Lunar Abundance with Ezzie Spencer

Kathleen Shannon 0:00
Hello and welcome to being boss episode number 74. This episode is brought to you by fresh books cloud accounting.

Emily Thompson 0:13
Being boss and work and life is being in it,

Kathleen Shannon 0:16
it's being who we are doing the work, breaking some rules. And even though we each have to do it on our own

Emily Thompson 0:24
being boss is knowing we're in it together. Today I am really excited to be talking to my friend and fellow creative adorable Australian currently living in Bali as he Spencer who is the creator of the lunar abundance salon, a really awesome community of women who want to use the cycles of the moon to help bring abundance into their life with goal setting. And today we're going to be talking about z and her journey from lawyer to online community. creator and nurture and and dive into what lunar abundance is.

Kathleen Shannon 1:08
Fresh books cloud accounting is built for small business owners, millions of service based creative entrepreneurs are using fresh books to build for their time and their expertise. But you guys, a lot of our listeners are still working day jobs and are just now getting their side hustle off the ground and it is never too early to try fresh books. It allows you to get organized with your income and expenses, you will save time billing, you'll get paid faster and you will be able to grow your business freshbooks is built to support the needs of growing businesses on average freshbooks customers double their revenue in the first 24 months. This is so incredible. And I think it just goes to show that the amount of attention that you put on making money is going to pay off for sure. So check out freshbooks you can try it for free by going to freshbooks comm slash being boss and enter being boss in the How did you hear about us section? Right back to our show.

Emily Thompson 2:10
High as he How are you doing?

Ezzie Spencer 2:11
Hello. I'm so good. I'm so happy to be here.

Emily Thompson 2:14
Good. I I'm stoked to talk to you. As he and I met hysterically weirdly online a couple of months ago. I remember I was like just trolling Instagram as one does late in the evening sometimes. And I found I found your lunar abundance salon you were you share really awesome graphics like graphic designer deserves sincere high fives for me sharing really awesome Instagram posts about like the phases of the moon and how to set intentions and sort of flow with the with the cycles of the moon sort of bring abundance into your life. And I totally fell in love followed you on Instagram. And then like two weeks later, you email me and you're like, Hey, I love being balls. I think what you guys are out there. what you guys are doing are awesome. Let's connect and I was like Shut up. Like I had already found you. You completely disconnected found me and we ended up meeting up on Skype. And it's kind of been a little bit of a love affair. I feel like every

Ezzie Spencer 3:23
love affair. I feel when you emailed back and said I'm just looking at your Instagram right now. But yeah,

Emily Thompson 3:29
it was completely crazy for me. Yeah, I got the email. Whenever I got your email, I felt like I don't know, the moon had sent me something beautiful. And try not to get too woowoo here, guys,

Unknown Speaker 3:43
we got this.

Kathleen Shannon 3:43
Well, you know what I actually want to jump in on that point. Because as he will let you talk in a second. This is our show is getting. But one of the things I've been signing up for your emails ever since Emily has been raving about you. And one of the things that I really feel from you is that while there is this woowoo element to the moon, there's also a very real practical side to it. And you are well you come across as a very grounded person. So just to set the tone. There's a little Whoo. But there's a lot of grounding. I could be wrong, maybe interviewing like you're totally headed in the clouds. But that's the impression I get and I wonder if some of that comes from your background. You used to be a lawyer, right?

Ezzie Spencer 4:29
I did. You used to be a lawyer. I trained as a lawyer and I work in the laws. So yeah, I have my feet on the ground. You know, I look up and I get the inspiration from the sky but I work with the moon as a mirror. So I feel like one of the beautiful ways that we can connect with the moon cycle is to see what's happening in the sky and just have it really illuminate and reflect back to us here on earth and here inside our bodies. Like what's going on inside of us. So it's a bit sort of based on that idea of As above, so below, with us being here below on earth being a really great place to be. So, yeah,

Kathleen Shannon 5:18
I love that. So I want to hear a little bit more before we dive into lunar abundance, about your journey, going from a day job or working as a lawyer to doing your own thing, we have so many bosses listening, who are dying to get out of their day jobs, they have a side project that they're super passionate about. So I would love to hear how you turn this into a full time gig.

