In February, it is time to begin starting seeds indoors. Cold crops, mostly, and warm crops in March. Soon the windowsills will be overflowing with seedlings. Before I begin to plant, however, I look at my old grandfather clock that has the moon dial on it and see where the moon is. Right now, it’s waning- or getting smaller and closer to a new moon.

I don’t really need to look at the clock. I go to bed real early but I make sure I take a peek at the moon and stars before heading to slumber and I usually see Grandmother Moon in the wee hours when I awake. I try to build my life around the natural rhythms of nature; I find it makes life flow a little more naturally.

A waning moon is quiet, in slumber, growing smaller. It is a time for us to plan and to rest. And it is winter; we have introspection and dream time in the winter. Planning what spring might hold. When planting, we start or plant seeds and plants that grow underground. The energy is in the ground right now. So, as I wander through my collection of seeds (oh my, I do go crazy when looking at catalogues!), I look for the ones that grow underground. For the most part, beets, radishes, potatoes, and carrots, etc. all are directly planted, so there is no need to start them. I sigh, and put them away. How I long to play in the dirt. It has been so nice out this winter, that I may be able to harvest the garlic soon that I planted last fall! And it makes me long for spring even more! But I know that most of our snow comes in the spring.

What I do have to plant this week is sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes take a long time to grow, so I start them in a pot of soil and keep them in a sunny room to grow. By May, they will (hopefully) have many vines that are snipped with the piece of sweet potato they are growing from, and then planted. I always buy organic produce so I know that I can plant whatever I buy. Around this time, when I notice potatoes and sweet potatoes starting to shrivel or grow eyes, I put them in the back of my refrigerator. That slows their growth until I can plant them.

During the waning moon, consider what your current passions are. What can you not stop talking about? Thinking about? Reading about? That is your blueprint. Follow it, even if you have no idea where it will lead. Create a vision board. Cut out magazine photos and glue them onto a board. Don’t think, just cut out and see what your map looks like. Believe me, you will be so amazed at how many things come to fruition from these boards. It’s awesome.

Next week, we will begin our ascent. The moon will begin to grow for two weeks to become a full moon. During that two weeks, I will start broccoli, cauliflower, and things that take awhile to grow. Here in Colorado, we have three weeks of spring. We literally go from freezing temperatures and late snow, to three weeks of spring, then to 90 degrees, at which point the cruciferous and greens freak out and go to seed. Anything you’d like plenty of, start indoors.

While the moon is growing, start implementing your goals. I am taking a refresher permaculture course. All I can think of is farming. Being winter, it is time to learn, write my goals, dream, and try to set the framework for a bountiful manifestation of career, lifestyle, and garden.

Things flow better when we follow nature’s cycles. Because we are, of course, a part of nature.