one of the

biggest boxes on the boat.

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It holds things needed for cooking,

like spatulas, large cutting boards,

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tablecloths, knives, tongs, serving

spoons, dish soap, bleach, cooking

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oil, lighters, The potato masher,

the grater, and mule gloves, which

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are used as heavy duty hot pads for

moving Dutch ovens and griddles.

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The kitchen box also held another

important item, the stove repair kit.

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Stoves are notoriously susceptible to

sand and the overall rigors of river life.

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It's rare for a stove to last the

whole trip without needing some work.

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But all of these things were left behind.

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It didn't matter whose job it was

to put the kitchen box on the boat.

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Riley, as trip leader, was

ultimately responsible.

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Can you imagine cooking for 30 people,

on vacation, without these things?

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I mean the realization of what they

had left behind was horrifying.

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Not to mention, half of the

crew's salary comes from tips.

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What were the passengers going to think?

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Now, this isn't the first time a river

trip has forgotten important items.

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I once heard of a river trip where all the

Dutch ovens were left at the warehouse.

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That is basically like leaving

all your pots and pans at home.

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What would you do?

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Well, in this case, each passenger

and guide had an ammo can.

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Ammo cans are often used on river

trips for personal gear because

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they are waterproof and convenient.

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The guides got creative, and

taking the lids off turned

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the ammo cans into cook pots.

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So, there was Riley, wondering

what she was going to do.

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Thankfully, she had plates, silverware,

and cups for each passenger.

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And they had a few things in

a separate, much smaller box

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that was used for lunches.

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This box held two knives, a small

cutting board, and a can opener.

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They also had a box of restock

items that contained things like

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dish soap, bleach, and cooking oil.

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But while they had these items, they only

had half of what they generally used.

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After a few moments to gather her

thoughts, Riley realized exactly what they

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were going to do without the kitchen box.

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Do without!

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Because what choice did they have?

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When she explained this to the

crew, they got so determined to get

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by that they refused to ask other

trips for supplies, and they even

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opted not to have anything hiked in.

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They did the whole trip

without the kitchen box.

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The crew got very creative.

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Instead of using mule gloves to

move hot Dutch ovens, they used

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the sleeves of their sweatshirts.

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After opening a can, they wove the lid

between the tongs of a fork to make a

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spatula for flipping eggs and pancakes.

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Riley said that in the end, she

realized they didn't actually

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need that huge kitchen box.

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She wouldn't want to go

without it for every trip.

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but it was amazing to realize

what she could do without.

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And the passengers?

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They figured it out, of course, and,

being impressed, tipped accordingly.

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I love this story.

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We live in a materialistic

society, and I feel like I'm

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on an acquisition hamster wheel.

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More, more, more.

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But the more we have, the more we have

to take care of, the more we have to

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move, and the more we have to store.

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new piece of clothing and

struggled to get it in your drawer?

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What if you could let it all

go, or at least some of it?

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Would you feel lighter, more spacious?

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Would this open up new

opportunities for you?

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I have heard stories of people

taking the time and putting in the

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effort to declutter their house

and losing weight spontaneously.

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The simple act of lightening

the load in one part of your

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life can help in other places.

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So I have to ask myself, what is it I

need to let go of in order to make room

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for new things to come into my life?

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I'm not just talking about reorganizing.

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yes, that can be helpful in creating more

room, but the clutter is still there.

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I'm talking about removing

things from my life.

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This can be things like dusty candles, the

mug I don't really like, clothes I never

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wear, old toiletries, apps on my phone.

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Listen to this quote titled Unclutter Your

Life from William Bradford of the Seventy.

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He says, A cluttered life is a life

that you do not have control of.

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It is a life in which the things you

surround yourself with and allow

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to use up your time are controlling

you and negatively influencing your

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happiness and eternal progress.

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And note, he isn't just

talking about physical items.

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He's also talking about things like

letting go of control, letting go of past

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mistakes, letting go of feelings of lack,

letting go of needing to be perfect.

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It can also be letting go of thoughts

such as she doesn't like me, or this

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is dumb, or I don't have enough time.

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Did you know that you can let go of these

thoughts just as easily as old candles?

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we think we can't let go of these

things because we believe they are true.

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How can we let go of

something that's true?

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But they are only true because our

brains have told us they are true.

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I once heard that half the

things we believe aren't true.

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This idea blew my mind.