Ezzie Spencer 5:40
Totally, I love talking about this, because it really was something which started by accident in a way and then evolved really slowly over time. And I think there's a lot in that for people who have got that sense of there being something else, you know, something beyond that day to day life. And, you know, I had this job where I worked really, really hard, like, it was a pretty good job, you know, I liked it, it was a good cause I did social justice and Law Reform kind of work. So, you know, it had meaning and purpose. But the law is a very heavy intellectual place, as is many, you know, corporate jobs, you know, we're very stuck in our heads, we're disconnected with our bodies, with our hearts with our creativity. And so, you know, I didn't feel like I really fit in and I didn't want to settle for that. And so I would go home at night, and journal and to try to make sense of myself. And to make sense of how I was feeling because I knew something wasn't quite right. But I didn't know exactly what the next thing would look like, I didn't have a business at that stage. But I would journal and I would try to make sense of these feelings, you know, the world, like my place in the world. And at some point, I don't know, really, you know why I started doing this, because the moon definitely wasn't trending at this point, you know, nearly 10 years ago, but I started to put into my journal, where the moon was in the sky. So I'd look up that night and see what phase the moon was in. And when I'm talking about a phase, like we all know, the full moon phase. But there are a bunch of other faces as well. And I journal where the moon was in the sky and really see, you know, correlate that with how I was feeling. And, and I did notice those patterns and rhythms started to emerge over time, because the moon cycle only lasts for about a month. So it's a really observable cycle. It's a trackable cycle. And it was a way for me to start to come back to my feelings and to feel what was it that I really wanted in my life. And I started to get more intentional about what kind of life I wanted to create for myself. And so I left the job that I was working in when I was about 28. And I started a PhD at that stage. So I still hadn't really found my calling. But the PhD that I will, the research that I was doing was on women's well being and specifically women's well being off the sexual violence. And and women seeking justice after sexual violence. And that can be a pretty re traumatizing experience and well being isn't part and center of the, you know, of the legal mindset. And I became more and more interested in well being through the research and that period of research also open up this space in my life in my calendar, literally, because I had more flow, I had more time to think and to feel. And I started to talk to people and share what I was doing, you know, with my own lunar tracking, which was, you know, fascinating to me and other people find found it really fascinating as well. So this was just an absolute passion at this point, like there was no money involved. It was only when I a turning point, I guess, that was in the middle of 2011, July 2011. I went to Berlin in Germany, and I was right outside of my normal, normal kind of frame of reference and environment. I was there for a mental health law conference. But I was also a conference was great. And I went to the conference during the day. But then at night, I went down to this meditation studio, which was down the road from where I was staying quite sperg in Berlin. And I would share with these billionaires, people who didn't know me at all, you know, more about the moon and I was, you know, sort of quite intuitive and become increasingly intuitive since working with the moon cycle and could make it specific to their personal situations and they would just look at me and say, Well, this is like this is your job, right? You know, this is what you do in Australia. This is what you do for work. And I would just look at them and go, like, What? You know, this isn't a job.

I don't know anyone who would do this for work, like how could this be, but that gave me the confidence to start to think about this being a job. And so when I came back to Australia, I started to do sessions and I started to package up what I knew and sort of do those hourly sessions that people would come over to my, to my lounge room and pay me 50 bucks or whatever, for the hour. And it was probably more because we'd had to do with chat. And it was a very, very slow burn, because I that was the the genesis for the business. And I built up a word of mouth, like intuitive coaching business in that way. But it just, it took a lot of time for it to happen. And I still, you know, I completed my PhD, I was still working in the lore and doing domestic violence policy research, and weaving in and out of that for a long time whilst I continue to build up the business, like on from a side business into something which was much bigger. And eventually, you know, I took it online, I started a website, I said, my first online moon course, in the beginning of 2013, I think I had maybe six people signed up for my very first program, which was like, super sweet. And, you know, I love those, in many ways, even is still in my life and still in my program, which, you know, I absolutely cherish, you know, having them there from the beginning, because, you know, that was where it all started to grow online. And that was, you know, that were meant there's been a number of iterations of that moon program with the latest iteration had around 250 women go through it in the past 18 months. But that came through, like, you know, sending regular emails to an email list for years and providing really valuable content and looking at what people were getting from my work and how I could translate what was in my mind in a way which was really accessible and useful for other people. And other people could implement it in a way that made sense for them and their lives. And that's going to be a slow burn, if you're going to do that with integrity and master your craft whilst you're doing it. So

