A Prompt

In the last 30 days — what was gained? What was lost?

(C) Copyright The Moon Lists
by LEIGH PATTERSON, 2020

Site by 1/1

THE MOON IS A METAPHOR

We make workbooks, ask questions, share prompts, and create tools to inspire different ways of thinking.

What's the point?

Observing inner life in this format can be useful for both addressing the specific (ie: starting a new project or addressing an emotional block) or more generally distilling the magnitude of ongoingness into tangible examples.

Perhaps the prompts can just be a “better” way to waste time than idle scrolling...

WHY JOURNALING?

Journaling can synthesize our idea of who we appear to be and who we actually are, serving as a hinge between our abstract ideas of personhood versus the tangible details of our days.

In other words, the things you pay attention to are what you become.

FIG 2.
 NWA 12691," fifth largest piece of the Moon ever found on Earth, via Christie's
“If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don't bother trying to teach them. Instead, give them a tool, the use of which will lead to new ways of thinking.”

— R. Buckminster Fuller

Digital Workbook 01

Six months of journaling prompts, list-making activities, and exercises that invite you to think differently about the present.

A journal for a non-journaler; the most low-stakes, high-reward ritual we can imagine for stepping into personal growth, sparking creative breakthroughs, or prompting deep conversations.

HOW TO USE:

  • After downloading, use as a digital companion to a blank notebook or simply print out the black-and-white sheets and store in a folder of your choosing.
  • The download includes plenty of space to record your responses and take notes.
  • Every (undated) month is broken up into four sections — one activity per week. Weeks 1-3 of each month are short list-making ideas. Week 4 is a longer list of prompts meant for reflecting on the last month as a whole.

The Original Workbook

Our OG printed workbook — our DIY-inspired guided journal of questions, list-making ideas, and prompts for taking inventory of the present.

NOTE: Our workbooks are only available for shipping within the US.

  • 18 months of original prompts with space to write responses and notes
  • Weekly ideas to consider, lists to make, and themes to notice


The Moon Wheel

A limited edition, analog tool for self reflection. Inspired by finding unexpected inspiration in everyday objects, the wheel is a simple DIY distillation of themes and ideas for reflecting.

To use:

  • Choose a word on the outer edge of the wheel to inspire you, then slide the outer circle to reveal a brief explanation in the hidden window.
  • Pair it with a blank journal, put it on the coffee table, pin it on the wall — use it alone or with a partner or friend.


7x7 inches, two thick paper cardstock wheels connected by a metal brad
Comes in glassine envelope

* The moon wheel is only available for shipping within the US.

“Artists, poets, whatever you want to call those people whose job is “making” take in the commonplace and are forever recognizing it as worthwhile.

I think I am always collecting in a way, walking down a street with my eyes open, looking through a magazine, viewing a movie, visiting a museum or grocery store.

Some of the things I collect are tangible and mount into piles of many layers and when the time comes to use those saved images I dig like an archaeologist and sometimes find what I want and sometimes don’t.”

— Sister Corita Kent

Opening vacuum-sealed food fit for outer space consumption

Example Prompts:

Mystery

What happened that doesn't have an explanation?

Proud

What were you proud of?

Theme

Any themes?

Nostalgia

What was felt more deeply because it took you back to your past?

Detail

James Salter wrote: “Life is weather, life is meals.”

Describe a meaningful moment involving each in the last month.

Adjust

What are you amid that is almost (but not quite) right? A draft, a relationship, an injury...what needs refinement and attention?

WHY MOON?

Think about seeing the Earth from the moon. If you can see a thing more as a whole you can better understand it or see that it’s beautiful, or necessary, or stupid. But when you’re too close to the dirt you lose the landscape. The moon is a metaphor for vantage. It’s a reminder that we are guided by months and seasons, a system of order and natural rhythm that exists outside of ourselves. A sort of compass for reflection.

Czech luck pin, ca 1920s

WHY ListS?

A list can be a device for giving deep thinking concise guardrails. Lists require us to think with specificity and to articulate. They distill the wantings, the nuance, and the singularities inside life’s relentless routines. These lists are highly subjective, and that’s the point!