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Then why do I believe them?

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Here's why.

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Our brains are continually

trying to make sense of things.

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That's what brains are for.

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so if an acquaintance doesn't respond to a

text, my brain will try to figure out why.

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And it thinks, maybe she doesn't like me.

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After I've had this thought,

my brain begins looking for

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evidence to support this thought.

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I notice things like when this

person comes into the room, she walks

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over and says hi to someone else.

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She might smile at me, but

she doesn't look sincere.

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She might even look me in the

face and say something rude.

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so there is no denying it then, right?

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Obviously she doesn't like me,

My brain has figured it out.

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My thought must be true.

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But what if I find out that her

husband was just diagnosed with cancer?

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Might my brain come up with

different thoughts about her?

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I know this is overly simplified,

but I think you get my point.

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We can let go of thoughts, even when

our brains are convinced they are true.

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I love the idea of simply believing

everyone is doing the best they can.

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Everyone!

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My most dread political candidate.

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The drug addict on the corner.

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The lady who cut me off on the freeway.

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I can simply choose to believe they

are all doing the best they can.

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I also love the idea of simply

believing what people say.

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Has someone ever said something

nice about you and you think, I

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wonder if they really mean that?

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Or are they just trying to be nice?

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I'm over that game.

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I am letting that thought go.

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deliberate choice to believe

whatever anyone says about me.

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I mean, why not?

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I can't get in their mind and read

their thoughts, so why not make my

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life easier and simply believe them?

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How freeing is that?

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And there is more we can let go of.

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I love the talk from Bishop Budge

in this last General Conference.

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He said, When praying, what if we

were to spend less time talking

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and more time just being with God?

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What?

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Let go of talking during a prayer?

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Did you know we can do that?

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He also said, Paradoxically, helping

God hasten his work of salvation and

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exaltation may require that we slow down.

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Being always in motion may be adding

to the commotion in our lives and

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robbing us of the peace we seek.

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Letting go of commotion?

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Did you know that was possible?

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So in this time of increasing light,

in this time of the new moon, is

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there anything you need to release?

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Get rid of or let go.

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Use the power of the seasons and

the moon to help you throw it in the

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trash or the thrift store box, or to

deliberately release it from your mind.

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And then take the time to notice

the space it makes in your life.

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A small thing will leave a small space.

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But as you get used to the motion, as

you get comfortable with it, you will

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find you can let go of more and more.

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And you will find, like Riley,

that you don't actually need

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everything you thought you did.

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The more you release,

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This means that in the spring, there

will be room for new opportunities,

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new friends, better fitting clothes,

and the peace that comes with more

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appropriate thoughts and feelings.

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So there you go.

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That's my winter new moon message.

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Judy, and I know your time is precious

and that you have many choices.

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We love that you have chosen to

walk with us for a few minutes as

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we navigate this journey of life.

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Now, I have a special request.

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If you like this podcast, will

you share it with a friend?

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I had a listener recently tell me

how much she loved our podcast, and

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then she went on to say that she

keeps meaning to share it with her

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Facebook group, but hasn't done it yet.

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If you have had thoughts like this, will

you please take the time right now to

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share this podcast I don't know if you

have noticed, but under the title of the

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show, Apple Podcasts often has a number

representing the number of followers.

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Until you reach a certain

number, that space is left blank.

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I can't figure out what number they

deem worthy of mention, but the lowest

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numbers I have seen are around 150.

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So that's our first podcast goal,

and we would so love your help.

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With that, let me end with

this final quote from the

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Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu.

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When I let go of what I am,

I become what I might be.

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When I let go of what I

have, I receive what I need.

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Namaste.

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About the Podcast

Creative Spiritual Journey
one small, deliberate step at a time
We are all on a journey—a journey home to our heavenly parents. Any experienced traveler knows there are days you laugh and days you cry.

We aren’t here to tell you how to live—we are here to share how we live—how we survive, thrive, and even find joy!

The journey gets messy with rainstorms and sleepless flights but the hard times—the miserable times—those make the best stories.

And the vistas, the sunsets, the little birds outside the window—those are the reminders that God is in the details, he is aware of us, he has trod the path before.

The Creative Spiritual Journey Podcast is hosted by Judy and Ghia Cooley—two sisters in their wisdom years—who love the savior and are dedicated to making this journey one small, deliberate step at a time.

Join us!

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Ghia Cooley