Kathleen Shannon 12:28
I love that you say that. I'm actually working on one of my courses right now. And someone asked me yesterday, we were in the studio, recording some audio tracks how long I've been doing this for and I was like, Wow, I've been like offering a digital product for four years. And I love that you say that six people started in yours, and that it is a slow burn. And that it really is step by step and so much more goes into creating, quote unquote passive income than just putting a product up online and watching the money roll in, like you have to do so much work around it. And so I just I really appreciate that you included that in part of your story, because I think that that's what a lot of creative entrepreneurs here need to hear. Okay, let's get back into the moon a little bit. Can you explain to us a little bit about what lunar abundance is? What

Ezzie Spencer 13:21
does that mean? So it's, well, it's a personal practice. So I made it up for myself. And I made it up because I needed a way. Like I said before, I needed a way to not only make sense of myself, I guess, but also to navigate the world in a way where I was able to take care of myself. And one of the things which I didn't learn, until like, either, I feel like pretty late in the piece is the self care piece and taking care of myself and looking after myself and not pushing all the time not going at 100 miles an hour and not having to hustle in order to get things done. And so the lunar practice is, you know, it's based on the phases of the moon, the eight phases of the moon, from starting at the new moon phase, which is the dark moon phase, going up to the full moon phase, which we all know all about, and back down to the new moon phase. And with each one of those eight moon phases, I classify them as a young phase or a young phase. And so each one of those phases lasts for three or four days a piece and the young faces as a time for action. And for someone like me is a recovering overachiever, you know, to have like, a period of where there's like concerted action and also smart action and discerning action, like time to get things done is really key. And then you know, the other half of the week, the other three or four days that always depends the moon has an elliptical orbit. So all of these new faces change a little in terms of time, we've tried this I love I just love how it's, it's a little bit, you know why I like that, but the human faces will be the time to come back into restore. So it's an invitation to just, you know, maybe like, not push yourself to like work that extra couple of hours, for instance, and you know, or not push yourself to go out to that event, it was social or otherwise, that night when actually what you really want to do and what your body is craving is for you to spend a night like at home resting, not necessarily like curled up and watching TV, although that can be you know, fun and restarted as well, you know, but actually just taking time out and listening to your heart and listening to your own internal wisdom and what it is that is right for you in that in that time, which can involve turning things off altogether, like any distractions, so. So the yin and the yang phase was a really beautiful part of the practice. And the intention setting is another key aspect of the practice because basically, you know, we want to, you know, we have this opportunity for ourselves to create a better life, for ourselves and for our families and for people around us. And a lot of the time that comes back to being very intentional in how we're living and intentional in terms of what it is that we'd like to invite into our life what we'd like to receive in our life, you know, whether that be you know, romance or prosperity or whatever it is that we're craving more comfort, that we're that we're feeling that we don't have in our life, but we'd like to create in our lives. And it's also an opportunity to cultivate some of the, you know, the, the deeper qualities, right, you know, self love and compassion and kindness, which can be done in a really beautiful, intentional way.

Unknown Speaker 17:04
Yeah.

Emily Thompson 17:07
I love that one of the things that I've one of the things that I did not do for myself while I was starting my business, because it was just sort of, like, buckle down and hustle it out. But is one of the things that I've grown to follow as I've as I've grown in my business and matured as a person, but also as I've coached my own clients would have been able to see the patterns of creating from the outside is that idea of like the ebb and flow of work and rest and how you have to, you have to give your your mind and your body time to sort of like reset and mull over your intentions and sort of like, I don't know, mentally sort of plan ahead and but like in a really restful state before you can sit down and get the work done. And then it's stepping back again, and sort of resetting, thinking over what you've done the over what you want to do. And then going at it again, I found that going into that flow of work and rest has one has like super helped a lot of my clients and you know, creating online businesses, but to has really helped myself gain a grasp on on really the growth that can happen whenever you whenever you do focus your intentions and get work done. And I whenever whenever I was introduced to your lunar abundance awesomeness, and that was one of the things that that you sort of, I guess, showed me in a way where it was completely gratifying to how I was beginning to think for myself in terms of how this needs to be done. And I think I think that's a really powerful bs that is far too often completely put aside. For a lot of a lot of hustlers, a lot of people who are out there like making it do, you have to you have to work with the ebbs and flows of work and rest, or you're just going to be working and wearing yourself out

Unknown Speaker 19:02
that is so hard. It is so hard. It is such a practice,

Emily Thompson 19:07
like and I don't have it down by by any means. But it is something that it is something that I find myself like mindfully going after in terms of like, I know, I just worked like 240 hour weeks, I'm going to like, take a moment to cut it down to 3025 If possible, and like still getting work done, but making the time for the rest and the restoration so that I can pick it up and go again. Because like really hustling it out isn't sustainable forever. Like I could do it a lot easier when I was 21 than I can now. And so yeah, it's a practice. It's super hard.

