The Seven Cycles of Essence
Your Life Story
While your Moon Journal serves as a guide to understand your monthly rhythms, the Seven (and beyond) Cycles of Essence, as described in East Asian Classical medicine, invite you to reflect on the narrative of your life, tracing its arc from the moment of conception to this very day. With this in mind, think of your life as a book, with each part representing a distinct chapter (a cycle) in the unfolding saga of your life. Clearly, the book is unfinished, continually evolving. As we travel with The Elements and the Moon, you will notice that your interpretation of significant events in your life may transform in profound ways.
Life Chapters
Divide your life into chapters following the Map of the Seven Cycles of Essence.
~ Give each chapter a name.
~ Write a summary of each chapter
~ At the end of the chapter, pay attention to what it is that creates the transition point.
Key life events
~ In each life chapter, you may recognize certain key life events. If so, consider describing them in detail: the time, the place, who else was involved if anyone, and what you were thinking and feeling at the time.
~ What impact did each key event have on your overall life story?
~ What does this event say about who you think you are or were as a person?
~ Did the event change you in any way? If so, how?
As you are writing, pay attention to the images and symbols you are using to describe things. Stay flexible; be ready to entertain different conflicted meanings of the same episode. Above all, Be Honest.
Dr Sharon Blackie* suggests this list of topics as an organizing principle to connect and write about key events in your life:
- Peak Experience: a high point in your overall life story; a wonderful moment…
- Nadir Experience: a low point in your life
- Turning Point: an episode which created a significant change in your understanding of yourself and your place in the world. You don’t have to have known this at the time; you can look at it in retrospect.
- Earliest memory: one of your earliest memories of an event, complete with setting, characters, feelings and thoughts. It doesn’t have to seem especially important; it just has to be early.
- An important childhood memory/event: which stands out for you today. Why?
- An important adolescent memory/event: as above
- An important adult memory/event: as above
- Any other important memory/event: from any part of your life
What themes are emerging for you now that you’ve looked back at these key events?
And...
If you are not too excited about writing your story, consider making a video recording, composing a musical piece, or sharing your story through drawings or pictures. Remember, the sky isn’t the limit; it’s just the starting point of your creative adventure!
* I completed this exercise as part of a transformative yearlong program with mythologist and writer, Dr. Sharon Blackie. I frequently revisit my chapters because the story is far from over. If you are curious, you can read my life chapters’ names here. I look forward to sharing the content later in the year as we receive your stories!
Rooting and Rising 