Kathleen Shannon 19:49
Can I share how I've reframed this in my mind a little bit as like a total workaholic hustler, go for it. Okay, so I've actually started paying attention to the moon a little bit, probably with In the last year, I started to feel like there is a connection. And what does it mean? Even if it does mean just tracking time, and we'll get into that with Ezy, like does the moon really affect what we're doing and what we're up to and how we're thinking. But what I did notice is that while the moon is waxing, so while it's going from New Moon to full moon, and this could be based off of nothing, I feel almost embarrassed sharing this in front of the moon expert. But while the moon is going from New Moon to full moon, I am definitely in creation mode, and I can create an hustle, I've got so many content ideas, this is a good time to like really be tracking or keeping bucket lists of ideas going. And then whenever the moon is going from full moon to to New Moon, so a waning moon. That really is the time where I kind of give my purse myself permission to rest. But as a workaholic hustler, what I find myself doing is hustling out what I want to get rid of. So I almost treat it as like the anti hustle, where I'm making it a game to strip out anything that is unnecessary in my work in my life, all of the above. So as he I'm curious to hear your thoughts on that, do I have it all wrong?

Ezzie Spencer 21:20
You know, what is perfect is and this is the ultimate message of the lunar abundance practice, which is tune in to yourself and your rhythms and you're recycled and pay attention to how it is that you work in an optimal way. And over time, for sure. So I feel like, you know, for me, I like to work with the yin and the yang phases tend to come in pairs. So the new moon is the Yang phase. And that starts off so the lunar cycle starts off as a Yang phase. So that meaning more of an action oriented forward motion phase. And I find that, you know, I my own ebb and flow is around like moving forward, like leaning in, so three or four days, and then pulling back for three or four days, and then leaving in for three or four days and pulling back for three or four days, I find that if I go hard for two weeks, like them, I tend to be quite depleted. for them.

Unknown Speaker 22:19
That sounds about right.

Ezzie Spencer 22:22
But what you said about like stripping everything out, that's not necessary, like in the anti hustle mode, that would be a way I feel to live the Yang faces all the time. So stripping out what is not necessary for us to do, you know, particularly you know, if you've got those workaholic tendencies, which I so resonate with you, you know, this is why I created this practice and why I love working with the moon so much is because the moon is the natural timekeeper. You know, it's not me that's deciding, like, okay, right? You know, that's enough, because it was up to me to decide when you know, it was enough and I could down tools or just, you know, take it a little more easy, like, I would just keep working, you know, and so I love the fact that there is this natural timepiece that gives me permission, which is not related to me, which allows me to just take the foot off the gas and to restore so that I can create space for the magic in my life. And, you know, we all hear the stories of you have like dinner, the million dollar idea comes when you're in the shower, or when you are on the bus or when you're not actually actively trying to think about something or trying to act, you know, not out a problem. But perhaps you've sort of set the wheels in motion, you've planted the seed, you've set an intention, you've allowed your subconscious to percolate. And then boom, like up pops the answer or the brilliant idea and the next novel you know, or the incredible design or the next you know, product notion is going to, you know, just pop up but we allow ourselves to be to be in these quiet times. And so why not create space for these times of restoration and you know, these very fertile creative times on an ongoing basis.

Emily Thompson 24:20
Hi bosses. In this episode, we're diving deep into the ebbs and flows of creating and though it may sound like the stuff of dreams, it could certainly be part of your reality. You just need the tools to help make it work. For me, I feel the most in control of my life and work when my calendar is under wraps. I personally set some hard boundaries around what I allow onto my calendar and when, for example, I do not take meetings on Thursdays. I also don't schedule anything before 10am boundaries like these help keep me the priority of my life and work so that I am able to put my attention where it needs to be if you're struggling with getting into the flow of how You work best, I encourage you to start with your calendar, show it who's boss. And if you want to take it to the next level, using the time saving glory of automation, I recommend checking out acuity scheduling to help you stay true to the boundaries you set. So that you can be the most boss you can be schedule clients without sacrificing your soul. Sign up for a free 60 day trial of scheduling sanity at acuity scheduling.com slash being boss. Now, let's get back at it.

Kathleen Shannon 25:32
I love the idea of keeping track of the moon, I kind of dabble in astrology, I'm reading an astrology book. But there's so much to it, it goes so deep and so far, that I feel like the moon is a great way to look into the sky and see what's happening with just one element and not with all of the planets and all of the houses and all of that stuff. So I wonder if you could speak to that a

Ezzie Spencer 25:58
little bit? Absolutely, well, I feel like keeping it simple is actually the key for it to be at profound practice. Because if you're gonna dabble on the surface of a whole lot of ideas, which sound really interesting, then you're gonna say, you know, it might be interesting. And that's like, good, we like interesting, but you can say on the surface for quite a long time. Whereas I feel like what is so powerful about going deep into one element and one which is like so observable and so trackable, because like we can just go outside at night and look up and see the moon. So there is that connection there. Like a visual connection, but then if we work with what the moon represents, so what the moon represents to me, which is that it's a feeling well, it's our emotional world, it's our subconscious. And that's such a rich terrain for exploration. And there's so much that you can do with your you know, we TSL once you start to go on that journey within to start to feel what you're feeling and to start to investigate like what exactly is driving you like with EG you know, each new moon I recommend setting an intention and sometimes not only does the way the intention unfold, surprise you but even the intention that you come to set at that new moon phase can be quite surprising as you feel into what it is that you know, deep deep down like what does your heart actually want? And what might that look like for you? And what might that feel like in your body? Like what might the physical sensations of that feel like for you? And this so much power in that?

Kathleen Shannon 27:52
Okay, I love this Can you can you break it down for me? Like I'm a five year old as the how this works? Like how do you set your intentions at the New Moon? Are you going outside and meditating on the moon and then coming in and lighting candles and writing it down? Like describe to me your creative process of setting these intentions? And then and then like how does it unfold? And when do you I guess my question is When do you expect to see the results of the seeds or intentions that

Ezzie Spencer 28:22
you planted? That's a good question. So I love the process of setting an intention and that will look different for me every month like sometimes the new room is going to like fall at three o'clock in the morning and I'll tell you like I worship at the temple of sleep and if I can't be asleep so the point is not to get really rigid you know this is the practice to help you cultivate flow and and and so you know you don't have to do it on the buzzer but as close to the time of the new moon as possible or just after the new moon can be really powerful and you can actually see the new moon because it start so at the time of the of the new moon the there's no you can't the sun's light is blocked and so you can actually see them unless you're out somewhere with no light pollution whatsoever. Then you can see a little disc in the sky if you know where to look but it is a process and this is what I love about the new moon is that it's not so much at the New Moon about looking outwards it's much more about going within and it can be those dark times which can be what that's very you know, that's the mystery that's the uncertainty that's what we try to get away from a lot of the time we don't want the darkness we don't want the shadow we don't want to what's unknown, but the invitation is is to is to come within and feel and use whatever you know works for you. I love to engage the senses so can Yes, you know, I'll chemical oils, yes, you know flowers Yes, like anything that is going to engage the senses like anything that's beautiful to touch anything that will bring you into your body. And I do a meditation at the New Moon and I feel into what it is that I want to cultivate in my life in that at that particular time. That often involves me reflecting on what's come to pass in the previous moon cycle, because you know, there's always another moon cycle, it just rolls on, that's the essence of abundance, there's always going to be another one. So reflecting on where I've been is an important part of the process, when I'm thinking Genie into where I am, and where I want to go and what I want to cultivate. And then in terms of the results, when will I see results, that really depends on what the intention actually is. So for instance, if it is something which is, you know, around allowing myself to feel comfort, and that's something which I am feeling into, in this particular lunar cycle that we're working with, I've had the previously the cycle was much more around courage and being brave. And to this lunar cycle, I'm really allowing myself to feel, you know, more comfort, more more physical comfort, and to allow myself to feel, you know, held on that emotional level. And, you know, that's something which has started to play out straight away in my external world. It's something which you if you set an intention, which is really going to push you out of your comfort zone, so to speak. Excuse me. You know, that might be something where you have to reach for it, that might be something which takes a little bit longer. And it may be that when you get, you know, throughout the lunar cycle, you come to realize what's actually involved in like, being brave. What is that going to look like in your life? How is that gonna feel like, are you really up for that at the moment, and there may be times in your life where you are, and there may be times, you know, where that's going to be a bit of a stretch for you. And that's going to be revealed to you to you throughout the lunar cycle. So you can always, you know, tune in, and course correct. And it's not a failure to change direction. It's a way of coming into a deeper relationship with yourself, and who you are, and the world in which you inhabit.

Kathleen Shannon 32:36
There are a couple of things that really stood out about what you just said. And one is that process of setting intentions, I feel like as creative entrepreneurs, we're sometimes grasping for certainty, and we're looking for someone to just tell us what to do. And what I love about the way that you talked about setting intentions is that it can look like whatever you're feeling. So you know, you may be setting a theme for the intention, and then getting physical objects that help represent that theme. There is no right or wrong way to create ritual around this intention setting. And I think that that's really liberating, but also really hard for creative entrepreneurs who just want to know what their boundaries are, what the rules are, so that they can do it right. And so I love that there's no right or wrong way to do it. And then the second thing that really stood out to me, oh, gosh, no, I can't remember I got lost on that initial process. I'm setting intentions seeing it Oh, is that whenever you were talking about? You know, knowing when it comes to fruition, one of the things that we're always talking about over here is getting very specific about what it looks and feels like to achieve your goal and in the real world. And I feel like this is where we bring in some of that grounded element into a little bit of the woo by saying, what would it look like to feel comfort in the real world? What would it look like to experience bravery or courage in the real world? And whenever you can get specific about what it looks like and maybe engage your senses there. What does it smell like? What does it taste like to feel, you know, comfort and bravery and courage and whatever intention we're setting, let's say it's abundance and money, how much money looks like an abundant amount of money. And the more specific you get, the more you can actually see it and recognize it whenever it does come to harvest. So that's something that I would add in there. Beautiful.

Ezzie Spencer 34:42
Yeah, I tend to work with goals a little bit separately to the intentions but I think that they dovetail really nicely, like when I'm working with the goals, that's when I would get really specific say about like the dollar amount that you know I'd like to make in my business this month, for instance, and what's going to be required in order for those dollars to come in the door. And then the intention process, for me, at least in my practice would be more around feeling abundant, like feeling that flow of money, like, what is that actually gonna feel like, and oftentimes, when you tune into the feeling, that's when you start to feel what, you know, the resistance, and any blocks and things that are holding you back from actually being able to receive that. So of course, you need to be out there in the external world, and you know, doing the work, like that's a no brainer, you know, that goes without saying, but then also, you know, when we, we tend to highlight that or emphasize that a lot of the time I think in our culture, like the the external doing, but then coming drawing back to the internal being and feeling and being able to receive not just like initiate and do, but be able to, like receive what's coming to us can sometimes be incredibly challenging, but the most potent aspect of the process to think of the internal and the external in that way.

Emily Thompson 36:17
I think that also dives in for me, like one of the things that I love most about this process. And the add in the fact that you're combining like intention setting with something as like, as physically visible as the moon is that you get these constant reminders of what your intention has been for, you know, whatever moon cycle you're in. So every time you're out in the evening, and you look up and you see the moon, because I'm definitely one of those people that like, I'm always saying, Oh, my God, look at the moon. And everyone's like, okay, Emily, we see it. But for me, every time I look up and see it, it's a reminder that like, I want to feel this way. And it brings that feeling back to me. In times when I'm not intentionally sitting there, like, being mindful of my intention, but seeing the moon will remind me that I've set this intention and sort of bring that feeling up. For me, I think that having that like, constant, like daily visual reminder, to get back into that feeling is one of my favorite parts of this process.

Ezzie Spencer 37:19
It's so powerful, I love that it's I love that it's there, you know, it's just, it's so subtle. And you can really, you know, sort of see the moon ago, you know, that's the moon in the sky. But when you do start to work consciously with the moon cycle, then you really see the moon. And it does, like it plays that role as mirror, it just, you know, triggers you to come back within and focus on how you're feeling and to return to that intention, exactly, as you said, Emily, and I feel like one of the things which we become really good at is like the new thing. So like setting the new intention at the New Moon, it's like the new like, the new shiny object. That can be a really exciting part of the process. But then sitting with your intention, every single day, returning to your intention every single day is also an intrinsic part of this practice. Because what that cultivates, is that sense of commitment and discipline and coming back, and not just running away where things get a bit geeky or hard, or maybe there's no immediate movement, like practicing patience and trust. And, and, and to do it with just the support and the illumination of, you know, this distant, beautiful orb in the sky. It's just so cool. Okay,

Kathleen Shannon 38:41
so here's my question, I, I really want to want to believe in all of this and with all things we're like, I want to feel that crystals actually do carry vibrations, and I want to feel that the moon phases really do affect what's going on with me internally and how I present externally. So but then there's always this little piece of me and, and I think that this is where the faith part comes in with whatever you believe in. That is not like real or tangible, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts as he on like, doesn't really affect us in in our creativity and in our cycles. And in the yin and the yang. I would love to hear your thoughts on that. Like Do you ever feel doubtful? Do you ever question your belief in the

Ezzie Spencer 39:29
moon? Oh, well, here's the thing. I feel like you know, there are plenty of theories like you know, the moon to gravitational pool like the moon affects tides and you know, we have a submit significant amount of water in our bodies affect us, but I don't feel like you know, any of those theories have been proven to a degree which I'm satisfied with, you know, and he's the lawyer in me. You know, I know that I am seeing results with following this practice. And so I Feel like you know that, like, effectiveness being a measure of success for me is really important. And so the way that I work with the moon in lunar abundance is as a natural timekeeper. So I'm not looking at the moon as making us do anything, because I think that's actually profoundly disempowering. So, you know, if we're looking at, like, Oh my god, like, it's the full moon, like, it's made me crazy, you know, I don't feel like that's necessarily that helpful, or, indeed true. So I feel like, you know, tuning in and noticing how you are feeling at all of the different moon phases is a way for you to come back into connection with yourself and all of your cycles and all of your rhythms. And so I found a practice with, you know, the yen phases and the Yang phases, which really works for me, it's helped me to be able to, you know, transform my own life. Partly because, you know, I teach this now, as a practice, because people want to learn from me, and I love to share it, and the women that I teach it to also see results in their lives. So I'm like, okay, you know, there's something in this, which goes beyond me, but I feel like, you know, the deeper essence of the practice is around self knowledge. And it is around, you know, intentional living, and it is around getting clear on who we really are, and what life we want to create for ourselves. And the moon is here, just, you know, they're always in the sky, like just always, you know, keeping her rhythm keeping her cycle, and allowing us to, to connect him with her if we if we want to. So, so that's definitely part of it. I feel like in terms of like having those downtimes at the end sizes, they are so important for me for creativity and creative flow, because, you know, that's when I do my most creative work in the in phases. And I'm a, I'm a writer, and I love just to do that freeform writing and flow and, you know, the in phases are not a time for me to like, put my feet up on the then just do nothing. Right? That would be you know, I'm still needing to work, but it's an invitation for me to consider how I work. And so you know, I do, I do find that when I get out of the way and stop trying and stop pushing, that's when the creative flow just tends to emerge naturally and just flow through me. So that sort of that pulse of the pushing forward. And the and the pulling back, you know, leaning in and leaning back the restoration. And, you know, the more sort of our action oriented, like, let's get this done, because it has to get done kind of work is a rhythm that just works so beautifully for me in my work, but then also in my life. So you know, whether or not it is your hook to the the actual moon phases, or whether the moon just provides that clock in the sky, I don't really know. But what I do know is that it works.

Kathleen Shannon 43:15
I love that.

Emily Thompson 43:18
It's all it's all you need to know, I, whenever I was a kid, my grandmother worked as a nurse at a nursing home and I remember every now and then she would she would have to go to work on a full moon. And she always talked about really dreading those evenings, because in the way she would put it don't be offended is that the old people would be crazy. And it would it that for me was a time in my life whenever I really started like thinking about the moon cycles, and and how I don't know how it could affect you. And I agree with you like I'm on the exact same stance in terms of like, it is just this disc in the sky, like what and it's so far away, how can I have any real effect on us. But then same thing, like also I see how it, how it, how it affects my life in terms of if I'm being mindful of its presence. And one if I'm being mindful of its presence that I am looking at the sky, I'm taking a moment to live in the moment and to be present to where I am when I am to notice like the natural world or like outer world around us. And I think I think more so than thinking in terms of like, does this app have a direct effect on me in terms of is it like a pulling me and my emotions in any direction? More so than that it is about like being very mindful of where you are in this moment and what it is that you want to be feeling. I think that I think any of us could take this as a woo is we want it to go but there is Some sincere practicality with it in terms of using it as a clock or a calendar to set intentions to like get 13 cycles of more awesome in your year than you would if you weren't paying attention to it at all.

Ezzie Spencer 45:17
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And I feel like I'm so I'm so eager to see more research in this area, because I know there has been research that shows that yes. And all that anecdotal reports of anyone working in the Justice sector or in the health sector, or, you know, working with kids will say, Aha, you know, the full moon is the time when there's going to be a real uptake activity, and there is some research, which shows that yes, indeed, that is the case. And similarly, with sleep, there's research to show that actually, humans sleep less on a full moon, as well. So you know, that's definitely a documented effect. And the other really interesting piece in terms of the cycles and the effects, which I should mention, is the menstrual cycle. And there were, you know, debates going on about this, like in Greek philosophy 1000s of years ago, like, Is there a link, you know, between the moon cycle and the menstrual cycle? Or is it just a coincidence, but definitely, I think there is a relationship there in the sense that, you know, I'm told time and time again, with women who followed the lunar abundance practice, and then or just, you know, just track the moon, just follow the moon will find that, if they haven't been bleeding, they may start to bleed again, or as the, you know, regular cycles as they start to tune in, and indeed, like, maybe pay some closer attention to themselves or track the moon, you know, I don't know what it is, but they may start to find that their cycles become more regular, you know, and, like, I'm not a doctor.

Kathleen Shannon 46:51
But I am told this over and over and over, I can attest to that. Personally, after I had Fox, TMI for maybe our dude listener, well, whatever, you guys love us, it's fine. Everyone always knows about my vagina. So

Unknown Speaker 47:06
after I True Story,

Kathleen Shannon 47:08
or maybe we edit this part out, but after I had my son, Fox after I had weaned him, I still had not started my cycle, probably four or five months after weaning him. And, you know, it might be a radical thing to say, but I actually like getting my cycle, I like knowing what's going on in my body. And I feel like that kind of helps me stay attuned to my own rhythms. So I started paying attention to the moon. And really, it was nothing more than paying attention to what phase the moon was in. And within 15 days, I had started my cycle again, after not having it for three years, including like, or maybe two years of being pregnant and then nursing, and then finally weaning. So I've personally experienced that. And I know that a lot of women have also wondered like how to get into the cycle with the moon. So I think it's interesting that just paying mind to the moon and the phases that it's in will kind of help you align yourself

Ezzie Spencer 48:02
absolutely tracking the moon can have tremendous effects just even in and of itself, noticing where the moon is in the sky and journaling about what's going on internally for you, whether that be feelings, emotions, bleeding, or any and all of the above.

Kathleen Shannon 48:23
As the air has been so awesome talking to you, thank you for spending so much time with us. Um, can you let our listeners know where they can find more about you?

Ezzie Spencer 48:31
Yeah, oh, it's been such a pleasure. I am at lunar abundance.com is my website. And I do have a lunar planner, which has all of those dates of the moon phases. There's one for the northern hemisphere, as well as the southern hemisphere, which is free, which you can download from my site. And, yeah, I'm moving in all of the social places and Instagrams probably my favorite.

Kathleen Shannon 49:02
Thank you for listening to being boss. Please be sure to visit our website at being boss club, where you can find Show Notes for this episode. Listen to past episodes and discover more of our content that will help you be boss in work and life. If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend and show some love by leaving a rating and review on

Emily Thompson 49:20
iTunes. And if you're looking for a community of bosses to help take your creative business to the next level. Be sure to check out our exclusive community at being boss clubs slash clubhouse, where you get access to our closed and very vibrant slack group monthly q&a calls with Kathleen and myself a book club and more. cultivate your drive and find your Wolf Pack at being boss dot clubs slash clubhouse. Do the work. Be boss and we'll see you next week.